When Rep. Tony Klein (D-East Montpelier) introduced a bill this month to
create one statewide contract for teachers, he spared the details. Klein
says his goal is get the conversation started so that teachers are paid
equitably across the state, and local school boards can stop spending
their time negotiating short-term contracts.
But the Vermont-NEA, the
union that represents teachers, says the idea is a non-starter because
it would take educational freedom and local control away from
communities. They also don’t see how the premise could be funded. We
discuss the idea of creating a statewide teachers contract with Rep.
Klein and with Martha Allen, president of the Vermont-NEA.
Also on the program, making sure poor students receive the same
education level as their peers. The socio-economic "achievement gap" is
a persistent problem in Vermont schools, and we hear from Principal Beth
O’Brien of Montgomery Elementary School in Franklin County about what
her community has done to overcome it.