Interesting idea: One result of the Senate's plan for teachers might be good for 'gander'

Don't worry (or do). There is going to be a lot more discussion about teacher tenure, pay raises and the future of education in North Carolina.

And just in case you might suspect it but are not sure, the citizenry is not the only group that seems to be more than a bit confused about what to do about attracting and keeping the best teachers in the state.

But just in case the legislature needs a hint, it is not to shortchange the longest-serving teachers and to force them to choose between a status they have earned and a raise.

But there is more to this issue than meets the eye -- and sadly, it smells of politics, on both sides.

Teachers are not the reason that so many children in schools today cannot read, write or manage basic skills once they get out.

Now, to be sure, like any profession, there are bad eggs, but the bottom line is, there are more teachers who care and who strive to educate students than there are those who could give a flip one way or the other.

Education is a complicated issue -- and one that cannot be solved with an all-out assault on those who are in the trenches every day.

And we believe that the legislators know that.

So why this rant against teacher tenure?

How about the fact that the National Education Association, which has some issues of its own, primarily supports Democratic candidates?

It might not be the reason, but it sure makes you squirm thinking about it, doesn't it?

Now, to be fair, no political party ever seems to really attack a group that provides its primary base of support.

But as the debate over schools and teachers continues, it is important to keep in mind the dynamics behind the argument and to think about what we really see as the key to making North Carolina's schools the best they can be.

Maybe it is the teachers. Maybe it is bureaucracy. Or maybe it is legislators who do not understand schools and who only make cursory visits to classrooms around election time -- or tell educators what they want to hear.

Before this is all over, we just might have a clearer picture of the state of our schools -- if more talking than puffery comes out of Raleigh.

But in the meantime, there is one aspect of the Senate's proposed plan for teachers that might have interesting applications elsewhere.

There is probably another place where we should set a rule about those who hang on for years, suck up state benefits and who see absolutely no problem with giving themselves raises.

Perhaps there should be a 20-year max there, too -- right there on Jones Street in Raleigh -- and a pretty good list of expectations and a system of evaluation that gives the voters a clear score card.

It's just an idea.

Published in Editorials on May 31, 2014 11:58 PM