Az I Teach It....
-Partial plans have been approved by the Arizona School Redistricting Commission, and the entire plan will be put to the voters in November 2008, with the intent to unify 92 districts into approximately 25 to 30, ultimately to save money and coordinate curriculum. While this should be done, it will NOT! Already, parents from many districts are rising to retaliate and kill this initiative, mostly because the plans are not well-thought, and will not be properly implemented.
For unification to occur, administrators will lose jobs(if not, then what is accomplished?) This will create districts with more students than can be managed, by the incompetent remaining administrators. School board members, elected to staggered terms, would need to be 'unelected?' Teacher pay and benefits would have to be equalized, potentially causing local school taxes to rise in some communities. Teachers would have more 'power-in-numbers,' so that alone would affront any attempt to consolidate. And, finally, 'local control,' which includes determination of budgets, facilities, and curriculum, would be the 'last straw,' in any attempt to create a quality education in Arizona. Sorry - not gonna happen!
-At a recent AASRA meeting(retired teachers - a branch to AARP), Az. State Sen. Linda Gray - a supposed 'advocate' for increasing teacher pay - was asked(by me) why the legislature wants to increase teacher salaries with additional funding, but always allows district administrations to determine as to where such funds will be alloted, ie., the 'hoops' they've created with Prop 301 money, and Career Ladders. Administrators have created more administrative positions, unaccountable programs, and destroyed personal and professional lives of teachers, who must now put forth more effort for the extra money that they were told they deserved without the extra work! And Gray's example of unfairness was a teacher who had completed almost all of the requirements for Prop 301 monies, but said that she did not have the time to complete the necessary paperwork, so she did not get her deserved 'bonus.' She closed by adding that 'the legislature did not know how to accomplish their desired task!' My point, exactly. Hoop-de-doo!
-Arizona school officials are said to be 'leading the charge' to end paid medical benefits, for future retirees, and other states have taken notice! As premiums increase, and new money evaporates for salaries and benefits, the money will be taken from those 'valued, veteran teachers!' Sickening!
For unification to occur, administrators will lose jobs(if not, then what is accomplished?) This will create districts with more students than can be managed, by the incompetent remaining administrators. School board members, elected to staggered terms, would need to be 'unelected?' Teacher pay and benefits would have to be equalized, potentially causing local school taxes to rise in some communities. Teachers would have more 'power-in-numbers,' so that alone would affront any attempt to consolidate. And, finally, 'local control,' which includes determination of budgets, facilities, and curriculum, would be the 'last straw,' in any attempt to create a quality education in Arizona. Sorry - not gonna happen!
-At a recent AASRA meeting(retired teachers - a branch to AARP), Az. State Sen. Linda Gray - a supposed 'advocate' for increasing teacher pay - was asked(by me) why the legislature wants to increase teacher salaries with additional funding, but always allows district administrations to determine as to where such funds will be alloted, ie., the 'hoops' they've created with Prop 301 money, and Career Ladders. Administrators have created more administrative positions, unaccountable programs, and destroyed personal and professional lives of teachers, who must now put forth more effort for the extra money that they were told they deserved without the extra work! And Gray's example of unfairness was a teacher who had completed almost all of the requirements for Prop 301 monies, but said that she did not have the time to complete the necessary paperwork, so she did not get her deserved 'bonus.' She closed by adding that 'the legislature did not know how to accomplish their desired task!' My point, exactly. Hoop-de-doo!
-Arizona school officials are said to be 'leading the charge' to end paid medical benefits, for future retirees, and other states have taken notice! As premiums increase, and new money evaporates for salaries and benefits, the money will be taken from those 'valued, veteran teachers!' Sickening!
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