the pre-RIF notice notice

Today, Olympia School district employees received this notice from Beth Scouller in Human Resources:

Dear Teachers and other certificated employees:

I am writing to let you know that on Monday night, April 21, the School Board will be considering a motion that allows the District to carry out a reduction in force (RIF) process. As you may have heard, the District is facing a budget shortfall of more than $2 million for the 2008-09 school year and is looking at many different options to close that budget deficit, including reductions in programs and staff.

At this time, we are not certain as to whether a formal RIF process will be necessary or not. My goal is to establish and maintain regular communication with you so we can try to alleviate the anxiety and uncertainty that accompany prospective cuts to our staff and programs.

Approximately 85% of our funding supports personnel, so it's no surprise that, facing steep cuts, the District has to consider the RIF process. The motion before the Board this coming Monday will doubtless pass, because without it, the District would be legally unable to pursue any personnel reductions for the coming year.

Those of us who survived the last RIF notice--I was the last standing secondary English teacher in the District in '04--hope that this early communication is, if nothing else, a sign that the chaos and confusion that reigned then aren't repeated now.

If we do get to the point where a RIF is necessary, you can be sure I'll blog all about it, especially focusing on the changes instituted since last time.

Bethel strike over?

It could be history a mere six days after beginning, KOMO reports:

Striking teachers and the Bethel School District reached a tentative contract agreement Monday that could end a short strike. Union officials say teachers could be in their classrooms as soon as Wednesday.

Bethel Education Association President Tom Cruver did not release any details of the settlement, which came after 25 hours of weekend negotiations, but he called it fair.

"It would be fair to say that both sides worked to find a middle ground," he said.

Teachers will vote Tuesday evening. If they ratify the contract, school will resume on Wednesday, Cruver said.

Based on Cruver's words, I'd wager with about 90% confidence that the teachers will ratify the contract.

Across Puget Sound, the Shoreline EA, meanwhile, moves closer to picketing.

Bethel on strike; school delayed indefinitely

This is a shout-out to the striking teachers in Bethel, who will hit the pavement to picket tomorrow after yesterday's bargaining breakdown.

Classes had been set to resume Thursday, but schools will remain closed at least through the end of the week, according to the notice. About 1,050 teachers and 18,000 students are affected.

In a notice posted on the school district's Web site, School Superintendent Tom Siegel said the Bethel Education Association gave strike notice last night.

"The Bethel Education Association informed the district late Tuesday Aug. 28 that their members were on strike," the posting said.

"We are hopeful that negotiations will continue over the weekend with the goal of opening school as soon as possible," Siegel wrote, adding that the school district had presented the last offer and was waiting for a response.

Both sides are at odds over compensation, workload and health care benefits. The district said their latest offer increased total compensation [by] 6.5 [and] 6.9 percent under terms of a two-year contract.

Here's hoping for a swift and reasonable resolution. No one likes a strike--teachers least of all.

Update 9/1: After a hard day's negotiation, still no resolution.

Tuesday is the earliest classes could begin, but that now looks unlikely.

Cruver says even if a proposed deal was reached soon, some vacationing teachers would not be able to see it until their return home on Monday.

"We have a 24-hour time for people to look at those contracts," Cruver said. "You know how thick they are and how much there is, so we are hopeful things can start as soon as possible as soon as we reach a tentative agreement, if that is even possible at this point."

The district says it will notify parents by phone Sunday evening at the latest.

That's Bethel EA president Tom Cruver. From his speech to the union, given this past May:

We care about these issues because they are our issues. Your yes vote today tells the district that you support our bargaining team. We want the district to quit stalling and we want a fair and equitable contract before school begins next fall. Our numbers empower our bargaining team to obtain a breakthrough contract.

They voted yes. Just how close they are to the breakthrough remains to be seen.

photo of Governor Gregoire signing National Board bonus into law

I got my box in the mail, just a pit stop in the Paperwork 500 otherwise known as National Board certification. I'll be certifyin' with the best of them next year, videotaping myself and writing endless self-assessments, taking tests that prove my literary and pedagogical mettle. (If the TRP can do it, so can I.)

It's nice to know that the sense of satisfaction and pride I'll have once it's all done isn't all I have to work toward. Now that Governor Christine Gregoire has signed SSHB 2262 into law, I'll also receive a $5,000 annual bonus. That'll help with a house payment.

The folks in the photo, as identified by Jim Meadows of the WEA, who sent it along:

Rep. Ross Hunter
Sen. Rodney Tom
Lucinda Young, WEA Lobbyist
Jim Meadows, WEA
Governor Gregoire
Terese Emry, OSPI
Laura Koch, Seattle NBCT, and kids

I don't make as much money as a lot of people

Good thing, too. I don't think I could handle it:

You have to poke way down the list of best paid Washington state employees to find Gov. Chris Gregoire's name.

The higher education Top 100, for instance, is headed by the University of Washington president and everyone on the list makes more than $200,000 a year. On a separate Top 100 of other state employees, Gregoire, the head of government, ranks 29th, with a salary of $151,000 last year.

It turns out that some high-demand college professors and administrators, medical professionals who care for state clients or teach, money managers and a handful of government administrators make the big bucks....

Three of Gregoire's cabinet earns more than she. Doug MacDonald, soon to depart as transportation secretary, ranks No. 12, with pay of $163,000. Budget Director Victor Moore and Robin Arnold-Williams, secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services, are at No. 17 and 18, both earning about $158,000.

After all, as Spiderman warned, with great cash comes great responsibility.

Update: Number One in "general government" says she's really not number one:

Dr. Willa Michelle Terry is on contract with the Department of Social and Health Services for $60 a hour as a consultant. She also works for the University of Washington....

“The point is that in no way have I ever made so much money - since January of '07 when I started the medical consultant position I have worked on average 6.5 hours per week at approximately $60 per hour - so projecting forward my salary … will be more than $100,000 less than published,” she said in an email exchange with financial office and the media Tuesday.

an open letter to Washington legislators

Dear folks in charge,

As a fairly new high school teacher, I thought I was wise to choose Washington above other states, knowing that the lower salary was balanced out by decent health benefits, a dependable retirement plan, and, above all, the most incredible landscape in the country. With salaries falling further behind other states, with health care costs rising, and with the threat of a gainsharing repeal, will Washington's only incentive be its snow-capped peaks?

This state has enough trouble recruiting quality teachers. Let's not make things more difficult by repealing gainsharing.

Regards,

Me

House budget released; Lobby Day bears fruit

Yes, I'm going to give us credit for the successes in the fresh House budget:

K-12. The plan fully covers Initiative 728, with $238 million for class-size reduction and another $30 million to add 200 teachers in grades K-4. It includes $350 million for I-732, which mandates annual cost-of-living increases for teachers, and $50 million to ease pay disparity among districts. It includes bonuses of up to $10,000 for nationally certified teachers.

The proposal includes $60 million for additional special education spending, $5 million for technology, $25 million more for pupil transportation and $23 million to improve staffing of non-teaching school personnel.

All-day kindergarten is included, at a cost of $51 million, for children in high poverty areas.

Math and science programs would get $68 million, including money to hire 700 new teachers.

Dropout programs would get $8 million and a program for struggling 12th graders would get $12 million.

Gainsharing and the Rule of 85 are still wilcards, as those bills are stalled in committee and have until Thursday to make it out. Oh, and here's why we get credit:

Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, chairwoman of the newly created subcommittee, said the budget plans reflect the best thinking of people in the field.

"The folks in the classrooms and on the ground really helped us understand how we can drive resources to the programs to make the most difference for our teachers and students," she said in prepared comments.

I remember certain teachers speaking with Rep. Haigh about those same concerns.

why merit pay merits skepticism

Ryan of I Thought a Think explains.

These are the stories that will be passed around like folk tales when some district here in Washington takes the leap and tries it, and these are the problems that merit pay supporters don’t have ready answers to. Why would teachers risk public embarrassment for $100? How can we distinguish between the luck of the draw and truly effective teaching when it comes to evaluating the growth of a classroom?

Nobody really knows. Except me.

join the dark side: become a principal

While we're talking "dream jobs that aren't," might as well mention the MSN puff piece about "surprising salaries."

School Principal

What they do: Supervise all areas of a school, including educational programs, disciplinary actions, administrative tasks, budgetary concerns, and managing relationships with faculty, students and students' parents.

The surprise: Although much has been made of teachers' low salaries (averages are in the $40,000 range), principals can earn double that. According to the BLS, the median annual salary for high school principals is $82,225.

We'll give TRP the rebuttal:

Reason #2: Every time I have a crazy parent who doesn't like my decision...and this year has actually been quite good; there has only been one...I say: "I'm sorry you're not happy with this decision. Feel free to contact our principals if you have any further questions." I don't want to have to take the next dozen phone calls from that crazy parent....

I love my classroom, and while I can see maybe wanting to do a career switch at some point (in another decade or so, perhaps), I just can't see anything drawing me into the main office. I'd just as soon retire after 28 more years of Gatsby and Hamlet and Things Fall Apart.

And you know what? That actually doesn't sound too shabby.

Nope. Not too shabby at all.

speaking of things that don't add up

Elizabeth Hovde's well-meaning editorial in The Columbian showcases some of the misunderstandings that plague efforts to improve education. A few clarifications and corrections are in order. First, though, the good part:

Entry pay for teachers is fine. Their pay beats a lot of industries' entry-level wages. But the pay scale tops out way too early and not high enough. Experienced, effective teachers should be rewarded.

Amen to that. Teachers' highest salary possibilities should equal administrators' entry points, at least.

Teachers must pay hundreds of dollars to the union each year. Mandatory union dues or fees should be banned.

Remember those teacher salaries? They're bargained for by the union. Non-union teachers could be paid less, if such a thing were possible for districts.

There are good and bad teachers, just as there are good and bad lawyers, retail clerks and accountants. The process for granting a raise should more closely resemble the process found in the private sector.

Administrators and peers would evaluate teachers based on their abilities and be paid accordingly. Right now, there is no incentive to be innovative or even qualified in one's teaching job.

First, I agree that automatic pay raises and no incentive for improvement are a dangerous mix. But in the absence of objective criteria, "performance" becomes an excuse for kiss-assery. (Later on, Hovde warns against linking salaries to test scores or grades, for good reason--but suggests no alternative measurement.)

Also, Hovde is wrong in claiming there is no incentive for qualification. Teacher pay is tied to coursework in several ways: "staff development" pay, different pay scales for teachers with advanced degrees, and bonuses for National Board Certification. I'm seeking the latter next year, because I want to improve my skills--and the annual bonus helps defray the cost of the assessment.

There isn't an easy way to reform the educational pay structure in a way that promotes excellence, instead of rewarding mediocrity. My plan: boost salaries significantly, attracting a larger pool of candidates. Simultaneously, require certification as rigorous as the National Board program, winnowing out the chaff. If you want quality, you have to pay for it.

with the proper motivation

Gregoire, flush with a 1.9 billion surplus, proposes dumping $197 million on extra math and science funding. The plan:

• Reduce class size. The state already is working to reduce elementary school class size via a citizen-approved initiative. Gregoire's new plan would send districts money to hire more middle and high school math and science teachers, with the goal of having one teacher per 25 students. Cost: $90 million.

• Recruit 750 more math and science teachers, including faculty who are teaching other subjects and didn't major in math and science in college. Additional college and teacher training would be available.

• Offer math and science scholarships to college students who agree to teach in those areas. Cost is $14 million.

• Pay annual bonuses of $5,000 to nationally certified teachers who teach in a "challenging" school and another $5,000 if they teach math or science. Currently, 900 teachers have this extra certification.

• Expand the alternative path to certification for non-teachers in the private sector who are experts in math and science, or paraprofessionals.

The professional development proposals total $62 million.

• Provide hands-on science learning for 1,000 K-8 classrooms, using the Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) program. Cost is $12 million.

• Provide extra help to students who are struggling with the WASLs. Gregoire proposes $12 million.

• Standardize math curricula across the state.

I have a better solution. We teachers are always grousing about parental involvement, and wondering why folks can't be more accountable. Want to see test scores go up? Promise parents a $1000 tax break when their lovable lump passes the WASL, at an overall cost of $82 million per annum. In two years, math scores will rise like rent on Boardwalk.


[cross-posted here]