Does Gayle Fallon care one whit about the students?
A couple of days ago when Dr. Saavedra proposed offering performance bonuses to teachers at three underachieving HISD high schools, this is how Houston Federation of Teachers president Gayle Fallon responded:
"They backed themselves into a corner on staffing and they don't know how to fix it," said Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers. She said she doubts Saavedra's offer will lure many good teachers out of their current jobs and into the struggling schools. "I will bet the superintendent lunch, at the restaurant of his choice, that he opens the year with primarily first-year teachers or vacant positions."
One of our commenters, Tom Tyler, wondered if the teachers union was going to tell teachers not to accept positions at those schools.
Well, in today's Chronicle we learn that the school board has approved the bonus plan, and here's what Gayle Fallon had to say:
Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, told trustees the bonus money will not attract better teachers. The union represents about half of HISD's 12,000 teachers.
"Folks, it's not an incentive," Fallon said. "So far, we haven't found a taker. ... We've gotten remarks like, 'You think I'm going to leave Lamar High School for $1,500 a year?' "
Surely HFT isn't discouraging teachers to apply for positions at those three schools. Surely Fallon is doing all she can to encourage good teachers to take up the challenge, for the sake of the children.
HFT's website says, "Twenty-six years ago, a few teachers in Houston joined together. They wanted to be treated with dignity and respect. They wanted the freedom to teach, the independence to make professional decisions, and the opportunity to allow students to soar. They became the Houston Federation of Teachers."
I'd like to see Fallon put a bit more interest in a student's opportunity to soar.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/10/05 01:57 PM | Print |
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