"63 percent of voters in union households" oppose LIFO

In New York City, 63% of voters in union household oppose LIFO.  I wonder what percentage of teachers oppose LIFO.

A whopping 78 percent of New York City voters said teacher layoffs should be based on performance, not the seniority-based "last-in, first out" law, a poll released today found.
Even 63 percent of voters in union households agree that layoffs should be based on merit, not LIFO, according to the Quinnipiac College survey.
Meanwhile 73 percent of voters said layoffs of cops, firefighters and other government workers should be determined by performance, not seniority. And a majority of voters in union households agree.
The results mirror the findings of a statewide poll released last month, which found that 85 percent of voters backed the elimination of LIFO.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/majority_based_performance_york_mT8LRF5xbXjyRUY1EFyvSL#ixzz1H2WAq6m4

ADDED:  This retired teacher supports LIFO.

Don't allow the massive propaganda machine influence what you consider common sense. The last in, by all moral, legal and common sense, should be first out, if there must be an out. The many years of love, dedication and sacrifice, all for children, deserves better. I'm certain that this political move to protect budget mismanagement has nothing to do with the "best" teachers, but rather the bottom line of failed budget planning.

Read the entire piece after the jump.

The 'best' teachers are the ones who have experience

Written by Daniel Rizzi

As a retired educator of 28 years, I am compelled to respond to the current onslaught by the political and media machines against our civil servants, and educational systems, but particularly our treasured teachers.

After 50 years of collective bargaining to acquire decent, "safety net" benefits and salaries, the powers-that-be would eliminate these deservedly earned benefits in one drastic swoop.

Their pretense that class size doesn't matter is indicative of their pure ignorance of educational principles. Their spending of millions of advertising dollars to convince the public that the "best" teachers are the newest teachers is a myth perpetuated by budget restraints having little to do with education. Any teacher worth his/her salt knows, without a doubt, they learned teaching by teaching, not taking courses in college and a desire to conquer the profession in a year or two.

Tenured teachers, after years of study, have diligently worked to achieve that status and have been evaluated by qualified administrators who decided they were qualified, not by opinions of other, outside influential people. The tenure system, after many years of "My way or the highway," was finally won after years fraught with teacher abuse by political, parental and administrative influence regardless of merit.

There is a process to eliminate incompetent teachers that has nothing to do with the budget, but rather the competency of the professional teacher.

Could this push for the "best" teacher be related to the obvious fact that a new teacher's salary is much less than a seasoned veteran who has perfected his/her profession and is finally, after many years, earning a decent, acceptable salary?

Ask any doctor, lawyer or other professional how they feel about the years it took to perfect their craft. Who do you seek when you have need of a professional? Do you want the newer, younger individual who has just begun to practice or do you choose those with a proven track record and years of experience? Do you expect less for your most treasured possession, your child?

Don't allow the massive propaganda machine influence what you consider common sense. The last in, by all moral, legal and common sense, should be first out, if there must be an out. The many years of love, dedication and sacrifice, all for children, deserves better. I'm certain that this political move to protect budget mismanagement has nothing to do with the "best" teachers, but rather the bottom line of failed budget planning.

Teachers have withstood many other onslaughts on their profession over the years, but to remove the greatest protection to real teaching, the tenure system, is a travesty. This appears to be the ultimate motive of the current trend by those who have the budget crisis with which to deal. We must keep in mind that manpower is the largest item in the budget and the largest target, but not necessarily the most productive or efficient to reduce or eliminate.

The writer, who lives in Tarrytown, served as assistant director, special education, for Southern Westchester BOCES. He is a former Tarrytown village trustee, co-founder of Retired Irvington Faculty Association and a member of New York State United Teachers Association.