The head of the West Virginia Federation of Teachers says the legislature and the Tomblin Administration have a tremendous opportunity to change the state’s education system for the better. However, Judy Hale says there are key steps in the process.
She believes the top priority of any reform should be the reallocation of the money already being spent on education in the state.
“Taxpayers in West Virginia have been very generous to education, I don’t think there’s an issue about being enough money for a pay raise. I think there is an issue about how that money is distributed,” said Hale.
Governor Tomblin has already proclaimed there will be no pay raises with so much pressure on this year’s budget. Hale believes there’s plenty of money for raises without any new funding. She is critical of top-heavy administration in the RESA’s, the state Department of Education, and among county administrators.
“We need to take the RESA money and put it in the counties,” she said. “We need to put it at the school level where principals and teacher leaders should be making decisions about what should be done in that school.”
Governor Tomblin is expected to base his education reforms at least partially on an education audit of the state. The results of the audit are startling about the state’s education system.
“Why don’t we take this audit and use it as an opportunity to redistribute the money that is available ,” Hale explained. “So we can begin to have competitive pay and put highly qualified teachers in our classroom.”
The teachers unions have sacred cows of their own. Using seniority as a pay scale has long been basis for teacher pay. Some believe it should transition to merit pay with bonuses and other lucrative ways to improve the salaries of educators. But Hale defends the seniority status as a pay scale.
“There is no research that says any kind of seniority law improves academic achievement,” said Hale. “Doing away with it, making it more, there’s no research that says it’s going to approve academic achievement.”
She said the union would be more inclined to support some of the more controversial measures, such as year round school, if it is the will of the schools and the community to go in those directions and to apply for innovation zone programs to implement those measures.
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Comments
wvu999
The only way to make real money in education is to have no direct contact with students. Our system is funded backwards. Until we value those who directly work with students everyday then we will continue to have classrooms without highly qualified teachers. A teacher with a doctorate degree and 35 years of education in at least 20 of our counties will never make more than $58,897. How in the world can you teacher bashers say that these people are overpaid and underworked? Until you teach one day in today's classroom you are clueless. How many of you would go to college for 7-8 years, work in a profession that you are called a "professional" for 35 years, and never have the chance to make more than $59,000. On the other hand its pretty easy to make over $90,000 and never see a student all year in the county school system.
February 9, 2013 at 5:23 pm | Report comment
WV Patriot
More union rhetoric. Blah, blah, blah. Hold teachers accountable, delete tenure and reward the teachers who can show success with teachers. More after school tutoring for students by teachers. Pay them OT for the tutoring. We are sick and tired of teachers whining.
February 9, 2013 at 6:15 pm | Report comment
JimP
WV Patriot, I do not know what you do for a living, but I am sure whatever it is you do not want people telling you how to do your job that know nothing about the profession. Please leave the laws and decisions about education, to people who have a degree in said degree. I as a teacher would not go in and tell a Doctor, truck driver, welder or any other profession for that matter how to do theirs.
You also need to realize a few things, there is no such thing as tenure. Any teacher at any time can be put on plan of improvement if they are not performing. Is that option being used efficiently, NO it is not. Nor do I think it right that the principal in the building have the right to hire and fire who they want. If you think nepotism is bad in the Political landscape in WV, it would be even worse in Education if it is allowed. I have worked for a few great principals and for even more poor ones. If you want to change the schools in our State you could start with them as a lot of them are ineffective and lack the fortitude to hold teachers and students responsible.
You speak of after school tutoring, this week alone I went in early three days to tutor students and stayed after on four days to help some others get caught up. However, usually the students who really need the extra tutoring cannot stay as they do not have transportation to and from school other than the normal bus run. I have been asked to drive kids home and fifteen years ago I did. Unfortunately, in this day and age it is not a safe thing to do as anybody can make an accusation at any time. I also spent 6 hours today at school getting things ready for my students next week; by the way I also spent the last two snow days at school as well. I did not ask or expect to get overtime when I went in early, stayed late or gave up my Saturday, but if I had been a cook, bus driver, or custodian or employed in almost any other profession I would have been paid.
If you really want to make a difference in the Education of our children in WV, it has to start at home. Most parents and students do not care about their child’s Education (other than to complain). I send home homework that is never done, I try to hold students responsible for their actions but their parents get them out of whatever they have done. I spend three to four thousand dollars a year to buy pencils, pens, paper, and toner for students because their parents will not. I have also helped students purchased shoes, a spirit pack (practice gear/warm-ups) so they can play a sport or get that Lettermen’s jacket that their parents won’t buy them. I have also paid for more suppers that I care to remember while attending sporting events because you know certain student’s parents did not send money for food and would go hungry if you did not.
You mentioned Merit pay that would be wonderful if the students were also held accountable. I have seen lots of students finish portions of the Westest almost as soon as I get done reading the directions. Yeah, they really take it that serious. In the high school that I teach in, those teachers that can handle the troubled students get dumped on with the remedial or required classes and have the most students as well. While those that have a hard time controlling a classroom are given the college prep kids and not as many students. So basing my pay because I can control a class but have the students with special needs is ludicrous. I teach 153 students a day while some of my cohorts have half of that.
Do changes need to occur? Yes, but not the way you think. We need more vocational programs (please don’t tell me that all students have to go to college as we have been told for the last 10 years), hold the students and parents accountable, give me effective leadership, put the ineffective teachers on plan of improvement, and leave all the unnecessary state mandates out and watch what we can do.
Notice I did not mention pay or overtime.
February 9, 2013 at 7:57 pm | Report comment
WV Teacher
If you want to hold teachers accountable, then you must hold the goverment officals, parents and students accountable as well. It's like the in the movie A Few Good of the "You want the truth, but "You can't handle the truth".
February 9, 2013 at 8:37 pm | Report comment
wirerowe
The teachers should be teaching and the school boards and principals should be deciding how the money should be spent. If the teachers would focus on their jobs and let the school boards and principals do their jobs maybe the test scores in the state would improve. There is nothing in the teacher's job description that says that they should be involved in these decisions. The unions should focus on lobbying at the state level for better pay and retention of their current generous benefit package. They should let the school boards and principals run the schools or get the education and experience to be come principals. You can have one boss and if that boss is the unions everybody loses but the union bosses.
February 9, 2013 at 6:38 pm | Report comment
GSCSBB1
Assuming that for some strange reason you think one test taken a year will actually show how much a kid learned. Give me a break the kids don't even have to try on it. What happens to the student if they don't do well on it or even try on said test? NOTHING!!!! School systems and the state should be saying if you don't make "Mastery" or "Above Mastery" you'll get to stick around a little bit longer right here in the ninth grade. There should be entrance and exit exams at every level of education (elementary, middle, and high). Getting ready to leave elementary for middle here take this test you pass it you move on if not stick around and try again. THE PROBLEM ISN'T ALWYS THE TEACHER the problem is no accountability on the students or parents part of education.
February 10, 2013 at 9:42 am | Report comment
Eric
Wow "WV Patriot" and wirerowe the two of you could not possibly be misinformed. 1) Students that actually need the tutoring will not stay after school for the tutoring for a multitude of reason. Some of them don't care, other students parents don't care, and many of them would have no way home after their bus leaves and late buses would cost far to much money to run. 2) I can personally tell you that teachers put in well over 40 hours a week by the time they are done grading papers and meeting with parents. 3) School boards are often made up of individuals with absolutely no knowledge of how to effectively run a school system. Voters consistently vote in board members who have no knowledge of how to teach and nurture students and we expect them to tell teachers how to do a job in which they have zero working knowledge.
The Real problem is that teachers are not actually given the freedom to teach. They are being overly regulated and have to spend more time worrying about paperwork and teaching to a standardized test than actually teaching applicable skills students can use. Our schools in this state are understaffed and many of the buildings are not even safe for students to be in. Honestly, the only people that actually care about students are the teachers that are trying to help them, and you want to say that the people on the front lines fighting to educate our children have no say in the matter? Maybe you should actually spend some times in a school system and figure out the facts.
February 9, 2013 at 11:32 pm | Report comment
GSCSBB1
In the WVAFT world as I am a member I feel that they are way out of touch with it's members. So when they speak don't think it's actually teachers talking. They are just running their mouth. First, there is always going to be talk of teachers not getting paid enough because just about every state around us pays their teachers more. The only part(s) where WV citizens take advantage of that opportunity is the eastern panhandle, Ohio Border and Kentucky border. Second, removing money from RESA would actually cause some teachers to lose their jobs. I'm certain where RESA funds teachers to have a job in the arts or whatever subject, that if the counties had control over it they would waste it on non-curricular items.
February 10, 2013 at 9:34 am | Report comment
wirerowe
I understand the problem with test scores and agree pretty much with all you say. My point is that if teachers are allowed focus on their jobs and we minimize the drama they are involved in our students will be better educated. Teachers are the solution not the problem. Teacher unions lately have been ineffective in representing their members and are stirrers of the pot.
February 10, 2013 at 8:08 pm | Report comment
GSCSBB1
Agree!!!
February 10, 2013 at 9:50 pm | Report comment
Docbegone
Selfish teacher's unions have held our state's education system hostage for decades solely for their own benefit.They have been the major force in creating a massive beauracracy, with out of control spending and one of the lowest student performance appraisals in the nation.
Their self centered ways don't work.What do these unions not understand about the need for MASSIVE reform?
February 10, 2013 at 10:10 am | Report comment
WV Teacher
I have been teaching for 35. GSCSBB1 has hit the nail right on the head.
February 10, 2013 at 12:20 pm | Report comment
stophating
Let's be honest; WV has the same problems with education that the rest of the nation, and the entire world have. It is just exemplified greater in WV due to our economy. The problem with education is poverty. Many areas of the state have schools with over 50-60% of students coming from impoverished homes. Here is one link about poverty and education... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/opinion/the-unaddressed-link-between-poverty-and-education.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Do some research and you will find hundreds of research based studies confirming the link. It's hard for students to be concerned about learning when they are unsure where the next meal will be coming from. Things are so bad in many areas of WV that we are sending food home for students to eat during weekends. Improve the economy of WV and the working class, and education will move upwards with an improving economy.
February 11, 2013 at 12:14 pm | Report comment