Proposal for Teacher License Tiers Sets Off Debate

Ventura County educators had mixed reactions to a national proposal unveiled Tuesday to establish a three-tiered licensing system that would determine how much teachers are paid.

In Long Beach to give his sixth annual speech on the state of American schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley suggested that improving public schools depends on elevating teaching to a “first-class profession,” with a license system much like that for doctors.

Some union officials took offense at Riley’s remarks, noting that teachers already undergo considerable training.

“We already feel that it is a first-class profession, and I’m insulted that he would insinuate that it is not,” said Buena High School teacher Steve Blum, who heads the 850-member Ventura teachers union. “He needs to be building up the profession, and you don’t do that by running it down. It seems like we’ve become the new whipping boys for politicians.”

Rob Dearborn, the past president of the Moorpark Education Assn., who currently sits on the governing board of the Moorpark Educators Assn., said he doesn’t have a problem with any proposal that makes the profession better.

“But we have to jump through a lot of hoops now,” he said. The Moorpark High School instructor said he thought politicians were looking for quick fixes with education, when there are deeper problems.

“There is room for improvement with teachers,” said Dearborn, who has taught for 14 years. “But a lot of the problems come with the different populations we have--we have kids coming from broken homes, non-English-speaking homes. There seem to be a lot more special-ed students than there used to be.”

Still others welcomed the proposal, saying it would both reward experienced and dedicated teachers and help those just learning the ropes.

“One of the things I’ve always felt is that there should be a better career ladder for teachers,” said 20-year veteran Wanda P. O’Kelley, who teaches fourth grade at Rio Real School. “What a teacher has to do now to advance is get an administrative credential and get out of the classroom.

“I don’t want a punitive, harsh system of ‘accountability,’ but an incentive system where teachers can move up and improve their skills, perhaps become ‘head teachers’ or ‘lead teachers.’ ”

During his talk at Cal State Long Beach, Riley referred again to President Clinton’s call for states to create rigorous tests of a teacher’s mastery of subject matter and their teaching skills for them to receive an “initial” license, which could be renewed for three years. Tests such as these are already being developed in California.

A teacher’s performance should be reviewed by a panel of peers and a principal before they could receive permanent status, or tenure, Riley said.

In order to become a top-paid teacher, Riley suggests instructors should have to pass a certification exam given by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. California already gives a one-time, $10,000 bonus to teachers who pass this exam.

Local union officials warn that raising the standards for teachers when a dire shortage of educators already exists may only exacerbate the problem.

California needs to hire an estimated 260,000 teachers within the next decade. The crunch is so severe that there are now 30,000 teachers working in the state who have yet to complete their training. Many more are teaching classes in subject areas they did not study in college.

“They are making it so hard to become a teacher,” said Blum of the Ventura teachers union. “Right now, we have this drastic teacher shortage, and they are making it harder and harder to become a teacher. They need to make it easier to become a teacher.”

Adding to the long-term staffing problem is the fact that a third of all California teachers are within seven years of retirement, said Hal Vick, executive director of the Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley Teachers Unions.

“Even assuming colleges could crank out all the people they needed, and they all passed the test, we still would not have enough people,” he said.

While he considers credentials to be important, Vick cautions that we should not, as a nation, rely too heavily on them.

“You certainly want qualified instructors in every classroom,” he said. “One of those measures is passing certain standards and certain tests. But there are other measures of whether someone can be successful.”

Blum maintains there is a limit to how many credentials should be required of educators.

“I already have a teaching license. I already have a teaching credential, and now they are saying I need to pass a test to be a good teacher. Well, the vast majority of us already are good teachers, and we don’t need to pass a test to prove it.

“I’m evaluated every other year, and I don’t think I need someone from Washington, D.C., to come and tell me whether I’m a good teacher or not.”

Times staff writers Kate Folmar and Fred Alvarez contributed to this story.

* MAIN STORY: In Long Beach, Clinton Cabinet member says system similar to that used for doctors should be created. A3