An anti-union group in Washington, D.C., is asking for nominations for "The 10 Worst Teachers" in America, so that it can offer them $10,000 each to quit their careers.
The Center for Union Facts hopes that offering severance packages to poorly performing instructors will spark a debate on how hard it is to fire bad teachers, MyFOXDC reports.
The group is spending $1 million on ads and a billboard in New York's Times Square, as well as launching a Web site with data documenting how far it says unions go to protect bad teachers.
Each of the teachers who "wins" the contest will receive a $10,000 severance package if they sign a release agreeing to have their name and the reasons for their selection published by the group, MyFOXDC reports.
Rick Berman, the center's executive director, would not offer specifics on the group’s supporters.
"When you're revealing some of the dark side of labor unions, not a lot of people want to have their names listed as supporters," Berman told MyFOXDC. "We allow people funding us to announce their support on their own if they wish."
Edward McElroy, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called Berman an "ethically challenged attack dog," MyFOXDC reported.
"Berman has a record of using hidden funders to attack groups that contribute a great deal to society," McElroy said. "Now he is coming after teachers at a time when most Americans support education and want to make improving education a top national priority."
As an example of their contention that it is virtually impossible to fire poor teachers, The Center for Union Facts claims only 25 Boston teachers out of more than 3,600 with tenure were fired during a five-year period ending last summer — less than two-tenths of 1 percent of tenured teachers annually.
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