Watching the Headlines March 29, 2010

These days I’m watching the headlines for any news about teacher layoffs and education.  Today I ran across this article in the Daily Herald about a blog started by a pink-slipped teacher in Elgin.  (I added the blog to my blog roll).

As I read through the comments left on the DH article I felt frustrated and discouraged.  Here are some of the comments people made about teacher layoffs.

“I feel bad for anyone who loses a job, but I have to say that these recent stories about teachers and other staff members in schools getting “pink-slipped” just make me want to ask them, “What planet have you been living on for the last ten years?” We, the parents of the children you teach, we, the taxpayers who pay your salaries, have been dealing with this situation in corporate America for a long, long time.”

I know this is true.  Matt and I have been noticing for some time, whenever we visit Michigan, how the economy has deteriorated.  The schools there have been struggling for a long time.  It was only a matter of time before the struggling economy caught up with education on the national level.  But this comment, “we, the taxpayers who pay your salaries,” kind of irritated me.  Yes, our salaries are paid through taxes – because we service your children and your families.  Our day does not stop when your child leaves our room and the day begins long before your child enters it.  We are grading papers, making plans, calling you when your child isn’t performing and setting up conferences on your schedule to try and address your child’s needs.  I guess the question you need to answer is what do you value?  Because without us, public school teachers, you would have to pay for a private education – even if you lose your job.

“I still think it would be better if all the teachers take a pay cut and they reduced staff by a lesser number.”

I’ve already spoken to how I would be willing to give up my raise – but reduce the number of teachers?  That has a frightening domino effect.  In Chicago we are looking at having 37 kids in a class due to our cuts in staff, with fewer aides to help out.  This certainly affects the quality of education students can receive.  When you cut a teacher, you cut a child’s educational opportunities.  You limit a child success.  It isn’t just about a job.

“We need to get these school districts back down to a fiscally manageable level. If parents want their children taking cartooning, animation and photography classes they are going to have to pay out of pocket to the private sector.”

This comment brought up a different kind concern of mine.  Our educational system does not do a good job of honoring individual gifts if they don’t fall within certain categories.  If you aren’t math smart, or language smart, or body smart then you are not as valued.  There are all kinds of academic awards assemblies starting in elementary school.  And do I really need to talk about how valued sports are in our society?  But in the elementary grades there are fewer opportunities to show off your art smarts or your musical smarts.  (Some schools/districts are better than others.) And certainly there are very few opportunities to show off your people smarts – if you’re good at getting along with others, or if you are especially compassionate or empathic.  These classes like cartooning and photography are so important for kids who may not experience success in other contexts.  I know a girl who was failing every class, except  photography – and not because it was an easy A.  How do you put a price tag on that?

So many of the stories we tell ourselves through TV and movies have a common theme of working together to make life better for everyone.  We want to hear that story over and over.  And yet when it comes time to live it, we choose something else.

I want to do my part.  I’m willing to talk about what that part is.  Is there anyone else out there who is also ready to do something beside point fingers and make a grab for themselves?

Education Budget Crisis March 20, 2010

Sacramento, California

Scottsdale, Arizona

Hunstville, Alabama

Detroit, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Kansas City, Missouri

Rockford, Illinois

Elgin, Illinois

Schaumburg, Illinois

Waukegan, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

All over the country districts are considering or have already approved teacher layoffs.

The Chicago Board of Education is threatening 3,200 teacher layoffs, class sizes of 37, elimination of preschool for the most needy and cuts in services to English language learners.  Mr. Huberman, our CEO, is saying that without more state funding the only way to address these issues even partially is to reopen the teacher contract and take back our promised raise and board contributions to our pension.

I’ve heard teachers ask why we should be required to give up our raise when Mr. Huberman makes over $200,000.  I think that is beside the point.  This is the way our society is set up and if we want that to change that we have a much bigger fight on our hands than the crisis before us now.

My question is how can we insist on a raise when our colleagues all over the country and teaching in the classroom next door are losing their jobs?  What is fair about that?

Yes, it would be nice if Mr. Huberman would decide, as a good faith effort to make even as little as the highest paid teacher in CPS, given that he doesn’t even have an education degree or experience, two things we are required to have to move up the pay scale.  But I don’t see that happening.  And the board has already cut 500 non-teaching jobs and required those left to take three weeks of furlough days.

When it comes down to it, as a teacher and a parent, if I can save the jobs of my colleagues and the educational quality of my students, as well as and even more importantly to me personally – that of my own children, I will give up my raise.

My critics would say that it wouldn’t save that many jobs, that we would still have larger class sizes, that we would still lose preschool and there would still be a decrease in ELL services.  That may be true.

My colleagues who have been around longer than me tell me that the Board has done little to build trust and that even now they are holding secret meetings.  I’m told that if we give anything up it will be in vain because the Board could solve these issues without our concessions.  That may be true.

So I guess this leaves us in a quandary.  How can we contribute to the best possible solution?  If our answers begins with “They,” then we’ve given up all control and become victims of the system.  But we cannot accept this role because there are bigger victims – our children.

Our union president Marilyn Stewart’s response to the Mr. Huberman’s proposals can be found here.

She says in the last paragraph that the union will do everything we can to help all of us out of the mess CPS put us in.  First of all, CPS didn’t get us in this mess by themselves.  Let’s put the responsibility where it belongs – with a society that undervalues quality education for every child.  Secondly, I have yet to hear the union make any suggestions about how we will help – only stating the things we won’t do.

If we as teachers are to be true advocates for the education for our children we must bring something to the table.  And until I hear another suggestion I’m thinking that is going to have to be our raise.