A very contentious ballot issue in Missouri has been suddenly abandoned by its backers.
Amendment 3 would drastically change the way teachers are evaluated and retained.
The constitutional amendment would require districts to base the majority of an educator’s evaluation on student achievement. Teacher pay and retention would be largely based on that data. Amendment 3 would also cut into teacher tenure.
But in a statement, Teach Great, the organization campaigning to pass the amendment, said "It has become clear that now is not the time to further pursue the Teach Great initiative."
The organization said it still believes in the measure "wholeheartedly" and will spend the next several months talking to voters and hosting a listening tour.
Opposition has been mounting across the state. The Missouri School Board Association has come out against it as has the Missouri Parent Teachers Association, the Missouri Retired Teachers Association and the Missouri School Board Administrators.
“If we look carefully through this we really have to say this isn’t in the best interest of kids, it’s not in the best interest of our parents and it’s not very good for Missouri schools," says Dr. Bill Nicely, superintendent in the Kearney school district.
The amendment campaign was backed and bankrolled by St. Louis businessman Rex Sinquefield. While supporters have called off the campaign, the amendment will still appear on the November ballot.
