WRITE THE BEE TO LET READERS KNOW REP. MILLER IS WRONG ON VERGARA CASE
Undeterred by the facts, U.S. Congressman George Miller and an educator coauthor have authored a Sacramento Bee Op-Ed that slams teachers for having due process rights.
The retiring congressman and one Los Angeles Unified School District educator have teamed up to declare that the Vergara v. State of California assault on teachers’ due-process protections is a good thing.
Unlike the congressman, teachers know that these procedures have for more than 80 years protected academic freedom and helped attract and keep highly qualified teachers for our students.
The congressman and his collaborator are championing a lawsuit that is being funded by Silicon Valley mogul David Welch, a lawsuit that if successful would do nothing to improve the teaching and learning environment in our schools.
The millionaires and corporate interests behind this suit want to wipe out basic due process for dismissing teachers. They are seeking to let go of experienced teachers for no reason. That isn’t fair, and it isn’t good for our students or our profession.
On the positive side, the fact the Bee has published this diatribe opens an opportunity for working classroom professionals to write to the newspaper’s editor to help educate the readers about the realities, including the importance of the provisions of law that the special interests behind Vergara would love to destroy.
Take a moment to read the editorial and respond. Let the Bee’s readers know that:
- Rep. Miller and his collaborator are wrong: eliminating these key provisions will make it harder for districts to attract and keep highly qualified teachers.
- The suit does nothing to address the real problems that are hurting schools, including years of underfunding that have in many schools eliminated librarians, nurse, counselors and other vital personnel.
- Every student should have access to fully qualified teachers. By attacking five statutory protections, Vergara v. the State of California would undermine fair treatment and the due-process procedures that are vital to attracting and keeping a highly qualified workforce.
You can write a letter to the Bee using the newspaper’s letters to the editor link.
