In less than a year, retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield has put $1.6 million into one of his front groups TeachGreat in an effort to eliminate teacher tenure in the state of Missouri.
The latest contribution, $750,000, came Thursday, according to a 48-hour report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Sinquefield also gave $750,000 on December 24, 2013, and $100,000 on May 23, 2013, according to Ethics Commission documents.
TeachGreat has been pushing an initiative petition, with petitions distributed in Joplin recently, to put the removal of teacher tenure on the ballot.
The links go to blue book report...not sinquefield info.
ReplyDeleteHere in Missouri, I was approached by a Teach Great Initiative worker (workers are trucked in from out of state, and, as they describe it, "live on the road") and paid $1 for each signature.
This encourages giving potential signers false information and I was told that the initiative was "for teachers" .
Signers got the same idea and when I questioned them, I found that they were misrepresenting the initiative.
When I asked the signers if they knew that it was not for teachers, they were surprised. Most people are for helping teachers...not making it more difficult for them.
Not only will it eliminate tenure, it would require only a 3 year contract, and pay raises would depend upon the results of standardized testing. Anyone knows that the tests will reflect the performance level of students, which can vary with functioning levels of different classes and is not an accurate reflection of teaching performance.
Also, Sinquefield rails against big government and wants schools and everything else privitized. Teach Great requires amending the Missouri Constitution and would have the state government tell the local school boards how to run their schools.
What???? Sinquefield for state government rather that local school boards? Oh well, it makes sense if you want to destroy the school systems.
Republicans just voted to override Gov. Nixon's veto and lower business taxes and this will affect public education and other other Missouri programs.
Sinquefield is our Missouri's Koch brother. It is sad that they have gone after the post office and now want to destroy public education.
Soon, only the rich will be able to eat and breathe.