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View Winners → Ron Gold Urges Kamala Harris Not to Appeal Teacher Tenure Ruling
Arcadia Weekly Jul 03, 2014
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“Is she on the side of students and parents, or teachers’ unions?”
Recently a Los Angeles judge took a whack at long standing job security for teachers-especially tenure. Such policies hurt the poorest California children with the worst teachers, according to the winning plaintiffs.
Ron Gold, the top two vote-getter in the primary election in June for California Attorney General, has challenged the incumbent Kamala Harris with the following statement.
Statement of Ron Gold:
“The Attorney General has broad authority as to whether or not the state will file an appeal to this ruling. We saw this with the Prop 8 case. This leaves Ms. Harris with a choice: is she with students, particularly inner city and economically disadvantaged ones, or is she with the Teachers Unions that support her campaign?
“To me the choice is simple: I’m on the side of California’s children and their families. If I were Attorney General, I would not file an appeal. I would let this decision stand and provide hope and opportunity for the next generation. Our school children are the future of California, and we need to make their needs a priority over those of special interests groups such as teachers’ unions.
“In 1954, Brown v. The Board of Education made clear that the right of equality of education, regardless of your background, was absolute. Sixty years later this ruling continues that march with a guarantee of a quality education. An unconstitutional system has prevented local leaders of education from having the flexibility to remove those that do not serve our students well. California has hundreds of thousands of wonderful, committed and hard-working teachers. They are our friends, family and neighbors, and do one of the most important jobs in our society. We also have millions of students who are relying on us to provide an education that allows ALL of them to reach their God-given potential. This ruling is an opportunity to fix the system and improve schools for our kids, our grandkids and our great teachers.”
