At the Board of Education meeting on April 23rd there will be recommendations to lay-off around 40 of our members. Some of these people will be needed immediately in different or new positions and will be brought back right away. Some positions may be eliminated completely and the members who worked in those areas may not have a license that makes them eligible for another position. Right now, Ohio law states that if the district does not lay off by April 30 then any teacher considered for layoff automatically receives a contract for the following school year (next year this date changes to June 1). Our district has had a declining enrollment for several years so, to avoid overstaffing, I understand the process the Board must go through to be fiscally responsible, painful as it is. However, it does not make it any less hurtful for our colleagues who face an uncertain future.
One good thing is that when we changed all of the student day schedules in 2010, we negotiated recall language for everyone. The district must offer positions to people who have been laid off, by seniority, from a recall list that remains in effect for two years. So, it is possible as staffing needs become clearer that some folks will be brought back right away. In the old days the Board would RIF people and cherry pick those they wanted to bring back. They can’t do that now. Our Union has decided to hold a session for members to get information on options and next steps. We will send you detailed information about the session next week.
There are also some members who will be non-renewed for performance reasons. The district believes they are teachers who do not “cut it” in our district. To me, these decisions are up for serious discussion and in some cases legal challenges. These colleagues may or may not have had a fair evaluation, a placement that best-suited their skill set, or the support needed to perform to the best of their ability. There are many procedures we thought we had in place to help teachers who were “struggling” after their first observation. The district has invested in the intervention plan that we have jointly developed over the years. An improvement plan is decided upon by the teacher, supervisor, and coach. The teacher is charged with showing improvement in two or three focus areas with the help of the coach. Time is given for observations, feedback, and other help. At the second observation those targeted areas are reviewed and assessed.
In the past, this process worked wonders. People improved. Everyone was happy. Somehow, however, using the same procedures this year has been a horrible failure. Teachers somehow didn’t show growth even though most of the intervention coaches believed they did. More often than not the second observation and final summative report have shown our teachers going downhill at an exponential rate. It makes one wonder if the administrators involved in the improvement plans really understood how to be supportive and help people improve. I guess it comes down to whether or not a principal believes a teacher, particularly a newer teacher, can improve or if a principal rushes to judgment and won’t reconsider. I believe that there are very few teachers who are “born great.” Most of us get better and better with support and training. Investing in people is our business. We believe it with the kids; we would hope that our principals feel the same about adults.