There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed
letter to the editor
To the Editor:
As we begin a new school year, again there are a lot of issues that the Cleveland School Administrators, Cleveland Mayor Jackson and the state of Ohio need to address.
The teacher evaluation system, or as it should be called, “The Demoralizing Teacher’s System.” It seems the Cleveland Board of Education and Mayor Jackson’s nod of acceptance have their own way of denying the good teachers of their hard earned efforts to a pay raise. Their plan – getting rid of good teachers and leaving the mediocre or bad ones. Unfortunately, the union seems to be reducing coverage and protection of its members on the evaluation of teachers and money in their pockets from probably back room deals. This system of ratings is not for the good of the kids or the good teachers, but only for the good of the school systems’ bottom line (money).
The state originally had created the mandated rating system for the teachers, which was made to improve the education system for the kids by giving them better teachers, teaching methods and incorporating a teacher’s improvement. However, it has reversed the state mandated agenda by eliminating those skilled good teachers for the mediocre type teachers through the rating system of evaluation.
The evaluators seemed to be mostly people who rate their fellow employees, lacking the experience in todays’ teaching methods. Yet the evaluators make the decision whether or not the teachers are doing their job.
A lot of the evaluators have less than 10 percent teaching experience behind them to evaluate a teacher who has taught more than 40 years with less than 15 minutes observation. Who evaluates them?
It seems the Cleveland Board of Education main plain is to convert each school over to charter schools. Which, of course, is nonunion, low wages to its teachers and not a very good health plan or none at all.
With fear of losing their job to speak out, do the teachers think the union is backing them? What I don’t understand is what is the union getting out of all this? Ho hum, ho hum.
Sheri Barwick
Cleveland
As we begin a new school year, again there are a lot of issues that the Cleveland School Administrators, Cleveland Mayor Jackson and the state of Ohio need to address.
The teacher evaluation system, or as it should be called, “The Demoralizing Teacher’s System.” It seems the Cleveland Board of Education and Mayor Jackson’s nod of acceptance have their own way of denying the good teachers of their hard earned efforts to a pay raise. Their plan – getting rid of good teachers and leaving the mediocre or bad ones. Unfortunately, the union seems to be reducing coverage and protection of its members on the evaluation of teachers and money in their pockets from probably back room deals. This system of ratings is not for the good of the kids or the good teachers, but only for the good of the school systems’ bottom line (money).
The state originally had created the mandated rating system for the teachers, which was made to improve the education system for the kids by giving them better teachers, teaching methods and incorporating a teacher’s improvement. However, it has reversed the state mandated agenda by eliminating those skilled good teachers for the mediocre type teachers through the rating system of evaluation.
The evaluators seemed to be mostly people who rate their fellow employees, lacking the experience in todays’ teaching methods. Yet the evaluators make the decision whether or not the teachers are doing their job.
A lot of the evaluators have less than 10 percent teaching experience behind them to evaluate a teacher who has taught more than 40 years with less than 15 minutes observation. Who evaluates them?
It seems the Cleveland Board of Education main plain is to convert each school over to charter schools. Which, of course, is nonunion, low wages to its teachers and not a very good health plan or none at all.
With fear of losing their job to speak out, do the teachers think the union is backing them? What I don’t understand is what is the union getting out of all this? Ho hum, ho hum.
Sheri Barwick
Cleveland
