A half-truth is a whole lie

ACT 3 actually showed up at the BOE meeting but when it was time for public comments, none of them said a single word—yet they want to represent teachers. I now see that they only attended the meeting to collect anything they could use to shoot me in the news. Yet the most this group could ever hope to accomplish is to get another election that I would be favored to win again anyway. An election at this late date would only serve to distract and delay the true goals of teachers and tenure is now at the top of the list. Teachers and myself would prefer to see ACT 3 helping me present the tenure proposal that the board has asked me to submit. The tenure proposal is a very serious matter for teachers and the system. It wouldn’t be proper for me to create the plan alone without the input and support of teachers and even administrators.

So I challenge ACT 3 to help me with the tenure proposal—if they really want to do something constructive. I can use their help and I can even accept constructive criticisms from them but writing half truths about me in a petition, in the news and telling teachers half truths with only one side of the story does not offer teachers any solutions to the dilemmas they are facing. That’s why the governor is smart enough to know he needs to hear my side before making a decision. I’m sure the majority of teachers are appreciative of my efforts but ACT 3 literally want to twist things around to make it seem like I’m the bad guy by using half truths, which amount to nothing more than a whole lie.

I care about this system, I have children in this system, my livelihood depends on this system—so how could I ever be construed or portrayed as the enemy by ACT 3 or anyone? I’m sure the average person can see now that the fighting on the board is over and that ACT 3 have now become the new epic center for a dichotomy, polarization and controversy.

I may not have cooperated the way the board wanted me to but I have always kept the “integrity of the system and the welfare of teachers” as my two major priorities and in that order. I have even accomplished a few things for teachers. What has the ACT 3 done for teachers? Nothing. Its time for ACT to do as they promised and try to help me because it’s September and they still haven’t gotten the majority of teachers to support them and its too late for an election.

I have gotten the board to seriously consider tenure for our teachers. If we can strive to meet the American standards of expectation for our children, then certainly we should put forth the same effort to do the same in reaching American standards for our teachers. I look forward to working with ACT 3 and the school representatives in completing the Tenure proposal for the board.

Teachers must now become part of the solution by being apart of the process to create the tenure proposal for the board or there won’t be any tenure for anyone. Keep your eyes on the prize teachers and make sure your school has someone to represent your school in preparing the tenure proposal.

Ambrose Bennett
Teacher Representative