A Teachable Moment

I was talking with my colleagues Nina Melzer and Judi Alexanderson Thursday morning about the impending school budget vote in New York and how our local media is so many ways appear to stir anti-school budget sentiments. Nina spoke of cable Channel 12 asking its viewers whether teachers should take pay cuts to help their communities during the current fiscally trouble times. That got us talking about how it’s only public employees who ever get asked to make sacrifices. Nina and Judi got on a roll of observations about how no one ever asks the Long Island Power Authority or National Grid to lower their prices to school districts in these difficult times. When was the last time the bus companies that transport our students were asked for a sacrifice? Has anyone gone to the Pearson Company and said, “We love your standardized tests. We can’t get enough of them, but could you help us out in these difficult times?” Why doesn’t Channel 12 ask the public if they favor sacrifices by these suppliers? Members of the public will support any sacrifice as long as it’s not their own.