Saturday, January 4, 2014

Do you think you are getting paid what you are worth?

I am a teacher on the elementary level and have recently discussed this topic with some of my fellow colleagues from a number of different schools this year. What seems to be a consensus among classroom teachers is that they are spending between 10-20 additional hours weeklyperforming various work related duties with absolutely no compensation for it. Many have said these hours have been increasing over the last few years. Most have said that alarge share of the increase began last year with the implementation of the new teacher evaluation. They have also expressed that with  the pressure of a ratcheted–up evaluation and additional classroom management, including mastery objectives and all the other demands that goes along with it, this year has been unprecedented in additional over time hours spent.


   I believe that it is time now to ask the negotiating team to no longer accept a contract that continues to have percentage increase parity with the police and fire departments.  It is well known that a police officer receives overtime pay the moment the officer is required to stay beyond their shift. This is not to mention the financial benefit from minimum hourly requirements when an officerhas to attend court proceedings, no matter if the officer is only there for a minimal amount of time. Fire fighters who are required to stay beyond their shift to battle a fire will also benefit from overtime pay. Firefighters won a two day 24hr. shift as part of a negotiated contract a few years ago. This allows many firefighters the opportunity to earn additional income with a second job. So why then do we as teachers always accept percentage increases that are offeredby the city to parity with these other unions while we are not compensated for additional hours spent performing various duties related to our job?


  Keep in mind that of the three unions mentioned, we are the ones that are required to spend tens of thousands of ourown money to obtain the necessary degrees and certification for employment. Our fellow city police and fire union members need only a H.S. diploma or GED. I am not trying to disparage either of these honorable professions as I have a son who is a police officer and know too well the anxiety of waiting for his safe return home each day.


   For far too long we as teachers have not received the respect and compensation we deserve for the ever-increasing responsibilities that go hand in hand with the job we perform each and every day.


    Let us not forget the one hour compensation to elementary teachers for planning time that was negotiated, ratified and signed into contract and then callously reneged upon by Mayor Jon Mitchell.


We must stick together as a union through these difficult times to try to resolve our differences with the administration. We must also demand the respect that we deserve that has been absent for quite sometime from those who profess to understand what we do each day without ever having taught in a classroom. 


  AND….. We must convey to the administration throughupcoming contract negotiations that although we do not expect an hourly compensation for the many additional hours required to perform our job to a proficient level (they could never afford it anyway) we do expect a percentage increase that will compensate us truly in parity with the above mentioned unions.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some of you are fighting to remain employed and your asking for a raise. Whether you derserve it or not is really a question for another day. Then wonder why public sentiment can sway against teachers. I think the high school teachers are getting shafted while you have the nerve to complain about compensation. Maybe if the elementary schools in New Bedford stopped promoting kids that weren't ready for it the high school would be better off! How about helping your fellow teachers instead of complaining about compensation!

Anonymous said...

Blogger, well thought out post.

Anonymous said...

This is in response to the post who said we should not be asking for raises....please dont speak of issues you know nothing about....I am an elementary teacher who works extremely hard at educating my students....I take great pride in what I accomplish with them at the end of the year so you will understand why I take extreme offense to your statement that we promote students when we shouldnt.....elementary teachers are told to pass kids on so the retention rate stays low....again all about the data....the amount of work we are required to complete cannot be done in our workday therefore we take it home and complete it....do you do that for your job...probably not unless you are a teacher but if you are it is disappointing that you would comment like you did....teachers are tired of being the scapegoat for a problem that is not just our fault....it is a city wide issue but it is not getting addressed that way....everyone who doesnt support teachers wants to say it is our fault because the data points that way but any intelligent person knows that one can interpret data to benefit themselves....we are dealing with children not robots....children cannot be programmed to pass a test....you really think it is fair to judge someone on one test?....spending 12 years in school is thrown out the window when they dont get proficient on one test!!....thats sounds fair to you?....how about we as educators create a test for the mayor and superintendent to take once a year to monitor their performance?.....would it be fair to say if they are not proficient they should be fired and replaced?....open your eyes and really look at what the mayor, school committee, and superintendent are doing.....why do you not question the mayor when crime has increased instead of decreased?...why do you not question the school committee for misplacing almost 4 million dollars?....better yet for going through 4 superintendents before settling on this one?....why dont you question the superintendent when she hires more of her people in administration and her own boston lawyer to protect herself?....some of these issues are public but yet not questioned and yet you question our desire to be paid for the work we perform?....hmmmm....interesting!!!

Anonymous said...

Dissension among the ranks is incredibly counterproductive ...try to remember we are one union not a division of north (NBHS) and south (elementary and middle schools) ... Think collectively instead of secularly. It is far more productive!

Anonymous said...

We should all be concerned about the lack of raises as it directly correlates to mismanagement of funds, lining the pockets of top-level administrators, and the assumption that despite a contractual stalemate, we will remain passive and submissive.

Anonymous said...

We should all be concerned about the lack of raises as it directly correlates to mismanagement of funds, lining the pockets of top-level administrators, and the assumption that despite a contractual stalemate, we will remain passive and submissive.

Anonymous said...

1st I never said you shouldn't ask for a raise. I said that whether you deserve it or not was a question for another day just not now considering what's happening to your colleagues at the high school.

2nd I referred to elementary schools promoting students who weren't ready not elementary teachers promoting students.

3rd I guess only teachers bring their work home because me being a local small business owner has doctors hours only. I guarantee I work more hours than you seven days a week . Please don't assume.

4th MCAS is ridiculous. I know many super successful people without diplomas of any type and there is now way a test could or should determine someone's self worth.

5th. This isn't a crime blog. Its the educators blog. I've been extremely critical of the school committee and the current and previous mayor regarding school issues. Most of the missing money was already spent before Mitchell was mayor and his dream team of Haskell and Gurek had no clue it was even gone.

6th. What do you want her to do hire locals who will at first chance throw her under the bus. How did that work out for Portia Bonner.

Lastly, I never ever questioned your desire to be paid for the work you do. Unfortunately perception is reality and you come across as a greedy out of touch with the private sector government employee. This Union has no chance to help the high school teachers if this attitude continues. Your contract and compensation is a battle for another day.

Anonymous said...

They stole from ALL of us, so the concern is relevant and valid! Our money is recycled back into our classrooms and used to feed our families. As inflation rises, our rate of pay does not. This substantiates, once again, how little we are valued.

Anonymous said...

In response to the commenter who said that we at the elementary schools should not keep passing students who are not ready, I agree, but then here is what we fight against. We are told that is they have been retained, we cannot retain them a second time. Also, if we say they need special ed services, then we are told nope, that is the teacher's faults. So what do you suggest we do? We need to WORK TOGETHER AS A UNION of teachers if we are going to get what we deserve, and not go at each other at the different levels. We are ALL teachers of NBPS and we ALL work hard for our students. Let's work together to get the RESPECT we deserve as well! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I can’t understand how this is being made into elementary vs. secondary. The blogger uses the elementary level for examples because that is the level in which the blogger has had discussions with colleagues. In effect, it should actually help to resolve any divisive issues as any percentage raise would be the same across the board. We tried in the last contract to compensate elementary teachers for their planning time and how did that work out? The administration knew that involved only a fraction of the teachers in the city and that’s why they knew they could get away with reneging on it. This would include everyone.

Anonymous said...

Some of the NBHS teachers posting appear to be self-absorbed. They are not the only ones facing challenges. When additional concerns are raised, they shut them down. Stop turning on each other or it will be your demise.

Anonymous said...

Shafted? What a condescending tone. It's more like coming full circle by weeding out the dead weight and liabilities.

Anonymous said...

Still on the topic of passing students on who should instead be retained, at the elementary level.... over the years I have retained students in June only to be told by the principal that he didn't approve, therefore the student moves on in June, or have it approved in June only to come back in September and learn that the student was passed on to the next grade. People don't realize that although 100% of the responsibility is put on our backs, we have no influence on decisions made.
It is my understanding that this is a forum for all teachers with all types of concerns, not only for NBHS. Yes, we are all in support of our colleagues but let's not put down someone's genuine concern because we're hyper-focused on one issue.
With that said, my NBHS colleagues have my full support!
On another issue: I wish this forum was closed to people outside our profession. They come in with their skewed views and only add negativity to our conversations. We don't know who they are and what their purpose is. For me, it lowers the conversation and my interest in being part of it. I want to have a dialogue with colleagues, who may or may not agree with me, but who understand where I'm coming from, what my intentions are and my desires and goals for my profession and for my students. Please Lou, close this forum to outsiders!

Anonymous said...

I agree and the former post about bumping was very aggressive and callous.

Anonymous said...

Im going to reply to the blogger who owns a small business and is not in education.....you said not to assume when it came to how many hours you work then I ask the same when it comes to what we, as educators, of all levels, do on a daily basis for our students. I support our high school teachers 150%.....their job, my job is not something anyone should take lightly.....as far as Durking hiring her own people for her protection.....not necessary and money not used appropriately...we have a high school that does not have the up to date technology for these kids to succeed and if she was vested in our city and schools she wouldnt be worried about needing protection from anyone...especially not a lawyer being paid 250.00 an hour for her....where is the protection for the students because thats what this is about in the end....we are fighting for the students to get what they rightly deserve....yeah we do complain about hours and money but in the end we all are still here teaching and educating the youth of the new bedford with not a lot of help from the community.....everyone is so eagee to jump on the bandwagon for durkin but many teachers have been here for many years and yet we are not getting the support from our community that we need....if you support teachers then keep blogging, write into the newspaper, show support at rallys.....if you dont support us then keep doing what school committee and mayor are doing...nothing

Anonymous said...

Elephant Economics 101:

Only a small percentage of people are paid for what they are actually earning. This isn't a general statement about everyone being underpaid. It's simply an admission that it's almost impossible to accurately calculate what you're actually earning.

If you are running a sole proprietorship, obviously you are being paid exactly what you're earning. If you work for a piece rate or on commission, then it's also easy to equate your efforts with your earnings.

But if you are paid a monthly salary or an hourly wage it's almost impossible to calculate what you're earning. Most of the time you are paid according to how many people are standing outside the door waiting to take your job, a condition that is unrelated to what you're actually producing.

Pia Durkin is planning to replace half of you with a bunch of people who are standing outside the door and willing to take, but not necessarily do your job for less money than you are currently being paid. This kind of plan looks good on paper, but then Operation Market Garden looked pretty good on paper too.

Good luck people. And stay out of the hot sun.

Anonymous said...

TO ALL EDUCATORS:

STAY FOCUSED

STAY UNITED

STAY STRONG

STAND UNITED AND STRONG

Anonymous said...

To my colleague who would ask Lou not to allow outsiders to participate in this blog, I respectfully disagree. You want the public, politicians and the administration to read and hopefully try to understand what is going on here. This is your forum to explain and describe exactly what you do everyday, to many who have no clue. Some will call us complainers but others will see the passion and hopefully become more respectful of teachers. We can learn from what “outsiders” write to help us try to change their perception of our profession. It is a benefit to us because the powers–that-be are witnessing something they have not seen from this union in a long time. We are coming together as one united body to defend our honorable reputation. There is nothing nobler than that. So let everyone interested read and contribute if they so desire.

Anonymous said...

For a while, I sat back and thought about this entry. As the wife of a 30 year police veteran and union official, I will tell you that their compensatory package has been fought for, long and hard. NO, they do not receive compensation for everything they purchase. They receive a uniform allowance. YES they receive an educational incentive, which was recently removed, then partially restored. The Police work 4 days on;2 days off. During their off hours, they are required by law to attend court proceedings, and receive hourly compensation for being there. City and private details are assigned by rotation, and are paid at the detail rate, whatever that might be now. The Firefighters work 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, then 5 days off. Many have other jobs and businesses during the five days. Teachers work 40 weeks per year and are off every major holiday, including prime summer weeks. HOWEVER, never truly 'off'. They are minimally compensated, if at all, for after school professional development courses, mentoring, and have yet to be compensated for all of the 'other' stuff they do. The hours of correction and planning are not compensated, the trips to retailers for school supplies are not compensated, the supplies are not compensated, and who in their right mind can survive on one case of copy paper for 30 students, for the year ??? Add to the tag, endless hours at Office Max or Staples at 9 cents per page when the copiers in your buildings happen to 'die'. Our brothers and sisters in various city departments have their own horrors to tell. Of cruisers that leak exhaust fumes, brakes that fail, cars that don't have heat, fire trucks...huge, expensive fire trucks, rushing to ambulance calls ? Couldn't they fund a pick up truck or a jeep instead of ruining their diesel equipment ? Seriously, let's talk cost. So..who's to say ? Do you really want a City that 'level raises' and classifies all of it's employees regardless of title into one bargaining unit? NO you do not. Let's face it, in years prior to 'School Reform', when Principals were TOLD how to run their buildings, and we ALL had the SAME equipment and the same services, arts, etc., we were much better off. We need our City unions to support each other, we need our teachers to focus as ONE body. NOT a specific level or school. It's not my house...it's OUR house, and they are OUR kids. And yes, I AM a teacher. Stay focused.

Anonymous said...

Like many others I have been involved one way or another in owning or working for an enterprise, and working as a school teacher. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The market compensates as only the market will. Those are the facts.

Unfortunately the teacher's product is considered by (some of) the public to be his or her students. Depending on timing and a myriad of other intangibles, results can be skewed positively or negatively. We are after all talking about human capital.

A teacher or administrator may never know their impact on a student. We are not producing rubber gaskets or O'rings that you can feel or touch or put to a stress / environmental test, or for that matter an important function for a higher level product. I respect those that run a business.

The state of New York was so certain that a superintendent credentials include business qualities that they hired a business person with little to no educational experience. Wrong, she was gone before you knew it.

Early adopters of education reform were convinced that swapping out good teachers for bad ones were one of the biggest indicators of student's success. Wrong. Fifteen years later those early adopters believe that swapping teachers out works in about 10 percent of the time. Maybe look for the 10 percent, and not the 50. Just a thought.

KIPP and OneGoal have all seen successes and failures with varied programs, but they all believe that it all starts at home with solid upbringing and certain character traits important to life, not just school.

Before we swap out teachers lets make sure it is understood that the effort is commensurable with realistic results.

Share the plan.


Anonymous said...

I will first start by saying that I am NOT a New Bedford police officer. However, I am a police officer.

The teachers in New Bedford will never gain public support by attacking other unions. Your comments regarding police and fire employees are not going to help your cause.

Most non civil service police departments will not consider a candidate that does not possess at least a Bachelors Degree. In my department, 90% of the police officers have a Bachelors Degree and above. I have earned a Bachelors Degree, two Masters Degrees and a Juris Doctorate in Law. I have yet to meet a teacher with my credentials. Not to mention all of the in service training and certifications we are required to maintain by state law.

I have over $100,000 in student loans I'm paying back. Don't feel sorry for teachers who have to pay for their college education.

As for criticizing the fire department for their work schedule, teachers get nights, weekends, holidays, school vacation, summer vacation, snow days and hurricane days off. Police and fire work nights, weekends, holidays, blizzards, hurricanes, etc. We are a 24/7 operation. We leave our families each day and night, not knowing if we may come home safe.

I know many teachers that have a second job which they work during the summer vacation. Don't disparage the police and fire for doing the same to support their families

I was a big supporter of the teachers but attacking other unions is not the way to go. Portraying police and fire as over payed uneducated civil servants is inaccurate and does not garner support for your cause.

Anonymous said...

It's time for a strike. Nothing we post here matters to those that control our future. Strike or leave NBPS.

Anonymous said...

This is what happens when a city is poorly run. All the departments start turning on eachother. For the overqualified cop, let me remind you that our schools have become dangerous places and many students and teachers have not come home. You chose a field where that is the risk. I can truthfully report that I teach in fear this year...not just from job loss-but from life loss. This is wrong. It needs to be corrected. Our teachers need protection from the toxic conditions we have been working in. These conditions have dramatically become worse this year.

Anonymous said...

To the police officer with the advanced degrees, the blogger clearly stated that he did not write the post to disparage police or fire departments. Although police and fire personnel can aspire and are encouraged to advance their education, college degrees are not a REQUIREMENT for employment. The essence of the post was to point out the increase of overtime hours that classroom teachers are now spending compared to years in the past, averaging now anywhere from 10- 20 hrs. per week. That it is inconceivable that the administration could possibly track and therefore pay a teacher for these additional hours working, many of which are spent at home and that the alternative could be for the NBEA not to accept the same percentage increases that have been routinely offered to all three unions in past negotiations.

Anonymous said...

In New Bedford police and fire are civil service positions.
As for you did you really need those degrees to do your job? I think you should become a teacher.@ the high school maybe you could straighten that mess out.
Everyone works their hours we are the only ones not compensated for our extra hours that we put in for our work.
In fact you should apply for principal of NBHS.....

Anonymous said...

To the police officer who posted, you clearly jumped to conclusions about the original post. The original poster was clear in their intent not to detract from the hard work and risk of police and fire fighters but instead to describe the lack of compensation teachers receive for additional hours spent working which has greatly increased in the last several years.

It had nothing to do with having holidays off or an unpaid summer vacation. And as an FYI, most of my colleagues spent New Year's Day writing lesson plans so please don't insult us by assuming that teachers do not work on holidays.

Additionally, I know plenty of teachers with multiple masters degrees, certificates of advanced graduate study, and even doctorates. Some, like yourself, even have law degrees.

Teachers are required to earn masters degrees within 5 years to retain licensure. They do this by adding to their student loan debt and are offered - at best - a $600 stipdend per year for their course load of, typically, 4-5 classes each totaling over $1200 not including strident fees. Teachers are also required to earn professional development points, which often come at an additional, personal cost.

Please do not make assumptions about the educational attainment of teachers based on your limited perspective. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Police officers and firemen deserve and have my full respect. You put your lives on the line for the community everyday, every night. Thank you for that! I am also a teacher. I get home around 5:00 from school each day, cook dinner for my family and I am back at the table 2-3 hours each night planning lessons, correcting papers for my 35 + students. Each weekend ,vacation, snow day is also time for me to plan for my students. I spend not hundreds, but at least a thousand on my kids and the classroom out of my pay. I also owe a huge amount for my master's degree. I don't expect help, I wasn't brought up to feel entitled. What I am saying, we are all in this together.