From the Gainesville Times:
‘Teachers wary of pay-for-performance legislation’
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/30385/
‘Georgia aiming for an education payout
Hall County’s Schofield chosen to serve on state committee’ http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/30260/
I have a few questions for our Mr. Schofield.
1. How will this merit pay be funded? We already are cutting pay and positions and we are expected to believe that we will actually receive this glorious bonus money when earned? Race to the Top money won’t be available for it I believe. So why should we believe this is anything other than an empty, unfunded promise, just like so many other things in education.
2. How many teachers and principals in our schools (or parents for that matter) were consulted when you and the board made the decision to go after this Race to the Top money and the merit pay legislation that is tied to it, that may well affect the livelihood of teachers? Or was this just a top down decision made because you have been appointed to the Race to the Top committee by the Governor?
3. Why should any of us just believe this merit pay process, that has not been defined in the least, is so wonderful just based on your and other politicians say so? From where I sit, we already know you and the board have given bonuses (18 to 19 thousand dollars over 2 years via inappropriate travel money instead of through contracts as would be proper) to your (your own words) “friend and mentor” principal Akridge while many other principals in this system apparently did not receive such merit pay. Did Mr. Bales, who has done such a wonderful job at East Hall Middle turning around test scores receive his 19 thousand dollar bonus? Why should we believe that this glorious merit pay for teachers will even be remotely fairly distributed? We know you have a bonus clause in your contract. Does anyone else in the system have this perk?
4. From the article, referring to Mr. Schofield – ““I just don’t believe they have a legitimate concern because they can opt out. They can stick with the current plan if they like,” he said. But he added that he has “mixed feelings” about the bill only applying to newly hired personnel and leaving it up to current teachers to opt in or out.”
I find your ‘mixed feelings’ a bit scary here. If this district winds up as an IE2 district won’t you and the board then have the power to do away with the ‘opt in’ caveat? This is what I hear from folks in Gwinnett. Please elaborate. I know, teachers shouldn’t have a choice in your perfect merit based system, they should just do as you say and be happy to have the job, no matter how much time, energy and money they may have expended over the years on their advanced degrees and studies. Options should only be for the non rank and file I suppose.
5. Who is going to craft this glorious unknown process for merit pay? Were any teachers or building administrators or parents included up to this point? If not, why should anyone believe for a second that they will have any input down the road?
6. Why are we dead set that bringing into the profession people who are motivated by money, not by a passion for teaching and young people will better our schools? It has the potential to substantially transform the atmosphere and focus of schools – and not for the better from where I sit.
7. Would you please share the solid data and research that shows this merit pay to be a viable and effective model? Is there any?
8. Why is one of the reddest counties in one of the reddest states in the US so hot and bothered to bring in even more Federal control and strings to education through Race to the Top/Merit Pay? I would think the majority of constituents in this county would say we need less Federal interference and control, not more.
9. Is it true that the most ‘effective teachers’ can and will be reassigned (regardless of their wishes) to the lowest performing schools under this program?
Mr. S, I understand you may have a vested interest in the success of this Race to the Top/Merit Pay mess. I just hope every teacher and the relatives of these teachers in this county realizes and remembers that when election time comes around for your board members that have backed you on this. Something with this much potential, good or bad, for such an impact on our teachers and students deserves more than the bums rush we are being subjected to. It deserves careful and deliberate discussion and consensus by stakeholders and clearly defined parameters BEFORE becoming the rule of the day.
But, I suppose the those folks actually in the classrooms and buildings dealing with children everyday just aren’t worthy of that sort of input or consideration in charting their own futures any more. Father knows best.
Frankly I am sick to death of the attitude that we do not have the ‘best and brightest’ already in the classrooms. Maybe if we supported the ones we do have a bit more and actually had the courage to fairly work on the very few that may have problems and move them out regardless of their tenured status (instead of just targeting those without tenure to be let go as Hall County did to over 100 educators last year regardless of their effectiveness – for the record I call that that cowardice, not courage) then we can see even more improvement for ALL our students. But instead of this we are on to the next cure du jour.
Teachers, it is time to let your board, legislators, professional organizations and the press know how you feel about this. No one else will, or should, do it for you. You are a HUGE voting block and should remember this fact.
P. S. – Anonymous evaluations?! LOL . Are you kidding! We can’t listen to anonymous bloggers but we will listen to anonymous coworkers AND it will affect our pay? Hypocrisy reigns!
More Kool-aid please.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Education, Hall County Schools, Merit Pay
This may be the most asinine statement I have ever seen or heard:
“But leaving out details on the system is what strengthens the bill, since it gives the board of education until July of next year to work on a plan, Hall County schools Superintendent Will Schofield said.”
Would someone ask Ms. Woodruff why no teachers were interviewed for this article?
Teachers were probably not interviewed because they were afraid to go on record. There is such a culture of fear in this system.
I honestly do not see this working. There are too many variables. First of all, teachers are told exactly how to teach and forced to use the latest cure de jour. Until teachers can use their own expertise in the classroom, there will not be any buy in (or effective instruction going on). Also, how can you control all those unique, wonderful individuals in your classroom? You can’t. The students will be the ones to suffer under the tremendous amounts of pressure.
Common sense needs to make a comeback.
Have to say it is very affirming to see tha GA did not receive Race to the Top funds largely due to a lack of educator buy- in and support.
Lord knows we never get any of that in HallCo regarding anything of importance! Carries right over in all we do apparently.
Closing Jones is supposed to save a million….. they could also save a million by cutting 6 top central office positions and some of the travel. Now, which has the most effect on student achievement- a small community school with small class sizes or travel money and cushy jobs?
What happened to last in first out? World Language Acad. should be the one to go. I know this is unpopular but that school is a huge part of the reason we are as bad off as we are. Schogo is right about one thing, we don’t need 21 elementary schools. We didn’t need 21 when he opened the WLA and now the Jones kids and teachers may pay dearly for it.
Can you say control issues?
“This will be an opportunity for community members to voice any opinion, in favor of or against, the closing of one of our elementary schools,” Supt. Will Schofield said, in discussing protocol for the meeting. “We will have a sign in sheet, limit time of response depending upon the number of individuals who want to speak, and follow normal rules of decorum. As always, we will encourage groups of individuals with common thoughts to select a spokesperson rather than repeat each others’ arguments. This will be consistent with the procedures which have been followed by our Board for all such public hearings. Thus, this will not be a time for dialogue between the board and community members. That is a tool open to any citizen at any time via e-mail, phone, or personal visit.”
In other words we will listen to you on the surface, give you our prepared answers and not entertain any other discussion. And we may be a bit nervous about actually having any kind of meaningful dialogue in a public forum that might not go the way we wish.
Smoke and mirrors I am afraid.
I really hope someone asks for that detailed and itemized list of repairs needed at Jones that Schofield refers to.
What central office positions were cut last year?
A few folks were sent out into the schools but that was really it.
Be sure to check out the AJC school blog for an interesting Spring Break message from our own Schogo!
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/04/05/is-it-important-to-know-kenyas-largest-cities-what-should-we-teach/
I know when I worked in Gwinnett (13 years) central office management were NOT given evaluations. Many times employee grievances, EEOC complaints were ignored by management. Wives, friends were hired in and paid in excess of $5000 to $10000 more than the pay scale warrranted. Wilbanks passed out $5000 raised to some, not all central office employees involved in his GATEWAY scandal. (The one employee not given a raise had to complete the job for the GATEWAY coder too lazy to do his job.) NO, performance raises will not work, people will be harassed, threatened, and intimidated. It will be just like working for Alvin, you cannot complain.
We need some candidates to run for school board!
I agree. Anyone in mind?
Word is Bill Thompson might be running for school board! We need him!
Mrs. Scavo – please leave your info in a private comment – just place the code “Bahlag9″ without the quotation marks in the text box with your message and it will not be publicly published but I will see it.
I’ve always heard good things about him. Might be a good change.
Mrs. Scavo – wow. I’d like to say any of that surprises me.
Are three board seats up for grabs?
No, there are no seats up for grabs. Brian Sloan was not going to rerun but Will Schofield went to Brian and talked him into running again cause he didn’t want any change within the board.
There are 3 up but I haven’t heard of any one going up against the encumbents. If that is true regarding Schogo I believe there is some clear ethics language out there regarding Superintendents staying out of board of education campaigns. Call the PSC and see what they say.
Update…
Bill Thompson is running for school board!
I was forwarded the latest article on Gainesville Times – http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/33282/
This quote from sup has stirred a hornets nest at my school – “We continue to believe that teachers know who is the most effective, and we can get their opinions anonymously so we’re not cutting the youngest and most recent hires but the least effective teachers.”
Who in there right mind thinks this is a mark of effective leadership? Are the adjacent county schools like Hall County? If they are, we’re toast. If they’re not, send me some job openings.
Just wondering when “Survivor” Hall County edition will begin.
Shaking
Interesting!
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/154/article/36106/
Nathan Deal has come out publicly against Race to the Top.
I wonder how our friend and Deal’s neighbor Schofield feels about this as Schogo has already committed Hall County Schools to the idiotic program (without public input) because he is one of the planners and writers of Georgia’s application for RTTT.
Might have been smart to see where our local leaders stood on the issue before jumping into something like this and everything it brings with it like merit pay and federal strings galore there Willie.
Just another reason Schogo needs to be Schogone.
More here:
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/08/03/deal-would-turn-down-race-to-the-top-millions-if-he-plans-to-return-magic-to-schools-i-hope-he-can-pull-money-from-a-hat/comment-page-1/#comment-74479
You missed a little of that egg on your face there Willie. Under your eye there.
So now Deal has reversed his opinion? What the hell is in the water up on Nopone Rd?
I wonder if he realizes Schogo is a big proponent on the national curriculum too.
I don’t think Deal realized how far into the Race to the Top Hall County was. I think he changed his position after he found out.
Deal had it right the first time. Lots of federal strings in RttT above and beyond the National Standards. Google the application and take a look. Deal just threw teachers under the bus by supporting it regarding merit pay and several other issues.
Teachers are a big voting block. It looks like he would have not changed his position if he wanted to get the teacher vote . He had a chance to take a stand against federal government intrusion into our school systems and insead did a flip-flop. I’m very disappointed.
Deal had it right the first time.
Lots of federal strings in Race to the Top above and beyond the National Standards. Deal sort of just threw teachers under the bus by supporting it regarding merit pay and several other issues.
Here is the link to the application – take a look
http://gov.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_79369762/155733684Race%20to%20the%20Top%20App.pdf
Have to think he didn’t realize just how far into the push for RttT the Hall County School System is and reversed when he found out. Schofield has already committed the system to it if it comes through as one of the 26 districts in support of it. He is also one of the planners and writers of the GA RttT application.
This makes no sense in a county that is as conservative and pro local control and less big government as the Gainesville-Hall community.
Of course Schofield is a big National Standards and Curriculum backer also and has said so in the paper before.
Weird.
One more thing that Deal had right the first time: There is a stipulation in the RttT application that links it to Common National Standards and Curriculum (The GA Dept of Education just did it early to setthe stage for RttT).
From page 57 of the application:
(B)(1) Developing and adopting common standards (40 points) The extent to which the State has demonstrated its commitment to adopting a common set of high-quality standards, evidenced by (as set forth in Appendix B)— (i) The State’s participation in a consortium of States that— (20 points) (a) Is working toward jointly developing and adopting a common set of K-12 standards (as defined in this notice) that are supported by evidence that they are internationally benchmarked and build toward college and career readiness by the time of high school graduation; and (b) Includes a significant number of States; and (ii) — (20 points) (a) For Phase 1 applications, the State’s high-quality plan demonstrating its commitment to and progress toward adopting a common set of K-12 standards (as defined in this notice) by August 2, 2010, or, at a minimum, by a later date in 2010 specified by the State, and to implementing the standards thereafter in a well-planned way; or (b) For Phase 2 applications, the State’s adoption of a common set of K-12 standards (as defined in this notice) by August 2, 2010, or, at a minimum, by a later date in 2010 specified by the State in a high-quality plan toward which the State has made significant progress, and its commitment to implementing the standards thereafter in a well-planned way.8 In the text box below, the State shall describe its current status in meeting the criterion. The narrative or attachments shall also include, at a minimum, the evidence listed below, and how each piece of evidence demonstrates the State’s success in meeting the criterion. The narrative and attachments may also include any additional information the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers. For attachments included in the Appendix, note in the narrative the location where the attachments can be found. Evidence for (B)(1)(i): A copy of the Memorandum of Agreement, executed by the State, showing that it is part of a standards consortium. A copy of the final standards or, if the standards are not yet final, a copy of the draft standards and anticipated date for completing the standards. Documentation that the standards are or will be internationally benchmarked and that, when well-implemented, will help to ensure that students are prepared for college and careers. The number of States participating in the standards consortium and the list of these States.
Evidence for (B)(1)(ii): For Phase 1 applicants: A description of the legal process in the State for adopting standards, and the State’s plan, current progress, and timeframe for adoption. For Phase 2 applicants: Evidence that the State has adopted the standards. Or, if the State has not yet adopted the standards, a description of the legal process in the State for adopting standards and the State’s plan, current progress, and timeframe for adoption.
Schofield is also for National Assessments to go along with the National Standards and Curriculum. Slippery and frightening slope if this ever becomes a Federally mandated thing. Socialism? Big Brother? If your child doesn’t measure up according to these imposed standards and assessments what happens? They can’t go to college or into certain professions. Way too much government control and potential for misuse for my liking there.
Does Deal support this thinking?
A great quote from Kira Willis, a candidate for state school superintendent about Race to the Top:
“Race to the Top is one percent of the Georgia budget,” she said. “What is that going to accomplish? We ought to recuse ourselves from Race to the Top. As a teacher, what I see is that every time we get some great grant, the money goes to creating a position to police teachers. It doesn’t get into the classroom.”
Wow! How refreshing to hear the truth spoken!
Boy is this ever the truth! Talk to teachers from Tennessee, which “WON” this money last time. It has created a paperwork nightmare. We can’t handle that; we’re already swimming in RTI paperwork.
I saw in this morning’s Times that the IB students had a “Team Building” experience at the beach yesterday. Once again, it’s all about them and the SPED kids. What about the other 80%?
After reading the Gainesville Times article today about the school board and stimulus money and then the one about Race to the Top I have come to the conclusion that Brian Sloan may be the biggest hypocrite I have ever seen.
What RTTT means for GA. Be sure to thank Schofield.
http://empoweredga.org/Articles/whatrtttmeans.html
A fellow teacher alerted me today of the RTTT. I regret not paying more attention, but even if I had I would have been powerless. Power seems to be what this is all about – usurping more power from local communities and giving it to the national government. It is obvious that our state has relinquished all state sovereignty to the Washington D.C. elites for whatever miniscule dollars it can “bring back” to the state. What is more disturbing is the local “leaders” buying into and in some case creating this tyrannical power grab. (I’m thinking some of the local Hall County elites “will” be making a bid for public office as a result of this “improvement in education”)
All kinds of questions are racing through my mind.
What does the community expect of me as a teacher? What should I expect from my community? Why is it that in order to increase my pay in education I have to leave the classroom and administrate? How do people qualify to be in the central office positions? (Look at the examples in Hall County – the exec tech guru has an EdD from Nova University in Florida with a research dissertation on the benefits and implementation of school uniforms. You would think there would be a background in TECHNOLOGY as a requirement for the position. The assistant tech has a special ed EdD.)
So, more than likely, a “very qualified” individual from the state or county will come into my room and evaluate my ability to teach. What makes them qualified to evaluate me – they have a leadership certificate? (Hell, Hitler was a leader) The rubric created by the elite class (failures who left the classroom) will guide them, yep.
These statists truly believe that they can control everything …even the hormone ridden teen taking a test.
I know this was a rambling rant, but damn, just damn.
Centinel
About sums it up.
Interesting paper on the dangers of Value Added and using test scores to evaluate teachers.
Seems to be very solid research here.
Not that any Hall County School Board member or Super would let something like good research get in the way of what they want to do….
Problems with the Use of
Student Test Scores to
Evaluate Teachers
http://epi.3cdn.net/724cd9a1eb91c40ff0_hwm6iij90.pdf
Another one to check out:
What does RTTT Mean for the Future of Georgia Education?
http://empoweredga.org/Articles/whatrtttmeans.html
How come the local congregations, ie churches, (and there are some really large ones) in Hall County have not been vocal in opposition to, or at the least, question the odd workings of Hall County Schools? Is it just me but isn’t there a lot of religious-speak among the leaders of Hall County Schools?
It would seem that those following the One who came as a servant to others would actually be servants to others. Maybe it is the ugly side of power – a strange self-importance.
Just curious.
Anyone notice that a very popular topic on a state chat board about Hall County is now gone? I like to read posts there pretty regularly and the side of the page lists most popular posts. Hall County closing Jones had been the number two post for a long time. The whole thread has been removed.
Well, well. Who would have ever thought Schofield and the RttT folks could be so wrong?
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=232422
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA – A study released Tuesday found that offering performance bonuses to teachers does nothing to raise test scores, raising doubts about the viability of the Obama administration’s push for merit pay to improve education.
The study released Tuesday by Vanderbilt University’s National Center on Performance Incentives researchers found that students in classrooms where teachers received bonuses saw the same gains as the classes where educators got no incentive.
“I think most people agree today that the current way in which we compensate teachers is broken,” said Matthew Springer, executive director of the Vanderbilt center and lead researcher on the study. “But we don’t know what the better way is yet.”
The study looked at fifth- through eighth-grade math teachers in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools over three years from 2007 to 2009. Teachers could receive between $5,000 and $15,000 annually, depending on how their students performed on standardized tests.
Springer was quick to point out that his study only looked at individual bonuses and did not examine team-based bonuses or school-based merit pay programs. He also stressed that the study points to the need for more scientific research on merit pay.
Up until this point, there were only a handful of valid studies on merit pay, mostly from other countries.
“Some people were initially disappointed when they saw the results, but quickly turned around and said, ‘Well, at least we finally have an answer,” he said. “It means pay can’t do it alone.”
Just a handful of schools and districts across the country have merit pay programs, and in some states the idea is effectively illegal.
The White House hoped to woo more states into passing merit pay laws with its $4.35 million “Race to the Top” grant competition.
Some states tried to enact merit bonuses for teachers but most, like Georgia, were unable to seal the deal. Colorado passed a controversial law that ties teacher pay to student performance and allows the state to strip tenure from low-performing instructors, but the state did not win any grant money.
In Louisiana, Florida and Minnesota, where a few local districts have been offering merit pay to teachers for years, lawmakers and governors are aiming to expand those into statewide programs.
The U.S. Department of Education called Vanderbilt’s study too narrowly focused.
“It only looked at the narrow question of whether more pay motivates teachers to try harder,” said Sandra Abrevaya, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education. “What we are trying to do is change the culture of teaching by giving all educators the feedback they need to get better while rewarding and incentivizing the best to teach in high need schools, hard to staff subjects.”
But the American Federation of Teachers, a national teachers’ union, praised the study and argued that teachers need other resources, including training, professional development, time with other educators and supportive administrators.
“Merit pay is not the panacea that some would like it to be. There are no quick fixes in education,” said union president Randi Weingarten. “Providing individual bonuses for teachers standing alone does not work.”
Our local tax money at work:
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/10/18/hallelujah-state-is-finally-ready-with-its-student-data-tracking-system-they-built-it-now-will-you-come-on-board/#comments
Why is Hall County hiring more “coordinators”?? Three stories of central office staff and they don’t have anyone to handle Title stuff?? That is not to mention all the instructional coaches out there. Unbelievable. Where are the watchdog groups? With school systems getting most of our property tax, it looks like there would be more oversight. The money would be better spent for classroom resources. Students…. our focus should be on students.
3 stories and a house in South Hall.
These folks are so out of control at this point in is frightening.
What school system moves a house to create and freaking bed and breakfast run by students? What kind of morons to they think are going to stay there? On Atlanta Highway next to the expressway. Are the student managers going to be spending the nights there?
I’ve seen a lot of stupid but this takes the cake! What kind if backwards BOE approves such asinine ideas?
All to make Superdeduper and the boys look like a big shot to the elite in Gainesville/ Hall.
What a waste of time, effort and money.
my take: most people on here are teachers and I believe the creator must be too. If as much effort was spent on educating kids as the research that provides the info for this site; our county would be in good shape. The house that is being moved: no tax payer dollars. Money through grants. Sometimes you have to find additional resources to creditable.
At least this teacher knows that grants come from tax money unless there is a money tree growing up on Green Street somewhere.
I also know that upkeep on this house will not be covered by grants for long.
Try and see the larger picture every once in a while.
I feel most of us are teachers here. We spend the time blogging because we want a change for our children’s sake. Too many things happen in this county where the kids were not put first.
So, when you’ve taken away control of our classrooms and told us exactly how to teach and we see our children struggle- we try to get things changed. Unfortunately we can’t do that in the proper manner because of a fear of job loss and retaliation.
So Funny I guess that makes you an administrator?
Sounds pretty similar to Hall
Metro Atlanta / State News 7:09 p.m. Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Gwinnett Schools Superintendent Wilbanks could face ethics investigation
By D. Aileen Dodd
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A state board will decide Wednesday whether to launch an ethics investigation against Gwinnett Schools Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks, accused of misconduct in layoffs that eliminated 150 jobs.
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission will consider complaints filed by former teachers who have charged Wilbanks with misleading the public about the layoffs in order to avoid a parental backlash. The teachers allege they were downsized because they made too much money in a tight budget year, and that this happened after district officials had told them they wouldn’t face layoffs.
The teachers claim the district covertly cut the jobs, even though many of the educators had stellar reviews and advanced degrees.
State educator ethics officials said they typically don’t get involved with employee disputes but this situation intrigued them because of the volume of complaints.
“There are so many of them,” said Gary Walker, executive director of the ethics division.
Thirteen teachers initially filed complaints against Wilbanks in September, which were rejected, with some of them resubmitted. Walker said 10 new complaints were received before the November meeting deadline, but others were still trickling in.
Suzanne Hammontree Maness, a former social studies department chair, wants Gwinnett Schools to admit to the reasons behind the layoffs so teachers can clear their records and get new jobs. The 22-year teaching veteran said she was cut just before reaching tenure and receiving a contract to continue in the classroom for a fourth year in Gwinnett.
“I have not been able to get my feet in the door in two districts — DeKalb and Walton county schools — because of my non-renewal,” Maness said. “I was making almost $75,000. I have nothing in my record that indicates I had a performance issue. This is about the economy. They needed to let higher-paid teachers go.”
Teachers have received uncontested unemployment compensation after Georgia Department of Labor investigations ruled they were fired without cause, Maness said.
“If you are going to expect kids to be honest, you have to be honest yourselves,” said Pete Toggerson, Uniserve director for the GAE. “An overwhelming number of them got unemployment benefits. The school system regularly challenges unemployment [compensation] where teachers have been dismissed for cause.”
Gwinnett Schools officials, however, said the non-renewals were performance-based rather than cost-cutting measures.
“The complaints are without merit,” said Sloan Roach, Gwinnett Schools spokeswoman.
According to the Gwinnett school district, 145 teachers did not receive renewal agreements. That represented a 163-percent increase over the previous year, when 55 teachers were not renewed.
Tonysha Johnson, a former English teacher, filed a five-page complaint in the first round and was discouraged by its rejection and ensuing recommendation to fit her affidavit on one page. She didn’t refile, but said she will attend the Professional Standards Commission meeting to support those who did.
Johnson was shocked when her principal told her that she wouldn’t be renewed.
“I have never had a negative review,” she said. ” I have been asked to supervise student teachers and mentor veterans on classroom management. I was made team leader. They chose me to get gifted certification … and paid hundreds of dollars for it.”
Johnson was offered the option to resign so it wouldn’t stain her record and prevent her from getting another teaching job.
“People should know what Gwinnett County did,” she said. “If they just let people go the right way, there wouldn’t be these problems. … Saying they would lie to the PSC for you if you [resign] is unethical.”
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett-schools-superintendent-wilbanks-735226.html