Rebecca Klein, education editor of Huffington Post, reports that Kansas faces a serious teacher shortage. She knows why. Under its retrograde political leaders, Kansas underfunds its schools, pays low teacher salaries, and eliminated teacher tenure (due process rights).
These are the bitter fruits of what is deceptively called “reform.”
More evidence that the so-called “reform movement” is a hoax that hurts American education and kids.
How did the American people fall for the Bush-Obama-Duncan-Walker-Brownback-Snyder-Scott-Kasich, etc. line that attacking and demoralizing teachers was “reform?”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What did Joseph Goebbels say about repeating lies????
Yes, and we need to also continue to prove correct the corollary to that “propaganda and marketing truism” to counter act it:
Tell the truth often and loud enough and eventually the people will come to understand that truth over the lies of the prevaricators and exploiters.
Watch this testimony from Andy Goldstein, a Palm Beach public school teacher and parent. He addresses the local school board there about the changes in how teachers are paid there—i.e. veteran teachers with 14 years are paid barely more than rookies:
Indiana is also facing a dire teacher shortage.
Here are two recent TV news stories from last month:
http://wishtv.com/2015/08/03/indiana-schools-suffer-from-teacher-shortage/
and
and don’t forget North Carolina:
http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article24903475.html
and
http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/winston-salem-forsyth-county-schools-facing-teacher-shortage/article_6ec165bf-46a4-58aa-8b37-422d4065eb8c.html
How did the American people fall for the Bush-Obama-Duncan-Walker-Brownback-Snyder-Scott-Kasich, etc. line that attacking and demoralizing teachers was “reform?”
Short answer: Because they wanted to; it made them feel better.
First: Americans do not care about the education of any children other than their own. More specifically, with respect to other people’s children’s education, the only thing Americans want to hear is that their taxes will not be raised. They may say “I care” but they will never do anything to make it better and never spend time learning about education.
Second: Reinforcing the first is that a very large percentage of American voters do not have children in school.
Third: When times get tough, Americans have shown themselves to be mean-spirited and resentful. The right-wing has been especially good at channeling those emotions.
Around 70% of Utahns in a survey a few months ago said that they were fine with having taxes raised if they knew that the money would go into classrooms (teacher pay included). Yet, the Utah legislature refuses to vote to increase taxes for education.
Same in AZ. The current governor actually formed a group (before he was governor) to fight the renewal of a 1% sales tax increase that was dedicated to K-12. He got dark money for his group, and also used dark money to become governor.
The middle class is shrinking dramatically, hence there is a reluctance to raise taxes to pay for education in poorer neighborhoods. Additionally, parents with children in private schools oppose any more (or any) taxation for something they don’t use. On top of all that the Obama educational policies (pro charter) have encouraged the dismantling of public education with the narrative that public ed is failing thus leading to “reform” by privatization. Finally the concept of individualism seems to have increased while the idea of a social good (public schools) is seen as a negative. Witness Cuomo’s characterization of public education as a monopoly.
Yup. Pretty much.
“BURLINGTON, VT—After accepting a check sent to his campaign office by a local elementary school teacher, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was roundly criticized Monday as being firmly in the pocket of the high-rolling educator who had donated $300. “He might have the reputation of being the people’s candidate, but when your candidacy is effectively bankrolled by the multi-hundred-dollar donation of a fourth-grade teacher, it’s clear who’s really pulling the strings,”
http://www.theonion.com/article/bernie-sanders-clearly-pocket-high-rolling-teacher-50990
I love how a former US President (Jimmy Carter) said that last week that our entire government is captured and corrupt and no one missed a beat. That’s an extraordinary thing to say, yet it got no coverage. Is anyone even going to ask him why he believes this?
Chiara –
Carter’s remarks got no coverage because the media moguls – Murdock, Bloomberg et al – don’t want it out there.
One answer is that certain Kansas districts—the so-called “Innovative Districts”—are now allowed to scrap all licensure for teachers. School boards need such “flexibility.”
http://cjonline.com/news/2015-07-14/state-board-passes-controversial-licensure-waiver
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“The proponents of waiving licensure requirements, including the Kansas Association of School Boards and the superintendents of the six Innovative Districts, argue schools need greater flexibility to hire candidates with specialized expertise, such as experience in careers like engineering, but who might lack formal teacher training. They say school boards and administrators should be trusted to hire the most qualified, competent teaching staff available, even in absence of state mandates.
“Ken Willard, a Hutchinson Republican on the state board, concurred and said lifting the requirements could help schools better serve children.
” ‘A vote against doing so, he warned, would mean ‘abdicating, I believe, our responsibility to the needs of every student.’ ”
————————————
You get that?
It’s Orwell-thru-the-Looking-Glass time in Kansas.
Up is down.
Black is white.
Left is right.
Hutchinson, a Republican on the state ed board, argues that—get this—it’s more “responsible” and “better serves children” to put unlicensed and inexperienced teachers in kids’ classrooms, than to continue with the pre-existing state-mandated and required licensing of teachers prior to them being put in classrooms.
Instead of hard-to-earn, state-mandated licenses, Kansas citizens should “trust school boards and administrators” to “hire the most qualified, competent teaching staff available, even in absence of state mandates (i.e. that require teachers’ licensing).”
Hutchinson insists that doing otherwise—sticking with the required licensing of teachers—would be “abdicating our responsibility to the needs of every student.”
Needless to say, people weren’t buying this.
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“Critics who spoke earlier Tuesday against dropping the requirements included education professors, Kansas Parent Teacher Association president Denise Sultz and Topeka USD 501’s Marie Carter, who recruits teachers for the district.
“They warned of the difficulties that untrained teachers can face managing large class sizes, understanding pedagogy and the learning process, and serving students with a variety of skill levels, including those with learning disabilities or behavioral issues.
“No members of the public spoke in favor of the waiver Tuesday.
“Kansas’ new education commissioner, Randy Watson, who helped spearhead both the Innovative Districts program and the proposed licensure waiver, said he understands the concerns parents and teachers expressed.
“ ‘I think their concerns are valid,’ Watson said. ‘I think we’re all wanting a good quality educator in the classroom.’ (But we just don’t want to have to pay for it. JACK)
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Watson, the State Ed Commissioner maintains that there’s nothing wrong with “testing new ideas”, such as putting untrained, unlicensed teachers in classroom.” In doing so, they’re just trying “to pilot and try new things.”
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“(State Ed. Commissioner Randy Watson) said, though, that the Innovative Districts program was designed to test new ideas.
“ ‘What the coalition was set up to do,’ he said, ‘was to pilot and try some things.’
“The Innovative Districts explained in a written request to the state board for Tuesday’s vote they will focus on finding ‘candidates who will make the greatest impact on student learning and future success,’ and that (in choosing new unlicensed teachers) they would be “prudent, judicious, and thoughtful.” ‘
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The teachers weighed in, saying this would annihilate the “integrity” of the teaching profession.
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“Earlier in the day, more than a dozen educators and parents gave impassioned statements to the board in hopes of persuading the 10-member body not to exempt the districts from licensure regulations.
“James Neff, a chemistry teacher from Manhattan USD 383, said Kansas’ current rules, which stipulate that teachers need formal, academic training in pedagogy, not just subject matter, are critical to the ‘integrity’ of the profession.
“ ‘A subject matter specialist is just a subject matter specialist,’ Neff said, “but a teacher is something different.’
“The measure will waive the state’s licensure regulations for a group of districts called the Coalition of Innovative Districts, a program that the Legislature established in 2013 based on model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council.”
“The six districts are Kansas City and Blue Valley USD 229 — which have more than 20,000 students each — along with Concordia USD 333, McPherson USD 418, Hugoton USD 210 and Marysville USD 364.
“Lane says the new flexibility will be used sparingly, and the districts value teacher licensure and are committed to hiring high-quality educators.
“Topeka’s representative on the state board, Carolyn Campbell, a Democrat, opposed Tuesday’s measure, reiterating her concerns with the entire concept of Innovative Districts.
“ ‘I have struggled with the coalition schools, period,’ Campbell said, citing the coalition’s origin in 2013 through dialogue carried out with lawmakers rather than state board members.
“The state’s main teachers union, the Kansas National Education Association, also opposes the Innovative Districts program — a design meant to free up schools from state laws and regulations — and the idea of waiving licensure regulations.
“The last-minute compromises that won Busch’s vote didn’t allay those concerns, KNEA vice president Sherri Schwanz said.
“ ‘We’re still concerned about the waiver because of the students,’ said Schwanz, a choral music teacher at Lansing USD 469.
“ ‘This doesn’t ensure the students’ success with the highest quality educator in the classroom.’ “
Ooops, I meant “Ken Willard” not Hutchinson, in part of my editorialzing. “Ken Willard” is FROM Hutchinson, Kansas. That’s not his name.
Sorry.
At bottom this is about not wanting to spend the money needed to solve the problem the right way.
These same folks who love the “invisible hand of the free market” despise any implementation of free market “supply-and-demand” principles when it comes to education.
In order to attract licensed teachers, or to influence those other people—whether kids in college considering teaching as a career, or older folks considering a career change to teaching—into pursuing education education, training, and ultimately licensing as teachers, the folks in charge of Kansas education WOULD HAVE TO UP THE INCENTIVE OF SALARY… or pay teachers more.
Since they ain’t about to do that, they have to deny the value of teacher education, training, and licensing.
Would they do this with any other profession? Doctors, police, firefighters?
“School boards need such ‘flexibility.’”
If they “need such flexibility” they are in a world of hurt brought on by the edudeformer, neoliveral* consensus. I say F..k that flexibility.
*purposely misspelled.
Oh and over in Arizona, the Asst. State Superintendent of Education Celia Johnson has a different solution. If Arizona is short on teachers—and certainly will be when school starts, as the state needs to hire over 2,000 in the next month— those genius in the State Ed. Dept. won’t increase salary, or even often bonuses for new teachers.
No, they’ll simple take a page from Mike Bloomberg, and “double the class size”!!!!!
(An odd suggestion, considering large class sizes is cited as a primary cause of teachers fleeing Arizona schools. It’s sort of akin to dealing with the summer heat while inside your house by… ohh… turning up the heat on your thermostat.)
This is from an Arizona TV news broadcast last week:
http://www.abc15.com/news/state/teacher-shortage-at-crisis-levels-just-days-before-classes-resume
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Joe Bartels, at ABC – Channel 15:
“However, long term substitute teachers will be used to fill classrooms, but even then, some class sizes could double.
” ‘We know that often times they can’t find subs, so so that means classes would have to be combined, normally one teacher would have 20 to 25 students, now they would have between 40 and 50 students if a sub can’t be found and we know students can’t function and learn in those kinds of environments,’ said Cecilia Johnson, Associate Superintendent, Arizona Department of Education.”
Her are the last two comments to the above TV news piece on Arizona’s teacher shortage:
Again, they’re at:
http://www.abc15.com/news/state/teacher-shortage-at-crisis-levels-just-days-before-classes-resume
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“ROBERT JOHNSTON · Arizona State University:
“Yes, loosen the standards and just put anyone with a pulse in front of the classroom…surely that will solve the problem. Arizona is reaping the benefits of years of treating teachers like crap, paying them peanuts and expecting them to babysit more than teach.”
Like · Reply · 8 · Jul 24, 2015 9:28pm
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and finally…
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“TABITHA BENSON:
“They already put whomever they want in front of the classroom. They manage to get teaching waivers to employ untrained individuals to teach.
“But they always refuse to give conditional waivers to out-of-state TRAINED certified teachers. It would be funny if I did not have student loan debt to pay off because of my decision to become a teacher. It is amazing to continually read about this emergency waivers being given away like candy.
“I am a math teacher.
“When I call to inquire whether they will take an out-of-state teacher and give them a waiver until the teacher can get the out-of-state reciprocity approved, I am always told no, call back after I have the in-state waiver.
“But they are giving out emergency waivers for people with no teaching training at all!
Unbelievable.”
Many of us who knew better didn’t fall for their bull. WE just got drowned out and abandoned by our union leaders. I’m calling out George Parker – AFT Local 6 and his pal: Randi Weingarten. They have a lot to answer for; but won’t. George works for Michelle’s old group and Randi…well she isn’t going anywhere. So the only thing that will change are the people and faces.
Yes, I agree. They have been sleeping with the enemy instead of protecting public education and the profession of teaching.
Entirely predictable. I know teachers who couldn’t see it coming, younger ones. They have no idea. I think most might be lucky to have a pension unless the shortage is so severe they have to be kept on. Fortunately the ones I am thinking of are good teachers, but they thought average and below average would be eliminated. I told them they were dreaming and that warm bodies would be brought in once the union was gone.
Sent from my iPad
>
A couple states over from Kansas, Nevada also faces a dire teacher shortage.
Part of their solution is bonuses:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-legislature/lawmakers-tackle-teacher-shortage-scholarship-fund-bonuses
Again, what the governor is implementing is not an across-the-board permanent increase in teacher pay—that would make sense, as that would solve the problem long-term, as such a raise would encourage returning teachers to stick around next year, and the year after.
No, it’s the usual bonuses… a short term fix that treats the symptoms, but not the disease… It’s $5,000-per-year, for just the first two years… and it can only go to new hires, some of them from fast-track programs and who have no experience. This fits the two-year TEACH FOR AMERICA program like a glove.
This is a total slap in the face to returning veteran teachers, who don’t get a penny.
I’m going to say it again:
At bottom this is about right-wingers not wanting to spend the money needed to solve the problem the right way.
These same corporate reform, business-model-for-education folks who love the “invisible hand of the free market” everywhere else despise any implementation of free market “supply-and-demand” principles when it comes to education.
In order to attract licensed teachers, or to influence those other people—whether kids in college considering teaching as a career, or older folks considering a career change to teaching—into pursuing education education, training, and ultimately licensing as teachers, the folks in charge of Kansas education WOULD HAVE TO UP THE INCENTIVE OF SALARY… or pay teachers more.
Since they ain’t about to do that, they have to deny the value of teacher education, training, and licensing.
Would these same corporate reformers do this with any other profession? Doctors, dentists, nurses, police, firefighters, etc.?
If there was a shortage in these professions, would the solution be to water down the qualifications necessary to legally perform those services they perform, and thus degrade the quality of doctors, dentists, nurses, police, firefighters, etc?
Again, it’s about cheaping out, and not wanting the spend the money, or raise the taxes needed.
See, that’s the other advantage of “choice”: they get to just choose the free-market practices they like, or “choose” how to apply them, and the rest of us can “choose” to like it or lump it! 🙂
Now they’re saying here in Nevada that it might only be $4,000, and also, only new teachers who work in Title I schools and agree to stay for two years can get it.
http://admin.lasvegassun.com/news/2015/jul/22/new-teacher-bonuses-high-demand-may-be-reduced-400/
I’m going to call this Tucson, Arizona op-ed that I found…
“MY FAVORITE COMMENTARY ON TEACHER SHORTAGES”
It refers to Arizona’s teacher shortage, but could be applied anywhere:
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2015/07/20/arizonas-teacher-shortage-and-how-to-fix-it
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From the TUCSON WEEKLY:
—–
“Arizona’s Teacher Shortage (and How To Fix It)”
“By David Safier
“Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 11:12 AM
“Another school year, another teacher shortage. This isn’t a TUSD problem or a Tucson-area problem. One estimate says that Arizona has 1,000 fewer teachers than it needs. Another, which seems high to me, says that Maricopa County alone has 1,000 teacher slots to fill. Either way, it’s a big, statewide problem. Emphasis on “statewide.”
“Why the shortage? Low pay, low funding for support and supplies, too many students in each classroom. And let’s not underestimate the importance of the anti-teacher, anti-“government school” rhetoric that makes teachers feel less valued.
“Why go into, or stay in, a low paying, stressful job if everyone keeps telling you how much you suck? Arizona teachers are leaving the profession or moving elsewhere to teach. Fewer college students are choosing teaching as a profession.
“I keep hearing from some quarters that teachers are underworked look at all those vacations they get!—so they don’t deserve more pay, and the reason there are so many bad teachers is because the union won’t let districts fire them. Now, I’m not an economist and I don’t play one on The Range, but it seems to me there are a few basic economic flaws with both those arguments.
“If teachers are underworked and overpaid, people should be lining up to get one of those cushy jobs. Districts should be fighting applicants off with a stick. That’s the way the marketplace works, right? People gravitate toward the most attractive jobs.
“And once prospective teachers land their jobs, after they get through popping champagne corks and celebrating their unbelievable good fortune, they should hold onto those jobs until retirement forces them out the door.
“So why aren’t college departments of education turning away students who want to sign up? Why aren’t districts getting more applications than they can handle? Why do young teachers leave the profession in such high numbers?
“I can only think of two possible answers:
“One possibility is, people who consider teaching and reject it, or leave the profession once they get a job, are idiots. They don’t know a good deal when they see it.
“The other possibility is, teaching is a low pay, high stress job, and unless people have the initial desire to teach, then find they get enough joy in the classroom that it balances out all the problems that go along with the job, they aren’t likely to go into the profession in the first place or stay there once they land a job.
“And what about all those bad teachers who stay in the classroom year after year? Why don’t we get rid of tenure protections and make it easier to fire them? To do that effectively, we need people waiting in the wings to take their places. What value is there in creating more job openings by, say, weeding out the bottom five or ten percent of teachers if we can’t even fill the openings we already have?
“Going back to my rudimentary understanding of economics, it seems to me that the best way to get high quality teachers in the classroom is to attract lots of applicants for open jobs. The more people applying, the more choice districts will have, and the more likely they’ll be able to reject the poorer prospects and hire the better ones.
“How do you get more and better applicants?
“Simple. Improve pay and working conditions.
“If the job is more attractive, more and better quality people will apply. Even if we don’t try to cull the herd by removing the weakest teachers—and deciding who they are is more difficult than it looks—we’ll end up with a stronger group of teachers. The weaker teachers will gradually fade away, leaving a well-paid, well-supported cadre of dedicated, capable teachers in our classrooms.”
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Makes perfect sense, right?
Well not to the first commenter, who lays the blame on, of course, the teachers unions!!!
And why is that? Why, those union jerks simply complain too much.
According to this line of thinking, the teacher unions’ “whining and gnashing of teeth”—and the “promotion” of similar “whining and gnashing of teeth,” among union members—has led to and exodus of teachers, and also discouraged people on the outside from choosing teaching as a profession.
Here’s the comment:
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“DEBBIE T.:
07/20/2015 at 11:53 AM
“Your lack of understanding economics aside, the real problem is that after all the whining and gnashing of teeth that the unions and NEA promoted, they have convinced our youth that teaching is a waste of effort. They have chosen to go do something else.”
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Really, Deb? And here I was thinking that it was due to the destructive policies that that those teachers are actually whining about, or about the corporate reformers in charge of Arizona education that implemented these policies… you know, like low salary, lousy job conditions, elimination of job protections, elimination of seniority pay…
No, no, no… that’s all nonsense. Thanks to you, I now realize that if unionized teachers would have just shut up and passively accepted all of these outrages, no one would have ever left teaching, and hordes of prospective teachers would now be lining up to be hired.
Why would you want to become a teacher in an inner city? There you are abused by administrators, disrespectful students and even some parents. Nowadays, your career is hanging from a thin thread especially if you are a veteran teacher. All it takes to fire you is a lie made up by a kid or fabricated charges made by an adult. You do not have rights unless you are rich or famous. They are just written on the USA constitution. That is provably why a veteran teacher told, “If I had a daughter, I would rather have her work as a prostitute than work as a teacher.”