Randi blah-blah-blah?

By Jim Stergios
February 23rd, 2010

Central Falls (RI) School Superintendent Frances Gallo is moving to fire all that city’s high school teachers as part of corrective action mandated by RI education commissioner Deborah Gist. The CF high school and five schools in Providence would be affected.

“We need to be able to move this school,” Gallo said Tuesday afternoon. “We are persistently in the low-performing category and therefore we have options we must look to.”

Gallo said that the 74 teachers can re-apply, but their job descriptions would be different. Under the termination-of-teachers reform model, no more than 50 percent can be re-hired.

I know CF really well having spent my youth next door, having relatives there, knowing folks who were police officers and teachers there. And while the prospect of wholesale firings can’t please anyone, I’d ask you to watch Steve Perry on CNN:

At some point we have to realize that the children are more important than the teachers who have degrees, certification, and 401Ks.

And compare his case to Randi Weingarten’s. Am I wrong in characterizing her view as blah-blah-blah? You decide.