School Board Meeting

Last night's school board meeting was very full.  In the study session, a new idea for high school Parent Teacher Conferences was presented.  This is the result of two years of work by DAC, the Negotiations Team, and the Joint Committee.  There was parent and teacher input via surveys in Spring of 2011.  What has come out of this is a recommendation for changing HS PTC for the 2012-2013 school year.  The goal is to increase attendance by parents, particularly of struggling students.

The recommendation is to have the Wednesday of PTC week be a day with no students.  Teachers would hold conferences from noon to 8:00 p.m. with a dinner break.  Each building would decide on a portion of time for scheduled conferences and a portion of time for drop in.  Each building can also decide if teachers would like to conference in their classrooms or in a common area. Because the conferences would be scheduled during the day without students, there would be no compensation day.  Full school days would be held every other day that week.

Some hoped for benefits include:

• Athletic practices scheduled in the morning so coaches will be in attendance at conferences
• Meet the needs of more parents, particularly those who work in the evenings
• Target students who need to have their parents come in
• Allow time for parents to drop in who prefer that format
• No 12 hour days for teachers
• Greater attendance by parents

After implementing this for the 2012-13 year, the data will be reviewed to see if the change is effective in increasing parent attendance, the main goal.

Principals will be learning more about this.  We will be looking for teacher feedback after these conferences as well to see if you found this format more beneficial than sitting in the gym for four hours.  Should you have questions, please let me know.

In the study session, the Board decided to approve two sabbatical leaves (you go to school, the District pays 1/2 salary, and you receive the EXACT position you left), two educational leaves (you go to school with no pay and you will have a job for next year which you are qualified), and leaves of absence (you take a year off with no pay and you will have a job the next year for which you are qualified).


The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report was accepted.  The auditors praised the District for being well-managed.  If you'd like details, go to Jordan District website, and you can read the full report.

JEA member Wendy Hanson of Copper Hills was appointed to be a District Math Consultant.

JEA member Debbie Brown of Bingham was recognized for winning the UEA Excellence in Teaching Award.  She is seen here with a quilt of the Periodic Table made by her students.  You can read about her at myUEA.org.

Legislative Council (AR) Meeting

The AR meeting last evening was well attended.  Thank you to all who were there!  Laura Black, Jordan UniServ Director, presented a PowerPoint on legislative issues, Senator's Osmond's bill, and JEA's next steps.  Your AR received a copy of this PowerPoint.  I encourage you to attend the building meeting so you can see this PowerPoint.

Education Interim Committee

The following is from UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh about when Senator Osmond presented his Public Education Employment Reform Act at the Education Interim Committee on Wednesday.  This is truly a win for us!

"I am happy to report that Senator Osmond was true to his word!  Please spread the word to all your members. We have to celebrate our successes and let the members know our collective efforts are moving us in a positive direction. I am proud to represent you all."

Senator Osmond is Learning

This blog post by Senator Osmond discusses his findings after the public meetings on his proposed Public Education Employment Reform Act.  He has decided to put this on hold!  I encourage you to express you thanks on the blog or by e-mailing him at aosmond@utahsenate.org.

Public Meeting with Senator Osmond

Below are notes from Jay Blain, UEA, and Cindy Carroll, Jordan UniServ from the meeting with Senator Osmond last night.  It was inspiring to see the support of UEA members from Davis to Provo and from Tooele to Park City. 

I spoke with Senator Osmond after the meeting.  I thanked him for being willing to listen, told him teachers felt heard, and that if wanted to win over the teachers, he would need to make changes to these proposals so that they will not hurt teachers.  He said he understands that his actions are going to be the proof teachers need to stand behind him. 

Please see the previous post and go to his blog post to make comments publicly.  He is also open to e-mails at aosmond@utahsenate.org.

Notes:

5:30 – 6:30 by invitation only

Senator Osmond stated that the purpose is to get input about the impact before we get into the session.  Clearly there is a feeling of antagonism, we need a partnership, and we need to collaborate.  Superintendent Shumway cited the State of the Union address, “We need to quit making excuses for ineffective teachers.”  He repeated the 3 principles behind the bill.  He also used a landlord tenant analogy mostly to explain the requirement for notice when not renewing a contract. 

Question: Why do we have 3 year for administrators and 5 year limits for teachers if we are asking administrators to make the tough decisions to terminate people?  This will make it difficult to attract and retain administrators.  Also, wouldn’t people just wait for the next principal?  Shouldn’t local boards set the lengths?

Who works harder than someone else?  Teachers are about doing what is best for kids.  Larry Shumway, maybe it is possible to go beyond student achievement.  When we evaluate achievement, whose achievement do we evaluate, student’s or teacher’s?  Many technical issues to overcome.  Senator Osmond, there is a complexness to the collaborative issue that needs to be understood.  We need to address the personal resources that are spent above and beyond time.

Star Orullian described the great relationship and partnership GEA has with Granite School District in remediating and even dismissing struggling teachers.  She is concerned about funding for performance pay especially with other items that are being discussed by Education Interim committee, like tuition tax credits. 

How is this legislation sending a message that we care about kids?  It is sending the wrong message to students that we are trying to recruit to the state as teachers.  I don’t want to work with an ineffective teacher. 

Mike Fraser, Assistant Superintendent from Granite District, backs up what Star Orullian said about partnership with Association.  Granite terminates between 33-60 teachers each year.  Why would we pass legislation to devalue teachers who work so hard to recruit?  Not so long ago we were scratching to recruit any teacher we could.  We try to save them but if we can’t, we cut them loose! 

Account was given of collaboration summit with Superintendent, School Board President, and Association President and it was very positive.  It will be very hard to follow through with it if their hands are tied and it would be a tragedy to backwards because of this legislation.  It is important to trust the experts.

Tom Nedreberg from Tintic reported that his small district let go of 1 or 2 educators over the past couple of years.  In a small district it is very disruptive to have an ineffective teacher so they deal with it.  He recounted an incident of an administrator that ‘went after’ a bus driver inappropriately and a $220,000 suit ensued.

Why would the state stipulate so much?  Let the locals work it out.  This teacher is concerned about situations when choosing between coaching situations.  Will performance pay push people way beyond contract limits when some may have family obligations and other such things that prohibit them from doing such things?  Is teaching going to be a career anymore?

Senator Osmond repeated that his goal is to seek local control and to decentralize.

Vice-President of Murray board, complimented Senator on being here, she is a nurse and she said that it is easier to get rid of a bad teacher than a bad nurse.

McKell Withers, Superintendent of SLCSD, said there no direct line in this legislation to what is good for kids or nothing helpful to get rid of bad teachers.  Could be limiting in obtaining federal grants.  Would there be a tendency to just let a marginal teacher ride to the end of a contract term with no intervention to help the teacher improve?

Concern about the state board creating models for salary schedules.  This is not local control.

Annette Brinkman, GSD, asked, “Are the tools and knowledge there to help teachers and train administrators?  YES, it can be done.”

7:00 open public meeting (about 500 in attendance)

Educators, parents and support professionals filled the Granite District Office board room over capacity with overflow into the hallway.  Attendees were here to listen to Senator Aaron Osmond and Superintendent Larry Shumway answer questions about their proposed Public Education Reform legislation. 

Senator Osmond opened the meeting to say that he and Superintendent Shumway were actually here to listen to the public. Osmond assured teachers that he knows they have not felt heard and that, overtime, they have been frustrated and have felt attacked by the Legislature as a profession and collective body.  He also understands that today’s teachers no longer recommend this profession to future teachers.

Osmond expressed genuine interest in understanding "your [educators’] world".  He said that the “time has passed for antagonism, rhetoric and contention.  It is now time to work together: educators, union leaders, state board and legislature to help our kids.”  

Osmond took ownership that the legislation he is sponsoring is “other than what he is saying about support”, however, he will listen to concerns and act prior to taking this legislation to his colleagues for consideration.  He is not here tonight to tell us what he is "going to do" but, rather to hear and take our concerns to the legislature.  That is his goal. 

 Format:  comments to 1.5 minutes.  Ask a question or express feelings.

 If people are not comfortable in a public setting, please email:   aosmond@utahsenate.org

 Comments:

• Getting rid of professionalism causes teachers to be a “1099 employee.”  No ability to contest wrongful termination or have due process.  If teachers are put "under tow" the rest of the state employees will follow.
• Alpine teacher: How will performance pay be equitable for elective classes? How is this plan different from other plans that have been tried and failed?   
• Class size is an issue.  100% of this teacher’s students passed CRTs in a low-income school. “I am successful but this legislation makes me question why I am working in Utah.”  Worry about low-level kids. 
• Dan Rozanas, Alta High:  Appreciates the openness of the Senator in welcoming teachers. Why does the Legislature, who say they believe in the importance of science in education, not look at research?  In his research, he has found no evidence that proves that collective bargaining is bad for education. If you are saying you are here to help, I don't understand why this legislation is being considered?
• Baffled by the fact that we can't have collective bargaining.  We have the right to assemble and unionize common ideas.  I’m asking; Senator, why can't "we" have representation? Do not take away my basic rights. I am angry.  Lower class sizes will help get test scores up. I remember who passes legislation that helps and hurts education.
• Brenda- 37 year teacher - breaks her heart to see what's happening.  My daughter is a teacher and I have told her not to come to Utah to teach. 
• 30 year educator: This proposed legislation is egregious on many levels and volunteers his voice. Has a son in his junior year at U of U to become a teacher. He is looking at this legislation and is changing his mind about becoming an educator.  Bright teachers will be lost.  Trying to impose a business model on education won’t work.  If it did, children would then become nothing more than commodities at a manufacturing plant.
• Jordan High - 15 year teacher – as a career educator, this legislation will force him to choosing 5% of salary or to have collective bargaining rights. Loss of orderly termination will cause subjective firing and this will hurt qualification of educators in the URS.  The bill also mandates to local school boards - taking away local control.
• Shawn Evanson – Canyons School District – told his story as a first year teacher who told a student to "quit acting silly.” The parent heard later from the student "that teacher called me stupid" he fought potential termination as a provisional teachers.  Now, 96% of his science class is testing proficient. I could have lost my job as a first year teacher.  This bill puts teachers in the face of politics.
• When did teachers become the enemy of society?  (mass applause) Why are we being blamed? Education starts in the home with solid family support.    
• I am not going to be blamed anymore for failure in the home, Senator!  (Shawn)
• Every year we have more hits.  
• This room is full of resources to advise the senator on his bill. This proposal is a distraction to positive education reform. We know better than any legislature what education needs.
• Sue Dickey, retired teacher: this is the first time a legislator has come in to listen to us, thank you. 
• The Orderly Termination Act and the due process that allows teachers to be removed from the profession with due process.  Our association advocates support teachers in this process and allow them to to leave the profession with dignity. If administrators are given time and tools to be strong leaders they would be able to evaluate and observe regularly.
• Salary should be under local control.
• Parent: first time speaking before a crowd. She “thanks teachers and administration who serve our schools.”  She is a teacher advocate and is so tired of watching school teachers, principals and staff be bullied by the legislature.
• Teachers can't choose who they teach.
• A teacher shared the diversity in her classroom, including special needs students, students with difficult home lives, suffering from death, parent imprisonment, students with behavior disorders, etc.  Her question; “Who wants my job?”

Osmond shared the pervasive nature that we are not meeting the needs of a global economy. How can we reinforce local control? Should we create an environment of no expectation of continued employment?  He stated, “After listening, I get why our bill will not get us where we want to go.  We need to work in partnership to resolve our problems.”  Superintendent Shumway spoke about performance pay.  He said the creation of a merit pay plan should be allowed on a local level and not on a legislative level.

·         Vice principal said he was “let go” from a former district because he had not reached tenure. Is now very successful in another district.

·         Disabled teacher thanks the Granite Education Association for the support she has received in her work and classroom.  She teaches World History.  She said, comparing the United States to other nations is not equitable.  It is false that the US is falling behind other nations educationally.  In other countries, schools choose who they teach.  The only choose the cream of the crop – here in the U.S. we teach all children.

·         Without collective bargaining then voice of teachers is not heard. I am proud to be a teacher among so many who “talk and walk” what they believe.

• Heidi Matthews, Park City educator:  looking at your legislation from an education model and what is missing is the objective of your bill, the end game. She challenged the legislature to draft reform from an education model and not a business model.
• Sandra Darrington: a 1^st grade teacher, advocates for children every day.  This legislation has the potential of asking a teacher to choose between family and student. She shed tears for the art and love of teaching.
• Bring back the honor in teaching. 
• Connie Anderson, West High teacher and member of the SLC school board. Put the focus on what a good teacher looks like and not on the bad.
• Legislating something just to see if it works is backward. Use early retirement incentives to move senior teachers out of the schools if career status is the issue.
• Patrick, bus driver in Canyons School District:  How will you create performance pay for a bus driver?

·         Rebecca Bracken, Canyons District: The more legislation that downgrades education,the less freedom teachers have and the less beneficial I am as a teacher. NCLB, hurts special need children.  I adopted four special needs children.  Her daughter at 14 years old made the statement that, under NCLB, “No one will want us.”  The gifts that special needs children bring are lost in the search for success and rigor.

Senator Osmond's Proposal

See this blog post by Senator Osmond for more of his perspective on the pro's and con's of his proposal.  Well-thought comments would be a great addition!

Council of Local Presidents

Linda Alder of the State Office of Education came to speak on the Educator Effectiveness Project.  The standards are on a continuum of professional teaching practice and are tied to the Common Core.  The Project is now working on aligning Teacher Preparation Programs and preparing an evaluation system for university preparation programs.  This will not be a full-on accreditation program, but it will require a yearly report.  This would look at the part of the program that recommends teachers for licensure.  Another committee will develop support tools for teachers.  See Educator Effectiveness Project website for more information.  See UEN for professional standards. 

The Joint Educator Evaluation Committee  needs to review JPAS and communicate with stakeholders.  Districts should "recognize" great teaching and have "consequences" for poor teaching.  Concern about districts only using a summative evaluation (JPAS observation) and not following through with the formative evaluation (JPAS interim) to help support teachers who need help.  There must also be an annual rating (federal requirement) of Highly Effective, Effective, or Ineffective.  Linda hopes an interview part can be added.  Research shows that having a third party evaluator can provide a more valid evaluation.

Three pieces in annual rating include measures of instructional quality (i.e. JPAS), evidence of student growth (i.e. benchmark tests), and parent and student input (i.e. unknown survey).  Districts can define other factors to add to the annual rating.  There is also an administrator version.  The State Board requires all licensed professionals receive a rating, except for superintendents.  The next couple of years are going to be hard as we make this transition.

Educator Day on the Hill will be held on Fridays throughout the Legislative Session. 

In the upcoming legislative battles, we will need all members to do ONE thing they have never done before.  See this video on the difference one degree can make.  You can make the difference.  Key issues in education include:

• attacks on collective bargaining
• eliminate payroll deduction for association dues
• public education employment reform
• orderly termination
• TABOR (taxpayer bill of rights)
• tuition tax credits (vouchers)
• merit pay
• tenure
• evaluation
• school board governance
• public education funding
• parent trigger (majority of parents could vote to change school into a charter)

One way to help the association be proactive in breaking the view that UEA protects bad teacher is to start a Peer Assistance Review (PAR) program.  The UEA Board will look at sending a bill to the legislature about PAR in an effort to police our own teaching ranks, raising the bar on professionalism.

E-Z pay dues transition from payroll deduction to electronic fund transfer (EFT) for payment of dues.  AR's will be trained on how to "flip" to E-Z pay at the meeting on November 16.  Another option will be to pay by credit card.  E-Z pay will come out of your account on the third of the month starting in October 2012.  This program will force JEA to go from 12 payment to 10 payments, causing an increase in the monthly amount from October to July with no dues withdrawl in  August or September.

Public Meeting Scheduled

Senator Aaron Osmond, who represents the majority of Jordan School District, is proposing legislation at the request of State Superintendent Larry Shumway that includes the following:

·         Repeal all Orderly Termination Laws

·         Require school districts to adopt employee management policies

·         Replace “tenure” with “at will” status

o   5 year contracts for educators

o   Dues process to terminate educators within the 5 years

o   Non-renew any educator without cause at the end of 5 years

o   Career teachers can “opt out” for 10 years, but would not be eligible for performance pay

·         Establish salary range based on market demand

o   Subject, experience, location, difficulty

·         Each district must establish a performance pay model

o   Minimum of 5% of pay tied to student performance

For more information, visit http://aaronosmond.com/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=7 and click on Public Education Employment Reform Act Proposal.

A meeting with Senator Osmond and Superintendent Shumway has been scheduled to discuss these issues.  The meeting is Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00 at the Granite District Office, 2500 S. State Street.  I would encourage all who are concerned about the above items and their impact on public education to attend and wear a JEA t-shirt, button, etc. if you have one.  I will be there and hope all JEA members can sit together.

UEA Convention Prize Winners

Out of the five top prize drawings at the UEA Convention, two were from Jordan!  Congratulations to Kathie Jorgensen, Rosamond, on winning a Bose Wave Radio and to Margaret Pratt, Bingham, on winning a $100 gift certificate to Utah Idaho Supply!

Meeting with Dr. Johnson

Dr. Johnson invited one of the District accountants to our monthly meeting.  We discussed the Year Round to Traditional pay problems.  I thought this was an issue that just impacted teachers, but it also impacts many classified personnel including principals, secretaries, custodians, and bus drivers.  Expenses are tracked by school, making the accounting more accurate.  The 13-month pay option given to schools moving from Year Round to Traditional is the best one at this point.  Other programs that were investigated included Davis District, which uses a "trusted" computer program without human checks and balances.  Clark County District doesn't pay Year Round teachers their first paycheck until September.  That is not a viable option either.  We will continue to look at this; however, the more I learn, the more I realize that what we have is probably the best possible option.

We also talked about Senator Aaron Osmond's Education Employee Reform Proposal.  Dr. Johnson is most concerned about the loss of collective bargaining or being forced to negotiate in public.  She does not see that as productive.  Should the Orderly Termination Act be repealed and/or five year contracts be established, she said the District would maintain a process for termination as well as cause for non-renewal of contracts.

She is waiting to hear from the trainer for Interest Based Bargaining.  I appreciate Dr. Johnson's willingness to work with JEA on improving the negotiations process and including JEA in designing a performance pay model.

Jordan Education Foundation

I attended the Board Meeting of the Jordan Education Foundation this morning.  This is a great group of volunteers who work to solicit donations that help fund programs throughout the District.  I would encourage you to go to their website to learn more about what they do.  Teachers can donate through payroll deduction and earmark the money for their school.  Parent donations can also be set aside for a particular program or school.

Executive Board Meeting

Most of the Executive Board met tonight.  The main topics of discussion were the upcoming EFT conversion, possible budget cuts for next year, and politics. 

Elementary Preparation Time Task Force

The Elementary Preparation Time Task Force met to discuss our research.  Each group had talked with other districts and some charter schools on if and how they are providing preparation and/or collaboration time for elementary teachers during the school day.  It was a good discussion.  The task force is working on various ways to provide prep time for elementary teachers. 

Legislative Council

The JEA AR's met on Wednesday for our monthly meeting.  UEA President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh spoke for about 30 minutes on issues facing teachers and the association.  Jordan School Board member Corbin White also attended and spoke for a few minutes.  He answered questions and seems to truly want to do what is right by teachers.

I appreciated the teachers who stayed to the very end to discuss and approve the JEA budget for the year.  I promise to not allow a meeting to go that late again!  Our next meeting is November 16, and it is imperative that each school be represented.