Is history repeating itself? Last year at this time, advocates of the proposed merger between the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers launched their campaign to create a groundswell of support for the idea. It was April before organized opposition began to form, and in July the merger proposal was crushed by a vote of the NEA Representative Assembly.

With national merger buried for the foreseeable future, pro-merger forces seem to be gearing up for the consolation prize: as many state affiliate mergers as possible. Though state mergers are forbidden until guidelines can be voted upon by the NEA RA, Minnesota has already merged and Florida is about to take the plunge. The guidelines are still in development, to be voted upon by the NEA Executive Committee in April and the NEA Board of Directors in May, before final approval (and amendments) by the RA in July.

Montana and New Mexico are expected to join Minnesota and Florida in the ranks of the merged once guidelines are approved. These four states had very little internal opposition to merger. But now the strangest noises are coming from Ohio.

In an open letter to members, Ohio Education Association President Michael Billirakis announced his intention to propose merger discussions with the Ohio Federation of Teachers. His proposal would be voted on by the OEA Executive Committee next month and, if approved, would be presented to the OEA Representative Assembly in May.

The motion is curious, because even though Billirakis himself is avidly pro-merger (at last year's NEA RA, he called a vote against national merger the equivalent of a vote against the Declaration of Independence), he was plainly unable to muster the necessary support within OEA. OEA and OFT have had several well-publicized feuds over the past few years. The OEA RA did not approve a motion of support for merger last year, and OEA delegates at the NEA RA supported merger by a margin of only 54%-46%. Does Billirakis want to split OEA over the issue?

Billirakis believes (or wants OEA members to believe) that merger is on the comeback trail. "States such as Missouri, Arizona and Oklahoma are also moving toward merger," he wrote.  EIA's information is far from infallible, but if these three states are "moving toward merger," they are certainly keeping it VERY quiet. So what is Billirakis up to and what will it mean for merger elsewhere?

Last March, EIA released a report entitled "One Yard Below: Education Statistics from a Different Angle." The study featured state rankings on various new measures of school financing and employee compensation. One particular table, which ranked states by how much the average teacher salary exceeded the average worker salary, was reprinted by Forbes and was covered extensively by newspapers in a half- dozen states. 

The reaction to these figures was often hostile, particularly in Pennsylvania where teachers' pay exceeds workers' pay by over 65% — the nation's widest gap. One of the few printable names I was called was "extremist." A number of newspapers editorialized that the research was faulty, slanted, biased and otherwise undisciplined. A public forum was held at Dickinson College to discuss my work, with a representative from the Pennsylvania State Education Association on hand to inform those present why EIA's formulations were not to be trusted.

Well, he who laughs last, laughs best. Last week, the Texas House Public Education Committee heard testimony from three prestigious researchers from Texas A&M University on the inadequacy of compensation for state teachers. The academics noted that Texas ranked 49th in teacher salary/worker salary ratio. They noted that Texas ranked last in the nation in the amount spent on benefits for every dollar of salary. Their testimony was compelling enough to be favorably mentioned in the Legislative Hotline report of the Texas Federation of Teachers. And the researchers properly cited the source of their findings: One Yard Below.

Evidently, where you stand on One Yard Below depends on where you stand in the state rankings. The report remains popular one year after its original release. It is now available in its entirety on the World Wide Web at: http://www.calnews.com/Archives/1YB_intro.htm

Another item from One Yard Below, citing NEA statistics that show the teaching force is whiter and more female than 25 years ago, was also met with skepticism. In the last week, the Gannett News Service, the Des Moines Register and the Cincinnati Enquirer have all run stories on this phenomenon. Though the problem is now receiving attention, the explanations of how we got to this point are inadequate and, in some cases, contradictory. Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told the Register the problem of recruiting minority teachers is similar to recruiting female teachers: there are many more career choices available today. Sounds reasonable, but then why are there more female teachers than 25 years ago, but fewer minority teachers than 25 years ago? Both have experienced greater career options, yet the trends are opposite each other.

There is general agreement (a rare thing in education) that the demographic make-up of the student body affects curriculum, achievement, discipline and school strategies. The effect of the demographic make-up of the teaching force on these same areas is a dissertation waiting for a scholar.

Two more unions have come out in opposition to pay raises for teachers. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Moses suggested teacher shortages in math, science and special education could be filled by offering more money for teaching those subjects. "Our members are totally opposed to it," said Annette Cootes of the Texas State Teachers Association. "We need to pay everyone a decent wage before we start looking at differential pay." In Baltimore County, officials want to offer $3,500 per year more to experienced teachers who agree to work in the county's worst schools. According to the Baltimore Sun, "Union leaders fear that giving a handful of teachers extra money to work in poor schools will, among other things, create jealousy and resentment, particularly among veteran teachers already in those schools who aren't given the $3,500 incentives.

Last July, during a press conference on teacher shortages, I asked NEA President Bob Chase if higher pay could mitigate teacher shortages in general, then could higher pay for teachers in math or science mitigate shortages in those areas? "It's something we're looking at," he replied. Must have been a short look.

Forty students at Westminster High School in Maryland were barred from extracurricular activities because they attended a party (on a Saturday, away from school) at which alcohol was served. "When we're in school they should be able to punish us as they see fit, but out of school, we're not under their supervision," complained senior Mike Preston. 

Meanwhile, in Manchester, Connecticut, School Superintendent Eddie Davis failed to suspend teacher Luis Ramos and his wife, teacher's aide Carmen Jiminez, after police informed him the couple was under investigation for physically abusing and neglecting their five foster children. "This has nothing to do with Manchester schools," said Davis. Ramos and Jiminez were arrested last week, prompting the district to suspend them, with pay.

These are not the only incidents that suggest many areas are suffering from schizophrenia when it comes to school crime. Former Fairfax County, Virginia, principal Anthony M. Rizzo Jr. was awarded what amounts to a triple pension — after being fired for sexually harassing teachers. Rizzo's lawyers claimed his behavior was due to his disability, a "psychosexual disorder." Indeed, the schizophrenia extends beyond education. A bill just approved by a committee of the Hawaii House of Representatives would give employers a two-year tax break of up to $6,000 for hiring and retaining paroled felons.

For more information about this strange incongruity, order EIA's latest report, Rotten Apples: School Crime from a Different Angle. It is available free by contacting EIA at any of the numbers listed below. Please provide your snail mail address.

Quote of the Week: "Whoever came up with that is an idiot. A lot of parents in this district are struggling to make a living. Do you realize how greedy that looks to them?" — Mark Wilkins, candidate for president of United Teachers Los Angeles, discussing the union's effort to renegotiate the current contract for additional pay hikes under the slogan "Raise the Raise."