Mo. Senate considers eliminating teacher tenure

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (MISSOURI DIGITAL NEWS) - The elimination of teacher tenure is a possibility with its inclusion in another bill heard by a Missouri Senate Committee.

Another bill eliminating teacher tenure was debated as a solution to bring up Missouri's K-12 test scores.

St. Louis County Represenative Jane Cunningham is the sponsor of this bill and says teacher tenure along with teacher evaluations and performance based pay are all possible solutions to better teaching methods.

However, Mike Wood of the Missouri State Teacher Association says performance based pay is ridiculous.

"To put teachers across the hallway in competition with each other for increases of salary at their expense just doesn't lend itself to being conducive in a learning environment," Wood said.

On the other hand, Cunningham says she has more good faith in teachers.

"What a deregatory statement to a professional," Cunningham countered. "To say a difference in pay would make them so they are so jealous they can't work together for the betterment of a child. I'm embarrassed by a statement like that."

The committee took no vote on the bill, with just five weeks left.

Sherman Fabes, Missouri Digital News

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Five Jackson teachers receive Educator of the Year awards

JACKSON, MO (KRCU) - Five Jackson teachers got a silver apple Thursday night from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce in the Knights of Columbus Hall as their reward for earning the 2011 Educator of the Year award.

The educators received stress balls in addition to resolutions from area politicians and a cash reward.

The teachers were Becky Loenneke, Andy Helle, Kay Vangilder, Scott Vangilder, who will be retiring this year, and Tina Sides.

Tina Sides has been teaching for 13 years. She was teaching her middle school language arts class when the committee members came in to tell her she had won Educator of the Year.

“I actually thought when they came in that they were parents that were touring our school. I was very surprised. It was overwhelming and humbling,” Sides said.

To select Educator of the Year, the Education Committee reviewed applications submitted by the instructors’ peers and selected ​the best of them.

Rachel Weatherford, KRCU

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