How Prop 74 Affects Me (and my family)

I have spoken about Prop 75, now it is time to talk about the other proposition that affects me greatly: Prop 74. This one would increase the probationary period for teachers before they can get tenure, from two years to five years. I am now in my second year of probationary period and I am on track to receive tenure at the beginning of the next school year. But if Prop 74 passes, my tenure would be pushed back another three years. I am affected by this because it would apply to any teacher who began his/her probationary period during or after the 2003/2004 school year. I began my period at the beginning of the 2004/2005 school year. This in itself is a bunch of dog squeeze. Isn't that an ex post facto law? Besides that, I got my job with the agreement that my probationary period would be two years. How can they not only just change the rules in the middle of the game like this, but go back and change them retroactively?

In my frustration, I wrote a letter to one of our local conservative talk radio hosts, Eric Hogue. He supports Prop 74, most likely because his hero, Arnold the Governator does. My emailed letter to Mr. Hogue, who I happen to agree with on almost every other topic but this one, is reprinted below:

Dear Eric,
I am a local middle school teacher, and I am also a God-fearing, right-wing-and-proud-of-it conservative. I am now in my second year of teaching. Before that, I spent 12 years in the active Army and working full time for the California National Guard. I had always wanted to be a teacher, so with the encouragement of my wife, who is also a teacher, I went to school at night using the GI Bill, and got my B.A., my teaching credential, and I am currently working on a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

Since I am in my second year of teaching, under the current rules, I am up for tenure at the end of this school year. If Prop 74 passes, I won’t be up for tenure until the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. I don’t know if anyone has told you, but not every teacher is a left-wing lunatic (just most of them are). I am as conservative as they come, and I was looking so forward to getting tenure next year so I would no longer have to worry about not having my contract renewed because I might say something politically “offensive” that would ruffle the feathers of the very P.C. administration and staff. I am teaching 7th grade world history this year, and we are currently studying Islam. Do you know how hard it is to teach that subject while feeling compelled to mouth all the politically correct platitudes about the “religion of peace” and leave out the juicier (but absolutely true) information about exactly how Islam spread and how Islam is being practiced today? It is damn hard. Right now, I can have my contract not renewed for any reason, and for a conservative teacher, it wouldn’t take much. I have been watching what I say, and it isn’t easy since almost every period I teach has at least one Muslim student who seems to be just waiting for something negative to be said about his religion.

I love your program and your politics, but it is tough for me to listen to you on my way to work in the morning as you push for Prop 74 to be passed, never realizing that it contributes toward shutting up teachers like me who want to give students both sides of the story, but are afraid of doing so due to the fear of being fired. And Prop 74 doesn’t stop there. If an administrator doing my evaluation didn’t like what I had to say during my lessons, just give me two bad evaluations and I am out of there without the opportunity to defend myself. I read Prop 74 tonight, word for word, and I don’t see anything in the amended parts that gives me the right to a hearing if an administrator gives me two negative evaluations.

I know there are horror stories of truly incompetent teachers who were difficult to fire. An argument in favor of Prop 74 in the write-up by the A.G.’s office mentions a teacher who was paid $25,000 to quit because they couldn’t fire her even after she cussed at students, called them derogatory names, and showed them R-rated movies.

By all means, fire these teachers! Set up the proper mechanism to get rid of them! But please, don’t set up another mechanism to punish me in the process.

Please Eric, even if this letter doesn’t change your mind about your support for Prop 74, at least share with your listeners this dilemma that I am experiencing. It is a scenario that I have a feeling not too many people have considered. One more thing though: I am fully in favor of Proposition 75! Don’t let my coerced CTA dues be used to support their left-wing agenda.

Thank you,


Good Day to You, Sir