The proposed school schedule in the UFT contract serves mainly as a protection from obvious consequences of not having limits in place: abuse from the administration that comes in demands and expectations that are simply hard to sustain as a worker. In small experimental schools where flagrant acronyms are created for the simplest of things, the UFT contracted school schedule is scoffed at as being "traditional", therefore the structure is looked upon as a part of the problem with the education system. For those of us that are suspicious of the education reform movement agenda, we are aware that the traditional schedule is not what is keeping young students from success. Instead, the tinkering with the contracted school schedule has become another venue for which abusive principals can not only maximize teacher output but is a way for them to get rid of teachers. It has become clear that the UFT contracted school schedule is not just a tool to fairly manage the time people spend at work, which is how many of us understand the contract, but it also protects teachers' jobs.
The proposed whimsical schedule at my school seemed attractive, with the exception of what has already become a pathway for the principal to push teachers out: "Wacky Wednesdays". On this day, for over two hours, two teachers would run an elective. The principal made it exciting when it was said the elective should be based on teachers' personal interests and passions. However, few of us were as suspicious as we needed to be particularly when the principal encouraged teachers to offer electives in language, music, and art. We have no art or music teachers. The one language teacher is underutilized, leaving most of the students without the necessary language credits needed to graduate. In fact, our tiny first graduating class would have been even tinier because students either never took a language or had failed. To rectify this situation, the foreign language teacher signed off on credit recovery packets (see previous blog "Graduation Rates and the Big Credit Lie") so students could graduate. Instead of properly programming to ensure students were meeting state credit requirements, the principal arranged for the foreign language teacher to be a co-teacher in classes that should have had a special education teacher present.
Instead of aggressively seeking answers and pondering all the angles, teachers, including myself, voted for the new "Wacky Wednesday" schedule without thinking about the larger consequences. Fast forward to the summer: the principal has notified staff that they are now excessed from the school. This is because the principal will ensure that a team of teachers offer electives which will give students credits they need without the certified teachers in that field to offer them. The principal worked so hard to pitch this schedule to teachers and we bought it, costing us colleagues and dignity.
Under the excuse of "budget restraints" the practice of programming teachers to teach multiple classes out of certification area has become standard. The contract makes allowance for one course to be taught out of license (contractually, this should only be the case if no other option is possible) but with teachers being hired as dual certified, principals are tricky to meet state requirements on paper but not in practice. Some might call this good management or conservatively fiscal, but the lack of honesty and respect for education is bad business. No teacher has yet to challenge the principal at my school via the grievance process.
Though budget issues are real and plague the running of a school, the principal has created new administrative positions and is moving teachers into those jobs under their teaching license. This translates into less room for hiring teachers to actually teach in the classroom, causing events like excess to be manufactured.
New York State needs to launch a full-scale investigation into this fraudulent practice of shifting licenses and teachers should protect the profession by learning how to hold principals accountable.
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