The 2011 Public Education Quotes of the Year

posted at 11:43 am on January 3, 2012 by Mike Antonucci

Each year the Education Intelligence Agency compiles the most pungent quotes from the world of public education (ultimately culminating in a Quote of the Decade). This year was particularly fruitful. Please enjoy the list, presented in countdown order:

10) “That’s what you’re deciding on today – about whether or not you want to inject yourself into the individual, private decisions that employees make about their money.” – Kevin Watson, a lobbyist for the Florida Education Association, on a bill in the state legislature that would require unions to get written authorization from members in order to use dues for political purposes. (March 21 Florida Times-Union)

9)  ”The governor has selected some of the smartest policy thinkers in California. They’re experienced, they’re thoughtful and they’re largely independent minded, with the exception of the CTA staffer.” – Bruce Fuller, professor of education at UC Berkeley, commenting on Gov. Brown’s appointment of California Teachers Association lobbyist Patricia Ann Rucker to the state board of education. (January 8 Los Angeles Times)

8“In the 30-some years we were part of the (American Federation of Teachers union), we never had to use their services. There were never any grievances that warranted that. We really – and I’m going to be honest – never really got much out of it.” – Becky Seitz, former president of the AFT affiliate in North Cape, Wisconsin. (December 10 Journal-Times)

7)  “It appears that budgeting errors were made. It’s not good fiscal sound practice to spend more money than what you have coming in.” – Broward Teachers Union communications director John Ristow. (December 6 NBC-TV Miami)

6)  “It makes perfect sense to me that students in the Education Department of a university would have the highest GPAs because they are being taught by trained educators. I would expect the lowest GPAs to be among the math and engineering students because mathematicians have still not figured out how to teach math.” – Educator and author Nancy Illing, commenting on a story about grade inflation at teachers’ colleges. (June 10 Teacher Beat)

5)  ”The fact that we have so many private schools is detrimental to the public school system.” – Shirley Parola, a retired teacher, speaking at an education reform forum in Hawaii. (May 5 Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

4)  “Sixty-seven is kind of advanced.” – California Teachers Association spokesman Frank Wells, commenting on the plan by 73-year-old Gov. Jerry Brown to raise the public employee retirement age to 67. (October 30 Bloomberg)

3)  ”I disagree with him completely that our system is broken. It’s not our system, it’s the preparation of our kids these days. For my school, is it my fault that students come to me in the eighth grade and read at a second grade level?” – Ruby Caliendo, a middle school teacher in Nevada, commenting on Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget address. (January 25 Las Vegas Sun)

2)  ”Even Jesus needed an executive session with his disciples.” – Bruce Cole of the Colorado Springs Education Association, explaining why the union doesn’t want teacher contract negotiations conducted in public. (March 9 Colorado Springs Gazette)

1)  “If you want to divide that $240,000 into the amount of hours spent, I think you would find that the per hour was probably not much at all, considering the work that had to be done.” – Former National Education Association President Reg Weaver, explaining why he deserves his $242,657 annual pension from the state of Illinois. (October 23 Chicago Tribune)

Recently in the Green Room:

• “I don’t think you’d find…even a small number of Republicans voting for any kind of bill that has amnesty first and enforcement second”
• Photo of the day
• Programming note: Hosting the Hugh Hewitt Show this week
• It’s come to this: Democrats now complaining that … the Senate hasn’t passed a budget
• Video: The worst pageant answer ever?

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