| UEA | United Educators Association of Texas |
Hot Topics |
Attack On Texas
Teacher Pensions Continues | The headlines are coming in anticipation of this week's meeting of the TRS board of trustees, which will formally receive an official annual evaluation of the condition of your pension fund supplied by the private actuarial firm Gabriel Roeder Smith.
Despite the headlines, the remarkable fact is that this year's evaluation actually shows your pension fund made robust investment gains in the fiscal year that ended August 31, 2005. The fund grew by more than 14 percent, far above the long-term target of 8 percent per year. The market value of your pension fund increased to an all-time high of $93.3 billion, with investment gains totaling $12 billion in just one year.
So why the doom and gloom? The answer is twofold. First, the actuaries are allowed by law to acknowledge only 20 percent of the pension fund's investment gains per year; it will therefore take five years for this year's investment gains (and gains recorded in previous years) to be factored into the actuarial analysis. By the same formula, the actuaries are just now rolling into their calculations the final 20 percent of the investment losses the fund suffered in the stock-market crash five years ago. The point is that this year's actuarial analysis is almost certainly a retrospective look at the low point for a pension fund that since then has been rebounding strongly.
The second part of the explanation for the negative headlines is easier. It's political. A whole passel of politicians at the capitol want to stampede the legislature into cutting pension benefits even more deeply than lawmakers already cut them in the past two sessions. They need to convince their colleagues that the sky is falling at TRS and that the only way to fund any benefit increases for retirees in the future will be to renege on the state's solemn benefit promises to those who have not yet retired.
Here's where the plot thickens even more. Sen. Robert Duncan, the Republican from Lubbock who led the attack on pension benefits in the past two sessions, has responded to reports of the new actuarial evaluation by saying he wants the legislature to consider again his plan to raise the state contribution to your pension fund slightly, make deep new benefit cuts for future retirees, and sweeten the raw deal with a promise (but no firm guarantee) of a one-time-only extra check for those who are already retired.
The fact is that the state has systematically shirked its obligation to both active and retired employees over the past two sessions, taking billions of dollars out of the pockets of both. |
Education Hearings Reflect
Leadership Agenda; Tax
Commission Hearing Dates Set | From the United Educators Association And the Texas Federation of Teachers
December 5, 2005
Education Hearings Reflect Leadership Agenda;
Tax Commission Hearing Dates Set
Education Hearings Show Leadership Agenda: Two Texas House committees met this past week to spotlight education-related issues the House leadership wants to push in the 2007 legislative session.
The House Public Education Committee, according to committee chair Kent Grusendorf, Republican of Arlington, outlined an agenda approved by House Speaker Tom Craddick, Republican of Midland, that will ensure renewed battles over private-school vouchers, plans to tie teacher pay to students' test scores, erosion of teachers' contract rights, and privatization.
The committee also will pick a fight with school boards over the issue of school-district consolidation, an efficiency concept that many support in theory but few support when it means the demise of their own local school district.
School boards and school superintendents have been vocal critics of the House leadership's inadequate funding of schools and its embrace of an agenda hostile to public education in the name of "reform."
The criticism hasn't been appreciated, and in a second hearing held jointly with the House General Investigating Committee yesterday, the Grusendorf committee suggested that it is illegitimate for school
districts to use tax dollars to pay for lobbying activity at the capitol on education issues.
An attorney from the Texas Ethics Commission informed the two committees that such lobbying is not prohibited if local funds are used, and the discussion veered after that into the difficulties of identifying the source of funds used by districts to support lobbying.
Of special interest and concern to educators will be the work of two subcommittees created yesterday. Rep. Bill Keffer, Republican of Dallas, will lead a panel on Chapter 21 of the Education Code, which includes certification standards, contract protections, personal leave, duty-free lunch, planning and preparation periods, and other key safeguards of employee rights and educational quality.
The issue will be whether Chapter 21 "effectively promotes" the state's educational goals. Joining Keffer on this subcommittee will be Reps. Scott Hochberg, Democrat of Houston, and Dianne Delisi, Republican of Temple.
The other subcommittee to watch is charged with exploring "successful performance-based pay systems for educational professionals in Texas and other states." An honest study would admit that it's hard to find an example of a genuinely successful performance-based pay scheme, if educational rather than political criteria are used to gauge success.
We'll see whether the subcommittee chaired by Rep. Delisi, with Reps. Keffer and Anna Mowery of Fort Worth, all Republicans, will follow educational evidence or political preconceptions in its findings.
Tax Commission Sets Meetings: The first four public hearings of the governor's advisory commission on tax restructuring will occur on December 8, in Temple and Waco, and on December 13, in Victoria and Corpus Christi.
The basic assignment from the governor for the two dozen business leaders on the commission is to recommend a tax swap: a reduction in school property taxes balanced by an equivalent increase in other types of taxes.
During the recent failed legislative sessions on school finance, the governor and legislative leaders pushed a tax swap that would have left 80 or 90 percent of Texans with higher taxes, while offering real net tax cuts only to the highest-income 10 percent of taxpayers and to favored business sectors.
The leadership's failed plan also would have produced zero new revenue for public education. A threshold question going into the hearings next week is whether the governor's appointees really have been granted any leeway by the governor to come up with a better approach now. |
| What Teachers Need | Below is an article that appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Sunday,
October 23rd.
What teachers need
Star-Telegram
"Good teachers matter more than anything else," Fort Worth Superintendent
Melody Johnson told members of the Fort Worth Downtown Rotary Club in
August.
Johnson, who took over the leadership of the 80,000-student district in
July, said a good many other things that day -- about community investment
in public education, about teaching all students at high levels, about the
unsung successes and undeniable challenges of improving student
achievement in an urban district.
But her comment about teachers resonated -- not because it's revolutionary
but because it's so obvious.
Most everyone remembers how a great teacher shaped his or her attitude
toward math, science, history, English -- or how a bad teacher warped it.
The federal push for educational accountability, No Child Left Behind,
also emphasizes teacher quality, requiring that school districts, with
only a few exceptions, employ competent teachers in every class by the end
of this school year.
Recognizing that teacher quality, competence and ability can be
subjective, we'd like to examine the issue from a different angle.
Tell us, teachers, what you need to be a good teacher -- and whether you
are getting it in your current assignment. What could make you better?
If you're a full-time teacher (or retired within the past couple of years)
in the Star-Telegram circulation area, please take the following survey
and return it to us at one of the addresses listed below. Keep your
answers concise, and please provide as much information as possible about
where you teach and how long you've been in the profession.
We'll compile responses into a report for the Star-Telegram opinion pages.
We'll also post comments online in order to stimulate dialogue.
We hope that this undertaking will enlighten readers -- along with school
officials, political leaders and taxpayers -- about what teachers face and
how they approach their vital job.
Teaching well
1. What makes a great teacher?
2. What is the biggest obstacle to your not being the best teacher you can
be?
3. What specifically are you not getting now that you need to be a good
teacher?
4. Who can be most influential in improving teaching quality: the district
superintendent, individual school principals, teachers themselves,
politicians or others?
5. How helpful is the in-service training you receive? Please be specific
about its values and/or its flaws.
6. Would paying teachers performance-based monetary bonuses improve
teacher quality? Why or why not?
7. If those bonuses are paid, how should the recipients be determined?
8. How can colleges better prepare teachers for the realities of the
classroom?
9. What do you believe is the main reason that teachers quit the
profession?
10. Personal information (Please include as much as possible.)
Name:
Age.:
Gender:
Race/ethnicity:
School/position (including city and district):
Teaching experience:
Years in current job:
Previous teaching assignments (including years in each):
How long you plan to continue teaching:
To email: Please send your response, without attachments, to
[ mailto:TeachingWell@star-telegram.com ] TeachingWell@star-telegram.com
To fax: (817) 390-7688
To mail: Teaching Well, c/o Editorial Writers, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101 |
Questions & Answers
About Discipline | From the United Educators Association
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Subjects: Questions and Answers About Discipline
Question: When can a teacher send a student to the office?
Board Policy and the Student Code of Conduct states,” A teacher may send a student to the principal’s office to maintain effective discipline in the classroom. Any removal by a teacher of a student for misbehavior requires that the teacher report the offense to the principal or appropriate administrator. The principal shall respond by employing appropriate discipline management techniques consistent with the Student Code of Conduct.”
Question: If I send a student to the office, how long does the administrator have to return the infraction notice?
Page 2 of the Student Code of Conduct reads, “No student will be returned to the teacher’s classroom before the infraction has been returned to the teacher. Under no circumstances will the student be returned to the same class, during the same period, from which he/she was removed for disciplinary reasons.”
Question: Whose duty is it to notify the parents?
Even though in most schools the responsibility for notifying parents is given to the classroom teachers for small classroom violations, page 2 of the Student Code of Conduct says, “General misconduct identified above will result in application of one or more discipline management techniques. Violations will be reported to the principal or other appropriate administrator who will notify the parent or guardian.” This is also in compliance with state law. (See, The Texas Education Code Chapter 37)
Question: What type of violations are they referring to in the above question?
Again on page 2 of the Student Code of Conduct it says, “Students are prohibited from:
• Cheating or copying the work of another.
• Leaving school grounds or school-sponsored events without permission.
• Scuffling or fighting.
• Disobeying school rules regarding conduct on school buses.
• Failing to comply with directives given by school personnel.
• Possessing matches or a lighter.
• Behaving in any manner disruptive to the school environment or educational process.
• Violating safety rules.
• Violating the dress code.
• Repeatedly violating campus or classroom standards of behavior, including, but not limited to sexual harassment.
• Violating extracurricular standards of behavior.
• Using a telecommunication device.
• Possessing, smoking or using tobacco products.
• Possessing a hazardous item or prohibited item in his/her vehicle if the vehicle is unoccupied.”
Question: What are the rules about removing a student from my classroom for good?
This is covered under Section 37.002 of the Texas Education Code, Board Policy FO and Page 3 of the Student Code of Conduct under Formal Removal From The Classroom By The Teacher.
The Student Code of Conduct states on page 3:
“Formal removal initiated by a teacher or administrator will occur if the student’s behavior has been documented by the teacher as repeatedly interfering with the teacher’s ability to teach his or her class or the behavior is so unruly, disruptive or abusive that the teacher cannot teach and the students in the classroom cannot learn.
Any removal of a student by a teacher for behavior described in this section requires that the teacher report the offense to the principal or appropriate administrator. The principal or appropriate administrator will then send a copy of the report to the student’s parent(s) and/or guardian(s) within 24 hours of receiving the teacher’s report.”
Question can an administrator place a student back in my classroom if I remove the student under Chapter 37?
No. State law, Board Policy FO and Page 3 of the Student Code of Conduct prevents an administrator from sending a student back to a teacher who has formally removed the student under the law. However, he/she can ask that the case be review by the placement review committee. If the placement review committee believes that there is not enough documentation, they can send the student back to the classroom. This information can again be found on page 3 of the Student Code of Conduct. It says, “When a student has been formally removed from class by a teacher for any other conduct, the student may be returned to the teacher’s class without the teacher’s consent, if the placement review committee determines that the teacher’s class is the best or only alternative available.
Question: What is this Placement Review Committee?
Section 37.003. PLACEMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE of the Texas Education Code says,
“ (a) Each school shall establish a three-member committee to determine placement of a student when a teacher refuses the return of a student to the teacher's class and make recommendations to the district regarding readmission of expelled students. Members shall be appointed as follows:
(1) the campus faculty shall choose two teachers to serve as members and one teacher to serve as an alternate member; and
(2) the principal shall choose one member from the professional staff of a campus.
(b) The teacher refusing to readmit the student may not serve on the committee.
(c) The committee's placement determination regarding a student with a disability who receives special education services under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, is subject to the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.) and federal regulations, state statutes, and agency requirements necessary to carry out federal law or regulations or state law relating to special education.”
Question: So special education students are treated differently?
Yes. While they can be removed from the classroom for a limited time, they must go through the ARD committee.
Question: What if I am having a problem in the area of discipline?
Problems in the area of discipline and/or classroom management lead to more teachers losing their jobs, being sued, or losing points on their appraisals. If you have problems or just questions, please contact your association.
Question: Who can I contact at UEA?
You can call the office at 817-572-1082 or email us at uea@ueatexas.com |
| Is High Stakes Testing Bad for Students? | High-stakes testing in Texas and across the nation has had little impact on student achievement and is disproportionately targeting minority students according to an article recently appearing in the Dallas Morning News. Instead, it as increased retention and dropout rates in many states according to a study by researchers in Texas and Arizona. The study, which examined the impact of high-stakes testing in Texas and 24 other states, found "no convincing evidence" that the pressure associated with those tests – such as threatened sanctions for low scores – produced better student achievement than would otherwise have been expected. To read more, please go to the following web address: http://www.ueatexas.com/h/g/testing.pdf |
| Notice of Instructional Workshops | Below is a brief description of workshops provided by UEA. ALL WORKSHOPS ARE APPROVED BY THE STATE BOARD FOR EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION FOR CPE (CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT) CREDIT(PROVIDER NUMBER 500283). The workshops will be held on Saturday, September 17, October 10/1, 10/15, and 11/5. The meetings will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon. This workshop is offered by UEA at no charge. You do not have to be a member to attend. To find the office, please go to: http://www.ueatexas.com/location/location.htm Classroom Management More teachers will be fired, sued, or get into trouble because of problems in this area than for any other reason. This workshop gives teachers ideas for handling their actions and the actions of their students. It is loaded with practical ideas for handling problems. This workshop includes a discussion of the following: 1. The teacher and the discipline process a. The importance of discipline in teaching b. Basic principles regarding discipline c. Reasons kids cause problems d. Elements of a good discipline system e. When to use the office f. Some quick ideas for good discipline g. What to do when everything else fails 2. Team discipline (techniques and ideas) 3. School-wide discipline for secondary school Teaching Without Failures The number one reason students become discipline problems is because they are not successful. This part of the workshop explores the differences in the roles of teachers and students and why there are problems from the beginning. It gives teachers ideas of how to make students more responsible for their learning. This workshop includes: 1. A discussion of the reasons teachers teach 2. A discussion of why students take their courses 3. Reasons kids fail 4. A discussion of why parents send their children to school 5. A look at basic skills needed for lifetime learning. 6. Ideas for lowering failure rates Working with Parents It’s time for a parent conference and you're not sure what to do! This part of the workshop provides skills and techniques that will help you deal with concerned, and sometimes angry, parents. The workshop includes: 1. Establishing Positive Communications 2. Roots of the problems 3. Dealing with problems in the early stages 4. Parent conferences a. Reasons parents request conferences b. Rights of parents c. Thou Shall Not's d. What to do if the conference becomes hostile e. Board Policy FNG 5. What to do and not do when dealing with parents |
Retirements Seen
Raising | More teachers, it seems, are ready to leave their schools behind. |
Do Our Legislators
Want Our Schools
to Fail? | From the United Educators Association
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Subject: Do our Legislators want our schools to fail?
That was a question recently addresses by Bud Kennedy in a recent article
by Bud Kennedy, a staff writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
This is an excellent article which should be read by all public school
employees. To read the article for yourself, please go to the following
web address:
http://www.ueatexas.com/h/g/budkennedy.pdf
To respond to Mr. Kennedy’s article, please go to bud@budkennedy.com |
| Salary Rankings | From the United Educators Association (UEA) Monday, August 29, 2005 Subject: Hard To Believe… For those of you who might have missed yesterday’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there was a story, which ranked our area salaries with those across the nation. The article by Amie Streater, was based on a study completed by National Center for Policy Analysis. According to the study, when THE COST OF LIVING IS FACTORED IN, Fort Worth and the surrounding suburban school districts are among the highest-paid in the nation. According to study, secondary teachers in the Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Area ranked 4th in the nation. Elementary teachers are ranked 12th.
That’s right. We are having a hard time believing this too. To read the story, please go to the following web address: http://www.ueatexas.com/h/f/salaryranking.pdf Ms. Streater has asked for comments regarding this story. Her email address is: astreater@star-telegram.com Secondary teachers in other Texas cities ranked: Dallas-13 Houston-15 Beaumont-16 San Antoinio-28 Austin-32 Elementary teachers in other Texas cities ranked: Houston-11 Fort Worth-12 Dallas-14 Beaumont-16 San Antonio-26 Austin-32 |
MISD School Board
Adopts Budget and Salaries | From the United Educators Association
WEDNESIDAY August 24, 2005
Last night, the MISD School Board approved the Employee Compensation Package along with the Budget for 2005-2006.
The School Board approved a 3% across the board raise for all employees in the district.
In the past, MISD has typically paid a percentage from the midpoint (a set amount). UEA has encouraged them to move towards an across the board raise because it will help them remain competitive with the surrounding districts and it really rewards the veteran employees of MISD.
UEA wants to thank the School Board, Mr. Newsom, and the MISD Administration on the hard work put into the budget process and for rewarding the employees of the district. |
KISD School Board
Adopts Salaries and Budget | From the United Educators Association
TUESDAY August 23, 2005
Last night, the KISD School Board approved the Employee Compensation Package along with the Budget for 2005-2006.
The School Board approved a $1,345 raise for all teachers and a 3% midpoint of pay grade for all other employees.
Also, the School Board approved additional money for the Longevity Stipend and expanded it to include all employees of the district who meet the criteria for the stipend. UEA brought forth this proposal to the board last Monday.
UEA wants to thank the School Board, Dr. Veitenheimer, and the KISD Administration on the hard work put into the budget process and for rewarding the employees of the district. |
Budget Update in
Mansfield ISD | From the United Educators Association
August 17, 2005
At last night's MISD School Board Meeting, the Administration presented a budget update that included a 3% raise of actual salary for all employees in Mansfield. To accomplish this budget, an overalll tax increase of 5.5 cents is proposed. (3 cents for Operations and 2.5 cents for Debt Service)
During the discussion part of the budget workshop, School Board member Gale Moericke proposed lowering the raise to 2.5% for all employees. By reducing the proposed raises, he said the board would only have to raise the Operations side of the tax rate by 2 cents. Mr. Moericke said that the employees of the district should be "sharing the pain" along with the taxpayers. Dan Phillips and Joy Keller agreed, in principle, with Mr. Moericke's idea.
This coming Tuesday night, Mr. Newsom and his administration will present their budget proposal that includes a 3% raise for the Board's approval. UEA will keep you informed of the results of this meeting. |
| KISD Salary Schedule | From the United Educators Association
August 16, 2005
Last night at the KISD School Board meeting, UEA’s Deputy Executive Director, Steven Poole, spoke to the board concerning teacher salaries.
Currently, the KISD Administration is recommending a raise of $1,345 for all teachers and a 3% midpoint raise for all other employees of the district.
UEA pointed out that the district was not as competitive for the veteran teachers when compared to area school districts. UEA recommended that the district significantly increase the Longevity Stipend and presented a proposal on how to do it.
In the proposal, the Longevity Stipend would be expanded to include ALL employees who have 10 or more years of consecutive service in the district and would increase the amount of the stipends given.
The School Board and Administration was very receptive to the idea and the Administration will be studying the proposal to include in the budget.
The School Board will be meeting again this Monday to vote on the budget and the UEA proposal to increase and expand the Longevity Stipend.
We want to thank the School Board for the opportunity to present our proposal last night and their willingness to embrace it.
We will keep you informed after the vote next Monday. |
HEB ISD
Salary Schedule | From the United Educators Association
Thursday, August 11, 2005
No doubt by now you have all seen the proposed teacher salary schedule HEBISD administration presented to the school board Tuesday night. So far, it is the best set of raises in the Metroplex.
The proposed raises will give teachers the greater of $1,500 or 3%. The Administration also recommended significant adjustments for the veteran teachers of the district.
UEA Associate Director, Derik Hayenga, met with Dr. Buinger in the spring and presented him with copies of the UEA Comparison of Salaries Chart for 2004-2005. In June, UEA made a presentation to the school board of the UEA Comparison of Salaries Chart and outlining the deficiencies in the current pay schedule, and requested the board members remedy them.
In a meeting with Dr. Buinger, he asked the teacher associations to share with you that two areas of the budget were reduced to fund this payroll package -- Infrastructure Repair and Technology Replacement.
UEA wants to thank the Administration, Dr. Buinger, and Lynn Riggs for this significant salary proposal.
A message from Kirstie Lewis, Organizing Chair UEA-HEB
Derik Hayenga, Associate Director
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