There were no promises to the staff of Ed White, those staying and coming in but the implication was clear, if you rolled the dice with the change to a military magnet you would be rewarded and it wasn't a low level administrator that made this assertion, it was the district's director of human resources Sonita Young. Fast forward to today and that dream has come to an end, though as teachers at Ed White look back many feel as if they were the victims of a bait and switch and it has left a bitter taste in their mouths.
This isn't the first time the district has dangled financial incentives to teachers only to pull them back. Last year it was the QEA bonuses and earlier this year it was the center school stipends. Throw in the district's evaluation system which makes it harder for teachers to get highly effective evaluations and a clear pattern of nickeling and diming teachers at every possible instance becomes clear.
Just the other day the superintendent talked about borrowing 52 million to buy computers, well friends ask yourself who is gong to be there to pass them out and help kids work on them? As of Christmas we had over three hundred teacher openings and every year more and more staff leave and it gets harder and harder to replace them.
Let me ask you this, if the district gets a reputation for not following through with its promises, is the situation going to get worse or better. Never mind we all know the answer to that, well everyone but the super it seems as he shrugs his shoulders at most of these issues, full disclosure he did work to see center school teachers got their stipends before Christmas, though at the same time those eligible for the stipend decreased.
Most of the staff I have talked to at Ed White are happy with the direction the school is heading. They say there is a solid foundation in place that can lead to future success. It's a shame that the district in order to save a few dollars to buy a new ID system, expand the supers bloated cabinet, or some other tech du jour, has just put a hundred cracks in that foundation.
While I am talking about money here I just wanted to mention how poorly we pay our para professionals. It's really criminal as we pay them less than subsistence type wages. Many fast food restaurants pay better than the district does and you might be saying what about the benefits to which I would reply, every year they seem to get a little more expensive and a little worse.
I think teachers are under paid, but what we pay paras, those people on the front line with our children is shameful and the entire city should be embarrassed. It takes 9 years to get to ten bucks an hour.
To see what they make, click the link and then open the salary handbook. http://dcps.duvalschools.org/Page/5722
This isn't the first time the district has dangled financial incentives to teachers only to pull them back. Last year it was the QEA bonuses and earlier this year it was the center school stipends. Throw in the district's evaluation system which makes it harder for teachers to get highly effective evaluations and a clear pattern of nickeling and diming teachers at every possible instance becomes clear.
Just the other day the superintendent talked about borrowing 52 million to buy computers, well friends ask yourself who is gong to be there to pass them out and help kids work on them? As of Christmas we had over three hundred teacher openings and every year more and more staff leave and it gets harder and harder to replace them.
Let me ask you this, if the district gets a reputation for not following through with its promises, is the situation going to get worse or better. Never mind we all know the answer to that, well everyone but the super it seems as he shrugs his shoulders at most of these issues, full disclosure he did work to see center school teachers got their stipends before Christmas, though at the same time those eligible for the stipend decreased.
Most of the staff I have talked to at Ed White are happy with the direction the school is heading. They say there is a solid foundation in place that can lead to future success. It's a shame that the district in order to save a few dollars to buy a new ID system, expand the supers bloated cabinet, or some other tech du jour, has just put a hundred cracks in that foundation.
While I am talking about money here I just wanted to mention how poorly we pay our para professionals. It's really criminal as we pay them less than subsistence type wages. Many fast food restaurants pay better than the district does and you might be saying what about the benefits to which I would reply, every year they seem to get a little more expensive and a little worse.
I think teachers are under paid, but what we pay paras, those people on the front line with our children is shameful and the entire city should be embarrassed. It takes 9 years to get to ten bucks an hour.
To see what they make, click the link and then open the salary handbook. http://dcps.duvalschools.org/Page/5722
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