Looking for a teaching job? Rhode Island is hiring 74 at one school!

[kpm76]

They aren't going to attract great people if they've proven they are willing to fire absolutely everyone regardless of their personal work history. There is no way I'd work for any employer that did that. In fact both my husband and I have avoided even applying for jobs that come up more than once every year or two. They are going to attract teachers that have no other alternative, ie the bottom of the barrel.

But that was the only option for two reasons: 1. collective bargaining means it's all or nothing. The union negotiates on behalf of its membership and the members are forced to go along with whatever happens to be the outcome; 2. the district had to adopt the Turnaround Model because the union rejected the Transformation Model; therefore, all the teachers had to be fired. There's so room for picking and choosing....

 

[CapeMayMommy]

You're right, it was not the best solution but unfortunately it was the only option. According to federal regs, under performing schoos can adopt a Transformation Model (which the union rejected) or a Turnaround Model (which is where you start from scratch so to speak). This was not a arbitrary decision but guided by statute. However, up to 50% of the "fired" teachers can and probably will be re-hired so the high school will not be left with 74 brand new teachers.

There may indeed be some very good certified teachers who were unable to get a job.

Meanwhile, the unions have made it hard to eliminate the bad teachers who are tenured.

Here is an opportunity for some people who have been trying and unable to get employment

 

[golfgal]

There may indeed be some very good certified teachers who were unable to get a job.

Meanwhile, the unions have made it hard to eliminate the bad teachers who are tenured.

Here is an opportunity for some people who have been trying and unable to get employment

Everyone throws this out every time there is a discussion about teachers/schools, etc. Being tenured does not mean you can't ever be fired. Plenty of tenured teachers get fired. It is not different then in the corporate world but there is a process that you have to go through that includes a lot of documentation,just like in the corporate world. For serious offenses, you can get fired on the spot.

 

[daughtersrus]

But that was the only option for two reasons: 1. collective bargaining means it's all or nothing. The union negotiates on behalf of its membership and the members are forced to go along with whatever happens to be the outcome; 2. the district had to adopt the Turnaround Model because the union rejected the Transformation Model; therefore, all the teachers had to be fired. There's so room for picking and choosing....

That's not true. The state has given failing schools four options to choose from. Also, it's important to know that the turnaround model presented was made by the superintendent. It's quite possible that another turnaround plan could have been put in place that did not include the requirements that were put into the first plan.

Why did the superintendent wait until the last minute to present her plan to the teachers? If she wants them to work as a team, planning and discussions should have been taking place long before Feb when the deadline is March 1st.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

That's not true. The state has given failing schools four options to choose from. Also, it's important to know that the turnaround model presented was made by the superintendent. It's quite possible that another turnaround plan could have been put in place that did not include the requirements that were put into the first plan.

Why did the superintendent wait until the last minute to present her plan to the teachers? If she wants them to work as a team, planning and discussions should have been taking place long before Feb when the deadline is March 1st.

Per the interviews on the internet, the teachers and the union were supportive of all measures - they just wanted more money. Three times as much money as the $30/hr offered.

This wasn't about lack of support for the plan or late delivery of the plan or lack of teamwork. It was about a gamble to get more money that didn't pan out...

 

[rushing]

When will parents be held accountable for their children. The students need to have some responsibility also. As a teacher until I am given a student at birth and allowed to teach and raise them 24 hours a day, I cannot be totally at blame. My students score above average, but I have parent involvement and great communication. This is due to the administration at the top implementing programs, and not firing all the teachers. My school is a high poverty, high acheiving school.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

When will parents be held accountable for their children. The students need to have some responsibility also. As a teacher until I am given a student at birth and allowed to teach and raise them 24 hours a day, I cannot be totally at blame. My students score above average, but I have parent involvement and great communication. This is due to the administration at the top implementing programs, and not firing all the teachers. My school is a high poverty, high acheiving school.

You understand that NONE of the teachers would have been fired if they had accepted the contract, right?

 

[daughtersrus]

Per the interviews on the internet, the teachers and the union were supportive of all measures - they just wanted more money. Three times as much money as the $30/hr offered.

This wasn't about lack of support for the plan or late delivery of the plan or lack of teamwork. It was about a gamble to get more money that didn't pan out...

When they couldn't reach an agreement on salary, did the district try to negotiate a plan with the teachers that would not require as much extra time or was this the only plan that the superintendent was willing to work with?

 

[daughtersrus]

You understand that NONE of the teachers would have been fired if they had accepted the contract, right?

That's doesn't answer the question.

 

[eliza61]

Teachers to appeal mass firings at RI high school

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The entire staff of teachers fired in a radical attempt to improve one of the worst performing high schools in Rhode Island will appeal their dismissals to school authorities, the head of the teachers union said Thursday.

The board of trustees overseeing the school system in Central Falls, one of the poorest communities in the state, voted Tuesday to fire 88 high school teachers and other support staff by the end of the year. Other administrators will also lose their jobs.

Those teachers will appeal their dismissals to the school district's board of trustees, said Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers' Union. She plans to meet with union lawyers and other labor representatives in the coming days before deciding whether to take additional legal action.

Sessums said she still hopes negotiations will resume, although her union has not made any requests to school officials to continue talks.

"We need to get together, we need to talk about this, we need reach a resolution," Sessums said.

The firings came after the state identified Central Falls High School as among the six worst in the state and ordered it to make improvements by selecting one of four reform plans outlined in federal law.

Just 7 percent of 11th graders tested in the fall were proficient in math. Only 33 percent were proficient in writing, and just 55 percent were proficient in reading. In 2009, just 48 percent of students graduated within four years.

Superintendent Frances Gallo said she initially hoped teachers would agree to a package of changes, including lengthening the school day, requiring teachers to offer more tutoring, get additional training and eat lunch with students once a week.

Gallo said she decided to fire her teaching staff after union officials said they were not getting paid enough for the additional work.

The school district offered to pay teachers extra for getting training over the summer and for other professional development time during the school year, Gallo said. But she did not have the money to raise salaries for extending the school day or for making teachers eat lunch with students once a week.

"They absolutely refused to work without pay," Gallo said. "Eating with students, they considered it a duty, not as I had hoped a relationship-building opportunity."

Gallo said she does not intend to resume negotiations over the firings, although she said there will be talks with the union over other aspects of the school's turnaround plan. Gallo hopes to rehire some of the dismissed teachers, she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100226/ap_on_re_us/us_entire_school_fired_17


lawsuits to follow...

 

[golfgal]

You understand that NONE of the teachers would have been fired if they had accepted the contract, right?

Had the parents done their job in the first place the teachers would not have been forced to be put in this position.

 

[rushing]

You understand that NONE of the teachers would have been fired if they had accepted the contract, right?

Do you work extra for no pay? How do you support your family?

 

[eliza61]

Had the parents done their job in the first place the teachers would not have been forced to be put in this position.

LOL pretty much how I feel.

Any time you've got 25% of your H.S. students not speaking English, you pretty much have parents not giving a crap. What happen to immigrating and making dang sure your kids learned English?

Any time you've got a 44% absentee rate, that ain't the teachers fault. It's pretty hard to teach math when the person who is supposed to be learning not in his seat. More than 50% do not graduate. How in the name of all that is holy do you NOT know your kid is about to be a h.s. dropout? How does 4 years go by and you not know if your kid is going to graduate or not.

My question is What does the school board think is going to happen next year? Next year when their scores are just as crappy (and they will be) are they going to fire the new load of teachers?

So the school board comes up with a brillant plan of having lunch with the kids 1/week and forcing teachers to work with the kids (which every teacher I've ever worked with is already more than willing to do, but 9/10 failing kid never comes for extra help) an extra 25 mins.

Fire the school board because they are just as "stuck on stupid" as the kids.

 

[daughtersrus]

I read both articles and I did not see Harvard School mentioned anywhere?
These articles are debating the merits of charter schools in Chicago in general. No mention of the success or failure of this school.

Reread the articles. They are not about charter schools.

As to Harvard, you said "getting rid of all the crappy teachers and replacing them worked in Chicago"


Here is the most recent report card issued by the state. You will see that they are also still listed as not making AYP even after firing all of the teachers and placing the school in the hands of a non-profit organization that has spent a lot of time and money training the new teachers. They have made improvement in some areas but you will also see lower scores in others. Also note that 53% of 3rd grade students were not meeting the standards in reading. 36.7% are not meeting the stands in math...Also note that only 0.2% of the students at Harvard are non-English learners.

http://webprod.isbe.net/ereportcard/publicsite/getReport.aspx?year=2009&code=1501629902246_e.pdf

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Do you work extra for no pay? How do you support your family?

We are talking apples and oranges - I am a director - there is never a time in which I am not on call. I work every night. I work every weekend.

That said, I have had many jobs leading up to this one in which I worked long hours without compensation. I have had jobs completely change over time, and those changes resulted in different hours, different responsibilities, etc. So, yes, I have been asked to make similar changes without additional compensation.

These teachers were not asked to do so. They were offered a very fair sum for their additional work ($30/hr). They refused. They got exactly what I would have received had I refused the changes - fired. That's life in the big city.

 

[daughtersrus]

Per the interviews on the internet, the teachers and the union were supportive of all measures - they just wanted more money. Three times as much money as the $30/hr offered.

This wasn't about lack of support for the plan or late delivery of the plan or lack of teamwork. It was about a gamble to get more money that didn't pan out...

Not according to some of the articles that I read. They said that she was offering them money for the training in the summer but not for anything extra during the school year.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Had the parents done their job in the first place the teachers would not have been forced to be put in this position.

Ahh, back to assigning blame...

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Edited - I can't understand how this boils down to blame for some of you. The blame should be shared amongst all who failed the children - teachers, parents, and the kids themselves. The whole system is broken. The parents and kids can't be fired. They can't be forced to change. But the teachers can. When they refused to change, they lost their jobs.

I don't see the point is discussing blame. It is fruitless...

 

[daughtersrus]

These teachers were not asked to do so. They were offered a very fair sum for their additional work ($30/hr).

Not according to the link previously posted. So maybe it was $90/day that they were asking for but Gallo was only offering $30/day.

The school district offered to pay teachers extra for getting training over the summer and for other professional development time during the school year, Gallo said. But she did not have the money to raise salaries for extending the school day or for making teachers eat lunch with students once a week.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100226/ap_on_re_us/us_entire_school_fired_17

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

Not according to the link previously posted. So maybe it was $90/day that they were asking for but Gallo was only offering $30/day.

You need to read this thread in its entirety. That is not true...