You want to know what is wrong with public education in this country. Look no further than what is going on in Sacramento, California. There is no excuse when the 2011 teacher of the year in that city received a layoff notice last month after nine years of professional service. Michelle Apperson of the Sacramento City Unified School District lost her job. She is one of nearly 400 teachers who received lay-off notices last month due to budget cuts. Nothing could shield here from the lay-off due to the California state law which carries a first in last out policy. She could have been able to save her position if she had other teaching areas such as special education but she didn’t. Apperson told the media, “It hurts on a personal level because I really love what I do. But, professionally, politically, I get why it happens.” Sacramento school officials approved $28 million in cuts this year and, get this, there could be another $15 million cuts coming if Governor Jerry Brown’s tax hike initiative fails to pass by voters in November. There will be furlough days for all teachers if the voters say no. This is the fourth consecutive year that California has either laid off or fired teachers. The situation has created classroom discontinuity and serious moral problems. Let’s get this straight. Teachers are underpaid and overworked. This is terrible and stories like this one will keep the best teachers out of the classrooms. It’s time the voters in this country get a handle and what is important to our future and it starts with the education of our young people. Stories like this one make me, a former high school teacher, outraged.Education Wrongs