the Edvisions Cooperative in Henderson, Mn offers another way to pay teachers
than the traditional union/management model. Teachers are a majority of the
board at this charter public school. They determine their hours and working
conditions.

It is a bit like the professional model of many law firms - attorneys have
senior partners, junior partners etc. The attorneys hire an office manager.

The Ed Visions coop hires people to carry out business functions - that way,
if the requisitions are not filled out quickly, they can encourage better
service - if they do not get it, the business services people are gone.

By the way, the EdVisions teachers are paid more than many district school
teachers in the area.

Teachers and students do not NEED unions. It is one way to operate - not
the only way.

Joe Nathan
Center for School Change
Humphrey Institute
Uof M and
St. Paul resident for 30 years

> the Edvisions Cooperative in Henderson, Mn offers another way to pay
> teachers
> than the traditional union/management model. Teachers are a majority of
> the
> board at this charter public school. They determine their hours and
> working
> conditions.
> The Ed Visions coop hires people to carry out business functions - that
> way,
> if the requisitions are not filled out quickly, they can encourage better
> service - if they do not get it, the business services people are gone.
> By the way, the EdVisions teachers are paid more than many district school
> teachers in the area.
>
> Teachers and students do not NEED unions. It is one way to operate - not
> the only way.
>
> Joe Nathan

It would never be accepted here.

1. Too logical
2. Too much accountability
3. Too much freedom

Dennis Tester
Mac-Groveland

Rest of post

I believe that the Henderson Coop may have just reinvented the Guild which was
and possibly still is a way of skilled workers to pool their resources and
remain relatively independent of the current political powers.

Quoting <email obscured>:

Rest of post

I don't know of any school board in Minnesota that prohibits teachers from
running for office and getting elected. I don't think that's legal to
prohibit anyone from running.

And I don't know why Dennis thinks teachers would be more accountable to board
members who are other teachers than to board members who may be parents,
community activists, lawyers, business leaders, financial wizards, computer
geeks, legislative wonders, and overgrown kids themselves.

Even though we were physically threatened and had to hire security for board
meetings, we had our cars vandalized, district offices were vandalized by a
drive by shooter, and we were called just about every filthy name in the book -
I'm glad I was one of the seven people who had to make the tough decisions when
White Bear was going through those crisis years in the 90's. The district is a
stronger district now because of those decisions.

And I just was a mom with kids in the school. Oh yeah, I had a master's in
management and years of experience in community organizing, too.

Joe, you said the Edvisions teachers are paid more than many teachers in the
area. How much is the Gates Foundation subsidizing this experiment? Where do
they get their funding? How much are they working with?

Rest of post

Another way to pay teachers - Put them in charge

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