By now, many of you have seen the commercial for a group called for Stand for Children. These commercials are the first part of their strategy to get a ballot initiative passed in Massachusetts in November 2012. The initiative seeks to change the way personnel decisions regarding teachers are made. If the initiative passes, the following will occur:
Layoffs will no longer allowed to be based on seniority. Performance will be the deciding factor on which teachers are laid off. Seniority will be used as a tie breaker.
Why is that a problem? Under the new evaluation system, performance will be based on multiple measures which will include standardized test scores, and parent and teacher input. If the initiative passes and becomes law, we will be forced to use the new evaluation system as part of our lay off procedure before we even know if the evaluation system will work and be truly fair.
The burden of proof being on the school district when terminating a PTS teacher will be greatly reduced.
Local Associations ability to bargain over how all personnel decisions are made will be greatly reduced.
Stand for Children was once a grassroots organization that worked closely with teachers and teacher unions. That has changed. SFC had a representative on the task force that developed the new regulations around teacher evaluation and not once did they indicate that they were planning to put this question on the ballot.
SFC is receiving millions of dollars to fund this campaign from corporate organizations such as Bain Capital. Their estimated war chest is between 8 and 10 million dollars. The slogan for their campaign is Great Teachers, Great Schools. Below are four reasons you can share with family and friends as to why they should vote against this ballot initiative. Some of your colleagues at school will not have time to read this and will be unaware of the initiative. Talk with other teachers about this also. Please start talking to people now about this campaign. If we wish to defeat this ballot initiative, it’s going to take all of us.
• EXTREMELY LONG AND COMPLICATED.
It has 11 separate sections that require changes to several different state laws. The summary alone is four pages long. It’s too complex to be decided by a simple Yes or No vote on the ballot.
DISTRACTION FROM THE REAL ISSUES.
The petition is a gimmick that will divert time, money and energy away from important priorities for our students, such as reducing class sizes, restoring music, art and other activities and services that have been cut, and expanding learning opportunities for all students.
• UNDERMINES TEACHERS’ RIGHTS AND LOCAL CONTROL.
It imposes top-down state mandates regarding how personnel decisions are made, taking away local control and the right of teachers to have a voice in these matters through collective bargaining.
• DISRUPTS NEW TEACHER EVALUATION SYSTEM.
The proposal makes major changes to the recently enacted educator evaluation system before it has even been implemented. That system was developed by all of the major education stakeholders and state officials after many months of discussion; it must be given a chance to work.
OPPOSED BY PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVOCATES, INCLUDING SECRETARY OF EDUCATION PAUL REVILLE, THE MASSACHUSETTS PTA, BOTH PRINCIPALS’ ASSOCIATIONS, BOTH TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER EDUCATION STAKEHOLDERS.
Secretary Reville wrote in November: “I fear that [the Stand] ballot initiative would set up a distracting and divisive battle, engendering an over-simplified public dialogue that would alienate educators and prevent us from achieving a of reform goals.”
For more information visit http://www.massteacher.org/advocating/toolkits/stand.aspx
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