Here's my take on how you should vote on the various propositions that will be on the ballot in November, 2005.
Yes! on Proposition 73 -- Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Yes! on Proposition 74 -- Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. Dismissal. Initiative Statute.
Yes! on Proposition 75 -- Public Employee Union Dues. Restrictions on Political Contributions. Employee Consent Requirement. Initiative Statute.
Yes! on Proposition 76 -- State Spending and School Funding Limits. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Yes! on Proposition 77 -- Redistricting. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
Soft yes on Proposition 78 -- Discounts on Prescription Drugs. Initiative Statute.
Soft no on Proposition 79 -- Prescription Drug Discounts. State-Negotiated Rebates. Initiative Statute.
Both 78 and 79 look confusing and bloated, I doubt we need either.
No! on Proposition 80 -- Electric Service Providers. Regulation. Initiative Statute.
On the teacher proposition: This makes it easier to get rid of bad teachers. Great. But that's not the frigging problem in our public schools. The REAL problem is KEEPING good teachers. We can't keep good teachers because it so difficult to jump through the hoops to get a job and get certified to KEEP the job and it pays dreck. Trust me on this one. So why in HELL should we make it harder for good teachers to get permanency??? It's just another barrier to retaining good teachers.
What should be done is that in the time that teachers are probationary, more time should be put into evaluating them and giving them feedback. All this does is prolong the process, not improve teachers' skills or weed out bad teachers.
Does tenure actually protect the specific teachers that we want to keep? If it does, who is it protecting them against?
Note that the unions believe that teachers are indistiguishable. Are they wrong? If they're correct, why should teachers have tenure?