Grand Rapids EA to challenge plan to force high school teachers to reapply for their jobs
Grand Rapids teachers were blocked from attending Superintendent Bernard Taylor’s “state of our schools” address on Saturday where they hoped to learn more about a restructuring plan that would make high school teachers reapply for their jobs.
Between 400 and 500 teachers, forced to stand in a lobby outside a gym at Union High School where the speech was made, had trouble hearing Taylor’s comments.
Among those locked out was Grand Rapids EA President Paul Helder.
“I reserved 1,000 seats for our teachers and learned Friday that we weren’t going to be allowed in,” he said. “This is the wrong message to send to us.”
Union High School has two gyms. The superintendent’s speech was made in the smaller gym before more than 600 community leaders, parents, administrators and some teachers. A larger gym with three times the capacity sat empty.
Taylor’s reorganization plan drew sharp rebukes from Helder and Grand Rapids UniServ directors Buz Graeber and Rick Schultz.
The plan would give more power to principals and make high school teachers reapply for their jobs. Four of Grand Rapids’ six high schools have failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress, the federal achievement goals under the No Child Left Behind Act.
“Making teachers reapply for their jobs—this isn’t like the NBA draft where principals can pick and choose teachers and trample on their seniority rights,” Helder said. “All of our teachers are certified and highly qualified to teach in their current positions.”
Graeber said the 1,700-member Grand Rapids EA will challenge any attempts that force teachers to reapply for jobs and override their seniority rights.
“How can he say teachers aren’t doing their jobs when they are highly qualified under federal standards and certified as well?” Graeber said.
Taylor, who was superintendent of Kansas City public schools before coming to Grand Rapids, claims the teacher contract negotiated in 2006 allows him to place teachers with specialized training in particular buildings.
Graeber called that a loose interpretation, expanded well beyond the intent of the transfer and vacancy provision in the new contract. “This guy thinks he can do anything he wants,” the Uniserv director said.
With the Grand Rapids EA negotiating a new contract this year, the primary concern for teachers is providing a safe learning environment for students and staff, Graeber said.
“Students need a safe place to learn, and teachers need a safe place to teach,” Graeber said.
Using the Freedom of Information Act, the Grand Rapids EA recently obtained 26,000 pages of reports detailing incidents in district schools from the start of the 2006 school year to November 2007.
“This year alone we’ve had 11 assaults on our teachers, yet the superintendent says our schools are safe,” Graeber said.
One female teacher was brutally assaulted in October and hasn’t returned to work. She now uses a walker, Graeber said. Another teacher was knocked to the ground and run over by students rushing to see two students fighting.
“The best thing this superintendent can do is give everyone a safe place to learn and teach, rather than make teachers reapply for their jobs,” Graeber said. “If he wants to reorganize, then he can move principals around. He has other options rather than moving teachers.”