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Thread: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

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    Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Stop Gov. Jindal’s anti-public education, anti-teacher agenda:

    Tell your Senator and Representative to vote NO on these bills:

    HB 974 and SB 603, and HB 976 and SB 597

    First step: Click here and send an e-mail message to your Senator and Representative, telling them about your opposition to the bills.

    By now you know how educators were disrespected at the State Capitol on March 14 and 15. Thousands were turned away at the door while the House and Senate Education Committees marched almost lockstep to approve the Jindal agenda. The few lawmakers who stood with us were railroaded by the most extreme display of executive overreach since Huey Long.

    It’s important for the rest of the Legislature to hear from the voters before these bills become law. They have the potential to destroy public education and our profession.

    Here are 3 things you can do right now to help derail Gov. Jindal’s train before public education and the teaching profession are damaged beyond repair.
    1. Click here and send an e-mail message to your Senator and Representative, telling them about your opposition to the bills.

    2. Call your Senator and Representative

    Your Senator’s contact information is here, and your Representative's information is here. If you don’t know who they are, click here to find out.
    Using the information listed below, explain to them that you are a voter in their district and you oppose these bills.

    3. Forward this e-mail to everyone in your address book – legislators need to hear from as many people as possible!

    Here’s what is at stake with these bills:

    HB 974/SB 603: Attacks on the teaching profession

    If these bills pass, virtually all personnel decisions will be based on the controversial new ‘Value Added Model” of teacher evaluation.
    • There will never be another across-the-board pay raise, and no more salary schedule for new teachers.
    • Local superintendents will decide how much each teacher and school employee will earn, largely based on evaluations.
    • Any teacher who receives an ”ineffective” rating even once will be ineligible for pay raises, will lose tenure rights and will be considered an “at will” employee who can be fired immediately.
    • Teachers will have to be rated “highly effective” for five straight years to earn tenure. The architect of Gov. Jindal’s Value Added evaluation program says that is nearly impossible to do.
    • In dismissal proceedings, teachers have no right to a list of specific charges, may not appeal to the school board, and have only 60 days to lodge an appeal, instead of the current one-year limitation. Language requiring teachers to be found guilty is removed.
    HB 976/SB 597: The destruction of public education

    These bills will use the funding process to virtually abolish public education. Your tax dollars will be spent on private and religious schools, virtual schools, home schools and charter schools created by corporations, businesses and industry providers.
    • These bills violate the State Constitution, which says that Minimum Foundation Program funds can only be used for “public elementary and secondary schools.”
    • Tax money approved by voters for local salaries, construction and maintenance will go to these schools, even if the schools are in a different city or parish.
    • The only requirement to teach in these schools will be a Bachelor’s degree – no certification will be necessary.
    • The only fiscal oversight for these new charter schools is an annual report to the unelected charter authorizer, not to BESE or the local school board.
    • Online teachers from anywhere in the world will automatically be certified as Louisiana teachers. These online teachers will NOT be subject to Louisiana teacher evaluations or accountability.
    Click here and send an e-mail message to your Senator and Representative, telling them about your opposition to the bills.
    Shreveport, LA. 71101
    318-424-4579
    ___________________________________
    You have received this email through your subscription to this campaign's email list.

    If you did not subscribe, or would no longer like to receive email updates unsubscribe here.
    Paid for by the American Federation of Teachers

    “Towie Barclay of the Glen, Happy to the maids, But never to the men.”

  2. #2
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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Quote Originally Posted by marketdawg View Post

    HB 974/SB 603: Attacks on the teaching profession

    If these bills pass, virtually all personnel decisions will be based on the controversial new ‘Value Added Model” of teacher evaluation.
    • There will never be another across-the-board pay raise, and no more salary schedule for new teachers. First part is false, their can be across-the-board pay raises if needed in the future, secondly GOOD, Teachers might have to do a good job to get a raise *gasp*; and teachers that are rated highly effective would get higher raises than the salary schedule, teachers that get a effective rating would get a smaller increase, and ineffective teachers would not get an increase, imagine that getting rewarded based on your performance
    • Local superintendents will decide how much each teacher and school employee will earn, largely based on evaluations. This is misleading, there will be set starting pay levels and then raises each year would be based on evaluations, student performance, and principle & superintendents decision, again I don't see whats wrong with that.
    • Any teacher who receives an ”ineffective” rating even once will be ineligible for pay raises, will lose tenure rights and will be considered an “at will” employee who can be fired immediately. WRONG... Yes pay will be frozen and tenure lost, but it takes 2 years for dismissal proceedings to begin, 3 years of ineffective and you lose your certification; also ratings can be challenged through a grievance
    • Teachers will have to be rated “highly effective” for five straight years to earn tenure. The architect of Gov. Jindal’s Value Added evaluation program says that is nearly impossible to do. Opinion if it's too hard I'm sure it will get changed
    • In dismissal proceedings, teachers have no right to a list of specific charges, may not appeal to the school board, and have only 60 days to lodge an appeal, instead of the current one-year limitation. Language requiring teachers to be found guilty is removed. I have no right to a list of specific charges if I'm fired or 60 days to lodge an appeal
    HB 976/SB 597: The destruction of public education

    These bills will use the funding process to virtually abolish public education. Your tax dollars will be spent on private and religious schools, virtual schools, home schools and charter schools created by corporations, businesses and industry providers.
    • These bills violate the State Constitution, which says that Minimum Foundation Program funds can only be used for “public elementary and secondary schools.”
    • Tax money approved by voters for local salaries, construction and maintenance will go to these schools, even if the schools are in a different city or parish.
    • The only requirement to teach in these schools will be a Bachelor’s degree – no certification will be necessary.
    • The only fiscal oversight for these new charter schools is an annual report to the unelected charter authorizer, not to BESE or the local school board.
    • Online teachers from anywhere in the world will automatically be certified as Louisiana teachers. These online teachers will NOT be subject to Louisiana teacher evaluations or accountability.
    As far as the voucher system goes I'm not to worried about the loss of public schools as those who are eligible is a pretty restricted group, I'm also curious as to whether private institutions can refuse or put voucher recipients at the end of the line...

    Check out APEL's website for an unbiased review of the bills:

    http://www.apeleducators.org/forumviewmessage.cfm?forumnbr=7677&topicnbr=16230& discussionnbr=1283686

    Edit:
    And before someone say's I'm cold-hearted or don't care about teachers, my wife is a guidance counselor and these rules directly affect her, and there-by our household and income; I'm just not worried because she's a Tech grad and I know she is "highly-effective"... The ones that are yelling the most about this are the teachers that get tenure and then lay back and coast until retirement.

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    I see nothing wrong with any of it. That entire "gripe" seems to explain why it should be passed instead of defeated.

  4. #4
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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Sorry, but I call BULLSHIT on the American Federation of Teachers slant on this topic. Oh, I also call BULLSHIT on the concerned teachers that unceremoniously cancelled classes last week to go to BR to protect the "children!"

    Oh...my wife is a middle school social studies teacher!
    I'm an asshole! What's your excuse?

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Quote Originally Posted by CARTEK View Post
    Sorry, but I call BULLSHIT on the American Federation of Teachers slant on this topic. Oh, I also call BULLSHIT on the concerned teachers that unceremoniously cancelled classes last week to go to BR to protect the "children!"

    Oh...my wife is a middle school social studies teacher!
    My wife is a teacher too. Notice those chosen to represent the unions. They are real winners. The unions are the problem. Good teachers won't lose their jobs. Three year tenure is BS! Why is this a problem?

    Any teacher who receives an ”ineffective” rating even once will be ineligible for pay raises, will lose tenure rights and will be considered an “at will” employee who can be fired immediately.

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Tenure: Admitting you suck so bad at your job that you would be unable to survive in a merit-based system, so you have to have a special law just for your profession that says you can't be fired.

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    I borrowed this from a guy named John on another forum where this same issue (LA teachers' tenure, etc) is being discussed:

    "Why don't they demand that people in finance get tenure? What about your mechanic? Your physician? I know, how about your yoga instructor?

    If this is about incentives to teach, then why not simply reward teachers with monetary rewards that increase with each year they maintain or improve their classrooms past certain standards? At least that has to be better than simply giving people a free pass to do nothing if they so choose.

    And not only do they get tenure after a certain amount of time has passed, they don't have to do any continuing education!

    In finance I have continuing ed to remain licensed. My doctor has to take the board recertifications every 10 years. My lawyer has continuing legal education requirements...teachers? nah...


    In my opinion, if you don't perform, you get shown the door just like the rest of us. Am I crazy?"

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    I don't really have a problem with the tenure being cut. My pay is normally based on performance- except on years that obama thinks my performance doesn't matter and keeps me from getting a raise. I love a performance based system- and teachers that are good will too. In the "real world" everyone is an "at will" employee and if we don't do our job effectively we can be fired. There are so many very good teachers out there. I am very blessed that my son who does go to public school has an exceptional teacher. Those that are not good should find other jobs- it's not that difficult a concept.

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Sorry marketdawg, but the problems that may be created appear less onerous than the problems they replace. I support the legislation.

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Bust the union and you fix the problem...

    And both of my sisters are teachers
    ''Don't be a bad dagh..."

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    I have no problem with taking the tenure out. It's the way that they are going to evaluate student performance and teacher performance and the funding proposals that really bothers me. Anybody that knows me understands that I come from a anti-union family. Both of my grandfathers fought automotive and production unions in New Jersey and Pittsburgh and paid dearly for it. This agenda, IMO, just takes too much powere and say so away from an individual and creates more problems in the long run that it solves.
    “Towie Barclay of the Glen, Happy to the maids, But never to the men.”

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    So they will take all the students that perform well in a low scoring school and send them to a private school on the states dime. But the state is too broke to give state employee's raises for three years straight or to continue with the current retirement system. Does anyone else find something wrong with that?

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    The Gov't Education "lobby" is sickening to me. I have been paying for 2 education systems for years...the failing, secular, "I've Got My Tenure" system that I have no choice but to pay taxes to fund, and then the one my wife and I CHOSE for our boys.

    I wish I could pay into a "Louisiana Education Savings Account" and then draw out what I've paid into it once a year in the form of a voucher, that my wife and I could redeem at any school we choose. Montessori, Private/Independent, secular/parish system or a church/religious/parochial school.

    Competition works in every single industry. It should work in Education also.

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    From my understanding of being around the school system is that value is determined by standardized testing. Further shifting education from preparing the kids for the future and more about preparing them to pass the test.

    Even though I also get teachers are unhappy that your better teachers might be at your underperforming schools and their value might not appear in test scores due to challenges of teaching lower tier schools.

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    Re: Say No to Jindal's New Proposed Education "Reform"

    Quote Originally Posted by marketdawg View Post
    I have no problem with taking the tenure out. It's the way that they are going to evaluate student performance and teacher performance and the funding proposals that really bothers me. Anybody that knows me understands that I come from a anti-union family. Both of my grandfathers fought automotive and production unions in New Jersey and Pittsburgh and paid dearly for it. This agenda, IMO, just takes too much powere and say so away from an individual and creates more problems in the long run that it solves.
    Student performance shouldn't be included in any evaluation. The teacher can't force them to learn anything and some (students) just have more "important" things to worry about. But, that's what you get when you want give people a "well-rounded" education.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lazarus_KKY View Post
    So they will take all the students that perform well in a low scoring school and send them to a private school on the states dime. But the state is too broke to give state employee's raises for three years straight or to continue with the current retirement system. Does anyone else find something wrong with that?
    No. This state is too small and poor for every teacher to be paid $60,000+ and have full benefits. It is cheaper to try and create future LA citizens who will stay in the state and improve it so that one day you can have higher teacher pay, better schools, etc.

    I admit, I don't know the average pay for teachers in LA. But if someone who doesn't have tenure, has been teaching for less than 10 years, and in a rural area is making $60,000 plus benefits, that's not good or smart for LA no matter how good the teacher is or how much they do the school.

    Quote Originally Posted by LaTech11 View Post
    From my understanding of being around the school system is that value is determined by standardized testing. Further shifting education from preparing the kids for the future and more about preparing them to pass the test.
    Until education gets beyond the idea that everyone needs to be "well-rounded", teaching towards a test is the only way the education system can function.

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