Paul Pinsky's Dual Role in Teacher Evaluations

Yesterday, The Baltimore Sun reported on the Maryland State School Board's move to strengthen teacher evaluations and today The Washington Post reported on the same topic.

Both articles contain quotes from State Senator Paul Pinsky. The articles state that he is chairman of the education subcommittee and is co-chair of the committee that will review the proposal before the State Board of Education. However, both articles leave out Mr. Pinsky's full-time job. 


In his full-time job Paul Pinsky works for the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA - the teacher's union). In his position with MCEA he works on the program areas of the Teacher Evaluation System Project and Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Panel, Elected Faculty Rep Network.

In Mr. Pinsky's full-time job for MCEA he works on behalf of the teachers union on the very issues that he is dealing with as a State Senator representing the citizens of his district and as co-chair of the joint State panel that will review the State Board's proposal on teacher evaluations. 


Here is what The Washington Post's Editors said about Mr. Pinsky on April 18, 2010:

...Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George's), a union organizer for the Montgomery County Education Association, played a leading role in the conference that worked out the final bill, so it should be no surprise that the requirement that measurable student gains account for 50 percent of judging a teacher's performance was dropped...