Vote 'no' on Propositions 1, 2, 3
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October 2, 2012 |
With voting on Proposition 1, 2 and 3 coming up
on Tuesday, November 6, many of us school
supporters are hoping to get out the word on
saying “No” to these Luna Laws.
The REACH group will be placing a full page ad
in the Herald and we are collecting signatures
of those who may want to add their names to the
list. In addition, signature forms are being
distributed throughout the county. Please
contact Wilma Wallace at (208) 267-2186 for more
info.
Thanks for taking the time to read about these
propositions so all are better informed. Also,
see
www.votenoprop123.com for more info.
Here’s a brief overview: Why you should vote NO
Proposition 1
Teachers are some of the lowest paid
professionals in the state. Thanks to budget
cuts, many are making less today than they did
three years ago. Some have to take a second job
just to pay their bills. Yet many teachers still
dip into their own pockets and spend hundreds of
dollars every year just to provide the basics in
their overcrowded classrooms — like pens and
paper– because Idaho’s schools have been
shortchanged by Luna and the legislature.
Proposition 1 takes away teachers’ freedom to
speak up on behalf of Idaho’s students. It makes
it illegal for our teachers to discuss classroom
funding issues with their own school
administrators and it bans them from talking
about overcrowding in their classrooms or school
safety issues during contract negotiations.
Proposition 2
You don’t choose a career in teaching to become
rich — especially in Idaho. You do it because
you care. Teachers are more than just educators.
They’re advocates and mentors for our children.
They know what our kids need to succeed.
Proposition 2 forces teachers to teach to the
test instead of allowing them to inspire more
creative thinking in our children.
Each child is unique. It takes a dedicated,
caring and highly-trained teacher to reach them.
We don’t want to treat students like widgets on
an assembly line. We want to make sure our kids
are good critical thinkers, not just good test
takers.
Proposition 3
Prop 3 imposes a largely unfunded mandate that
takes away local control and dictates how and
what we teach our kids. Forcing local schools to
buy expensive technology (laptop computers for
high school students) and to pay for replacement
parts will be much more costly than the backers
of the laws claim. Kids are kids. Hardware will
break. Taxpayers will be left to foot the bill.
Using computers to teach students is good, and
already occurs in every school in Idaho. But we
shouldn’t have to lay off teachers to buy
laptops. We need teachers in the classroom to
help our kids learn how to make the most of
technology. One of the major providers of online
courses in Idaho sent students’ English essays
to be reviewed in India. The last thing we
should be doing is outsourcing teaching jobs and
our students’ education overseas.
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Theresa Wardle
Naples |
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