Mass Firings Just the Beginning of Change at Central Falls High
Stuart Nachbar
March 12, 2010
Today I am reading about Central Falls High School in Rhode Island. The superintendent of schools has fired every teacher and administrator because the teachers have asked for additional compensation to support a plan to turnaround the failing school. Seventy four teachers were affected by her decision.
This week, a Newsweek story reported that the Central Falls teachers earned an average salary of $75,000 while working in the poorest school district in the state. According to that same story, only seven percent of the students could pass the state's mathematics proficiency examination.
Frances Gallo, the superintendent of schools, set several conditions on the teachers and claims that the teacher's union has not been cooperative. These conditions included:
An additional 25 minutes to the school day
Tutoring on a rotating schedule before and after school
Lunch with students once a week
More rigorous evaluations
Weekly after-school planning sessions
Two weeks of training in the summer
Essentially, the teachers were asked to do more, so they wanted a raise. Instead, they were fired.
The Obama Administration supports this decision. I believe Republicans would, too. Gallo's decision is consistent with the intentions of No Child Left Behind--if a school fails its students it should be restructured or closed.
I don't understand why the decision was made in February, just past the middle of a school year, but I do know this much--People who work outside of teaching have been asked to do more for the same salary or less. The teachers will get no sympathy from the voting parents who work.
But how will the school change after the superintendent has cleaned house?
Let's say Gallo hires all new people. A new administrative team--principal and assistant principal, athletic director, guidance counselors, custodians and support staff--would be in place. There would need to be a mix of experienced teachers--probably some denied tenure in other districts--and inexperienced ones. If the school has performed poorly there will be special needs teachers as well.
If you're a fan of any college or professional sport, you know that it can take a long time for a bad team to work their way out of the dumps. The same will be true of a school where everyone will be new. The numbers on the standardized tests are unlikely to take a magic leap towards total proficiency.
In addition, while the new teachers may earn lower salaries than their predecessors who were fired, they are human. More likely than not they will be younger teachers less trained to deal with the stress of teaching at a school such as Central Falls. And those teachers will be members of the teacher's union. That leads to another question: will they become activists themselves, and fight for the same benefits their predecessors wanted, or will they come and go?
The superintendent's decision means that there will be fewer tenured teachers on site. It's possible Gallo may end up with the equivalent of a laboratory school for Teach for America or an alternative teacher training program. The recruits will work under the superintendent's conditions for two or three years then move on.
I've never done a quality study of a high school, but I believe that the reputation of any organization is built in part by stability. Is there a core of good, reliable people who are always there?
If I were in Gallo's position, I would invite all of the disposed teachers to re-apply for their jobs; whiners and loose cannons need not apply. I treat each interviewee, especially the more talented teachers, as individuals and see if they will work under my conditions. Then, if I've sufficiently lowered the payroll, I implement a bonus plan on top of the union-mandated increase, or offer to pay for further training. I want to retain the best people who are familiar with the problems in my school as best I can.
Central Falls High will need to start over, but Frances Gallo will, too. No matter how much change is imposed upon the high school, a superintendent who fired 74 teachers in one day must gain the trust of the teachers who return or replace them.
This week, a Newsweek story reported that the Central Falls teachers earned an average salary of $75,000 while working in the poorest school district in the state. According to that same story, only seven percent of the students could pass the state's mathematics proficiency examination.
Frances Gallo, the superintendent of schools, set several conditions on the teachers and claims that the teacher's union has not been cooperative. These conditions included:
An additional 25 minutes to the school day
Tutoring on a rotating schedule before and after school
Lunch with students once a week
More rigorous evaluations
Weekly after-school planning sessions
Two weeks of training in the summer
Essentially, the teachers were asked to do more, so they wanted a raise. Instead, they were fired.
The Obama Administration supports this decision. I believe Republicans would, too. Gallo's decision is consistent with the intentions of No Child Left Behind--if a school fails its students it should be restructured or closed.
I don't understand why the decision was made in February, just past the middle of a school year, but I do know this much--People who work outside of teaching have been asked to do more for the same salary or less. The teachers will get no sympathy from the voting parents who work.
But how will the school change after the superintendent has cleaned house?
Let's say Gallo hires all new people. A new administrative team--principal and assistant principal, athletic director, guidance counselors, custodians and support staff--would be in place. There would need to be a mix of experienced teachers--probably some denied tenure in other districts--and inexperienced ones. If the school has performed poorly there will be special needs teachers as well.
If you're a fan of any college or professional sport, you know that it can take a long time for a bad team to work their way out of the dumps. The same will be true of a school where everyone will be new. The numbers on the standardized tests are unlikely to take a magic leap towards total proficiency.
In addition, while the new teachers may earn lower salaries than their predecessors who were fired, they are human. More likely than not they will be younger teachers less trained to deal with the stress of teaching at a school such as Central Falls. And those teachers will be members of the teacher's union. That leads to another question: will they become activists themselves, and fight for the same benefits their predecessors wanted, or will they come and go?
The superintendent's decision means that there will be fewer tenured teachers on site. It's possible Gallo may end up with the equivalent of a laboratory school for Teach for America or an alternative teacher training program. The recruits will work under the superintendent's conditions for two or three years then move on.
I've never done a quality study of a high school, but I believe that the reputation of any organization is built in part by stability. Is there a core of good, reliable people who are always there?
If I were in Gallo's position, I would invite all of the disposed teachers to re-apply for their jobs; whiners and loose cannons need not apply. I treat each interviewee, especially the more talented teachers, as individuals and see if they will work under my conditions. Then, if I've sufficiently lowered the payroll, I implement a bonus plan on top of the union-mandated increase, or offer to pay for further training. I want to retain the best people who are familiar with the problems in my school as best I can.
Central Falls High will need to start over, but Frances Gallo will, too. No matter how much change is imposed upon the high school, a superintendent who fired 74 teachers in one day must gain the trust of the teachers who return or replace them.
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