Schools open early in Colorado. In many districts, teachers start back the second week of August and kids arrive the 3rd week. This year, in many districts, teachers arrived as they usually do to set up their classrooms, but they didn’t get paid. No money.
This is the irony of working as a teacher in today’s environment in Colorado, where the spending-cuts Tea Party has many forceful adherents.
Fewer days, fewer hours for kids and teachers
Jefferson County (Jeffco) teachers on the west side of the Denver metro area will take a 3 percent pay cut in 2011-12, based on five furlough days. Three furlough days will occur out of professional development time, and two will occur around school holidays when students will also get an extra day off.
At a time when many students need to be in school more hours and/or more days, districts across Colorado are cutting both.
State’s largest district sees $100 million cut from budget over 4 years
Jefferson County’s general fund budget has declined by $60 million since its high point in 2009-10, just before revenue for the state budget contracted. Another $70 million will likely go away through 2013-14. At this point there’s no telling when the down trend will turn around, and even when it does, it’s likely to take years just to get back to ‘09-10 levels.
State continues to throw mandates at districts with no money
Despite the budget cutting at districts, the state continues to mandate work and other requirements. Senate Bill 10-191 is an example. This bill states that school districts will provide performance evaluations to all teachers annually, and to new and probationary teachers two to three times a year.
This state mandate is a good idea. Teachers should be regularly and systematically evaluated. However, management staffing to do these evaluations is lacking. Most management to staff ratios in business hit around 1 manager for 10 people or fewer. The district’s staffing ratio is more like 1 principal to 20 or 30 staff at elementary school, and much higher at high schools.
The district has yet to figure out how to conduct on-site teacher observations, interviews, and written appraisals without adding substantially more administrators, at a time when citizens complain about the “excessive” dollars used to pay management staff.
Students’ needs are great as ever
At the same time, student needs haven’t declined. The district has done some heavy lifting to raise test scores. It has succeeded. Compared to state data, the district has improved its test results on students meeting or exceeding proficiency in 17 categories on state exams, as opposed to 12 for the state. As important, Jeffco continues to compete successfully with other metro area districts, even though it has experienced an increase from 20% to 30% of children considered low income, often with learning difficulties that need attention.
Money questions haunt districts
How much longer can a district with 81,000 students continue to march forward when money and related resources are marching backward? Will today’s kindergarten class, graduates of 2024, receive the quality education they need and deserve because of declining revenues in 2011-12?
Will Colorado be able to build a strong economic base for today’s and tomorrow’s workers based on a weak public education foundation? It’s usually a bright time when schools open their doors and windows in Colorado, but now, in 2011, the blinds are down, the hallways are dark, and too many doors for too many children are closing.