Comments on: Teacher contract talks at ‘impasse’

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:35:18 +0000

Sure you can! They’ve been doing it as long as I have lived here—since 1992, at least.

By: HS teacher

HS teacher — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:09:18 +0000

I think most teachers would agree to an increased workload IF the district would offer up something for it. 2% is not even cost of living (remember this offer is for 2008 AND I think the last raise we got was 1% about 6 years ago). yeah, I know the economy sucks. It’s just that you can’t ask for more and offer nothing!

By: Whitebuffalo

Whitebuffalo — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:00:38 +0000

I’m not sure. I hear speculation that to that effect though. The administrators jobs would be simpler if HS teachers would teach 6 then the district wouldn’t have to come up with more FTE. Whether there is a strike vote or not will come down to this issue not money. Teachers will be painted as greedy, asking for more money in a down economy and that’s an overly simplistic (cynical) view. The real issue for HS is workload. I don’t know that even if fairly compensated that teachers can add another class and adequately feel like their serving their students. Their stressed as it is.

By: Carrie Adams

Carrie Adams — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:09:50 +0000

Whitebuffalo, do you know if the high school redesign was created with the assumption that high school teachers would teach 6 classes?

By: Whitebuffalo

Whitebuffalo — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:06:10 +0000

Clarification: the contact hours increase would add another class. Teachers teach 5 in a 7 period day and would have 6 classes adding those extra 30+ kids.

By: Whitebuffalo

Whitebuffalo — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:04:56 +0000

A real sticking point is the number of classes a teacher at the HS will teach. The contact hours is a “camel nose under the tent” strategy. If the contact time increases the number of classes a teacher sees goes up. So a HS that sees 5 classes with 35 each (some are more) is 175 kids (and papers and tests to grade). That could go up to 215 with this contact increase. So really you’re increasing the workload without compensation, THAT’S what’s behind this. They’re stretched thin already. Some take sick days to stay home and grade papers (can you imagine taking a day off from work to catch up on your work?).

Much sabre rattling to ensure for 37 days. Cross your fingers for cooler heads, calmer thinking.

By: Steve Rawley

Steve Rawley — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:07:26 +0000

Seven and a half minutes doesn’t mean a heck of a lot/Seven and a half minutes doesn’t mean a thing./But take it from me every day, every day for every week…

It may sound nit-picky, but it’s not about a few minutes… it’s about non-educator administrators attempting to seize what remains of teachers’ power.

By: doug

doug — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:25:24 +0000

Who do voodoo? I do voodoo…got my dolly here, and pins in hand…

By: marcia

marcia — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:31 +0000

Everyone in my building is ready to strike…they just keep asking when …enuff already…PPS needs to take everything off the table except the money issue, and bargain from there….Someone needs to get a grip with reality…and it is not the teachers.

By: Zarwen

Zarwen — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:59:33 +0000

Merry, you know I have never beaten up on you—only expressed concern for your health and well-being. But if any occasion ever justified the use of caps (=SHOUTING!!), I’d say this is it.

I no longer work for the District, but when I got that piece of crap from Trudy in my email, I couldn’t believe it. Do they really expect parents to rally around THEM against their children’s teachers? Especially after all the $ and supplies they have wasted this year? What planet are they living on???

I don’t belong to the PAT any more, but I hope there is still a place for me on the picket line.