I am writing in regards to Mr. David Anderson’s recent nonsensical letter about me.

David, if you make wild comments about people without doing research, it makes you look awfully foolish.

Mr. Anderson you are so wrong. Education Minnesota and the Albert Lea Education Association have endorsed many Republican candidates over the years.

As a matter of fact, David, a few years back I was the chairman of the endorsing committee for ALEA that screened and endorsed Republican Dan Dorman for District 27A over a teacher from Glenville. Too bad you didn’t put any effort into your rant and fury or you would have found this out.

Let’s get another thing straight, David. Yes, Ms. Peggy Bennett has been a longtime teacher. Does that automatically mean her political views are in line with Ed Minnesota or ALEA? Of course not! Or, to use your words, complete nonsense!

David, Minnesota has open enrollment laws. Any parent can send their child to any public school. As for vouchers, they don’t work. Private schools receiving vouchers are not subject to any requirements or standards regarding the curriculum that they teach, are given no requirements for student achievement, are not obliged to demonstrate any growth in student performance and are not even obliged to provide a minimum amount of instructional time.

As for tenure, David, I cannot think of another occupation where funding and cuts work like a rollercoaster as they frequently do in education. Due process policies such as tenure are put in place to protect good teachers from being fired without cause. Due process laws are not in place to protect “bad” teachers.

In fact, research from economist Jesse Rothstein suggests that removing tenure might worsen educational outcomes because it would eliminate one of the major attractions to the profession. And since one of the biggest challenges in public education these days is teacher recruitment and retention, abolishing tenure could be incredibly harmful.

Why would a young college student choose a profession in which questioning their boss could cause them to lose their job? Tenure also protects the most experienced (and highest paid) teachers during times of budget cuts. Without tenure, who would get laid off during budget cuts? Ten veteran teachers making $50,000 a year or 10 less-experienced teachers who make $30,000 a year?

As a matter of fact, Mr. Anderson, I sit on a committee with my school district that is putting the finishing touches on a teacher evaluation plan that includes avenues for “fix it” plans aimed at struggling teachers. If the strategy doesn’t work, steps are laid out for termination. The administration and I are in total agreement that an unqualified teacher is not good for Albert Lea Area Schools, or the Albert Lea Education Association. I sit on the same type of committee with Education Minnesota at the state level, and the objectives are exactly the same.

Well, David, I think I shot down all of your wild accusations. Like I said earlier, it helps if you take the time and energy to do a little research before you start yapping.

If Mr. Anderson is this wrong with me on so many points, it makes a person wonder if you can believe a word out of his mouth!

 

Al Helgerson

president

Albert Lea
Education Association 

Albert Lea