Too bad she doesn’t live in Wisconsin.

This wouldn’t be happening to her then.

Despite just being named Sacramento’s “Teacher of the Year,” (6th-grade teacher Michelle) Apperson was laid off as part of a massive budget cut.

“It hurts on a personal level because I really love what I do,” Apperson, who taught all subjects, told KXTV-News 10. “But professionally and politically or economically, I get why it happens.”

Us, too. That’s why we’re avoiding it now.

The Sacramento City Unified School District has suffered approximately $143 million in budget cuts in recent years. School spokesperson Gabe Ross told News 10 that who gets laid off is mandated by state law and is based on seniority, not performance.

Wisconsin districts are, by and large, hiring teachers, not laying them off. And those “seniority, not performance” rules don’t apply here anymore, unless the local school boards want them to.

It’s pretty sweet.

UPDATE - Gator Doug gives this the Best Damned Blog Post of the Week Award. Although I notice the url of that post says “bog” instead of “blog,” which I’m sure is just a mistake. Right?