Monday, January 07, 2008

MNEA makes #1

Mike Antonnuci ranks the top 10 public education quotes from 2007. Our own Jamye Merritt (immediate past president of the MNEA) takes the top spot.

1) "People take money every day for things I would not do… there are people that are paid to be assassins. Sometimes it’s just not worth the sacrifice you would have to make for the money." – Metro Nashville Education Association President Jamye Merritt, explaining why her union opposes performance pay. (January 7 Tennessean)
The quote comes from a Tennessean article titled "Metro may test teacher bonuses" which discusses the rejected Nashville Alliance Award Initiative and Vanderbilt's National Center on Performance Initiatives plan.

Last fall, the association passed on a $400,000 donation that would have put up to $6,000 extra in the pockets of Inglewood and Alex Green elementary schoolteachers. Any changes to Metro teacher salary or compensation need approval by a majority of the union’s members.

Association President Jamye Merritt said the money was rejected because the terms of the gift were unclear, and teachers didn’t know what expectations they would need to meet.

“People take money every day for things I would not do ... there are people that are paid to be assassins,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just not worth the sacrifice you would have to make for the money.”

In the pockets of teachers AND STAFF, btw. A disputed vote by MNEA members (nearly half of our teachers aren't members) kept everyone's pockets empty.

1 comment:

Staying Under The Radar said...

Inept, irresponsible, "part of the problem" union leadership. How much better is they'd start being "part of the solution" for a change. Just one of the reasons why I resigned my membership last year.