School Board fires ALL the teachers, staff at R.I. school

[melensdad]

Interesting tactic and one that seems to have drawn both praise and criticism.

But every teacher, plus the principal, administration staff, etc have been fired from an under-performing school in Rhode Island.

The teachers union objected but Sec of Education Arne Duncan approved.

All teachers, principals fired at poor-performing R.I. high school
11:58 AM
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...-high-school/1

A Rhode Island school board has voted to clean house at Central Falls High School by firing the entire staff of 93, including all teachers, guidance counselors, p.e. instructors and the principal, The Providence Journal reports.

The move makes Rhode Island one of the first states to meet a federal mandate to identify and overhaul poor performing schools.

Central Falls High School was singled out because of very low test scores and a graduation rate of 48%, the newspaper says. Five other schools have been put on notice.

http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanag...nalx-large.jpg

The 5-2 decision by the Central Falls School Board touched off an uproar in Rhode Island's smallest and poorest city as organized labor showed up to support the teachers while state and local education officials stood their ground, the newspaper says.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan also weighed in, saying he "applauded" the officials for "showing courage and doing the right thing for kids."

The Journal says the 93 people fired included 74 classroom teachers, plus reading specialists, guidance counselors, p.e. teachers, the school psychologist, the principal and three assistant principals. Their names were all read aloud in the school auditorium.

[melensdad]

And another point of view:

Plan to fire all its teachers roils poor RI city
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100225/...NsawNwcmludA--
By RAY HENRY, Associated Press Writer
1 min ago

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. – The blue-and-white banner exclaiming "anticipation" on the front of Central Falls High School seems like a cruel joke for an institution so chronically troubled that its leaders decided to fire every teacher by year's end.

No more than half those instructors would be hired back under a federal option that has enraged the state's powerful teachers union, earned criticism from students, and brought praise from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and some parents.

The mass firings were approved by the school district's board of trustees Tuesday night after talks failed between Superintendent Frances Gallo and the local teachers union over implementing changes, including offering more tutoring and a longer school day. The teachers say they want more pay for the additional work.

"If it's only an hour or two a week, I think teachers can afford to do that," said Robert Rivera, 40, who worries about sending his 13-year-old daughter to the troubled high school next year. He dropped out of school as a teenager and works more than 60 hours a week as an appliance repairman.

He's determined his daughter will go to college, although he sometimes feels her teachers have a nonchalant attitude when he seeks help.

"I just feel like maybe they're not putting in the effort," he said.
The shake-up comes as Rhode Island's new education commissioner, Deborah Gist, pushes the state to compete for millions of dollars in federal funding to reform the worst 5 percent of its schools, including in Central Falls. State law requires schools to warn teachers by March 1 if their jobs are in jeopardy for the following school year.

To get the money, schools must choose one of four paths set under federal law, including mass firings. Gallo has said she initially hoped to avoid layoffs by adopting a plan that would have lengthened the school day and required teachers to get additional training and offer more tutoring.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan applauded the plan, saying students only have one chance for an education.

"When schools continue to struggle we have a collective obligation to take action," he said in a written statement.

The U.S. Department of Education does not play a role in deciding which model schools choose and did not know Wednesday whether Central Falls was the first to opt to get rid of its teachers, said Sandra Abrevaya, a department spokeswoman.

The decision won praise from Republican Gov. Don Carcieri, a former math teacher who supports Gist.

"We can no longer stand by as our schools underperform," Carcieri said in a written statement. "While we have some excellent individual teachers, our students continue to be held back by a lack of a quality education and by union leadership that puts their self-interests above the interests of the students."

The school board decision came after a rally Tuesday of more than 500 union members and teacher supporters. The American Federation of Teachers also sent a representative with a message of support from the union's 1.4 million members, The Providence Journal reported.

[Fiat Slug]

According to this article by John Stossel, the teachers union wanted to be paid for the extra time AND for a rate increase. The rate they seek was $90/hr.

http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com...eachers-union/

While I may feel bad for the teachers, my feelings are significantly tempered by their demands for $90/hr for subpar performance.

.

[melensdad]

While I may feel bad for the teachers, my feelings are significantly tempered by their demands for $90/hr for subpar performance.

My wife, being a high school teacher, was watching this story as it developed and she is in favor of the mass firings. While she believes that PARENTS are often the biggest factor in why students underperform, she does believe that sometimes institutions fall into bad habits/patterns and the best way to repair the problems are to start over from scratch.

It seems obvious that the teachers in this district are well paid, it also seems obvious that the school board, the superintendent and the teachers union knew what action would be taken and that there were "second chances" given.

Anytime a company fails as badly as this school failed it would probably shutter its doors, its president would probably end up bankrupt and its workers unemployed. If there was demand for the goods produced then someone new would likely come in and hire ONLY the best workers back and start up a new company with a new focus and new outlook on the market, often in the same building. They would focus on improving the quality and value of the good and end up with a viable business.

I suspect that the BEST and most DEDICATED teachers will be hired back, I suspect the principal and other key managers will never be coming back, and I suspect that the school will start fresh with new policies, new rules, and a new outlook. As it should.