It is past time KENTUCKY SCHOOL BOARD participants approve and publish fairness plans for school systems in the Modern World, and define clearly the roles of central school authority and teacher. Such a document should have an enormous impact on the public's understanding of the role of both parties in educating public's young.
Many tensions have developed. I am experiencing it right now. iN 2006 harrodsburg independent school system merger with mercer county school system. mercer went from a student population of estimated 1200 to 3400. the school board continues to try and operate this small city as it did when it began in 1956 from merging all the local county schools. I graduated from mercer county school system in 1957. what i’m seeing today is school system becoming larger diminishing quality of education. this is not a time for this kind of scnerio to take place.
The most obvious tension between is between central authority and teachers. It has evolved to Where the education of the children IS suffering. It is the role of any school board to examine the Superintendents role and their Staffing to the teacher's role. The area is attitudes!
Some school administrators have supposedly been willing to empower teachers to use their skills and experience to teach while fear has driven other school administrators to choose a kind of "pastoral prudence" encumbering a teachers' freedom to teach! Teachers have become slaves to the bureaucracy. They're teaching skills have become Victims of a layered bureaucracy of apathetic skills and temperament!
However, perhaps THE GREATEST STRUGGLE RESULTING FROM EXAMINING the school administrators dominance over teachers in school environment is school board's centered on so called "sacred traditions," such as greed masquerading as care for seeing student graduates excelling in the workplace!
Instead of teaching they're hierarchical and preach to govern school system.
Teacher involvement has not been amainstream renewal.
Teacher involvement either IS achieved ONLY by those individuals willing to take on the bureaucracy at the risk of outright indignation from school authorities not wanting to be questioned or through SOME movements OUTSIDE the regular channels of authority. What's left are teachers restricted to a committed minority within the bureaucracy just trying to make it through till retirement. Students' lose!
The position of the vast majority of teachers has remained unchanged, and they want it that way. Why? Because some simply want to be left alone; they do not want to assume any active leadership role. Many others have been alienated by post crises such as those dealing with school bureaucracy where conflict and polarization regarding the use of authority have arisen at all levels.
Others have been alienated by crises centered on particular school behaviors; i.e., the lack of equality between school administrators and teachers when it comes to input into legislative and legislative matters. Look at the pay differences between school administrators and teachers!
Teachers and principals are on the front lines, but their salaries and budgetary needs do not reflect such. Still others have been alienated by crises centering on K.E.R.A., where different interpretations either provoke division or at least maintain it. For still others, a general lack of education and a lack of understanding of the need for change have led to a sense of insecurity that has entrenched them. Many teacher or principals today never actually says what they think of current efforts to enhance the teacher or principal in carrying out teaching challenges; they simply protest with their feet and leave the School system.
Others remain within established structures but find nourishment for their yearning to teach and watch their students learn elsewhere in spontaneous environments involving sharing of their negative teaching experiences and counseling from more experienced teachers who still have the gleam in their eyes!. Outbreaks of enthusiasm are always signs of a crisis n education misunderstanding between teachers and school authorities.
Other teachers appear to remain in the school system but actually live differently and think differently from what is presumed:
They live in a hierarchical organization but would prefer a democratic style of government; they do not discuss K.E.R.A.
but see little value or purpose in it; they attend prescribed meetings but find little educational sustenance there; they are totally uninterested and uninfluenced by many educational decisions.
Some experts suggest teachers today in suburban schools teachers in their daily lives and convictions neither accept nor live any of the current understandings of the education envisioned by their school administrators.
In fact, the Teacher's priorities and convictions imply they see differently from the way school administrative authority do. The two groups live in the school system with understandings that are either parallel or diverging, but certainly these understandings do not and most likely will not meet.
As part of tax dollar expenditures efficiency they must be placed where maximum learning for children affected in a positive manner.
Superintendents’ role becomes political/budgetary including Principal as a partner., equal in rank and pay and teachers’ salaries ought to be based on a pay-for-performance criteria rather than seniority, with top teacher salaries a couple grades lower than Principal. With this comes fully funded evaluation of teachers by principals similar to past state employee WPPR legislation.
Amend KRS 160.345 to specify the personnel procedures to be used in the selection of school personnel; specify modifications in the procedures when the vacancy is a principal in a school failing to meet its biennial accountability goal and the school is required to complete a scholastic audit; make technical corrections.
This is overdue Legislation. Amount of tax dollars being spent on personnel in education is unchecked & skyrocketing. Time is here to consider making Principal one-of-the-highest-paid in the county simultaneously eliminating superintendent position.
Just look at my sampling of school administration personnel costs in the 23 school districts below:
03-04 avg teacher salaries by state:
state Annual monthly
Kentucky $39,831 3319.25
Arkansas $39,226
W.va. $38,496
Tenn $40,318
Florida $40,598
S.car $41,162
N.car $43,211
Va. $43,936
Ga. $45,848 3820.66
Estill Co has 1950 students and 153 teachers, 5 principals which is a 13:1 ration of students to teacher paying Superintendent an annual salary of $71,666 compared to HUD's median county income of $39,300, or $19 dollar p/hour.
Bell Co has 3017 students and 227 teachers, 8 principals which is a 13:1 student/teacher ratio paying $71,666 salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,300 or $19 dollar p/hour.
Clinton Co has 1557 students, 93 teachers, 3 principals which is a 17:1 student/teacher ratio paying $85,999 salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,300 or $19 dollar p/hour.
Martin Co has 2365 students, 174 teachers, 6 principals and 1 head state director which is a 14:1 student/teacher ratio paying $88,000 salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,300 or $19 dollar p/hour.
Grayson Co has 4169 students, 272 teachers, 7 principals and a 15:1 student/teacher ratio paying $99,968 salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,700 or $19 dollar p/hour.
Fleming Co has 2537 students, 165 teachers, 6 principals and a 15:1 student/teacher ratio paying $100,001 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,900 or $19 dollar p/hour.
Adair Co has 2707 students, 203 teachers, 6 principals and a 13:1 student/teacher ratio paying $101,116 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,900 or $19 dollar p/hour.
Floyd Co has 4395 students, 342 teachers, 19 principals and a 13:1 student/teacher ratio paying $114,784 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,300 or $19 dollar p/hour.
Boone Co has 18638 students, 837 teachers, 20 principals and a 22:1 student/teacher ratio paying $138,601 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $64,600, or estimated $33 dollars p/hour.
Daviess Co has 10989 students, 693 teachers, 19 principals and two head teachers with a 16:1 student/teacher ratio paying $138,600 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $52,700, or $27 dollars p/hour.
Oldham Co has 11253 students, 717 teachers, 19 principals and a 16:1 student/teacher ratio paying $137,500 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $58,900 or $27 dollars p/hour
Anchorage Independent has 415 students, 43 teachers, 1 principal and a 10:1 student/teacher ratio paying $135,981 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $58,900 or $27 dollars p/hour
Mercer Co has 3400 students, 198 teachers, 8 principals and a 16:1 student/teacher ratio paying $155,000 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $46,000 and median teacher salary estl.$39,831
Anderson Co has 4093 students, 232 teachers, 6 principals and a 18:1 student/teacher ratio paying $125,000 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $60,800 or $27 dollars p/hour
Clay Co has 2738 students, 292 teachers, 14 principals and a 9:1 student/teacher ratio paying $91,944 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $39,900 or $27 dollars p/hour
Boyd Co has 3539 students, 288 teachers, 8 principals + 1 asst principal and 2 directors with a 12:1 student/teacher ratio paying $90,000 annual salary to Superintendent in a county where HUD's median county income is $46,100 or $24 dollars p/hr.
No Child left behind intention is now working in Kentucky and appears time has come for "pay of teachers and other state employees" be based on pay-for-performance. Teachers must be quality people and money does attract but so does disciplined transparency! everyone must be treated as fairly as can be.
Time is past due for school board transparency so efficiency can be learned by taxpayers to make sure student learning is number one priority of school system!
Sincerely,
Bill Huff
319 Dixie Manor Ct
Harrodsburg, Ky. 40330-1923
859.734.2228 dash@copper.net
