In it, school board directors must give superintendents a minimum 150 day notice prior to the end of their contract during a regular board meeting, or the super's contract will be automatically renewed for the similar length of time. See page 32 of HB 1901. See page 37-38 for terminating assistant superintendents.
On page 36 of HB 1901, the school board must post the superintendent's and assistant superintendents' date of evaluation and whether they met their goals on the district website.
Starting in 2013-14, teacher evaluations will change. NEW EDUCATOR EVALUATION SYSTEM in 2014-15, principals (Nonteaching Professional Employees) evaluations will no longer be based primarily on PSSA scores.
Evaluation Criteria for “Nonteaching Professional Employees.” Nonteaching professional employees will be evaluated in the 2014-15 school year with a new system that considers the following areas of performance:PSSAs will account for 15% of principals' evaluations. See page 42 of HB 1901.
1) planning and preparation; 2) educational environment; 3) delivery of service; and 4) professional development. PDE is currently working on specific rubrics for pupil services personnel that reflect
these four categories. School-wide student performance measures must comprise 20 percent of a nonteaching professional employee’s overall rating. Specific elements of this measure will be established by PDE prior to 2014-15.
The bill also allows, in terms of school finances, a provision for reopening budgets.
There is so much more in the 95 page bill that I hope readers will enlighten us of more changes.
18 comments:
One of the with the bill right off the bat..,
"1) planning and preparation; 2) educational environment; 3) delivery of service;..." who does the evaluating?
The superintendent, the board-- the same people that think a .55 mill increase is like a zero increase. Oh great - another empty meaningless bill with no provisions for evaluating the evaluators or penalties for less than stellar performance like Act 1 and Act 34.
Like really, when hasn't Dr. Steinhauer not met or exceeded expectations each and every year in his evaluations?
http://teachersunionexposed.com/
"Keeping a Tight Grip on Policy
The control that union officials can maintain over local school boards borders on the ridiculous. Veteran education reporter Joe Williams wrote: “The United Teachers Los Angeles had such a tight grip on its school board in 2004 that union leaders actually instructed them on important policies and made no attempt to hide their hand signals to school board members during meetings.”
America has two national education unions that control smaller local unions and set the precedent for teacher union behavior nationwide. The smaller of the two education unions is the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) which is also an AFL-CIO affiliate. The largest union in the United States, and in education, is the National Education Association (NEA). As a result of its size — and the vast number of dues-paying members — it is one of the most powerful political forces in the nation.
The NEA employs a corps of directors called UniServ. These directors assist local teachers unions with collective bargaining (supplying negotiation experience that often vastly outstrips the resources of a local school district) and serve as conduits for the union’s political messages. Thanks to its UniServ network and “member-to-member” communications, the NEA commands a get-out-the-vote network that’s a powerful complement to its considerable political donations (and one that’s nearly invisible to government oversight, too). With their UniServ corps, the NEA employs a larger number of political organizers than the Republican and Democratic National Committees combined. Frederick Hess and Andrew Kelly even point out that UniServ “has consistently been the NEA’s most expensive budget item.”"
http://www.teachersunionexposed.com/blocking.php
blah blah blah, teachers unions. Our teachers are good, they deserve their salary and benefits.
Blah blah blah, we can't afford it anymore. It used to be that pensions were compensation for low pay. Now, they have it all - high pay AND guaranteed pensions and benefits. Blah, blah, blah! Tell it to the rest of us out there trying to make ends meet without the political stranglehold of the teachers union picking everyone else's pockets. We taxpayers are being played!
8:34 for the most part yes, but I wonder if you'll still be saying blah, blah, blah when we have to let some of them go, maybe not this year but next because of greed and mismanagement.
The librarians re good too, but we're awfully close to cutting them or their hours.
So sing your oblivious song... Blah, blah, blah.
http://openrecords.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/open_records/4434/right-to-know_law/466460
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO RTKL
Pennsylvnia's New Right to Know Law
Act 3 of 2008, as signed on February 14, 2008
Effective January 1, 2009 (Download: PDF Version : Text Version)
(Download: Powerpoint Presentation on Right To Know Law in PDF Version)
PA Constitution (Download: PDF Version)
SunShine Act (Download: PDF Version) Be aware that the Office of Open Records has no jurisdiction over the Sunshine Act or violations of the Sunshine Act. A copy of the Act is provided here as a courtesy because it is a complementary law to the Right to Know Law. They work together to provide for the transparency of Government. (Download: Powerpoint Presentation on SunShine Act in PDF Version)
Legislative history of the Right-to-Know Law (Download: PDF Version)
For those readers concerned with PSSAs, isn't this HB good news? Next year, PSSAs will account for 15% of principals' evaluations instead of the primary metrics used by the Superintendent and Board to evaluate the principals. Isn't the argument to PSSAs that high stakes testing is harming teachers, students, and schools?
Elaine
Un-oh, sorry kids, there goes those free snacks after the test.
8:34 why don't you try opening your mind a little bit and read the information on the teachersunionexposed.com
site. Then when you're through there visit the Association of American Educations and learn what they're for and against.
Unless of course you can't handle learning anything.
Regarding the excessive power and influence of teachers unions, the NEA tentacles reach far into PA via its affiliated PA State Ed. Assoc. (PSEA) that has an enormous statewide staff of lobbyists, contact negotiators and lawyers. An affiliate of the PSEA here is the infamous Mt. Lebanon Ed. Assoc. (MLEA) who have the inept school board completely under their thumb.
With regard to the budget, how many of you are aware that the MLEA membership is appropriated and totally controls the allocation of over $1 million each year in what is classified as "Extra Duty Requirement" (EDR) funding - a budget category that is never discussed, but is thoroughly covered in the 45 + page teachers contract ? This is a slush fund for extra income for those who want some extra light work to supplement their so meager base compensations.
How many of you are aware that the MLEA is provided an office and office equipment in district offices by district taxpayers, and whose president is paid as a full time teacher but only works half days and receives yet additional compensation from the MLEA via MLEA member dues ?
We're being hornswoggled, while the ever so cowardly school board are focused on "peanut", pencil & eraser kinds of mickey mouse cost reduction talk and no action.
Yep, hit the kids up for $75 parking fees.
How hitting the MLEA for office rent?
So whom do you think blah, blah 8:34 is?
Blog readers:
This past weekend the Reason Foundation held a "Reason Weekend" for some of its donors. One presentation, "Can Computers Replace Teachers," was recently posted on Reason's website. The presenter was Katherine Mangu-Ward, Reason's managing editor. A Yale graduate, Katherine writes about food, space, and education for Reason Magazine and Reason.com.
I watched this video with great interest. Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's some teachers saw the handwriting on the wall and started using computers as "teacher's aids" to supplement courses. I wrote a program to teach the basic ideas of differential and integral calculus, which included "animated equations" wherein students could see the concepts of limits, differentiation and integration come alive. Today there are many such (and better!) programs available on the Internet.
If you are even slightly interested in the future of education I encourage you to watch this video (click on the link above). It is about 21 minutes long, but it will be a very worthwhile 21 minutes. If after watching it you don't agree with Katherine's take on education - that's fine; but I think you'll find that at least some of the concepts she's talking about have a great deal of merit. The days of the traditional school district, with its unsustainable expenses, are numbered.
We blew it when we let Allison get away. I have followed him since leaving and he has handled a number of difficult issues with common sense and honesty. He has cut millions from the budget and increased student achievement. We would be in a very different place today with the high schools project. He left with a warning about the projects escalation and the Boards wanting it all and the increasing cost but assuming they in their infinite wisdom could do it at a bargain price.
My choice is Dan Miller, the other candidate will be able to do nothing. Why vote for someone to "send a message" to do nothing. Dan is a good guy, a Lebo Citizen who care about the quality of life in the district. If you vote for George, you might as well vote for Remely.
Yes, I think he was a very good superintendent, proven by how fast he assessed the situation and got the helll out.
7:11 I'd love to hear you reasons. Dan Miller is a very fine fellow and did a reasonable job as commissioner.
Remely is not a monster, but as a politician, mover and shaker he has been one big disappointment.
So are you arguing that because Miller is a democrat, he'll go along with the party and that way things will happen?
Hope that isn't your case, because neither Rs or Ds have done much to change anything.
Every journey 6:56 starts with a first step!
Ditto 7:11
If we keep doing what we always did we'll keep getting what we always got, and voting for an independent thinker who appears to have no strings attached is a step in the right direction. I like what Brown stands for, he has my vote.
Post a Comment