How to really appreciate teachers

This is a letter to the editor I have sent to the Times Union, if you have the time maybe you can send one too.

letters@jacksonville.com

The week of May 7^th-11^th is the annual teacher appreciation week. Well I have a suggestion and that is instead of sending in your “world’s greatest teacher” coffee mugs and coupons to restaurants, you do something meaningful, something that will make a difference for teachers of the same magnitude that they do for our children.

If you really want to appreciate teachers, you need to demand that governor Scott convenes an emergency legislative session to properly fund education and tell him if he doesn’t then he and the rest of the Duval delegation will pay a price this November when we have our elections.

Governor Scott signed a budget that Senator Bean and representatives Byrd, Fischer, Yarbrough and Fant voted for that allocated a mere forty-seven cents per pupil in discretionary spending to our schools. A little over sixty-thousand dollars, to pay for teacher raises, rising health care and transportation costs and a hole host of other things.

Duval proved it was one of the best districts in the nation on the NEAP also known as the nation’s report card and has historic graduation rates and their reward from the republicans in Tallahassee is to funnel more money into charter schools many of which are for profit and some of the biggest republican donors around and to voucher schools, that don’t have to have a recognized curriculum, and whose teachers don’t have to be certified let alone have degrees. How is this fair? Is this what you voted for?  

If you really want to appreciate teachers don’t bother with the trinkets, coupons and school supplies though they are treasured, instead demand our representatives properly fund education or tell them they will be replaced with politicians that will.