From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY –Controversial SB 316, known as the PREP Act has undergone several revisions as the bill has made it’s way through the legislative process, but if local senators have their way, the teacher evaluation portion will be removed.
Senator Shay Shelnutt-R, Trussville and Senator Slade Blackwell-R, Mountain Brook both expressed apprehension about the teacher evaluation aspect of the bill.
While the popular tenure reform element, which gives education administrators five years before offering tenure instead of the previous three year timeline, the teacher evaluations which would have tied bonuses to student performance has been controversial.
“Tenure reform needs to be our focus because it’s the most important part of the bill,” Blackwell said. “If we’re going to make progress the way voters expected when they elected us, then we have to cut through the issues that could inhibit that progress and find solutions. Tenure reform is critical to our future in education.
“We have local school boards that are well positioned to handle teacher evaluations. I’m not convinced that they need our input if they have the tenure tool.”
Senator Shay Shelnutt said the teacher evaluation element of the PREP Act was a nagging concern for him early on.
“I’m a former teacher. There are teachers in my family and among my friends,” Shelnutt said. “Teachers aren’t the problem in education, they’re the solution. I am willing to support SB 316 for the tenure reform to a point. But if the teacher evaluations remain, I can’t see myself voting for final passage.”
Shelnutt said he and Blackwell were not alone in their thinking.
“This is going to be a roadblock for a lot of senators and it won’t pass without changes,” Shelnutt said. “I think leadership is listening and I think they’ll do what’s best and remove the evaluations. That’s not the meat of the bill.”