After three days of intense and powerful testimony it is clear how vast the concerns are with Tom Luna’s education proposals. Today Tom Luna pulled back the two bills 1068 & 1068 and brought us virtually identical proposals in the form of three bills with the pay for performance legislation separated from the other two bills we had previously considered. Make no mistake these bills still eliminate funding for 770 teaching positions and will force districts to lay off experienced teachers in a desperate move to save money by hiring new, less costly teachers. Tom Luna now calls the increased class sizes "optional" for districts, but there is nothing optional about eliminating the money for 770 teachers.
I consider the changes no more than cosmetic and it astounds me that the Superintendent would so completely fail to hear the thousands of people who have spoken to and written to us as policy makers strongly opposing these misguided proposals.
Has anyone pencilled out whether there is an actual cost savings? it seems that we are losing jobs to pay for technology that won't do the job as well.
Posted by: marianne | February 14, 2011 at 09:34 PM
As hard as it is to read, I appreciate clearly hearing where we stand on these bills. Thank you for helping to get the word out.
I will take the message and share it with as many as I can to keep the phones ringing and the emails coming to 'fence sitting' legislators.
Posted by: Tina | February 14, 2011 at 11:05 PM
Hello Senator. Where is this bill now? Has it passed, waiting to be, being discussed? What happens when the laptops get dropped or coke spilled on them? Who will pay for replacement laptops? How are laptops supposed to replace the insight and wisdom of a teacher? This whole thing baffles me.
Posted by: Amylouise Adira | February 23, 2011 at 09:58 PM