The Daily News
The Daily News
Erika Watson has been teaching for 20 years.
On Tuesday night, she attended the Onslow County Board of Education meeting to hear what would happen to her tenure. She, along with every other teacher in the state who has tenure, eventually will be losing that job security.
The board approved in a 5-1 vote with Brock Ridge dissenting a plan that would offer a four-year contract to the top 25 percent of teachers who are proficient and have three recent consecutive years with the system.
Of the 1,817 total licensed teachers and support staff, 1,095 have been with the system for three years. Of those, 1,070 were deemed proficient on their most recent evaluation. It is estimated that only 270, or 25 percent, of those would be offered a four-year contract with the system, according to information presented to the board.
Recently passed state legislation prohibits local boards from granting tenure to teachers who had not earned it as of Aug. 1, 2013. Teachers who did have tenure by that date would lose their status on June 30, 2018, whether or not they accept a four-year contract. If they accept a four-year contract before then, a teachers’ tenure is automatically canceled, according to information presented to the board.
Teachers who accept the deal would have $500 added to their salary during the first year with another $500 added for each of the next three years, according to Associate Superintendent Barry Collins.
It is not yet clear if the money would stay after that time period, he said.
Watson, a fourth grade teacher at Northwoods Elementary Year Round Magnet School of Technology said she was concerned about the definition of a teacher in the new 25 percent plan. Her concern, she said, is that not all positions being labeled a teacher put in the same amount of time and work as a classroom teacher.
According to information previously presented to the board, classroom teachers, guidance cousnelors, school psychologists, media specialists, coaches and facilitators are included in the definition.
Watson said she is concerned that including media specialists and guidance counselors in the definition will affect the number of classroom teachers who are offered contracts.
Diane Kulbis, a first grade teacher at Northwoods Elementary, sat with Watson during the meeting. The 16-year teacher said that comparing teachers, guidance counselors and media specialists is like “comparing apples and oranges” because the evaluations are different.
Kulbis said she’s also concerned that once teachers are offered a contract and give up their tenure, they won’t see money after the initial pay increase for four years.
“I don’t trust the state one bit. They’ve been doing us dirty for a long time,” she said, explaining that the state has regularly taken money from education.
According to Watson, the new plan will foster competition rather than collaboration among teachers. Kulbis agreed, stating that teachers may stop sharing their best practices.
If offered the contracts, both women were not sure what they would do.
“I don’t think I’m above my peers … and I don’t want to be labeled,” Kulbis said. “For me, it’s loyalty to my peers.”
According to Kulbis, the money that came with the contract would end up going back into her classroom for snacks, books, glue sticks, tissue and more.
Watson was also not sure what she would do since her tenure would be good until 2018 and she hopes the state will “straighten it out” by then.
Ridge told those in attendance that staff did the best they could with the legislation.
“It’s not a fair program for the teachers anywhere in Onslow County,” he said.
Board of Education member Paul Wiggins said that he’s sure he does things that the public doesn’t like same as officials in Raleigh do things he doesn’t like – including passing this legislation that affects teachers who have put many years into education.
“It is my opinion that those folks should’ve been grandfathered in and I feel strongly about that,” he said.
After June 30, 2014, no contracts will be offered until the 2018-19 school year.
At the end of each four-year contract, teachers would be offered a one-year, two-year or four-year contract.
Names to receive a contract are set to be approved in May while contracts will be approved in June.