A Dry Summer: The teachers in Campbell County, Tenn., normally are paid every other week all year long. But this summer, the paychecks stopped coming. About 375 teachers and more than 30 administrators and other district employees were victims of bad budgeting: A $1 million deficit left the school district unable to cover its payroll and raised the possibility of a teachers’ strike.
We’ll Do It Ourselves: The Vermont-NEA was miffed when the National Education Association refused to endorse Bernard Sanders, its preferred candidate for Congress. But the Vermont affiliate didn’t let the rebuff spoil its enthusiasm for Sanders, an avowed socialist and former mayor of Burlington. At the national union’s convention this past summer, the state organization chose to raise money for its favorite son instead of the NEA’s political action committee.
Parents’ Peeve: Delegates to the annual meeting of the National PTA have called for legislation to limit television advertising in schools. The resolution, which is aimed at such efforts as Whittle Communications’ Channel One, urges policymakers to prohibit public schools from making deals with companies that require students to view advertising as a condition for a donation of money or equipment.
Joining Forces: Led by the NAACP, more than 100 civic, social, and civil rights organizations joined forces over the summer to tackle the critical problems--like high drop-out rates, teen pregnancy, and drug abuse--plaguing many black communities. Among other things, the new National Association of Black Organizations hopes to help communities replicate specific programs and initiatives that have proved successful elsewhere.
