It seems Virginia’s Governor, Bob McDonnell, has upset the state’s largest teachers’ union. The Virginia Education Association has issued a call to action to their membership. This isn’t the first time Governor McDonnell has invited the wrath of the VEA. In 2012, he proposed a bill that would eliminate continuing contracts for new teachers, thus making bad teachers easier to fire. That bill was tabled indefinitely in Virginia’s Senate.
What terrible transgression has McDonnell committed this time? First, a bit of background. Virginia’s General Assembly passed a bill this year that allows the state to take over schools that have failed to make accreditation for four consecutive years. To put that in perspective, that means a child could go from kindergarten all the way through third grade – or complete his entire high school career – in a school that is unable to teach basic skills to a majority of students. While the VEA might disagree, one could certainly argue that drastic action is long overdue by the time four years of education have been squandered. About that bill, the VEA said:
“The schools are not required to hire licensed teachers or include teachers in the Virginia Retirement System. You have to wonder why the Governor would hold lower standards for teachers serving Virginia students most in need.”
So, the state could replace the incompetent, failing teachers with people who aren’t licensed, maybe even with persons who have demonstrated success in the private sector. The VEA alleges these “lower standards” would be a disservice to the “students most in need.” But doesn’t the fact that the state had to take over a school full of licensed teachers prove that licensure is no guarantee of competence? It’s hard to imagine that the simple lack of a state teaching license would render the replacement less capable of effective instruction than someone who demonstrated ineptitude over the course of four consecutive years. Then again, unions have a pretty casual relationship with logic and facts when it comes to protecting their membership.
But now Governor McDonnell has made it even worse with a proposed amendment to the bill. He now has the audacity to suggest that teachers in failing schools might be relieved of their positions! How absurd to think that someone who can’t do his job successfully for years on end might be held accountable for his poor performance! The governor also seems to think that school divisions actually have the right to hire, reassign, or fire their own employees. Who ever heard of such a thing? But wait, there’s more! The governor’s amendment goes so far as to say that any teachers fired from a failing school are not guaranteed a new job in another school. And if they do get a new position, they may not make as much money as they did in their old position, you know, the one they were really bad at. Read for yourself from the VEA’s Daily Report:
“So the teachers in the schools which are taken over may or may not be hired, may or may not be transferred, may or may not be retained, reassigned, or dismissed. AND if they are lucky enough to get a job, they may be employed by entities that are not required to offer VRS and other benefits. There is no requirement that teachers receive the same pay.”
Certainly there are good teachers in Virginia who do a good job and make a positive difference in the lives of their students. But good teachers, even those in bad schools – especially those in bad schools – will stand out for their excellence. Good teachers will always be in demand and have nothing to fear from accountability. The only teachers who should worry are those who can’t do the job they were hired to do. If you’re unsure what you think about this “controversy,” ask yourself this question: How many classrooms full of children should we sacrifice upon the altar of teacher and school improvement plans? Are you willing to give up a year, or four years, or your child’s education to help a bad teacher get better?