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momofmany

Beach Comber
Sep 21, 2012
30
0
Pay raises amount to nothing when a good teacher loses their job. Ask one of the former teachers who was not "laid off" but simply had their contract non renewed. That's the nice term for being 'laid off' or fired. And there are plenty of experienced teachers who have applied for employment and re-employment who have experience as well as graduate degrees who have excellent student achievement records. The school district simply won't consider employing the better teachers because they don't have the funds to pay them although some would be willing to work for lower salaries. They can afford to employ administrative personnel from down south (Palm Beach county).

Every teacher hired now is on annual contract so they are not fired or laid off at the end of their contract. That is a STATE law, not county. And please define a BETTER teacher...I can honestly say that while in elementary school in this county my children have not had a BAD teacher. The issues you are so distraught about have little to do with this county and more to do with the state. If we don't support our schools and teachers change will never happen. Consider what part you can do to help make a difference.
 

j p nettles

Banned
Jul 1, 2012
380
63
76
Ebro
Every teacher hired now is on annual contract so they are not fired or laid off at the end of their contract. That is a STATE law, not county. And please define a BETTER teacher...I can honestly say that while in elementary school in this county my children have not had a BAD teacher. The issues you are so distraught about have little to do with this county and more to do with the state. If we don't support our schools and teachers change will never happen. Consider what part you can do to help make a difference.

Distraught? I don't think so. Outraged would be a better discription. A good teacher is a teacher who helps a child learn. There are bad teachers and good teachers. Experience counts for a lot. The best doctors are experienced doctors. And I don't want a guy sitting in the left front seat of that Southwest Boeing 737 who's a person fresh out of Flight Safety with relatively little flying time. And contacting the DOE, and other state agencies is like spitting into the wind. I can show you the e-mails confirming that fact. And the state claims to want to reward good teachers with good records of student achievement. Instead, it's the policy of the Walton county School district to inform a teacher that they are not being rehired on the very last day of school and told "We don't give a reason because the law doesn't require it". If a person lays off a good employee they should have guts enough to give a reason. Our school district administrators are gutless wonders.
 

meggiemom

Beach Lover
Jun 24, 2012
222
22
Walton
One of my teacher friends informed me that if a teacher with tenure is terminated the state ethics law requires that the teacher be given a reason. Such is not the case with teachers who don't have tenure. School districts are allowed by law to nonrenew any teacher with no requirement for just cause. That tells me that the state's ethics laws need to be revised, since tenure is no more. My friend also told me that when the legislature was considering SB 6 and other education bills she was bombarded with e-mails from Senator Gaetz on her school district e-mail. Sen. Gaetz is a contributor of Mrs. Anderson's campaign. I'd like to be able to tell Carlene Anderson that her contract is being non renewed.
 

momofmany

Beach Comber
Sep 21, 2012
30
0
Distraught? I don't think so. Outraged would be a better discription. A good teacher is a teacher who helps a child learn. There are bad teachers and good teachers. Experience counts for a lot. The best doctors are experienced doctors. And I don't want a guy sitting in the left front seat of that Southwest Boeing 737 who's a person fresh out of Flight Safety with relatively little flying time. And contacting the DOE, and other state agencies is like spitting into the wind. I can show you the e-mails confirming that fact. And the state claims to want to reward good teachers with good records of student achievement. Instead, it's the policy of the Walton county School district to inform a teacher that they are not being rehired on the very last day of school and told "We don't give a reason because the law doesn't require it". If a person lays off a good employee they should have guts enough to give a reason. Our school district administrators are gutless wonders.


You said " A good teacher is a teacher who helps a child learn." I am not saying that experience and education are not huge factors here, but I am saying that motivation and dedication should be considered as well. Just because a teacher doesn't have as much experience as the next does not mean that they are not helping children learn. There are teachers who have years of experience who are NOT helping children learn. I would suppose that is why the state felt it was necessary to pass senate bill 736. Perhaps too many experienced teachers had job security and became unmotivated. Like I said....it is the STATE and NOT our county. Here are two links where you can familiarize yourself with how this senate bill affect teachers in our state. Teachers are not being laid off...schools are just following the state law. I urge you take your energy and turn it into something positive instead of name calling and down rating our community.

http://feaweb.org/senate-bill-736-how-will-it-affect-me. http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2011/04/teachers-and-famlies-stay-away-from.html
 

momofmany

Beach Comber
Sep 21, 2012
30
0
Another poster suggested that the system by which schools are rated is flawed. That is an understatement. FCAT isn't the gold standard. Somebody has lost sight of the fact that the ultimate goal is to prepare students for college and meaningful careers. The first step is to teach children to read. But the best teachers in grades 1 through 3 aren't the best available and this is reflected in the experience level and education of Walton's teachers. If children have average teachers in the early grades they aren't going to perform as well in the upper grades. My son graduated from South Walton High in 2010 and did very well and earned a Bright Futures scholarship. He had some problems in elementary school but fortunately his mother was an experienced elementary teacher so she saw to it that he learned. Speaking of Butler Elementary, her one interview out of more than 50 applications was at Butler. The day after the interview she was notified that a 'better' candidate was hired. Wow, that teacher must have been something. My wife has a masters degree, 32 years experience and outstanding student performance. 4 of those years was in Walton schools. She's also over 50. The truth is that the quality of education in Walton County is falling because teacher quality is beginning to lag for cost considerations. That's a fact.

Your theory is rather interesting....I would think of it more as an opinion. I know my children had the best 1-3 teachers in this district. Teachers who were/are motivated and truly care about the learning outcomes of all students. Teachers who went ABOVE and BEYOND the call of duty. You should not post your negative experiences as FACT.
 

j p nettles

Banned
Jul 1, 2012
380
63
76
Ebro
It seems to me that if a parent has kids in Walton Schools and has said that they've never had a bad teacher, then such a statement begs the question, why are so many teachers in Walton County terminated? From the numbers I've seen there's been no need for a reduction in instructional personnel.
 

momofmany

Beach Comber
Sep 21, 2012
30
0
It seems to me that if a parent has kids in Walton Schools and has said that they've never had a bad teacher, then such a statement begs the question, why are so many teachers in Walton County terminated? From the numbers I've seen there's been no need for a reduction in instructional personnel.

Perhaps the ones terminated were for just cause and I was just blessed with the BEST!
 

Teresa

SoWal Guide
Staff member
Nov 15, 2004
30,249
9,279
South Walton, FL
sowal.com
If you have read threads here on SoWal and been involved in school board meetings the last year or two - then you know that several excellent, highly qualified teachers were let go at the end of school year with no reason (last year). These teachers were experienced and effective according to parents. Perhaps they were costing too much. Regardless of local or state law - it is the wrong kind of policy to use if you want to deliver quality education. It is proven that teacher effectiveness comes with experience and that effectiveness is more important than class size or any other factor.
 
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momofmany

Beach Comber
Sep 21, 2012
30
0
If you have read threads here on SoWal and been involved in school board meetings the last year or two - then you know that several excellent, highly qualified teachers were let go at the end of school year with no reason (last year). These teachers were experienced and effective according to parents. Perhaps they were costing too much. Regardless of local or state law - it is the wrong kind of policy to use if you want to deliver quality education. It is proven that teacher effectiveness comes with experience and that effectiveness is more important than class size or any other factor.

So you are saying that an experienced teacher would be effective in an overcrowded classroom with little support from parents and their community (as displayed in this forum)....please show me ONE teacher who would/could be effective teaching the state requirements with too many students and not enough resources and THEN I might possibly believe your statement....until then I'm going to stick to what I know.
....and you based their effectiveness on the words of parents....I am a parent and I know that I have high expectations of what I want for my children. However, it is not for me to decide. I am not observing the teachers work ethics, data from student growth, or daily duties and expectations of the workplace. That is what we have administrators for. It is their job to supervise the teachers not all the parents who have nothing better to do than complain about what teachers do or don't do. I can assure you new teachers on an annual contract are not costing too much....beginning salary starts right about poverty level. There had to be just cause. schools want good teachers no matter the cost. I still stand on the idea that if we want change we have to be willing to put aside the negative and work toward positive....thus supporting teachers, schools, and our community. Just my thoughts.
 
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