Posted by
NOTLEGALROADKILLYET on Sunday, February 11, 2007 4:00:57 PM
Republican State Senator Nancy Spence has proposed
SB 140, The Effective Teacher's Act. She wants to identify good teachers and
eventually push them toward low performing schools, although the bill doesn't seem to address the latter goal.
I favor this bill but it could be improved:
1. There is no need for a safety clause. This is such a good idea that if it passes and is signed, no one that I can think of is likely to try to defeat it via an initiative. Safety clauses are an affront to the public and should be avoided where possible.
2. It has a sunset clause, which I like, but the two year clause is too soon. How about ten years, with commission term limits?
3. It creates a mechanism for collecting funds for its purpose, but doesn't say what is to happen if the commission is not renewed.
4. This might become a very large fund, especially if the fund is used to push high performing teachers toward low performing schools. Is it wise to make expense reimbursement a percentage of the fund's size? It is easy to imagine winter meetings being held in the Bahamas if the commission had $100,000 a year to spend on itself.
5. Wouldn't it be wise to consolidate the three data bases rather than create a fourth? Multiple data bases are an administrative nightmare both for those doing data entry and those trying to use them.
I hope this bill gets a few modifications and then is passed. It is a good idea.
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Thanks to ColoradoSenateNews.com