Missouri’s November 2014 ballot will include a constitutional amendment regarding a change to the the teacher tenure system in Missouri and development of a new standardized teacher evaluation system based heavily on test scores. Funding for the initiative is primarily from self-appointed Missouri state CEO Rex Sinquefield, who is once again using his millions to try to buy the state that he wants. Let’s be clear, this initiative has less to do with “rewarding and protecting good teachers” than emasculating Teacher Unions.

Tenure protects teachers who continue to push their principals, who may not have the same interest in trying new and innovative approaches rather than protecting the status quo. Tenure protects teachers from legislators’ indifference to public education, from being blamed for the failure of parents to actively engage in their children’s education, from reprisals from administrators who may be more concerned with their own perceived reputations within their district.

And how can we design a standardized evaluation system that relies heavily on test scores without also taking into consideration whether a student had a good breakfast, whether a student has engaged parents, how long a student spends on the bus. Whether we want to admit it or not, there are socio-economic differences from district to district, so how can we design a common teacher evaluation system based on test scores from, let’s say, the Sedalia district, the Mehlville district, the Kansas City district and the Ladue district.

Within one elementary school in one district, in the classrooms in the same grade level, one teacher may have a one or more students with a learning disability while another may not, making test scores just for the same grade in the same school difficult to compare. Successful schools have teachers who collaborate with each other, providing strong support systems for their students. Given the current emphasis on test scores, there is no incentive for any district to protect incompetent teachers. Rather than firing teachers, which will undermine moral, let’s give them the support and coaching that they need.

State legislators, doing Mr. Sinquefield’s bidding, are creating an environment in which current and future teachers will grow weary of the lack of respect, appreciation and support from the legislature, school administrators and parents, good teachers will get tired of being the focus of blame for the many variables that effect the learning experience, and will eventually just move on to another profession. How can that help our kids?

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The editorial “Missouri loves company,” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 3/08/2014] sadly reviews research by respected organizations that ranks Missouri as the 8th “Most Miserable State” in the nation. The editorial concludes by noting that the Missouri Legislature is in session, and “that’ll fix things.”

I’ve followed the legislative priorities of the Jefferson City Republican majority, and as best I can tell, here is how the Republicans intend to make life in the state less miserable.

First, make sure that anyone can buy as many guns as possible at anytime, anywhere, no questions asked. I’m waiting for one of the Republicans to propose legislation that just issues a firearm to every newborn at birth.

Women’s reproductive rights, who needs ’em?

Next, let’s raise the sales tax to pay for transportation needs. Even though this would effectively be a pay cut for every low- and middle-income household that spends all of their income on basic living expenses, we don’t want to ask higher-income Missourians to pay just a little bit more. And while we’re at it, let’s not address the grossly regressive state income tax, where a household that earns $40,000 pays the same 6 percent tax rate as a household that earns $400,000. In fact, let’s go a step further and reduce the tax burden for high earners.

And let’s not forget about those incompetent teachers. Eliminate teacher tenure, emasculate the teachers unions, and surely our education system will improve.

Don’t forget about voter fraud, even though there have been no reported cases of voter fraud. As true defenders of democracy, we should make it as difficult as possible for many citizens to be able to vote. If that coincidentally affects groups that tend to vote for Democrats well, surely that can’t be called voter suppression.

It seems that our Republican legislators are determined to win the race. Sadly, it looks like it’s the race to the bottom.

{Editor’s note: This article first appeared as a letter to the editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.]

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