ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604290052
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Teachers must remain a strong political force in Virginia to prevent the election of critics of public education who are trying to erode voters' confidence in schools, the new president of the Virginia Education Association said Saturday.
Cheri James said teachers should oppose "mean-spirited people who are seeking to destroy public education" and trying to elect politicians who agree with them.
"When attacked, we must respond," said James, a high school math teacher from Richmond who will become head of the 54,000-member teacher organization this summer.
Teachers should be willing to work to help elect candidates at the local, state and national levels who will stand up for public education, she said.
Speaking at the close of VEA's annual convention in Roanoke, she said public education and teachers are facing challenging times because of the harsh attacks and complaints that schools are failing to do their job.
James did not identify the critics by name, but she added that public education does not need conservative Republicans like those in Congress who have tried "to ram the `Contract With America' down our throats."
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives has voted to reduce federal funds for education, but some cuts were restored in the budget compromise that was reached last week between the Republicans and President Bill Clinton.
The teachers also have been at odds with Republican Gov. George Allen and his appointees to the state Board of Education on education policy.
During the three-day convention, the teachers took positions on testing for the state's new academic standards, accountability and several other issues that differ with the Allen administration.
Another speaker, VEA Executive Director David Johnson, said the attack on public education is well-organized and well-financed at the national level, but it is evident in Virginia, too.
"Those who would tear down the little red school house and the VEA [and National Education Association] are not confined to the national news media and the Rush Limbaugh radio talk show," Johnson told 1,300 teachers at the convention. "We don't have to look very far to find examples in our own daily newspapers and on local radio talk shows."
Johnson said he believes money and politics are two reasons for the attacks on schools and teachers.
Those who favor less government and lower taxes see the demise of public education as a way to save money, he said.
Teachers have been successful in helping to elect friends of education - Democrats, Republicans and Independents, he said. "There are those in the right wing of both parties who would be well-served if we would simply go away. But that is not going to happen."
Many critics of public education favor tax-funded vouchers that parents could use to send their children to private schools, he said.
The VEA and NEA need to remain strong because they may be the "last line of defense between a free system of public education for everyone and a private education paid for by public funds for the socially elite," Johnson said.
During the convention, the teachers voted to form a committee that will develop a long-term strategy for the VEA to respond to attacks on public schools, oppose vouchers and tuition-tax credits, protect teachers' rights and educate teachers about the importance of elections.
John Szewczyk, a Hanover County teacher, said there appears to be a national media campaign against public school teachers. He cited a recent cover story in U.S. News and World Report titled "Why Teachers Don't Teach?'' and a report on ABC's ``20/20'' that was critical of teachers' unions.
Szewczyk said William Bosher, Virginia's superintendent of public instruction, has also recommended the elimination of continuing contracts for teachers in the state and a change to short-term contracts.
"Teachers are coming under assault, and we must develop a long-term strategy to deal with it," Szewczyk said.
The teachers also voted to urge the state Department of Education and Board of Education to recognize that educators alone can't be held responsible for students' performance and test scores on the state's new academic standards.
They said students, parents, community leaders, governmental officials, politicians and employers of students must share accountability.
After an emotional debate, the teachers rejected a proposal that would have put them on record in favor of the state's providing an education for children of illegal immigrants, a controversial issue in several states.
Several teachers from Fairfax County wanted the VEA to urge the General Assembly and Board of Education to allow illegal immigrants to attend Virginia schools. They also proposed that teachers and counselors not be required to report students believed to be in this country illegally.
But a majority of the teachers at the convention opposed the proposal. Several speakers said illegal immigrants could cause problems in schools and become a financial drain on localities. They also said teachers should not condone illegal activity by failing to report students believed to be here illegally.
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