A Washington-based anti-union group hopes to "jump-start a conversation" about the difficulty schools face in getting rid of bad teachers — with a contest that sounds as if it were designed for reality TV. The Center for Union Facts will ask parents, students and other teachers Tuesday to nominate the "worst unionized teacher in America." The center says it will choose 10 and offer each $10,000 to quit; "winners" must allow the center to write about them on its website. The center plans full-page ads today in USA TODAYand The New York Times. It also plans TV ads. If the idea seems breathtaking in its political incorrectness, consider that it's the brainchild of Rick Berman, a union-bashing attorney known for his in-your-face attacks on consumer, safety and environmental groups. "We're not trying to humiliate anyone," Berman says. "We're trying to jump-start a conversation that maybe people need severance packages to find themselves another line of work." Critics have long said collective-bargaining agreements in many school districts make it difficult, if not impossible, to fire poorly performing or misbehaving teachers. "The next-best idea," he says, "is to get people to voluntarily quit." Berman says he hopes to persuade education advocates to adopt his "severance package" idea as a school improvement strategy, much as they now view investing in innovative charter schools. "Maybe we wouldn't need to fund charter schools if the public schools are pristine models of excellence on their own," he says. The contest will be hosted on Berman's website, teachersunionexposed.com, which goes live Tuesday. He says nominations must be backed up by written documentation, including police reports if criminal activity is alleged. He also promises not to publish details about teachers who don't consent to contest terms or accept the $10,000 award. Edward McElroy, president of the American Federation of Teachers, says Berman "is coming after teachers at a time when most Americans support education and want to make improving education a top national priority." McElroy says the AFT "has been a longtime advocate for sound, common-sense public education policies, including high academic and conduct standards for students, and greater professionalism for teachers and school staff." But Berman says keeping poor teachers on the job "demoralizes the good ones." Rick Hess, an education researcher with the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank, has mixed reactions to Berman's plan. He says unions and school districts are "not doing a good job of identifying ineffective teachers and removing them, so publicity which casts a light on that is helpful." But, he adds, "that kind of stunt is not what I have in mind when advocating a more informed and honest debate, or seeking to raise the level of debate." Hess co-wrote a study last month of collective-bargaining agreements in the USA's top 50 school districts. It found that while one-third have contracts that tie the hands of administrators, most agreements give them a fair measure of flexibility in firing poorly performing teachers. Enlarge By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY "Maybe people need severance packages to find themselves another line of work," said attorney Rick Berman of bad unionized teachers. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.