Sarah... it's not a waste of time to the WEAC... who paid...booocoo bucks to the lobbyists who obviously delivered on their "return on the dollar."

jviers77 - well said! My husband was a teacher and spent most nights at the table grading papers and planning until 10:30. Yes, he did enjoy his summers off but it did not make up for the long hours, little pay and lack of respect from students and parents.

Under current law prep time and class size etc. are what is called permissive language which means while most districts negotiate them because they understand they are important, they do not HAVE to negotiate them. In fact, they can simply remove that portion of the contract along with MANY other areas at the end of each contract.
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This will simply ensure that teachers have the right to NEGOTIATE their working conditions like most professions. Teachers most likely will not be asking for more, just trying to protect what they have.

QUESTION: Why does N.J. have more toxic dumps per capita, and CA has more lawyers per capita?

ANSWER: N.J. had first choice.

curtaincall, no complaining here; he left the teaching profession. Woo hoo!

jvillerdr: my sister is also a lawyer, and god help me if she ever gets attitude like yours. wow. Your husband chose the profession, I am sure he was no fool.right? So where do you get off complaining now?

Domino, I don't do crim law so can't comment on the experiences that you relate. There is however a saying: He who represents himself has a fool for a client. But hey, knock yourself out.

Most lawyers are a joke! They waste more time and money trying to strike a plea deal. God help the person if they don't settle because you know they haven't picked up your file until the night before. I'd love to challenge some of the lawyers in a mock trial! Victory would be mine!

I am a lawyer and my husband is a teacher; I am so glad he finally agreed to my request that he leave that godawful profession to care for our child instead of giving away his time (including prep time) to the school district and to the kids with ungrateful parents who don't appreciate teachers or education. I say we cut all our tax bills by going back to paid high school (with maybe a few scholarships for kids who actually want to learn) and stop paying teachers to waste time babysitting the many kids who are going straight to the unskilled work force anyway.

Comparing lawyers to teachers is comparing apples to oranges. Lawyers go to school much longer than teachers. Even with the extra they have to do to keep up to date with credits. Teachers chose the profession knowing the income range I have a hard time feeling bad for them on that point. Law school is much more extensive.

I believe most districts already have prep-time negotiated into their contracts. Most teachers I know, even with prep-time, still end up doing more homework than housework. Teaching is one of the only professions I know of where so much is expected of someone for such little compensation. Lawyers may work insane hours, but they also get paid insane $.

This is already bargained in most school districts.

Too bad teachers can't strike like other workers for their cause. That was a right denied them by a Republican governor. Then he and his cronies proceeded to cap pay for teachers. How many jobs have that?

Before everyone starts crying foul about WEAC, let's face the fact that the previous administration in Madison was a nightmare for teachers and did everything he could to make it harder to become a teacher, then capped pay and labor rights.

Are there many districts in which this isn't already bargained between the district and the union?

rex...As a few of my Republican friends say, "Some folks are hammers and others are nails."

it does not make much sense when the state makes cuts in how much they give public schools, and then throw this in there?

These are the kinds of favors that WEAC will receive for dumping all of their money into Democrat campaign coffers.

"I think they should have more time, so they don't have to take it home. BUT with budgets the way they are how is this going to work."

It's going to work the same way it always does, which is to say that it's going to come out of your pocket. It's nice when your union can buy such influence with the governor's office, unlike the rest of us poor slobs.

I think they should have more time, so they don't have to take it home. BUT with budgets the way they are how is this going to work.