The appetite of conservative Republicans in the Oregon Legislature for teacher-bashing appears insatiable. In the 1997 session teachers' job security and seniority rights were eroded by replacement of protections under the Fair Dismissal Law with the Accountability for Schools for the 21st Century Law. In this legislature the ritual sacrifice of teacher protections and rights continues with SB 1180 and SB 1181.
SB 1181, which places a cap on pay increases, is championed by Senators Gene Defler and Neil Bryant who defend SB1180's state-level intrusion into the collective bargaining process. The sponsors claim local school boards are unable to withstand the power of the teacher's union in bargaining for higher wages. SB 1180, also sponsored by Sens. Derfler and Bryant, requires the results of standardized student tests to be included in official evaluations of teacher performance - evaluations which under the reduced job security protections can be used to fire teachers. Among the flaws in SB1180 is its failure to recognize that many teachers are misassigned and required to teach subjects outside their speciality. Student performances are affected by numerous other factors over which teachers have little or no control, increased class sizes, inadequate supplies and lack of up-to-date textbooks, for example. In these cases the responsibility for lack of funds and low student scores rests upon the very politicians who want to dock teachers' pay.
In the 1997 session the sacrifice of teacher job security and seniority rights was demanded by the enemies of public education in return for a bare bones school budget which raised class sizes and eliminated programs across the state. The teachers and their union, the OEA, had lobbied for months alongside Governor Kitzhaber, the Coalition for School Funding Now and the School Boards Assn. for a decent budget. In the end, the Gov., the Coalition, and the Assn., along with the Democratic legislative leadership, agreed to throw the teachers over the side in a deal with the Republican Majority to avoid even more serious budget cuts. There is no issue of the sacrifice of teachers' rights then or now, under SB1180, having any significant effect on lowering the cost of schools. The issue is strictly one of political power and Republican revenge for campaign donations by the OEA which have gone almost exclusively to Democrats in recent years.
This legislative session 's betrayal of the teachers is being set up by SB 1180 and SB 1181. The governor has said he doesn't want more cutbacks on teacher rights this year, but so far has not directly threatened a veto. When push comes to shove, the question will be whether the governor and the Democrats will uphold a veto of SB1180 and 1181, and reject the right-wing extortion and defend the teachers' rights - even if it means no deal on school funding, $4.725 billion and layoffs instead of $4.95 billion and a hold the line budget (except in some districts, Lincoln County SD for example, there will still be cuts).
The legislature's delay in appropriating funds for education is creating confusion in schools and among teachers. Some schools have put plans on hold for hiring to fill vacant positions until they know how much money they will get. In Lincoln County lay-off notices are going out to 20 teachers and 40 classified employees. Returning teachers are beginning the summer not knowing what subjects they will be teaching next year. In anticipation of misassignments, many teachers would voluntarily take classes over the summer and otherwise prepare themselves for teaching unfamiliar subjects. However, with the uncertain funding situation, they cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars and much of the summer preparing, only to return to school in late August to find their schedule has been changed once again, and their preparation has been wasted.
Poorly constructed attempts by the legislature to micro-manage schools are the result of Measure 5 having shifted school funding from local property taxes to the state. While statewide funding may eventually produce more equitable financial support among rich and poor districts, local control over the operation of schools is being lost. Given the opportunity, under the guise of requiring accountability for spending, opponents of public education in the legislature are monkey-wrenching the day-to-day functioning of schools.
Republican legislators who claim to support better schools but who resist making hard choices necessary to come up with the money, including raising taxes, should prepare for evaluations of their own - in the coming election. Likewise, those who call for hiring better teachers, and yet support the biennial teacher- bashing, may be held accountable for creating a reputation that Oregon is not a teacher-friendly place to work.
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