“I am greatly disappointed that the budget process was conducted in a business-as-usual manner. Large components of the enacted budget, especially the education reform measures, seriously missed the mark. Regretfully, we missed a valuable opportunity to return local control where it belongs - back to our schools. Our schools need the flexibility to evaluate their teachers in a manner best tailored to their needs.

“Due to my discontent with the governor’s decision to tie essential school funding to flawed policies, I was forced to vote no on this legislation. Rather than embracing meaningful reforms or opening up discussion to stakeholders at the local level, we are simply continuing on with failed policies and an over-reliance on high-stakes testing.

The initial passage of the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) element of the teacher evaluation plan was done under the same conditions, including threatening to withhold essential funding, and will no doubt lead to the same disastrous results.”