Subject: Re: The Barbara Rheault "Spin": Larry, while I was not the "blogger" who is responded to here, I wanted to comment on a couple points made by Mrs. Rheault regarding the professionalism of Mullica teachers. Mrs. Rheault argues that bad teachers can be removed from their jobs. She is carefully to couch her position in support of tenure in legalistic protections that in effect protect "bad teachers" and afford job security to poorly performing teachers. The reality is that to fire a teacher they need to be caught in some illegal act. Merely being a "bad" teacher or performing poorly is not a viable reason for firing. Bad teachers and good teachers get the same compensation as teachers unions have repeatedly opposed any kind of merit pay. School Board and administrations are faced with an impossible task when dealing with a poorly performing teacher who has accrued tenure. I ask gadfly readers to think back to their school days. Most teachers were mediocre and there were the few exceptional teachers who inspired and too many who were just going through the motions collecting a paycheck and would have been better working somewhere as a stock clerk where they did not interact with the public. For Mrs. Rheault to self servingly represent that "EDUCATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THE CHILDREN" while seeming to support actions by the union and teachers that harm the children they claim to care about is disingenuous at best. The actions of Mullia teachers during contract negotiations in refusing to perform at the standard that their students have come to expect is defining of their true priority. MORE MONEY!!! NPR & PBS fan

RESPONSE: A very important push in today's Press to garner more rationality and equity in the bargaining process between teachers and School Boards...

Assembly speaker proposes countywide contracts for teacher; A top legislator is proposing countrywide teacher contracts to try to cut property taxes. Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. says the move would save money on negotiations. The state's 616 school districts now negotiate their own contracts with teachers. Roberts said Monday that he'd like to see countywide pacts by the 2011 school year. New Jersey has the nation's highest property taxes, and more than half of that money is used to pay for public schools.

It would seem to make a great deal of sense for THE CORRUPT MULLICA 5 AKA IDIOTS R US to adopt a Resolution in support of this concept and enlist both Democrat Senator Whelan and the two Republican Assembly guys to support it. DUH!!! ...but then it makes too much sense...and too often they embrace the sobriquet, IDIOTS!