Teachers, Coaches and the Dual Contract: Another Tool for Teacher Termination

"Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired." - Lou Holtz

Teachers are often assigned many duties outside of their normal classroom duties which, in and of themselves, can be very demanding. Some teachers also give up their time to coach a sport or academic event. They usually receive a stipend on top of their yearly salary for that extra duty. But every coach knows that if one were to do the math and add up all the hours spent versus what they were getting paid coaching, it would amount to a paltry few cents per hour. On the average, athletic stipends (especially football) - this IS Texas - can get pretty high, running up into the $5-$20K range, academic coaches and others may run from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

Final Version of SB 8 Maintains Assault on Classroom Teachers

Update: This bill passed the house and senate and moves to the governor's desk for signature.   

See who voted for and against it and how it will affect everyone who has a stake in public education in Texas.

Final Version of SB 8 Maintains Assault on Classroom Teachers

 
The ten Republican senators and representatives on the House-Senate conference committee for Senate Bill 8 have finished their work on a final version of the bill, and an ugly piece of work it is. The bill would consummate a six-month-long assault on salary guarantees and contract safeguards for Texas teachers and other school employees, making entirely unnecessary, permanent changes in state law under the false flag of “flexibility” for school boards faced with cuts in state aid.

Lawmakers Who Attack Education Are Feeling The Backlash

by Fred Martin
 
In case anyone was wondering, the majority of Americans seem to care about their children's education.  Even when we hear again and again the same lines about fiscal responsibility, spending and budget crunches, we also know that there are good choices and bad choices to be made.  Those that make bad choices, choices that hurt our children's education for years to come, those that sacrifice education for lower taxes or bigger business, are now paying a price by way of public opinion.

In Alabama, one Representative switched parties because of the damage his party was doing to education in that state. 

Current Cuts Are The Direct Result of Fiscal Irresponsibility

by Fred Martin

A Letter From Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn to Governor Rick Perry regarding the Perry Tax Plan in 2006 is prophetic and frighteningly accurate.  Where we are financially in Texas in large part due to poor financial decision making on the part of the Texas Legislature and Governor Rick Perry.  Carole Strayhorn knew the direction we were headed in 2006.  This was a critical year for our overall state budget and for education funding.  

The Death Star Bill - Will It Prevent Layoffs or Become a Slippery Slope?

Read the entire article here: http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-texas-house-approves-death-star-bill-story,0,1911416.story

The 'Death Star Bill' would enable school districts to reduce teacher salaries, impose unpaid furlough days and alter contract notification requirements.
Arlington's Dana Smith said, "I think it's honestly horrible. Teachers work really, really hard at what they do everyday. And, I think they go above and beyond. Honestly, they barely get enough money for what they do, so it's really sad."
"They look at their ratings. They teach. They have meetings after school. They have parent meetings. And, all the sudden it looks like they're getting the brunt of all the fall out, all the responsibility for the recession on the state budget," Shaw said.
The Texas Association of School Administrators says the bill gives districts the ability to deal with unprecedented cuts by giving them more flexibility.
The Death Star Bill has created a divide in the education community. While many school administrators support it, teachers have tried several times to kill the bill.
"They're not happy, they're not happy at all," Shaw said. "Anytime people are not happy, it comes through in their work product as well."

Rob Eissler's Ideological Crusade - HB8

The Spawn of HB 400—New Attack on Salary Guarantees, Contract Rights is in SB 8, and Rep. Rob Eissler Is Determined to See It Through
 
The Spawn of HB 400—Attack on Salary Standards, Contract Rights Returns in SB 8:  State Rep. Rob Eissler, Republican of The Woodlands, is at it again, resurrecting his failed attack on educators’ salary standards and contract rights in a committee substitute for Senate Bill 8. Eissler’s new version of SB 8 recombines and tweaks elements he had included in his failed HB 400 during the regular session and that he has parceled out into five separate bills (HB 17 through HB 21) in the special session. Eissler postponed action on two of these piecemeal bills Tuesday, and--for reasons best known to him—he now wants to force the Texas House to vote again, as early as Thursday, on the following menu of bad ideas in his committee substitute for SB 8:

Representative Rob Eissler: How a Hometown Hero Of Education Has Supporters Shaking Their Heads

Representative Rob Eissler:  How a Hometown Hero Of Education Has Supporters Shaking Their Heads

by Fred Martin

Republican Rep. Rob Eissler of The Woodlands is one of the architects of HB8 and many of the measures that threaten the lives of educators across Texas. Who is he?  And what does he want with public education?  His background is extensive and his accolades are numerous.  In the past he has been a hometown hero for education, but now he has many of his grassroots supporters confused if not down right angry.

Tell Your State Rep What You Think

Tell Your State Rep What You Think, By Phone and By E-Mail! Key House Votes Thursday on School Finance, Class Size, Contract Rights, Layoffs

SB 1, a bill that permanently cuts state funding for local school districts by $4 billion, is scheduled for action on the Texas House floor shortly after 10 am Thursday morning, June 9. Also on the agenda is SB 2, a bill to adjust the two-year budget passed on May 29.

Texas Senate OKs teacher pay cuts, furloughs

Educators protest bill to help districts deal with slashed funding.  A Fort Bend teacher responds.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7598663.html#ixzz1OdcWHwn6

AUSTIN — Legislation allowing school districts to reduce teacher pay and furlough them — to help absorb big budget cuts — sailed through the Texas Senate on Monday with a straight party-line vote.

Lawmakers are working to cut $4 billion from the state's 1,040 public school districts. Giving school administrators flexibility to cut teacher pay and allow up to six days of unpaid leave — which existing law does not allow — will save teacher jobs, Senate Education Chair Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said of school reform measure SB 8.

Fort Bend ISD Cuts Fine Arts and Business Programs Year After Year

by Fred Martin
 
Two of the most important things that colleges and universities across this country look at to determine if high school seniors are accepted into their ranks are SAT/ACT scores and extra curricular activities such as fine arts, sports and other competitive events.  Many schools across the state are making cuts to those areas in addition to laying off teachers.  How will this affect our students' chances for entering universities if they are offered fewer and fewer opportunities for extracurricular involvement?

Rep. Villarreal speaks against CSHB 1

Rep. Villarreal speaks against CSHB 1, the 2012-2013 Texas budget, as a part of the House of Representatives floor meeting, May 28, 2011. For more updates from the legislative session, visit legetv.org.


"[We] should have seen this coming...In 2007 our budget shortfall was 8%...In 2009 that hole nearly doubled in size to 14%...In 2011 the hole again nearly doubled to 27%.  How are we solving this now?  Through a cuts only and accounting tricks approach to the budget...Texas cannot grow itself out of this problem...because our population is growing less educated...because we are failing to educate them.  It didn't have to be this way.  The governor and the legislature made a choice to do this.  They could have chosen to use some of the rainy day funds to pay for the next two years, they chose not to.  They could have chosen to close tax loopholes and make all corporations pay their fair share.  They chose not to.  They could have chosen to fix our broken business tax.  They chose not to.  Instead, this legislature chose to balance the budget on the backs of vulnerable Texans..."