Pinthouse Pizza
Injustice Against Teachers
RECEIVED Tue., March 22, 2011
Dear Editor,
As an unemployed teacher who has been receiving unemployment benefits, I am dealing with an injustice that will affect all teachers who are being eliminated by budget cuts. Because of a technicality in the Texas state law, teachers are not eligible for benefits during school breaks.
Teachers work and are paid by their school districts year-round. Why is this law legal? It's a discrimination against teachers! Any other unemployed business person is paid unemployment benefits year-round … why not teachers?
Texas bylaw for payment of unemployment benefits for teachers:
“Individuals employed by any educational institution in any capacity cannot be paid benefits based on such services for any week of unemployment which begins during the period between two regular academic years or terms, if they performed such services in the first of such years or terms and have a contract to perform or there is a reasonable assurance that they will perform such services in the second of such years or terms. With respect to the foregoing services, individuals cannot be paid for any week of unemployment beginning during an established and customary vacation period or holiday recess if such individual performed services in the period immediately before and there is a reasonable assurance that they will perform services in the period immediately after such a vacation period or recess.”
This law needs to be immediately reversed! Facing summer break with no income and being penalized for other times school is not in session, unemployed teachers must still report to the unemployment commission continuing job searches during school breaks even though we do not receive income for those periods!
Granted 20 more weeks of unemployment benefits but because I'm a teacher, I will not receive any payments while school is not in session. Is this not a gross injustice?
As an unemployed teacher who has been receiving unemployment benefits, I am dealing with an injustice that will affect all teachers who are being eliminated by budget cuts. Because of a technicality in the Texas state law, teachers are not eligible for benefits during school breaks.
Teachers work and are paid by their school districts year-round. Why is this law legal? It's a discrimination against teachers! Any other unemployed business person is paid unemployment benefits year-round … why not teachers?
Texas bylaw for payment of unemployment benefits for teachers:
“Individuals employed by any educational institution in any capacity cannot be paid benefits based on such services for any week of unemployment which begins during the period between two regular academic years or terms, if they performed such services in the first of such years or terms and have a contract to perform or there is a reasonable assurance that they will perform such services in the second of such years or terms. With respect to the foregoing services, individuals cannot be paid for any week of unemployment beginning during an established and customary vacation period or holiday recess if such individual performed services in the period immediately before and there is a reasonable assurance that they will perform services in the period immediately after such a vacation period or recess.”
This law needs to be immediately reversed! Facing summer break with no income and being penalized for other times school is not in session, unemployed teachers must still report to the unemployment commission continuing job searches during school breaks even though we do not receive income for those periods!
Granted 20 more weeks of unemployment benefits but because I'm a teacher, I will not receive any payments while school is not in session. Is this not a gross injustice?
Beverley Byrd
Friendswood
Friendswood