Wow. Our governor’s education reform package has arrived. Some "package!" While I agree with many of his proposals, I am really frightened by several others. What probably scares me the most is the speed with which Governor Barnes expects our state lawmakers to consider and enact these "reforms", and the lack of time for the rest of us to study and evaluate their ultimate impacts. We, and by that I mean educators, parents, and other taxpayers, apparently have almost no time to appropriately understand and either support or protest any part of his program. I sincerely hope that by the time you read this, these issues are still being discussed, and not a matter of law. I also hope that throughout this time, Governor Barnes has not forgotten the various blocs of voters that sent him to the Capital in the first place. Remember, Governor, that your "supporters" can disappear very quickly if you betray them!

My biggest concern is about what most of the uninformed public consider being an existing "tenure" for veteran teachers. Georgia teachers have never had "tenure." As I mentioned in a previous column, what most consider "tenure" merely means in Georgia that certain procedures must be followed before a teacher can be dismissed. I also mentioned that, just like in the business community, if you want to get rid of someone, you can, through unpleasant reassignment or just generally making their working conditions so unpleasant that they are driven to quit. Saves on unemployment costs too!

What protection Georgia teachers do have against such practices is called the "Georgia Fair Dismissal Law." It’s not perfect, by any means. But it does allow enough protection, that in most cases, teachers are not dismissed because of a parental complaint, unfair rumors or allegations. Without such protection, teachers will be very reluctant to exercise any instructional innovation or freedom to make the most of their talents and abilities. The current law does allow administrators to remove teachers who are not performing satisfactorily.

Another provision of the Governor’s proposal is the elimination of funding for "extended day." This really strikes home to me because I happen to be on an "extended day" contract this year. For those of you who don’t know, "extended day" means that I teach 20 percent more than a "regular" high school teacher, and for this I receive approximately 12 percent more pay. Quite a bargain for the taxpayers, I think! I’m not sure what the Governor intends with this… does he expect me to continue to teach 20 percent more for no extra pay? Or does he expect the local systems to absorb this cost?

A most disturbing overall impression I have from the Governor’s proposals, in his efforts to establish more "accountability", is that student failure is increasingly blamed on teachers, administrators, and the schools themselves. Under his plans, I believe students will become even less motivated to succeed, knowing that it is so easy to blame someone else. Even now, student failures are something his or her teachers usually have to explain, not the students themselves. Maybe we should focus a little more attention on "student" accountability?

How about next time, Governor Barnes, invite a few of those of us on the front lines, the classroom teachers, to sit on your educational reform committee? You might be surprised with what we could contribute! Keep smiling!