Bay parents request teacher rehires at WCSB

[FONT=&quot]By ASHLEY AMASON[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Superintendent Carlene Anderson congratulated Walton County students, teachers, and administrators on FCAT scores at the June 7 Walton County School Board meeting. Having received the scores earlier that day, the district learned certain grade levels scored as high as third in the state.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A brief action agenda resulted in the unanimous approval of board member Mark Davis and citizen appointee Rob Neale to serve on the 2011-2012 value adjustment board.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]During public comments, Bay Elementary School (BES) parents Rene Endres and Andrea Miree addressed the board, along with Jose Perez, husband of an annual contract BES teacher.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Endres alleged “We’ve had the recent budget cuts…the school district, the superintendent, and the principals, they’ve let go of Bay teacher of the year, the two teachers with the highest third grade FCAT scores that increased by 6 percent over last year…and when Carlene is congratulating people on the FCAT, two of these teachers scored best in the district, their students did. That doesn’t sound quite like it’s making the best decision [in] the interest of the students, or Bay in general…With all the vacancies that are now at Bay, due to five people letting go, two transfers, the principal is going to have to hire teachers. So why would they let the best teachers go? When you do that, the difference between hiring a new teacher with zero to one year experience and keeping a fourth-year teacher is less than $1,000, I believe. So as PTO board president, is there any way we could have recouped those fees to help the teachers, make up the difference where they didn’t have to be fired? These teachers have had the most professional and accomplished evaluations, have excellent work ethic, have put in the years of dedication into this district and why they were chosen to be let go is mindboggling…they’re almost getting tenure and they’re let go right before they’re about to get tenure. I’m confused on how that decision was made, why it was made when there could’ve been other ways to handle that.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Anderson replied, “When we talk about letting people go or being fired, only the board can give the final approval on hiring and terminating. Anyone else up to this point that has not been recommended back may not have been recommended back for several reasons…as far as specifics, I couldn’t talk about teachers specifically unless those teachers allowed me to do that…the board hasn’t terminated anyone, so no one has been fired. Under annual contract, [which] are the only teachers we are talking about, the contract is one year. When the contract ends, it ends. There is no firing, there is no letting go, there is just ‘the contract is up, we thank you for your year of service.’” Now can they be rehired, yes. Could they be, absolutely, at the discretion of the recommendation of the principal to me to this board and the board makes the final decision. But no one has been terminated at this point because that has to come to this board…All annual contract teachers receive [a letter] in this district…stating their contract ended…Based on budget considerations which we just discussed tonight [principals] can hire some people back if they need them based on class-size reduction...but they’ve just been given the go to hire back those people who they need and who they choose based on performance…the budget hasn’t been set, it’s only been discussed once with this board.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Endres clarified, “So what you’re telling me is the teachers that were let go were asked not to come back. I’m confused then because the teachers are under the impression they’ve been formally let go.” Anderson interjected, “They were not let go. Their contract expired.” She continued, “Our relationship with an annual contract employee after one year is done…We may choose to rehire them, but that will come as a recommendation from the principal to me and me to this board…annual contract can be rehired at that school, another school, or anywhere throughout the district. However, they may not be rehired at all because their contract expired and no one chooses to bring them back.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Endres said, “Well as a Bay parent, I recommend these teachers be reinstated because they’re amazing. And if there is a [financial] difference, if there is something we can work out with the PTO board to keep them there, if there is something that we can use our funds or fundraising because south Walton can raise some money. We would like to keep them. If there is something, we can let go of the librarian and that fat paycheck she gets. Get her out of there and I’ll find somebody….” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Board Chairperson Sharon Roberts stated, “The board has not terminated or told anyone to go home at this time.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Jose Perez, husband of one of the Bay teachers in reference, broke into tears, and sobbed, “Where are the checks and balances in this school district? How can the sole decision of letting go phenomenal teachers who dedicate their time and love to their profession, never are behind on a deadline. My wife works 60-hour weeks at Bay Elementary. She’s the school improvement chair…she has done everything she can for those kids and for her to be told by the principal she’s being cut because of budget? We could have taken a pay-cut rather than not having any funds. She has dedicated her life to these kids, to her classroom, to her school for four years. She has just asked to be renewed. Because she is not being renewed she no longer has tenureship. She has worked so hard for this tenureship. The school district asked the citizens of Walton County to pass the half-mill referendum to keep these teachers’ jobs. Why are you letting these teachers go? They haven’t been renewed. They were told they’re gone…these four teachers were seeking their fifth year. They were going to get their tenureship but they’ve been let go so they’re not going to get it now.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Roberts requested Perez make an appointment with the superintendent. “I am so sorry for your situation…The superintendent cannot even discuss your wife’s position with you unless your wife is with you” she said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]BES parent Andrea Miree told the board, “I too have been very upset and shocked by what we consider firing, but as you’re saying they were just not recommended to be rehired at this point. They were asked to leave and take their stuff, where there [are] other teachers on annual contracts that were not asked to do so, so that’s where we see the difference. So my question would be, how many other teachers that are on annual contract have been recommended not to be rehired, if that is a number you can give us? Especially, I’d be interested in that number, maybe, at Butler…I too am very concerned that the ESE teacher, we only have one at Bay, as far as we knew was asked to leave and was not going to be renewed. Are we planning on having ESE services at Bay...This ESE teacher is teacher of the year. I have worked with her because of my son for the last several years and I know the dedication, I know the great evaluations. It’s not a job to her. It is a calling, and it is so hard to find good ESE teachers. They burn out easily and they go into the regular classroom. It’s very hard to teach these children who all learn so differently. And with her commitment to do so, and to give me everything I need at home as a parent to try to teach my child, I could not recommend anyone more highly. I just ask to please consider rehiring her….”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“ESE students, by law and by the right thing to do, will have an ESE teacher. We have to serve [them]. Absolutely, so do not fear we will not have an ESE teacher. We will.” Anderson said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The meeting adjourned after the board scheduled several workshops. A workshop will be held at 4 p.m. on June 21 to discuss an easement at Freeport High School as well as tenure, which will no longer be offered after July 1 in light of a bill signed by Governor Rick Scott. At 5 p.m. on June 30, the year-end budget amendments meeting will be held.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A budget workshop will be held July 11 at 4 p.m. to discuss general operating funds and at 5 p.m. to discuss capital outlay funds.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The next meeting of the WCSB is June 21 at 5 p.m. at the DeFuniak Springs Tivoli Complex.[/FONT]