“Will We Ever Listen to Our Teachers?”

Eight months ago, an unprecedented 10,000 South Carolina teachers rallied at the State House in opposition to the so-called “Education Reform” bill, written by bureaucrats and career politicians --with no input from teachers. When the 2020 Legislative Session reconvenes, you will see some members of the Senate scrambling for votes to set this bill to “Special Order” – making it the highest priority bill of the 2020 legislative year.

Yes, you read this right. Just eight months after 10,000 teachers pleaded with legislators to slow this process down and consider the concerns of teachers across South Carolin –teachers who are on the front lines of this fight every day in classrooms across the state --our SC Senate could vote to ensure that its passage is our top priority.

I appreciate the Senate Education Subcommittee’s willingness to hold five public hearings across the state last year. Because of their efforts, this 84-page House “Education Reform” bill (H.3759) is now a 64-page Senate “Education Reform” bill (S.419). While some changes have been made, teachers across South Carolina are still telling us that this bill is NOT the solution to our educational challenges. In fact, we haven’t heard from any SC teachers who want this bill!

While increasing teacher pay was certainly part of this May 1st Rally, our state’s educators were quick to point out that teacher pay is only one part of the problem. Drafting and passing an education bill without listening to or soliciting input from educators on the front end is the biggest contributing factor to the top-down, tone-deaf, over-bureaucratic way we implement educational policy in South Carolina. These policies, when implemented, will negatively impact teachers and students in classrooms across the state.

You may wonder…"What ARE our teachers asking for? What do teachers need or want?"

Teachers want to be respected. They want a “seat at the table” BEFORE policy is debated. At the May 1st Rally, teacher after teacher asked us to simply to listen to them. “Come into our classrooms and see what we do every day,” they begged. “Ask us what’s working and not working!”

Other than parents, no one knows more, cares more, or works harder for our state’s children, than our teachers! They are the ones who are forced to implement bad policy in the classrooms. So, if teachers are telling us that S.419 is a bad bill, why are my colleagues in the SC Senate planning to vote to give it “Special Order” (priority) status as soon as we’re back in session?

And if this so-called “Education Reform Bill” is NOT the answer, what is? Here’s what teachers across South Carolina are telling us:

-- Support teachers in the classroom…and then get out of the way! SC is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of teachers, due in part to decades of under-paying teachers, as well as all of the unfunded mandates and bad policy that is passed by the General Assembly each year…like this bill!

-- Reduce class size - Since the Great Recession, SC has waived the “Class Size” requirements and, as a result, class sizes have grown out of control - significantly impacting student learning and behaviors in the classroom.

--Drastically reduce over-testing (highstakes, standardized testing) and “bureaucratic accountability.” Decades ago, schools would stop for one day at the end of the year and take a national test. Today, however, we shut down schools the entire month of May. “You don’t fatten cows by weighing them!” Every day spent testing is a day teachers don’t get to teach new content to our students.

-- Drill down and shrink our curriculum - Quit legislating curricula at the State House. Every year, legislators add more–never taking anything away…“mile-wide, inch-deep!”

-- Address poverty… the number one indicator of student success! Teachers know that every student--including students living in poverty--can succeed academically. But research shows that these students will need access to additional resources. That’s why SC teachers have been asking for “wrap-around” student services in our schools, like mental health counseling, nurse-care, safety, food and clothing, emotional support, parent education, and more after-school-opportunities.

Unfortunately, the policies our teachers believe are important, aren’t included in the sixty-four pages of “canned” bureaucratic solutions found in the proposed “Education Reform” bill. Just take a look below, at a few of the things this bill will do instead:

• decreases the numbers of South Carolina students eligible to receive the Palmetto, LIFE, & HOPE college scholarships at a time when SC tuition rates are among the highest in the country

• adds new state requirements for numerous screening assessments and benchmark tests

• requires additional coursework & professional development of teachers

• deletes all references to our State Teacher Salary Schedule – our historical barometer and statutory guarantee that teachers can hold legislators accountable re: teacher-pay

• deletes the current statutory requirement to pay teachers at the southeast average

• more than triples the number of 3rd grade students retained and required to repeat 3rd grade;

• makes it easier for out-of-state, private, for-profit companies to run multiple schools in a district

• makes it easier for the state to “take over” schools and districts – even though there is zero evidence that such “takeovers” work or have longterm benefits to students

• makes teachers work five more days each year

and the list goes on and on…

For years, teachers have asked that legislators streamline an over-bureaucratic education governance system; but, instead, this bill bolsters it. South Carolina is already one of a few states in the country that has TWO agencies overseeing public education. Forget streamlining. This bill actually adds to the power of the Education Oversight Committee (EOC) and State Dept. of Education in Columbia…at the expense of teachers in classrooms across SC.

My legislative colleagues are obviously not listening to me, but the question is... Will we ever listen to our state’s teachers?