Prop. 74 will punish professionals

As a veteran teacher, I can see clearly how the Governor’s misguided Prop. 74 will make it harder to recruit and retain educators in our state. Think about it: California will need more than 100,000 new teachers over the next ten years, yet Prop. 74 will only drive away new teachers fed up with the idea of a probation period of five years instead of two. That’s five years of probation status in addition to five years of college, numerous state exams and extensive student teaching requirements. The best way to help new teachers is to provide mentoring programs; however, these are the same programs that have been eliminated in most districts due to the Governor’s budget cuts in school funding. We need to attract new teachers to our schools, not find ways to drive them away.

No teacher has a guaranteed job. The state already has a mandatory evaluation/review process with specific teacher performance requirements and, yes, even dismissal for specific reasons if necessary. Prop. 74 will not improve schools, teachers or students. It is but one of several proposals initiated by the Governor and his wealthy friends to punish the professionals who exposed the truth about his make-then-break promises. Please vote no on Prop. 74.