teach1st
08-06-2005, 07:51 AM
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050806/OPINION/508060309/1004
(Opinion)
Brevard County has the best teachers and the highest performing students in Florida. Yet I must vote against the proposed contract with the teacher's union when it comes before the School Board on Tuesday.
The reason is it endangers our children's education because it does not comply with the law, encourages unsound business practices, and fails to reward our best teachers.
Florida law requires teacher pay to be based on performance. The auditor general has specifically criticized Brevard County for failing to meet the legislative intent. We again fail to correct our merit program under the union's proposal.
If the Florida Department of Education follows through on its threat to withhold Lottery funds for failure to comply with this law, Brevard will lose $10 million per year.
That would mean we would have to cut 250 teachers, would no longer meet the constitutionally-mandated class size reduction, and would jeopardize even more funding. Failure to comply with the law is a risk we cannot afford to take.
The union's proposal includes "oral agreements." Who is the keeper of the oral agreements? What other oral agreements exist, and why are we unwilling or unable to document our intent?
Read more (http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050806/OPINION/508060309/1004)
(Opinion)
Brevard County has the best teachers and the highest performing students in Florida. Yet I must vote against the proposed contract with the teacher's union when it comes before the School Board on Tuesday.
The reason is it endangers our children's education because it does not comply with the law, encourages unsound business practices, and fails to reward our best teachers.
Florida law requires teacher pay to be based on performance. The auditor general has specifically criticized Brevard County for failing to meet the legislative intent. We again fail to correct our merit program under the union's proposal.
If the Florida Department of Education follows through on its threat to withhold Lottery funds for failure to comply with this law, Brevard will lose $10 million per year.
That would mean we would have to cut 250 teachers, would no longer meet the constitutionally-mandated class size reduction, and would jeopardize even more funding. Failure to comply with the law is a risk we cannot afford to take.
The union's proposal includes "oral agreements." Who is the keeper of the oral agreements? What other oral agreements exist, and why are we unwilling or unable to document our intent?
Read more (http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050806/OPINION/508060309/1004)