Pike posts new Facebook letter to teachers
State Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, took to Facebook again this week, this time to deliver a nicer message to the state’s public teachers.
In a post made Monday, Pike thanked the educators who reached out to her following an ill-received Facebook comment she made last month. Last month’s post told teachers to get a new job if they weren’t happy with their pay. It incited outrage from teachers all across the state.
Several teachers were in Pike’s district office in Camas on Friday to tell Pike that they thought her first post was demeaning and demoralizing. At that meeting, Pike said she should have expressed her opinions without the snark and sarcasm, and she agreed to post another Facebook comment acknowledging her recent conversations with educators.
Here’s what Pike ended up posting on Monday:
Thank you to all of the teachers who took time out of their busy lives to visit my legislative district office open house and reception last Friday night. I also appreciate those who have sent me e-mails.
I am grateful for the opportunity to share a new and open dialogue with teachers, who are the experts on the front lines of our public education system. I am learning a lot from them. For example, teachers recently clarified how they are paid with respect to vacations, paid holidays and the negotiated number of school days in their contracts. It is clear I have more to learn, and I am open to ideas on how we can improve our education system and fund it effectively.
Between the work of my Education Kitchen Cabinet and direct communications with teachers, parents and school board members, I look forward to finding solutions we can all agree on for our communities and state. Let’s work together to build a world-class public education system we can all be proud of in the future.
In closing, I look forward to accepting invitations this Fall to visit some classrooms located within the 18th Legislative District. In the time between, I look forward to learning more about our schools – including teachers. My door is always open.
Sincerely,
Liz Pike
Although teachers were upset by Pike’s initial comments, some of Pike’s supporters were on hand during Friday’s event, and they have taken to social media to defend Pike’s dislike of teacher unions.
It also appeared that Pike’s controversial comments have resulted in at least one campaign donation.
“I just received a campaign donation for re-election 2014 all the way from Florida,” Pike wrote Tuesday on Facebook. “He said: ‘There’s some hope for our republic if there are enough people left with your courage and convictions.’ News travels far and fast!”
Stevie Mathieu
Stevie Mathieu is a political writer at The Columbian. Contact her at 360-735-4523 or stevie.mathieu@columbian.com or www.facebook.com/reportermathieu or www.twitter.com/col_politics.