Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/297225
Advocacy P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N Underscoring the fact these laws work well in well-run school districts, teacher witnesses like San Juan Teachers Association President Shannan Brown and Hart District Teachers Association member James Webb showed how Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs help improve instruction and help remove teachers who aren't success- ful in improving as needed. Former Oakland Education Association President Betty Olson-Jones countered two Oakland administrators, pointing out that ineffec- tive management, a high turnover rate for teachers and administrators, and poor working conditions were the real problems in Oakland, not the challenged laws. "Clearly, striking down these statutes is not going to make Oakland a well-run school district," said Jim Finberg, attorney for CTA and CFT, during closing arguments. "But it would deprive well-run districts of the benefits the statutes pro- vide for the recruitment, retention and morale of teachers." And then there were the teachers who had been named by plaintiff students as "ineffective." The evidence showed just the opposite — overwhelmingly so in the case of 2013 Pasadena Teacher of the Year Christine McLaughlin, an English teacher who student Raylene Monterroza claimed rarely gave students work or reading assignments. McLaughlin, who has also received other awards, pro- duced a course syllabus and class assignments that showed how ludicrous such claims were. Other teachers named by the nine students, each having exemplary evaluations and strong praise from administrators, were equally damaging to the plaintiffs' case. At a courthouse news conference before closing arguments began, CTA President Dean E. Vogel said, "I want to say we're hopeful. If the judge follows the law, we will prevail. But the judge has sent some mixed signals, and we'll have to wait and see." "The threat of corporate special interests and billionaires who want to push their agenda on our students is very real and will continue," Vogel added. "We're going to see this struggle to the end — until our students are no longer used by corporate reformers to convert their millions into billions." Written briefs in the case were submitted April 10, and Judge Rolf Treu has 90 days to issue a ruling. www.cta.org 33 A P R I L 2 0 1 4 You want to protect what's important... Educator 04 Apr 2014 v2.3 int.indd 33 4/15/14 12:04 AM