bump bumping
rappers
merit over longevity
rappers on the board with comments about the move by the new school superintendent in Providence, to assign school teachers based on merit…not the union way of seniority. here’s an earful.
I agree with the superintendent. It has been a pet peeve of mine for many years. I would not have a plumber try to teach auto mechanics. A teacher’s expertise should be the deciding factor. Do you think this is the reason why test scores are not what they should be?
Lee L. Woonsocket
That is great news!! It will be nice to see that MERIT will be better valued than LONGEVITY! YAY for the superintendent, and a big BOO for the entrenched teacher’s union fighting for change that would actually benefit the system. Common sense again….
Elaine, Glocester
Let’s see how long the School Superintendent lasts this time.
Silly people. Teachers work 180 days per year for a full years pay.
Vacations almost every other week. Summers off. $50,000 annual pay.
And you think they will give up the gravy train?
I don’t think so. Oh and start looking for a baby sitter for when they strike again.
Stuckinri
Avoiding seniority by the strictest letter of the law is a good turn of events for any organization. It brings merit to the selection of candidates for positions. The selection process has to be transparent and quantified by a remote authority.
steve, westerly
Seniority is the fairest way to determine who should get a job up for bid. Without it we will be going back to appointments based on who we know and not how long we have served or how much experience we have earned during our tenure teaching.
Stateworka
This is yet another knife in the back for labor. When the credibility of a contract is ignored or destroyed by such an egregious act as it is in this matter then all contracts will be devalued and rendered irrelevant over time. When this happens everyone will suffer the consequences.
Dennis g.
Teachers’ assignments should be based on their qualifications. Can you imagine a physical education teacher with 20 years seniority bumping a physics teacher with less seniority? With the current system in place, that could actually happen! How about we do what’s best for the students for a change and not the union driven teachers!
Maria D, Cranston
We had a similar situation in Cumberland, years ago, wherein a teacher with seniority, and a dual certification, but totally incompetent in that 2nd-certification, could bump the top teacher in the system, for that subject, if she (he) wanted to teach it…. and if that teacher were of less seniority!
We finally got it out of the contract as it was just one more example of the Teacher’s Unions having their heads, and their values, ‘You Know Where’ - and concerned more their own… then the best interest of the students!
Tom L, Cumberland
Reader Reactions
Posted by ( redsoxgirl2418 ) on April 17, 2009 at 9:01 pm
So many people whose comments have been used here have no idea what “bumping” even is.
A teacher can’t “bump” another unless they hold certification in the area in which another teacher with less seniority holds. So, a phys ed teacher could NOT simply “bump” a physics teacher unless he was also certified to teach science.
To state that a teacher holds a certification yet is incompetent in that area is ignorant. Aside from the fact that a teacher must pass a difficult content proficiency test in whichever certification area they wish to get, a teacher must do at least 150 hours of professional development, the majority of which must be coursework/seminars/workshops in his/her content area. Oh, but they dont’ have to just do that once—they must complete 150 professional development hours every five years to fulfill requirements for certification. For those newly graduating or new to the profession, you have to have the majority of coursework towards a masters’ degree completed within your first 5 years of teaching as well. How many professions do you see out there that require a masters’ degree, yet only pay $50K a year?
Did I mention that you must do those hours on your own time, and most teachers have to pay for it themselves? And, of course, a teacher has a choice: to extend their days to include a full day of school, planning lessons, and workshops/courses after…or to take those courses over the summer. So much for “vacation.“
Let’s also not forget about the fact that, since the school budgets have been cut, many teachers are using their own money to purchase supplies and teaching tools that their districts can no longer afford to provide. Add to it the fact that many teachers have to worry every single year if they will be laid off due to budget cuts in the school—as the schools are cut to bare bones to include very few or no music, art, family/consumer science, foreign language, or business classes, cram up to 35 students into one classroom, or sometimes be forced to teach in corridors, storage spaces, or off a cart due to overcrowding. You never know if your position is safe.
Just like anything else, of course there are some who don’t put what they should into their job, and ones that abuse the power of their union. But the majority of those who it protects are hardworking people who truly care about your kids—not just as the glorified babysitters that many parents seem to think.
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