Letter To The Editor: 'Let's Give Teachers The Freedom To Inspire'

Most adults can reflect on the few, special people in their life that inspired them to pursue their dreams. The two people who inspired me were both teachers. Watching them pursue their passions though they were poorly paid, led to my decision at age sixteen to run for the School Board of our public school system.

I think that one of the biggest problems in FCPS is the way we have undermined teacher morale. We are fortunate to have such dedicated, talented teachers. The School Board froze their salaries and then only gave them a one percent raise. People say they haven’t gotten raises either in this economy but many of these people make over $100,000 per year. Teachers with a masters degree and 10 years of service make only $61,520. Supporting a family on this salary in Fairfax County is extremely challenging.

Today I believe our school system has reached a critical crossroads. Our teachers still inspire greatness, but their sacrifice is becoming too great. Parents are contributing like never before, but too often they are not treated like the indispensible partners they truly are. And it is clear that the school system’s management, budgeting, and oversight activities need to be far more transparent. The result has been a sense of alienation and loss of confidence--and teacher frustration and plummeting morale.

One teacher I talked to said, “Our raise was a joke.” Another said, she was offended by the superintendent’s letter thanking them for the sacrifices they are making. Teachers want FCPS to “show them the money.” In one evening at a festival, five different teachers told me they fear they will lose their job if the speak up. When I’m elected to the School Board, I will create a task force of teachers to act as advisors in curriculum and other vital decisions. I will
consult with them continually instead of only receiving an annual report.

FCPS has used the budget crisis as an excuse to load teachers down with so many administrative burdens (such as e-cart testing and evaluation) that they cannot adequately focus on planning their lessons. Class sizes have gotten so large that they cannot give children the individualized attention they long to give them. I spoke with a teacher who recently left FCPS to teach at a private school. She said that the state and county require they cover so much curriculum that she felt pressured to move on to the next area before she was sure that
her students fully understood the material. It seems much of our curriculum is a mile wide and an inch deep and as a result we are producing more students who need remediation at college and who lack the deep analytical thinking skills necessary for the U.S. to compete in a global economy.

The School Board has not reviewed the budget for efficiencies in over 10 years when they voted to have the independent auditor report directly to the superintendent. I have a plan to increase teacher morale by finding significant savings by taking a holistic view of how FCPS central administration operates. All the candidates have jumped on the independent audit bandwagon, however, my opponent has been mentored by Stuart Gibson, one of the two members of the School Board that voted to delegate their own responsibility for fiscal oversight
to the superintendent. He is also one of the two members who lead the charge to destroy the heart of a community by closing Clifton Elementary.

We must give teachers the freedom to inspire our children. The first teacher who
inspired me was my father. I decided then that it was wrong for teachers to be paid so poorly and for parents to not have confidence in their public schools. Dad left a promising career in advertising to teach graphic art at a vocational high school. He took great pride in the seeing the many logos his students had painted on delivery trucks around our town in Florida. He was paid peanuts as a teacher and sometimes missed meals to save the money for me to attend private school. He passed away unexpectedly last year.

The other teacher who inspired me was my AP U.S. History teacher. I only remember parts of what we studied, but I was impacted forever by his model of service as sponsor of the KEY Club, his leadership as an active volunteer in the Democrat party, and his personal devotion to helping me develop me as a leader. He said that I was too honest for politics when I told him that I would run for office one day. We still keep in touch and he takes great pride in seeing his student run for school board.

Teachers hold our nations success in their hands The United States’ education system is currently 17th in the world. This is inexcusable. FCPS used to be the best of the best. We must make changes to restore our ability to compete in a global economy. Our children spend 19 years being influenced by teachers. Teachers are helping shape the lives of my two children. Teachers are loving, creative people who commit their lives to helping kids. I believe change starts by truly valuing our teachers and giving them the freedom to inspire their students the way these teachers inspired me.

Nancy Linton