Senate Democrats Block GOP Plan to Reward Mentor Teachers

In a party line vote Monday, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican senator’s proposal to reward teachers who earn a National Teacher Certification status and act as mentors to other teachers.

The amendment, authored by Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson, R-Moore, would have provided $10,000 national teacher certification bonuses each year for nationally certified teachers who act as a mentor to at-risk teachers and participate in performance evaluation research.

Senate Democrats blocked the GOP proposal, and instead opting for a flat, across-the-board increase in National Teacher Certification bonuses for all nationally certified teachers.

“There is a clear difference between Republicans and Democrats. My proposal sought to reward those teachers who go the extra mile in mentoring their fellow teachers. Senate Democrats blocked our plan in favor of a union-minded proposal that rewards everyone equally, regardless of work quality or work ethic,” stated Wilcoxson, a former public school teacher.