In the words to Lee Iocacca, "In a completely rationale society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less." I look forward to the day when our society is rationale, at least where education is concerned. It's the foundation of our democracy and it's time we place a high priority on it. The best and brightest today often can't afford to choose teaching as a career - what shame for our society and our future - and the Janesville Board of Education, through these actions, only serves to perpetuate this irrationality. I'm not a teacher - but am behind the teachers 100%. Fight on for fair wages and the benefits you rightly deserve JEA!!!

Question for justsome1here; How could they possibly be punishing future educators by trying to ensure fair pay and working conditions for future educators?

Does anyone realize that our teachers could actually make less money with some of the boards proposals? How many people in Janesville would be willing to take a pay cut? These people went to college and are not being paid comiserate to their degrees. FYI - most job actions are about stopping volunteer hours - how many other proffesions volunteer unpaid hours in their jobs?

Hey JEA....SHUT UP AND TEACH!

Why is it that everyone thinks it is the school board who refuses to negotiate? From what I have read (both past and present) there has been a lot of posturing and finger pointing from both sides. I am sure that with all the resources available to them, the JEA could come up with better solutions than to punish the future leaders, doctors, lawyers, business owners, educators, etc. by calling for "job actions". We have to remember that we lead by example, and if two parties can not compromise without threats and bullying, what message does that send to the students?

I'm not saying that I don't support teachers and that I wouldn't agree with some of the actions. All I am saying is that they should be smart about their choices or the JEA leaders are going to come off looking vindictive. Again, is holding a high school senior's college application hostage a good move? I don't think so. I'm not bashing teachers--I personally don't feel they will make that choice. I do question their union leaders. That's why I hope the Gazette prints the entire list of suggested actions.

How is it that when teachers or their union are properly critisized for job actions against their students in an effort to wring concessions from the school board, it invariably is refered to as "bashing" with all the evil connotations intentionally associated with that. They still have jobs, and they will be paid retroactively according to the terms of the new contract as yet to be agreed upon. The state negotiator is on his way to pressure the school board to concede. What possible purpose could these job actions have?
Proof positive that government employee unions, and especially education associations as we have here in Wisconsin are detrimental to the education and welfare of the students, and are an excruciating burden on the taxpayers for whom they work.

Here we go again...bash the teachers. What other means do teachers have? They still have to buy groceries, put gas in their cars, and buy clothes. If someone suffers because the Board of Education refuses to negotiate, so be it. I'm not a teacher but support them 100%.

I am anxious to see the full list of suggested job actions. I heard Dave Parr on the radio say that one of them was to not write college letters of recommendation for students. Here we are, right in the middle of college application deadlines...nice message we're sending to our students. Luckily, I can't see most decent teachers living up to that one and making a high school senior pay the price--teachers are more professional than that. Too bad the JEA negotiators aren't.

I hope the JEA and school board settles this sooner rather than later. Having children enrolled in a district that recently went through a long negotiation process with the teacher's unions, I can say that the fall out is that the teachers are bitter and the students suffer long after the negotiations end.