Furloughs in Clayton. No performance pay yet in Cherokee.
As predicted, budget challenges for schools are not going away next year, although there is some brighter news out of DeKalb for teachers.
Here are some AJC stories as well as some info sent to me by teachers about Race to the Top-driven contracts:
DeKalb: The DeKalb school board Monday adopted a tentative $1.16 billion budget for 2011-12, which restores furlough days for district employees. (To be clear, that means that DeKalb canceled almost all the furlough days enacted last year.)
Clayton County: Clayton public school employees will get to keep $6.4 million in incentive pay but must take five furlough days by the end of June under a budget-cutting plan approved Monday. The furlough days will help save the jobs of elementary school counselors and music and art teachers, but elementary gym teachers and those who work with students in in-school suspension programs weren’t so lucky. Even after a spirited debate to hang onto physical education positions, the board voted to cut 60 physical education and ISS jobs.
District employees were given $6.4 million of $9 million in federal stimulus job-saving money late last year in exchange for attending professional development training, which must be completed by June. The money became a political and legal issue during last week’s regularly scheduled meeting and the board tabled a decision until Monday night — when it abandoned the idea of trying to retrieve the money. Monday’s meeting drew a standing-room crowd as district workers came to learn the fate of their incentive pay and possible jobs.
I also received a note that Cherokee was issuing contracts to teachers that included a performance pay option. I had the note on the blog, but Cherokee says the information was incorrect. And while Cherokee is part of the state’s Race to the Top grant, it says it is not rolling out any performance pay plan at this point.
Here is the official response from Carrie Budd, coordinator, Community Relations & Publications, for Cherokee:
Cherokee County School District has not offered any contracts as of yet, and likely will not do so until May. Those contracts will be based on the same salary schedule as the current year (which is NOT a merit-based system). CCSD is an active participant in Race To The Top, but the specific timelines for any performance-based pay have yet to be determined.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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132 comments Add your comment
teacher
April 19th, 2011
12:17 pm
There are so many questions with RTTT and no one has all the answers yet. So, I would find it hard to believe that Cherokee is forcing them into this system without more information. The full implementaiton of the new program is not for another four years and only a portion of Georgia’s systems are even eligible for the money available to pilot the implementation.
the prof
April 19th, 2011
12:24 pm
Disregard Dr. DOPE…
Retired DeKalb Teacher
April 19th, 2011
12:29 pm
When I began teaching in 1980, I was promised extra pay if a passed a rigorous performance-based certification process. I passed this extensive examination of my teaching, which required many hours writing detailed lesson plans, a checkoff list of 14 different teaching skills, and numerous subjective obstacles to master.
Teachers beginning a career in later years had their standards watered down and eventually the amount of litigation forced Georgia to scrap these very subjective system. Performance-based certification required more education bureaucrats to administer their system and countless education dollars for this program.
Merit pays sounds good for the politicians. Until Georgia helps people in poverty, then educational levels will continue to decline. Georgia Republicans are only interested in children when they are in the womb, while they keep cutting Medicaid and education. Georgia needs to stop giving huge tax give aways to big corporations like Delta and Airstream to build corporate jets. Republicans seem to only want to help the rich, but they use anti-immigrant fear and other narrow, wedge issues to divide Americans.
The rich are seeing their income levels rise and the other 80 percent of the people are seeing incomes falling. Speculators on Wall Street are driving up gas prices with the tax money given to them to bail out their lousy financial management. America is becoming a third world nation, while the European Union invests in its citizens and its industrial outpost. Brazil enjoys a nine percent increase in GDP (when three percent is considered good) and it has a liberal government which is increasing the middle class.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
12:32 pm
European Union…LOL!
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
12:33 pm
Most of you teachers seem to have the same “gimme” “I deserve because it for THE CHILDREN” mentality. Career change is always an option.
@abc and @dr.no
April 19th, 2011
12:34 pm
you go on about how the corporate world has the same criteria as the education world. How about believing in those of us who have been in the corporate world and then went into teaching? We do know the difference; we lived it in the corporate world and live it every day.
You’re right – salaries can be changed at a whim in the corporate world, but I never signed a contract that guaranteed me a salary for a designated period of time. In the corporate world, I could designate how much of my personal income I could direct toward my 401K. I don’t have that option iwth the TRS. On the other hand, I only had 2 weeks of vacation there. I do have more time off as a teacher, but boy, it’s needed.
I could go on and on, but since my gut feeling is that you haven’t spent any time as a teacher, I’d just appreciate it if you could give those of us who speak from the perspective of both worlds a little more credit than you seem to do. It’s hard to be preached to by someone who has never walked in my shoes.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
12:34 pm
Oh the mean ole Rich People. All I can say is a poor person never offered me a job nor hired me.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
12:37 pm
@abc and @dr.no
April 19th, 2011
12:34 pm
To each their own and you make an excellent point of which most seem to miss. There are positives and negatives for the Private vs Public sectors. One more thing. I may have never been a teacher but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express…uh well maybe not. Nevermind.
Madatfulton
April 19th, 2011
12:39 pm
All of you people making derogatory comments who aren’t teachers (Dr. NO) need to STFU. NO PROFESSION compares to being a teacher, so comparing what people deal with in the private sector is moot. Teachers are responsible the education of YOUR CHILDREN! Teachers are educators, social workers, security guards, peer mediators, project managers, counselors, secretaries, curriculum developers/planners, motivational speakers, interpreters, and the list goes on. If teachers were only responsible for teaching, the job would be much sweeter but unfortunately that’s not the case. Teachers have to deal with the pitfalls of society on a daily basis (Children who are not held accountable and are lazy because they are used to be given everything with no to minimal effort, children who come from broken homes and choose to vent at school, children who are on probation for random acts of illegal activities but still are required to come to school for the teachers to educate, etc…) Teachers have to educate students whose parents frankly could give two craps about the success of their offspring. When teachers try to contact the parents, they get greeted by a disconnected notice from the operator or parents that say well they’re your problem to deal with while they’re at school. Teachers have to deal with 30+ students in one classroom which includes students who are ADD/ADHD, have learning disabilities, non english speakers, have behavior disorders, etc… I would like to know who in the private sector deals with that. Teachers work over 8 hours a day and don’t even get a 30 minute lunch break. Most teachers get about 25 minutes, when the private sector gets an hour. Also teachers are confined to the school building all day, while those in the private sector can run out for lunch, go to the bank, etc… during the day. Teachers spend money on the classroom to further the learning experience of other people’s children. Teachers spend countless hours grading assignments, communicating with parents, and going above and beyond for a thankless job. Teachers can’t even become teachers with less than a bachelor’s degree while many in the private sector can and still make more. I could go on, but the bottom line is this… The responsibilities that come along with being a good teacher are MUCH more than anyone in the private sector has to deal with and the pay should compensate for the responsiblities and stress that comes with educating the youth. Without teachers there wouldn’t be any professions and with that level of impact, teachers should be the best paid professionals PERIOD.
Doc
April 19th, 2011
12:47 pm
I can’t help but wonder why those in the private sector aren’t outraged at the absence of a pension plan, affordable healthcare benefits, and decent working conditions. If you are in the private sector why aren’t you complaining about these losses instead of wanting those in the public sector to loose their benefits. All workers should be paid a living wage, have a decent retirement plan, have affordable health care, and enjoy safe working conditions. Same old song….the wealthy exploit the poor by turning us on one another. We need a wake up call to protect the middle class in this country!
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
12:51 pm
We have heard rumblings in Cobb of the base teacher salary being what a new teacher currently makes. This would be fine if the performance bonuses were fair. The system used in Texas had a teacher who got the highest bonus valued at 12000. That means he would be making less than I currently make and he’s the greatest that Texas has to offer in that county.
Pay for Performance is not about paying the best teachers. It is about reducing what you pay teachers to the base level and making it impossible to reach the amount you are currently being paid. THIS SAVES MONEY AND WHAT THIS SYSTEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT. i.e Get rid of the Zell Miller salary increases that brought Georgia up to the level of other industrailized states.
JL
April 19th, 2011
12:52 pm
Anyone else starting to wonder if DR NO even works, or does he sit at home all day, given the amount of time he devotes to these blogs lol!
ABC
April 19th, 2011
12:53 pm
Doc: You are right about that, except that most of us cannot afford to start a revolution and loose our jobs in the process. You see..that ole job security thing. I wonder who in here has THAT?
And seriously, Madatfulton, cry me a effing river. The teachers at my sons’ schools have none of those complaints. I have talked to several recently and they all welcome merit pay because they have supportive parents and staff. Let me give you a for instance: at a recent foundation meeting, I brought up the fact that several teachers have unclaimed monies from their share. You wanna know what the teacher rep said: “yes, we are sorry, but we are so well taken care of, we have a hard time figuring out where we should spend the money!”
These war stories I hear here may be true in urban schools; they certainly aren’t the case where I live.If you ended up in a subpar education environment, that’s not my fault and I won’t be sorry for you. MY community, school, administration takes care of our teachers; despite the county’s problems.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:01 pm
Madatfulton
April 19th, 2011
12:39 pm
LOL…AH HAHAHAA!!! I get paid to blog and have 2 pension plans.
“teachers should be the best paid professionals PERIOD.”
No they shouldnt. Perhaps Math and Science teachers should be paid more but standing in front of a group of kids harping on about this or that ie reading strait from the book takes very little talent.
You public employees are gonna learn.
Old School
April 19th, 2011
1:06 pm
@Dr. No. Those that can, teach. Those that can’t (you) complain all day on this blog.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:06 pm
Public employees are there to “serve”. You teachers are there to mold those little minds, to turn todays widgets into tomorrows cogs of industry. That alone should be plenty of reward, no?
Oh thats right…you thought “I will be a teacher and get summer break, holiday off etc.” Then ya found out it was gonna involve some actual work and that really bummed you guys out.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:12 pm
You see you public employees are subject to the will and whim of the private industry/economy. No profits then less money for you guys. You are kinda the indirect employees of the private industry.
Our sub-contactors if you will and unfortuately for you WE are cutting back.
ConcernedTeacher
April 19th, 2011
1:13 pm
Just a tid bit of information….every summer break, most teachers take on second jobs or are full time students furthing their educations. Very few get a summer break. When you cannot count on your salary being steady every month, and no teachers are not in sales, you have a hard time creating and sticking to a budget. DR NO, please try teaching, you seem to know everything already.
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:14 pm
@ ABC
These war stories I hear here may be true in urban schools; they certainly aren’t the case where I live.If you ended up in a subpar education environment, that’s not my fault and I won’t be sorry for you. MY community, school, administration takes care of our teachers; despite the county’s problems.
So ABC…..You’re happy with the teachers of your son. But you support furlough days for teachers? Decreased Pension plans? Elimination of the step increases? No Job Security? More students in the class? Teacher evaluations based on standardized tests scores? Pay for performance that doesn’t compensate teachers for what they are worth? Non-competitive salaries for teachers? Contracts that don’t have salaries spelled out?
Do you invest in your child’s education by keeping the best teachers by supporting them? Or do you say “NO ONE feels your pain” and show that the value you place on teachers is not worth anything. I.e. @ Dr NO “Those that can’t….teach” Is that how you two feel?
rufus
April 19th, 2011
1:18 pm
I want to see what industry makes you put in 6% of your pay from day one, and you have no choice. Out in the private sector you may have a pension 401K but no gun to your head. Everybody wants to pick on the retirement….pay less for 30yrs and get a retirement….
GtMom
April 19th, 2011
1:18 pm
My husband took a job as teacher this year. After 65% paycut and losing all his benefits as structural engineer, he got a huge pay increase even with the furloughs to become a teacher. His company layed off 70 percent of their workforce in the past couple years.. I guess no one wants to build skyscrapers anymore or superdomes… He was a lucky one to not lose his job or was he?? He seems to be a lot happier teaching and has stopped pulling all nighters for project deadlines (hmm I bet he didn’t even make mininum wage).. It has been very tough for everyone these last couple years. Lets just hope that we can all make sacrafices and pull through this as a nation..
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:19 pm
“When you cannot count on your salary being steady every month, and no teachers are not in sales, you have a hard time creating and sticking to a budget.”
No steady salary? I thought teaches were on contract hire basis. Well all I can add is no thanks. Im perfectly happy in my private industry job. Oh I couldve gone to college to be a teacher but I chose another path. I guess it boils down to the Personal Choice/Responsbility thingy that keeps creepin up.
PS…dont feel to bad. We in the private sector get laid off, fired at the end of the week, job loss via branch office shut downs etc. At one time, to keep from moving home with Mommy and Da-da I was churing out 65 to 75 hours PER WEEK at QuikTrip, so I feel your pain.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:26 pm
Rufus. All I can add to that is Waffle House deducts a meal allowance from their restaurant employees pay and thats on a daily basis. Eat or not you receive the food deduction. Perhaps they do the same at Dairy Queen or Huddle House?
Madatfulton
April 19th, 2011
1:27 pm
Dr.No and ABC, do us all a favor and shut up. I have taught in urban settings so no it’s not the white picket fence community you live in. Good for you, but urban kids need teachers too so spare me.
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:28 pm
Try making an apples to apples comparison DR NO. Teachers vs Private sector employees with the same education, training, responsibilities etc.
QWIK Trip, dairy queen , waffle house are not true comparisons
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:32 pm
Hypothetical situation DR NO. Project manager of a high rise construction. Crew of 30. Many don’t speak english. Many don’t show up on time or at all. But you can’t fire them because the owner says you can’t. The project manager gets the building built on time and under budget. For this the owner cuts his pension plan. His pay. No reward or bonuses. Does the project manager get to complain or should he suck it up??
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:36 pm
The Project Manager should keep his mouth closed and seek employment elsewhere.
ABC
April 19th, 2011
1:36 pm
Christopher: You have missed my point ENTIRELY. And the teachers at my school sure wish their salary was tied to the CRCT. 95% of 3rd graders meet or exceed.
The parents at my school support our teachers immensely. Just this year alone: the parents (me included, btw) subbed a combined total of over 1000 hours just so that ALL the teachers in our school could receive a reading program provided by the University of Columbia (paid for by the PTA and the foundation to the tune of over 18K), we have provided lunches for teacher appreciation (again subbing so the teachers could have an hour and a half off), over $500 per teacher (sometimes more) per year for classroom supplies, technologies that include smart boards and flip cameras. I could go ON.
ALSO, remember last year when all the teachers in Cobb Co that had less than 2 years of service were fired? The PTA in our school lobbied intensively for our teachers and they got their jobs back (although that had more to do with some of Cobb Co’s creative accounting..so I don’t know). We didn’t care that she had only 2 years of service. She (and the parents) sure wished her performance and salary were based on something other than seniority.
Bottom line on merit pay: most teachers *I* know would welcome it. The rest…well seriously, I can’t save the world. And *I* personally know a lot of professionals that are a WHOLE LOT worse off than some teachers I know in regards to salary (in absolute terms), benefits, savings, retirement and job security. So no…
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:37 pm
“Dr.No and ABC, do us all a favor and shut up”
Do you tell your classrooms kids also to Shut up or just bash them over the head with a textbook when they are not lookin?
ABC
April 19th, 2011
1:39 pm
Christopher @1:32PM: the project manager needs to find a different project where the workers show up and learn english. I.e.: the teacher needs to find a teaching job in a decent school.
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:39 pm
@ DR NO
He does this and leaves you with a less qualified person who can’t do the job under budget and on time. Is this how you want your child taught?
ABC
April 19th, 2011
1:40 pm
Madatfulton: make me.
ABC
April 19th, 2011
1:40 pm
Christopher @1:39. My child won’t be in “that project”.
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:41 pm
Ditto @ ABC
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:41 pm
@ ABC Your child is in that project whether you know it or not.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:42 pm
Sorry my friend we were talking Project Managers of a high rise. Not teachers.
*BUUZZZ* Sorry. But dont walk away a loser. Johnny what do we have for our first loser-up? Well Bob its a 6 month supply of turtle wax car polish and thanks for playing.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
1:44 pm
Sorry my friend…all it not interchangable and or connectable.
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:45 pm
@ ABC The baby boom retirement is here. A mass of highly qualified teachers are leaving the system and retiring. Right now!! Couple this with the rapid resignations of the very brightest new teachers who want more pay in the private sector.
This is all happening now when teacher morale is at an all time low. You and DR NO and everyone else who say teachers are the ones who CAN”T are hastening this along.
Support teachers. All teachers. Make them better. Make them feel respected. And you will get better people in the “real-world”
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:48 pm
@ DR NO
Sorry my friend we were talking Project Managers of a high rise. Not teachers.
Yet you want to compare us to the private sector?? The comparison is good when it benefits your argument only???
Another Math Teacher
April 19th, 2011
1:49 pm
Dr NO,
Normally I would rate you 5 of 10 in your efforts. Your target selection has raised my opinion of you, clearly you are a master of those living under bridges! I rate you 9 of 10.
Those of you that are teachers that have replied to Dr No, you should be ashamed. You should be ignoring obvious trolls. I expect better from teachers.
Really amazed
April 19th, 2011
1:50 pm
I took a 38% pay cut over 5 years ago. No it is not in the education field. Basically, if I didn’t like it, I could quit! There were many waiting in line to fill my shoes and I knew it!!!! I love my job and still chose to stay with less pay. If these teachers truly love to teach, they will stop b——- and keep teaching. Many people are still out of work. Thank God my children don’t have to be subjected to teachers that don’t want to be at school doing their jobs.
I'm all for bashing. . .
April 19th, 2011
1:51 pm
but that’s just me.
(and if you think I’m serious, maybe a trip back to elementary school wouldn’t be a bad idea.)
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
1:52 pm
I have a right to defend myself. All teachers should be ashamed of those who sit by and have the education system corroded by those like NO.
Madatfulton
April 19th, 2011
1:56 pm
@ Dr. No, actually I don’t tell my students to shut up but I do say it to ignorant adults who should know better.
Madatfulton
April 19th, 2011
1:57 pm
@ ABC, if you have the balls to meet me I will.
Christopher
April 19th, 2011
2:00 pm
@ Really amazed “Thank God my children don’t have to be subjected to teachers that don’t want to be at school doing their jobs.”
I didn’t see one teacher say they didn’t want to be at school doing their jobs. In fact……all I saw was the complete opposite of that statement. Please only post factual information.
Really amazed
April 19th, 2011
2:00 pm
Don’t get me wrong, I truly think teachers as a whole are under paid, but these are tough times. Many long time teachers have looked at the private sector so they don’t have to deal with the gov’t bs. Don’t be fooled into thinking that private school teachers make less. Yes, some do however if you go to the more reputable ones. The teachers there have been there for avg. 15 yrs plus. This is because not as many discipline problems, more parent support and yes, even more pay w/benefits to the teachers that have proven to love there craft!!!!! Better results for all.
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
2:01 pm
” I expect better from teachers.”
HERE HERE!! *APPLAUSE*
Patrick Crabtree
April 19th, 2011
2:02 pm
If we are so bad then why is North Atlanta returning to PUBLIC SCHOOLS? Maybe this quote from an earlier MD Blog will explain it:
“I know of other parents who are beginning to question how much value they are getting for their $20,000-plus tuition to private schools and who are choosing to switch from private to public. It’s amazing to me that this is happening amidst the politically troubled APS system”
Maybe the ‘educated and wealthy’ can start redirecting the charter folks, vouchers, tax credit people from their REAL agenda: elitism. These feel they are better and must be ‘pure’ and not mingle with the ‘undesirables,’ but we really know the REAL reason……………..
Dr NO
April 19th, 2011
2:03 pm
Well dont be so Mad about it. Life is collage of many tastes and fragrances…and, uh other stuff too.