From our friends at Johnson County Educators: Johnson County Sen. Jeff Melcher thinks we make a “pretty darn good living.” He also thinks current teachers are to blame for new teachers not wanting to teach in Kansas. We think Sen. Melcher needs to hear from you and what a “pretty darn good living” you have working as a Kansas teacher. Let him hear about the second jobs, student debt, unpaid bills, etc. Contact him at:
Jeff.Melcher@senate.ks.gov
Phone: 785-296-7301
Please also send a copy of your message to our friend on the Senate Education Committee Sen. Pat Pettey at Pat.Pettey@senate.ks.gov because Sen. Melcher will never acknowledge having heard from you. Please share this post and encourage your colleagues to let Sen. Melcher know that Kansas teachers are NOT earning a “pretty darn good living” and we will NOT be blamed for this fiasco. Please do this NOW!
They were responding to this piece:
Top education officials Wednesday told legislators Kansas teachers don’t feel appreciated and a merit pay requirement from the state might make matters worse.
Responding to a question from state Sen. Jeff Melcher, R-Leawood, related to merit pay, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson said teachers aren’t so much concerned about money as they are feeling unappreciated.
“They have come to believe that they are not appreciated in the state of Kansas and that is the general reaction everywhere I go,” Watson said.
Kansas State Board of Education Chairman Jim McNiece urged legislators to applaud teachers and suggested a merit pay requirement from the state could be like pouring gasoline on a fire.
But Melcher blamed the education community and teacher’s union for bad feelings between teachers and legislators.
He said he wanted a system that rewarded top teachers, but then added teachers make “actually a pretty darn good living.”
Watson and McNiece appeared before the committees to brief the members on the State Board’s new vision of focusing on the success of each Kansas student.