I am BCCing you (5 Florida journalists who write education pieces for the larger metro papers in Florida and the authors of the NY Times and Wash Post articles referenced) in order to hear just what you have to say.

My name is Shawn Beightol.  I am a 19 year chemistry teacher in Miami and have been somewhat of an activist since encountering Pat Tornillo of the Miami teachers’ union United Teachers of Dade (UTD) in 2000.  Since then I have run for UTD president 2X (being “excommunicated” by UTD for talking to the Miami Sunpost about $1.2 million in union officer subsidies coming from the Miami School District (MDCPS) and questioning the conflict of interest that established).

I currently have 2 Unfair Labor Practice complaints filed with the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) regarding union votes that 1) suspended the automatic pay step increase for UTD unit members and 2) attached a 2010 “performance pay” offer to the 2011 teacher evaluation contract changes that brought MDCPS into compliance with its Race to the Top (RTTT) application.  The charges have been found sufficient by PERC and I am being represented by a law firm that specializes nationally in labor law issues that involve union misconduct (they just accepted and will file their motion this week to represent me, so if you check you will see I am currently Pro Se status).  You can read here: www.shawnbeightol.com …just scroll back over the last 2 month’s of postings to see the evolution in reverse of what I am going to question here:

The bottom line is, we “rebel” teachers in Miami (who apparently refuse to “drink the kool-aide”) have uncovered what looks like the concerted corruption of collective bargaining in Florida where the school board plays the bad cop and the puppet union plays the good cop in a horrible and large scale good cop/bad cop manipulation scheme.  From the impossible to deliver salary schedule in 2006 that got Rudy Crew his $40000 performance bonus to healthcare lies (where the union announced a threatened increase 5 times what the healthcare company’s memo actually stated, then pretended like it bargained the increase down to the actual published increase).

Most recently, we have uncovered what is obviously a concerted effort to depress/suppress bargaining unit salaries…either to save money or to cull the bright and motivated leaving a hungry, desperate rank and file ready to do anything for a bone of a raise.  In June we documented what appears to be a coordinated under-advertised and misleading bargaining unit ratification to changes that denied members of their raise…but were never told that was the intent…just that the vote would avoid healthcare increases and layoffs.  Then in August, members were told that the extreme changes to teacher evaluation were due to the new Senate Bill 736 terms…when in actuality the changes were beyond 736 and were necessary to bring Miami’s contract into compliance with Race to the Top qualification terms.  Members were NOT told that they actually had a say in the changes, but were basically led to believe in a joint assault by union and school district that the changes were a “done deal” required by the new law (736).  In order to provide the appearance of legal collective bargaining compliance, the union sprung an under-advertised and misleadingly described ratification vote termed “Race to the Top Performance Pay Ratification Vote” claiming the changes would deliver bonuses for the past years work, completely nullifying and contradicting the industry concept of performance pay to be based on predetermined terms and understanding of the desired work outcomes and the promised reward.  Neither of these last two facts described what the district and union called performance pay.

The reality is, they used the pay as a bribe to persuade what teachers persevered in their effort to find out about the vote and participate.

The union and district bought the votes to change the contract to secure RTTT compliance and the consequent $72 million in funds.

Both votes have been challenged with the Public Employees Relations Commission and the charges have been found sufficient that the union “coerced and manipulated” the vote (see my blog referenced above for links to the PERC charges and docket).  My motion to the 11th Judicial Circuit Court for injunctive relief was found sufficient and the hearing was held where I (without counsel at the time) was met by 5 of their lawyers and both institutions’ 2nd in commands.  The circuit case was dismissed on grounds of jurisdiction.

I have lodged a complaint with appropriate law enforcement agencies to have the corruption of collective bargaining investigated and the fraudulent usage of RTTT funds (1st issue is state, 2nd issue is fed).

The clearly documented facts should have been sufficient local news to the big local big newspaper of Miami, but after spending hours talking to the reporter and connecting her to many vocal and professional teacher/activists, she proceeded to write 3 glowing articles in a row, reducing the totality of activism, hundreds of statements and petitions, thousands of dollars raised and easily verified teacher aggravation and ire that would surely affect classroom culture and atmosphere – she reduced all of this to “a complaint” of “one teacher.”

On further critical conversation with her I found out she had written the articles with support from the Hechinger Institute.

On investigation, I find that the Hechinger institute participates in “studies” and series around the country (see USF’s Sherman Dorn’s documentation of their manipulation of the media here: http://shermandorn.com/wordpress/?p=2445 and http://shermandorn.com/wordpress/?p=1682)  I found that they were started up and are annually sustained by millions from the Gates foundation and the Lumina Foundation (which has donated over $350000 to the ALEC initiatives).  http://www.luminafoundation.org/newsroom/news_releases/2010-11-30.html, see also http://hechinger.tc.columbia.edu/how-we-work/our-supporters/

I found out that the Gates Foundation has donated $500000 to Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Educational Excellence, which participated in the crafting of the 2010 Senate Bill 6 vetoed by quickly extinguished Charlie Crist and Senate Bill 736.  see http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/education/22gates.html

I found out that Jeb Bush is traveling around the country, exporting SB 736 type “reform” (which most professional educators refer to as “deform”): http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2011/04/jeb-bush-bill-gates-eli-broad-barack.html

And I find out that the Gates Foundation is actively replicating what appears to be going on with the Hechinger Institute: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/gates-spends-millions-to-sway.html where the Post provides a copy of a Foundation business plan that states their goal is to co-opt media channels, establish strong ties to journalists (why would they want “strong ties to journalists?”).

Finally, today I read about Parent Activists groups pushing “parent trigger” legislation…only to find out that they too have been bought and manipulated by the Bill Gates Foundation:  http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/10/09/general-us-parent-unions_8725489.html

Folks, this isn’t the democratic, check and balance approach to finding “the truth”.  This isn’t government “of the people, for the people”

this is the wealthiest people in America forming one non-profit after another through which they are funneling their money and spinning their “news,” their “truth.”

History is full of examples of people in needy situations being vulnerable and impressionable to constant propagandizing…what the Gates Foundation would call “Advocacy.”

But the Gates Foundation and other similar multi-billion dollar resources have a message to hypnotize the masses with and they are doing it by buying out every channel of information…controlling the message and the choices “you can have any flavor ice cream you want: vanilla or vanilla.”

The approach is incredibly risky.

And wrong.

We know what is wrong with education: yes, unions have protected members to maintain dues revenue (including bad teachers) and have promoted issues that are more related to their economics than Johnny’s education.  But the same administrative/managerial bloat that is observed in private sector is making educational systems top heavy and reliant on data acquisition and analysis to support their burgeoning numbers.

The problem is these to some extent, but it is far greater due to the changes in culture and values – the stellar rise of the importance of amusement, entertainment, and sports.  The stellar rise and increase in the availability of tech toys, virtual reality, games, and social communication channels.  The continued increase in single parent homes, the cost of living and the increasing unacceptable view of “living without” gadgets, conveniences, and perqs that drive a parent to work more, borrow more, and become financially depressed.

You know poverty has been shown to be so important to the ability of a student to come to school prepared to learn.  And its not just a function of having money, but having the familial infrastructure that correlates with increased income.

Please help us investigate the extent of the Gate’s Foundation and its allies’ influence and efforts to undermine the democratic approach to troubleshooting our culture and jointly, cooperatively finding the solutions.

Regards,

Shawn Beightol
19th year Chemistry Teacher,
Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Beights@yahoo.com