Editor's Note: The House Elementary and Secondary Education committee heard House Bill 1526 yesterday morning. MSTA’s Legislative Team member, Krista Meyer, was at the hearing and sent us this report.
“House Bill 1526 bill has several components, but testimony was limited three minutes per person so I focused on two main points of the bill.
First, the sponsor (Scott Dieckhaus – R, Washington) talked about the need for more frequent and robust evaluation of teachers. I stated that teachers want to be evaluated in a meaningful way with a high-quality, productive system. Tenure does not have to be eliminated in order for teachers to be effectively evaluated. What tenure provides for educators is due process to protect them from arbitrary termination. It doesn’t limit an administrator’s ability to evaluate teachers more frequently.
Second, this bill completely alters the evaluation system of every school district in the state by requiring that at least 50 percent of the evaluations of teachers and principals be based on student achievement on state assessments. This takes away the ability for school districts to craft their own teacher and principal evaluations, which would best serve the students of the school district. House Bill 1526 would require districts to follow a system devised by legislators, not crafted by the people who best understand the needs of their students: educators.”
MSTA has sent a Rapid Response action on House Bill 1526 and we urge you to respond using that system. Check your email for the details. If you haven’t signed up for Rapid Response, you can send your name, school district and preferred email address to RapidResponse@msta.org and we’ll get you signed up.
Please keep MSTA posted with any responses you receive from your legislators. Also, encourage your colleagues to take action on this issue. We want to make sure we are accurately and appropriately sharing your stories, your concerns and your thoughts on this issue. We want you involved in the political process.
Comments