"Not on my watch" said a union leader. Mr. Toner, Union President, said, it is too complex for the "average citizen" to understand. what he really meant is we are too stupid. The entire education administrative organ, union, boards, principals and superintendents all say NO to relinquishing any control to parents and citizens who pay the bills. School boards used to dictate their unlimited budgets and they said the same thing then. Parents and families, they say, need to just shut up and leave the process to union leaders who find ways to undermine any process that threatens the "super seniority" protection for teachers who fear replacement by new, less expensive "employees". Yes, teachers are employed by the families who pay their salaries. They are not independent, permanently entitled, union employees. Teachers, unions, administrators and boards are all employees of the parents who pay their salaries and this initiative will pass if some activist judge doesn't judicially legislate it into some eternal cycle of review. Call your state legislators and demand they speak up in defense of this initiative. Do not allow this union president to bully and dictate. It has gone on too long.

This initiative is LOOOOOOOONG overdue. We have too many slacker teachers who receive the same raise as the conscientious ones. Get rid of the slackers!

Get real. Every employee should be judged on performance and not longevity. While I believe that educational decisions should, for the most part, be made at the local level (especially not at the federal level) a state wide ballot may be the only way to get this done. There are many cities/towns with downright militant,obstinate teacher unions that make it very hard to get tings done.

Hebert is a retired teacher and former president of the Scituate Teachers Union and wife is currently a scituate teacher. No surprise in Scituate which way he leans. You get what you elect.

This initiative will not help children, bottom line. I can't believe that people are taking the advice of non-educators over educators. Let me explain something, if you do not work in education you do not understand how the system works, and how detrimental to our country and commonwealth this initiative is. You want to trust big business over workers? They have a mission: to privatize and profit. Tenure protects experience. Is every teacher perfect - No! There isn't a profession that is perfect. But the promulgation that the system is full of slacker teachers is way off base. Teachers not doing there job can be fired, after due process - a system of checks and balances....Here's the problem - management doesn't do the evaluations to get rid of "slackers". However, I firmly believe through first hand observation that the vast majority of teachers work extraordinarily hard. The comments posted here are anti-teacher , not just anti-union. The Scituate school committee member should be lauded. He is a former teacher - so why is his opinion sidelined over educational policy developed and backed by bankers? Give me a break, who is "stand" really standing with?

The public education monopoly has badly hurt this country over the years by putting their narrow self interest above the education of our children. Yes, that's a union's job. But is our right and obligation to oppose them when we feel it necessary. And we do. Good for Stand for Children! This lawsuit will fail, the initiative will pass at the polls, and our children will be better off for it.

Columwhyte said it best.

Jonah Edelman, CEO for Stand for Children, said, "we improve children's lives NOT by providing direct services to individual children or their families, but by making those services more broadly available and more effective through advocacy..." So "Stand for Children" aka "Stand for Children Action Fund" aka "Stand for Children Leadership Center" tiptoed into Massachusetts, from Oregon, to increase its bottom line. It is not about providing services to Massachusetts "children" it's about increasing revenue for the organization and bonus payout for Jonah Edelman, CEO and Leslie Nicholson, Chief of MA State Operations! As Stand for Children IRS 990 for 2010 states "ONE FACTOR AFFECTING THE CEO'S AND CHIEF OF STATE OPERATIONS' TOTAL COMPENSATION IS THE REVENUES OF THE ORGANIZATION A REVENUE TARGET IS PART OF THESE EMPLOYEES' ANNUAL GOALS THAT ARE REVIEWED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN EVALUATING ANNUAL COMPENSATION AND POTENTIAL BONUS PAYOUTS." Stand for Children's IRS 990's are posted on their site, but I'd like them to be "transparent" about Benefits & Deferred Compensation and Expense & Account Allowances! Let's see "the roots" that flower into bonuses! Contributions and grants at the "not for profit" (not to be confused with "charity") Stand for Children in 2010 was $10,950,776! That's a lot of money for "grass roots advocacy" that is not providing direct services to "the children." However, they do offer their employee's a competitive salary, "commensurate with experience." In addition to "Excellent benefits: full health and dental coverage; life insurance, long- and short-term disability and long-term care coverage; 401K with a match plan; flexible spending/benefits plan; holidays and vacation accrual!" WOW! One of the job requirements however "is a demonstrated track record of fundraising success, particularly with individuals, preferably including experience securing six-figure gift!" Sounds like Super Pac to me! Then, to add insult to injury, the Stand for Children "Board of Advisors" includes officials from Bain Capital, Fidelity Investments, Fisher Lynch Capital, and other major businesses. These people, who all seem to hail from Lexington, are not concerned with an educated population, especially an urban one; they are concerned with providing people to fill low paying service sector jobs! Who will serve the latte! I'm glad the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) has stepped up to fight this ballot initiative, which is so detrimental to education. Martha Coakley lack of oversight is disappointing.

I agree with CaesarAmericanus YOU said it best!

What kept coming to mind, as I tried reading the "Stand for Children Massachusetts ballot petition" was all the professional development they received from Dorie Clark at Clark Strategic Communications. Dorie Clark usually charges $15,000. PER PERSON, for a three day workshop. How many people from the "not-for-profit" Stand for Children Massachusetts were "professionally developed" did they received a group rate? Did they pay attention or just glaze into their Iphone for hours. Should "Stand for Children" remain as is or should we adopt the Oregon version where "Stand for Children Stands for the Rich and the Powerful!" So dear Profox you try to decipher this clutter of strategic jumble and report back… http://www.mass.gov/ago/docs/government/2011-petitions/11-20.pdf

thank you

Dear Boatwrote and 0427 When the citizens of Scituate elected Mr. Hebert, to the Scituate School Committee they were electing an individual who is knowledgeable, respected in the community and is committed to education. He has devoted his life to it and this has meaning. Having been elected President of the Scituate Teachers Union in the past indicates to me that educators trust and respect him. They see him as an individual who can advocate for teachers in the best interest of children. I envy Scituate, their citizens had a vote and have elected a person who is qualified to move their schools forward. In Boston, our school committee is appointed by Mayor Menino, citizens have no vote, and the school system has gone progressively downhill. It's really sad, there is no community and families with children, live to leave.