teacherIn case it wasn’t clear before that teachers unions didn’t put kids first, let Pam Shamburg, executive director of the Denver teachers union, underline and bold that for you. In an article in the union-sponsored education blog, Chalkbeat, Shamburg told readers what she really thought of Denver’s efforts to shut down failing neighborhood schools and replace them with high-performing charter and innovation schools. Here’s what she said:

“‘It’s sort of an elitist approach: ‘We know better than anybody else knows,’” said Pam Shamburg, executive director of the Denver teachers union.”

That’s probably true. Education officials probably do know that when a school has a long record of failure, it’s time to start over, especially if that’s best for students who attend the school. And look – the Denver teachers union is taking a page from the Jefferson County Education Association’s massive scam last year:

“The union has started a campaign called The Schools Denver Students Deserve. It’s being led by a cadre of young teachers with a social justice bent. They hope to re-energize the Denver Classroom Teachers Association by replicating successful efforts of other unions across the country — and as close as neighboring Jefferson County — that are partnering with parents to advocate for changes they see as beneficial for both teachers and students.”

The campaign name is laughable. The Schools Denver Students Deserve? Is the union that tone deaf? The schools Denver students deserve will not be delivered through union-run efforts. Unions destroy everything they touch. It’s like their superpower.

Students deserve a school unencumbered by union interference.