They won't let him teach for free

This is the most poorly written story I have ever read. No wonder there is so much confusion in these comments - the story doesn't give any real answers. I wonder if the Author went to school in LA unified district.

From what I gathered though, the retired teacher just needs to get off his high horse and volunteer under a less qualified paid teacher if that is the only way.

On a side note, how does a teacher and his family spend their summer vacation in Germay? I hope his wife is the bread winner.

as in most unions the management comes from the rank n file. i get that part. you want someone who understands the real working environment. does that make them leaders? this story is a prime example of this upside down practice. not a fan of unions as they exist today. they started out as angels of the working person and ended up falling from grace

Yeah, if I was in the union, I'd be pissed!! Can you imagine, someone working next to you, not pulling money from the school's budget for teacher salaries!? That would leave a surplus at the end of the year that they'd have to divert elsewhere.

Don't you understand the horror?

They might need to divvy up that extra money and give out performance bonuses or use the money for some needed school supplies; or, maybe they're not allow to because of some illogical law approved by some really stupid people... but people don't vote "yes" on stupid laws, and they certainly don't elect stupid people that would vote "yes" on stupid laws. That's a fact -- look at our current government. No stupid laws or politicians there.

It's making me sick to think about it... the school having a budget surplus. Well, if it does happen, all is not lost. They can at least increase taxes in the county to punish that form of capitalistic-insolence. It's definitely necessary at this point. We can't allow ordinary citizens to think that they have some sort of power. You want this great teacher back? Tough, what we say goes.

When the world starts exercising logic and making sense, we all better run for cover because that will probably mean the sky will start falling next.

Thankfully I've yet to see any signs of the sky falling in the near future; and, until I do, I will make sure to do everything in my power to prop up that ailing sky.

The whole gradual erosion of our education system is deliberate. The proverbial "they" want to dumb down America so all we have here are a bunch of sheeple who refuse to "rock the boat" and ask too many penetrating questions.

The other part of the issue is if they can succeed in getting people to turn their backs on free public education, then all that will be left is private schools that can teach any dogma they want. Their Dogma will Damn us all to hell.

You should check this story out about a teacher who wants to teach for free but they won't let him. Crazy.

Spending the Summer abroad, able to teach for free. Sounds like Mr. Kravets' income in retirement is substantial, but one shouldn't assume it's all from retiring from teaching. I wonder if Kravets couldn't sate his passion by offering to teach for free for a smaller private school or providing free private lessons? Public or private any school should depend to much on persons able and willing to work for free. No doubt the teacher unions played a role here, but don't forget there was a time teachers where mis treated, and under paid as many other labor/employee group. Loosing funding because of unpaid staff or volunteers? To me that has the finger prints of lower taxes zealots all over it. As in a few volunteers means a school can do with less funding, so we are going to cut your funding, go find more free staff and volunteers, too bad for you when that resource became tapped out. Our lower taxes allowed us to refurb a perfectly good McMansion.

This is what kills me about the bureaucratic process. People tend to forget that these cases that are being dealt with are more than just case numbers. The suits in power are actually dealing with people's lives. Compassion and humanity is lost in this process. Somthing needs to change.

What is he really trying to teach? Or, are the Unions getting their panties in a wad? The teacher's unions are considering a strike here in Colorado during a Depression while they have guaranteed jobs and tenure. WTF?

While he apparently can afford to teach for free, others can not. This is one reason unions exist in the first place to keep the overall workers from being exploited by the concept of cheap or in this case free labor.

The idea of employees working for less or nothing at all is the dream of employers. That means more profit for them (however only in the short run as well paid employees are actually a boon to the economy as they are avid consumers).

If this guy wants to teach for free there are many volunteer organizations in which he can offer his time and services.

if this becomes the trend..it would put those LAZY..overpaid..STUPID..LIBERALized UNION teachers out of work...

and they woud not allow that..liberals are known for "saving you even if it means killing you" dogmas

the union is just as evil as the company/corporation its fighting

The rallying cry for economic recovery is "Lay off the teachers and release the prisoners!" Good thing we're paying top dollar for all the administrative and political talent.

Free education is poison to those who wish to control your mind.

I know that from the outside it seems that the main problem is the teacher's union (an trust me, I don't love them either), but the real problem in LAUSD is the huge mismanagement of funds. The district handed out over 8,000 pink slips this year to teachers, mostly in underserved urban areas where class sizes are already 30-40. I've spent the past two years teaching in an urban school in south LA and I have never seen such incompetence in a school district. Yes the teacher's union has created a situation here that is extremely disheartening, but if the district would stop spending money on things they don't need (like a $7,000 sushi maker for the board office) then this sort of thing would not be happening to begin with.

That's sad really. But he should be able to still teach for free if he is not connected to the teachers union.

That is really the only good thing about the Texas education system. Teachers are not allowed to strike.

If the state, county or city can not act in its best interest because it has signed contracts w/ an entity, that is their tough shit! they should not have agreed to the terms if they thought it was unfair. All state unions should be abolished as the government is not a steel factory, with poor salaries, and poor working environment. These unions are there to cut up a piece of the budget pie, to the detriment of its citizens.

It's the teacher's union that prevents this.