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<DIV>I just received an email from a wonderful teacher in an Idaho district
where the pay for performance data have been released. Pleas note this
teacher WILL BE RECEIVING a bonus. I am going to paraphrase because I
really don’t think he wants to be identified. He’s probably looking for
another position even today. Here is the gist of what he wrote me: He
calls it “blood money.” “It is a fraction of the money they had already
cut from our salaries” He says one of the schools in the district received
full shares, $4,200 (remember though this $4200 is LESS than the salary freezes
which will continue to impact teachers even into retirement) and another
school received .5 share, however, he writes, “what really irritates me is
that teachers in (an elementary school) received nothing. Those
teachers work their butts off and will receive nothing.” He goes on to
describe some of the teachers and what they are doing to help the students in
their poor neighborhood school. He adds that teachers in the school have
to do their own janitorial work because there is only 1 janitor for the whole
building. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>When Tom Luna spoke to the Legislative hearing two years ago he emphasized
that he was attempting to cut the teaching force. He even agreed with
another speaker that his computer reform bill would reduce the teaching ranks by
1,000. I think that’s close to 10% of the state teaching force. A
goodly number of those folks are already gone. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And on a related note: all the new material; mailers, yesterday’s
letter to the editor from Mary Steed, the Vandersloot propaganda pages,
argue that we should support the Luna law which makes negotiations public
because teachers are bargaining for public money so those sessions should be
open to everyone. Know what....I haven’t talked with even one Idaho
teacher for whom that is the issue. Their issue is this: when
bargaining begins and the school board and teachers meet, the board may simply
stall if they wish. The law allows it by setting a statutory deadline for
negotiations. So if the two sides don’t agree before the deadline, the
board may simply adopt their “last, best, offer,” which can be anything
they say it is. Making those sessions public..who cares!! That isn’t the
point. One Board member told me she opposes the law, and would be writing
a letter to confirm her opposition, but I haven’t seen the letter.
</DIV>
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<DIV>Some figures for you to think about. Luna says schools haven’t lost
money because of his reforms: Here’s a bit of a rundown on what
schools lost to merit pay plans and computer funding holdbacks ($68 million for
the computer holdback alone) ..remember the story about the janitor.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Cuts to Idaho School District Funding—just a sampling</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Boise: $5,406,424</DIV>
<DIV>Pocatello: $2,515,431</DIV>
<DIV>Idaho Falls: $2,045,126</DIV>
<DIV>Butte County: $121,598</DIV>
<DIV>Mackay: $68,781</DIV>
<DIV>Jerome: $696,287</DIV>
<DIV>MOSCOW: $464,606</DIV>
<DIV>LEWISTON: 1,044,930</DIV>
<DIV>CDA: $2,035,396 </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And who supports these cuts? EVERY REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE IN
LATAH AND BENEWAH COUNTIES. EVERY ONE. JUST ASK THEM.
And if you vote to uphold the Luna Laws, your vote supports the cuts, as well.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sue Hovey</DIV>
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