Each spring the uncertainties of student enrollment, teacher transfers or retirement, and funding make budgetary predictions difficult.
To remain financially sound some districts send out pink slips to the newest teachers. In no way is this ideal. These teachers face uncertainty about their employment future. Some of the district’s best teachers, who happen to be new hires, may not have their contracts renewed.
New legislation, yet to be introduced, may change how districts respond to RIFs. Instead of RIFs base on level of experience they may be based on a teacher’s evaluation relative to other teachers.
This bill, I assume, is in response to schools being unable to retain effective teachers when they are forced to lay off staff.
In 2009-2010, 3% of Washington’s teachers were given RIF notices. 87% of those teachers were recalled. Evidence does not suggest that the best and brightest young teachers are losing out to ineffective veterans.
Still, this idea is compelling. Shouldn’t the best teachers be the last ones to be laid off? Yes. If only it were that simple.
Distinguishing between the best and the worst teacher in a school may not be that difficult. But it is much more difficult to distinguish between the second and the third worst (one may keep their job while the other may not).
New evaluation systems are expected to have different criteria for novice and experienced teachers. Is a good novice teacher more effective than an average experienced teacher? Who wins in this RIF race a teacher with five years of solid student growth and one recent year of poor growth or the second year teacher with two years of average growth?
What are the recall rights for a RIFed teacher?
When the art program is cut can somebody determine the relative effectiveness between a high school and elementary art teacher?
The idea, keeping the best, is elegant. Implementing this idea? Not so much. Since relatively few new teachers actually lose positions this law is unlikely to result in an improved teaching force.
I'd like to see lawmakers put their efforts elsewhere. If lawmakers want to address the problems related to RIFs they should fulfill their paramount duty and fully fund education. And they should allow local school districts the time and space to implement the new evaluation criteria. Many stakeholders came together to put this evaluation model in place. Rolling out this system will be challenging. Rolling out this system while simultaneously addressing the complexities of a new model for RIFs seems unwise. But I'm no lawmaker…
By Travis
Not too long ago, Governor Gregoire’s educational budget cuts came out, and I have had some time to think about it.
Washington, you can continue to be a pillar of education strength.
Washington, you worked so hard to not have California-sized classrooms.
Washington, your students have already given up a lot.
Washington … you need to figure out your budget.
Please do not trash the future of our children's education.
By Travis
School started this last week. Students were bright-eyed and ready. The fresh smell of sharpened pencils permeated the classroom. My colleagues and I readied our curriculum and routines that will keep even the squirmiest of teenagers engaged in their learning because, after all, it is THEIR learning.
My classes are full. Every seat filled. If any more students are assigned to my classroom, I will have to create a time-share-desk situation. I like a full and busy classroom. I like having a herd of students. However, overcrowding makes students feel like an after thought. I wonder if I will ever see a change to class size in my time as a teacher.
At the close of the week, I noticed one noteworthy difference this year—there is more collegiality within my school than I felt last year. Excellent.
Last year was a hard time for my school. It was the first time in 6 years that the principal was the same person, two years in a row. In addition to this, much of my department, the English department, was new—the Freshman department had only one veteran member.
This year, I am a returning freshman teacher. We now have two veteran freshman English teachers out of 5.
The teachers at my school are good teachers. They are strong in instruction and know the best practices for their subject matter; they love working with students; and they put in extended hours. As a school, we have a metanarrative that binds us and I feel that this year we will make gains toward that.
How about the state of Washington? What is the educational metanarrative? And does Washington’s metanarrative involve something other than testing?
photo by Scott Coulter