Texas Teachers all riled up

[Zero]

There’s a real grassroots, cross-party movement lighting up a sizable portion of public school teachers in Texas right now.

Anti-public education legislation pushes by Lt Gov. Dan Patrick, intimidation by dark money PACs (Empower Texans), and over-reach by 8-9 very wealthy West Texas oil families has stirred up a hornets nest. Moderate Republicans, Centrists, and Democrats are uniting against the radicalism of the current leadership.

Teachers are block voting all over the state using the open primary mechanisms.

Exciting stuff.

It all started with this group telling educators to rat out political speech on campuses.

Some articles to catch up on:

https://www.teachthevote.org/news/2018/ ... educators/

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2018-el ... even-right

http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/ed ... 53719.html

https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/m ... democracy/

http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/op ... 23554.html

https://www.texasmonthly.com/politics/d ... coalition/

[Martin Hash]

I definitely want this to explode. Sides need to be drawn and power weighed. No reason to put a lot of effort into breaking the Techer’s Union if it can’t be beat in Texas.

[Zero]

We don’t have unions.

But yeah, I agree. We need to take away undue influence of super wealthy ideologues who have decided they get to make the entire state follow their lead by buying up increasingly radical politicians. The Republican Party in Texas is snapping in half, not over abortion, entitlements, or immigration. Over education funding.

[Okeefenokee]

The Association of Texas Professional Educators

Why ATPE has a nonunion philosophy

Collective bargaining policies create an adversarial relationship between employees and employers that can compromise students’ education. In collective bargaining arrangements, striking is the most powerful bargaining tool. Statistics prove that strikes happen more frequently in collective bargaining situations, regardless of whether striking is legal.

In Texas, striking is currently illegal for public school employees. As a penalty for breaking this law, educators who strike will have their teaching certificates and their Teacher Retirement System (TRS) benefits permanently revoked. For this reason, and because ATPE’s priority is to support Texas students by supporting educators, we vehemently oppose strikes.

https://www.atpe.org/en/Advocacy/Issues ... Bargaining

[Zero]

We’re not striking, at least I’m not. I’m not going to risk my license when I’m almost done with grad school.

We’re mobilizing to vote in a historically low turnout state with a group of relatively low turnout professionals. Over 200,000 classroom teachers alone + potential family members block voting for adequate funding, as provided in the state constitution.

[Speaker to Animals]

Implying our radicalized government teachers do not already largely bloc vote democrats anyway.

[Zero]

Not in Texas they don’t.

In 17 years I have never met a ‘radicalized’ teacher, not in conservative North Texas, nor blue Travis county. Just a vast majority of people working hard.

You don’t know this state and you don’t know teachers.

[Martin Hash]

Zero is correct. He’d be a Republican anywhere else.

[Zero]

Zero is correct. He’d be a Republican anywhere else.

Nah, I don’t have any particular party allegiance. Funnily, I always thought I was liberal, until I went to London and Portland and suddenly, I’m an arch-conservative

Turns out I’m just a centrist that gets agitated by extremists.

[Okeefenokee]

Zero's not being completely straight with us.

I have been in multiple classrooms in Texas where teachers regularly and without hesitation push far left ideas.

Just last month, respect for the first amendment was cynically called, "pulling the free speech card."

The bent is left, and it's hard. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.