Parents, teachers, supporters,
At 7:30, this Thursday evening, the school board will meet to address the very issues (some of them, anyway) that this blog was designed to entertain and consider. So many of you have written both passionately and sensibly about unreasonable, untested, unwanted and unrealistic initiatives that are being and will be imposed on teachers in our school system. The nature of the programs and logic behind the changes being proposed falls far short of what we, as educators expect. Meanwhile the number of these half-baked, hair brained schemes multiplies. We, and our students, deserve better. Your voice and your presence will make a difference. Despite our generally passive and acquiescing nature, we teachers are not in any danger of recrimination when we speak out. You cannot lose your job for being active in this effort.
So...over the next 24 hours, submit questions that you would like the board and Sherman to address. Sign up to speak at the board meeting, or get a friend/colleague to do it for you. Write a letter/email to each of the school board members and the members of the city council. A concerted effort, now, can restore sanity to our schools. Inaction and capitulation will ensure more of the same insanity!
Speaking at Board Meetings
Any citizen may address the Board at any regular meeting during the designated period called "Communications and Addresses to the Board." Persons wishing to appear before the School Board are requested to contact the Clerk for placement on the agenda. A reasonable period of time, as determined by the School Board, will be allocated at each regular meeting for citizens to present matters of concern. Individuals will have three minutes and organizations will have five minutes.
Rosemary A. Webb
Clerk of the Board
Tel: 703-824-6614
Fax: 703-824-6611
rwebb@acps.k12.va.us
Clerk of the Board
Tel: 703-824-6614
Fax: 703-824-6611
rwebb@acps.k12.va.us
ACPS no longer allows this blog to be sent to your ACPS email...that is censorship, pure and simple. They let all sorts of other emails through that have no bearing on education, from sales pitches, to pornography...not this, though. Of course, you can access the blog from your school computer, but that is another matter.
ReplyDeleteFYI. Thursday, there will be a significant amount of parents attending the sports night at TC. So I completely agree that both teachers and parents need to take the time to attend the board meeting, coincidence..hmmm
ReplyDeleteKeep those votes coming on alexandrianews.org Encourage family and friends to make their voices heard. It is hard to sell a proposal backed by no one.
ReplyDeleteTim said...
ReplyDeleteMr. Madigan,
Before you sing the high praises of the current ACPS system, here is some food for thought. Dr. Sherman put forth the extended time proposals in early November. There was not a public hearing on the proposals until January at which point there was public outcry and one proposal was removed from consideration for the 2011-2012 school year. Not until TODAY was a letter finally sent home to parents explaining the extended time proposals. Doesn't this strike you as poorly planned and executed? What makes you believe that the additional 30 minutes for teachers will be anything less? Have you read the recommendations for how the time is to be used? It IS for data chats and compulsory professional development.
Doesn't it strike you as odd that the rebuked proposal solely focused on student learning time, yet now the focus has inexplicably switched to teacher work time? There was never any mention of teachers wanting or needing additional time until after the student school day extension proposal was struck down. A bit odd that the amount of time is the exact same as what they had wanted to extend to student learning, yet the justification and implication has suddenly changed.
Teachers spend time beyond their contract hours and it would be a nice deal to receive financial recognition for that time. However, no financial recognition is worth trading in flexible work time (weeknights, weekends, or whenever you CHOOSE to work) for mandated, poorly planned, data chat time.
Also, you should really examine just how much the proposed $2 million will actually compensate the projected 1600 employees? That $2 million price tag supposedly covers the cost of this initiative for next school year, will it be sustainable for the next year, and the year after, and the year after that? Once the time is added, it is highly unlikely it will be reduced but the recessive state of the economy dictates that the pool of money to fund proposals like this will surely diminish.
This $2 million would be better allocated elsewhere in the system. SPED or ELL support services are in dire need. If not allocated elsewhere, the proposal could be scrubbed and the money simply not spent. This $2 million is not worth the price of seeing teachers fight over scraps.
February 8, 2011 10:32 PM
FYI
ReplyDeleteAt a recent middle school faculty meeting, teachers were told to write down suggestions detailing how they intend to spend the extra 30 minutes. Chart paper and markers were supplied to teachers as they were told to be sure to include their names next to their suggestions. When teachers began complaining that they did not feel comfortable offering input on something to which they are stronly opposed, they were told that this may be their only chance to have a say IF the proposal passed. Not wanting "suggestions" to be used as teacher endorsements, most did not place a single mark on the paper. After a brief standoff, administration made some comment about "teachers pushing back.." and teachers were told they could leave.
Please do not let your guard down, dirty tricks abound. I think its time to work to the letter of the contract. It may be an effective means to truly help the kids in the long run.
Put out this morning by a PTA President to those on the school PTA list serve:
ReplyDelete"If you are interested in hearing more about the extended year/extended day proposals, Dr. Sherman will be discussing them at the February PTAC meeting tonight at 7 pm in the library at Minnie Howard. All are welcome to attend and ask questions."
Where was the notification of this on the ACPS website? Where was notice of this in the ACPS Daily Digest? Where was the email to staff making them aware of this "public" meeting? Are we to believe that this was yet another incident which should be chalked up to poor communication? ACPS spent $12,000 a month of our money for four months to come up with a communications plan, puts out a letter to parents 5 months after a proposal has been set forth, and consistently announces vital public meetings at the last minute. First time, shame on them. Second time, shame on us. It is a pretty courageous conversation when you are speaking into the echo chamber and not facing tough questions and criticism. If the proposals alone don't give you cause for concern, the method in which they are haphazardly rolled out should.
Hilburg was let go before the four months so communications are still being orchestrated by Mort. Hear the cause was the Discovery Bridge survey which did not turn out well for Sherman. You know the one we have no results for. Sherman and the Board's spin is that it was botched and taken by Hilburg. It has been buried because you know if it had been positive we would have heard all about it ad nauseum. So communication or lack there of it continues as per usual.
ReplyDeleteThe principal of TC is now requiring teachers in areas considered critically important to making AYP (Math, English, ELL, Special Ed.)to do pull out tutoring and after school tutoring for students who may not pass their SOL tests. For ELL, the mandatory extra tutoring will be expected of all teachers for any student who has less than a C average, never mind if that student chose to cut class most of the time. Is this legal, to demand unpaid tutoring beyond our contract?
ReplyDelete^^^ Oops. Pardon a moi!
ReplyDeleteAlexandria PTA Council Executive Board Position Descriptions
Vice President for Communication/Public Relations:
-maintain and update media contact information
-handle or assist with PuBliCity for ALL PTAC events (MEETINGS, forums, camp fair) [emphasis added]
-prepare Regular ANNounceMent for ACPS and local media regarding Upcoming Meetings and Events
-prepare PTAC newsletter (Sept. - introduction to year; Jan. - budget, Camp Fair, Reflections)
-promote volunteer recognition and award opportunities
research and develop Web site for council
-monitor ACPS Web site and calendar, and ProVide UpDates as necessary
-monitor listservs and online communities of PTAs and other city groups as able
-maintain records, notes, and procedures for transfer to successor
http://www.acps.k12.va.us/ptac/position-descriptions.php
For Sherman, this is no longer a quest to add extra time to the calendar for either students or teachers. It is a drive to demonstrate his absolute power and control over those who oppose him. It is about WINNING, no matter what.
ReplyDeleteAdministration at one of the middle schools has repeatedly harassed teachers and told them that they are "required" to stay at least one day (even said two days) a week for an hour after school to tutor students. Administration continually asked these teachers what day they were staying and would write that down and said they were "Telling parents" the teacher would be there that day.
ReplyDeleteIf a teacher said they were not able to stay, they were told it was "Required" and that every other school district required at least 2 days, so we should be lucky they were only requiring one.
Last year when this was happening there were a few teachers who were being paid to stay after school to tutor, but only a few. Why were these teachers being paid but others were not? And where does it say that this is a requirement? It is not in our contracts.
For the poster referencing Hilburg and his apparent early release, give more info. Here would be good, to local media which reported on his hire and the rationale behind it would be even better. WaPo, Gazette Packet, Alexandria News, and Washington Examiner all ran stories about the hire and I am willing to bet would love to hear how that hire turned out for ACPS.
ReplyDeleteI'm going tonight...how many others? I understand that school board meetings conflict with other ACPS events (be it purposeful or accidental). However, that board room should be PACKED FULL with us every Thursday and it's not. We need to get more involved and show up!
ReplyDelete