Editor:
In his Sept. 5 column, state Rep. George Darany (D-15th District) explained why he could not support State Senate Bill 1040. The bill makes reductions to benefits for public school teachers.
As of 2009, state expenditures for education were nearly 49 percent of Michigan’s budget. Education spending is, by far, the state’s single largest expenditure. The next closest, health, is about 11 percent. SB1040 reductions are hardly an “attack” on teachers as Representative Darany calls them.
He also states he supports policy that will attract and retain “top-notch” teachers. I would ask him, by what measure do we determine which teachers are “top-notch” and which are not? Teachers’ unions resist most attempts to implement systems for measuring teacher performance.
Prescilla Parness
Candidate, 15th District
State Representative