E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSShe’s been called the best teacher in her city, and she may be out of a job.
Sacramento sixth grade teacher Michelle Apperson was recently named “Teacher of the Year” for her entire district. A pink slip from California’s cash-starved government followed the good news for the Sutterville Elementary School teacher of nine years, KXTV reported.
According to The Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento City Unified School district approved $28 million in budget cuts earlier this year. The district is bracing for a worst-case scenario that it will have to cut another $15 million if Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax hike initiative fails to make the grade with voters in November, the Bee reported.
"It hurts on a personal level because I really love what I do," Apperson told KXTV of losing her livelihood. "But professionally and politically or economically I get why it happens."
For more, visit NBCBayArea.com
A district spokesman told KXTV the teacher layoffs were based on seniority, not performance, and mandated by the state.
Apperson is reportedly no. 8 on a list of teachers to be rehired if her district regains its funding.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
Anyone who thinks management when given an option will keep the best and layoff the worst have probably never held a job. When someone like school administrators who are spending government money instead of their own and their judgement will never be questioned will keep those they like and fire those they don't regardless of ability. Anyone think a middle aged male administrator will keep the stern, older woman who's a good teacher over a good looking young but inexperienced teacher? Unless he's gay he'll keep the hottie.
Better to fire every teacher than one illegal pay for their own college education.
I agree with the frustration, but people need to get educated on the problem. Currently there is no way to evaluate teachers objectively. If this problem could be solved them many of the other issues could slowly be addressed. Student test scores, peer/principal evaluation are not methods that can be used solely, not to mention how do you compare a first or second year teacher who shows great promise versus a 10 year veteran. It is like comparing a new college graduate in software engineering to a enterprise architect.
Teachers are professionals and until their is school choice and vouchers to allow a public private school mixture , teachers will be herded and lured by unions to accept mediocrity and excellent teachers wont become free agents where they will be able to write their own checks. Bad teachers and administrators cant be weeded out under this system their is no reason to produce or even expect coworkers to produce. Do your 25 or 30 and get out.
Arnie was blamed for the attacks on education...what is Jerry doing then? They need to leave education alone...why do we pay for prisons? If they put more into education, the crime rate would not be as high.
The unions have outlived their usefulness...their era has ended. They should get rid of the teachers who are not successful instead. They should also get rid of 80% of the administrators. Instead of having a principal, have a tenured senior teacher or Master Teacher be in charge of the respective schools...voted on by the faculty and PTA each year. The teacher would receive a stipend, but would not leave the classroom unless there was something useful and "admin-like" to do. Most administrators I have met seem to be in the clouds and forget where they came from.
When a person wants a lean steak, do they cut the muscle or the fat? When you are losing weight, are you trying to get rid of muscle or fat? Those excellent teachers are the muscle.
We send a terrible message to the youth when we get rid of the best, and keep the old fuddy duddy who has been burned out, waiting for that retirement. Let them retire early...the newer teachers are better trained!!! The innovations they learn in college have not yet been forgotten or replaced by the tired run down wishes of the administrators who only worry about looking good for testing. There is much more to teaching than teaching to the test, or trying really hard not to leave any children behind. Teach to excellence, raise the expectations and you will not see the continued growth in prison population. Idle hands....
This is a common occurrence in the private industry, why should it be NEWS just because it is a teacher? The problem is that so much money is being spent on Public Education and end result is poor at best in a lot of school districts. Recently, a NEWS report was given that Chicago Public Schools this year had the highest graduation rate of 60.6% . http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/sns-ap-il--cps-graduationrate,0,5545716.story
Now let's say this is the real world. Would you buy a car or TV from the private sector that failed 40% of the time. NO, so why is it with the Public Sector that any failure is acceptable. And of course we keep pouring more and more money into the money pit called Big Government.
On Wisconsin! Every state needs a Scott Walker.
Government unions are seniority based, the first words in any criteria for promotion are "the most senior" How can you ensure you have the best when you must take the "oldest"?
Seniority was instituted because the senior teachers would be fired so as to not collect pensions and so beginner teachers could be hired at much lower pay. Until people stop being greedy, on both sides, there will be no fair solution.