The Biggest Loser in the Education bonus plan appears to be more than 2,500 national board certified teachers who now recieve a 10 percent salary bonus from the state. House Education Committee Chairman Brooks Coleman (R-Duluth) is sponsoring a bill that would swap the 10 percent salary bonus from national certified teachers to about 350 educators who have earned the state sponsored certification designating them "Master Teachers". This is not right and must be stopped!
I beseech Governor Perdue and other top Republicans to revisit their position on this issue. Our recommendation is to award teachers for earning either the national board certification or the state sponsored "Master Teacher". Our task in Georgia is to have a competent and exemplary teacher in every classroom for our goal is to become the "Intellectual Capital" of the world.
By carefully developing, implementing and evaluating excellent soil treatment, the state of Georgia produces more peaches, pecans and peanuts than other state or country in the world. Furthermore, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the banking industry, the highway system and companies such as Coca-Cola and Home Depot has made the city of Atlanta the "International City". We cannot continue to enhance our economy if we do not have an excellent teacher in every classroom.
Therefore, let us not divide ourselves on quality but let us embrace all educators who go beyond "adequate" to achieve "excellence". This in turn will enhance student achievement and with prudent analyze, implementation and evaluating, Georgia can and will become the educational envy of the world by being designated as the "Intellectual Capital" of the world.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet and interview Governor Perdue, House Education Committee Chairman Brooks Coleman and State Superintendent Karen Cox. We believe that Georgia can and must award excellence and not gravel over which one just award "excellence"!
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GA should reward master teachers and NBCTeacher financially. These teachers have strengthen themselves to become better teachers for our students and have taken on loads of coursework outside of work hours, summer breaks, and away from their personal time and therefore should be shown appreciation for their efforts.
Posted by: Moffett | February 10, 2009 at 05:19 AM