Could this AP article be less informative?
It’s as informative as local news from a Denver based website
And we wonder why people vote on the basis of demagogues.
I’ve never been a teacher but like most people I’ve had friends who were, and the common complaint was underpaid and overworked. On top of the complaints of free spending school administrators.
the help of a federal negotiator
Curious: what agency provides federal negotiators? Is this a normal role, or does someone get dragooned when the need arises?
The district sees the disputed bonuses as key to boosting the academic performance of poor and minority students
Teachers say… spending money on smaller class sizes and adding support staff, like counselors, is the best way to help disadvantaged students
These seem like factual claims that respond to objective evidence. There must be academic studies out there that could elevate this dispute beyond dueling opinions. Perhaps the data aren’t conclusive, perhaps the case studies don’t fit exactly, but I swear to god I’m sick of the media just repeating verbatim whatever disputants say as though their positions are irreducible.
It’s possible one party is full of shit. If Trump can sext with Putin 24/7 from across the globe, surely a reporter can get a disinterested expert on the phone to weigh in and provide some context.
I have only read to a certain extent in this area, but my impression is that there are always confounders. Smaller class sizes do better in many situations, but not all, so you argue over which category your schools will fit into. Incentive pay sometimes does work. So you’ll find experts willing to tell you what you want to hear.