You can't sacrifice educators for education (draft)

  I have decided to run for school board and where I have many ideas for improving the district for students and families, my central tenet will be you cannot sacrifice educators for education. 

You hear all the time when people run for school board or super or some educated related position, I am doing it for the kids, the students, the children. You never ever hear, I am doing it for the teachers, but you will hear it here from me.

The better things are for educators they better things will be for students.

If teachers are not overwhelmed, they will do a better job. 

If teachers are not marginalized or micromanaged, they will do a better job.

If teachers are given the resources and support, they need they will for a better job and say it with me, the better things are for teachers the better things will be for children,

In the education equation, teachers and students must be valued equally. They both must be given an equal opportunity for success.

Unfortunately, Jacksonville and the system by and large has often marginalized and undervalued teachers, treating them like they were easily replaceable cogs.

Heck former superintendent Vitti admitted as much on his way out the door.

http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2017/03/vitti-admits-he-thought-teachers-were.html

The system continuously asks more and more from teachers and gives them very little in return. Florida and the country are already experiencing a shortage and that was in good time and which is bound to be exasperated by the pandemic.

This upcoming year teachers are going to need more support than ever and one of the reasons that teachers have often been neglected and marginalized is because so many of the people making the calls, school board members or legislators have no idea what it takes or means to be a teacher or the sacrifice it takes. Even superintendent who were teachers were so long ago and are caught up in systems that value numbers not individuals. It is past time for educators to take a leading role in the system rather than just being yoked.

We will never be the system we can be, and I think the sky's the limit until we appreciate, and value teachers like they deserve and that means tangible action not flowery language.

I think Duval is in a better place than it was under Vitti, I think Greene has done a good job overall but I also believe we are nowhere near where we need to be and it is past time we got there.