Thursday, February 28, 2013

ISEA HOTLINE--February 28, 2013

Attend your local legislative forums this weekend! Last week the House passed HF 215, which includes their amendments to the Governor's Education Proposal.

A summary of the bill is located in the Legislative Action Center on isea.org under the Updates tab. The House version only provides 2 percent allowable growth; lowers the minimum teacher salary to $32,000; takes peer review out of the bargaining process; requires principals to do annual summative evaluations; and allows schools to opt out of the Teacher and Career Leadership Pathway.

 Here are the questions you need to ask your legislators at the forums in your area this weekend:



 1) Do you support 4 percent Allowable Growth for FY 2014 and FY 2015, separate from any education reform legislation?

 2) Would you support raising the minimum teacher salary to $35,000 separate from the optional portion of the Career and Compensation Matters section of current legislation in the House?

 3) We are just now beginning to bargain the current process of Peer Review. Do you support continuing this process?

 4) What is the rationale behind annual summative administrator evaluations when administrators admit that adding to the frequency will adversely affect the quality of the evaluations?

 5) Why is the Teacher and Career Leadership Pathway optional? With over $800 million in reserves, why can't we implement the program statewide?

 Take Action Now! Write to your legislators on Allowable Growth and House File 215.

 When you talk with your Legislators, explain what this means for your students and your community. If this proposed Legislation would affect the bargaining of your contracts and your school's ability to budget, tell your Legislators about those consequences. Take positive action and let your Representatives know how this affects you!