U.S. Congressman John Tierney speaks to the Lynn Teacher’s Union.
Members of the Lynn Teachers Union joined U.S. Congressman John Tierney at a roundtable discussion in Lynn last week, where the primary topic of discussion was the impact that federal regulations on education have at the local school district level.
“I think the meeting was a great opportunity to hear what Congressman Tierney has been working on at the federal level and to get feedback from us about the impact of federal regulations on local education,” explained Brant Duncan, Lynn Teacher’s Union President.
According to Duncan, the group discussed the role and importance of Title I funding, and the impact of Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind, federal programs that have sought to improve public education by requiring benchmarks to be met, in order for federal funding to flow to local school districts.
“For instance, we sometimes find Race to the Top problematic, due to its priority on competition, rather than collaboration,” explained Duncan. “And, with No Child Left behind, the waivers that states have been competing are very interesting to us. . .compliance requirements take away from our opportunity (as teachers) to work with the kids.”
The meeting with Rep. Tierney took place at the Lynn Teacher’s Union offices on Western Avenue in Lynn and included members from Lynn, Salem and Peabody, as well as the congressman and his staff.
“Obviously, there’s no quick answer to these issues, but I think it was helpful for him to hear from people in the field about how these things impact our education of kids,” added Duncan.