Dear Editor, The Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers will sponsor
a rally Wednesday, May 25, from 4-6pm, to protest the governor
’s attacks on public workers. Teachers and other public
employees will gather at Britton Middle School, Monterey Road and
Central Ave.
Dear Editor,
The Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers will sponsor a rally Wednesday, May 25, from 4-6pm, to protest the governor’s attacks on public workers. Teachers and other public employees will gather at Britton Middle School, Monterey Road and Central Ave.
May 25 has been deemed “Lobby Day” by the California Federation of Teachers in an effort to present the educator’s perspective to our state legislators. Statewide rallies are also planned for Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento. Many teachers will be traveling to Sacramento for special meetings with their state representatives to protest Gov. Schwarzenegger’s attacks on public education.
In recent months, Schwarzenegger has proposed so-called reform initiatives aimed at reducing or eliminating public pensions, requiring merit pay for teachers and changing employment conditions for teachers by extending their probationary teaching status to five years. Yet research would tell the governor that these proposals would exacerbate the teaching shortage, not improve it. Stringent certification standards, in-depth teacher training, proper evaluation practices and mentoring of new teachers are the most effective measures to insure successful classroom instruction.
No research supports lengthening the probationary teaching period. With respect to pensions, California teachers retire on a payout of approximately $2,400 per month. Most people do not realize that teachers do not receive Social Security. Though the debate over pension restructuring has been tabled until later this year, the threat of leaving our teachers at risk in their retirement years is very real.
The governor has dubbed public employees the “monster that must be fed” and a “special interest.” We as caregivers, public safety workers, and educators are concerned with the public welfare. The workers the governor is attacking have only the interests of public safety, health and education of all children at heart. Support our efforts and come to peacefully demonstrate your support of public education and all public workers. Send a message to the governor to work with the legislature to restore the Proposition 98 funding and to cease his attacks on all public employees.
Donna Foster, president,
Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers
