Seniority an important protection for teachers

To the editor:

I am writing in response to your Aug. 30 editorial regarding teacher contract negotiations. I am cognizant of the financial need to make cuts and also of the fact that this impacts salaries, pensions, health insurance, etc.

Having been an educator for 35 years in another state, I am totally familiar with the tug-of-war negotiations.

Where I take exception is the paragraph saying that Superintendent Jones “supports eliminating seniority as a factor in teacher layoffs so promising young teachers are not sacrificed to protect ineffective, older ones counting down the days until retirement.” One key word is the use of the word “promising.” This does not, by definition, indicate a proven commodity.

I witnessed many young, promising teachers in my career — some developed into fine teachers, and some washed out in a few years, either by their own choice or by the “survival of the fittest” premise. But those who stayed the course and became effective teachers didn’t become suddenly ineffective once they reached a certain age or a certain number of years in the profession.

Some of the best educators I knew were seasoned teachers who maintained their excellent job skills year after year. These fine veteran teachers need the protection afforded them by seniority so they can do their jobs without worrying whether they are the administrators’ pets.

If a teacher stops being effective or proves to be unsatisfactory, then this should be reflected in their history of evaluations. Two fairly-given unsatisfactory notices should make a teacher subject to potential lay-off, but don’t eliminate the entire concept of seniority as a valid concept, which is tantamount to “throwing out the baby with the bathwater.”

Lynne Michels

Las Vegas

Third parties

To the editor:

In his recent letter to the editor about entitlement reform, William Moreland mentions an article by Review-Journal reporter Ed Vogel. The article compared two candidates running in the 2nd Congressional District. There are four candidates in this race.

Any reporter comparing candidates in a political race should compare all of the candidates so that members of the voting public are able to make a knowledgeable decision on which candidate deserves their vote.

Because the media mentions only Democrats and Republicans, we have two political parties controlling our country. How is that working out for you?

We need to support the qualified third party candidates or we will just have more of the same.

Tom Jones

Las Vegas

Protect vets

To the editor:

On Aug. 24, letter writer Doug Fleckner criticized Sen. Dean Heller for suggesting a tax break for veterans who have to travel a distance for medical treatment. On Aug. 30 letter writer Dennis Dice defended Sen. Heller’s idea and suggested Mr. Fleckner turn his attention to benefits awarded illegals at taxpayer expense.

I think Mr. Dice has it exactly right.

Veterans have paid a price, sometimes extreme, to earn some special considerations. It’s a shame if someone views veteran benefits negatively while ignoring people who climbed over the nation’s back fence to get benefits originally intended for genuinely needy legal residents.

Robert R. Kessler

Las Vegas