Board won’t punish #RedForEd
Hand-clap forehead.
Really?! Are they serious?
The Arizona State Board of Education has actually got an agenda item next Monday to look at punishment for the #RedForEd teachers who went on strike in April?
Tell me they’re kidding.
They can’t actually think it’s a good idea to punish those teachers, right?
Before they do that, let me recommend another agenda item and posthaste:
A tutorial on power dynamics. Because a state board that puts the punishment card on the next agenda, even if it’s just to explore its authority in the matter, doesn’t understand what just happened in Arizona.
After years of lousy pay, few raises, no supplies and rundown facilities, the teachers of Arizona found their own self-respect and stood up for themselves.
They demanded a substantial pay increase, one worthy of the work they do, and they created chaos until they got it.
They were moved to righteous anger and earned public support because virtually everyone knew they were right. Very quickly, the governor and Legislature snapped into line and put up the money to appease them.
Looking at that, you might assume the teachers are the dominant power in this dynamic. But they aren’t.
Nor are the governor and Legislature. And don’t even talk about the state Board of Education. They’re a marginal player at best.
The ultimate authority is the public, and had #RedForEd not soon relented to the governor’s offer of a 20 percent pay increase, they would have seen the people turn on them with a vengeance.
Something you need to understand about the public — the ultimate authority — is what they most cherish in the hierarchy of values:
Order.
After the chaos and dysfunction of 1,000 schools closing their doors to 850,000 students while 50,000 teachers marched up the gut of the State Capitol complex, the public was relieved to see state leaders finally get a bridle on this thing and restore order.
If the state board moves to punish #RedForEd teachers, those teachers will flex their muscles once more. And they will have the public’s support.
Do those board members really want the red sea flooding their board room? Do they want threats of more teacher strikes, more chaos, more dysfunction?
Because if they move to sanction one teacher for striking, every teacher in this state will see themselves in that martyred one.
And suddenly, a problem that seemed solved will be back.
Order will be gone.
And the public will be furious — not with the teachers, but the people who were too foolish to leave well enough alone.
Power is an elusive thing. It often does not respect your law and your authority. If you don’t believe that, look at Donald Trump tucking tail and retreating this week after the public ignored his law and authority to separate migrant kids from their parents.
The state Board is not going to punish #RedForEd. The public will have no patience for them reprising the chaos of last April.
If they need someone to explain that to them on their next agenda, I’d recommend Noah Karvelis, who through his nonchalance (”I’m not too concerned”) tells us he understands who does and doesn’t hold the cards at this particular moment.
It’s not the Board of Education.