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School board conflicts threaten school district performance

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

School boards have taken their hits lately as school board members become testy with pressure to improve student academic performance and drum up money to meet budgets.  In Colorado, two of the largest districts are having similar conflicts over school reform and board behavior, with threats of recall and votes on censure.

Denver Board boils over school reform plans

Denver’s school board has seen huge discord as its Superintendent, Tom Boasberg, has tried to bring reform to the Montbello articulation area in the northeast part of the city.  His actions roiled the waters in this largely minority part of town, as the high school and feeder schools have new principals and have worked to improve their results.  Nevertheless, Boasberg asked the board to completely revamp the schools, a request recently approved on a 4-3 vote by the Board, producing tears among students and staff.

The arguments in Denver are among Democrats - those supporting the teachers’ union and those supporting Superintendent Tom Boasberg -  with the President of the Board, Dr. Nate Easley Jr., the swing vote who supported the Superintendent.  Easley is now threatened with recall as the teachers’ association and its supporters call foul. Easley won his election in part based on union help.

Jefferson County School Board censures a member

The Jefferson County School District Board, with its 6500 employees and 85,000 students, has recently censured board member Laura Boggs, a first in the history of the district.  Boggs, elected a year ago by just over 51 percent of the vote, has not turned away from controversy.   On visiting a local high school, she got involved in an English teacher’s lesson on acronyms.  The acronym was SCHOOL, to which Boggs attached STUPID to the S.  Other actions have aggravated her relationship with the superintendent and the teachers’ association.

Boggs is a Republican on a board that is 3-2 Democrat.  The censure vote was 4-0 (Boggs was not allowed to vote).  Based on these proximate situations, one wonders about the proper role of a board member and how to promote school improvements in the face of chronic board conflict.

No trust at heart of problems

Republican Boggs has a lot in common with Democrat Andrea Merida, a leader of the Denver Board’s minority faction.  Both do not trust district decision-making and push their bureaucracies’ buttons.  Merida has publicly complained that Denver Public Schools Administration withholds information http://www.westword.com/2010-09-23/news/andrea-merida-s-classroom-behavior-has-earned-her-a-seat-apart-on-the-denver-school-board/ Jeffco’s Boggs has repeatedly asserted that teachers should take an across the board pay cut, which has put her at cross purposes with the Jeffco teachers’ association. http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2010/01/29/2694-districts-begin-tough-budget-talks Neither board member trusts their superintendent. http://www.ednewscolorado.org/2010/12/17/11586-friday-churn-time-for-break-graduation

The challenge for all board members is how to push for positive change while allowing districts to conduct their business.  If a board member does not trust the district, but then behaves in a way that compromises the trust citizens endowed them upon election, chaos ensues, constructive conversations die, progress slows, and no change is accomplished.

Denver will move forward with its Montbello plans and Jeffco will move forward with its facilities and budget struggles.  Both Andrea Merida and Laura Boggs will face some big decisions about how to effect change, or simply make lots of noise.

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Posted in Colorado Education Association, Jeffco Public Schools, program improvement, public schools, school reform |
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Voucher choice as a bad choice

Friday, November 12th, 2010

School districts across the country are sucking eggs with their 2011-2012 budgets.  It’s no different in Colorado.

Largest Colorado District budget down $50million+ by 2012

Jefferson County School District (Jeffco), the largest district in Colorado, will reduce its expenses by about $50 million, offset by about $30 million in reserve reductions.  That leaves about $20 million in actual cuts, which translates to about 196 jobs and various other trims.

By 2012-2013, the District’s expenses will have declined $50 million from the 2008-2009 budget year, the high water mark.  In other words, the 6000 children who entered kindergarten in Jeffco this year will be educated with significantly fewer dollars than the children lucky enough to have entered school five years ago.

Douglas County District down $100 million by 2012

Douglas County School District in the south Denver metro area will also have cut its budget by about $100 million over four years. http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/District_Information/Budget_Reduction_Information Douglas County didn’t have the big reserves of Jeffco to help buffer the downturn.

Even so, the Douglas County school board is examining school choice and has resurrected vouchers as an option for kids and their parents.  Douglas County has four private schools located within the district, all Christian schools.  The idea is to give parents 3/4 of the state’s per/pupil funding as a voucher to use at one of these private schools.  Colorado provides $6545 per student, which ranks 48th in state per/pupil funding compared to all other states-worse than California.

Douglas County Schools paid $8165 to Eric Hall, a Colorado Springs lawyer who was instrumental in passing a Colorado school voucher program in 2003 to develop a policy known as the Option Certificate Program.  The 2003 voucher system was tossed by the Colorado Supreme Court as violating the section of the state’s constitution that forbids public money to go to religious schools.  Known as the Blaine Amendment, this section was originally written to keep Catholic parochial schools off the public dime.

According to the Douglas County School Board’s president, Republican John Carson, Attorney Hall assures the district that this voucher program will work.  Count numerous residents of Douglas County dubious.  Elizabeth Celania-Fagan, the recently hired superintendent, sent an email to parents saying the option is a “draft recommendation” and “there have been no decisions made.”  Douglas District would lose $4908 per student, keep $1637.

Taking $4908 per student out of the Douglas County District’s budget would represent a big hit to the district’s public school teachers and a big help to the local private Christian schools.  In general, parents can’t complain about Douglas County school results, as the district is one of the highest performing in the state.  Its teachers union, the American Federation of Teachers, has accepted alternative compensation packages and the district as a whole is considered forward-looking.  The union supported SB10-191, a bill to include performance metrics in the teacher and principal evaluation and compensation system.

This school board, however, is only a year old, and all Republican.  These board members swept out the previous mixed board in November 2009 on a school choice platform.  District parents may be getting more choice than they want at a time when any lost dollars will be expensive for district performance. “I don’t like this idea at all,” said Karen Ricker, mother of a first grader.  What’s wrong with the schools now?  Public funds shouldn’t be used for private schools.”

The first meeting on the proposal is today, November 12.  The first public comment will be November 16.  It’s certain that the board meeting will be packed and lively.  All Colorado School Board meetings are taped.  This one will be worth listening to. http://eboard.dcsdk12.org/

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Posted in American Federation of Teachers, Douglas County Schools, Jeffco Public Schools |
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Colorado Lost RTTT, but Jeffco wins big with TIF

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Public school teacher compensation has taken shots from every direction based on its lock-step grid structure.  Generally, all teachers in a district who have worked ten years and have 30 post-secondary credits receive the same salary.

Jefferson County School District in Colorado, the largest district in the state, is piloting a completely different compensation program funded by a $32.8 million federal Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant.

The grant provides money for a 20-school pilot project at elementary and middle schools with at least 50% of students on free or reduced price lunch.  Ten schools will pilot the new compensation plan; ten “control” schools will receive an across-the-board one percent pay increase and all the additional professional development services of the grant.  Teachers in the control group will continue to be paid for “steps and levels” negotiated in the District’s teacher contract.

The new strategic compensation plan is the result of collaboration by Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA), the teacher’s bargaining unit, district administration, and the school board.  It divides compensation into three tiers:  new teachers, experienced classroom teachers, and teacher leaders.  The pay structure looks like this:

Tier 1:  $40,000-$50,000

Tier 2:  $55,000-$75,000

Tier 3:  $80,000-$100,000

In Jeffco’s “steps and levels” structure, beginning salary is $33,000, and salaries top out at about $85,000.

How does the compensation plan work?

New teachers will start at $40,000 and will have a minimum of three years, and up to five years, to move out of the first tier.  During that time, they will establish annual individual, team, and school goals.  They will receive additional compensation, up to a total of $10,000, for goals met.  Goals include student achievement and growth using the Colorado Department of Education growth model.  Theoretically, new teachers can earn up to $50,000 their first year out.

Tier 2 teachers represent the experienced teacher corps.  These teachers will also establish individual, team, and school goals.  They will receive pay based on goal achievement levels, with up to $20,000 on the table.

Tier 3 teachers will serve as teacher leaders.  This level continues the career pathway set by Tiers 1 and 2, focusing on additional value that leaders bring.  These teachers may work longer days or more days during the school year.  They will mentor, provide data analysis skill, do model teaching, and/or perform peer performance evaluation.  With an entry salary of $80,000, these teachers can earn up to an additional $20,000.  Ideally, this tier will offer teachers a chance to try out leadership roles that can prepare them for administration leadership positions.

Additional professional development

Compensation change isn’t the only purpose of the TIF grant.  The district will create professional development programs for both pilot and control schools.  Schools will also receive an additional half-time vice principal to help manage the grant.

Overall the grant, distributed over five years, encourages creativity and innovation to ensure that children in low-income areas receive the support and powerful teaching necessary for their success.

Program received with mixed results

The JCEA is now meeting with the 25 elementary and middle schools that meet the free and reduced lunch criteria.  High schools are currently excluded from the study because of their size.  Issues have arisen around teachers at the top end of the current salary structure.  Some salary adjusting in Tier 2 will have to occur to accommodate the transition.  Some teachers are eager for the opportunity; others see risks and are “wait and see.”

Teachers’ union key to developing the plan

The Jefferson County Education Association was a critical player in developing the plan.  The union wants to take a lead role in figuring out how their professional compensation will look in the 21st century.  Kerrie Dallman, president of JCEA, said, “I am excited about this grant because it gives Jeffco teachers the opportunity to shape our profession now and in the future.  We know change is coming, and we want to help plan that change.”

Answering important core “reform” questions

Does teacher compensation affect teacher performance?  Does more focused professional development make the most difference for kids?    A related question is whether such a plan will attract a broader array of college students into the teaching profession if they can increase their income faster than in the current system.  JCEA wants to know if having a career path giving teachers more leadership opportunities will make a critical difference.

The five-year time frame may not be long enough to adequately test these premises, but much is at stake in the Jeffco study: new ways of thinking about compensation, professional development, career opportunities, new teacher training, and especially union-management collaboration.

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Posted in Colorado Education Association, Jeffco Public Schools, Race to Top, TIF, Teacher Incentive fund, school finance reform |
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Colorado’s Big Bet

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Colorado has placed a big bet on how to improve student testing outcomes through more frequent teacher evaluation.  Senate Bill 10-191 sets in motion a vast assessment system of annual performance appraisal for all teachers.

Probationary teachers must receive three consecutive satisfactory reviews to move to non-probationary, or tenured, status.  Tenured teachers will drop to probationary status with two consecutive years of unsatisfactory performance.

The legislature put no new money into the system to pay for expanded evaluation, yet alone additional compensation for superior performance.  After all, Colorado is so broke that the legislature reduced education spending by $260 million for 2010-2011.

So what’s a school district to do?  Why of course… apply to the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant program!

So far, the U.S. Dep’t of Ed has funded 33 TIF plans.  According to Jonathan Eckhart, Wheaton College, only six are currently deemed successful in their impact on student learning.  The typical plan drops bonus dollars on teachers on top of the traditional steps and levels compensation system.

Jefferson County School District, the 37th largest district in the country and largest in Colorado, may attempt something else.  Jeffco is looking at tying its whole compensation system to student outcomes by eliminating steps and levels in their traditional format.

Essentially, the District is exploring the idea of paying teachers on a goal-based system.  SB10-191 declares that 50 percent of each teacher’s evaluation is based on student test outcomes.  Districts have some flexibility in choosing the assessments, but about 40 percent of teachers will receive 50 percent of their performance rating based on the state’s CSAP test.  In Jefferson County, the remaining 50 percent of assessment may be based on team and school goal-setting.

Teachers may also gain more pay by providing added value to the district through their contributions to student success, teacher mentoring, curriculum improvements, professional development, and serving on teacher appraisal teams.

The new system envisions a four tier set up.  The first tier includes new teachers.  The second tier includes teachers who work primarily in the classroom.  The third tier requires additional certifications and expanded teaching and professional development responsibilities.  The fourth tier will probably be a hybrid of teacher/administrator.

Teachers will receive additional pay within tiers as their work with students produces positive results.  As teachers move across tiers, taking on more responsibility for leadership and professional development, they may receive additional jumps.

But the District cannot afford this program without help.  The Teacher Incentive Fund grant program, if the district’s proposal is accepted, will provide the additional dollars for at least five years for up to 10 schools in a pilot program.

After the pilot program, there’s the great unknown. If the program succeeds, will the district be able to scale it up, as it also tries to keep current with other program innovations necessary for a 21st century education?  If the program succeeds, will the Jefferson County taxpayer and the state of Colorado reward the district for its success?

These are big questions as the district moves into untested territory to see if a non-steps and levels compensation system can kick start and sustain significant improvements in student academic outcomes.

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Posted in Jeffco Public Schools, TIF, Teacher Incentive fund, public schools |
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Tough decisions for school districts, and it’s not all money

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Jefferson County Public Schools (known as Jeffco Public Schools) is the biggest district in Colorado and one of the largest 50 districts in the country.  Its 80,000 students attend schools from the north, still part of the Denver metropolitan area, to the southern most hamlet of Deckers in the national forest near the headwaters of the South Platte River, and over to the front range Rockies at the west.

Like so many other suburban school districts in the western United States, it’s becoming a place for students of many ethnic backgrounds. The changing demographic began about 10 years ago and is accelerating.

At the same time, the whole district is now “mature” and built out.  Little new construction will occur, but plenty of re-construction of older buildings in less affluent parts of the county will be necessary.  School closures are also a possibility as some facilities are under capacity by over 50 percent.

The biggest long-term challenge the district faces is how to handle this transition from primarily white, suburban schools to a diverse population of kids speaking many different languages.  To make the problem more complicated, some of the district in more affluent areas is still primarily white.  And the resources to bring kids up to proficiency on the exams selected by The Colorado Department of Education are most necessary in the poorer parts of the county.

Jeffco Public Schools will probably lose about $11 million in January, 2010, when the state legislature pulls budgeted money back into the state’s general fund.  The district faces about $40 million in deficit financing from property taxes and state contributions in 2010-11 and another $40 million in 2011-12.  It has roughly $160 million in reserve, some of which will be applied to the budget deficits.

Based on the demographic demands and the budget deficits, how should the district allocate resources?

Should it hunker down and keep on trucking as it has?

Or should it take bold steps to attack school improvement of student math and writing deficiencies and reduction in the 25 percent high school dropout rate?

Are we in a time when bold is impossible because there is no money to fund it, even when the facts on the ground require bold action?

Jeffco Public Schools is not the only district facing this dilemma in Colorado or across the nation.

The time is here to make tough decisions, and they will affect the lives and education of many little kids depending on the adults to make the right ones.

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*The school community wants to talk about this dilemma? Take Care!, showing ways for the school community’s adults to resolve problems successfully may help. See the website for this blog.

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Posted in Colorado Budget Crisis, Jeffco Public Schools, public schools, school reform, school resources |
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