Geaux Teacher!: LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN !!

Geaux Teacher!: LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN !!:

LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN !!

by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT)

I join the thousands of teachers statewide who are very disappointed that due to factors beyond our control we were unable to join the rally on the Capitol steps yesterday. I propose that we "rally" via a letter writing campaign that will afford each and every one of us the opportunity for a strong personal voice in this one-way conversation with legislators. There seems to be not much left but to HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE to us and to the public.

I am suggesting to all my contacts (educators, parents, students and their neighbors, friends, relatives) that they write a short (or long) letter to each one of the Senators who voted YES yesterday in the Senate for HB 976 and HB 974. In that letter, they will include a copy of each of these vote count records (see links below). These letters MUST BE SENT BY SNAIL MAIL - U.S. POST OFFICE - TO THEIR LEGISLATIVE OFFICES. Those who are willing to spend a little more should send them Certified or Return Receipt Requested. The added expense is small compared to the price that we will all pay as a result of this legislation.

I am sending the following letter which can be used, edited or replaced by anyone who participates. Above all, it must conclude with a question and a request for a response to the return address. I would like to collect those responses (or a record of the lack of response) for a future press release/conference on the steps of the Capitol.

Lets make this campaign VIRAL.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Write a letter to each Senator who voted YES for HB 976 and/or HB 974. Indicate in your letter which of the bills they voted FOR.

2. The most effective letters are personal accounts. but conclude your letter with a question and a request for a written response.

3. Attach a copy/copies of the final votes for each of the bills. Circle the Senator's name in RED!

4. Mail using the attached address list.

5. Collect copies of as many letters as you can from your personal circle of friends and professionals and mail or deliver to me at: 178 Abita Oaks Loop, Abita Springs, LA 70420 If you send your correspondence via certified or return receipt requested mail, please include those in your package.

This is my letter:

Dear Senator _______:

At the conclusion of the historic debate on April 4, 2012, your vote was cast to dismantle public education via the provisions of HB 976. No longer will every child in the State of Louisiana have an equal opportunity for a free and appropriate education. Many children will be reduced to nothing more than a name on a lottery ticket. Gambling in Louisiana has reached its zenith with the passage of this bill.

Your vote was also cast to remove the Profession of Educator in the state of Louisiana via the provisions of HB 974. The expertise earned by our classroom teachers, principals, administrators and our District Superintendents through their continued pursuit of advanced degrees and certification has been denied. The respect and quality developed through experience and years of professional development have been deemed meaningless. Classroom teachers are now nothing more than at-will employees - human capital (lower case).

The fact that so many highly qualified educators throughout the state and the nation have expressed so much opposition to the types of provisions contained in these laws should have been a red light - an indicator to STOP, look BOTH ways, before speeding head long into passage of this legislation. Instead you chose to accuse teachers of being incompetent, lazy, and self-serving. That was your primary SELLING point to the public as you bartered with Governor Jindal for your vote.

I would appreciate a response from you explaining how you believe these bills will improve the quality of education in the classroom. What provisions in these bills actually address that? Senator Guillory said, "You can tell a good school when you SEE one." What do you expect to SEE when you visit a good school? When you visit a classroom of children and are handed a list of test scores, can you match the score with the child?

I look forward to your response so that we can all know what good teachers and good schools LOOK like.

Sincerely,

Lee P. Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT
Retired Teacher/Parent/Grandparent
178 Abita Oaks Loop
Abita Springs, Louisiana 70420

HB 976 FINAL PASSAGE http://legis.la.gov/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=789473

HB 974 FINAL PASSAGE http://legis.la.gov/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=789137

Senator Robert Adley
611 Jessie Jones Drive
Benton, LA 71006

(318) 965-1755
adleyr@legis.la.gov

Senator John A. Alario
1063 Muller Parkway
Westwego, LA 70094

(504) 340-2221
alarioj@legis.la.gov

Senator R.L. "Bret" Allain
600 Main Street
Suite 1
Franklin, LA 70538

(337) 828-9107
(985) 850-2738
allainb@legis.la.gov

Senator "Jody" Amedee
2109 S. Burnside Ave.
Suite A
Gonzales, LA 70737

(225) 644-1526
amedeej@legis.la.gov

Senator Conrad Appel
721 Papworth Avenue
Suite 102A
Metairie, LA 70005

(866) 946-3133
appelc@legis.la.gov

Senator Sharon Weston Broome
P. O. Box 52783
Baton Rouge, LA 70892

(225) 359-9352
lasen15@legis.la.gov

Senator Troy E. Brown
P.O. Box 974
Napoleonville, LA 70390

(985) 369-3333
brownte@legis.la.gov

Senator Sherri Smith Buffington
9973 Mansfield Road
Keithville, LA 71047

(318) 687-4820
smithbuffington@legis.la.gov

Senator Norby Chabert
P.O. Box 2417
Houma, LA 70361

(985) 858-2927
chabertn@legis.la.gov

Senator Dan Claitor
7520 Perkins Road
Suite 160
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

(225) 765-0206
claitord@legis.la.gov

Senator Page Cortez
101 W. Farrell Road
Bldg. 5, Suite 100
Lafayette, LA 70508

(337) 993-7430
cortezp@legis.la.gov

Senator A.G. Crowe
201 Crowe's Landing
Pearl River, LA 70452

(985) 643-3600
crowea@legis.la.gov

Senator Jack Donahue
3030 East Causeway Approach
Mandeville, LA 70448

(985) 727-7949
donahuej@legis.la.gov

Senator Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb
1520 Thomas H. Delpit Drive Suite 226
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

(225) 342-9700
dorseyy@legis.la.gov

Senator Dale M. Erdey
P.O. Box 908
Livingston, LA 70754

(225) 686-2881
erdeyd@legis.la.gov

Senator Rick Gallot
P.O. Box 1117
Ruston, LA 71270

(318) 251-5019
gallotr@legis.la.gov

Senator Elbert L. Guillory
633 East Landry Street
Opelousas, LA 70570

(337) 943-2457
guillorye@legis.la.gov

Senator David Heitmeier
3501 Holiday Drive
Suite 225
New Orleans, LA 70114

(504) 361-6356
HeitmeierD@legis.la.gov

Senator Ronnie Johns
1011 Lakeshore Drive
Suite 515
Lake Charles, LA 70601

(337) 491-2016
johnsr@legis.la.gov

Senator Robert W. "Bob" Kostelka
P.O. Box 2122
Monroe, LA 71207

(318) 362-3474
kostelka@legis.la.gov

Senator Eric LaFleur
P.O. Box 617
Ville Platte, LA 70586

(337) 363-5019
lafleure@legis.la.gov

Senator Gerald Long
P.O. Box 151
Winnfield, LA 71483

(318) 628-5799
(800) 265-2437
longg@legis.la.gov

Senator Daniel "Danny" Martiny
131 Airline Highway
Suite 201
Metairie, LA 70001

(504) 834-7676
martinyd@legis.la.gov

Senator Fred H. Mills
800 S. Lewis St.
Suite 203
New Iberia, LA 70560

(337) 365-8484
millsf@legis.la.gov

Senator Jean-Paul J. Morrell
6305 Elysian Fields Ave.
Suite 404
New Orleans, LA 70122

(504) 284-4794
morrelljp@legis.la.gov

Senator Dan "Blade" Morrish
119 W. Nezpique Street
Jennings, LA 70546

(337) 824-3979
morrishd@legis.la.gov

Senator Edwin R. Murray
1540 N. Broad St.
New Orleans, LA 70119

(504) 945-0042
murraye@legis.la.gov

Senator Ben Nevers
724 Avenue F
Bogalusa, LA 70427

(985) 732-6863
neversb@legis.la.gov

Senator Barrow Peacock
1619 Jimmie Davis Highway
Bossier City, LA 71112

(318) 741-7180
peacockb@legis.la.gov

Senator Jonathan W. Perry
P.O. Box 100
Kaplan, LA 70548

(337) 740-6425 --- )
perryj@legis.la.gov

Senator Karen Carter Peterson
1010 Common St.
Suite 2510
New Orleans, LA 70112

(504) 568-8346
petersonk@legis.la.gov

Senator Neil Riser
P.O. Box 117
Columbia, LA 71418

(318) 649-0977
risern@legis.la.gov

Senator Gary Smith
P.O Box 189
Norco, LA 70079

(985) 764-9122
smithgl@legis.la.gov

Senator John R. Smith
611-B South 5th Street
Leesville, LA 71446

(337) 238-2709
smithj@legis.la.gov

Senator Gregory Tarver
1024 Pierre Avenue
Shreveport, LA 71103

(318) 227-1499
tarverg@legis.la.gov

Senator Francis Thompson
P.O. Box 68
Delhi, LA 71232

(318) 878-9408
thompsof@legis.la.gov

Senator Mike Walsworth
4007 White's Ferry Rd
Suite A
West Monroe, LA 71291

(318) 340-6453
walsworthm@legis.la.gov

Senator Rick Ward
3741 Highway 1
Port Allen, LA 70767

(225) 246-8838
wardr@legis.la.gov

Senator Mack "Bodi" White
808 O'Neal Lane
Baton Rouge, LA 70816

(225) 272-1324
whitem@legis.la.gov

State Regulators Let Vocational Schools Operate without Approvals - The Bay Citizen

State Regulators Let Vocational Schools Operate without Approvals - The Bay Citizen:

State Regulators Let Vocational Schools Operate without Approvals

Lack of proper oversight leaves students with few protections

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By JENNIFER GOLLAN on April 5, 2012 - 6:21 p.m. PDT

start discussion

Sarah Rice for The Bay Citizen

Students arrive at Prime Career College in Vallejo Tuesday morning, which offers vocational nursing degrees and other programs. Prime is one of 137 schools statewide whose state approvals have lapsed

Job prospects for thousands of California students are being threatened by the failure of state regulators to crack down on unapproved private vocational schools. Despite vowing to strengthen protections for Californians attending vocational nursing, technical and trade schools, and other private colleges, the regulators have allowed more than 130 schools to operate for months without state approval, according to state records.

Private vocational schools in California require the approval of the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, established two years ago to provide stricter oversight of schools that serve 400,000 students across the state. Yet up to 10 percent of the state’s 

School Tech Connect: Reductions Are Actually Increases

School Tech Connect: Reductions Are Actually Increases:

Reductions Are Actually Increases

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I noticed that the IFT and IPACE-endorsed Elaine Nekritz and Lou Lang are the sponsorsof the pension test billthat Glen is talking about.  I don't think the endorsements were wrong, by the way. You can't be responsible for everything your friends do.

To be honest, I'd never even heard of this pension system. Now I regret not researching the Water Reclamation candidates. Who knows what kind of wingnuts I may have voted for?

If I'm reading the bill correctly, and who the hell knows... it seems to me that they're increasing the employer contribution without increasing the benefit, and they're going to argue that it's constitutional because the employer is increasing their contribution, too, and well, if the system survives, then that's an increase in benefit over insolvency because it's another underfunded system going down the toilet.

Sounds pretty shaky to me.

Incidentally, in the back of my mind I've been thinking about writing about how the NEA has been beating the wrong drums for years and how the only two things that come to mind when I think of the NEA are A) credit card 

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