Gov. Perry out of touch?

From Chris Bell’s campaign blog:

Last week here in Austin, all four major gubernatorial candidates made their education pitch to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. As is indicated by recent news stories like this, and this, the message being broadcast throughout Texas is becoming clear: Earth to Captain Rick. You’re so unbelievably far out of touch with the teachers in this state, you might as well be seeking re-election as governor of the asteroid belt.

The entry goes on to cite a blog entry by a Waxahachie ISD world geography teacher.
I think most will tell you the teachers aren’t too happy with the current state of the state’s schools and of course that makes Perry the whipping boy — whether he’s really at fault or not. But if the teachers and educators turn against you, you’ve lost a HUGE portion of the voting public. I believe Eric has said the school system is the largest employer in the state and 1 in 20 people are or have been employed in public education.

We are about to begin an expensive experiment here in Texas, an experiment that will eventually prove that business-style economic incentives for teachers, which are tied to students’ performance on TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) tests, create more problems than they solve. Governor Rick Perry, a politician who, as far I can determine, has never spent a day in a classroom as a teacher, has long advocated merit pay for teachers. Now it’s a done-deal. He is convinced, according to a Dallas Morning News article dated June 12, 2006, that this merit-pay program will push Texas to the forefront of national educational standards. But, if only teachers in Texas could vote in the upcoming gubernatorial election, I personally doubt that he could be reelected.