Here’s a column of mine from today’s New York Post. It’s on the city’s teachers contract, which smothers the public school system in red tape. Ultimately, the only real solution is a combination of charter schools and vouchers (we already have some charters — some very good ones — but we need more, and the teachers union is, of course, fighting against it tooth and nail).

In the meantime, however, the contract desperately needs reform, just to get the system out of the gutter. Now, when you say this, people automatically accuse you of “hating teachers” and whatnot. Of course, that’s just sleazy nonsense. But here I’ve talked to teachers with criticisms of the contract, just to drive the point home:

Of course, teachers’ views aren’t uniform. But the public usually hears only from teachers who support the contract — because the union has created a culture of intimidation that prevents many teachers from speaking out, lest they face retribution from their colleagues.

The teachers I contacted on this for the most part either wouldn’t talk or spoke only on condition of anonymity. Here’s what some of them had to say.

It is astounding the level of fear in the system — teachers affraid of retribution and harassment from their union and their colleagues if they speak out. But a few brave souls talked. Maybe now more will come out of the woodwork.