Education Action Group video
February 5, 2009 by Jayme Siemer
Filed under Schools
The Education Action Group works to shed light on school-board union contract negotiations. It currently has two similar videos up at the EAG website. Go pick your favorite. I voted for this one:
Union sues to stop Education Action Group’s FOIA request
December 3, 2008 by Jayme Siemer
Filed under Activism, Schools
The Michigan education unions have a terrible problem. You see, education unions prefer to operate in the dark, with no real oversight, and no actual transparency or accountability to the taxpayers they rely on for jobs. It’s kind of one of those deals that if everyone gets paid, nobody gets hurt.
The folks involved in the Education Action Group (EAG) think it’s high time to turn the lights on to see how tax dollars are spent in schools, how funds might be maximized, and to bring it all out in the open- teacher pay vs. union negotiator pay, contract negotiations, benefits agreements, political plays by unions… all of that juicy stuff. They’ve caused quite a scuffle, which is a good thing if you pay into the Michigan school system.
Recently, EAG filed a FOIA to obtain emails from Wayne-Westland Education Association president Nancy Strachan’s taxpayer-funded e-mail account. EAG is curious to find out the role the union is playing in a recall election of a couple of school board members that aren’t giving the union all they want, and also information on a recent illegal strike. Today, the Michigan Education Association filed a lawsuit against the school district to stop them from releasing the emails.
Filing a lawsuit to stop transparency? So predictable. Opening up school spending to parents, vendors, watchdog groups, and taxpayers? Now that’s the (high) road less traveled. Michigan Education Association, I suggest you look here for ideas.
To find out how to file Freedom of Information Requests (and really, all things FOIA), go to the WikiFOIA portal on Sunshine Review.