Former RCSD principal
Many principals blame a restrictive teachers union contract and seniority rules for trouble helping students make progress. Contract rules often lead to displacements and turnover among staff, fueling a culture of inconsistency that works against students. Here is James’ story.
“I’ve got to say, I think probably the toughest thing is you’ve got a lot of really good teachers, a lot of really good TAs, a lot of really good paraprofessionals, and then you also have ones that aren’t. I think that the most difficult thing was to have to sit and watch teachers who just weren’t in it, and you’ve got such hardworking teachers right next to them. You always, at the end of the year, you lose your most motivated, your younger teachers, the ones who are fresh out and ready to go, and they want to tackle the world. They’re the ones at the end of the year that are getting displaced and getting laid off. It was year after year, seeing some of my best teachers, I’ve got to give them a letter and say, ‘I’m sorry, you got to go,’ and they’re looking at the person next to them saying, ‘But this person doesn’t do anything, and I’m the one that has to go?’ I think when it came to staffing issues, that’s where my biggest frustration was.”
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