Unions are bad for education

It's good that Georgia and South Carolina kids live in right-to-work states. A new study bolsters criticism of teachers' unions - namely that they are more concerned about the security and perks of their members than they are about providing students with a good education.

The New Teacher Project, which works with many large urban school districts in recruiting and hiring teachers, reports that union rules compel principals to hire older teachers regardless of competence or ability.

Yes, they have experience, but not the kind that make them good teachers - rather it gives them experience to survive in their jobs even though they're failing, or at least not doing well, in their mission to educate.

Up to 40 percent of teachers in inner-city school districts, where unions have the most clout, are hired with little or no say on the part of school principals, says the study, yet principals are held accountable by school boards and the public for their schools' performance.

"It's hard to make the argument that we should hold principals accountable if they don't have (control) over what their staff looks like," said Michelle Rhee, the teacher project's president.

Indeed, not only is it unfair to principals, but it absolves unions of accountability - allowing them to act like they're committed to education while their policies undermine it. This is why the power of teachers' unions, and all public employee unions for that matter, should be severely limited.