Letter writer’s union ties not noted

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006

For more of your opinions, go to www.gazette.net/letters.

Alan Isaac, Bethesda

As a parent with two children in Montgomery County Public Schools, I have not developed a strong opinion on the value of the so-called Apple Ballot.

However, I am disturbed by Eric Luedtke’s defense of it in his letter (‘‘Elections should be about issues, not attacking teachers,” Nov. 8).

First, Mr. Luedtke signs the letter simply as a teacher. However, he is listed as a member of the Montgomery County Education Association Board of Directors and as a local coordinator for the Maryland State Teachers Association’s Push for Pensions campaign.

Second, he portrays criticisms of the Apple Ballot as an attack on teachers. The primary criticism is that the Apple Ballot misleadingly claims to represent the views of teachers about educational excellence but actually represents candidates’ kowtowing to non-educational union goals. Since the primary concern about the Apple Ballot is that it is deceitful, Mr. Luedtke does his cause no favors by failing to reveal his union ties in his recent letter.

When parents are asked to take a bite of this apple, they appropriately ask if it conceals a worm.