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Monday, January 7, 2008
Outdated Teaching Contracts Are Weighing Schools Down
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A new calendar year has begun, teachers are returning for the start of a new semester and in just a few weeks school systems will be requiring teachers to sign a contract if they wish to continue in their jobs next school year.
The early issuance of contracts — now nearly six months ahead of the new contract year — is a human resources strategy that verges on desperation. School systems are seeking to preserve the staff they have, but they’re doing little to improve it.
No corporation would ever secure or maintain staff in the manner that our public schools do. While the non-merit-based pay scale needs an overhaul, so do the contracts associated with it.
One major improvement would be to offer multi-year contracts to exemplary teachers. These longer contracts could offer bonuses upon the completion of a two, three or even five-year term. If a teacher wanted to explore other opportunities, they could reserve that option with some penalty for signing a contract late in the year. Staff members whose work is questionable could be offered short-term contracts contingent upon improving their classroom performance.
While working in a private school, I once countered a contract offer by requesting a 15 percent pay increase. I succeeded in my negotiations and secured the raise.
I could never do that in a public school.
Instead, teacher contracts and pay scales are standardized at the expense of improving quality and creating a dynamic work force. The way contracts are used it’s impossible to distinguish the most effective teachers from the mediocre.
As lawmakers seek to make changes in public education this year, perhaps they should start looking at our outdated contracts.
Today’s guest blogger has worked as a media specialist in public and private schools for 15 years. If you would like to be a guest blogger here, send an entry on any education topic to bgutierrez@ajc.com. Include the words “guest blog” in the e-mail’s subject field.
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