Local Education News
The Board of Education is has declared that a state of financial exigency exists, meaning that the District can't pay its bills next year (or this year for that matter without breaking into the Reserve Fund). Declaring financial exigency means that the Administration can enact Reduction In Force policies. Cutting 12 million dollars next year is the District's goal. If you are a victim of a RIF, you should be notified in late April. You have the right to appeal the decision. Contact FWEA President Norman Quigley for more information. Many positions have been eliminated, mostly central office staff and campus moniters. The Board has given raises to central office adminitrators (1.5%) and to support staff (2%). Teachers, counselors, libarians, diagnosticians, etc. will receive their raise (around $900) from federal stimulus funds. Despite the fact that FWISD maintains that the salary schedule is not a "step" schedule, the district is including in the raises a "step" raise. FWEA did not support raises from district funds while employees are being laid off. The loss of campus moniters is a safety issue resulting in less safe schools in those that have had their moniters reduced or removed.
FWEA has contracted with its webhosting service to send out email newsletters to keep you informed about actions taken at school board meetings. Two will go out monthly in conjunction with Board meetings.
Locally, Dr Johnson continues to implement Vision 2010 with initiatives including the Institute for Learning’s program and Balanced Literacy and High School Redesign. Still lots of bumps in the road including technology training, violations of the Paperwork Reduction act with more detailed and lengthy lesson plans, excess staff development, and anti employee initiatives such as the attempt to repeal district policy on progressive discipline, eliminate the informal hearing in the grievance process and the implementation of a performance pay plan based on TAKS scores.
However, a new curriculum software is being implemented by the district and should make life much easier for teachers. Online access to curriculum strategies, plans, and activities compiled by the best and brightest in the district will give teachers the opportunity to fine tune lesson plans and implement activities from which all students should benefit. Samples of what are to come are now available through the district’s web site. At issue with this curriculum framework is principals' interpretation of how this framework should be used. Some principals are taking teacher initiative right out of the classroom by demanding strict adherence to the framework. DataSmart, the district's test scores database has now been integrated with the curriculum framwork.
Also on the technology front, a new data system is being introduced in the district this year. It is being phased in in several stages. There will need to be lots of staff development to train ALL those in the district who will use it from data clerks, to counselors, to central office personnel to school and district administrators. Oh yeah, and teachers, too, of course. Their gradebooks will be part of the new system.
The district also is implementing the PEAKs program in target schools this year. Implementation thus far has been a debacle. Under this program, performance pay is the name of the game. About 15 low performing schools have been named as PEAK schools where performance pay for teachers and other staff will depend on student's TAKS scores. FWEA fought to to eliminate TAKS as a measure of achievement, but in the district's rush to implement the program, TAKS was the only instrument already in place. Some target schools were allowed to hire all new staffs, displacing many highly qualified teachers who were not rehired by new or old principals. The verdict is still out on the effectiveness of this program. Poly High school must meet federal NCLB standards this year or face reorganization.