Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, June 3, 2013

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Seattle Times and their Mood Swing Editorials

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Seattle Times and their Mood Swing Editorials:

The Seattle Times and their Mood Swing Editorials

The Times has two editorials from this weekend that leave a lot to be desired.

One is about forced teacher placement at schools.  We get a story trotted out about what, yes, sounds like a terrible teacher.  The parents in one classroom at West Woodland kept their kids home for some number of days in 2011 because of her.  But what the editorial lacks is what happened from there.  What did the district do?  Did the principal really, in the face of what sounds like constant complaints, really sit back and do nothing?  That's on the principal who does have the power to exit a poor-performing teacher.

The writer, Jonathan Martin, then pushes Senate Bill 5242 that the Senate Republican ed reformers (and our not-a Dem Senator Rodney Tom).  This bill would give principals the sole discretion over who gets into their building, no matter the teacher's background/skills.  That means HR could think a teacher could be a good fit but the principal could say no.

The problem is the bill is being billed as "mutual consent" when it is no such thing.   The power is almost entirely