Killeen Case Sets New Precedent to Help Laid Off Teachers

Killeen: ISD Ordered To Reinstate 4 Terminated Teachers

The state has ordered the Killeen ISD to rehire four teachers who were terminated as part of a cost-cutting move earlier this year.

KILLEEN (July 8, 2011)—Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott ruled Tuesday that the Killeen ISD must rehire four of the 150 teachers whose contracts were not renewed earlier this year as part of a cost-cutting measure in response to deep cuts in state funding for public schools.
The four teachers, all members of the Association of Texas Professional Educators, appealed the reduction in force in May.

One of the four, Aloysius Cooper, whom the KISD had employed for 15 years and who worked as an academic adviser, said he shouldn’t have been terminated in the first place.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had been interviewing for assistant principal jobs, and it’s been stressful,” Cooper said.
“Now, I feel like I at least have the option of returning to my position and to do what I need to do to help students be successful. That’s the bottom line.”
The district was ordered to reinstate the teachers and to pay the four any back pay and benefits from the time their contracts weren’t renewed, but the ruling gives the district the option of paying the teachers one year’s salary from the date they would have been rehired.
Attorney Rick Arnett, who represented the four teachers, said the district’s board violated its local RIF policy by allowing principals to select “less favored or disfavored employees for termination and then failing to try to place them in open positions” for which they were qualified.
“As far as we know, the Killeen cases are the first to be appealed to the commissioner,” he said.
“Under the current political climate, we believe there may be more situations next spring in which districts decide they need to reduce staff,” Arnett said.

Texas Republican Lawmakers Advocate Raising Taxes to Cover Cuts in Education

Some Texas Republican lawmakers are advocating raising taxes in order to make up for the recent $4 billion cuts to public education.  Only a few days after the passage of major budget cuts to Texas, most of which devastate the health care industry and pubic education, reality is setting in.  Even the G.O.P. realizes that in order to make things work, we will have to – ahem – “raise taxes”.  That’s right, when Governor Rick Perry prides himself on a state that has job growth without raising taxes, Texas has put itself in a hole so big, even Republican lawmakers find themselves advocating for one of the biggest issues they have always stood against.  

Who Voted for SB8 Which Cut Funding to Schools and Decimated Teacher Rights?

Who is responsible for SB8 and the attack on teacher pay and contract safeguards in Texas? 

"...For the first time in Texas' known history, student enrollment growth will not be funded. The approximately 170,000 new students entering the school system during the new two years will have to be absorbed with fewer resources and fewer teachers....Already ranked 44th nationally in what it spends on education per pupil, Texas' further funding decrease will have a consequence in the classroom, there is no doubt.  Perhaps it will have another consequence as well. Just perhaps, in the next election, everyday Texans will let us know that their voices, those of the greater good, are more important than those extremists who currently hold sway in the halls of the Texas Capitol." - Texas Senator Wendy Davis

These congressmen and women are counting on the fact that we will forget what happened on June 29, 2011 when we vote in 2013.  When teachers see their colleagues being let go in the middle of the year with little or no recourse to challenge their administrations, remember which congressmen made this happen.  When they see districts lowering pay and stipends to make up for the $4 billion loss to education in Texas, remember that it was our votes that put these people into office.  Senate Bill 8 will be devastating to education in the coming years.  This will affect how teachers teach and who they teach.  It will lower the power of our workforce in Texas and thus our business strength and competitiveness.  Remember who made the decisions to do this in the name of "fiscal responsibility".  Rob Eissler and Florence Shapiro are the parties responsible for authoring this devastating legislation and vehemently supporting it.  Ironically, Eissler has in the past been supported by teacher unions.  This betrayal will likely not go unnoticed.  Even seventeen Republicans voted against this bill and for their conscience. 

In the Texas Senate, the final vote to pass SB 8 was 19 to 11.  In the House, the final vote to pass SB 8 was 80 to 63.  

If you would like to know who the legislator is in your area, click here.

 

First, we cannot ignore the politician who called these special sessions until he got exactly what he wanted and who will ultimately sign and support this legislation, Governor Rick Perry.  Don't forget Perry also appointed the AUTHOR of the bill, Rob Eissler to be the Chair of the House Public Education Committee.  

Texas Lawmakers Approve Bill That Cuts School Funding

LEGISLATORS WHO VOTED FOR SB8 AND AGAINST TEACHER RIGHTS IN TEXAS:

HOUSE

Rob Eissler of The Woodlands (House author of SB 8);

Jose Aliseda of Beeville; 

Charles Anderson of Waco;
Rodney Anderson of Plano;
Jimmy Don Aycock of Killeen;
Marva Beck of Centerville;
Leo Berman of Tyler;
Dennis Bonnen of Angleton;
Dan Branch of Dallas;
Cindy Burkett of Mesquite;
Angie Chen Button of Richardson;
Erwin Cain of Como;
Bill Callegari of Houston;
Warren Chisum of Pampa;
Wayne Christian of Nacogdoches;
Byron Cook of Corsicana;
Tom Craddick of Midland;
Brandon Creighton of Conroe;
Myra Crownover of Lake Dallas;
John Davis of Houston;
Sarah Davis of Houston;
Gary Elkins of Houston;
Allen Fletcher of Tomball;
Dan Flynn of Canton;
John Frullo of Lubbock;
John Garza of San Antonio;
Charlie Geren of River Oaks;
Larry Gonzales of Round Rock;
Kelly Hancock of Fort Worth; (wrote article justifying the cuts)
Rick Hardcastle of Vernon;
Patricia Harless of Spring; (declared would vote "no" but voted "yes" instead)
Linda Harper-Brown of Irving;
Will Hartnett of Dallas;
Harvey Hilderbran of Kerrville;
Charlie Howard of Sugar Land; (declared would vote "no" but voted "yes" instead)
Dan Huberty of Humble;
Bryan Hughes of Marshall;
Todd Hunter of Corpus Christi;
Jason Isaac of Dripping Springs;
Jim Jackson of Carrollton;
Jim Keffer of Granbury;
Phil King of Weatherford;
Tim Kleinschmidt of Lexington;
Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham;
John Kuempel of Seguin;
Lyle Larson of San Antonio;
Jodie Laubenberg of Rockwall;
George Lavender of Texarkana;
Ken Legler of Pasadena;
Lanham Lyne of Wichita Falls;
Jerry Madden of Plano;
Dee Margo of El Paso;
Doug Miller of New Braunfels;
Sid Miller of Stephenville;
Geanie Morrison of Victoria;
Jim Murphy of Houston;
Barbara Nash of Arlington;
Rob Orr of Burleson;
John Otto of Dayton;
Tan Parker of Flower Mound;
Ken Paxton of McKinney;
Charles Perry of Lubbock;
Walter “Four” Price of Amarillo;
Charles Schwertner of Georgetown;
Connie Scott of Corpus Christi;
Kenneth Sheets of Dallas;
Ralph Sheffield of Temple;
Mark Shelton of Fort Worth;
David Simpson of Longview;
Todd Smith of Bedford;
Wayne Smith of Baytown;
John Smithee of Amarillo;
Burt Solomons of Carrollton;
Larry Taylor of League City;
Vicki Truitt of Southlake;
Randy Weber of Pearland;
Beverly Woolley of Houston;
Paul Workman of Spicewood (Austin);
Bill Zedler of Arlington,
John Zerwas of Simonton.

SENATE

Florence Shapiro of Plano (author of SB 8);
Brian Birdwell of Granbury;
John Carona of Dallas;
Robert Deuell of Greenville;
Robert Duncan of Lubbock;
Kevin Eltife of Tyler;
Craig Estes of Wichita Falls;
Troy Fraser of Horseshoe Bay;
Chris Harris of Arlington;
Glenn Hegar of Katy;
Joan Huffman of Southside Place (Harris County);
Mike Jackson of La Porte;
Jane Nelson of Flower Mound;
Robert Nichols of Jacksonville;
Steve Ogden of Bryan; (actually advocated that schools raise taxes to make up the difference)
Dan Patrick of Houston;
Kel Seliger of Amarillo;
Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio;
Tommy Williams of The Woodlands.

How Much Do Teachers Make Around The World?

How much do teachers make around the world? See the infographic below.  Around the world most people agree that educating our children is important for our countries and our future.  However, as budget cuts loom over the heads of everyone who takes money from the government, debates emerge over how much teachers should be paid and how much work they do.