CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LEGISLATORS ! VOLUME VI ISSUE XVII
After a long, and at times very stressful 2011 legislative session, it is appropriate to offer our legislators our sincere congratulations and appreciation for a job well done. It's not hard to offer ideas to improve our schools. It's another thing entirely to get those reforms passed into law. After years of merely talking about making changes to Idaho's public schools, the Legislature went into action and made a difference for Idaho schoolchildren. They did so despite intense opposition from the defenders of the status quo -- the teachers' union, which used our schools as their bully pulpit, and conned school students into believing the Legislature was out to dismantle public education.
The education decisions made by this legislature are truly “landmark” and will lead to the improvement of our schools that all Idahoans expect and deserve.
Because there have been many changes in the legislation from “start to finish,” it is appropriate to review what actually transpired and became law. First and foremost, none of the provisions are anti-teacher and all of the provisions will retain, attract and prepare for what is the most important ingredient for school improvement; to have a great teacher in every Idaho classroom! Specifically, what are those provisions?
- Restores and raises the base teacher salary to $30,000.00
- Provides extra teacher compensation for teachers who teach in hard to fill positions such as math, and science.
- Provides extra compensation for teachers who assume leadership roles such as peer coaching or curriculum improvement
- Provides extra compensation for all teachers when their school's students attain high achievement levels
- Provides extra compensation for individual teachers whose students meet high academic standards
- Retains "tenure" for those teachers who have already received it
- Eliminates "tenure" only for new teachers entering the profession
- Retains collective bargaining for matters pertaining to salary and benefits
- Retains the right of teachers and school boards to have policies in regard to such items as grievance procedures, extra duty assignments, and class preparation time etc.
- Requires that all collective bargaining sessions be held where the public can listen and view the proceedings
- Requires that teachers and principals evaluations will be partially based upon the "job" they are hired to do, having students learn what is intended
- Requires that school boards be totally "transparent" with their fiscal affairs so that all will know how much money is spent on the primary mission of schools, "teaching and learning" and how much is spent elsewhere
- Provides for more growth in the number of charter schools by allowing colleges and universities to sponsor charter schools.
- Provides for more technology equipment for teachers so that our classrooms are more in tune with current technology standards
- Provides that our teachers will be better trained to use the most up to date technology in their classrooms
- Provides over a period of years for all of our students to have their own computing devices so they will be able to access information quickly and completely which currently they do not have
- Provides for the State Board of Education to draft rules regarding course and curriculum standards to include some on-line requirements in order to better prepare our high school graduates (On-line schooling empowers parents and students with multiple education choices; choice of teachers, choice of course content, choice to extend the school year or to shorten the time in a traditional high school.)
There is no doubt that this Legislature accomplished more to improve our Idaho schools than any legislature in the history of our State. What a great accomplishment! Again, those Senators and Representatives who braved the torrent of protestors and naysayers in order to do what's right for our school students are to be commended!
