Letters: Teacher suits asked only due process

Your Dec. 22 editorial (Our Views: “A dedication, not free money”) convincingly expressed the argument that the Louisiana Federation of Teachers successfully pressed in court in two separate cases. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s sweeping overhaul of public education trampled the Louisiana Constitution.

As you wrote, it is an essentially conservative argument based on a strict-constructionist, literal reading of the Constitution.

What I cannot fathom is why The Advocate chose to insert the observation that the teacher union filing the lawsuits (that would be us) is “guilty of ignoring the legal issues raised by the wording of the state constitution.”

The lawsuits we filed against both Act 1 and Act 2 were based on constitutional grounds and a literal reading of the state’s bedrock document. We prevailed completely in one case, and partially in the other.

It is no secret that the Louisiana Federation of Teachers disagrees with the policies that came out of the constitutionally flawed acts.

At the time that Act 1 and Act 2 were under discussion in the Legislature, we wanted to have a thorough debate on the value of those policies.

That debate did not happen because both bills, with apparent disdain for the Constitution and fair process, were steamrolled into law.

It is our hope that once the constitutional challenges have been settled, we will have an opportunity to revisit those flawed policies and assist the Legislature and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in bringing change that builds a better system of public education for all our children.

Steve Monaghan,
president, Louisiana Federation of Teachers
Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by teacherguy - 02/01/2013

@Being_Stupid...with a little bit of digging, you'll find the MFP is provided for IN the LA Const....what is intriguing to me is the ideology that every kid can be adequately assessed with multiple choice tests (exposing what has been a weakness for certain socio-economic populations since the inception of multiple choice tests), and the ideology that EVERY student MUST meet the requirements to go to college (considering many socio-economic populations shun the necessity of college). The reality is that no matter what teachers/schools do...they will ultimately be evaluated based on the students' families' socio-economic beliefs. This is why you could have an effective teacher in an F school...and when that school is shut down....the teacher is left empty handed in terms of employment /benefits rights.

2) Comment by Being_Stupid - 02/01/2013

Steve Monopolyman, The Louisiana Federation of Union Workers, The Democrat Party Elites, and their leftist cronies could care less about "due process" or educating children. They only care about retaining their Government Monopoly on taxpayer money that is supposed to fund Public Education. That is all they care about. Greed is Bad. All in all they are just bricks in the wall. We don't need their "education", we don't need their thought control.

3) Comment by Being_Stupid - 02/01/2013

When did the MFP become a replacement for the Louisiana State Constitution?

4) Comment by spqr - 02/01/2013

Jdk...maybe should leave the office and go substitute teach for a week in an inner city cesspool and learn what is really going on instead of what you are told to believe by a corrupt governor, non-teachers working for BESE, and lazy Advocate reporters who will not dig into the real issues. Put away the news and do it. Go see and experience what many of us know. It's a challenge I am certain you will not attend.

5) Comment by jdk944 - 02/01/2013

Oh, yes, "traditional public education" is "broke" @traveler and you want that protected. Yea, we get it!! @scrooge, maybe you should look in the mirror!!

6) Comment by Traveler - 02/01/2013

LFT: please continue your bold and courageous defense of public educators and traditional public education, in the face of assaults by venture vultures and their political base. I hope that Louisiana teachers will recognize your service and join with you!

7) Comment by 8point6 - 02/01/2013

Happy New Year, mr. monaghan.

8) Comment by Scrooge - 01/01/2013

Now the teacher and teacher union bashing will begin by the mindless ideologues. Why was it necessary to recruit teachers from the Philippines?

9) Comment by tradewinns - 01/01/2013

i hope someone in our department of education will pay attention to the true problem with our under performing schools and tries to fix the problem, which is the underperforming PARENTS! once students begin to pay attention to their education, weeding out any and all poor performing academic members will be easy. (teachers AND administrative staff) when education (formal) begins, children will do whatever is necessary to please their parents. they will excell when parents participate and help their kids learn. once the kid learns he/she will continue to do well with continued support because they have learned how to learn. so it is natural.

10) Comment by deutsch29 - 01/01/2013

Mr. Monoghan, thank you for defending due process. I celebrate the gains thus far from the lawsuits, including Caldwell's declaring unconstitutional the quotas of teachers to be declared "ineffective." VAM is a sham (read about it here http://www.geauxteacher.net/2012/12/no-value-in-value-added.html ), as are school letter grades. (A 2013 prediction based upon review of the 2013 criteria: elem/middle school scores will be inflated; the new school grading scale actually lowers the bar; and high school scores will be suppressed. This new NOT "raising the bar" system manipulates the failing RSD to "look" better.)No wonder Will Sentell has blocked comments on his last two articles. He is protecting the "reform veneer." The Act 1 and 2 lawsuits are shaving away at the veneer. Thanks again.