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NC GOP goes after teachers, again

Submitted by scharrison on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 12:17pm

Because we really need an easier way to fire teachers:

Republicans in the North Carolina Senate are rolling out a package of public school initiatives they say would create performance bonuses for teachers but end their employment tenure so that districts could more easily dismiss ineffective ones.

I'm going to award a blue star (I don't have any blue stars) to the first reader who can tie this "package" to ALEC's cookie-cutter legislation.

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Comments

Typical sledge hammer approach

Submitted by James on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 12:29pm.

If it's hard to fire crappy teachers, then all we need to do is reset the process and criteria for termination for cause. Eliminating tenure is a stupid way to solve the problem, assuming it actually is a problem.

I get the blue star!

Submitted by scharrison on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 1:23pm.

The links to ALEC appear pretty solid:

In Georgia we have a special connection to the attack on public education in the United States. Maybe unbenounced to most Americans, there is a group of conservative legislators and corporations that create and practice passing “model legislation”. The group is the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and they are responsible for the continued cuts to educational funding and the push for charter schools. In ALEC’s most recent report on education, the group’s first attack is on public educators and teachers’ unions (page 2). Where else are the attacks by ALEC targeted? The corporations and legislators involved seek “tenure reform, merit pay, public school transparency, charter schools, and school vouchers.” ALEC has no less than 24 pieces of “model legislation” that they are already pushing in many states.

Bolding mine. It is apparent that our GOP leaders in the General Assembly don't have a creative bone in their bodies, and must rely on out-of-state corporate lobbyists to write their bills for them.

Looks pretty similar to McCrory's "plan"

Submitted by justing on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 3:14pm.

http://www.patmccrory.com/a-passion-for-education/

Lot of the same ideas.

Who will be left to teach in NC??

Submitted by marycaycorr on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 9:38pm.

Teachers in NC are already poorly paid in most counties and do not have the supplies that they require. The increase in the premium for their medical insurance if they had a family plan resulted in their income decreasing since their pay hasn't had a decent increase in years. Now the legislature wants to eliminate tenure and make it easier to put them out the door!

How many college students, who are already saddled with huge student loans are going to select Education as a major with the prospect of low wages, long hours and the constant threat of termination in their future?

Mary Cay Corr

Not enough to do the job

Submitted by scharrison on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 10:13pm.

But these guys don't really want public schools to succeed, anyway. As long as they can bite off a percentage of the education "market" to make some of their friends rich(er), that's all that matters.