The History of Teacher Pay

As pressing as this issue is in today's world, it is important to know the history of teacher pay to see how it has changed over the years.

According to a CPRE article, there have been three major shifts in the way teachers have been paid in the United States. In the 1800s, teachers were paid by a "boarding round" system, which consisted of room and board for the teacher provided by the local community. In the early 1900s, teachers started to be paid on a position-based salary schedule. This meant that elementary teachers were paid less than secondary teachers because of the differences in educational requirements for each position. The third historical shift came in the latter half of the 1900s. The single-salary schedule paid teachers the same salary if they had the same qualifications, and race and gender were not factors anymore. This system also instituted a pay raise for increasing years of experience, similar to what is practiced today.

Similarly, looking at the salary amount of teachers over time is important too. In a Chicago Mag article, the author looked at average teaching salaries over time to comment on the change that has occurred. In 1966 (the first year the author looked at), the average starting salary of a teacher was $5,500. Fast forward to 2010 where the starting pay was $50,500.

It is amazing how far it has come, yet how far it still has to go. (Side note: Chicago's average teacher salaries are higher than the national average.)

In the 2013 Texas legislative session, HB 176 was referred to the Public Education committee on February 6 and is still "in committee."

Preston Chilton
Post 4

MPP's M.O.

Marijuana Policy Project's Rob Kampia Speaks on this Present Issue of Legalizing Marijuana in Austin, TX.

(Video Credit: MPP Staff's YouTube channel)

Several organizations have gained notoriety within the news media as of late. One that stands out amongst others involved in the legalizing of the medical marijuana issue is the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

MPP was founded in 1995 as a nonprofit organization that--according to their mission statement on their website--seeks to:

Increase public support for non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies.

Identify and activate supporters of non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies.

Change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana.

Gain influence in Congress

They also go on to say in their vision statement, "MPP and MPP Foundation envision a nation where marijuana is legally regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and realistic, and treatment for problem marijuana users is non-coercive and geared toward reducing harm."

On MPP's website, they describe a part of their purpose as being "Because MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is prison, we focus on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have the approval of their doctors."

With over 32 thousand followers on Twitter, MPP remains active within the social media realm. However, at first glance, it does seem a little one-sided; each tweet contains only basic facts of what is going on with the legalizing of the marijuana issue. MPP is even more active on Facebook, on the other hand, with more than 67,800 "likes." The conversations carried between MPP and its followers on Facebook seem to be more in depth and extensive. Even though it's a "DUH" statement, MPP's posts have a more "conversational" tone.



Here is a link to all of the legislation in Texas currently happening in regards to this issue.

Alyson Morales
Blog post 2

Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx9q-sn_7XI
www.mpp.org

Innocent until proven guilty?

In Texas, and many other states, the presumption of innocence is a right that the legal system has failed many of those accused of criminal acts. The principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty has in-turn wrongfully imprisoned many people, who are either pardoned after death (including execution) or years of prison- of which they did not owe one hour. It turns out, in many cases, that DNA and other forms of evidence and procedure prove such civilians innocent. Thus, it has been suggested that The Code of Criminal Procedure be amended by adding a “Texas Innocence Commission.” This bill suggests the creation of a commission to investigate and prevent wrongful convictions.

In short, the bill calls for the creation of the committee, the details of how the nine members are to be selected, and the duties of the committee. The duties listed include: the investigation of all post-conviction exonerations, including convictions vacated based on a plea to time served, to: (1) collecting errors and defects in the prosecutor’s case, (2) identifying errors and defects in the criminal process of Texas, in general, (3) developing solutions to correct such errors or defects, and (4) identifying procedures and programs to prevent future wrongful convictions. To read the bill in its entirety, click here.  

The bill was first read on January 28, 2013 and was referred to the Criminal Justice Senate Committee that same day. The bill’s status has not changed since last week, and it is still in committee.

For information on the Innocence Project of Texas, one of the main contributors to this bill, visit http://www.ipoftexas.org/ and take at a look at some numbers, including Texas exoneration statistics. 

 Timothy Cole, the first person in Texas history to be formally cleared of a crime after his death.

"He passed away in prison while serving a 25-year sentence for rape. He maintained his innocence until the end, hoping that one day he would receive vindication and a pardon from the Texas Governor."

Images provided by http://www.ipoftexas.org/

Henrietta Williams

Innocent until proven guilty?

Texas Up In Arms Over New Gun Legislation

A historically conservative, Republican state, Texas is full of Second Amendment supporters that have begun bearing arms with the recent Obama administration push for stricter gun control across the nation.   

On January 16, 2013, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, President Obama announced a plan that would implement “mandatory background checks for all gun purchases, including private sales; reinstate a ban on some assault-style weapons; ban high-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds; and crackdown on illicit weapons trafficking.” 

Texas legislators, particularly Republicans, have responded loudly to this announcement in a variety of ways with the approaching legislative meeting this spring. Texas State Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, plans to file the "Firearms Protection Act" that would “would make any federal laws that may be passed by Congress or imposed by Presidential order which would ban or restrict ownership of semi-automatic firearms or limit the size of gun magazines illegal in the state” with beliefs that these new gun control policies utterly violate American Constitutional rights. Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, along with 13 other co-authors filed Senate Bill 182 that addresses concealed handguns on campuses of higher education. Another bill filed by Texas legislators is the “Second Amendment Preservation Act”. 

Organizations such as the National Rifle Association-Institute of Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) have also become, as expected, large players in this controversial legislative time. Over the next few months, gun regulatory laws are certain to be a hot topic of conversation at both the state and national level.

For information on more bills up for legislation, click here. 

Photo credit: chron.com 

Ashton Theiss
Post 1
Topic: Texas Gun Legislation