While Eduwonk Andy and Leo Casey of the United Federation of Teachers spar about teacher collective bargaining agreements and whether or not they "prevent educational innovation," some unionized teachers in Denver weigh in with views of their own. Their verdict: indeed they do.
Nearly two dozen teachers from Denver's Montclair Elementary took a field trip of their own Friday--to their union headquarters to urge a vote on the school's six-week-old request for autonomy.Montclair is the third Denver Public School, and the first elementary, to seek freedoms from district and union rules in budgeting, hiring and scheduling.
Casey may argue that collective bargaining agreements don't stand in the way of flexibility. Even his fellow teacher union members aren't buying that one.
