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Sunday, March 1, 2015

The new contract proposal encourages veteran teachers to be average.

First let me say I recognize the hard work of both the union and the district in negotiating the new teacher contract but I believe they should go back to the drawing board and come up with something that is fairer to our veteran teachers, those that have made education a career and proven they can do the job. If not I will be voting against it.

Now they both might say their hands were tied by the teaching profession kneecapping Senate Bill 736, The Student Success act but regardless the contract among other things encourages our best and most experienced teachers to be average.

A first year teacher who is effective can make a thousand dollar raise while at the same time a veteran tenth year teacher who gets a highly effective evaluation can only get a five hundred dollar raise. Where is the motivation for veteran teachers to go above and beyond because until year fifteen their raises will be less than what rookie teachers can earn for being effective? To give you some scale last year about five percent of teachers were highly effective, three percent developing/needs improvement and the vast majority effective. Which means most new teachers will be getting a thousand dollar raise while most veterans will be getting less. The district with its reliance on Teach for America is already disrespectful and disdainful of veteran teachers and the union with this contract seems to go along with them.

Furthermore a rookie teacher today can expect to earn more than a current veteran teacher on a professional service contract over the next fifteen years and earn potentially hundreds of thousands more over the course of their career.

This is all very ironic as the school board is seeking to extend the contract of Superintendent Vitti for three more years while at the same time telling teachers to choose money or security.  Teachers are professionals too and should be treated like it, this contract however does not.

6 comments:

  1. "disrespectful and distainful of veteran teachers and the union with this contract seems to go along with them." Well, they are the most accommodating according to Vitti. DTU is very disrespectful of those they purport to represent.

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  2. Hey, if people want give up any sense of work protections, they can have the extra money, but 1000 is not worth it. The new teachers don't even stay because of the conditions. My school now has a constant turnover of teachers; even 2 years ago, it was not that bad. Maybe the department had 1 or 2 new teachers per year. Now, we regularly get 4 or more. Plus, I have never seen so many people leave in one year. Why do veterans need to be on a annual contract to receive the effective/highly effective bonus money? I finally got H.E. this year, but I want to work in the county for 30 more years, so it makes no sense to give up any sort of protection for a measly $2000.

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  3. If it makes you feel any better those of us who have no choice but to go to the performance schedule aren't excited either. I have been in the district for 5 years, and I now have no job security whatsoever. I would rather be on the grandfather schedule!

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    Replies
    1. I feel ya brother (or sistah) !
      I don't see how any of you guys can make it 35+ years in this climate. When are new teachers vested in the FRS? And it is portable isn't it?
      I hope you can at least have some accrued retirement to take with you when you get run off.

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  4. Honestly, the education agenda across the country is to create a profession made up of only temp staff. it's crazy because no other multi-million dollar company that requires a minimum of a bachelor's or master's degree would spend millions/billions on constant training of new employees. The would employee strategies/compensation to retain those that they invest $ in training to stick around so that they can get a return on their investment. A smart/cost effective business model. Not the multi-million dollar industry of education. Money that could go towards employee compensation or school needs gets wasted on constant employee training because of the flood of new teachers annually.

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  5. We need to vote NO on this to get DTU and others to take us seriously. It is an insult what was offered, regardless of which schedule you are on. With union dues, that "raise" doesn't really go far.

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