Editorial

Let’s get on with a teachers’ contract

Posted 12/3/15

It’s become a familiar sight – teachers holding signs warning against larger classes and calling for a fair contract. They have taken their message to School Committee meetings, where they have …

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Editorial

Let’s get on with a teachers’ contract

Posted

It’s become a familiar sight – teachers holding signs warning against larger classes and calling for a fair contract. They have taken their message to School Committee meetings, where they have packed the audience and, during the public comment portion of meetings, voiced concerns over committee efforts for contract language changes. The district says the outdated contract language, which takes up more than 50 pages, needs numerous changes to deal with school consolidation in response to declining enrollment and introduction of technology to the classroom.

Top on the list is the elimination of the weighting, a system introduced into the contract about 30 years ago where students with an individualized education program, an IEP, are considered more than one student when determining class size. As more than 20 percent of the district’s population has IEPs, the district has to hire more teachers to remain within the class size boundaries set by contract. Elimination of weighting, the union argues, would result in larger classes and a reduction in individualized attention for special needs students. They say the students would lose.

On the other hand, the committee and school administrators say elimination of weighting would introduce flexibility to the system. As for students with an IEP, administrators argue those personalized education programs would be followed as happens in other districts.

What we haven’t heard in this discussion is how changes, or maintaining weighting, would improve the outcome of Warwick schools. Given test results, it is difficult to reason weighting and small classes have improved outcomes. With few exceptions, scores put Warwick students in the lower tiers of performance in the state. It’s an abysmal performance made all the more painful by the levels of tax dollars spent on schools, more than $17,500 per student. Rather than improving education, the focus is on preserving jobs versus downsizing the system to best use available resources. Simply put, it’s become a debate over money rather than outcomes.

We see no way of changing it until there is a contract.

Rhetoric of collectively and cooperatively working in the best interests of the students is just that. Teachers want to know what’s in it for them, as they should. Administrators need to know the set rules of the game – hopefully with the input of teachers.

At this point, there is a stalemate. The committee has filed for arbitration, arguing that mediation has failed to produce progress. Union leaders say the committee hasn’t really tried and is calling for bargaining in good faith. The union made its position all the more public as they picketed school administration offices Tuesday afternoon.

Such displays, we fear, impede rather than accelerate negotiations.

If history is a guide, lack of a contract can be divisive and a destructive force. We saw that in the ’80s and early ’90s when the two sides refused to back away from their hardened positions. There was a strike; some teachers went to jail; work to rule prevailed; and the system’s reputation was severely impaired. Memories of those times linger and, sadly, the district has never fully recovered.

Both sides say they are the guardians of our young people and that their motive is to provide students a quality education. That’s a good start. Now is the time to get down to work and put together a contract so the process of working together can begin.

Comments

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  • davebarry109

    The unions have had parents over a barrel forever. Enough is enough. They make good money and only work 9 months a year with weekends and holidays off, as well as sick days and personal/professional days.

    Thursday, December 3, 2015 Report this

  • Splendor

    Ok Dave. You think we make too much money ?? Do you think we are not worth what we do make? Here's a thought for you. We only work 9 months a year...have summers.weekends and holidays off. Let's say that the public would like to see us get paid $3.00 an hour. I would actually prefer this !

    Why? $3.00 an hour for 6 1/2 hours equals $19.50 a day. The school department wants to increase the class size to 30. So, each parent should pay $19.50 a day. That makes $585.00 per day. However, we only work 180 days.

    That's $585 x180=$105,300.

    There are many teachers who have furthered their education. We worked hard to obtain Master Degrees, National Board certification and take classes that are not reimbursed by the school department.

    Perhaps paying them minimum wage or less would suffice. Let's say $8.00.

    $8 x 6 1/2 hours x 30 children x 180 days = $280,800.

    The average beginning teacher's salary is $50,000. $50,000/180 days =277.77/per day/30 students = $9.25 / 6.5 hours = 1.42 per hour per student. A very inexpensive babysitter....don't you think?. In addition, we are educating your child. However, I don't expect you or anyone else to understand what we do and what we are fighting for. I'm not going to try to argue my point because people who have your same view point will never get it. It truly amazes me just how ignorant people are.

    Thursday, December 3, 2015 Report this

  • FASTFREDWARD4

    Dave Don't for get if they do a double major how mush that cost. Plus books and when the go for there master total new thing. Do you work into a law office abd say . I got hit the law office say we get 40% you say I pay you 15% they would say there the door. FIGHT BACK CALL WHO. Pay up 3% will do it. I am not a teacher . BUt my daughter is. And she does not work for warwick. BIG money to become a teacher.

    Friday, December 4, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    And no teacher has time for a second job during the summer, oh wait

    nevermind

    Friday, December 4, 2015 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    What is clear and obvious is that Splendor is not a math teacher.

    Friday, December 4, 2015 Report this

  • Madisonandgail

    Sounds like the school committee just wants to increase class size to save money.I do not want my child to be packed into a class to save money. I can not afford to send my child to Hendricken like Mrs.Ahern. I know other districts only put so many special ed kids in a class. Maybe it's not called weighting but the results are the same smaller classes. One questions why is the school committee posting want they want in the beacon. They should be at the table with the teachers getting this hashed out.

    Friday, December 4, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    Too bad Madisonandgail, they are closing high schools and planning to pack kids in like sardines. if that doesn't save enough money, they will close another high school and cram the students even closer.

    The more schools they close and the bigger the class size, the bigger the administrator's bonus.

    Friday, December 4, 2015 Report this

  • Splendor

    Hello captain

    My math is correct. Perhaps your calculator is broken or you don't know how to use it.

    Saturday, December 5, 2015 Report this

  • Madisonandgail

    Sorry Teachers there is no money for a raise. WE had all that money stolen by the people in charge to replace things they stole and sold for profit. We also had to suspend several administrators with full pay and bennies at 100.000 apiece. We will have to pay for someone to move all these closed schools very costly. I am sure we can come up with more things we can spend money on. You stupid teachers work to rule will never work you should have gone out on strike.

    Sunday, December 6, 2015 Report this

  • davebarry109

    Splendor,

    Your argument might hold water if you were actually educating kids. The test scores are abysmal for 17000 per child. The city should smarten up and send as many kids as possible to private schools for half the tax payer money.

    Also, yes, beginning teachers may get 50,000. But maybe the Beacon could do us a service and show what all teachers are paid. My guess is that more than half are near six figures. Have to go now. I don't have weekends and holidays off. Enjoy your two weeks off at Christmas, your week in mid-winter and your 2.5 months over the summer.

    Monday, December 7, 2015 Report this

  • FedUp

    DaveBarry109- you forget that there is more to educating students than just teachers. What about the role of parents? Also, you are using a standardized test as a measurement, please show me a standardized student? Spend a day, a week in the classroom and then tell me that teachers are overpaid. Not only are they charged with educating students, they are also in charge of disciplining children, and often they are the only caregivers in some children's lives. Teachers do not do this for the money as they are clearly underpaid for the amount of work they do. I am not sure what teacher is done for the day when the last bell rings...last night I sat next to a mother/teacher at my son's hockey game. She was grading papers while cheering her child on. Do you take your work with you as you take care of your own family? Teachers work well beyond the school day with their students. Personally, I am tired of the vilification of teachers. It takes a village to raise a child and we all need to do our part. I also think that administrators and the school committee should be held accountable for the test scores, they are the ones who dictate the curriculum and the requirements for all the testing. Personally, I am sick of people without a degree in education criticizing all that teachers do. Why don't we recognize that teachers are only part of the equation in educating a child and look at all the factors affecting education- poverty, curriculum, parental support, parental education levels, etc. Let's stop blaming teachers and find a way to work with teachers to make the education system better.

    Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Report this

  • FASTFREDWARD4

    starting pay is not 50k try about 26k if you can get in. What a fool saying that.

    Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Report this