Education Matters: DCPS admits there is a sub problem, sort of...

Education Matters: DCPS admits there is a sub problem, sort of...

DCPS admits there is a sub problem, sort of...

 Last summer Superintendent Greene said having subs wasn't a problem and we had 2k ready to go, though almost immediately when the school year began we knew that wasn't true, and the school board admitted it, sort of, when they signed an MOU with the union, to increase teacher sub pay.

This MOU proves two things, the district completely disrespects elementary school teachers, and there has been a bog and persistent problem with getting subs.

We all know Greene wasn't honest last summer, or at the very least should have known better and in my mind, this just proves it.

Here is the MOU

COVID-19 has imposed a hardship upon us all. The Substitute System has not escaped that hardship as they have struggled in their responsibility to fill vacant teacher positions. Classroom teachers are often called upon to be used as substitutes in order to provide appropriate coverage for classes. To that end, DTU and the DCSB has reached an agreement to increase compensation for teachers who voluntarily agree to act as substitutes or who accept students from another class when a peer teacher is absent, and a substitute can’t be acquired.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed to provide additional CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: DCPS admits there is a sub problem, sort of...

Education Matters: District staff to start subbing... sort of... (draft)

Education Matters: District staff to start subbing... sort of... (draft)

District staff to start subbing... sort of... (draft)

You know I wish I didn't have to write pieces like this, ones where I point out how little the district cares about its staff, and this time they are showing it by doing as little as possible to avert the subbing crisis or lack of sub crisis if you will, that is going on in the district. To help out, district staff for two days only will be subbing in our schools, then it's back to good luck getting a sub. 

Next week, district staff with at least sixty credit hours and who don't have meetings may be placed in our schools to the sub. I am not sure if they are doing this willingly or being voluntold. When I asked the district this is what they told me.

To answer your question regarding “the district planning on having staff with more than 60 credit hours start subbing,” we anticipated a need for additional subs during the Thanksgiving Holiday week. One of the ways we are planning to meet that need is by using district administrative personnel. Many have extensive teaching experience, and all meet the requirements of performing as a substitute teacher.  

 

This is not the first time we have used district staff to cover classrooms. You may recall that we used this option last year so teachers could attend the “Rally in Tally.”  This is a voluntary option for staff members, and they are not receiving any additional compensation.  

To be honest, I don't remember district staff subbing last January, but if they did, awesome. That being said, CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: District staff to start subbing... sort of... (draft)

“Who’s Watching This Class?”: America’s COVID-Era Substitute Teacher Shortage | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

“Who’s Watching This Class?”: America’s COVID-Era Substitute Teacher Shortage | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

“Who’s Watching This Class?”: America’s COVID-Era Substitute Teacher Shortage

On November 09, 2020, my southern Louisiana school district will tentatively have all high school students return to the classroom every day. At this time, we are on a hybrid schedule in which approximately half of the students attend on alternating days.

More students in attendance means an increased likelihood of COVID-19 on campus, which, in turn, means a greater likelihood that teachers will find themselves in situations requiring a two-week quarantine.

As it is, on our current, hybrid schedule, our high school is short on substitute teachers. And a quarantined teacher means a substitute teacher is needed for not a day or two, but for two weeks.

I believe having all students on campus every day is a bad idea. One way in which that bad idea will reveal itself is in a possibly-daily frenzy to create a patchwork of adult supervision on the fly for multiple, unmanned classrooms full of students.

As it stands, we already have that frenzy multiple times per week.

Other states are facing substitute teacher shortages during the pandemic CONTINUE READING: “Who’s Watching This Class?”: America’s COVID-Era Substitute Teacher Shortage | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Education Matters: Voluntold to sub

Education Matters: Voluntold to sub

Voluntold to sub

voluntold
voluntold: The exact opposite of volunteering. Always used in reference to an unpleasant task to which you have been assigned by your boss.

Teachers all across the district are being voluntold to sub for absent colleagues, give up their planning and lunches, and the system is set up so teachers cannot say no. Not if they want to keep their jobs, their teaching assignment, or their standing that is.

Did you know you could be a 12 year veteran of teaching, TWELVE YEARS!!!!!, and you can be let go at the end of the year for any or no reason. It was a decade ago that teachers lost job protections.  Principals know this and use it to their advantage too. 

Oh, you can't cover, okay make sure all your paperwork is perfect, or don't expect that highly effective evaluation, what's your thoughts about being a traveling teacher or having multiple preps? How about I just single you out at every opportunity?  

I think it sucks that we don't have enough subs, but that's a district problem that they should solve. Mrs. McGuilicutty at P.S. whatever is already overwhelmed and doesn't have enough time or support. She and thousands of others need every second they can get.

From time to time, you hear that district staff will teach a class, well its time they stepped up, and if they feel they are too busy, welcome to the world of every teacher in the district.  

It's a shame what is happening in many of our schools and shame on the super and school board for letting it CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: Voluntold to sub

Education Matters: About those 2000 subs, we are missing 1500 (draft)

Education Matters: About those 2000 subs, we are missing 1500 (draft)

About those 2000 subs, we are missing 1500 (draft)

I don't like saying the superintendent lied but when one bluffs they should understand it may be called. She said we had 2000 subs some trained in DHR ready to go but the reality is we have closer to 500 as daily over a quarter of jobs go unfilled.

Now I want to be fair, some positions are harder to fill than others and if somebody fails their test in the CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: About those 2000 subs, we are missing 1500 (draft)

CURMUDGUCATION: Time To Deal With The Substitute Shortage

CURMUDGUCATION: Time To Deal With The Substitute Shortage

Time To Deal With The Substitute Shortage

This is not the biggest issue facing schools right now-- but it's not nothing. And in some districts, it's about to become a critical issue.

The state regional education office for our area announced a special opportunity to get quick and easy training to become an emergency certified substitute teacher. And it only costs $25! And that sound you hear is me slapping my forehead hard enough to push my hairline back another inch. "We are desperate for your help, but we're going to charge you money to provider it to us."

Why didn't the regular teacher leave this guy a guide?

The substitute teacher shortage is not new, just as the teacher shortage is itself not new. It's just that right now, it's critical, as a wave of teachers decide that right now would be a good time to go sit at home and avoid catching a major disease. School districts are trying a variety of responses, from actually raising the pay of subs, to relaxing requirements so that more warm-bodied humans are eligible, to outsourcing the problem (which has a lousy track record), to "expressing concern," to just doing nothing in particular and hoping that something magical will solve the problem.

The problems are many. Substitute teaching is often a go-to area for trimming costs, so that the pay is just not great. As a retired teacher, I'm qualified to sub (I'd have to get a waiver from the pension system to do it, but that's not impossible), but I've done the math, and with two small children to take care of, I would basically be subbing for free. Also, like much of the substitute pool, I'm in a high risk age group, so that's a factor to consider as well.

There was a time when the sub pool included retirees, homemakers pulling in a little extra cash, CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Time To Deal With The Substitute Shortage

Education Matters: If the superintendent is going isn't going to be honest about subs what else will she not be honest about.

Education Matters: If the superintendent is going isn't going to be honest about subs what else will she not be honest about.

If the superintendent is going isn't going to be honest about subs what else will she not be honest about.

Superintendent Greene has not been honest with us and that may be as uncomfortable for you to read as it was for me to write, but it's the truth, and if the superintendent is going to deceive to us about job openings and sub positions, where is her limit?

On Facebook, I posed this question:

 The super said we had 2000 subs ready to go, including some trained to do virtual learning. I don't think this is accurate. Every day there is a call for several sub-teams at my school. I was wondering if any teachers have had a hard time getting a sub or have had to cover classes because of teacher absences.

I put in on my personal page and four others whose primary focus was local education. The response was overwhelming and damning.

The posts received over a hundred comments, and I received 11 personal messages about subs, and overwhelmingly they reported issues.

Classes are being canceled, classes are being split, and teachers are being called to cover their colleagues' classes at a pace like never before. Why? Because we don't have the subs like Greene said we did.

Now somebody supposed when she said it, this was her doing a poker bluff, and sure I buy that but should the super be bluffing during a pandemic about coverage for classes? Should she be making stuff up? She also did so when talking about openings. She said we had 80 a few weeks back when we had twice that many.

https://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2020/07/about-those-2000-subs.html

Being deceptive isn't her only disturbing behavior. She has ignored science from the get-go and also ignored CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: If the superintendent is going isn't going to be honest about subs what else will she not be honest about.