Judy Hale: Stubborn facts set record straight
I just read Mike Stuart's March 18 op-ed "W.Va. education fails while Democrats, teacher unions do nothing," for the third time. I was disappointed after the first reading, I was dismayed after the second reading and I was simply disgusted after the third reading.
I was disappointed to see this attack on teachers, school service employees, policy makers, legislators and the governor because I have never seen Stuart at a county or state school board meeting. Stuart says that his opinion is based, in part, on personal knowledge, but I have never seen him at a Senate or House Education Committee meeting, nor at a PEIA Finance Board meeting. I have never seen him in a school reading to students as many business people do, nor have I ever seen him at a Local School Improvement Council meeting.
I was dismayed because I was reading another inflammatory commentary from a right-wing ideologue who clearly has no idea what he is talking about. His diatribe, like a Rush Limbaugh monologue, is loaded with good sound bites, but it is void of facts.
As Mark Twain famously said, "Facts are stubborn things." So here are the facts about the recently concluded legislative session:
* The Legislature, with the support of AFT-WV, unanimously passed Senate Bill 371, the School System Collaborative Innovation Zone. This bill creates a system for innovative initiatives to be piloted in McDowell County where the school system has been struggling. The bill allows for waivers of policies, rules and regulations that seem to inhibit change. The bill also allows for the creation of "wrap around" services for children and families. The bill is designed to complement an unprecedented public private partnership called Reconnecting McDowell, where over 40 labor, government, business, religious and non-profit partners are working to create a turn-around model for McDowell County Schools.
Just for the record, the AFT is spearheading the Reconnecting McDowell initiative and we have contributed the first $150,000 to this effort.
* We worked diligently throughout the legislative session to find a solution to the massive OPEB liability. With bipartisan support from the Legislature, policy makers, public employee unions and Gov. Tomblin, we were able to pass SB 469 that will resolve a $10 billion state liability once and for all. And by the way, public employee retirees will bear the brunt of the resolution of this debt.
* We also saw the passage of legislation creating a new, cutting edge teacher evaluation model, a bill that creates a process for alternative teacher certification, and another bill creating a promising program where fourth-year education majors move into hard-to-fill teaching vacancies and become intensely mentored "teachers in residence."
All of these bills were supported by my union and they all enjoyed nearly unanimous support from both parties at the Capitol. And there was never a quid pro quo that we would support these bills in exchange for a pay raise. We supported these legislative initiatives because they are good for children and they are good for West Virginia.
So, I was disgusted by Stuart's comments because I know how hard my union worked with policymakers, legislators of both parties and Gov. Tomblin to craft some very meaningful education legislation. Stuart would have readers believe that all unions do is lobby for payraises.
I was disgusted because every day, I talk to passionate teachers, dedicated school bus drivers, sensational school cooks and many other education employees who truly make a difference in the lives of children. They deserve better than an irrational, unfounded attack by Stuart.
I was disgusted because Stuart seeks to use public education and the children of West Virginia as a partisan political hammer with which to beat people. It is apparent to me that Stuart is more about destroying public education than reforming it. I hear these arguments often from those who would prefer to have a system of publicly funded private schools for their own elite little clique.
Stuart does get one point -- public education is not without problems and challenges. So I challenge Stuart to get involved in the process and become a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.
As an English teacher, I would give Stuart an "F" on his paper and tell him to start over and use real facts to make his point. I would also tell him to create an original piece, not something that appears to have been taken from a set of right-wing CliffsNotes.