Replacing staff is not the panacea for solving systemic problems ... by Kathleen A. Bruno

Before the city lays off 50 percent of the teachers at New Bedford High School, it's important to understand the ramifications of doing so.

The current plan will likely replace teachers with recruits from Teach for America, or TFA, whose objective is to assist underperforming schools with significant teacher shortages. NBPS does not have a teacher shortage though; 91 percent of its core academic classes are taught by highly qualified teachers with advanced degrees. Conversely, TFA recruits are recent college graduates trained for approximately four or five weeks versus three to five years of coursework required for provisionally licensed educators. Additionally, TFA teachers have neither behavior management training nor experience with diverse multi-cultural populations or English Language Learners, who represent a significant portion of the NBPS population.

NBPS doesn't have a paucity of competent teachers; it's financially strapped. While the TFA program brings grant money, that temporary influx of cash is a short-term solution to a long-term problem. A review of TFA conducted by the University of Texas and California State University found that "students of novice TFA teachers perform significantly less well in reading and mathematics than those of credentialed beginning teachers." Additionally, "the high turnover of TFA teachers is costly" unless the system is prepared and has budgeted for "constant attrition and associated costs of ongoing recruitment and training."

Instead of outsourcing the education of our children to transient and inexperienced teachers, our efforts focus on securing alternate funding sources at the local, state and federal levels. In addition to pursuing grants, NBPS must set realistic benchmarks and timelines within the framework of an inclusive assessment process that lets teachers use their knowledge and experience to assist in developing the goals by which they are measured. Information collected systematically and consistently will ensure the data being used in decision making is both impartial and reliable.

Replacing staff is not the panacea for solving systemic problems. What it will do is increase New Bedford's escalating unemployment rate, fuel the turmoil in an already fragile school system, cause anxiety for the remaining educators and confuse and frustrate students.

Before we open our classrooms to minimally trained and untested teachers who have no long-term investment in our community, we should explore and exhaust options for outside funding, so that we can give qualified, committed educators the tools they need to do their jobs. An investment in our schools is a critical step in investing in New Bedford's future.