Grand Rapids Pundit

Recording Reveals Grand Rapids Teachers’ Union Hostile Strategy

This is a re-post, courtesy of our friends at Education Action Group.

 
RECORDING REVEALS GR UNION LEADERS’ HOSTILE STRATEGY

School board take over, possible strike in store for GRPS

Grand Rapids city residents who are still hoping for a dignified resolution to the teacher contract deadlock can apparently stop holding their breaths.

Leaders of the Grand Rapids Education Association, the union that represents approximately 1,700 district teachers, have a far less noble agenda, which they discussed at length during a recent informational session at a Michigan Education Association conference in Detroit.

A recording of that session was recently sent to the Muskegon-based Education Action Group, a non-profit organization that advocates for spending reform in Michigan schools.

EAG has broken the recording down into 14 clips, which can be found below.

The recording proves that the union’s preferred option is to take control of the school board by defeating incumbent board members in the May election, and replacing them with candidates who will give the union a blank check at the bargaining table.

If that plan fails, they would like to delay the start of school in the fall with a strike, either by teachers, or if they’re not willing, the district’s contracted bus drivers.

Under no circumstances do GREA leaders appear interested in reaching an agreement with current school board members, whom they described as “puppets,” or the Grand Rapids school superintendent, whom they described as the “stuper-intendent.”

During the informational session, MEA Uniserv director Buz Graeber predicted that the school board will invoke its legal right to impose a new labor contract on the teachers union sometime before September.

To prevent such a move, Helder admitted that the union will purposefully drag out the current fact-finding process.

“It’s going to be a zoo,” Helder said. “That’s by design. The only thing that keeps the district from imposing is fact-finding. The longer that process goes on, the longer it takes for them to be able to impose on us.”

In the meantime, Helder made it clear that the union plans to go on the offensive, starting with the May school board election, where it hopes to remove current board members who stand in the way of its financial goals.

There are three seats up for grabs in the May election. Incumbents Arnie Smithalexander and Tony Baker are seeking new terms, while incumbent Dave Allen is not running again. Helder didn’t specify which of the incumbents will be targeted for defeat, though the union endorsed Baker in the last election.

“Last year we were able to knock two members off the board, and this year we plan on taking out two more, and that still won’t be enough,” Helder said. “The only way out of this is to elect a new board of education.”

If that doesn’t work, it’s clear that the GREA leaders are ready to consider a strike to force their will on the school board.

Graeber noted that in the Utica school district, teachers recently threatened to strike if the school board imposed a contract. But he but wondered if Grand Rapids teachers were willing to make the same commitment.

“I’m not sure we can convince our members to tell the board, if you impose, we’ll walk out as soon as school opens in the fall,” Graeber said.

But Graeber quickly added that the school district’s bus drivers are now represented by the MEA, even though they work for a private transportation company that contracts with the school district.

He noted that the bus drivers do not have a collective bargaining agreement with the district, and could strike at the start of the school year if that remains the case.

“They’re not public employees anymore,” Helder chimed in. “Now they have a legal right to strike.”

Throughout the discussion, the GREA leaders demonstrated their general disdain for current school board members, saying there are “two or three of them capable of some kind of independent thought, but that thought is always being controlled by someone behind the scenes.”

The union leaders also voiced their disrespect for the superintendent of schools, Dr. Bernard Taylor.

“Make sure it’s doctor, not mister – he had a meltdown when someone called him mister,” Helder said of Taylor.

“Bernard is from Kansas City, in one of these glorious quote, unquote, right-to-work states. While he was there, I don’t need to tell you, the union there hated him.”

Helder predicted that the outcome of the district’s labor dispute will have repercussions in other districts where the MEA is involved. So if voters or the current board cave into union demands, he thinks MEA members in other districts will be more likely get their way, too.

“Our concern is more than just GR,” Helder said. “I don’t suppose any of us have to be told, certainly nobody in our county needs to be told, whatever happens in GR, whatever precedents are set there, will echo.”

Grand Rapids recording

Recording reveals GR union leaders’ hostile strategy

Education Action Group recently came into the possession of a recording of a presentation given by Paul Helder, president of the Grand Rapids teachers union, and Earl ‘Buz’ Graeber, an MEA Uniserv director working with the Grand Rapids union.

We have posted excerpts of it because we feel it is information parents, taxpayers, school board members, and the community ought to hear–straight from the union leaders’ mouths.

The recording appears to be from the session ‘Grand Rapids EA Story,’ from the recent MEA Bargaining, Political Action and PR Conference, held February 5-7, 2009 at Cobo Hall in Detroit.

The preface, found on page 47 of the MEA announcement, said:

The Grand Rapids EA has gone through a difficult year with no settled contract and the reality of teachers in buildings not meeting AYP being displaced from their jobs. Hear their story.

In the recording, Helder and Graeber give their unvarnished opinions of district leaders, school board members, district contract negotiators, their goal of winning the May school board election as a way to affect contract negotiations, strike potential, and ways they reward and punish the local media.

Last year, we made the argument the central question in the school board election was “Taxpayers or Union Bosses – Who do you want in control of Grand Rapids schools?” Based on these clips, it certainly seems that will be the fundamental issue this year, as well.

This recording seems to indicate the union’s highest priority in the upcoming May election is electing candidates as a means to securing a better settlement and staving off an imposed contract. Absent from the union’s agenda, apparently, is improved educational quality, more district reforms, or items that would actually improve the education of Grand Rapids students.

We provide 14 clips from that session which cover these issues, opinions, and tactics.

1 Helder’s school board analysis: 1helderschoolboardanalysis

Helder: ’There are 2 or 3 of them capable of some kind of independent thought’

Helder: ’Last year, we were able to knock two members off the board and this year, we’re planning on taking out another two.”

2 ‘Stuperintendent’: 2stuperintendent

Helder: ’That is the stuperintendent as he is referred to’

3 Baiting them: 3baitingthem

Helder: ’Part of what we’ve decided to do is start calling the district on the idea 1. that they’re broke and 2. that they’re spending their resources appropriately. As such, because I’m that guy, I’ve spent a little time baiting them…’

4 It’s going to be a zoo: 3itsgoingtobeazoo

Helder: ’The only thing that stops the district from imposing is fact-finding. The longer that process goes on, the longer it takes for them to impose on us. That has to be done.’

5 Ruga-meter: 4rugameter

Union leaders discuss ways to use legal expenses against the board of education, specifically citing attorney Barb Ruga. While they don’t talk about the over half-million in salaries that go into the Grand Rapids MEA Uniserv team (see the Leadership & Staff page)–working day-in and day-out to secure a better deal for members–it’s possible the Grand Rapids legal fees could be significantly less of the union bargained in good faith by acknowledging the financial situation of the district and didn’t intentionally drag the process out.

6 Crisis Team focusing on election: 5crisisteamfocusingonelection

Graeber: ’Our focus right now is at the board election in May’

Graeber: ’Grand Rapids Public Schools is going to impose [a contract]–no question in anybody’s

mind. Our only way out of that is to elect our board of education.’

7 Striking over an imposed contract: 6strikingoverimposition

Graeber: ’I’m not sure that we could convince our members that if there’s an imposition which we think would come down some time in August–we’re not sure we can convince them to tell the board “if you impose, we’re going to walk out as soon as school opens in the fall.”‘

8 Using bus drivers to strike: 7usingbusdriverstostrike

Apparent union strategy: private transportation employees have the legal right to strike, and the union will use them to strike–so to not face punishment–and eliminate the only means many student have to get to school.

9 Increased union communications: 8increasedunioncommunications

Helder: ’One of the things I’ve been trying to do with my, I guess, free time is get a little better feel for how labor strife works out and who wins in the end.’

10 Using safety as an issue: 9usingsafetyasanissue

Helder: ’We’ve been attacking the safety and security issue. With as many students as we have, certainly there are always going to be those who cause a little bit of difficulty.’

11 Helder’s 2nd school board analysis: 10helder2ndschoolboardanalysis

12 Helder: It’s more than just GR: 11helderitsmorethanjustgr

Helder: ’Our concern is more than just GR. … Whatever takes place in GR, whatever precedents are set there are going to echo…because there are opportunities in that area.’

13 ‘Education Action Guy’: 12educationactionguy

Helder and Graeber on the activities of Education Action Group

14 Care and feeding of the local media: 13careandfeedingofthelocalmedia

Helder: ’Dave Murray is fantastic. He has been an enormous help to us.’

Graeber: ’We’ve always gone to Dave Murray just before his deadline and said, “here’s the information David. We’re not going to give this to anybody for another two hours. … He has the impression, true as it is, if I’m going to hammer on these people, I’m not going to get first crack at this story.

Graeber: ‘ We’ve had meetings and we’ve had activities where we’ve told Peter Ross to go away just because he has always treated us so badly.’

Posted by: GRPundit on Monday, 23rd Feb, 2009

Exclusive: Grand Rapids Teacher’s Union Planning an Illegal Strike

Exclusive to Grand Rapids Pundit:

GR Pundit has come in to possession of a letter being sent to teachers and substitute teachers, preparing them for an impending illegal strike against Grand Rapids Public Schools. View the GREA Strike Letter. The letter, signed by Grand Rapids Education Association president Paul Helder on August 5th, laments the fact that Grand Rapids Public Schools teachers have worked without a contract for a year, and that no other teachers in Kent County are facing this “difficulty.” They claim that their contract demands are “minimal” and that there is “no end in sight” for the end to the negotiations. They further warn that the school district “…may impose its will on us, taking away rights and benefits…”

What is the difference between what GRPS is proposing and that the GREA is demanding, with the threat of strike?

According to the Grand Rapids Press, the union is demanding that teachers receive a raise of between 6.85% and 9.05%, with a retroactive increase of an additional 2% for the prior school year. In addition, the union is fighting a health insurance contribution increase of $40 a month. In contrast, the the school district is proposing raises of between 5.1% and 7.31%. The district wants teachers to pay $90 per month for health insurance, up from $50 a month now.

The union’s proposals would add $8.5 million to the school district’s budget, despite the fact that the district is losing around 850 students a year.

As we can see, the school district’s offer is imposing “difficulty” on teachers. When’s the last time you received a minimum 5.1% annual increase, no matter how well (or poorly) you did your job?

The letter is directed at those who would potentially cross the picket lines, mostly substitute teachers. It asks the letter’s recipient to “honor our picket lines,” and to “reject a call to substitute, if a strike occurs.” In other words, the union is clearly planning an illegal teacher strike, and asking substitute teachers to participate in their illegal activity.

Finally, the letter states that the recipient will “receive a telephone call from a GREA member…” No doubt, this phone call will consist of a “friendly” reminder of the consequences of breaking a picket line.

The state’s attorney general should investigate this matter immediately. The union is obviously spending money, received from taxpayers, to prepare to break state laws.

The union is doing everything it can to drive even more students and parents out of Grand Rapids. When will the popular media and the politicians stand up and end this fiasco? The lack of a decent education available from GRPS, along with an increasingly militant union, only makes our economic situation worse.

Posted by: GRPundit on Saturday, 23rd Aug, 2008

Charter School News for Grand Rapids and Detroit

There’s some good news in regards to charter schools to report for both Grand Rapids and Detroit.

For some quick background – state laws define a “first class” school district, which only Detroit Public Schools qualifies for. This special status allows Detroit’s school system some privileges in terms of funding, but also the state school code limits the types of charter schools that can operate in Detroit only to those chartered by public universities. As our readers may know, the number of university-chartered schools is capped at 150 statewide. However, a few other entities are able to issue charters as well, and that includes community colleges, intermediate school districts, and regular school districts. One of the privileges of “first class” status that Detroit Public Schools has enjoyed is a prohibition on any schools chartered by community colleges, intermediate school districts, and school districts. However, this is about to change.

The definition, in the school code, of “first class” district is any district that has over 100,000 students. However, because of the exodus of students out of DPS, the enrollment is expected to drop below 100,000 this year, meaning that community colleges, such as Bay Mills, will be able to finally open more charters in Detroit.

There was some confusion with the budget that was just passed for schools. At first it looked like the budget changed the definition of “first class” district in all state laws. The budget did change the definition of “first class” district to any district over 60,000 students, but that change in the law only applies to the School Aid Act, and not the school code. According to the Michigan Association of Public School Academies:

The newly defined “first class school district”, at over 60,000 students, effects only those provisions of the school aid act.  At the same time, first class district provisions within the school code — including chartering options for community colleges — remains defined as a district with 100,000 students.  Also, a provision that Detroit Public Schools can stop other traditional school districts from operation within the city limits was stripped from the bill.

This means that, finally, more charter schools can operate in Detroit (soon). More students will finally have a choice, other than being stuck in perhaps the worst school district in the nation.

In another bit of good news, Grand Rapids is getting its first general-education charter high school.  Grand River Prepatory High School will open up this fall. It will be operated by National Heritage Academies and is an extension of Excel Charter Academy. Excel’s eight grade students will get enrollment preference, but the enrollment process is open to all ninth-grade level students. The charter school detractors always harp on organizations like National Heritage for not operating high schools, but that’s about to change. Hopefully this will not be the only charter high school in Grand Rapids. The parents of GR deserve to have more choices. Well, they are already choosing – to leave Grand Rapids. Maybe more charter schools in the City would retain young couples with school-age children. Yes yes, I know, the new High School isn’t inside the city limits of Grand Rapids, but it’s a good start.

Posted by: GRPundit on Friday, 25th Jul, 2008

Detroit Schools: 75% Dropout Rate

The Detroit News has a short article today on the dropout rate of Detroit Public Schools students. The article states that a report from Education Week, a weekly education newspaper, has done a study showing that Detroit’s dropout rate is 75%. You can view the report’s web page by clicking here.

However, the bureaucrats at Detroit Public Schools are going ape because they say the numbers are “totally erroneous.” They say that they report a graduation rate of 67% to the state. So who is telling the truth? They both are. The difference is that Michigan school districts are only required to report the graduation rate of current seniors. In other words, they calculate it by taking the number of students who graduate from the 12th grade and dividing it by the number of students who started the 12th grade that year. The Education Week report takes the more realistic approach of taking the number of students who actually graduate from the 12th grade and divide it by the number who started the 9th grade. You see, many of the students who drop out do so before the 12th grade. Detroit Public Schools is misleading the public, as is the state of Michigan, by only reporting graduation rates of 12th graders.

So, we see that Detroit Public Schools is a failure by every definition of the word, yet they are still in business. Does anyone wonder why the enrollment at charter schools in Detroit is skyrocketing? Tens of thousands of students are stuck in a utter dismal failure of a school district because the cap on charter schools has been reached. Our governor continues to pander to the teachers unions and refuse to support lifting the cap. Meanwhile, another generation of kids is being denied an education, and consequently is comdemned to continue the cycle of poverty, crime, drugs, etc.

How about Grand Rapids Public Schools? The dropout rate at GRPS is slightly better – 52.8% of GRPS students actually graduate. Even more interestingly, the graduation rate of Godfrey Lee Public Schools (Wyoming) is only 37.8% and 49.1% in Kelloggsville Public Schools.The highest graduation rates in the area are at East Grand Rapids Public Schools (98.1%) and Forest Hills (97.9%). Unfortunately, charter schools are not listed in this report, but we do know that Black River Public School, a charter K-12 school in Holland, is ranked as the #2 school in the entire state by Newsweek.

Posted by: GRPundit on Tuesday, 12th Jun, 2007

Grand Rapids Area Tax Hikes – Vote on Tuesday, May 8th!

Don’t forget to vote tomorrow (Tuesday, May 8th). There are three tax issues on the ballot in Grand Rapids, and everyone in Kent County gets to vote on the Grand Rapids Community College tax hike.

If you live in Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Walker, Wyoming, or Grandville, you get the pleasure of voting on the bloated and wasteful Interurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid) tax hike of 18%. Some interesting fact on The Rapid:

• Rapid buses carry an average of only six people at any given time
• Even as the numbers of passengers has increased, the cost of The Rapid on a per-passenger basis is also going up, meaning the Rapid is getting less efficient with time
• The Rapid’s web site misleads the public by under-reporting revenue by $18 million this year alone. Why do they hide the real cost of The Rapid?
• The average transit bus gets only 3.65 miles to the gallon and spews 50 times more pollution than a car. Rapid buses add pollution to the environment, they don’t reduce it!

You can read more information on the waste at The Rapid by checking out the Rapid No web site at www.RapidNo.org.

All Kent County residents get to vote on the GRCC millage increase of 31%. The interesting part is that this property tax increase is permanent! It never expires.

Grand Rapids Residents Also get to vote on the Grand Rapids Public Schools operating millage. This tax is on non-homestead property only, but effects renters.

So, don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, no matter where you live in Kent County.

Posted by: GRPundit on Monday, 7th May, 2007

Tax Attack 2007 – May 8th!

Grand Rapids residents need to be aware of tax attack 2007! There are three tax increase proposals on the ballot May 8th – did you know that? This is the problem with May elections – who pays attention?

Tax issues include the following:

• Grand Rapids Public Schools – GRPS is asking for a renewal of their 18 mill non-homestead operating millage. Basically what this means is that GRPS depends on an 18 mill tax on properties that are not claimed as primary residences. The 18 mill amount has actually decreased to 17.8258 mills due to Headlee amendment reductions. This is generally a non-controversial issue since homeowners do not pay it, only businesses and rental property owners (thus renters).
• Grand Rapids Community College – This one is a true tax increase. GRCC is asking for a an additional .56 mills, in addition to the current 1.7856 mills they already tax us for. That’s a whopping 31% increase. The increase will bring an additional $11 million to the college each year in revenues. It will cost the average homeowner an additional $28 a year, or about $140 over the next five years.
• Interurban Transit Partnership (The Rapid) – We’re no friends of the Rapid, as our readers should know. They are asking for a .17 mill increase to the .95 mills they already get in tax revenue. That’s an 18% increase. The new tax will raise about $2 million a year for the Rapid. This will cost the average GR homeowner about $8 a year or $40 over five years.

All told, the two homestead tax increases will cost the average homeowner about $37 a year extra, for a total annual cost of $173 a year for both GRCC and The Rapid.

Oh, and Grand Rapids Public Schools board elections are on the ballot too – but does anyone even care any more?

Posted by: GRPundit on Wednesday, 4th Apr, 2007

State Budget Gnashing

The stage is already being set for a possible state (and probably local) tax increase. Today’s Detroit News reports that state revenues for the just-completed fiscal year 2005-2006 are down by $170 million. That’s about 0.85% less than they anticipated, yet we are already hearing that the world is going to end for schools and no more police will be on the streets.

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a quick look at the budget. We compiled the graph at left from data published by the Senate Fiscal Agency. It is a summary of the total state revenue and expenditures since the 1990-1991 fiscal year. The only year when the expenditures actually went down was 2002-2003, when they declined by 0.28%, or about $118 million. However, every single year, revenue has increased.

A couple of quotes will show you how bureaucrats and politicians are so good at making situations sound much worse than they are in order to scare us into being more accepting of tax increases. From the article above:

The governor and lawmakers have erased more than $3 billion in cumulative deficits over the past four years by making budget cuts, increasing cigarette taxes and fees, and shifting money from other accounts.

You’ll see, that even though one reduction in the budget from 2002 to 2003 occurred, a grand total of $118 million, bureaucrats seem to be able to conjure up at least $3 billion in “cuts” over the last several years. How do they do this? Here’s how:

If a government budget is $100 million this year and it is budgeted to increase to $110 million next year, but the actual increase is to $102 million, it is called an $8 million cut, even though more real money is being spent. Our Grand Rapids city politicians are very good at making this sort of obfuscationary budget argument. You see, the “cut” isn’t a real reduction in spending, it’s a reduction in the anticipated increase in spending.

Now, of course, the bureaucrats’ special interest groups are crying foul. Justin King, executive director of the Michigan Association of Schools Boards, the lobbyist organization for school districts, claims that any cut in school funding this year would be “devastating.” He says that 50 school districts are approaching bankruptcy, even though schools have received a 35% increase in funding, after adjusting for inflation, over the last ten years. One presumes that he is including our own Grand Rapids Public Schools when he says that districts are on the verge of bankruptcy, even though GRPS spends $10,770 per student. You see, a reduction in the state budget of 0.85% is billed as devastating to schools.

But the sky doesn’t stop falling there. Dan Gilmartin, executive director of the Michigan Municipal League (the lobbyist organization for Michigan cities), says, “Any additional cuts would be suicidal for communities,” and, We’re laying off cops, not paving roads and not attracting new jobs.”

This is all attributed to a state payment to cities called revenue sharing. Basically it’s a redistribution of state-collected taxes to city governments. Our city bureaucrats and politicians are fond of stating that the city government has “lost” $30 million in revenue sharing. However, we again look at the real numbers. Annual city revenue from revenue sharing has declined from a high of about $27 million a year to about $23 million this year. Yes, that’s a real reduction of $4 million, but instead of saying that they have had to cut $4 million out of the budget (that doesn’t sound too sexy), they add up what they would have gotten each year if the state continued to boost revenue sharing. Presto – they’ve “cut” $30 million out of the city budget!

The cry from cities is now that they will have to cut police and fire to make up the difference of any additional “cuts.”

Never underestimate a bureaucrat whose job is on the line. They will obfuscate the budget numbers as much as possible to scare us. Instead of cities and schools engaging in simple and small (0.85%) wage cuts to preserve jobs, they will lay off teachers, policemen, and firemen, all the while still maintaining extremely generous benefits packages for those who remain.

While the rest of us have had to tighten our belts and deal with the still-stagnant and even declining economy in Michigan, government will continue to expand. Government never will have “enough” – don’t forget that.

Posted by: GRPundit on Thursday, 16th Nov, 2006

Grand Rapids Public Schools – Holy Cow

In the spirit of yesterday’s post on the Grand Rapids school board’s inability to make a decision on selling a building, we give you today’s installment, “Bleke admits mix-ups on Huff.” There’s not much that can be said about this one, so we’ll just ask you to read the article from the Grand Rapids Press. It speaks for itself:

Bleke admits mix-ups on Huff

Posted by: GRPundit on Friday, 4th Nov, 2005

Grand Rapids Public Schools Paralysis

It’s funny to watch the Grand Rapids school board completely bungle everything they do. One has a hard time understanding exactly how they can bat 1000 when it comes to messing up the simplest task.

The GRPS board is considering selling the now-unused Huff elementary school on the city’s north side. They got two bids – first from a charter school company offering $1.3 million. The second bid is from a non-profit organization run by Dave Allen, one of the board members (and a former president of the board), offering about $800k.

The board had an “emergency” meeting last night to consider the charter school company’s bid. The board realized that it doesn’t look so good to sell a school to a board member (can anyone say conflict of interest?). Allen’s organization proposed selling off a portion of the land as “brownfield” sites so that the school district could capture additional tax dollars. One hitch – no one ran the idea by the city first.

To top it off, Allen’s organization wouldn’t even be able to raise the money for months. There was such an outcry at the unusual Wednesday evening meeting, that the board decided to table to decision.

They can’t even handle the sale of an unused building – how can we expect them to handle the education of 20,000+ kids?

Posted by: GRPundit on Thursday, 3rd Nov, 2005

Adopt-a-Bathroom? How About Adopt an Everything?

An interesting idea was posited by an offer by a citizen to pay to keep the bathrooms open at Aberdeen Park so the Creston High School Girls tennis team wouldn’t have to go to Burger King to use the bathroom. The City refused the offer.

This brings up a good idea. How about all parks, pools, and the zoo go private and not for profit? Each park could be adopted by a company or neighborhood and the cost would suddenly be off the rolls for the taxpayers of the city. There are examples of private parks all over the world. Some are free to users, some charge a small fee, but most are better run than government-owned and operated parks.

Why would the city refuse the offer to pay for some park operations? Because bureaucrats have no incentive to do well. Let private groups run the parks and they’ll do what it takes to keep people coming back.

Posted by: GRPundit on Thursday, 22nd Sep, 2005