Is Gwinnett using non-renewals to thin the ranks? Why is Fulton keeping grad coaches?
Some questions and e-mails I have been getting on school cuts that I thought I would put out there for comment: Feel free to e-mail me others.
1. Why isn’t Fulton cutting graduation coaches? A Fulton employee called me to ask why school counselors and psychologists are on the chopping block and not graduation coaches? (She had her suspicions why — a personal connection — but I suspect there are other reasons.)
2. This comment came to me from the husband of a Gwinnett teacher. (This issue has been raised by many people. I have called Gwinnett last month as I have been hearing a lot of this. See comment below.)
I urge your paper to do some investigation of Gwinnett County’s layoff practices. My wife’s contract was not renewed for performance reasons. She has not had even one negative mark on her employment record. Her principal could not give her any specific reasons for the non-renewal. My wife is a third year, highly qualified teacher.
This incident alone is not enough to warrant investigation, but when my wife has heard stories that are identical in circumstances to hers it requires action. Gwinnett County is going under the radar and not getting this in the press; they obviously don’t want to damage their reputations. Instead, they harm individual teacher reputations. This is not right.
Personally, this was stressful for our family. It would be one thing just to lay off teachers and claim budget cuts, but to claim performance concerns when there are clearly not any unethical. PLEASE, dig into this. Innocent people’s reputations are being hurt.
When I called a few weeks ago about non-renewals of teachers who maintain they had strong evaluations records, I spoke to Sloan Roach, who said these were normal non-renewals and were not an attempt to lower staffing through trumped-up suggestions of poor performance. She then followed up with this e-mail:
I have checked with Human Resources and decisions to non-renew an employee are based on performance-related issues. This is true with the current economic situation, and would be true during better times, as well.
An employee recommended for non-renewal has the option to resign, but that is the employee’s decision. You had asked if someone resigns can they reapply… there are no rules prohibiting someone who resigned from reapplying for a position in the school system.
Sloan Roach
Executive Director of Communication and Media Relations Gwinnett County Public Schools
But, then I got this e-mail about non-renewals in another metro county from a teacher whose husband was a principal:
I know this to be true, and not only from a teacher’s perspective. My husband (recently retired) was directed, as a principal, to do this type of non-renewal, inspite of his fervent protests and evaluations against it.
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188 comments Add your comment
Watching this space
April 25th, 2010
11:13 am
Since Maureen promised to get statements from GAE, MACE, and PAGE , it will be interesting to see just how forthright and honest each organization will be about the issue.
@ Watching this space
April 25th, 2010
11:28 am
Maureen,
GAE, MACE, and Page…
Don’t forget AFT (Atlanta Federation of Teachers.) We know this is happening in Gwinnett, Fulton, and Cobb. What about other systems? I’m guessing AFT might be willing to be more vocal, since AFT does not represent administrators. Same with MACE.
Gwinnettian
April 25th, 2010
1:44 pm
I just read that Gwinnett’s water towers are about to be dismantled. Why don’t they just change the slogan from “Gwinnett is Great” to “Gwinnett is Broke!”
Meg
April 25th, 2010
5:37 pm
Maureen,
I dealt with a similar situation in Gwinnett as some of these people except it was before the economic crisis. I simply needed to transfer to another school system on the northwest side of Atlanta, so I made the mistake of asking for recommendations from the AP over my department. My principal at the time took it personally when one of his staff needed to leave even for a good reason, so he would have his flunkies write up bad evaluations and falsify paperwork. Unfortunately at the time I received my first bogus write up, I did not fully understand my rights, so I did not tape the conversation with my AP and me. She said at the time that she would have written me up the year before, but put the blame on another AP, so she admitted lying on that evaluation. After that one of my colleagues and my GAE rep. told me I could tape my conversations. Also the paraprofessional in my room for the first bad evaluation said the AP lied on the evaluation. My AP then continued to lie on two other evaluations. She also lied on my summary overall evaluation and did not file the rebuttal I sent for this. She would not allow my department chairperson to get involved which normally happens when someone supposedly needs improvement. My principal then called me into his office to tell me he was not renewing my contract, but if I did not fight this because of tenure status, he would let me write on the resignation sheet that I was leaving for personal reasons and say nothing about the non-renewal, but the legal option could get ugly. In other words he blackmailed me, and this I do have on tape. By the time all of this happened, I did not have any more fight left in me. I really wish I had fought like the person who wrote about winning a settlement, I know now I would have had a good case with good evidence. I pray that someone will stop Gwinnett from harassing and persecuting good teachers because they’ve gotten away with this long enough. I now teach in a smaller school that pays less, but at least I’m appreciated and viewed as a good teacher. In my over 10 years of teaching, I’ve received excellent evaluations until those few from the last school in Gwinnett. I’m praying for all of you dealing with this situation now.
Ole Guy
April 25th, 2010
7:06 pm
Gwinnettian, the first time I saw that silly-ass slogan, too many years ago, I quickly realized that the author(s), and the mindset behind this chest-beating self-proclamation, were doomed to crash and burn from overindulgence in the blind belief that anyone or anything can be immune from harsh reality. Make no self-deluding precepts…the fiscal difficulties faced by many municipalities are a long time coming. I have lived in many areas, and on both sides of two oceans…I have never witnessed such levels of municipal arrogance as that displayed by that idiotic slogan. I am simply amazed that it has taken the powers that be this long to realize the image of bafoonery this slogan has cast upon the county.
When I was a kid, growing up in a military community, we would often don pieces of our dads’ uniforms…head gear, flight helmet, etc…pretending we were something to which we aspired. The first time I saw that stupid tower-mounted slogan, I suspected the very same motivations may have been behind those who had the very nerve to ever consider such mindless arrogance.
GOOD DAMN RIDDANCE!
Glory
April 25th, 2010
11:37 pm
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, and PLEASE……
GCPS do not care. File an EEOC Complaint before May 15th. You have 180 days from the time the incident occured AND Create an OPEN RECORD REQUEST …..IMMEDIATELY…..Send many emails to HR and to the Board of Education. Send emails to the governor and the WHITE HOUSE. Get the word around. DO NOT FORGET TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH EEOC and send an OPEN RECORD REQUEST TO HR. MAKE A COMPLAINT TO YOUR TITLE VII Coordinator at your school to file a discrimination…..START WITH EEOC.
GCPS needs to STOP…
Glory
April 25th, 2010
11:44 pm
I forgot… REMEMBER not to sign anything with any one in the county. Don’t let them scare you or intimidate you. You have to go in to EEOC and file a complaint…your complaint will be nontenure and any other. I would like to see a break down of the ethinicity of the number of employees are not receiving a contract. Keep in mind, GCPS is not on your side. They are going to get rid of you regardless; therefore, be assertive.
We probably need to meet some where in the county to find the right attorney as a team of “Nontenured Teachers. See guidelines on benefits, sick leave, etc… you want to use everything before your last pay stub.
Meme
April 26th, 2010
10:01 am
Does anyone know if this is the ‘last hired, first fired’ syndrome? I have read posts from many 3rd year teachers but what about the 1st and 2nd year teachers.
Business HR
April 26th, 2010
1:08 pm
A few thoughts- Whoever the head of HR in GCPS is, they are not very good, ethical or aware of case law.
If these teachers band together and get proper representation, they can really make a change to this practice and sadly the tax payers of the county are going to have to pay for the malfeasance being practiced.
One can only hope that they learn by the mistakes this county is making and that this county removes those involved with such terrible employment practices.
Ole Guy
April 26th, 2010
1:54 pm
Meme, I would imagine 3rd year teachers are all-the-closer to that pending raise…1st/2nd year mentors have a ways to go, time wise, before becoming irritations to the power elite. Where the 3rd years have “matured” sufficiently to become somewhat politically savy, the year #1/2 rookies, at this point in their lives, are happy to simply have a job, and are not as likely to start “beating the drums of discord”…among other things, they are probably viewed as not likely to initiate union affiliation within the Ga teacher corps.
Meme, this is a period of do-or-die for the teachers of Ga. Someday, all this fiscal nonesense will subside…it will NEVER revert to “as it was” (whatever that was); the fiscal conditions du jour will simply become the operating standard. Whether you (collectively), as teachers, have any stake/any meaningful input in the process depends on what your teacher corps leadership does in today’s climate. While the powers that be seem to be succeeding, thus far, in dividing your ranks (1st year/2nd year/3rd year, etc), you (collectively) would do well to adopt the words of the venerable John Bilushi.
Down to their last card before the evil college prez tosses the frat from campus, Bluto Blutarsky, in only-Bilushi style, defiantly declares “NOTHINGS OVER TILL WE SAY IT’S OVER”! While the ensuing melee is good for laughs, yours (collectively) is no laughing matter. As with Bluto’s call to take charge of their situation, the best way you, and the Ga teacher corps, can take charge is to immediately seek union representation.
You can call yourselves the BLUTO BRIGADE! Good luck and Godspeed.
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April 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
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Here'swhatIknow
April 26th, 2010
6:20 pm
The reason the 3rd year teachers were fired over the 1st and 2nd is to avoid granting tenure. They can fire the others over the next 2 years. The next two years are supposed to be way worse than what we are currently facing. Principals were sent a list of 1-3 year teachers and told to choose who to fire. Some principals refused, saying they couldn’t in good conscience without any documentation. Others had no conscience and did the bidding of HR.
The only people who got the letters stating “performance concerns” were the ones who wrote to HR asking why they were non-renewed. These letters were sent at a cost of $5.54. HR has no documented concerns, as none exist. Principals are pretending HR made all the choices. AJC cannot do an expose` until someone is willing to go on the record. Who will ever get hired anywhere if he/she does that?
non-renewed too!
April 26th, 2010
7:05 pm
Here’swhatIknow ,
You are right that no one wants to be associated with non-renewal due to professional reputation. What about a news video where the non-renewed teacher’s names are changed and faces blurred out?
Here'swhatIknow
April 26th, 2010
8:31 pm
Between the mass layoffs in Cobb and Fulton and the sneaky, unethical ones in Gwinnett, there are many, many out of work teachers. In a good job market this would be very bad; right now, it’s horrific.
non renewed
April 26th, 2010
9:07 pm
I’m confident that is why they chose 3rd year teachers- from there it was personal preferences. My conversation started off with what tenure was. After looking into it (PAGE’s FAQ and other things online), I didn’t want a letter (HR was a dead end) because all they had to say was your services were no longer needed. At the beginning, I was just finding that they can do this so it was a reduction in force kind of thing. My administrator and HR were saying not signing would end up with my termination. We’re not being terminated, we’re being non-renewed which are two different things legally.
What is the EEOC going to be able to do for us individually? as a group? I would love for the news and public to know about this.
This_just_stinks
April 27th, 2010
6:40 am
There is talk that non-renewed teachers cannot get unemployment…does anyone know if this is true? Also have heard that teachers can file for unemployment on the last working day…not the last paycheck date.
FYI: administrators were given a script for 3rd year teachers: You will not have a contract next year.You are inelligible to work for GCPS next year. If you want additional information, you must request it in writing from Mr. Wilbanks. For those who did not write to him, this is what the letter said:
Dear teacher X: This letter is to inform you that you will not have a contract for the 2010-2011 school year.
When you pushed back with the “WHY???” you got the “performance concerns” clause. FYI: letter one is in your file. Letter two is not.
Meme
April 27th, 2010
10:24 am
I am glad that this is the year I am retiring.
unemployed
April 27th, 2010
6:00 pm
Obviously after 100+ posts on the matter, it is clear that Sloan’s original response to Maureen is a lie. I called Maureen after the first article was in the AJC about this and said it was a lie and to please dig deeper…I don’t know why a full-fledged expose` isn’t being done…but I guess no one really cares to read about the teachers’ woes.
World Class (Non-Renewed) Teacher
April 27th, 2010
9:00 pm
“This Just Stinks”: As a 3rd yr. non-renewed GCPS teacher myself, I can attest that you are absolutely correct in what you said a few posts ago.
When I was summonsed to my administrator’s office, I was given the exact same script: The county has decided to non-renew the contract for next year. I cannot apply in Gwinnett for a year, and if I want any information, I must write a letter (not e-mail) to Wilbanks’ office. The administrator stuck to the script despite my questioning.
I received the first letter stating I would not be re-employed in Gwinnett County for the 2010-11 school year about a week after being notified. The next letter I received (both came certified mail at a cost of $5.54 cents each) about 2 weeks later stated it was due to purported, “performance concerns.”
My question is how can we be sure they aren’t placing the second letter (the one with the “performance concerns” in our files? If this is actually true, then this is just more evidence to add to the already obvious ploy that we non-tenured teachers who were dumped this year are just the sacrificial lambs that the county decided to target for budgetary cuts. This should further beg the question from the media that the non-tenured, non-renewals that occurred in mass this year are NOT what the county is trying to play off as being “performance” related. I assert it is high time the media start digging in to get to the bottom of the real facts that are going on here and let’s call a spade a spade on this and not fall for what the PR mouthpiece for the county is touting.
I was told by another county that they won’t even touch my application because I checked “non-renewed” on their online application. I have all of the satisfactory reviews to show and the annual evaluations all marked with, “No PDP was initiated for this year” for all 3 years, but that is not good enough for them. No doubt, branded is what this is the epitome of.
Like the original e-mail at the start of this blog where someone wrote Maureen and stated, “individual reputations are being ruined…” so that the county can preserve their stellar reputation is right on the mark.
I too have heard non-renewed for “performance” will cause unemployment to be denied. If they are not placing the second letter in the file, however, then that shouldn’t pose a problem, right? For our sake, I certainly hope not. I sincerely hope the least the county can do for its non-tenured teachers they have so shamelessly and ruthlessly ruined teaching careers over and effectively fired for no legitimate reason, is to have enough decency to allow us unemployment benefits. We can only hope.
@ World Class (Non-Renewed) Teacher
April 28th, 2010
5:42 am
If I were you, I would not check that box on your applications. that will get your foot in the door. Have you evaluations and LOR’s ready. It’s unlikely anyone will call Gwinnett.
thisjuststinks
April 28th, 2010
8:05 am
A co-worker who spoke to someone high up in HR (not the top dog, however) was told the second letter would not be in the file…it was for information purposes “because you asked.” If you compare the two letters, the first one shows it going to the file; the second one does not show it being copied to anyone else. You can request to see your file through open records.
I do not know how anyone associated with this travesty can sleep at night. I thought some of these people were leaders of character and integrity. I see that I was completely wrong.
NHall
April 28th, 2010
11:01 am
There is no integrity as far as GCPS is concerned in this matter. Dodge and weave, dodge and weave and pray it doesn’t blow up…
gretchen
April 28th, 2010
1:23 pm
So where is the follow up and investigative journalism?
Maureen Downey
April 28th, 2010
1:43 pm
Gretchen, We are going to do a story on non-renewals and I am about to post a note asking teachers to contact the education editor Angela Tuck (atuck@ajc.com) about their situation.
Maureen
I'm Out
April 28th, 2010
5:47 pm
Can someone please answer these questions posted by This_Just_Stinks: This_just_stinks
April 27th, 2010
6:40 am
There is talk that non-renewed teachers cannot get unemployment…does anyone know if this is true? Also have heard that teachers can file for unemployment on the last working day…not the last paycheck date.
I work for a different district and my contract is not being renewed for the next school year. I don’t know the specifics, I was just given a “heads-up”.
anotheronebitesthedust
April 28th, 2010
6:04 pm
Maureen:
I am glad you are doing an article…I spoke to Richard (?) Fox earlier about the article he wrote. He said he knew what he was told by GCPS was a lie, but no one could/would go on the record to refute it. How can anyone, and then actually hope to be employed by anyone in the future?? The people who really can verify the truth have been sworn to secrecy (principals and asst. principals).
Start in Hall
April 28th, 2010
8:18 pm
Ms. Tuck – it’s not Gwinnett but it started here last year (over 100 teachers let go – almost all nontenured- please take a read. Feel free to contact me with any questions
http://thehallmonitor.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/hall-county-horror/#comment-856
Start in Hall
April 28th, 2010
8:33 pm
@anotheronebitesthedust
You are very right – administrators in this state are not tenured either. Those who stand up for teachers in something like this face non-renewal and harassment/retaliation from the people that want it done.
ex-teacher
April 29th, 2010
8:10 am
Please please do not follow the advice from the person below.
Lying on an employment application for a school system in Georgia will land you in big trouble. They can report you to the GAPSC and you could have your certificate revoked.
Also to make matters worse, if you look at the GAPSC certification application or renewal form you will see that they ask the question ” have you ever been non-renewed”.
If you have been non-renewed the check the box and add and addendum with your good evaluation and say that you were non-renewed for performance concerns even though you never got a negative evaluation.
In the meantime, get a lawyer and fight the non-renewed status. 5 years ago, I sued APS and got them to change the “non-renewed” to “resigned” and got a settlement from APS.
All unfairly non-renewed teachers should join a blog site and meet in person collectively as a group and get a good lawyer for a class action lawsuit. This is the only way to fight this problem. Good luck to all teachers. God speed!
April 28th, 2010
5:42 am
If I were you, I would not check that box on your applications. that will get your foot in the door. Have you evaluations and LOR’s ready. It’s unlikely anyone will call Gwinnett.
to the non-renewed
May 2nd, 2010
2:32 pm
Do NOT resign! Hire an employment lawyer, and be prepared to take on GCPS! Before it is over you should have an agreement in writing from GCPS stating that you resigned for personal reasons, and that Gwinnett will not block your application for unemployment. You will be free to apply and honestly state that you have never been non-renewed!
Previous Hall
May 4th, 2010
2:03 pm
I was a teacher in Hall County last year. I was one of the non-tenured teachers that was laid off. I was also told that it was due to performance concerns. When the principal and I went through my permanent record, all of my evaluations were ‘S’ satisfactory. We did come across some false things in my record that she apologized for. She had me mixed up with someone else. Ha!!! Hall county tried pushing the teachers who were being laid off to resign. They told us that it would look better on our record. If I had done this, or any other teacher for that matter, then we would not have been able to get unemployment benefits. I know I was let go because I had a voice. I wanted what was best for my students. I asked questions and showed my concern for the new programs being brought in. A good teacher will do whatever they can for their students. Unfortunately, this is not appreciated by the ‘big guys.’ They want teachers to shut up and do as they are told. No questions. My students had the highest CRCT in the grade level, both years. My students enjoyed being in class. They smiled, laughed, participated, etc… It was heart breaking getting let go, but for those teachers going through it now… keep your head up. Things happen for a reason. Hopefully this will lead you into a school where you are appreciated. Heck, this may lead you into a whole new career. NO MATTER WHAT>>> DON”T RESIGN!!!!!!!!
Concerned GCPS "resigner"
May 14th, 2010
4:10 pm
Just curious if this issue is going anywhere. By resigning am I already black-balled as a non-renewer? I am spinning it that I want to be in a different location to schools closer to me, but no one is hiring in Forsyth. So I am wondering what I should say when I interview with a school system further away. Any ideas??
Maureen Downey
May 14th, 2010
4:13 pm
Concerned, I have talked to the teacher organizations about this and they think that systems will understand that we are in a recession and that many good teachers lost their jobs this year. They think it is important to make clear that the job loss was a result of the school financial crisis, and that it should not be held against teachers.
Maureen
Alex
June 3rd, 2010
8:50 pm
I agree with the fact Georgia schools are using non renewal tactics for getting rid of teachers and labelling it as low performance. The same thing has happened to me and other teachers as well in my district. That third year is the key. It was so bad with my situation that the principal and assistant principal lied. GAE and MACE are standing by this “tenture” thing. In that I am so frustrated that these unions take your money and then tell you that nothing can be done. My problem is that I received a non renewal letter based on performance. I work with teachers who cannot read, cannot or do not teach grammar skills in a Literature class and most importantly, don’t give backgroun info nor activate prior knowledge on a new lesson but this teacher received a perfect evaluation on amnesty day. All of these things add up to discrimination because I am 40+ and they have kept teachers who are younger, less experienced and have no tenture. I think I am headed for a multi-million dollar lawsuit through EEOC.
Alysse
June 20th, 2010
7:16 pm
Ok now it is June and many of us without a contract still have no job for 2010-2011. What are we to do now? Also, Gwinnett is hiring more than they admit, is there a way we can get those jobs?
companionship
June 24th, 2010
10:14 pm
Really cool article to pay attention to in my opinion. I have a question, why haven’t you you send this post to social media? It should bring a lot of traffic to this page.
dekalbteach
September 5th, 2010
9:11 am
ole guy…..i threw back my head and laughed out loud at your first comment…so true….so true. i have to say, i found these posts, because i have found myself in, what i call, the stupidity tornado of a dekalb county school system principal and the principal’s administrative staff. i feel like i am in an endless swirl of stupidity, inadequacy, callousness, carelessness, abhorrent disregard of human decency and respect. i tell you, i do feel like, to quote ole guy, the “hired hand at walmart” but i am fighting back. granted it has taken a toll on me, as i seem to be fighting the battle by myself, as my fellow colleagues, stand by, and complain, and quoting ole guy, basically saying, “thank you sir, may i have another” instead of fighting back. well, I do somewhat understand why many do not complain, because one has no recourse, or you do, but at what cost. now that i have taken up a particular fight that is affecting me directly, i have a steady rotation of “observers” coming through my classroom, and everything i do is scrutinized. i do however, get prompt email responses from the “administration”, that’s a laugh. i am able to say, they’re in for a fight, if they think i’m going to be a easy termination for them. the saddest thing, is that for the first time in my teaching career, i have hated being in and around the teaching staff and my school. the morale is so low, we are all so angry and despondent. my feelings subsided a bit, as soon as i met my students. and i am determined to not allow this miscreant of a principal, to ruin the teaching profession and all that it has been for me.
i certainly, had a good laugh from ole guy. i am going to copy his note and forward it to several of my colleagues, maybe they’ll be inspired. lol
dekalbteach
September 5th, 2010
10:57 am
gretchen…..is this the gretchen from my neighborhood. i don’t want to say too much, to disclose your information. i am the parent/teacher, my daughter watched your dogs several years ago. remember your husband changed the tire on my car. call me. or contact me. i have some information about your situation.