the RIF hits home

Friday, OSD officials came to Capital High School to personally deliver RIF notices to six teachers, our rookie staff who find themselves in the "lower 48." Having barely scraped through the '04 RIF, I can speak to the fear and uncertainty the process creates. (It got my students fired up, let me tell you.)

Capital's situation is a little more precarious than some, not only because of the political and economic climate, but because of our shifting demographic. With anticipated enrollment declines, we're overstaffed by 3.2 FTEs--and could lose an additional 1.8 positions if the Superintendent's proposed cuts are adopted.

The good news, at least as good as we can get at the moment, is that the 48 RIF notices mean, even in the worst case, a loss of 13 positions beyond the 29 already eliminated. The bad news is that even if a legislative miracle occurs and all the 48 teachers are retained, we're still going to face larger classes and fewer course offerings. Departing or retiring teachers just won't be replaced. But let's close on better news: District and school officials are optimistic that the worst case is unlikely.

Tomorrow's OSD Board Meeting (Knox Building, 6:30 p.m.) is your first chance for public comment on the proposed cuts. Can't make it? There's a survey.

the context of the Olympia School District RIF

As announced yesterday, the Olympia School District is planning to send RIF notices to the 48 least senior teachers in the district.

To understand why, it's important to know a little bit about how teachers get paid here in Washington.

In the Evergreen state, your standard teacher's paycheck comes primarily from state coffers--and, more specifically, from sales tax receipts. Districts receive allocations based on student enrollment, divvied into FTEs--Full Time Equivalencies. Cut state funds, and you have two choices: shorten the school year, or cut teaching positions. (Or both? Don't say both.)

When the Great Recession tanked Washington's economy, sales tax collections tanked as well. Now, with the gap between will and way sitting somewhere near $5 billion in the coming biennium, the Legislature, at least until this point, has refused to consider new revenue sources by closing tax loopholes*, or--horrors!--raising taxes. (If anything, the recent $263 million boon from Sales Tax Amnesty proved that the state isn't yet entirely competent at collecting the taxes we're already supposed to get.)

Word is now coming from Governor Gregoire that she'll support closing the gap with a 1.9% pay cut for teachers--purportedly to keep things in line with the cuts other state employees have taken.  Fair is fair, right?

Not exactly. As The Olympian's Brad Shannon writes,

The House and Senate are negotiating daily during a 30-day special session on the 2011-13 operating budget, and the pay cut has left the chambers at odds. The House took a different approach, suspending COLAs and saving almost $57 million more by cutting “step” pay increases granted each year to teachers, based on their years of service and educational attainment.

House Education Appropriations Committee chairwoman Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, has said she would prefer to shorten the school year so that teachers would work and earn less – while avoiding the sticky problem of having rich districts cough up money to avert the pay cuts while poor districts cut pay.

Other state employees have received furlough days commensurate with their salary reductions--but the Legislature finds itself in a bit of a constitutional mess, knowing that the state's mandated "paramount duty" is to fund public education, which seemingly prohibits shortening the school year, currently 180 days. Learning Improvement days can disappear--and they're gone--but school days are sacred.

Gregoire's accommodation is at least better than the Senate plan, which would not only eliminate the LID, but cut an additional 3%. Hats off to local rep Chris Reykdal, a former teacher who gets what's at stake.

Reykdal, a freshman who has been out-front among Democratic lawmakers this year in trying to raise new revenue by closing a few tax breaks, said there is a fairness issue for teachers. While the Senate wants additional 3 percent pay cuts to match the 3 percent pay reductions Gov. Chris Gregoire has negotiated with many public employee unions, Reykdal said the general-government cuts are accompanied by an equivalent amount of extra time off for workers.

“So our unit cost didn’t change” per day worked, Reykdal said. In the Senate plan, he said teachers see it as a cut in pay with the same workload.

And it is.

The rumble around the lunch table doesn't yet involve serious talk of strikes or walkouts or Work-to-the-Contract days or Wellness Walks, but if the Legislature foists its fiscal decisions onto local districts, abdicating its responsibility and leaving teachers in the lurch, you can bet that the rumble will turn into a roar.



* But that may soon change.

Olympia School District faces RIF

This afternoon, the Superintendent of the Olympia School District released a recommended list of budget cuts for the 2011-2012 school year. Thanks to a legislature that's still squabbling over state budget particulars, local school districts have had to draw up worst-case contingency plans. The OSD's proposal assumes a roughly $2.3 million drop in the next fiscal year.

Since the bulk of the District's funds go toward personnel, two of the biggest potential cuts involve increased class sizes, and, concomitantly, lost teaching positions.

• Increase elementary class size by about 2 per class, at grades 1-5. This is consistent with the new state funding schedule which provides 1 teacher for each 25 students in grades K-3. (OSD continues to subsidize kindergarten class size at about 23 students where the state pays for 1 teacher for each 25 students.)
• Increase secondary class size by 1.3 students from 28.7 students per teacher/section to 30 students per teacher/section. This represents an increase in the average; as is the case today, class sizes will vary depending on content and student interest.

According to the more detailed outline, this means a loss of 8.2 and 7.8 positions, respectively. Add (or subtract?) the nearly 14 positions lost to declining enrollment, and more (of an uncertain number) lost to vaporized federal stimulus money, and the District is looking at losing dozens of teachers--or, in the "best" case, simply not replacing those who leave.

Other recommendations include charging students for zero-hour classes, converting all middle school sports into intramurals, delaying social studies textbook purchases, and cutting the reserve from 4.3% down to 3%.

The OSD Board of Directors will take public comments on the budget at several upcoming meetings, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. meeting, May 9th the Knox Building. And if you live in (or teach in) the Olympia School District, you should take this survey, too.


Update:

The RIF communication team has more details:

We are writing to share difficult news. Although the State Legislature has not completed their budget work, the District is moving forward with its proposed budget and reduced education plan for the 2011-12 school year. This reduced education plan prompts a reduction-in-force (RIF) process that includes, but will be limited to, the 48 least senior certificated employees on our seniority list....

There are important considerations to keep in mind in this process. Although the employees who fall within the 1-48 seniority rank will receive RIF notices, the actual number of positions the District will eventually reduce will be fewer. Factors that will be taken into consideration to determine the final number of reduced positions include:

* The eventual number of retirements, resignations and leave of absence requests;
* The final state budget which will determine the actual revenue loss for the District;
* Updated projections of District expenditures for the remainder of the school year;
* Enrollment changes; and,
* Decisions made by the School Board.

No mention yet in The Olympian.

Added 5/5: The RIF in context.

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.

no substitute

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/257206.html

WASHINGTON – A year is a long time in a child’s education, the time it can take to learn cursive writing or beginning algebra. It’s also how much time kids can spend with substitute teachers from kindergarten through high school – time that’s all but lost for learning.

Despite pressure on schools to increase instructional time and meet performance goals, the vacuum created by teacher absenteeism has been all but ignored – even though new research suggests it can have an adverse effect in the classroom.

The problem isn’t just with teachers home for a day or two with the flu. Schools’ use of substitutes to plug full-time vacancies – the teachers that kids are supposed to have all year – is up dramatically.

Duke University economist Charles Clotfelter, among a handful of researchers who have closely studied the issue, says the image of spitballs flying past a daily substitute often reflects reality. “Many times substitutes don’t have the plan in front of them,” Clotfelter said. “They don’t have all the behavioral expectations that the regular teachers have established, so it’s basically a holding pattern.”

Clotfelter’s examination of North Carolina schools is part of emerging research suggesting that teacher absences lead to lower student test scores, even when substitutes fill in. And test scores have gained heightened importance, because the 2002 education law penalizes schools if too few students meet testing benchmarks. The goal is to get all kids reading and doing math at their grade levels by 2014.

Raegen Miller, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, is examining the impact of teacher absences on fourth-grade test scores in a large, urban school district that he chooses not to identify. His findings show that 10 teacher absences within a year cause a significant loss in math achievement. When the regular teacher is gone for two weeks, it can set students back at least that amount of time.

“Teachers often have to re-teach material, restore order and rebuild relationships after absences,” said Miller, who is conducting the research with Harvard University education professors.

Nationwide, the number of schools reporting that they used substitutes to fill regular teaching vacancies doubled between 1994 and 2004, according to Education Department data. The latest data showed more than a fifth of public schools use subs in this way.

Miller found big differences in teacher absence rates among schools in the same district. He said the “professional culture” of a school and the relationship between teachers and administrators affect absenteeism.

MORE ONLINE

To find the Education Department’s data on substitute teachers, go to http://nces.ed.gov. Click on the “Surveys and Programs” tab at the top of the page. Click on “Elementary/Secondary,” then scroll down to “Schools and Staffing Survey.”

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]