Politics is Important; Your Participation is More Important.

KELA (Kent Educators for Legislative Action) is the KEA Committee that goes to Olympia, lobbies with our Legislators for our organization, organizes letter writing campaigns, doorbelling and phone banking events, works together with WEA to promote education policies that benefit teachers and students and generally does the political business of KEA.  Because everything that you do as a teacher is either directly controlled or seriously affected by politics and politicians, that makes the work they do EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.  Please support this effort by reading and acting on the following short message from KELA:

Are you upset? Get info. Take action. Go to http://www.ourvoicewashingtonea.org/.                                                                                                                                                                                                 Then click the links to the following topics to read more or to email your legislators and Governor Gregoire now.

• State takeover of your health benefits
• The teacher termination bill
• The teacher tax (3% salary cut)
• Larger class sizes

Remember to start your message with a short personal statement or example of how you and students may be impacted.

The High Cost of Low Teacher Salaries

This is a link to an article from the New York Times Editorial page, briefly tackling the apparently forbidden and unspeakable topic of TEACHER PAY.   

  Op-Ed Contributor: A New Measure for Classroom Quality (May 1, 2011)

Getting ready for RIFs

With RIF (Reduction In Force) notices set to go out this week, it is critical that you know what to do, even if you do not feel you are in danger of being let go.  If you do receive one, note that there will be a meeting at the KEA office on May 17, at 4:00 to give you information on what this means and what your rights are.  This is a checklist from WEA and KEA:

Getting ready for RIFs: Six steps to take now

 With significant cuts coming in the state education budget, KEA and WEA want you to be prepared in case you receive a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice. Here are some important steps to take NOW, even if you have not received a RIFnotice:

• Keep all notices and paperwork you receive from your employer, especially your RIF notification should you receive one. These explain your appeal rights and may be necessary for any potential challenge to a RIF.
• Make an appointment to check your personnel file at the district office. Make sure the information in it is accurate and complete. For example, make sure that your contracted FTE, endorsements and other information are recorded properly. If you find mistakes, correct them as soon as possible. 
• Make sure the district has current contact information for you, and keep it updated (mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, etc.). If you do not have a personal, non-district e-mail address, sign up for a free one and provide it to the district. Accurate contact information is important in case of a recall.
• Get a complete copy of your personnel file. You may have to pay for the copy charges, but the investment will be worthwhile down the road.
• Obtain letters of recommendation from your principal or other key people and have these recommendations ready in the event you need to look for employment elsewhere.
• Make sure you know who your local association president and UniServ representatives are and how to get hold of them.                                                                                               (President: Lisa Brackin Johnson- lisa.brackin-johnson@washingtonea.org), UniServ Rep: Sandra Goveia- sgoveia@washingtonea.org)

Report from the KSD Budget Hearing

At the KSD Budget Hearing on March 29^th, Superintendent Vargas and Business Officer Richard Stedrey reviewed the budget and proposed reductions using a worst case scenario forecast.

Audience members expressed a high level of concern regarding the budget survey process and proposed cuts, including the long-term impact of many of the cuts.  The speakers included parents, students, educators and community members. Participants raised a wide range of questions and suggested alternatives. Concerns regarding PE and Music and maintaining K-4 class size were frequently addressed. Many speakers noted the connection between Music and PE and increased academic performance. One elementary student raised $15 at a garage sale to save the PE program and a middle school student said, “Music is my life.”

Kent Education Association Vice-President Connie Compton addressed the School Board and recognized the challenges of the school district budget. She continued, “As the education professionals who work with your students every day in the classrooms across the district, we feel it is absolutely imperative that we be an integral part of the conversation. We respectfully ask the board to invite us to the table to honestly and openly discuss possible alternatives to navigate these troubled economic waters while continuing to provide a high quality and well-rounded education to each and every one of our students. Together we can find a way to reduce the budget while minimizing the impact on our students.”

Audience questions included:

• What is the end-goal driving budget decisions?
• What are the priorities and values of our community?
• Have decisions already been made?
• Why are Elementary PE and Music being considered?
• Why do administrators earn top pay for our region, but teachers are at the bottom?
• Why are neighboring districts able to balance their budgets without impacting classrooms?
• Why do the Auburn and Tahoma districts have better trust with their communities?
• Will cutting the middle In-School Suspension program limit discipline options and have unintended consequences?
• Is PE mandated by the state?
• Is eliminating PE a contractual issue?

Suggestions for alternative budget reductions or raising revenue:

• Make cuts that do not impact students.
• Reduce salary at the top.
• Run a supplemental levy to raise $3.7 million dollars.
• 10 summer furlough days for administrators.
• Cut administrative travel.
• Freeze administrative pay.
• Eliminate outside consultants.
• Delay new curriculum purchases.
• Use alternative transportation for high school students.
• Freeze standardized testing.
• Continue tuition-based full-day kindergarten programs.

The district has responded to some of these issues on the district website. KEA looks forward to responses to the remaining questions and concerns.  As well, we hope that we will be invited to discuss options with the school board.

Budget Survey?

This was forwarded to me by Connie Compton, KEA Vice President, who wanted members to be able to see what she did when she tried to fill out the KSD Budget Survey.  This was sent to the school board and Dr. Vargas.  I apologize that the chart didn’t transfer over as well as intended.  It came as an excel doc and was difficult to format.

I just attempted to complete the Budget Survey. I am disappointed and frustrated. I am unable to make the choices that I think best serve the needs of our students because the limited choices offered force me to cut certificated staff. This survey does not allow us to keep cuts away from our students and the classroom. Because the survey gives such limited options and does not present the full list of options developed by the school district or allow me to make my own suggestions and yet requires a specific point total, I am unable to use the online tool to give my input. Therefore, I am sending my input directly to you.

The students attending school in the Kent District School District today or entering kindergarten next fall only get once chance for their education. We need to provide a well-rounded education that meets the needs of all students. Cutting the Elementary PE and Music programs does not reach this end. As a 30-year veteran special education teacher, I know that school can be challenging and even frustrating for many students. PE and Music can be the positive in their school day. Other students find their passions starting in the elementary PE and Music programs, which leads to their connection to high school, their social group, and even their college path or their careers. Research clearly ties physical health and music to academic achievement. Likewise, research supports smaller class size at the elementary level. Teachers across our district will tell you that they are already stretched to their limits. Increasing class size and cutting elementary planning time will seriously impact the learning of our students.

Ideally, I believe that a supplemental levy should be put to the voters. This would increase funding by approximately $3.7 million, which would cut the need to reduce the budget by more than half. However, it is possible to reduce the budget without directly impacting classrooms or running a supplemental levy. Please refer to the attached spreadsheet (printed below) with my recommendations to reduce expenditures.

Thank you,
Connie Compton
Elementary Special Education Teacher,
KEA Vice-President,
Community Member & Voter, and Parent of 2 KSD Graduates

2011/2012 Budget Reductions for Consideration
Central Office Budget Reductions as planned	2,762,032.00
Energy Savings	592,568.00
Mid-Day Kindergarten Transportation	127,400.00
Reduce One Assistant Principal per High School               Rationale: Three Assistant Principals (or 2 and a Dean of Students) aligns with most high schools of similar size in our area.	542,388.00
Middle School In-School Suspension	173,527.00
Principal’s Travel Fund Carryover	248,951.00
10 Furlough Days for Superintendent and Chiefs               Rationale: As KSD Certificated Staff are paid less than those in 22 surrounding districts, it is reasonable to reduce pay for administrators to a similar level. Furlough days can be taken in the summer without impact to the student school year.	76,020.00
10 Furlough Days for District Management                        Rationale:  See above	323,560.00
Return 11 TOSAs/Coaches/Facilitators to the classroom. Rationale: The professionals working in the trenches will agree that teachers in the classroom keeping class size low and programs intact will prove to be of the most value in student achievement. These staff can fill open positions in the schools. (Estimated savings based on the average cost per certificated staff of $80,963, although potential savings could be higher as most staff in these positions are typically higher paid staff).	890,593.00
Cut “Travel” from the Budget                                                Rationale:  Priorities. Elementary PE and Music should be valued over administrator travel.	330,000.00
Total Reduction	6,067,039.00

Ramblings on Class Size

This was sent to me by a teacher who objected to Bill Gates’ opinions on class sizes in schools.  

 Bill Gates has recently been quoted as saying, “”U.S. schools have almost twice as many teachers per student as they did in 1960.” I have to wonder what Bill bases this on. I’m guessing it’s not the Kent School District. Our contract allows Kindergarten to third grade to reach 29 students and 4^th to 6^th grade to reach 32. My husband was recently working on some old school pictures. Here’s what we saw –

1960 – 1^st grade – 31 students                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  1961 – 2^nd grade – 31 students                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                1962 – 3^rd grade – 28 students                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      1963 – 4^th grade – 28 students                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     1964 – 5^th grade – 30 students                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1965 – 6^th grade – 27 students

Interestingly, the kindergarten at my school has 27 students this year.

 So maybe Bill’s problem is that in 1975 a federal law was passed that provides for a free and appropriate public education for all students. Prior to this law many students now in special education programs could not attend public schools. Others dropped out after they had been held back repeatedly. In Kent, approximately 10% of the teachers are special education teachers.

 We also have ELL teachers in Kent and 15% of the students in Kent are in ELL programs. Many more have exited formal ELL programs, but are still building their skills in English.

 I often wonder what makes Bill Gates an “expert” on education. I wonder how he’d do teaching for a week in a public school classroom.

Come on, KSD, you can do better than that…

A question was sent to me by a member asking why KSD withheld the new math teaching manuals (Math Expressions) from elementary teachers who could not or chose not to attend summer trainings.  Good question.  Teachers were then instructed to use their old resources and skills to come up with lessons for math until they could attend trainings late in September.  This teacher went on to say that she felt responsible for getting her students started on the new curriculum, so she borrowed a teammate’s manual and had an hour a day with it to plan lessons for her students which was not enough time.  In the end, she got trained on the new curriculum and received her own materials by October, but what was the message that she got from all this?  She felt that she was being punished because she couldn’t take the training in the summer.  When I first heard about this plan last year, that was the first thing that came to my mind, too.  Is there any other idea that explains why the district either couldn’t have moved the trainings up closer to the first of the year or supplied the materials so that teachers could at least frame their lessons with the new curriculum in mind?  Come on, KSD, you can do better than that.

This really brings to mind a bigger picture concerning curriculum and program adoptions and roll-outs that has been an issue in district for many years.  We have all seen curriculums and programs come in that were touted as the “new, next best thing,” and were talked up vociferously for a year, maybe two, and then just went away.  Some of those programs and curricula were good; some were not as good, but frequently, there seems to be something about the way they are presented that causes initial problems that are never overcome and the demise is apparent even as the program is implemented.  Sometimes it seems to be funding that is a problem; other times it is a lack of person-power to enable success.  Other times, buy-in doesn’t happen or combinations of reasons occur; we have seen all of these.  The bottom line is that we initiate and then drop many programs that are not given a reasonable chance to succeed.  I see this as a problem with the TI (or MTI or RTI or whatever it’s called at your building) implementation.  This could work really well.  I have talked to many teachers who see the potential.  I’ve talked to teachers who say that they are seeing the benefits, but it is taking many more hours per week to see those gains.  That becomes a workload issue.  KEA made the point last year that we need members on all adoption committees to take a look at any new curriculum to examine it from a contractual basis; issues of time and workload need to be viewed as a part of any adoption.  KSD agreed, and we put people on committees, but we still have problems.  It always feels like there is such a rush to implement that important details get ignored or covered up and then you wind up with the district “punishing” people who won’t get on board by doing things like withholding materials from teachers.  Come on, KSD, you can do better than that.

Education Reform?

There are a lot of people out there talking education reform these days and it’s getting hard to keep the stories straight without a program and a script, but it’s good to know that there are some who are managing to see through all the fog (and smoke and mirrors that are trying to hide other agendas).  Here’s an article that can help you see past the people who would destroy public education by not funding it and then complain because it doesn’t seem to be working.  This article references Parents Across America (http://parentsacrossamerica.org/), a new organization that promises to connect parents and activists from across the U.S. to share ideas and work together on improving our nation’s public schools.  Please take a look and see if you agree with this article.

http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/why-i-am-not-a-defender-of-the-status-quo-in-education-because-the-status-quo-is-failed-ed-reforms/

Solidarity with Wisconsin

With the situation in Wisconsin continuing, we urge you to sign the online petition that Mary Lindquist, WEA President has sent out to all members.  Much as you may not think so, this is your fight, too.  Saying, “It can’t happen here,” is not going to protect you from the union-busters that are here in our own state.  Make your voice heard along with millions of other union members nationwide.  I am reprinting Mary’s message here (you may have to copy and paste the links into your browser):

Colleagues,
I know many of you are following the developments in Wisconsin. Let’s send our suppport of fellow teachers, nurses, firefighters and all public employees of Wisconsin who are fighting for their rights.

Please sign the national petition to support public educators and workers’ rights. Let your voice be heard.

And encourage others to do the same. The online petition is at www.educationvotes.nea.org/nationalpetition.

In solidarity,
Mary Lindquist
WEA President

Late Start/Early Release

The district, KEA and other interested bargaining groups have been in discussion for several months over the issue of providing more time for teacher collaboration, training and performing other professional responsibilities.  To that end, a committee of administrators, teachers, KEA leadership, parents and community members was formed to develop a few proposals. This is an idea that has support from the superintendent, administrators, teachers and other groups within KSD.

 As you may know, in most surrounding school districts, there are many more days set aside as early release or late start than we currently have, and if you speak to teachers from those districts, most will tell you that it has been invaluable as a means to do a variety of things that enhance their teaching and student learning.  In the districts that have this time, they added minutes to the student day to keep with the state required 1000 hours of instructional time. Teachers in those districts understand that a few minutes extra each day is well worth the additional time they get on the late start or early release days. We currently have 8 days of early release/late starts and the 3 proposals that have been suggested are:

1. Every Wednesday a 90 minute late start
2. One half day every other Wednesday Every
3. Wednesday a 2 hour late start

How the days will be directed is subject to bargaining, so you will have a voice in this, if adoption is recommended. Two community meetings will be held to provide information and gain input from community members, teachers and other KSD employees.    The first meeting is at Kentridge High School on January 31, from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM, and the second is at Kentlake High School on February 1, from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM.  Come and see what’s being proposed.