But it's a bit confusing. It includes certified staff - that's teachers, assistant principals, school psychologists and social workers - whose contracts were terminated as of June 30 because of budget cuts. It also includes an unspecified number of people whose contracts are not being renewed for other reasons.
Click here to see the list.
Others who were laid off are not on the list if they're not certified. That group ranges from maintenance workers to central-office administrators.
The CMS list does not specify the reasons teachers were cut. While some were cut for weak performance, others were targeted because of their job situation, such as rehired retirees.
Read the district's layoff memo
The people on the list have already been notified as part of the cuts approved and reported earlier, CMS officials say.
More cuts may be coming as the state's budget picture worsens.
The Observer has requested more specifics from CMS about who has lost jobs in the first round of cuts. We're also working on a version of this list that will let you search by school, name or position. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Superintendent Peter Gorman just offered this breakdown for layoffs of teachers and other certified faculty: 161 had below-standard job ratings, 72 had licensure deficiencies,
99 were retirees receiving pensions, 14 were interim hires, 294 had "end of year" contracts, 16 were psychologists and social workers and 42 were "not placed from districtwide pool" (that is, people whose positions were eliminated but were eligible to be picked up by other schools). He notes that adds up to more than 855 because 12 fell into two categories: "i.e. they may have been below standard but also were an end of year employee."- Ann Doss Helms
Posts
104 comments:
I feel badly for them that is is public like this.
Although I did check it just to make sure that the teachers I know are not on here.
I don't really stutter. I just need an editor.
thank a teacher
Why is this list public information? Would this not fall under the privacy of a personnel issue?
I really feel that this should not be posted. I know it makes "good news" but it's kind of moral thing. I realize it's public information, but it's not very kind to do. I hope you'll reconsider posting this. It makes the Observer look bad and it really sensationalizes the whole story. You're not just posting the facts here, you're messing with innocent peoples lives.
Extremely distasteful for The Observer to publish this list online. These people have been through a horrible time now you have to embarrass them publically? That's just WRONG. That's not news that's gawking and drooling over carnage.
Ann, if you didn't post it, I was going to.
Parents and even teachers have been pulling their hair out the last 48 hrs. to find out who got cut where. PTAs want to know.
It is not morbid piling on; it is trying to understand the decisions CMS made.
For example, Indy teachers tell me they lost 36 positions including an asst. principal. They are shocked and demoralized. Without this info, how is the public supposed to judge what CMS has done?
Besides, anonymous comments attacking disclosure are not exactly convincing.
JAT
meckdeck.com
I'm on this list and I think it is GREAT that the Observer is doing this. I hope the public actually reads it and finds a name they know and respect/value and asks "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING???" instead of CMS getting to hide it somewhere. There are a LOT of awesome teachers on this list and there are lot more really crappy teachers who are NOT on this list......
I second everything everyone has said about the tasteless decision to post this on the Charlotte Observer's website. How degrading for these people who probably all feel like they've been put through the ringer enough in the last couple of months.
The Observer hit an all-time low when with this posting. Between this and Tonya (your loved staff member everyone dislikes), I will resort to other means for news. You owe everyone on that list a sincere apology you bunch of *(**(O. Rick Thames, this is on you. The buck stops with YOU!
When you read a number (i.e 700 teachers laid off) and then see the actual names you realize how bad this
is. Kind of like seeing the Vietnam Memorial the first time. I wish the best for the teachers.
I admit, I'm torn. I'd be mortified if my name was on that list. I'm mortified for the people whose names are on that list (including the two names I could put faces with). That said, the list makes the situation more real. Perhaps it will propel more citizens to action.
While I do not believe that this information should be considered public information, like it currently is, at least the Observer waited until school was out unlike what the Gaston Gazette did to us in Gaston County.
So Indy lost nearly 5% of the total teachers that were let go. Maybe it is not always the teachers but the students they teach.
Funny that we don't see this kind of outrage when the Observer or the Rhino Times publishes what other public employees are making. Like police officers, firefighters, health inspectors, social service workers, bus drivers, etc.
Teachers are public employees. Their names and salaries are public information, per N.C. Open Records laws.
Imagine the stink that would ensue if the Police Chief or County Manager or the Mayor got a raise, but was allowed to keep the amount a secret? Wow ...
To the above comment. It's not about raises or salaries. It's about being let go. Teachers salaries have been posted for quite a while. Read the dang article.
Some of you surprise me. I've been pressing for several days for the Observer to get and post this information. Parents and the public can't be informed, develop conclusions, and advocate for our positions if we don't have information as to what is happening. The Observer has done nothing wrong by posting this information. CMS didn't release a list of names until Tuesday night, and didn't provide subject taught or the school for the teacher. dj
To Anon at 5:23.
We DO see an outcry when other public officials names and salaries are listed in the Observer or Rhino Times. Nobody wants their salary listed publicly.
I bet the people who complain the loudest about salaries of public officials would be outraged if THEIR OWN salaries were made public.
Shame on Peter Gorman and the School Board for allowing this embarrasing list to be published and shame on the Observer for publishing it. As I life long resident, neither action surprises me.
It's not embarassing for this list to be published. My child's teacher is on here and I hate it. Not that it's published but that she's losing her job. She was a fabulous teacher but came in mid-year and I guess had a partial year contract. I wish parental feedback were considered every year for all teachers. They are losing a great teacher in her, much more energetic than many with "years of service".
While I understand this information is public record, the stigma that goes with the names on this list is awful. There are some wonderful teachers on this list who retired from a profession making little to no money and in a bad economy came back to work, like many. Or, there are teachers who decided to have kids and work only part-time who are on the list. There are also teachers who were in interim positions or who were just hired last year and their positions were eliminated because they are non-tenured. The real bad guy is the Observer. I don't recall seeing the list of their employees who were laid off during their recent down-sizing. Maybe they would think differently about publishing this list if the names of their employees were splashed across the news media. The thing that worries me is that projections tell us that there will be an enormous need for teachers in the next five years and who in their right mind would want to go into the profession now? This goes beyond quality teaching, it is about what we value as a community and society. We are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for concert tickets and to go see sports games, but people gripe anytime teachers get raises or people with doctorate degrees and lots of experience make any money in education (especially when if they were in the private sector they would make twice as much!).
855? 855? We were told only around 350 were going to be cut. At the faculty meeting at Myers Park--about 50 teachers were told good bye to-- 855? We were told to expect 40-45 in our classes next year...The posting of these names and final number (at this moment) is the final nail in the coffin of Gorman's lies===he LIED! flat out LIED! 855!!!! Think about that!
I am one of the teachers on this list. And I'm not a big fan of having my name aired in the public realm in such a way, but if this is what it takes in order to draw attention to the educational crisis here in the Carolinas - then so be it.
It's a very sad day for education. I just don't know how they're going to manage without of all of these people next year??
Anonymous at 8:10PM has a very disconcerting point. What person in their right mind would enter the field of education as a career option at this point?
It's scary.
I am a current CMS teacher. While I have been worried about being laid off because I lack career status, I am not on this list. However, I would like to say that I think that printing the NAMES of the people who are being laid off is despicable. It may be legal and it may help the public put a "human face" on this crisis, but I think that's just a way to forgive ourselves for looking. Why is it not acceptable to say that 855 people have lost their jobs, and perhaps the percentage of staff lost at each school? For example, Myers Park High School has lost over 20% of our staff. We are the largest high school in North Carolina with over 3000 students, and we are projected to grow next year. A 20% cut hits me hard, and it has nothing to do with the names of the people.
Secondly, there are a number of people who have been caught in a loophole, i.e., continuous years of service, and they are being screwed. And thanks to this list, some of them look as if they have not been recommnended for career status, and that is incredibly unfair. Shame on Gorman, the Observer, and the state of North Carolina for allowing this to happen. This travesty is NOT happening in every state, just the ones who are willing to allow the schools to suffer. The problem with education is there is no instant gratification, but we will all be feeling the repercussions of this in 5-15 years.
Sad the Observer finds it necessary to post it, even sadder than you and I read it, like a train wreck voyeur
Now add the fact that yesterday the superintendent released students from paying obligated cafeteria debt in order to receive report cards. Wait until their senior year while their tab is continually running. It just keeps piling up.....thousands of dollars uncollected. Many of my students have multiple financial obligations with no earthly intention of paying, and the attitude it will never need to be in CMS, a direct reflection of their parent(s).
There went my Observer subscription... distasteful, truly distasteful
If you don't like the layoffs, stop voting for Democrats. I wonder how many of those laid off pulled that straight ticket voting lever.
Ann Doss Helms...did you ever ask Dr. Gorman how many of those teachers were AT or ABOVE STANDARD on their evaluations...???
If it was more than 100 then we were lied to about the Teach for America hires...
I would like to say a few things;
1. Thank you to all the devoted teachers who are on this list for putting up with the administrative hassles, the changing test scores, the daily classroom disruptions, and being a stable parent figure to some children who will forever remember your smile and laughter.
2. Shame on CMS for exposing your pain in such a way. Yes, it provides a face but it is still a masked face. Your tears can not be seen through comments and postings but Charlotte has lost a wonderful resource.
3. No one understand more then other teachers the struggle to educate the future when the children don't understand there is a future to be had.
4. May God bless each of you where ever you may be destined. I thank you for your time, energy, and devotion in a difficult field.
Not I, Ghoul....definitely not I. I cannot wait until the next election.
Thank you, Anonymous at 9:11PM. You'll never know just how much those comments meant to us. Teaching at CMS was the most challenging experience I have ever had as an educator...and sadly, I have decided never to return back to educational setting. It just wasn't worth it.
I agree with Anonymous at 9:11 --- a teacher who teaches for several years...leaves for 1 year WITH permission from CMS to go get a Master's Degree--returns TO THE CLASSROOM with a Master's level license is NOT a 1st year teacher...CMS is laying off people with ABOVE STANDARD RATINGS and MASTER'S DEGREES!!!!!! to HIRE 100 non-teachers who all of the sudden decide they an teach!!!! It's B.S. and I'm calling it for what it is!!!!
Anyone reading this should email Ann Doss Helms and the Observer publishing staff why they refuse to ask these simple questions: Why did you publish a story where Dr. Gorman claimed that the 100 Teach for America hirees would only replace BELOW STANDARD teachers? Why have you not at the very least ASKED Dr. Gorman to tell you how many At and Above Standard Teachers were laid off?
deedeestrickland@charlotteobserver.com
rthames@charlotteobserver.com
ahelms@charlotteobserver.com
it shows how they really value education. the city should find other ways to cut their budget. teachers should not be the first one on line!!
9:11 said it so well. I do not know why we are going to put up with Dr. Groman any longer. He must go. Start the move.
Can anyone explain to me why Pete Gorman makes over $265,000 a year? And that's not including his bonuses.
And why are so many of these school principals making over 6 figures a year? For what? What do they possibly do each day to deserve that kind of money?
Seriously - can somebody answer this please?
For those who value teachers and are mortified at the devastation of our public system of education, I say kick the bums out. Vote, e-mail, do something. The future of our children/country demand it.
This goes to show what is really important in this City. The County would prefer to keep non-essential positions warming seats rather than keep needed teachers in the classrooms. Everyone in the community should be up in arms about this decision. What does this say about the taxpayers of this City who sit by and preach to the choir? Our elected officials need to stop working on their private agendas and do the jobs we put them in there to do. I think they are all afraid that they may never work again... How do they sleep at night knowing they made the worst decisions possible for the children of this county? I have no respect for anyone who sat in silence and allowed this to occur. Why weren't some of the Admin. positions cut? If so why aren't they made public? If Mr. Gorman had any integrity he would have given up some of his salary. One thing for sure "What goes around, comes around"
Proud Parent of children who will make it in spite of this terrible decision that will have consequences for years to come.
SHAME ON EVERYONE INVOLVED.
I don't believe that the Observer should have posted the names of these teachers, it is shameful. But I believe they do so for the purpose of shock value and trying to put a face on the budget cuts.
I have a cousin who teaches in another county. She had told me several weeks ago that teachers that were "double-dipping" (what she called it) had already been notified they would not be rehired. The Observer stated above: "The CMS list does not specify the reasons teachers were cut. While some were cut for weak performance, others were targeted because of their job situation, such as rehired retirees." Rehired retirees were double-dipping in that they were drawing full retirement from the state while also drawing a part-time paycheck from the state as well. Those folks that are not being rehired but will continue to draw their full retirement benefits.
My cousin (an NC teacher) agreed with this. She said that while many of the retirees were indeed good teachers, it for some time did not allow newer, younger faces to enter those jobs. While the budget cuts that we are seeing state-wide will hamper creation of new jobs, this will help some of the younger folks (the ones in college now perhaps) get a teaching job when the economy recovers and jobs open up.
While I feel sad for the teachers that are getting laid off ... folks need to remember that there's layoffs everywhere, education is not the only sector of this economy that is impacted. All of those other folks getting laid off have faces and names and families too...
Have any of you thought about the possibility that there are some above standard and excellent Teach for America recruits as well? I am the parent of a recruit coming to Charlotte next week, and some of these comments make me feel like my daughter is walking into a war zone. While I admit she was not an education major, she has thought of nothing else for 4 years but Teach for America and helping bridge an educational opportunities gap that has been deemed to exist in your area. I can only hope now that somebody in the CMS will appreciate the effort she is making and welcome her with open arms...
This is terrible....No teacher needs face this kind of public exposure of job loss... So Mr. Obama, what was all of that BS about paving the way for better educated teachers? Getting them better pay? I guess that only applies to administrators right Mr. Gorham? How is it that we are facing such a huge budget short fall? Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn't the population of Charlotte, and North Carolina as a whole been on the rise for the past 20 - 25 years? So that means an increase of the amount of property, state, and county tax collected over that period of time correct? The fact that the economy has gone in the crappper shouldn't have such a sudden impact on public spending. One would think that there should have been a plan set in place taking into account the relationship between the increase of population, increases in taxes collected to the amount of spending and future projected budgets. Really? Is the educated public supposed to really believe the line, "Oh geez guys, I just got off the phone with Raleigh and they suddenly decided to deprive CMS of 33 million dollars for the upcoming year. Really didn't see that one coming guys. I'm taking back a little"
Are the people in Raleigh facing the same kind of crippling cuts from the state? I think Mr. Obama and Ms. Purdue have blown a bunch of smoke up our collective a$$es. This is what happens when you have executive and legislative branches with no philabuster power. Single minded agenda are passed without opposition. This is what America is in store for untill we create a sense of balance in our political system. You take about half of what the republicans want mix it with about half of what the democrats want and eventually you get something that is good for the majority of the people. Right now we have a few very power people with an agenda and no one to challenge them to create better ideas. Pretty soon we'll all be driving hybrid chevy aveos, listening to government raido, and living in government financed housing. Throw in a few parades and we can call it the United States of N. Korea. Thanks again to all of you uneducated voters who just voted down party lines. This is proof that you should be able to pass a compentcy test to vote... and have children (couldn't resist)
I see that some of the people on this comment page was on the CMS list. Did any of you go to the rally that was held at the board office to contest these layoffs? If you don't stand up and fight for yourself, other people won't. I am a former teacher in CMS and I know how poorly the teachers are treated there. I've seen it first hand. There is no union, no labor board and nobody to fight against some of the poor treatment the teachers get. If you don't fight the situation than you get what you get. Somebody has to take a stand. And one teacher can't do it alone. They laid off over 900 people but only 20 people were at the rally! Pitiful.
The Observer never seems to fail me in reporting the most negative and distasteful news regarding CMS but this one takes the cake. I am still dealing with this "lay off" my own way which did not include calling all my friends, family and colleagues and reporting to them that I lost my job. But thanks to you I don't have too. Thanks to you I get to answer calls or ignore calls from well wishers or nosey church goers and neighbors bombarding me with questions of which I (nor they) cannot answer yet like "What are you going to do now?" or "What about your children" or giving me the sad, pitiful "Oh, I'm so sorry look." Where I will pick up the pieces and move on to another job, I am still mourning the loss of a job I've had that I've dedicated time beyond 7am-3pm M-F. Children that graduate and come back just to tell me how I've influenced their lives and decisions or how I was the only one who seemed to care when it counted. I will miss the mid August back to school jitters and the afterschool counseling sessions. This may all seem too sentimental but just know that your freedom of speech and press and public BS is costing me my privacy and need to deal with this my way in my time. Shame on you.
You tell 'em, June 12 @ 2:34AM - "Shame on you!!"
And no, I didn't go to Marshall Park to protest the board for laying me off. And that is because I do not want the job back. I'd rather live in a refrigerator box under a highway bypass than go back to work for that district.
Seeing all those names makes it a little more more personal. That's a lot of people.
To Mary and the Others: Yes and imagine that each name represents a classroom of 20+ young people and it magnifies the impact on the Charlotte community. Tragic.
Debate over whether the list should have been published or not is valid but to me the bigger debate is over the problem itself. What has the layoff done to those listed AND what is this going to do to the schools, the teachers, classroom size, and testing results. Were the decisions that were made in the best interest of the students and schools?
1. As a teacher whose name is on the list, I would like to truly thank everyone who has posted comments expressing their distaste for both the publishing of the list of RIFed employees, as well as the tragic employment situation we currently find ourselves in. I am mortified that the list was published; I find it insulting. I don't mind that people can look up my salary, but I don't think it is appropriate for the free world to be involved in my own private grief, and I am certainly grieving.
2. I would also like to particularly thank the person who posted the following comment at 9:27 yesterday:
"I agree with Anonymous at 9:11 --- a teacher who teaches for several years...leaves for 1 year WITH permission from CMS to go get a Master's Degree--returns TO THE CLASSROOM with a Master's level license is NOT a 1st year teacher...CMS is laying off people with ABOVE STANDARD RATINGS and MASTER'S DEGREES!!!!!! to HIRE 100 non-teachers who all of the sudden decide they can teach!!!! It's B.S. and I'm calling it for what it is!!!!"
This is exactly the situation I am in, but the list insinuates that I did something wrong because of the asterisk next to my name stating that "certified employees not being recommended for career status." I returned to college to become a better teacher for my students, because teaching is more than just a job for me; it is the only thing I have ever wanted to do with my life. But now, because my return to higher education caused a break in my "continuous years of service," I'm out of a job. It's a travesty.
3. Finally, I wish to speak to the mother whose daughter is a TFA recruit coming to CMS next year. First, you need to understand that we teachers were told that those 100 TFA recruits would only replace low-performing teachers. That is not the reality of the situation because we did not lose that many low-performing teachers. Secondly, you need to keep in mind that some of us who have dedicated our entire lives to teaching, who were education majors and minors, now do not have jobs. The spaces those TFA recruits are filling to, as you say, "bridge an educational opportunities gap that has been deemed to exist in your area" are spaces that I, and many other teachers on that list, should have first had offered to us, not just out of loyalty, but out of professional courtesy and respect. I have no doubt that your daughter is enthusiastic and eager to help. I will also admit that she may be a better teacher than some of the people both on and off the list. I will not, however, say that it is okay for her to take away a teaching job from someone who has spent years in this system, who has never received an evaluation below "At or Above Standard," and who is devoted to his or her schools and, most importantly, students. I suggest you brace your daughter for the fact that CMS will not be the happiest of places next year and that she may run into some anger. I also ask, however, that you tell her she is coming to a school district with some of the greatest students, teachers, and parents that I have ever had the honor of knowing. She is an extremely lucky young woman and I wish her the best.
Thank you again, everyone, for the support posted here. I hope that CMS gets their act together soon and realizes what a hole they have dug for themselves with these massive layoffs. They are tying the hands of their remaining teachers and making it extremely difficult to do our jobs.
This is terrible that this many teachers had to be let go. The teachers are who shape America's youth, with out teachers we would not have doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. They already do not get paid enough but now we have to send so many packing. I do not understand Bev Purdue. Any economics book will tell you that you do not cut infrastructure in a time of recession. I guess she missed that lesson and so did her staff, because education is definitely infrastructure. This is what a straight ticket vote got us this year. I do not think Pat McCrory would have let this happen if he was governor.
A Poem:
Sometime when you’re feeling important, sometime when your ego’s in bloom;
Sometime when you take it for granted, you’re the best qualified in the room;
Sometime when you feel that your going would leave an unfillable hole
Just follow these simple instructions and see how they humble your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water, put your hand in up to the wrist;
Pull it out, and the hole that’s remaining is a measure of how you’ll be missed.
You can splash all you want when you enter, you may stir up water galore;
But stop, and you find that in no time, it looks quite the same as before;
The moral in this quaint example, is to do just the best that you can;
Be proud of yourself, but remember, there’s no indispensable man!
Katherine M. I couldn't agree with you more---I am still shocked that on the eve of 855 layoffs, CMS will play host to 100 new "recruits" from TFA...to the TFA mom--your daughter is, in fact, walking into a war zone---those 5 weeks of boot camp may try to prepare her, but in reality---we are in a fight to save our school and our teachers---Gorman is like a toddler with a shiny new toy---TFA is the toy---just like any number of the other FADS he has put into place---once the luster is gone--he will move on---as he has with other of his FAD ideas--probably to another district and OURS will be left in shambles--we will be stuck with hundreds of people without degrees in education--and you know...the next Superintendent, may not like that type of toy....there are many cities and districts across our nation who have declined TFA "services"--there must be reasons for that---
I'm sorry, but if your daughter has been thinking about teaching for 4 years--she should have earned her Ed Degree---instead of taking the "pay off my loans kick others out of jobs" route. I lost many OUTSTANDING colleagues---and this move to install TFA teachers in their place is a slap in their faces.
Nice poem above...not really. A good teacher is indispensable dude.
And no offense to TFA folks, because I've seen some (not a lot)of good TFA teachers, but 2 months in a boot camp does not prepare you to be a good educator. What TFA is really bridging is the gap on their resume between their bachelors and their law degree. There are exceptions to this rule, but not many.
I graduated top of my class from a top 25 school in the country and I realized, nearing the end, that I wanted to teach. The only problem is, my degree was not in Education. I took the fair route. I did not feel that 2 months in TFA's summer program would really prepare me, so now I've spent the past 2 years going through a Teacher Education program (and paying for it on my own), while working as a Teacher's Assistant so that a TFA recruit can take any job prospects away? All the while qualified teachers are getting laid off? TFA needs to be reconsidered for our district. Why should Gorman get to make this monumental decision. I agree with the above posted.
As a person on this list, I am not embarrassed. I did nothing wrong to be on the list except to not be career status and to be part of a department that the administration of CMS seems to have little use for. As a School Social Worker, I worked hard and provided a valuable service to the school and to the students. I enjoyed my time with CMS on the school level. I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic people including security personnel, psychologists, social workers, special populations, and teachers. I am concerned about how the schools are going to manage next year with larger classes sizes and minimal support. I am sending best wishes on to those left behind. Please keep in mind that the ultimate goal is educating children, so try not to let all of this other stuff interfere with that goal.
Pete Gorman should call an emergency meeting and CUT some of the things that were mentioned and skimmed over early on, such as Middle School Cuts, Learning Communities, Public Relation Dept., Many More High Salaries than the Average Corporation's Headquarters, Buses that carry one or two kids...give me a break, The MATH ADDS UP. He should also IMMEDIATELY cancel the Teach for America program for now. Desperate times FOR OUR KIDS call for Desperate measures. Why should the Desperate Measure he advocated hurt the KIDS the most??? My child will not be hurt by any of the things listed. My child will be hurt by HUGE classrooms full of children. IMO maybe he should also resign today.
For those railing about the $ principals and Gorman make, consider that each of them do more to affect our world and our future than the folks in corporate America pulling down 7 figures.
I'm not sure why the anger is placed on CMS, when the cuts were imposed upon them from outside the system. Rail against the state, the county, and the people -- all of whom seem to place value on everything but education. Rail against the people who don't want to pay property taxes. But, don't blame a system that has no choice but to cut personnel when their budget shrinks and shrinks while the # of children they must serve grows and grows.
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? WE HOPE!!
STUDENTS; CASUALTIES OF POLITICAL CROSSFIRE!
HOLD ON TO TEACHERS,WHO CANT RELATE TO THE STUDENTS. HOLD ON TO BAD TEACHERS WHO ARE TRYING TO RETIRE BUT HAVE NO LOVE FOR THE CHILDREN.
CUT EMPLOYEES LIKE B.O.A/MYRRILL LYNCH CONVERSION AND HIRE NEW ONES WITH HIGHER SALARIES.
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINING OF CUT BACKS FUNDING IS BEING REMOVED FROM LEVEL 2 AND 3 GROUP HOMES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE GRANTS AMONG OTHER PROGRAMS. THE MONEY WILL BE RECYCLED TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. CHARLOTTE IS GETTING READY TO BITE OFF MORE THAN IT CAN CHEW BY "SAVING MONEY".
I, too, am on that list. I know why. The reason I am on that list is due to a lack of career status. The list makes it seem as if the names are those who are not up to being career teachers. For some of us, this is not so. We will be vindicated.
I have been told, by people in the profession for considerably more years than I, that it takes a teacher at least five years to become a great teacher. This makes sense to me given all the variables. However, I do assume that five years would be in one place not scattered around.
There are so many variables to teaching and so many issues going on at some of these schools. The general public is very unaware of them and would revolt, if revealed.
The primary problem at CMS is not the teachers, though in some cases this may be true. It is the fact that CMS is all about style over substance. CMS has chosen to look good rather than actually be good.
I have said enough, although I will say that CMS is not alone. This is a national problem.
My previous post that said MIDDLE SCHOOL CUTS, should have said MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS. And BTW this just touches on all of the extra programs that CMS offers. Sure they are wonderful, but isn't the basic education what we should strive for before those perks? And to the poster wondering why we are criticizing the executive salaries...do you not think they are excessive at all???
While the posting of the names is legal, I too am appalled, but a bigger question is" Why now?" timing is everything. Releasing this info now informs the public but does not allow the public to the opportunity to effectively mount an informed reaction ( protest in support or against the RIFT procedure for particular teachers) School is out and the decisions have been rubber stamped by the board. What can be done after the fact? Nothing! The public...parents, PTA's and local politicians can't inquire about specific teachers, school percentages of reductions in force, student/teacher ratios, instructional impact, evaluation bias etc. It is a done deal so all we can to is complain, but not demand that the classrooms be held harmless. Dr. Gorman is a brillant strategist and our school board falls for his line very time. He is a great manipulator. I mean really over $1million to rehire a firm that you terminated earlier to help fashion the RIFT policy, over $1million over the next two years for Area Superintendents and their staff who truly don't support schools with their needs, but rather seeks to micro manage. Previous Superintendents always avoid cuts at the classroom level, they made educating the total child a priority. One last note...if money is so tight how can some schools afford to send staff to out of town conferences ( New York to name one place) and pay registration and travel(airfare)? Politicians always tout education when they are running for office, but then develop a case of selective memory once they are elected and push education concerns to the background. Please Char-Meck citizens demand info upfront and become pro-active. Let's quit being manipulated by Gorman and the board.
My name is on the list, but I HAVE NOT BEEN LAID OFF. Not only does the publication of this list make me nervous, it also is degrading.
Public, please note- this list does not include teachers that were placed at other schools. Yes, those teachers have jobs, but they were "removed" from their first place of employment. Thank goodness there was somewhere for them to go so CMS would be able to compile a shorter list.
"The people on the list have already been notified as part of the cuts approved and reported earlier, CMS officials say."
The above quote in the CMS layoff article is inaccurate. I know at least one teacher who learned of their layoff by reading this article.
I am not a teacher, but I was recently laid off in Charlotte due to job elimination (good standing with the company - excellent job performance ratings). As a laid-off worker, I am appalled at seeing names of teachers published. A layoff is a big enough blow without heaping on public humiliation. Thank goodness my company did not release by name to the paper – I would have been outraged! Talk about adding insult to injury.
Shame on Gorman and the Observer.
Maybe CMS could not have done much about the state's financial mismanagement, but I do think it shows a definite lack of class for them to crudely dismiss so many dedicated and talented people without a word of thanks or acknowledgment for their service, even from the principals of the schools they served. I know of cases where teachers were simply "served" separation notices by school resource officers.
To have said thanks for the contributions of those being let go would not have cost CMS anything. To have handled things this way speaks volumes about our school board and about CMS. Is this the character education that they have wanted the schools to model?
This list also does not include the names of numerous instructional assistants that have put in hours of dedicated service to their community. I don't know when, but the ax is falling to many of them as well. They have only been told that they will hear sometime this summer. The forest still has many trees to fall. The landscape is drastically being changed, America. Wake up.
Here's something to think about - why are low-salary, yet eminently qualified teachers being laid off in droves while high paying administers keep their jobs? It seems to me that some fat needs to be cut at the top - not just the bottom of the salary pool.
I'm especially concerned about principals at under-performing schools. Where is their motivation to improve the level of education when they get to keep their $100,000+/year jobs, but lay off quality teachers who earned a third to a half of that? How is this going to make anything better for the students?
As state workers, CMS salaries are public record. Google is your friend.
Anon 9:10, it has been shown that extracurricular activities are essential to overall academic development, as well as future college applications and job qualification.
Well Michael, shown by whom?? Middle school sports is essential to academic development? I didn't say anything about all extracurriculars. There are many that DO NOT cost the system anything at all! In face with the exception of the HIGH SCHOOL athletic programs, I don't think any of the other extracurriculars mine were involved in through school (clubs, competitions, community service) cost anything at all.
Some of the comments sought to politicize this issues, please don't that's part of what is wrong with the School Board which is supposed to be non-partisan.
Don't point fingers at TFA, Retirees or any one else. Lay the blame where it belongs at the feet of the school board and Gorman. They began working on this in early Oct or Nov. in a work session trying to be " proactive" with a budget to present to County Commissioners. However, for the next 3 or 4 meetings they discussed process never nuts and bolts. And by the way they didn't hesitate to give Gorman a raise before seriously looking at budget cuts. There are numerous ways CMS could save money like having a top heavy administration full of 6 figure persons. So please, please don't fall prey to the dividing strategy of pitting one group of employees against another. If CMS is to once again be the " World Class" School system it was before Gorman, all groups must be united in putting students and learning first.
We must demand quality at all levels. We must demand that learning communities, if they are relevant, respond positively to schools by being a "help and support" rather than micro-managers with " a how can I get you attitude" rather that "let's do whatever it takes to help children"
The States observation instrument the "TPAI-R" should be used as an important part of the evaluation process with documentation of teacher performance throughout the year(s) and not a subjective reaction by a principal or one-shot reaction to test scores. Which happens a lot . throughout the system. Principals, Area-Superintendents must move beyond power trips and the get- you mentality. We must be about educating all children not personality warfares between adults at any level.
One last note on test scores. Am I wrong or do we compare apples to oranges? When the high stakes testing began we were told students would be compared to the themselves. Meaning that the scores made by 2007 4th graders would be compared to the scores they made as 2008 5th graders. I don't see that. The example is that in 2007 these students scored 56% in Math and in 2008 they scored 63% ( great 7% gain), but when it is published in the paper, school report card and school improvement plans this is not what is compared. What is compared is that of the 2007 5th grade class (different group of students who are 2008 6th graders) scored 75%. Doing this shows a negative of 12% which appears that the current students made negative growth when in fact if they were compared to themselves they would have shown growth from 4th grade to 5th grade. Apples to oranges across the state and in AYP. Does anyone else see this or am I wrong? Something to think about.
Once we unite we can truly address issues that impact everyone in education with our focus always being what is best for children and their total educational experience.
This list doesn't include the hundreds of teacher assistants that were "laid off" yesterday which will really cripple our classrooms next year. HR went from school to school while staff was still at school and relayed the bad news. They should all sue for their furlough money that just was taken out of their paychecks that they won't be able to take next year.
My name was on the list all because I took maternity leave and returned to a part time position. A lot of people are on the list were part-time or were on leave too. When you take a leave you have NO expereince unitl you work 1year full-time and that is only if you have career status already. So some of these teachers (several of my freinds) just had babies and now do not have jobs. I have been in CMS for many years and Have had many years of experience including 2 teacher of the year titles. I AM an EXCELLENT teacher, but I have NO experience with CMS anymore.
What bothers me more than anything is the TFA. 100 TFA teachers! That is crazy. TFA is luxury that this district can't afford to take right now. Basically our jobs are being given away so Gorman can make new-hires for people who have NO expericence and and who he has NO evaluation for. He is replacing experienced, outstanding teachers whose jobs could be saved and who have families to support for some people who have NO experience. I am very hurt that by this because I need my job and and now I do not have it, because of my time off with my child. Now Gorman is allowing someone who does not have my experitise and experience (although I have none according to CMS) to take a job from me.
I know that the money for TFA is funded from federal Gov for areas of need, but we do NOT have A need right now- we DO have many awesome teachers they are just being replaced with inexperienced TFA teachers. Many colleges graduates will not be getting jobs right so maybe now is not the time for TFA teachers to be getting jobs either. It just seems so unfair.
I agree. TFA teachers need to go somewhere else.
I agree with the TFA comment. In addition, I know several teachers who are on action/support plans for Ridicilious and obsured reasons and no matter how GREAT a job they may do in the classroom, if that prinicpal wants to find something they usually would. Likewise I know some crappy teachers with kids swinging from the ceiling daily who are praised by the same administration. So when I read that "these teachers had below standard ratings," I often have to raise an eyebrow.
I was brought to tears to see this list. The Charlotte Observer should be ashamed of themselves for dealing to low blow to these teachers. I dont mind know that my child's school had some layoffs but to put their name and what they made is a shame. These teachers are having to deal with enough without having to be embarrassed like that. My daughter's math teacher was laid off and she was a dedicated teacher, always there for the students and the parents. They are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Someone wanted to blame the Democrats for this mess, but they must have forgotten that the Republicans were in office for the past 8 years.There were some terribe decisions made during his tenure. Give Obama a chance.He has to clean up the previous greedy administrations' failures.I am sorry for all that have suffered with job losses.
****A very important case in point*** The 120 school psychologists and 38 assistant principals are not on this list. So these numbers are not an accurate portrayal of the real story. These numbers are only from 3 three weeks ago - the layoffs that had taken place on May 22nd. They do not include the layoffs that have taken place before or after this dates - there were numbers of teacher's assistants that were laid off just this week - and they were not on this list. And how many more are going to occur over the summer? It literally makes me sick to my stomach to think of what's happening to our schools. And there will be repercussions to this in the future - for many, many years to come.
In response to: Katherine M.
June 12, 2009 7:47 AM
This article is what public involvement and public disclosure is all about.
You identify yourself as Katherine M. but a search of the published data does not reveal a “Katherine” or any name with Kat in it and having a last name starting with M. If you are a teacher that has been let go without justifiable cause, I acknowledge that it is wrong. Why provide false information? I have been taking action against the problem of poor ethics in our community for many years. I believe non-disclosure is more damaging to our community than full-disclosure. Especially if non-disclosure is synonymous with lies. I whole-heartedly believe that these folks making decisions for our community of Charlotte are in such a different reality they do not know how bazaar their choices appear to the community that pays their salaries. I share some of that blame because although while my children were in school here I fought, voted, and made plenty noise about what I believed was right and not so right.
Today I am more willing to let y'all have what y'all allow them to do.
I fear that the complacency of folks in Charlotte is so deeply rooted that it may take more years than I will see to change the direction. We have become a modern city with all the trimmings. The money continues to flow regardless of budget cuts, (and maybe because of budget cuts for some). Many and maybe most folks in our community will have forgotten all about this in a month. Next school year when class size is 45-50 students per classroom they will complain that its not right but never connect this event today with the consequences later. I believe this is just a by-product of what several generations of complacency in Charlotte have molded.
A real disclosure of all the wrong things happening in our community could cause a massive exodus to some other city where they are much more clever at disguising the truth.
This disclosure has at least revealed that some elected positions need change. It also, if only for me, reveals at least one of those contracted positions may have been used fictitiously to represent a blogger's opinion under the name of Katherine M. Finally I ask those reading, didn't you folks see this and yet much more coming when the interviews with Peter Goreman were cleverly kept out of public reach? I could reference events back 25 years and several superintendents to the same question; didn't you see it coming? There is nothing we should be surprised about. Ask yourselves too, what is being devised while we are all distracted for a week with this event!
If this does not raise concern I recommend you just get a movie and relax for the evening. Maybe rent a copy of “Wag The Dog” would be a good way to close the day.
One of my friends is on the list. She's one of those teachers who came out of retirement to try and help out at one of the "challenge" high schools. There were many semesters over the 4 years I have known her that she had 100% of her students show proficiency on one of the upper level math state tests. Now keep in mind, this is at a school that was being accused by a judge in Raleigh of "academic genocide" for their low scores and what does Gorman do? He allows a teacher with my friend’s success to be cut so he can bring in someone who is going to be there for 2 years and then move on. Sad CMS. I'm glad I left and found a place where I am valued for what I do everyday.
For the 5:48 poster regarding psychologists that lost their job, CMS has "graciously allowed" those with tenure to keep their jobs (approximately 90) of them because they illegally fired them the first time and then told the non-tenured and part-time psychologists (about 50 people) that they could take a pay cut, go back to graduate school and earn ANOTHER master's degree in counseling, and take one of the 101 new elementary counselor positions. That decision to "reorganize" student support services is not a cost-saving measure. In fact, they will be spending more by keeping those people they were forced to keep and having to hire new inexperienced counselors to replace the psychologists who were performing three jobs (social worker, counselor, and psychologist) at the elementary level.
I don't mind so much that my name is on the list; perhaps someone will recognize it and help me get a job! I'm more upset that my salary is on it.
True, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out knowing the number of years I've worked and education level, but I'd rather my students and their parents not see it. What was the point of that anyway?
So my dad and husband were talking this evening. Somehow the conversation turned towards schools...
"Hey you know I saw your name in today's paper?" my dad asked my husband. We quickly logged on and sure enough my husband name is listed.
He didn't find out from his principal but by way of an article online. Way to go CMS!
What in the H*** is those teachers
are going to do to support them selves and there families.They have bills to pay, a mortgage, rent, utilities,taxes, car payments,colleges loans 4 there kids future.That goes to show ya no matter how many degrees u have a job and career is not promising in the future, we are responsible 4
our own selves and job is not always responsible 4 your own way in life or to take of you finanically.
In response to the Anonymous posting June 12, 2009 5:59 PM:
You should read more carefully. The teacher who bravely and honestly shared her opinion did not post her name as "Katherine M.," but as "Katrine M.," and I certainly do not fault her for not sharing all her information. As she said, she is grieving and is mortified to have this private ordeal made public. Shame on you for berating her even more. Perhaps you should focus more on your own hypocrisy; how dare you pick on someone for not revealing her identity while hiding behind "Anonymous" yourself.
Why cant they just cut salarys?!?!
I mean were losing beloved teachers for no reason!!!! That is why all these protests have been going on!!!! Especially at Mallard Creek High School. Everybody cant stop crying because te beloved theater teacher Aimee Jordan, is notrenewed next year for a job at M.C.H.S!!!!! Just cut cut the salary and get over with it!!!!
It sucks enough to lose your job, but to have it posted for public knowledge is unacceptable. My sister is on this list. She is a first year teacher. She has had nothing but wonderful evaluations, and posting information like this means that people who read it assume the worst about you and your performance.
This is borderline defamation of character.
But just be thankful that won't have to work for an organization that has no respect for it's workforce. You will look back at this in the future and be grateful.
I feel sorry for all of those teachers just sitting there waiting for the axe to fall over the summer.
It's a sad day to be a teacher.
Dr. Gorman has compared himself (in the past on the news) as similar to a CEO of a major corporation. Major corporations provide severance packages, assistance with resumes, outsourcing consultants, and other strategies to assist former employees through the transition. What is being done for laid off CMS staff?
I agree with June 13 8:35 a.m. Something needs to be in place to provide real support to staff through this transition. As someone who went through this in March, the lack of information, inaccurate information, and lack of assistance from the HR Department was appalling. Staff were rude, and you could ask the same person a question three times during the same conversation and get three different answers.
Has anybody noticed that the Charlotte Observer reorganized the "CMS releases layoffs list" article online so that our comments would go unnnoticed.
Why do you think they did that? Is it because the newspaper is more about sensationalism than it is about promoting a noble cause?
I will be graduating in December with a MAT in the sciences(GPA 4.0)...with nearly 30 years in corporate as a senior scientist and now dedicated educator. My dream has not changed by the layoffs. However, I will be looking outside of CMS for work where I'm valued. I have been a resident of Charlotte since the 1980's with children attending CMS...my kids deserve much better and so do I. The latest blunder in CMS has been added to the many over the last 25 years providing further evidence that education is not valued in this city by those holding the purse strings-everyone suffers as a result!!!
It is obvious that Gorman has done his job to make the cuts look good on paper due to his "consultant", but doesn't have a clue as to the rampage he has created in this urban city and his entire educational staff. His lack of vision will be evident for years to come in Charlotte...God help everyone, the issues are just beginning both in the schools and branching out into the communities.
His decisions, along with others that should be held accountable will have negative lasting effects both domestically and abroad. Shame on Mecklenburg County!!!!
I plan to apply to other states where education is truely valued
(and trust me...there are many, including NC) but sadly,not in Mecklenburg County...where vision is so short-sided and negative by those running the show.
I am valued as an educator, bring much creativity and experience to the science classroom...but it will be CMS's loss, not mine. CMS will lose many great teachers in the short run and many will not stay as a result of recent events. Sadly, many new teachers will not even look at Charlotte in the future because of the lack of support for them in this district. What a loss to CMS and Charlotte!
As far as entering education now after many years of service in the chemical industry...well...it's all about the kids and I have much to offer them and will continue to do so in many years to come. We need good scientists in this country, US is screaming for such, and it starts in the science classroom with educators willing to share the magic of science.
Good luck to all the teachers that lost their jobs, my heart goes out to you/families...you are in my thoughts and prayers!!! I feel sorry for those that are not on the "list"...the Hell has yet to be realized.
Parents...you have the ball...get out and make some noise, you have a voice in whether Gorman and crew stays or leaves...make them accountable for the mess they have created! The local corporate world should take notice...good education drives new business and influx of such in Charlotte...what are you doing to make education a vital part in our communities????
Good luck to all...we all have choices in life...make good ones!
Your voice matters, the future depends on it!
Most of the information spewed by CMS and the Observer, regarding staff layoffs, made this situation sound like CMS was just going to get rid of the ''deadwood". Well...we're now finding out that hardworking, dedicated staff members, whose students achieved high growth on EOC tests, as well as scored 3's and 4's on EOG's have been eliminated from the school system's roster. Teachers and staff members who earned "above and at standard" on their evaluations have also been released. CMS MUST be honest and admit that they released some wonderful, dedicated, high achieving teachers through no fault of the teacher's.
I agree with the writer who was concerned with Dr. Gorman telling us that he was like a "CEO in a large organization." If that is how he feels, then he needs to act like one! Support the laid off staff members by offering severance, unemployment compensation, job fairs, counseling, financial planning, and other "perks" given by REAL CEO's.
I'm also concerned about TFA members coming into the system when the system can't even support full-fledged teachers. Many of the TFA teachers that I'm acquainted with, use CMS (and other school districts) as a "jumping off post". They take from the system and city for 2 years, get a reduction on their college loans, then use the "experience" on their resumes as "community service or involvement." This helps them secure placement in ivy league graduate schools. What do the teachers, who knew they wanted to be teachers from the beginning of their college careers, get for their dedication and determination? Nothing...just unemployment and NO support from the system!
I'm also not sure why if CMS's mission is to teach K-12 students, so much money is spent on Parent University and Bright Beginnings and other Headstart programs, as well as middle school sports.
One last thing, the newspaper said that people whose names were on the list were notified prior to the printing of their names. That is not true. Several people on the list received certified letters, from CMS, TODAY, with the RIF packet!
I feel that CMS is digging itself into a hole that it won't be able to climb out from!
I don't agree with the public humiliation by posting the names of teachers who have been let go....I really don't like the fact that the salaries are posted either...It is bad when you have to work with people and they treat you ugly because you make more money than they do...It kills the culture and climate of the school...It becomes a discussion topic for the teachers lounge..the money teachers make is nothing compared to corporate sectors...teachers hatin on each other over the little bit of salary for the hard work they do...Don't hate go back to school, brush up your skills, get a handle on the subjects you teach, take a shot a National Board...just don't hate on your co-workers because they do to make ends meet. Teachers....you are still "UNDERPAID" for the TREMENDOUS JOB AT HAND!!! EMBRACE EACH OTHER...STICK TOGETHER...YOU ARE GONNA NEED IT NEXT YEAR WITH ALL THOSE KIDS IN YOUR CLASSES!!
To the 3:37 poster, the real reason for Parent University not receiving any cuts (and in fact adding positions in this time of budget restraint) can be summed up in two words-Sue Gorman.
Bright Beginnings and Head Start are federally funded programs. CMS budget for K-12 programs is not impacted by that funding source at all. As for middle school sports, I agree. While extra curricular activities are beneficial to children's achievement and safety after school hours, no one said they had to be funded by money that could go to keeping teachers in classroom (which has a much greater impact on children's achievement). There are lots of extracurricular options that could easily be done without such huge amounts of funds diverted.
Bright Beginnings costs about $23 million. 49% of that money is LOCAL (not FEDERAL) money. See page 261 of the Proposed 2009-2010 budget.
We should cut $11 million immediately from Bright Beginnings. It has shown NO impact on the students in serves and is not part of the core mission of CMS.
The school board and Dr. Gorman do not realize what they are doing. They some how have managed to go against the No Child Left Behind. Now all Children will be Left Behind. You have done a great disservice to all of the teachers and students. You have clearly lost the meaning of education. You just let go of some awesome people. Shame on you.
Parent University is adding positions? Seriously? Carrying-over academic skills at home is crucial to any child's success - and I would never argue that fact - but not at the expense of teachers in the classroom. Unfortunately, the parents that probably benefit the most from such a program - more than likely do not participate in it. It's their lack of invovlement at the rudimentary level that's the problem to begin with. And If I were a betting woman, I would bet that the majority of parents that do participate in this program are from a higher income bracket. It's nothing more than a luxury to them.
Dear Pete,
You don't mind if I call you Pete, do you? Please put the money back where it's needed most - in the classrooms. Especially in the low income, impoverished areas.
Dear Anonymous on June 12 @ 8:49:
It is obvious to me that you must be an administrator. And with all due respect - and it is without question deserved - but we are not talking about corporate greed here. That's a whole other can of worms you're opening there. We are talking about teachers in the classrooms. Teachers, mind you, that are only pulling in say - I don't know, 40-some thousand a year? Approximately. And I assume, if you really are an adminstrator, that you would truly understand the daily stresses that these teachers encounter on an everyday basis -- yes? Ever walk a mile in their shoes - 100 yards perhaps? If you really did understand it - you would question, "Why in the world would they be the first ones to be sacrificed?" And all the while, the adminstrators sitting in their office in front of their computers are earning 3-4 times the amount of what a teacher makes. So the question being posed to this forum asks -- for what? It doesn't ask for a bunch of educated rhetoric. I can go and read Pete Gorman's memo if I wanted to read more of that.
No one has yet to answer this question. The trimming needs to start at the top - period. And if you want to know what a real district looks like - take a look at some of the models of districts up in New York -- not NYC -- New York State as a whole. You would never see administrators pay at such a high rate - not where I came from. This is not happening in other states people - WAKE UP AND SMELL THE EDUCATIONAL COFFEE!!!
The educational system in the south is horrid.
I think the loss of any job is horrible espeically during these economic times. The children are the ones losing also. These schools are already over-crowded, ... learning will suffer, and the violence will increase.
I think, and this may have been mentioned, but why not use LOTTERY money? It was passed to help education, and if it is only ear-marked for college assistance, well these kids have to get thru K-12 first.
Smart Move, Charlotte Observer because the public needs to know.
As a teacher that has lost their job as part of the cuts, this is like pouring salt into the wound. I have devoted my life to my job for the past 3 years and have had an extremely high success rate with student progress and EOG scores and growth. To have this displayed out there for everyone to see, along with our salaries is a slap in the face. I am continually dissapointed in CMS, but now dissapointed in the Charlotte Observer. This was in very poor taste.
This list also does not distinguish between those who had low job performance and those who did not. As a teacher that did not have low performance, I take offense to this.
I really am curious to see what CMS is going to do in the fall. Dr. Gorman mentions money and budget, but not the kids. Isn't that why we are all here? It makes me very sad to think of the education we are robbing from these children. I think we are about to see a very sad trend in school dropouts, discipline issues and low test scores. However, that is just my opinion, obviously one CMS does not care about :)
Peter Gorman should be FIRED and disposed of. He has our children's future in his hands. By getting rid of 250+ teahers why not redirect the money from streets and his and his wifes bonuses to our teahers. I mean we get lotto money and our shools cant see nothing and We as parents have no say so in what he does .. WE are better with out him.. Fire him before he lets everything turn to crap..
Does the public know many computer/technology teachers were let go? That is a large part of the "end of year" contracts Gorman refers to. Now, how is that being Globally Competitive? Assistants without formal training known as tech associates will teach the students based on the NC Computer Tech Skills? Why isn't computers a core subject like Art, Music, PE and Media Specialists? Stop short changing our kids!!!!!!
I am a former CMS teacher whose name is on this list. I worked extremely hard in a classroom full of students that my colleagues refused to teach because they were from a certain side of town and had certain types of parents. Although I had five years of prior teaching experience I was considered a first year teacher for CMS. Most of the first year teachers at my school were given the students that no one wanted to work with. Despite all that, the children in my class excelled and scored well on end of year testing. I received great evaluations from my supervisors and even a good peer evaluation all year until the very last one which said that I regressed and that I didn’t put in enough effort for the children in my classroom to excel. The new teacher in the classroom beside me received negative comments because she wasn’t “sociable” enough. We were both laid off due in part to our last evaluation and lack of career status. I hate CMS. I really am not sure if I want to teach anymore. Peter Gorman is a crock and so are all of the principals that are laying off dedicated teachers so that assistant principals that have lost their jobs can take the teacher positions for assistant principal pay.
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