Performance is the first criteria, according to Superintendent Peter Gorman's 'reduction in force' plan. Experience and class subject will also play a role.
More than 400 classroom teachers will get layoff notices the week of May 25, Gorman said. Teachers and other employees will be called back if the state, federal or county budget picture for 2009-10 improves. - Ann Doss Helms
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22 comments:
I hate to see teachers or anyone else lose their jobs, but people need to quit acting like teachers are "sacred cows" who can never EVER lose their jobs under any circumstances. The economy is bad; people everywhere in every segment of society are losing their jobs. They are not so special that they can't lose their jobs too. Welcome to the real world. Maybe they will find a job where they will have to work 12 months out of the year like the rest of us. Boo hoo.
I was with you, until your last two sentences. You have to realize when you are so patronizing, you lose people's respect, and the opportunity to make a solid point.
Teachers commitment to their communities and countries future is to be modeled, not derided.
Grow up, and give back. And if you would rather sit on the sidelines, that's fine, just please don't patronize those who chose to be in the game.
Good teachers are usually at work until 5 and bring work home. They get paid until 3:30. They dont get paid overtime. I think people miss out on that when they throw in the summers off comment. There are also days when they set up and take down there classrooms which are not paid. My wife is a second grade teacher in another county and she doesn't even get a break during the day because there are no assistants to help. She even eats lunch with the kids.
Think it though before you make ignorant comments
Good teachers are sacred cows because they're the ones who helped determine your career. The good ones spend a lot on their education, more on graduate school, make a fair (but not high enough) income, take responsibility for your kids when you don't, are the only ones to report the abuse of children, and in the end determnine whether future generations will lead this country or not. Fire the bad ones, keep the good ones, but for goodness sake pay them what they deserve. So any fool who takes the "boo hoo hoo" attitude should just keep flipping burgers and stop complaining.
I understand that the economy is bad right now, however, I think that it's important to understand how laying off teachers impacts the classroom.
At my husband's school, many teachers have been told to expect up to 40 students per class next year. If you're not a teacher, you do not understand the logistics it takes to manage AND teach a class that large.
Additionally, for many teachers, teaching is a 12-month job. During the summers, many teachers attend workshops to keep their certification up to date. Others have to get part time jobs (teachers are not paid in June or July). As a teacher myself, it is insulting when people say things like that. You have made some very large (and unfortunately inaccurate) assumptions.
I am anon 1:30. I did think it through before I made those comments, and I stand by them. My mother taught me how to read before I reached kindergarten, not a teacher. Not one of my teachers in high school gave a damn about me or what I wanted to do after high school. Nobody makes anyone become a teacher, and for them to complain about how little they are paid, how much they work, how little supplies they have, etc. makes them look like they didn't know what they were getting into when they did. Pay them what they deserve? What exactly do they deserve? I checked the salary database for one of the high schools, and it looks like some of them are getting paid very well.
Anon. 1:30, you're probably on the older side. Your mother probably stayed home and was there when you got home. She helped you with homework. Met with your teachers. And was involved. Today many students live in one parent households, come home to grandparents as caregivers, have two parents working, and teachers are given the added responsibility of being caregivers. If you don't see the value of what they do and where our society is at then you need to get out a bit more. Stop living in the 50's!
In this economy, I hate to hear of anyone losing their jobs. That said, at least there is a "performance" consideration when choosing which teachers should go. My daughter's fourth-grade teacher's preferred method seems to be "scream at the kids all day long." My daughter's grades have dropped drastically; at her old school she was consistently on the principal's honor roll. Nothing has changed at home, except that this year we've had to re-teach math that was improperly or incompletely taught. I've had to teach writing conventions. I've also dried my share of tears because my daughter tries to do the right thing, but is a bundle of anxiety because of her teacher's constant yelling. Do kids need to be coddled 24/7? No. Do teachers have the right to discipline disruptive students? Absolutely. Should they, however, also understand what and how they're teaching core subjects? Again, absolutely.
I hate to see teachers (or anyone else, for that matter) lose their jobs, but that is just the way things are. With that said, I would like to address the idiot you said maybe they can get jobs where they have to work twelve months out of the year. This person obviously has never taught, nor do they really know any teachers. My wife is a teacher, and I wouldn't do her job for any amount of pay. What people like this uninformed one who made the comment does not know or understand is the amount of time teachers out in after school hours and at home in order to be able to teach students. My wife leaves home at 7:30 each morning and only lives 1.5 miles form the school. She regularly stays till almost 5:00PM. Once she is home she spends many nights sitting on the couch grading papers or making lesson plans until around 11:00PM. Add those hours up and you will see that she works more hours than most people with 9 - 5 "regular" jobs. How many of you would like a job like that with the pay they receive along with the lack of respect from students, parents, and the ignorant public.
To the person that commented on teachers being treated like "sacred cows". You are absolutely clueless as to just how valuable a teacher is. You obviously do not have any children in K-12 in CMS or private schools or remember the teachers you have had in your life. These professionals work their butts off to teach, mentor, love, council, discipline and put up with a lot of crap from students that misbehave and parents that think their kid is better than anyone elses kid or simply don’t care.
Teachers put in very long hours many of which they are not paid for because they stay after school to tutor, grade papers, prepare test, work with school clubs that meet after school, meet with parents etc. I know of some teachers that even have kids that are struggling in the classroom meet at school on Saturdays to help them improve their grades. These “sacred cows” have also been known to provide food for these kids who probably wouldn’t have anything to eat on Saturdays if it weren’t for their teacher. I have had two kids in CMS for 10 years and I know just how hard teachers work. Teachers are under paid and will NEVER get enough credit where credit is due. I suggest that unless you have walked in teachers shoes or followed in their footsteps as a parent keep your nasty comments to yourself.
Anonymous 1:30, has it ever occurred to you that no teacher in high school ever gave a damn about you because of your attitude toward teachers? Geez, I wouldn't have been very encouraging to you either if you had given me the "I think it's so unfair that you work your fingers to the bone only 10 months out of the year" attitude. I strongly suspect you had no respect for your teachers when you were coming up, so the feeling was mutual.
STOP FLAUNTING THIS MEMO.......... The reality is that this is a document created to avoid being sued. PERFORMANCE WILL ONLY BE USED IF AN OBSERVATION SAYS A TEACHER IS 1. ON AN ACTION PLAN 2. HAS 2 or more below standards on an observation............ Stop thinking "Well they will miticulously look at test scores and keep those who perform" This is a major misconception being put fourth by the Supt. and the media. The Media needs to dig deeper. Once we see who gets laid off WE WILL SEE who actually gets laid off. Video's, Worksheets, and teachers who just kick kids out of class will still be around. STOP THINKING THIS PLAN WILL WEED OUT BAD TEACHERS it will not!.
Just reading thru the comments and wanted to get you folks the correct information. I was a former teacher in another district and currently work for the school system in another capacity. Teachers do have a tough job but there are very poor teachers out there that need to find another career. Nine thousand teachers in the system and only 5/6 were fired. With these numbers, it just seems odd that we have any schools underachieving. Just like any job, the longer you do it, the more efficient you SHOULD get at doing it. I remember bringing home work to grade for the first 6 months until I learned to be more efficient. We actually had bus duty and lunch duty where we ate with the kids. CMS pays for lunch room monitors while the teachers eat lunch in the break room. They also have a 1.5 or 2 hour planning period. They have the option to get paid over 12 months instead of the 10 months. I really think that most of the public has been snowballed by thinking that thinning out teachers will prevent our kids from learning. From my professional and personal opinion, this is will allow for higher standards to be met while keeping the teachers more current and effective especially since they no longer believe they are untouchables.
Yes, there are great teachers who care about the well being of their students, can control a classroom without raising their voice, and teach the curriculum in a meaningful way which student will remember and understand. Yes, there are awful teachers who yell and curse at students, sit and check email instead of teaching, and just don't care about anything other than getting out that door before the buses have left the lot. None of this is reflected on a teacher's evaluation; teacher observations are announced and well prepared for. How is Gorman going to judge "performance?" Certainly not by teacher evaluations (as they are a total crock) Test scores? Does teaching to the test really prove who the best teachers are? Can't bad teachers have great kids (with supportive parents) who do well on tests? What about subjects that don't have an EOG? I understand the need for cutbacks, but let's agree on some fair, objective criteria before we start handing out pink slips.
To Anon 9:04, a correction from a CURRENT CMS teacher--I don't know who has 1) a breakroom or 2) lunch monitors. We don't. Efficiency is great and something to work towards, but all the efficiency in the world won't reduce 115 papers down to 90. I do have a 90 min. planning period which is usually used for grading papers, posting grades, responding to parents, communicating with administration, tracking down kids, or working on one of my 5 extracurriculars. And CMS does NOT offer a 12 month pay option; SECU, however, offers to save pay over the 10 months so teachers can pay themselves over the summer. This is the situation I am in and that has existed during my tenure at CMS. I was surprised at the number of changes from my past district to this one, but it helps to have the experience to support my position.
Once Gorman put the word "exemptions" into this memo, the rest isn't worth reading. As with most of CMS policies and procedures, this is all public relations nonsense. Bottom line is that the people that the principals don't like will be gone, and those with the proper "suck up" skills or those who are willing to compromise their teaching to fit into a cookie cutter model will stay.
Because I am not willing to "tow the line," my one and only "observation" this year was completely falsified. All comments were highly complimentary and recognized the achievements happening in my classroom, but when the administrator had to check off "above standard, at standard, or below standard", the administrator chose "below." Then, they filed a false "observation" to try to cover the fact that after a dismal initial observation, no one observed me again as a follow-up.
They want you out, you're out.
There is enough money in this city (and country) to go around. It is our society's view of what is needed and valuable that makes it look like we don't have enough. For example, we think it's OK that some citizens live in 3,000 square foot homes while others are homeless. The laying off of teachers is a reflection of what we are.
Wow?? ANON 1:30...may I suggest THERAPY! You sound so bitter towards teachers which is sad. Teachers aren't paid much and have to deal with more than people realize. Your "sacred cow" comment just confirms the "lack of respect" we have to deal with from society.
Imagine being evaluated based on the achievement of students whose parents made "poor breeding choice(s)?" We do it everyday with a "SMILE" and make a difference in the lives of people who would be lost without us!
It sounds like you were misunderstood as a child or maybe you were overlooked as "Student of the Week?" Whatever your issues are, I hope you "GET OVER IT!" If you don't, your attitude will pass on to your children and the bitterness will continue for generations and that STINKS.
Having to deal with attitudes like yours is why I think it's time for ALL teachers to grow BACKBONES and walk out. I bet the city, state, and/or nation will find the funding then.
To the former teacher now "working in another capacity," your clarification of the information the public receives sounds "politically correct." Unfortunately, I know firsthand that there is more to it than what you are saying. I agree that we need highly qualified, efficient teachers without question. What no one reveals to the public is that there are Administrators and People in Leadership positions who are "STRAIGHT FROM HELL!"
Having witnessed and experienced the controlling nature and vindictiveness of leadership like this makes it difficult to trust or believe that the CMS layoff process will be accurate or fair. As with any work environment, school employees and administrators experience personality conflicts that can be worked out if willing. Unfortunately, some administrators will use such conflicts to get rid of and get back at good teachers, regardless of their efficiency in the classroom.
I absolutely love teaching, I have always had at or above standard evaluations, I believe myself to be, and have been told that I am a Great Teacher, creative and a good person. Yet, I know that as a teacher, I am wounded, possibly beyond repair.
I pray for the teachers who will soon experience what I am experiencing now, especially those let go for the WRONG reasons. Maybe the cuts should be from the TOP DOWN instead of the Bottom Up. As for me, teaching has been too political and "abusive." I am seeking a new career completely.
I also want to throw out the point that certain categories of teachers are exempt from being laid off - 1) Science & Math and 2) Teach for America.
I wonder if any of these teachers are walking around the school with less concern than the others who do not fall into these protected categories.
Sacred Cows make the best hamburger!
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