This past year the ISS school system lost 50 teachers due to retirement or teachers leaving the system. Because of budget cuts at the state & local levels of government these teachers were not replaced. This has caused an increase in class size to 31 pupils per class. There are 35 teachers in the system that do not teach in a classroom. They are called IF Models. I.F. stands for "Instructional Facilitators". What is wrong with this picture?
Of the 35 IFs I found salaries for 26 of them ranging from $36,670 to $63,453. I must note this is an old list and may not be exact. The total cost of these "non-teachers" on this scale is $1,275,475.00. That will average out to $49,056.73 per "non-teacher". With 35 on the payroll at this average these "non-teachers" cost the taxpayers $1,724,086 dollars per year with no return for our kids, and 50 teacher positions left empty.
Buddy Hemric
I heard over the weekend that there are high school classes with 41 students. If the system would put those 35 IF's into classroom ,or at least use them to help teach in the classes that are so overloaded, what a great use of resources that would be. I am sure that the majority of regular classroom teachers would love to make $49,056 a year. Just another example of missused funds.
ReplyDelete"I am sure that the majority of regular classroom teachers would love to make $49,056 a year. Just another example of missused funds." - I guess I don't really understand that statement since they are paid on the teacher scale. Any teacher who wants to make this type of money can do the same thing that I'm sure most of them did, get a masters or National Boards...
ReplyDeleteIf they are still being paid for 11 months instead of 10, that is the reason for a larger salary. They no longer need that 11th month, and everyone should write our state legislators because this is a great waste of tax payer's money. As you said it would be wonderful for these teachers to go back in the classroom and lighten the load for other classroom teachers.
ReplyDeleteOf course I am sure, someone will say that this money comes out of another pot of funds. If it is Title One money then it should be for our students who need smaller classes and one on one help. We would not need as much remediation then would we?
It comes from Title II money and can not be used for classroom teaching positions.
ReplyDeleteJaney Munday said...
ReplyDeleteI heard over the weekend that there are high school classes with 41 students. If the system would put those 35 IF's into classroom ,or at least use them to help teach in the classes that are so overloaded, what a great use of resources that would be. I am sure that the majority of regular classroom teachers would love to make $49,056 a year. Just another example of missused funds.
September 28, 2009 12:38 PM
Translation: Let me pass along some gossip. Who needs to verify information...just pass it along.
To September 28, 2009 6:31 PM :
ReplyDeleteTitle II funds CAN indeed be used to reduce class size...
"Specifically, in the 2008-09 school year, districts used 39 percent of funds to support professional development activities for teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators, and 38 percent of funds to pay highly qualified teachers to reduce class size"
While I'm not a fan of the Center for American Progress, they do have their facts straight....
link
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/08/pdf/titleII_brief.pdf
Buh-bye IF's.... time to stop wasting teachers' time and go back to where you can benefit students....in the classroom.
Too bad you left out the part about the fact that research proves class size does little to impact student achievement.
ReplyDeleteI didn't leave anything out...I posted the link.
ReplyDeleteWhere is September 28, 2009 6:31 PM's link?
Oh yeah... that info was purely fictitious!
Also, I stated that I am not a fan, nor do I condone the opinions of the Center for American Progress, but their facts are sourced..unlike those of the poster to whom I addressed my rely.
*reply
ReplyDeleteWell, September 28, 2009 7:45 PM ?
ReplyDeleteOh, I understand...caught espousing fabrications is an uncomfortable place to find oneself...
To quote John Adams..."Facts are stubborn things."
So much hatred and meanness. As I read this blog I always wonder if you folks are the ones who claim to be Christians and go to church every Sunday. God forgive you if you are. You have no concept of the word "witness." Would Jesus act this way?
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2009 8:18 PM, what ARE you talking about?
ReplyDelete7:45 pm....what research are you reading? There has been a coorelation between small class sizes and higher student achievement since studies were done on it in 1978. Google it!
ReplyDeleteAnybody with common sense knows that the more attention a student gets, the more they learn. A group of 3 is always perferred to a group of 6 in any educational situation. Certainly, a group of 25 or 30 is perferred to a group of 40 or more. This is because it provides more attention and direct instruction for students.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2009 8:20 PM the post made by 8:18 is not within your comprehension. Ignore it and keep on with your gossip and meaness.
ReplyDeleteIt was not gossip. I was told this by a high school teacher who has witnessed this first hand. Just putting information out there. Take it as you wish.
ReplyDeleteJust stop and refocus! You are all worse than the kids I teach!! These are people not letters in the alphabet. They have hearts and lives and families. Stop the madness!!!!!! Who will be next on the hitlist? EC,PE and the Arts, who!!
ReplyDeleteThey don't care. They live to attack people it makes them feel warm all over! Stick around, they'll jump on you. Feel the love. It's a good thing some of these people are ex-teachers. Would not want their sour attitude around students!
ReplyDeleteIFs are not on a hit list. Some of them are the sweetest people I know. They were just brainwashed into thinking that a certain program had everything that we neeeded. It is like all programs, and one size does not fit all. We just think it is wasting money ,when we could have such exceptional teachers put back into the classroom. They could accomplish more for our students in a regular classroom. It is time to use Title I or II money for our students.
ReplyDelete5:23 - so based on your comments you have interacted with all of the IF's in ISS or are you just making a generalization without any real reasoning behind it?
ReplyDeleteSeptember 28, 2009 8:18 PM , if you want to be a sheep, have at it. I will continue to THINK FREELY and speak my mind as I see fit.
ReplyDeleteRESEARCH UPDATE:
ReplyDeleteGROWING EVIDENCE THAT SMALLER CLASSES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
In March 1999, the Department of Education released Reducing Class Size: What Do We Know?. The report summarized substantial research showing that class size reduction in the early grades leads to higher student achievement in reading and math when class size is reduced to 15-20 students. The benefits of smaller classes are greatest for disadvantaged and minority students. Additional studies, reported recently, have confirmed and expanded on these findings:
Smaller Classes Lead to Lasting Academic Improvements. Several new analyses of the TENNESSEE Class Size Reduction program show that reducing class size has both immediate and long-term benefits. The benefits of participating in small classes increase from year to year, both in the early grades when classes were small, and in subsequent years when students were placed in larger classes. At the end of fifth grade, students who were in small classes in grades one through three were about half a school year (5 months) ahead of students from larger classes, in all subjects - reading, language arts, math and science. Further, follow-up studies of the same students show that high school students who were in small classes in grades one through three beginning in 1985 were less likely to be held back a year or be suspended compared with their peers from larger classes. Students from small classes were found to be making better grades in high school and taking more advanced courses.1, 2, 3
Teachers Benefit Too. Research on WISCONSIN's class size reduction effort (SAGE) show that both teachers and students benefit from smaller classes. Teachers spend more time on instruction and less time on discipline problems. Teachers say they know their students better, know where each child is in the learning process and can provide more individualized instruction. All of these improvements in teaching are matched by increased student achievement, making teaching more rewarding.4
Beyond Academics. The benefits of reduced class size in the early grades go beyond the well-documented improvements in reading, mathematics and science. Smaller classes also lead to better identification of students who need special help, increased student participation and engagement, improved behavior, and reduced retention in grade. In a recent book, Professor Charles Achilles concluded that the outcomes associated with small classes are the foundation of safe schools: improved student behavior and human relations skills; increased participation in schooling and school-sanctioned events; increased sense of community in small classes; and generally improved school climate where students, teachers and parents feel more comfortable.1
1 Achilles, Charles (1999). Let's Put Kids First, Finally: Getting Class Size Right. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
2 Finn, Jeremy D. and Charles M. Achilles "Tennessee's Class Size Study: Findings, Implications, Misconceptions pp 97-109 in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA), SPECIAL ISSUE - Class Size: Issues and New Findings, volume 21, No. 2 (Summer 1999). Washington, D.C.: American Educational Research Association.
3 Pate-Bain, Helen; B. De Wayne Fulton, Jayne Boyd-Zaharias. Effects of Class Size Reduction in the Early Grades (K-3) on High School Performance. Nashville: HEROS, Inc. 1999
4 Molnar, Alex et. Al. "Evaluating the SAGE Program: A Pilot Program in Targeted Pupil-Teacher reduction in Wisconsin." Pp. 165-177 in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA), SPECIAL ISSUE - Class Size: Issues and New Findings, volume 21, No.2 (Summer 1999). Washington, D.C.: American Educational Research Association.
Janie, you were TOLD this by a high school teacher who has witnessed it herself... but did YOU witness it yourself? Obviously not..passing along what one person tells you without verification of the truth is in all actuality GOSSIP (collective gasp).
ReplyDeleteI understand you may be doing what you think is helping "the cause", but all you are doing is stirring the pot by passing along unverified information that is designed to enrage the other people on this blog who are already upset. You're a smart girl, I think you already know that.
Judge Judy wouldn't accept that testimony! No hearsay allowed.
ReplyDeleteThe pot has been stirring for 7 long years and some of the best teachers have left or retired.
ReplyDeleteFacts are It was said by Dr. Holliday that IFs would go back to the classroom after 2 years as an If. It just never happened that way.
Sounds like a lot of sour grapes from people who wanted to be chosen as IFs but were not.
ReplyDeleteOctober 1, 2009 11:12 AM ...Don't delude or flatter yourself...Most teachers WANT to teach and consider the IF job a complete waste of time and consequently, beneath them.
ReplyDeleteUn huh, just like most teachers have masters degrees, or have their national board certification. That haughty attitude gives you away! You're jealous! Ha!
ReplyDeleteOkay, then go ahead--it's your time to waste (and IF's are the experts in the area of wasting time) .... delude away
ReplyDelete8:26 - The point flew over your head, I'm assuming b/c you are obsessed with your desire to attack the IF position. My statement was intended to help readers understand that the amount of pay they make is a direct relationship with the fact that many of them have a masters/national boards or both. It had nothing to do with a "haughty attitude".
ReplyDeleteNext point - "most teachers have a masters degree or their national board certification" - do you consider under 30% "most"? Last year 26% of ISS teachers had an advanced degree and an average of 6 per school had NB certification.
Final point - Some people are just going to complain no matter what. If teachers were given money to go to MCC then I'm sure others would complain that the school should do more to convience people with families and provide PD on-site.
All teachers are not perfect nor are all IFs. There are many dedicated teacher assistants and other staff members that work hard for little pay, but are very concerned about the education of our students.
ReplyDeleteAdvanced degrees and National Boards bring a greater salary . It is then how the teacher uses what one has learned and applies it to their profession that counts. One could have all the degrees in the world but could not teach one living person. There are others who have never had a degree for teaching, but could teach anyone. Sometimes it is just the way it can be presented by very creative and natural teachers that cause others to gain knowledge. The more you learn the more you know you have to learn. Education tends to show you how little you really know. Learning never stops.
Janie Munday, Please run for the BOE. I know several teachers that support you. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes, please run for the BOE so someone else can create a blog and tell lies about you. Fabulous stuff you all have going on here!! Go work for Mooresville City Schools!!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sorry. I said something against this blog. I must be an aspiring IF. I must be an angry administrator because people posted silly stuff about me. I must be pro-baldridge. Well, perhaps I am just a normal person tired of seeing posts about things that were discussed at the beauty parlor while you all are in curlers!!!
Ha Ha!
ReplyDeleteSomeone continues to assume that everything is said about them. Not necessarily so.
ReplyDeleteIf we are a team ,we need to learn to work together and quit being so defensive ,unless we feel deep in our conscious that we may have been wrong. We all can change, but we have to quit taking it so personally. Criticism has to be done carefully. National Boards definitedly teaches one how to reflect. You do walk away wondering about yourself as an edusator.
How many of you drive a Toyota? Oops..you just paid for the continuous improvement model!
ReplyDeleteWhy ? Is it because Toyota is recalling some of its products? Camry included.
ReplyDeleteEducation is not a car manufacturer
ReplyDeleteChildren are not automobiles
What a fantastic letter Mr. Hemric!
ReplyDeleteNow, if only the S R&R had the journalistic integrity to ASK QUESTIONS of the CO admins and the BoE so as to investigate this matter further And then put the information where it belongs--on the front page!
fast checker--doesn't it say over and again in that article low class size of 15-20 "in the early grades" didn't jane's original post say 41 students in high school, I don't know about other schools, but we have less than 20 in the "early grades"
ReplyDeleteSure the students get more attention in a smaller setting, and if nothing else it's easier on the teacher to grade less papers, but for every article you find that says it makes an academic impact(and that's usually only in grades up to 8th) you find another that says the opposite
"Less than 20" boy are you lucky! There are 28 in my child's 4th grade class and 26 in my other child's 5th grade class. Neither classroom has an assistant to speak of.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent, I'd like to know why such a disparity exists in schools that are in the same system! It is a cold hard fact that my children will not get nearly (if any!) the one-on-one time that a student in a class of 15 would get!
Let me say the person who says class size does not matter needs to have 41 students. Otherwise, don't say class size does not matter. When students used to behave , you could have 40 students, and I did. When I retired, the 17 students I had, could never have functioned in a class of 40. The parents have to be held responsible for their student's education, too. Most have no concern with it. It is a free baby sitting service, and nothing more. I really cannot believe anyone could believe that in this day, classroom size does not matter. If their data shows this ,then, that classroom must be made of all AG students. This shows that data can show anything that anyone wants it to.
ReplyDeleteMy "early grade" classroom has more than 20 students as well. It is interesting to note as well that the schools that have become "schools of choice" are sitting with high numbers of students in the classes while the schools that did not make AYP, etc. sit with smaller class size across the system. Therefore, it seems that schools who don't achieve their goals get the benefit of smaller class size while the schools who DO make their goals have no benefits at all....except LARGER class sizes. Something's not right about this scenerio!
ReplyDeleteSo you are saying all the schools with larger class sizes made their AYP goals and all the ones with smaller class sizes did not. Did they miss it because of one subgroup not making AYP? You are not quite understandable.
ReplyDeleteI am saying that there are schools who did not make their AYP goals and parents had the right/opportunity to send their children to a "school of choice" which did make the goal. Therefore, the schools receiving those children, obviously, grew in class size while the sending school's class sizes decreased. I did not say that ALL schools were in that category, but, nevertheless, the point remains the same: Schools of choice typically have larger class sizes than those that are not schools of choice. Maybe schools did miss the goal by 1 subgroup (which is a ridiculous ruling), but some parents don't understand that. All they know is their home school may have not made the goal and base their decision to move their child/children to another school on that information. In reality, it may be in the best interest of children to be in a school who didn't make the goal if they are going to have the benefit of smaller class size and more one on one attention, especially in the "early grades".
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining. Sometimes because of time, I read this blog too fast and I'm not quite sure what I just read. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteLots of schools across the state do not make AYP and it is because of one of their subgroups. That is one thing that is wrong about NCLB.
I have heard that very few parents actually exercise their right to change schools. Please don't take this as a personal attack at your statement because all I have heard is word of mouth stuff. Do you know the approx. amount of kids that actually take advantage of school choice? I have been told it is very low
ReplyDeleteCan't speak to overall numbers...but I do know of one School of Improvement whose 3rd grade classes have 15 to 17 students...contrast that with the 3rd grade class sizes in a certain new magnet school...there are 3rd grade classes there with 26 students...
ReplyDeleteI have been volunteering once a week in the new magnet school. The classroom that I help in has 22 students, one teacher, and one assistant for 2 hours a day. During the time that the assistant is in the classroom, the students are gone for 45 minutes to enhancement classes. That leaves 90 minutes each day that the classroom has 2 adults to work with the students. Now, if all the students were working on grade level, that would be easy. Unfortunaly, the real world isn't made up of classrooms such as that. The teacher has students of all levels. The students working below grade level need more one-on-one time and small group help. The students working on grade level can function with instructions and quiet time to finsh the task. The students working above grade level finish quickly and start looking for something else to do. More work just makes them feel like they are being punished for finishing quickly. Managing such a classroom takes lots of planning time and time to gather materials. Having to spend time each week in meetings instead of planning in classrooms and with other teachers is taking away from the students and their learning. For all of the bloggers out there, if you are not or have never been a teacher or assistant, I urge you to take an hour a week and visit a classroom to find out what is really going on in our schools.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Janey!!
ReplyDelete