The California Teacher's Association

The CTA
Although the Op-Ed I wrote praised all my former teachers, I can hardly call the teaching system they work in perfect. Teacher’s unions are one of the main deterrents in education. They hurt students and teachers from reaching their potential.

As the Economist points out, the California Teacher’s Association is one of the most powerful unions in the great state of California. They are also the biggest lobbyists in the state, spending $210 million last year alone. With that money, the CTA advocates for lower educational standards, less school voucher programs, and entry tests for teachers that are “laughably easy.” These revelations were hardly a surprise, but they still annoy me. California used to be the best example for effective secondary education. Now it is the worst.

But the CTA does not help all teachers. The Govenator recently proposed a bill that changes the way teachers are laid off. This bill would replace the seniority rule and instead fire teachers based on their effectiveness in the classroom. Obviously, the CTA hates this. They do not want to help the young passionate teacher who wants to make a difference. They want to help the mediocre teacher who has taught longer and given more union dues.

The bureaucracy in California’s education makes it impossible to give blame to one group for the decrease in California’s education. However, the CTA is definitely not helping.