10/1/09
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3 comments
Editorial
Teacher tenure
law needs change
The 2004 changes in the Alabama teacher tenure law were to make it easier to fire bad teachers. It also had a provision for protecting teachers against unwarranted dismissals. That is why an ex-teacher in prison on a felony conviction continues to draw her salary while her case is appealed. The law says dismissed teachers are entitled to receive pay until an arbitrator determines if the firing was proper. Charlene Schmitz, who taught in Washington County, appealed her conviction for using a cell phone and a computer to entice a 14-year-old male for sex. The active appeal stopped the arbitrator from conducting a hearing because court officials feared it might subject Schmitz to possible self-incrimination. This is a law that isn’t working and needs fixing. Republicans plan to give priority to changes in the law when the Legislature meets next year. But expect the Alabama Education Association to have a say in exactly how legislators fix the law. Both sides must find a compromise that doesn’t weaken the statute, yet provides constitutional guarantees to convicted teachers.
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Wait a minute, Tom, once you're convicted you lose your "constitutional guarantees", at least the ones being asserted by this teacher. What we really need to do is impeach Paul Hubbard,he has been governor too long.
Get rid of the Teachers Union
Start testing testing teacher
Remove the deadbeat teachers
re-enstate punishment
RAISE the student testing upwards, NOT DOWNward
Teachers should be like the rest of the work force. They should have to report to work and do the job they are hired to do to recieve a check. They have more benefits than most and yet our children are graduating from school and can't read or do math.
What are they getting paid to do? They want to send the work home to be done. Kids need to have time to get out and burn some energy when they get home from school. Thats why they are over weight, not just because tv and games. A fair amount of work at home is acceptable, but when the kid comes in and has to stay on the books till bed time just to be able to turn in the nights assignments the next day, it's not right. Why can't teachers accomplish what they use to before they could be tenured?
It's a guaranteed job and they don't have to put their all into it. They need to be faced with the fact that if they're not teaching the kids then they need to be sent home without pay. Maybe they could come up with more interesting classes and better ways to get through the the children.