CAESAR: Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music, Cry "Caesar!" Speak; Caesar is turn'd to hear.

SOOTHSAYER: Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR: What man is that?

BRUTUS: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

CAESAR: Set him before me; let me see his face.

CASSIUS: Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.

CAESAR: What say'st thou to me now? Speak once again.

SOOTHSAYER: Beware the ides of March.

CAESAR: He is a dreamer; let us leave him: pass.

— From Act I, scene II of Julius Caesar

In homage to the most famous of discarded warnings, EIA presents a few more portents from people not known for being "anti-public education." These caveats are also likely to be discarded: 

*  "If we are serious about raising academic standards and if we desire to improve student discipline, we must free ourselves from the very dubious notions that criticism is bad, that demanding real excellence is unreasonable and, above all, that students can't be corrected and disciplined and still be in a humane school environment." — Morty Rosenfeld, president of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Congress of Teachers in New York.
 *  "[California Gov. Gray] Davis also wants to strengthen reading teachers and provide remedial reading programs for struggling primary pupils. He is on the right track, but the state and the school districts will have to take other steps, such as reducing the clout of the unions, if they are to weed out ineffective teachers and put an excellent reading teacher in every primary classroom." — Los Angeles Times editorial of March 8.
 *  "I wish people would listen because there is going to be a disaster when you find out there has been no significant improvement as a result of these programs in four years. We are at the bottom. Something is wrong that will not be fixed by taking to the television to tell kids to read. It only reinforces their television fixation." — California State Senator Tom Hayden.

The bill to expand public sector collective bargaining failed by an 88-73 margin in the Missouri House. "It's incumbent on unions to do an education campaign in the rural areas and show people how unions really work," said Rep. Steve McLuckie, sponsor of the bill and the organizing director for the Missouri NEA. In support of Rep. McLuckie's idea, EIA will provide, free of charge, copies of NEA Confidential: A Practical Guide to the Operations of the Nation's Largest Teachers' Union to anyone who resides in a rural area of Missouri. Contact information is listed below. 

Truth gap? Some of you may have heard your local or state teachers' union touting the results of a Harris Poll that asked: "Who would you generally trust? Would you generally trust each of the following types of people to tell the truth or not?" Of the 16 professions listed, teachers topped the trust list. About 86 percent of those surveyed trust teachers to tell the truth. But the rest of the list wasn't reported quite as well. Clergymen were second, the President was 11th, journalists were 15th. Dead last, inspiring only 37 percent of those polled to trust in their truthfulness, were "trade union leaders."

"I know a young woman who just graduated from college as a dental hygienist. In her very first job, straight out of school, she makes $50,000 a year. That's right — $50,000 a year. We have teachers who don't make that much after 30 years in the classroom!" said Judy Schaubach, co-president of Education Minnesota. Well, the Minnesota Department of Economic Security (MDES) lists the average hourly wage of state elementary school teachers as $2.34 more per hour than that of state dental hygienists. But let's give Ms. Schaubach the benefit of the doubt. MDES also says of dental hygienists "No sure data is available for low range pay, but starting salaries for recent graduates reportedly often exceed $18.30/hour, and even two dollars higher in metro area." So if Ms. Schaubach's friend works 10-hour days (the same as the average teacher works, including off-duty work), and she earns $20.30 an hour, and she makes $50,000 a year, then she's working 246.3 days for her pay. Teachers work 60 fewer days. Why is it fair to compare the wages of teachers and others, but not the work-year?

Attempts to increase regulation of home schooling wax and wane in regular cycles. We seem to be in an upsurge recently. A bill in the Arkansas House would require home-schooling parents to hold classes at least 180 days a year, upgrade the curriculum annually, and keep daily records of student activity. The author of the bill, Rep. Jerry Allison (D-Jonesboro) is under fire from home schooling advocates for telling the Jonesboro Sun that he wanted to be sure that parents weren't taking kids out of public school just because they "are too lazy to take them there."

Meanwhile, in Illinois, a bill before the House would require home-schooling parents to report the names and immunization status of their children to the government. "There is a legitimate public health interest in seeing these kids immunized that arguably overrides the privacy right," Rep. Ricca C. Slone (D-Peoria Heights) told the Decatur Herald & Review. "Regrettably, under the cover of ‘we are home schooling,' (some) are probably neglecting their kids."

The Foothill Leader, a twice-weekly newspaper in Southern California, combed through the Education Code to find out which crimes would require the state to deny someone a teaching credential. Beyond the usual sex, drug and violent crimes, were these offenses:

 * Train robbery.
 * Abducting a woman for marriage.
 * Grand theft of an animal carcass.
 * Placing one's wife in a brothel.
 * Disorderly conduct by loitering "in or about a toilet."