SF Chronicle Strongly Supports Prop A!

The Chronicle published its endorsement of Proposition A this morning, and couldn't have been more positive. An excerpt:

Proposition A isn't an ordinary parcel tax; it's a well-crafted, sound investment. Instead of appealing to voters to just throw more money at "the schools," the school district developed a long-term strategy to improve school performance. It decided that focusing the parcel tax money on teacher retention and training would make the greatest amount of difference in students' education, a choice that is backed up by education experts and studies.

The money will boost salaries - making San Francisco more competitive with surrounding school districts - and offer additional bonuses to teachers who work in tough schools and teach much-needed subjects like math and science.

But that money won't come free or easy - teachers will also have to meet new accountability standards. Previously, a teacher could receive two annual unsatisfactory reviews before being nudged into professional development training. Now, SFUSD Superintendent Carlos Garcia insists that teachers will be pushed into development after just one unsatisfactory review - and that teachers who continue to fail at meeting standards will be encouraged to go into another line of work.

With four weeks to go, we need to find every YES vote to support our teachers and pass Proposition A.