Gov. Perry's Latest Plan To Divide Educators Is Released

It's here, TEA releases teacher bonus pay plan. Read the first paragraph and pay attention to the words in bold:

Some teachers of economically disadvantaged students in Texas could get bonuses this fall.

Wow, soeme, could. If I was a teacher I'd be already planning where to spend my extra money. So what do some of the teacher's that could get bonuses have to do?

Teachers would be eligible for salary bonuses of $3,000 to $10,000 each if their schools are rated exemplary or recognized, or if students have shown significant improvement in math and reading scores. To qualify, schools must have high percentages of poor students.

How widespread will this be?

TEA will review applications from qualifying schools and select about 100 campuses - less than 2 percent of public schools in Texas -— to receive the three-year grant by Sept. 15.

Schools would get between $60,000 and $180,000 a year, determined by the size of the school. Local administrators will decide how to divvy the grants among educators.

Schools also could use a smaller portion of the grants for other school personnel, such as librarians or principals. Some of the money could be used for training

So there you go, it could go for teacher pay increases, or it could go for salaries other than for teachers. More on how "widespread" and possibly damaging this can be:

"At a time when a well-deserved pay raise is long overdue for the state's entire corps of close to 300,000 teachers, this proposal at best would provide a temporary bonus to barely 3,000," Bridges wrote in a letter to Neeley opposing the plan.

Bridges warned that the proposal would bring division to school employees who work as a team. She also questioned Neeley's legal authority to institute the plan.

And after all that this is not binding.

Check out WCDP chair candidate Henry Kight's Statesman LTE on Gov. Perry's trip to Iraq, Irony of governor's words:

Gov. Rick Perry is quoted as saying, "Last night, I videoed my room in the palace so I can show it when I get back. It was an amazing place, an opulent edifice that unfortunately was not used for the good of the people."

It struck me as odd that someone who lives in the Governor's Mansion, has left a legacy for Texas of underfunded education, has ties to corporate corruption and has one of the worst environmental records in the country has much room to talk.