As a local teacher, I can see why many of my colleagues are calling the governor’s Proposition 74 on the November ballot the “Blame Teachers Act.”

In retaliation for teachers standing up to this governor when he refused to pay back the billions he borrowed from our public schools, he wants to blame us for the repercussions from the education funding crisis he helped create. Proposition 74 would do nothing to address the real problems our schools and students face, like overcrowding, underfunding and out-of-date textbooks.

There are thousands of highly qualified, dedicated teachers in our schools across the state working to make a difference every day. To honor them, the governor gives us Proposition 74, which allows teachers to be fired without hearings and extends the probation period for new teachers from two to five years. Five years! Thanks for nothing, governor.

Vote no on Proposition 74.

— Joe A. Murphy, Sr., President,
Oxnard Educators Association, Ventura