DFL legislators see problems with the Teachers' Union. Teachers' Union sees no problem with itself, with the status quo.
How do you get rid of incompetent teachers with seniority?
Presently, you don't. Unless they fire themselves via misconduct and being caught. If an inept but carefully not outrageous teacher is on some board's payroll, what does it do?
I am unclear about options, but the proposals to allow skilled professionals to teach is being opposed by the union. Go figure why. Figure whether their interest is in what's best for educating students, which should be any true teacher's aim, or in preserving a status quo where they've attained a good collective deal for themselves.
Strib reports some "he said, she said" detail; this link. It's thin and anecdotal. Making the job easier with skeleton staff unlike the print media heydays.
Given Strib's recent clear trending toward the GOP, take their reporting-approaching-editorializing on the news page with a grain of salt.
Still, I would like to read some MSM outlet's reporting what school board leaders in some of the larger districts have to say - those from the community apart from any that came up through the teaching-union ranks.
And then there is the clear and present danger. The Edwatch fringe, the Quist bunch.
There are a host of online links on that batch; starting with Edwatch identifying its key actors, here, and its agenda starting from its homepage, here. Then note Julie Quist's Bachmann ties, here, here and here. Then, see also, here, here, here, or here.
Saying there is an unreliable or questionable critic group on the fringe, Edwatch, and one that sensible persons should view carefully should not, however, detract attention from the how and why question of Minnesota being denied Race to the Top funds.
For Race to the Top links, without Minnesota being a part of the search so general info is expected, this search, or here, and another Minnesota related search, here.