Why can’t school leaders and unions just get along?

These don’t come across as productive behaviors:

• Using leading questions on staff surveys to build a case for poor working conditions

• Clinging to outdated practices or contract provisions that no longer serve the best interests of students or educators

• Using bargaining as a tool for political gain rather than educational improvement

• Focusing primarily on salaries and benefits while neglecting other important educational concerns

• Demonizing behavior and adopting an “us vs them” mentality

Thankfully, more and more union and district leaders are moving away from this antagonistic paradigm, and building a new relationship dynamic.

Unions and Administrators Make Unlikely, but Powerful, Partners

This Labor Day weekend, I thought it was appropriate to feature a recent conversation I had with John Wright, Senior Director of Strategy at the National Education Association.

While he was speaking in a personal capacity rather than representing the union, I learnt a lot about the nuance that comes with the the collective bargaining process.

And how unions can really be powerful partners to school district leaders in creating positive student outcomes.

Here’s a few things I dug up about the NEA:

• Largest Labor Union: The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States, representing nearly 3 million members, including public school teachers, support personnel, and higher education faculty.

• Legislative Advocacy: In 1867, the NEA successfully lobbied Congress to create the first Department of Education.

• Advocacy for Civil Rights and Equality: The NEA has worked to eliminate race-based salary schedules, providing data to the Supreme Court in a case that found dual-salary schedules based on race unconstitutional in 1948

• #RedForEd Movement: The NEA was instrumental in the #RedForEd movement, which began in 2018 as teachers across the country protested for better pay and school funding.

• Political Engagement: The NEA has a significant political presence, having contributed over $92 million to political campaigns from 1989 to 2014

John was never an administrator himself, but his perspective demonstrated a lot of empathy for district leaders in the bargaining process:

Teacher Shortages

A major point John highlighted in our chat was the reality that average public school teacher salaries have been virtually stagnant over the past 20 years compared with other college graduates.

This pay penalty reached a record high of 26.4% in 2022, more than 4X since 1996.

This has created pressures both in recruiting teachers into the profession, and retaining those already in the profession.

This is not a surprise, but he cited other pressures too.

They face scrutiny from families and sometimes even physical abuse by students. On top of political pressures and restrictions about what they can teach children, and even how they should do so.

Nurturing Community Through Horizontal and Vertical Bonds

Ultimately, John sees the union’s place in partnership with administrators. They help teachers build “horizontal bonds” with peer interactions that foster camaraderie and shared purpose, while supporting “vertical bonds” connecting teachers with school administrators and the broader community.

This provides the foundation for innovation in education to flourish, driving positive impact on children.

Key Takeaways

Here’s a quick summary of everything else we covered on the show.

• Teacher Shortage and Retention Crisis: Understand the multifaceted reasons behind the significant teacher shortages and high turnover rates.

• Building Community and Belonging: Learn about the importance of fostering a sense of community among educators to improve retention and job satisfaction.

• Innovative Leadership Roles: Insights into new career paths within education, such as instructional coaches, that allow teachers to advance without moving into administrative roles.

• Impact of Political and Social Pressures: Explore how current political and societal pressures affect teachers and what can be done to mitigate these impacts.

Listen to the full episode on Spotify below:

Happy Labor Day weekend,

CT

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