Less than two weeks until the 2013 Legislative session gets underway here in West Virginia and one of the top items on Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s list to tackle is education reform.
An independent education audit was completed last year. Tomblin plans to use that as one of his guideposts as he heads into the session and his State of the State address set for February 13th.
He says it’s time for a change.
“My primary focus is on student outcome and to make sure they’re getting the kind of education they need,” says Tomblin.
The audit made dozens of suggestions like merit pay for teachers, a less top-heavy Department of Education and more control on the local level.
One of those changes is something the governor favors.
“We’ll be looking at the local control and hopefully shifting some more of that control back to the local level rather than having one size fits all,” explains Tomblin.
That’s a goal both the West Virginia Education Association and the West Virginia Federation Teachers both agree on. But Tomblin admits the unions are not on board for some other reforms. That’s why he says he plans to work closely with both to try and come to some sort of compromise.
“I think [the unions] desire the same thing that the people of the state wants and that’s to have a better education system, better outcome for our students,” according to Tomblin. “They, I’m sure, are just as disappointed as a lot of people when our students do not leave school with the kind of education or the kind of skills that they need to be productive.”
One of the suggestions in the audit is merit pay. That is not a topic up for debate with the unions. They say on that subject there’s no room for compromise.
Tomblin admits it won’t be smooth sailing passing education reform.
“It will be an ongoing process but I think there will be some major changes made during this upcoming session,” says the governor.
House Speaker Rick Thompson has put together a committee to focus on the audit and determine which suggestions would improve West Virginia’s schools and which ones just won’t work.
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Comments
Roger
Interesting that state officials plan to push for more local control of the schools while federal politicians are pushing for more centralized federal control.
February 3, 2013 at 12:46 pm | Report comment
TC
I've been in public education for 40 years and one thing is certain....teachers will NEVER allow principals to have more control over hirings/firings and will NEVER accept changes in personnel law that require them to be responsbile for anything ...Forget about the best interest of the kids...it is all about THEM. Just the way it is.....no major positive changes will ever occur as long as these selfish teacher unions have control.....and believe me they have the control. And even if a miracle happened and this occurred, the boards would step in and screw everything up.
February 3, 2013 at 1:03 pm | Report comment
a concerned educator
Merit pay is not the way to go to increase student performance. The federal and state governments do not pay medicaid and medicare fees based on how healthy a doctor's or dentist's patients are, so why should teachers be paid based on how well their students do.
There are too many extenuating circumstances from home that impact a child's education. For example, I know a teacher who has a student who has been truant many times this year. When contacted by the school, the parent stated that they did not have a working alarm clock, and that the school should just deal with it. How is this incident a teacher's fault?
Cut out the bureaucracy of paperwork and rules that teachers have, start holding parents accountable for their actions that negativley impact the education of their children, and bring discipline back into the hands of the teachers and principals. In addition, remove politics from education and allow the people who are trained to do the job to do it.
February 3, 2013 at 1:01 pm | Report comment
Geno
To concerned educator, You are correct, but you need to bring the union's into the conversation, they are a big problem.
February 3, 2013 at 1:55 pm | Report comment
a concerned educator
Geno
I totally agree with you. If for just one year, the unions would go to the legislature and ask that discipline be put back in school instead of asking for a pay raise, I really believe that public sentiment would switch to supporting teachers. However, year after year, it's the same old thing.....pay raise, pay raise, pay raise. My wife is a teacher, and she believes that her pay is adequate for her job.
February 3, 2013 at 2:18 pm | Report comment
Roger
Geno & Concerned Educator,
Let's not forget the real reason unions press for higher pay instead of some of these other things that would be of benefit to the schools and improve learning. It's because the dues are based on a percentage of the salary. When salaries go up, so does their revenue.
February 3, 2013 at 2:31 pm | Report comment
David
Compromise? A compromise means giving up something to meet in the middle. The children should never, ever, EVER have to compromise their education.
It's a dirty shame the childrens' education has to be compromises to appease a union.
What a disgrace.
February 3, 2013 at 2:12 pm | Report comment
Realistically
The audit was clear that West Vrginia's top-heavy bureacracy must be cut. Major cuts at WVDE and elimination of the outmoded RESAs should be at the top of the Governor's reforms. The RESAs in particular are a big drain on school funding. RESAs duplicate WVDE services, often provide preferential teatment to counties in which their central offices are located and are themselves, just another layer of bureacracy thwarting full funding in classrooms. While we are at it, local control can actually be enhanced by merging some county systems into 2 and 3 county units in areas where populations are small and scale of economy can benefit classroom resourse allotment and performance. IMO criticism of the teacher unions is misplaced so long as bureacracy thwarts the individual teacher's ability to teach. However, you will likely see no mention of the RESAs in the governor's reform agenda. The high paid directors of the agencies command a potent influence with the politicians in Charleston.
February 3, 2013 at 5:22 pm | Report comment
Jeff
an actual 180 days of classroom instruction. Change the law to make it mandatory. Considering they only have to work 180 (which they never reach) they should have thier salary prorated to reflect the lack of fulfilling a contract.
February 3, 2013 at 5:34 pm | Report comment
Curmudgeon
Jeff,
As a teacher, I would take the cut of pay for the few days if we do not meet 180 days. However, in that case, I WOULD like to get all the pay for the usual 10-12 hour day I put in and hundreds of dollars for all the school items I purchase every year. If one were to tally all of those things, I would see a drastic pay increase.
Also, as for the unions asking about discipline - there is a Safe Schools Act which mandates that if a child is excluded from a classroom or a bus two times in one semester, a mandatory conference is to be held. However, this law is not being enforced. Then, when teachers and bus drivers want it enforced, they are viewed as the troublemakers by parents and administrators.
February 3, 2013 at 5:57 pm | Report comment
joe
I have a quick question. In terms of the local neighborhood school, who are the teachers accountable to? That is, who is their boss? A department head, the school principal, the county BOE?
Thanks in advance for any answers that clarify.
February 3, 2013 at 6:06 pm | Report comment
Woody
Our top boss is the county superintendent. However in most cases it is the principal that has the most control over a teacher.
February 4, 2013 at 4:15 pm | Report comment
mark
How can you begrudge teachers a pay hike when they are 48th in the nation? Cost of living has risen significantly under Obama as well. Gas prices are much higher and everyone's pay check took a hit this January. I get a kick out of the guys who have never taught school, but have all the answers as it relates to fixing them.
February 3, 2013 at 6:49 pm | Report comment
Jim
TO;"TC"--Spot on, please continue! TO:"a concerned educator"--Get a grip on reality. everywhere but education, pay raises and enhanced benefits are tied to performance, AKA merit raises. Teachers have the best benefit package of any profession in WV, yet do not want that to be part of the total compension discussion. Now as I type this, probably, no school tomorrow due to the weather. However, all teachers, administration and service personnel will get a full day's pay for staying home watching Opra, going to Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc. Then, when the snow day is made up, they will get paid again for the same day. Getting paid twice for the same day is a great gig if you can get it. While in almost all other employment sectors, you have to take a day of annual leave/vacation day. In the large employment fields of construction, oil & gas, etc. you get paid for the hours you ACTUALLY work in a week, minus snow days. This is part of the teachers' total compension package that never seems to enter into a discussion about teacher compensation and it should. Further, teachers are only scheduled for 180 days/yr, have Thanksgiving week off, Christmas & New Years weeks, spring break, numerous holidays and faculty senate short days, yet you whine. Take your annual salary, add the TRUE COST OF YOUR FRINGE BENEFIT PACKAGE, then, divide by 6 months and then, try it by dividing by 180 days. So the first steps teachers need to overcome are 1) get rid of their unions 2) accept pay raises tied directly to results, i.e. merit based pay raises 3) eliminate seniority in placement and promotions 4) show the taxpayers of WV that you are truly committed to improving education 5) declare a moratorium on pay raise requests until test scores improve dramatically. 6) STOP WHINING! Thousands of WV's are hurting financially and thousands of degree-holding professionals in other sectors of employment are hurting, yet they are not whining like three year olds, yet they have to listen to teachers constant whining. Pay raises MUST be tied directly to measurable results!
February 3, 2013 at 7:25 pm | Report comment
a concerned educator
Jim
Your reply has several errors regarding teachers. First, teachers do not get paid twice for days off. In our county, days are added when snow days occur, but my wife does not get extra pay. Teachers are salaried employees, not hourly, so they get paid the same no matter how many days they work. Second, all teachers MUST work towards a master's degree to keep their teaching certificate. They pay for this out of their own pocket, going to school at night and in the summer. Third, their benefit package is not the best of any profession in WV. My sister-in-law works for an oil and gas company, and she has much better insurance. Most teachers have health insurance that THEY pay for. It is not given to them. In addition, they contribute to a retirement fund. Fourth, it is not realistically possible to tie merit pay to student performance. We are not talking about how much a saleperson sells in a given area. I understand that pharmaceutical salespersons get bonuses based on their sales, but those bonuses do not compare a salesperson in New York City to one in Summersville, WV. There are MANY factors outside the realm of the school day that affect a student's performance at school, especially poor parenting, hunger, poor housing, parental education level, how long the student must ride a bus to school, and a myriad of other factors not based on the child's teacher. Are there teachers who need to be fired??? YES! Should there be an easier system to do it??? YES! Please speak to your legislator about this because this is state policy, and policy can be changed.
I want the best education possible for my children; one that is developmentally appropriate which teaches them what they really need to know, not some pie-in-the-sky bunch of baloney that they will NEVER use. Cut out the waste in education (paperwork, less than effective teachers, politicians who know nothing about teaching, and unrealistic curriculum that does not prepared students for the real world), and we will ALL see a change in our education system.
February 3, 2013 at 8:31 pm | Report comment
WV Patriot
TC is right on target. It's all about the teachers and their unions agenda. Always has been. Teachers have no accountability. Period. Every job I have ever had and my associated performance has been measured and evaluated on an annual basis. With that, there are rewards and certainly consequences. I would also, like to add, more professional tutoring must be made available for students if we want them to understand and excel in math and the sciences. I have said this before, my son was once asked his chemistry teacher for help before or after school and the teacher told him he was too busy as he was also the track coach. What a tragedy. Having out three kids thru school now, I can't remember one teacher who made a difference. Zero!
February 4, 2013 at 9:09 am | Report comment
Dave Jackson
Every year it's a brand new edugimmick. We need to accept the fact that not everyone believes in the value of education and could care less if their coveted test performance doesn't reach the level we believe it should. In WVDE educspeak parlance, not all "stockholders" are buying what's being sold.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we're running out of ways to reinvent the wheel in education. Until everyone involved in education from the WVDE down to the student chooses to give a hoot nothing--absolutely nothing--will change.
As a retired classroom teacher I can tell you change isn't going to happen. Oh, it will make for interesting sound bites and press fodder, but that will be the extent of this yearly spasm of the Legislature.
This time next year we'll again be dreaming up new ways to convince Johnny and Suzie they need to learn to read. We've done it countless times. We'll point the finger of blame, not noticing the remaining four pointing back at ourselves.
February 4, 2013 at 10:05 am | Report comment
Woody
Dave you are 100% correct - it is a new gimmick every two or three years. I am a retired math teacher and I have seen so many gimmicks and new ideas that are never given a chance to work. Decide on a curriculum and give it a total 5 to 7 year cycle to see how it works. Quit the tinkering. And hold the parents and students accountable. Make the students pass a test to graduate - many of them do not try to do well on the current standardized tests - because there is no penalty for them.
February 4, 2013 at 4:33 pm | Report comment
Dave Jackson
Thanks, Woody. You and I have seen firsthand how the system DOESN'T work, largely due to the fact that politicians became involved and now we expect them to find a solution. I dare say that most of the politicians in my county were lucky to graduate from high school, let alone hold sway over the course of public education in our state. Education is not a political problem--it's an education problem. I agree that competency testing as a condition of promotion or graduation would work wonders, but I doubt that the politicians have the courage to pursue it. We'll be back here again next year, reading as to why the latest edugimmick didn't work and the finger pointing will begin. Makes one thankful for retirement doesn't it Woody?
February 4, 2013 at 5:45 pm | Report comment
gerri
Have any of you read the entire audit? I am a school employee and I have read it. The big issue to come out of it, in my opinion, is the negative that the Legislature is in charge. WV is the only state that has the Legislature in such a position. Do we really need politicians in charge of Education?
February 4, 2013 at 11:03 am | Report comment
Jim
TO: " a concerned educator' A couple of responses to your post. First, obviously, your spouse is teaching in the wrong county if not paid paid twice for snow days. Secondly, I paid for my education too, with bank loans, so how does your teachers paying for their education differ from me or thousands of other West Virginians? "Teachers pay into a retirement fund". Yep, but so does everyone in the private sector if they have a company pension plan or 401K. However, the glaring difference is that the teachers' retirement system had a billion dollar unfunded liability. When the teachers were asked to "pony-up" with more contribution, their unions went ballistic! Where in the private sector would you see a 401K plan with an unfunded liability of a billion dollars? The majority of this unfunded liability has been placed on the backs of taxpayers and will take 40-50 years to address. Does that seem fair? TO: "GERRI" WV has let the teachers run the education system for decades. Who is chair of the state senate and house education committees? Educators or school administrators!Where has it gotten us? A total failure. So, I'm ready to let the legislature or even give AA a try at running the education system, they could do no worse.
February 4, 2013 at 1:35 pm | Report comment
a concerned educator
Jim
You still did not answer the question about merit pay. How are teachers supposed to deal with issues caused by poor parenting? There is no way that a teacher should be held accountable for a parent who does not support their child educationally. As I stated earlier, we don't hold doctors accountable for their patients unhealthy behavior, but they still get paid by medicaid and medicare. It should be no different for teachers.
My wife works many evenings and weekends, without pay, to be the best teacher she can be. She is dedicated to the profession, and it shows in the number of parents who see us in the grocery store and tell her how much their children love coming to school.
I agree that the teacher's unions have garnished too much power in Charleston, but the the citizens of this state continue to re-elect them over and over again. Change can only come when the people speak. However, you have to have individuals who are trained in the field making the decisions. How many lay people serve on the WV Medical Association or the WV Bar Association? I bet none. Why then are non-educators making all of the decisions regarding education?
Let the teachers teach what students really need, not some ridiculous drival, cut out the mindless paperwork, and go back to the basics. Then, and only then, will our education system be successful.
February 4, 2013 at 2:39 pm | Report comment
bandit
has anyone ever consider who did this audit? why should we take any advise from someone who has a history of failing at their job. i dont know maybe we should look for advise from someone who successfully ran a school system for years..just a thought. oh i also laugh at the people who for the last year have said over and over that "progressive ideals" are bad yet now what a progressive approach to school reform
February 5, 2013 at 9:22 am | Report comment