Comments on: Teacher contract negotiations stalled well into second year http://ppsequity.org/2009/10/27/teacher-contract-negotiations-stalled-well-into-second-year/ Covering the beat of Portland Public Schools Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:00:36 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: kim http://ppsequity.org/2009/10/27/teacher-contract-negotiations-stalled-well-into-second-year/comment-page-1/#comment-41997 kim Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:44:48 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1085#comment-41997 The more I learn about PPS, the more disgusted I am with it. Bleh. Get me out of here. The more I learn about PPS, the more disgusted I am with it. Bleh. Get me out of here.

]]> By: Steve Buel http://ppsequity.org/2009/10/27/teacher-contract-negotiations-stalled-well-into-second-year/comment-page-1/#comment-41994 Steve Buel Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:23:58 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1085#comment-41994 Ever since Matt Prophet left as superintendent PPS has put politics ahead of kids. This has created a school district without a focus. When the whole district can't get behind the decision making process then employee relations break down and things like negotiations become more of a we versus them situation. Unable to work together for common goals (and the only sensible one is working together for what's good for kids -- using that mantra as your guide for making decisions)then groups splinter off into a what's good for me (or us) philosophy. So we use test scores, educational trends, and political feasibility (and the upper economic groups are always more politically feasible) as our guides for making the district's decisions. And what you get is a mess. And guess what we have. Ever since Matt Prophet left as superintendent PPS has put politics ahead of kids. This has created a school district without a focus. When the whole district can’t get behind the decision making process then employee relations break down and things like negotiations become more of a we versus them situation. Unable to work together for common goals (and the only sensible one is working together for what’s good for kids — using that mantra as your guide for making decisions)then groups splinter off into a what’s good for me (or us) philosophy.

So we use test scores, educational trends, and political feasibility (and the upper economic groups are always more politically feasible) as our guides for making the district’s decisions. And what you get is a mess. And guess what we have.

]]> By: Miss Merry Sunshine http://ppsequity.org/2009/10/27/teacher-contract-negotiations-stalled-well-into-second-year/comment-page-1/#comment-41992 Miss Merry Sunshine Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:20:02 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1085#comment-41992 Oh, and to add to that, a big roll out of Special Education curricula botched. HS Sped teachers went to a 3 day training in the spring, promised we would have ALL THE MATERIALS by the time school started. Oh, yes, and we were told someone was even driving east to pick them up! (That was a good one, I believed it!) Guess what, short/incomplete sets of hardcover text and consumables. Seems to me copyright laws apply, but teachers in HS are EXPECTED TO implement this program--with sets for less than 10 students and classroom sizes in Special Ed. of 13-18!!!! I kid you not. Many schools run out of copy paper several times during the year--why? Because the PPS doesn't have the basic texts and supplies that teachers need. This is one nasty little secret that needs to come out to the public. So, when are the sets going to come? One teacher I know put an order in early September and got called in October with questions about his order---guess he'll be lucky if he sees his books next April... WHAT A DEBACLE! ASK THE HS SPEDS ABOUT THIS ONE! Oh, and to add to that, a big roll out of Special Education curricula botched. HS Sped teachers went to a 3 day training in the spring, promised we would have ALL THE MATERIALS by the time school started. Oh, yes, and we were told someone was even driving east to pick them up! (That was a good one, I believed it!)

Guess what, short/incomplete sets of hardcover text and consumables. Seems to me copyright laws apply, but teachers in HS are EXPECTED TO implement this program–with sets for less than 10 students and classroom sizes in Special Ed. of 13-18!!!! I kid you not. Many schools run out of copy paper several times during the year–why? Because the PPS doesn’t have the basic texts and supplies that teachers need. This is one nasty little secret that needs to come out to the public.

So, when are the sets going to come? One teacher I know put an order in early September and got called in October with questions about his order—guess he’ll be lucky if he sees his books next April…

WHAT A DEBACLE! ASK THE HS SPEDS ABOUT THIS ONE!

]]> By: Steve Rawley http://ppsequity.org/2009/10/27/teacher-contract-negotiations-stalled-well-into-second-year/comment-page-1/#comment-41988 Steve Rawley Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:28:36 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1085#comment-41988 <a href="http://www.patpdx.org/advocate/16-oct-2009" rel="nofollow">True story (from PAT)</a>: On the first day of school, a Portland Public high school chemistry teacher received his class lists at the beginning of the year. He found he had 20% more students this year than last. He quickly went to make copies to prepare for class, only to find that the school had no paper and the copier was out of commission. What was the district doing? Having a meeting for administrators at an off-site retreat. True story (from PAT): On the first day of school, a Portland Public high school chemistry teacher received his class lists at the beginning of the year. He found he had 20% more students this year than last. He quickly went to make copies to prepare for class, only to find that the school had no paper and the copier was out of commission. What was the district doing? Having a meeting for administrators at an off-site retreat.

]]> By: Miss Merry Sunshine http://ppsequity.org/2009/10/27/teacher-contract-negotiations-stalled-well-into-second-year/comment-page-1/#comment-41987 Miss Merry Sunshine Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:22:06 +0000 http://ppsequity.org/?p=1085#comment-41987 Ahhh.....when I started teaching in the 70's, most of us worked second/summer jobs because the pay was so low. How history repeats itself----many new teachers are doing the same, loaded with huge college debt, unable to purchase a home in this area. We keep going lower, lower, lower in area comparable teaching wages, and let's not even talk about the IAP plan new teachers are all enrolled in, thanks to PERS being frozen. Oh, are today's teachers gonna have a nasty wake up call and surprise if they even make it to retirement age! At least old farts in the 70's and 80's were promised a nice retirement in lieu of decent wages (see Oregonian editorial today, even THEY admit that little fact). Lest I be accused of "whining"--let's see: decreasing pay, benefits becoming "iffy" and we pay part of them now, no retirement to look forward to, increased work load, buy your own supplies and materials, constant changes in the name of 're-design', less support services to kids and teachers, the threat of performance pay (a la Arne Duncan)------I want to congratulate the PPS on how they are showing their teacher appreciation---NOT! Skip the platitudes and whatever little token we get during "teacher appreciation week"! The district's attitude makes me ill, and is absolutely insulting and digusting. Now I think I'll go have some cheeze with my whine.... Ahhh…..when I started teaching in the 70’s, most of us worked second/summer jobs because the pay was so low. How history repeats itself—-many new teachers are doing the same, loaded with huge college debt, unable to purchase a home in this area. We keep going lower, lower, lower in area comparable teaching wages, and let’s not even talk about the IAP plan new teachers are all enrolled in, thanks to PERS being frozen. Oh, are today’s teachers gonna have a nasty wake up call and surprise if they even make it to retirement age! At least old farts in the 70’s and 80’s were promised a nice retirement in lieu of decent wages (see Oregonian editorial today, even THEY admit that little fact).

Lest I be accused of “whining”–let’s see: decreasing pay, benefits becoming “iffy” and we pay part of them now, no retirement to look forward to, increased work load, buy your own supplies and materials, constant changes in the name of ‘re-design’, less support services to kids and teachers, the threat of performance pay (a la Arne Duncan)——I want to congratulate the PPS on how they are showing their teacher appreciation—NOT! Skip the platitudes and whatever little token we get during “teacher appreciation week”!

The district’s attitude makes me ill, and is absolutely insulting and digusting.

Now I think I’ll go have some cheeze with my whine….

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