At Teachers’ Union Some Are More Equal Than Others

(Thomas Mitchell/4TH ST8) While rank and file teachers face the threat of layoffs, they learn — again — that their leadership is living high off of their hog and bringing home big hunks of bacon.

Over the weekend the Review-Journal reported that the now retired executive director of the Clark County Education Association, John Jasonek, not only pocketed nearly $206,000 in 2009 for running the union but also was slipped an additional $424,000 for his part-time involvement in a couple of nonprofits set up by the union — a lovely parting gift as they say on the game shows.

The story captured the gist of the largesse afforded union leadership.

The union had gross receipts of $4.3 million in fiscal year 2009, which ended Aug. 31, 2010.

But the IRS form 990 for the union’s side endeavor, Center for Teaching Excellence, shows that nonprofit alone had revenues totaling $4.1 million for  FY2008 and $4.3 million for FY2009.

The Center or CTE, which was set up to offer continuing education courses to teachers, reported on its latest form that Jasonek, who retired in 2010, was paid $85,000 for working 15 hours a week. In the prior year (FY2008), it was reported that he worked 10 hours a week for CTE but was paid zero by that organization, though related and unspecified organizations paid him $469,000.

Sounds like the salaries were set by caprice.

This is not the first time the CTE has come under scrutiny. More than five years ago the union side business was accused of profiteering off the backs of teachers.

At the time critics said the program was making $75 out of every $200 per credit hour it was charging teachers. Teachers with masters’ degrees or higher were paid as much as $3,000 more per year.

Jasonek said the CTE cut was used to “administer” the program. Now we have an inkling of what he meant by “administer.”

Jasonek also was quoted as saying, “All tuition dollars that aren’t utilized to run the program go back into the teachers’ pockets.” Whose pockets?

Then-state Sen. Bob Beers called for an investigation of the union’s practices related to the nonprofit side business. He was later defeated for re-election after a vicious union-led campaign that papered his district with pamphlets full of false charges.

This past weekend’s story estimated the Clark County teachers’ union pays about a third of its income in salaries to leadership, compared to only 3 to 7 percent at other large teacher unions around the country.

The union’s IRS form lists nine people being paid more than $100,000 apiece. But remember, repeat after me: It is all for the sake of the children.