Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Kerry plan worries Nevada educators

Sen. John Kerry outlined an education plan that would give teachers and schools another $30 billion, but a few of his ideas received a tepid reception among some Nevada educators.

Kerry outlined a "bargain" with America's teachers and schools: More money for salary and programs such as class size reduction in exchange for tougher teacher certification tests and a system that would make it easier to boot bad teachers.

His overall goal: To recruit 500,000 teachers during the next four years.

"We're going to pay teachers more, improve mentoring, improve career opportunities," Kerry said Thursday in a conference call with education reporters. "But we're also going to demand more."

The money would come from an Education Trust Fund that Kerry hopes to establish by repealing President Bush's tax cuts for families that make more than $200,000 a year.

Part of Kerry's plan would give a $5,000 raise to teachers in "high-need" schools and "at least" a $5,000 annual bonus to teachers in subjects such as math and science.

Terry Hickman, president of the Nevada Education Association, said he would oppose giving one set of teachers a large salary increase over others.

For example, he said, it's wrong to give high school math and science teachers a bonus when elementary school teachers give children the background they need in those subjects to make it to the high school level.

"We certainly believe that teachers in every field contribute to the quality of a student's education," he said.

George Ann Rice, the associate superintendent for human resources at Clark County School District, said she doesn't think $5,000 is enough to recruit math and science teachers who could make much more in the private sector.

That simply could pull a beginning teacher from a salary of about $27,000 to a salary of about $32,000, she said.

"That's not what they can be making elsewhere," she said. "We would welcome any help, but I don't think $5,000 is going to make the difference."

Instead, she said, the key to recruiting quality teachers is to offer a mixture of salary increases, mentoring programs and continuing education, such as a free summer program the district offers for teachers on how to teach successfully in an urban setting.

Kerry pointed to mentoring programs as a major way to keep teachers from feeling "isolated, overwhelmed and unsupported," reasons he cited for the country losing teachers.

Rice also expressed concern about Kerry's plan to create a national test that teachers would have to pass in order to be certified.

Teachers in Clark County already have to pass a rigorous test, she said, adding that she is wary about more federal regulations.

"We think our scores are solid and we have proof that our teachers do well," she said.

Kerry promised to be mindful that states want control over teacher testing and standards.

Hickman and Rice said that Nevada's current policy of monitoring teachers who are having problems in the classroom allows for administrators to work with teachers and, if necessary, let them go.

But Kerry said he worries that some states allow bad teachers to remain in the classroom. He proposed that the government encourage states to set minimum performance standards for teachers, saying teachers can't have "a lock on the job forever if you aren't performing."

While Kerry has criticized the Bush administration for, he said, not fully funding the No Child Left Behind Act, he said he continues to support the basic reform behind it.

The $200 billion he will place in his Education Fund to help fund No Child Left Behind with measures such as shrinking class sizes or creating teams of successful teachers and principals to enter schools and diagnose programs with instruction.

Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Bush campaign, said that Kerry's criticism of Bush's education policies "flies in the face of reality." She said Kerry's numbers don't add up, meaning he would be forced to scale back his proposed programs.

"This President has been unwavering in his commitment to improving education," she said. "Overall, elementary and secondary funding has increased 48 percent since President Bush took office."

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