State schools’ superintendent candidate unveils plan to “let teachers teach”
“Teachers are the bridge to dreams for every student in the state of Wisconsin, Holtz said. “Despite the selfless dedication of our teachers, who battle stifling regulation that gives birth to frustration and apathy, Tony Evers and the bureaucratic morass that he manages and promotes is leading the charge for more of the same. More teachers leaving the profession. More teachers forced to navigate unsafe environments that make teaching challenging and learning impossible. That stops now.”
According to Holtz, the Teachers’ Bill of Rights is a common-sense approach to education that lets teachers do what they do best: Teach. The four points of the Teachers’ Bill of Rights:
Safety. “There is no learning without safety. There is no teaching without safety,” Holtz said. “When I took over as the superintendent in Beloit, there were a multiple fights a day in the hallways of schools across the district. Once we got that under control, academic achievement followed. That’s no coincidence.”
Eliminate a Strangling Bureaucracy. “Teachers spend hours – sometimes many hours in a single day – on tedious administrative tasks that keep them from their mission, educating our kids,” Holtz said. “No one wins when our teachers aren’t teaching.”
Local Control. “The last thing the teachers of Wisconsin need are orders from politicians who never have faced the challenges of teaching, or lived in their community,” Holtz said. “We need collaborative leadership that will support teachers and work with parents and community leaders to identify the problems and provide guidance and resources to find a solution.”
Giving Teachers a Voice at DPI. “As the superintendent of public instruction, I will launch our TEACH (Teachers Engaged and Allied for Community Help) Initiative. TEACH’s central mission will be to assemble a committee of teachers from across the state with whom we will meet to address concerns and work to take advantage of opportunities in communities in all corners of the state. This committee will consist of teachers only. I want to hear unfettered opinions from the front line of education: our teachers.”
