Assigned Reading

Blog:  Joanne Jacobs calls it the insulin monopoly.  A nursing association sued, demanding that only nurses be allowed to administer insulin injections to students.  A judge ruled in the nurses’ favor.  In California, most schools don’t have school nurses, at least not yet.

Opinion:  Whether teachers are paid fairly is subjective.  But Julia Steiny points to one report that shows, compared to other professions requiring equal education, RI teachers are paid quite well.

News:  Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is the winner of the 2009 Newbery Award.

Until we stop viewing schools as employment agencies, public education will not get much better.  

Today school districts across Rhode Island are trying to figure ways to cut costs.  The significant decrease in state aid means district leaders must make their budgets leaner, more efficient.  These leaders need to look beyond the traditional system, and seek new and progressive ways to balance their budgets.  

Teacher salaries are not excessive.  Beginning salaries of $35,000, rising to maximum salaries of $75,000, are fair considering the responsibilities and requirements.  When teachers argue they are paid less than other professionals of equal education, they are correct. Add in vacation time, summers, and a shorter work day, and total compensation for teachers is, minimally, fair. 

The problem, in my opinion, is the number of full-time workers employed by each school district.  Along with classroom teachers, most districts employ full time:

• principals
• secretaries
• nurses
• custodians
• reading specialists
• occupational therapists
• physical therapists
• speech pathologists
• psychologists
• social workers
• health teachers
• art teachers
• physical education teachers
• music teachers
• band teachers
• enrichment or gifted teachers
• resource teachers
• diagnostic/prescriptive teachers
• classroom and library aides
• ESL teachers
• guidance counselors

And I’m sure some have been missed. 

There must be better, more efficient ways to provide some of these services, other than hiring permanent full time employees.

It wasn’t that long ago that districts provided their own transportation and food services.  Today most districts hire outside agencies to deliver them.  Private custodial services could certainly save districts money, and should be considered immediately.

Many of the services required by federal special education laws could be provided after school. OT, PT, Speech and other specialists could be paid an hourly wage, or be part of private agencies that offer these services in competitive environments.   

The added benefit would be that extra services would not disrupt students’ learning.  In schools today, these full time employees are covered by the contracts, and therefore work the same schedules as other teachers.  Students do not receive services in addition, but rather in place of; they might miss math to receive speech, or be pulled from science to meet with social workers.

Many of these employees are good people, trying their best to help children.  It is not the individuals who must be judged, but the system that requires change.  

We must stop viewing our public schools as places to employ adults; the priority is to educate children.  Every dollar must be spent with this priority in mind.

No, it won’t.  How offensive that the coalition of unions called Working Rhode Island would pay to have those words printed in an ad in today’s Providence Journal.  

Will the Governor’s cuts be difficult?   Perhaps.  Will some veteran teachers retire?  Most likely. But will my classroom spiral into chaos?  Absolutely not.

It is precisely this type of rhetoric that makes many teachers weary of unions.  

Things will get difficult.  With the debt our state faces, it is expected.  But this educator can promise that his classroom will not change.  There will be no chaos, as the “urgent message” claims will “undoubtedly” happen.

To scare parents with such language is outrageous.  To claim you do so on my behalf is infuriating.

Kevin Chavous, former DC city council member and now board chairman of Democrats for Education Reform:  

Anything that is remotely different will get pushback from the status quo, even if the status quo isn’t serving children.

source:  EdWeek

A significant area in need of reform in our public elementary schools is scheduling.  Today, most schools structure their days around the preparation periods required by teacher contracts.  In my school, one-sixth of the day is set aside for teacher preparation; this occurs when students are in school.

So that students are not left unsupervised, specialists take over teaching during these prep periods.  Music, physical education, art, and health teachers meet with students one period each week, in most schools about 45 minutes a day.

The detriments created by the inflexible schedule are many.  Collaboration between classroom teacher and specialist is almost impossible.  The two are not working with the same children together, or free at the same time to plan.  These classes are often viewed in isolation. 

The daily schedule is constantly viewed in terms of 45 minute periods.  A class of students actively engaged in a science investigation, for example, may have to stop at 10:50 regardless, because the period has ended and the art teacher is at the door.

In my district, principals and special education coordinators cannot schedule meetings during teacher prep periods.  When a special education meeting requires a teacher present, a substitute must be hired to cover the class so the teacher does not miss his prep period.  When our district has an hour delay, prep periods are reduced by five or ten minutes; that extra hour off cannot be considered prep time.

I believe true reform would include the elimination of the preparation period.  If teachers were with students eight or nine hours a day, then a prep period may seem a necessity.  But school days are six and a half hours long, including a lunch and recess period that can be forty minutes or more. 

Read more…

This week teachers at two KIPP charters in New York City voted to unionize and affiliate with the local AFT. Reformers, obviously, are unsettled.  What impact union representation will have on schools that include this as a tenet is yet to be seen: 

The principals of KIPP schools are effective academic and organizational leaders who understand that great schools require great school leaders. They have control over their school budget and personnel. They are free to swiftly move dollars or make staffing changes, allowing them maximum effectiveness in helping students learn.

The bloggers at Flypaper wonder about the timing, as a new Democratic president who supports charter schools takes office.

From the NY Times article: 

Several teachers at the two schools said the union organizing drive came about because they wanted a stronger voice on the job and because the demands on them were so rigorous. They also said that they wanted to insure a fair discipline and evaluation system. 

Isn’t it the rigor that has made these schools so successful?  Certainly the expectations were made clear when teachers were hired.  Hopefully teachers will make clear what has changed for them to initiate this fairly radical move.

It cannot be argued that teachers in East Providence have a tough pill to swallow. The school committee’s proposal to cut pay and increase co-pay for benefits in these trying economic times, coupled with the governor’s plan to profoundly change the pension system, has many teachers worried and feeling as victims. But such anxiety cannot excuse the behavior displayed at last night’s school committee meeting.

Some audio is available at the Anchor Rising blog. The teachers vented their anger towards anyone who wasn’t sympathetic to their cause, including taxpayers who pay the teachers’ salaries. They booed, heckled, and hollered, showing a general disrespect for the rules outlined by the chair. It was a shameful display that won’t earn the teachers much sympathy.

I wonder, however, who really was responsible for the behavior of the protestors. I heard, as did many other teachers around the state and beyond, the calls from union leaders to attend the meeting to show solidarity. I’m told representatives from non-teacher unions, like fire and police, were also encouraged to attend and show support. The goal was to fill the room with union supporters, to overwhelm any who might speak in favor of the school committee’s approach.

The behavior last night was more like that expected at a labor picket line. The yelling. The name-calling. Even the intimidation. So I wonder how much of the ruckus was the result of EP teachers.

Of course NEARI representative and RIFuture blogger Pat Crowley was there. On his blog he writes about the solidarity and applause, and takes time to insult specific individuals he saw at the meeting that he doesn’t like. Crowley talks nothing about education. To him this was a union event; another opportunity to protest, take it to the oppressors, and raise some hell.

It might be good for his movement but, again, I don’t think it’s good for EP teachers. Crowley begins his post with

Last night was a great night in East Providence.

It might have been a great night for him. But the lack of professionalism caused teachers to lose a bit of their shine. For many of us, it was, quite frankly, embarrassing.

Blog  Joanne  Jacobs wonders if we still need to teach cursive.  Be sure to read the more interesting discussion in the comments section that follows the post.

Opinion.  Linda Chavez writes: “Democrats have been perfectly happy to force police departments, businesses and colleges to select applicants by color, but they seem less happy to apply those same standards to themselves when it comes to joining the [Senate].”

News.  Edweek article shares a study by the National Institute for Literacy that found code-related instruction crucial in preschool years. 

Rhode Island.  Governor’s cuts cause panic among municipal leaders

While each side attempts to make a villain out of the other, it’s clear that in East Providence neither the school committee nor the teachers are in enviable positions.

Broke and frustrated, the school committee has voted to require teachers to contribute twenty percent towards the cost of health insurance, and give up a five percent raise all teachers received in 2007. School Committee chairperson Anthony Carcieri argues that the teachers are not negotiating in good faith, and the arbitrator’s decision is too costly for East Providence taxpayers. Teachers union leaders say they have made million of dollars in concessions, and argue that the school committee, by law, must continue to pay teachers under the terms of the old contract, until a new one is agreed to.

But what should be done when a municipality simply cannot afford those financial terms. The union has been in the driver’s seat for most of the negotiations; they simply refuse to agree to any pay cuts or increase costs. The teachers are left working under the terms of an old contract, that suits them for now. There’s no incentive to a quick contract agreement.

Carcieri said, “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” and the committee has decided to cut the ropes that have tied their hands for years. Carcieri said, “I hope they’ll understand that this is nothing we want to do. We have no choice.” I believe him.

It’s a shame to think these teachers will face smaller paychecks at a time when everyone is struggling. But like the housing market, teachers’ salaries and generous benefits have grown within a bubble. That bubble is about to burst.

One might think the actions of the school committee would quickly bring union leaders back to the negotiating table. Instead, it appears they’ll be headed to the state labor board, and probably to a courtroom.

RIDE has begun uploading 2009 data to its Information Works! website. School and district report cards, as well as a state report, are available. The reports are incomplete, but RIDE promises more as it becomes available.

RIDE made the announcement through its website feed, which contained an (ugh!) incorrect link to a press release.