Mailbag: Teachers are entitled to strong union representation

Teachers are entitled to strong union representation

I must respond to the ill-informed diatribe against teachers unions (“Mailbag: Union politics are harming the teaching profession,” Oct. 19). The writer begins by asking why substitute teachers work for $115 a day and private school teachers work for less.

Before I had a permanent position, I too was a sub — in those days the pay was $34 a day. We had no benefits, no sick pay, no pay at all in the summer and no union representation. Private school teachers have it even worse for the most part and no job security at all — and no organization which has their interests at heart.

I taught for over 30 years for several school districts, I went through the September hiring and June layoffs on an annual basis, due to contracting and expanding job markets. I dealt with one principal who had it in for me (I had been hired by his predecessor).

I left that school and went on to another position for over 20 years and was teacher of the year. I had my own ups and downs, dealing with problem children and problem parents (who were often more or less the cause of their children’s problems) enormous class size (54 students and no assistant in one remedial reading class) and coping with the unforeseen downsides of Common Core.

As for the unions, they are there when a student makes an untrue allegation. They are there to fight for lower class sizes and better working conditions. They are there to negotiate long-needed salary increases and benefits. They are there to intervene with malicious and unreasonable administrators. And they are there to represent teachers when politicians and special interest groups make an effort to politicize education — which is all too often.

Teachers’ organizations are there to represent teachers. Yes, the dues are a required expense — and a nominal one at that — and they include free legal representation, when necessary. As for teacher pay, the universal method of compensation is based upon education level and years of experience. Basing pay on evaluations or perceived effectiveness sounds good too, except nobody has yet come up with a truly objective way of doing so.

Teachers need someone to take their side and look out for their interests, and they have a right to have an organization to fill this role. So quit making false demons out of teachers’ unions.

Lenard Davis

Newport Beach

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Voters bamboozled by Great Park project

While the city of Irvine continues to piddle, twiddle and resolve about the Great “Pork” — I mean Great Park, there still remains the question of how more than $200 million was spent and whether a future $300 million can be trusted to the same syndicate.

In case you have forgotten, it’s worth a trip down bad memory lane to recall the greatest Orange County bait-and-switch ever, which took place in 2002, when voters were promised a park where the Marine Air Station El Toro once existed.

Orange County voters took the bait — and now the money is gone. All we have to show for it is the hot air in the orange balloon. Over the years, the city of Irvine has converted vast tracts of the park and adjacent lands to high-density housing.

The park was promised to the people of Orange County. Follow the recommendation of the grand jury. Remove the governance of the future park, or what is left of it, from the Irvine syndicate and appoint a group who will steward this resource to become an amenity of the entire county. Don’t get fooled a second time.

Thomas J. Peterson

Newport Beach