There is a lot going on in my school district. Pretty soon, one hundred plus teachers will be out of job along with more than several dozens of our support staff. Schools are closing, class sizes are increasing and we are losing nurses and counselors at an alarming rate. All of this is being done in order to close the gap in funding received by the state due to the economy and our declining enrollment.
So, what I would like to know is that while all of these cuts are taking place, why is it that our district has hired yet another administrator at the district office? No substantial cuts are taking place where it has the least impact on students - administrators who already make substantially more than teachers and support staff - none of them are taking pay cuts OR losing any of their colleagues.
Of course, I expect this kind of thinking from those who are so removed from the reality of teaching day to day. That being said, I was somewhat irritated at a teacher who actually had the audacity to tell me that he should have more rights under the contract than a newer teacher. Due to schools closing, he seemed to believe that if he wanted another teacher's job who teaches the same subject, then he should be able to bump that person out of their job. He was miffed when I told him that our contract doesn't have "bumping" rights. So now I'm curious - are there bumping rights in your contract?
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No not like that.
We do have a rule/state law that if you cut a position while someone is under contract you have to give that person first shot at any job opening they are qualified for.
Now if a campus has to cut say a 2nd grade position it is supposed to be the least senior that is cut.
A few years ago our then principal had way over estimated the number of teachers she needed for 2nd and 5th. One 5th grade and one 2nd grade teacher had to be cut. She got in trouble for not cutting the one with least seniority. She made the TEACHERS decide who would be cut.
In 5th grade the teacher who left was the least senior. In 2nd grade she pointed at 2 people said I don't like you 2 one of you leave. One did - but he was 1) most senior 2) African American.
Both teachers got assignments at other schools. He did file a complaint. There were other complaints and the principal was investigated and removed.
Because I don't have a contract yet, I'm not completely sure how the system works.
I do know this--I have had (in one month of teaching full-time) several other teachers, the Dean of Students and two administrators tell me that they think I am doing amazing things and that they've never seen this group of kids as engaged and learning as they are after a month with me.
And yet I probably won't get a contract.
In my district the people who are least senior are cut first--so if they were cutting a Language Arts teacher they would start with the one with the least years in the district. Also, if someone who was certified to teach Language Arts got cut at a different school but had more seniority, they could bump another teacher out of their job. This especially sucks if you teach middle school like me because it seems many high school people are certified to teach middle school too, and many elementary are also certified to do so. So there are two potential groups of people who can bump (yet probably do not want to teach middle school which is a whole other problem!)
@Jenn - just so you know, one of the maddening things I keep hearing is the assumption that "new" teacher = young teacher. That was not the case for me when I started teaching almost 10 years ago & is not the case for you either (although, I would also argue that we ARE young - just not young twenty somethings ;) ). So when new teachers get cut, it can very well mean new teachers who have years of experience (just not in teaching) and are as energized & as enthused as their twenty something counterparts!
Yes to the bumping, although it's not called that. It's horrible for morale. According to number of enrolled students, they will make program cuts, versus seniority cuts. (scary for me because I teach a smaller college prep elective) Our downtown admin does the same thing; they try to hide the fact that they are adding or not cutting by simply renaming the positions. It's crappy.
When it comes to bump, don't just say no, say hell no. The paraprofessionals in my district can bump each other out of positions if their position is reduced, and every time it happens it causes harm and hurt feelings that last for years on end.
That said, I still get the arguments. One of my elementary schools needed to reduce the number of 3rd grade teachers, so the lowest one in the grade by seniority thought she'd just displace one of the first grade teachers who had less seniority than her so that she could stay in the building. The 3rd grade teacher is still peeved at me for not seeing it her way.
I hear you on the admins, too. Last year during our district budgeting meetings I suggested that they could pay their own memberships into ASCD and not go on retreat for the year, and you would have though I'd pissed on their shoes there was such an uprising. Just wait until this year, when I go after their per diem, their step and lane increases, and ask them to lose 2 days of pay like the teachers are getting stuck with.
At my district we can bump based on seniority and credential.
My district may lay off 250 teachers. A judge is currently deciding on "bumping rights".
What a joke to hire another administrator. I guess they needed someone else to handle all those layoffs. That's a tough job, you know.
My district is in the same boat. They are letting go all 1st and 2nd year teachers; and all 1st, 2nd, & 3rd year paraprofessionals. Then they look at what positions need to be filled and ask for voluntary transfers...based on seniority. Then involuntary transfers and then they start calling teachers back, based on seniority.
I will say that all of this ranking based on seniority and being tenured based on 5 years in the district is mind boggling to me. I've been teaching only 5 years (and am tenured now) and have a background in the business world. I see some pretty aweful teachers sitting safely in a job, while some really excellent teachers are let go. Doesn't make sense to me and makes me ponder my choice in career change. It's frustrating to watch and demoralizing to be part of such a practice.
I'm totally shocked by the concept of 'bumping'. Although our system is a million miles away from perfect, this would not happen in the UK. If jobs are going, al staff have to fill in skills audits so the Loony in charge (headteacher) can choose the best people for the school.
Bumping does exist in my district, and layoffs are seniority based. No one seems alarmed by it because it's always been in the contract so no suprises there. I teach middle school math (8 yrs), but the newer math teacher could be bumped by a senior math teacher. The riffed teacher gets first call backs by the district.
We have budget cuts going on too. We're apparently a smaller school than your, but our loss is substantial and painful as well. Part of the changes is that two teachers have to move to another building and they are not happy about the decision. I was one who would have lost her job, but because this change was made, I'm safe for this year. One of the teachers who has to move made a couple of statements. One being that she could "refuse" to move, but she won't do that. The other statement was that she was not happy being one of the ones who was saving other teacher's "butts". I can't help but feel that this statement was directed towards me because of the fact that my job was spared.
As things stand right now, our school board isn't satisfied with cutting positions, nor are they satisfied with cutting our supplies (1/2 the amount of paper for next year), but now they want to reopen our teaching contracts and freeze our 3.5% increase for next year, keeping it for this year's pay. I agree with you...I wonder if our superintendent would be willing to freeze his wage increases, or take a cut in pay?
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