kaorder1999
01-23-2007, 04:30 PM
Board votes to re-open all GHS teaching positions
By JANELLE STECKLEIN
Herald-Banner Staff
GREENVILLE — The Greenville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimouslly to approve “opening” all instructional positions Feb. 1 as part of the Campus Intervention Team’s recommendations.
The 5-0 decision to “open” all the positions will require all current teachers to reapply for the jobs they currently hold. The decision effectively releases all current instructional personnel and allows the district to choose who will be rehired based on new critera.
The only people not required to reapply are those the district defines as “exempt staff.” Those people are part-time professionals and/or staff hired after March 13, 2007.
“No one here has been terminated or non-renewed with the action of the tonight’s of Board of Trustees,” GISD Superintendent Lloyd Graham explained to about 100 people who attended the meeting.
The district is under state sanctions since the high school has been rated “unacceptable” for the past two years. The district’s overall rating fell to “unacceptable” for the first time this past August.
As a result, the state placed sanctions on the district and required the creation of a Campus Intervention Team to bring the district and the high school to at least “acceptable.” A part of the sanctions requires that the district implement what is called a “reconstitution plan.”
“By doing this reconstitution — should the unimaginable happen (and the district or the high school is rated “unacceptable” again) — we believe this is the surest way to retain local control as we move forward,” Graham said.
If the district does not meet state requirements or does poorly again on TAKS, the TEA can issue tougher sanctions, which include, but are not limited to, stepping in and take control away from district officials or dissolving the Board of Trustees.
Graham said he does not want either to happen, so to ensure that the best teachers are put in front of the district’s students, the Campus Intervention Team has set up a new application process.
Every district employee in the future — even if they want to transfer between the district’s schools — will be required to complete an online application, which includes a test called the Gallup TeacherInsight test. The test, which designed to help identify an applicant’s teaching talent, is used by many districts across the United States and acts as a type of interview tool.
Also, teachers will have to be fully certified and highly qualified.
Those who teach non-TAKS related subjects must demonstrate proficiency through lesson-planning and classroom instruction. Those that teach TAKS subjects must demonstrate that minimal expectations have been met or demonstrate that signficant improvement can be quantified in students.
Finally, the district will consider information from the Professional Development and Appraisal Sysytem.
“It seems clear to me that it’s going to be the small things that make the difference,” Graham said.
Each applicant will interview with members of the Campus Intervention Team. On April 9, the trustees will meet to consider who will be rehired based on the recommendation of the Team.
Therefore, many employees will find out if they still work for the district on April 10, but the district has also reserved the right to wait until the spring TAKS results come back if it needs more time to make a decision.
Graham said he hopes to have everything completed by Sept. 1 — in time for the start of the new school year.
Some teachers including GHS Athletic Director Jeff Cordell asked if the district has implemented an application rubric, which would rate certain hiring criteria more heavily.
Graham said the district does not currently have a rubric in place.
Other teachers expressed concern about giving others outside the district an unfair advantage when applying because the district originally had said it was going to post the openings before current teachers could apply.
As a compromise, Graham said he would post the openings when the online applications are supposed to be up and running — on Feb.1 — so that everyone has an equal chance.
Others were concerned with the rehiring process.
Integrated Physics and Chemistry teacher Leo McDaniel asked if current employees had to wait until April 10 to hear whether or not they would be rehired.
Graham said that was when the first decision would be made.
Another concern of teachers, including Millie Edwards, was if the re-application process would be repeated again if the high school is rated “unacceptable” for a third year.
Graham said he does not think the teachers would have to go through this same process again next year, even if the district is rated “unacceptable.”
But one of the top concerns regarded pay and retirement benefits. Currently GISD pays based on the number of years a person has worked for them.
Many teachers including Vanessa Pope wondered if they would go back to square-one since they were going to have to be rehired.
“What we’re doing will not affect your pay grade,” Graham said. “What we’re doing will not affect your status with (the Texas Retirement System).”
By JANELLE STECKLEIN
Herald-Banner Staff
GREENVILLE — The Greenville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimouslly to approve “opening” all instructional positions Feb. 1 as part of the Campus Intervention Team’s recommendations.
The 5-0 decision to “open” all the positions will require all current teachers to reapply for the jobs they currently hold. The decision effectively releases all current instructional personnel and allows the district to choose who will be rehired based on new critera.
The only people not required to reapply are those the district defines as “exempt staff.” Those people are part-time professionals and/or staff hired after March 13, 2007.
“No one here has been terminated or non-renewed with the action of the tonight’s of Board of Trustees,” GISD Superintendent Lloyd Graham explained to about 100 people who attended the meeting.
The district is under state sanctions since the high school has been rated “unacceptable” for the past two years. The district’s overall rating fell to “unacceptable” for the first time this past August.
As a result, the state placed sanctions on the district and required the creation of a Campus Intervention Team to bring the district and the high school to at least “acceptable.” A part of the sanctions requires that the district implement what is called a “reconstitution plan.”
“By doing this reconstitution — should the unimaginable happen (and the district or the high school is rated “unacceptable” again) — we believe this is the surest way to retain local control as we move forward,” Graham said.
If the district does not meet state requirements or does poorly again on TAKS, the TEA can issue tougher sanctions, which include, but are not limited to, stepping in and take control away from district officials or dissolving the Board of Trustees.
Graham said he does not want either to happen, so to ensure that the best teachers are put in front of the district’s students, the Campus Intervention Team has set up a new application process.
Every district employee in the future — even if they want to transfer between the district’s schools — will be required to complete an online application, which includes a test called the Gallup TeacherInsight test. The test, which designed to help identify an applicant’s teaching talent, is used by many districts across the United States and acts as a type of interview tool.
Also, teachers will have to be fully certified and highly qualified.
Those who teach non-TAKS related subjects must demonstrate proficiency through lesson-planning and classroom instruction. Those that teach TAKS subjects must demonstrate that minimal expectations have been met or demonstrate that signficant improvement can be quantified in students.
Finally, the district will consider information from the Professional Development and Appraisal Sysytem.
“It seems clear to me that it’s going to be the small things that make the difference,” Graham said.
Each applicant will interview with members of the Campus Intervention Team. On April 9, the trustees will meet to consider who will be rehired based on the recommendation of the Team.
Therefore, many employees will find out if they still work for the district on April 10, but the district has also reserved the right to wait until the spring TAKS results come back if it needs more time to make a decision.
Graham said he hopes to have everything completed by Sept. 1 — in time for the start of the new school year.
Some teachers including GHS Athletic Director Jeff Cordell asked if the district has implemented an application rubric, which would rate certain hiring criteria more heavily.
Graham said the district does not currently have a rubric in place.
Other teachers expressed concern about giving others outside the district an unfair advantage when applying because the district originally had said it was going to post the openings before current teachers could apply.
As a compromise, Graham said he would post the openings when the online applications are supposed to be up and running — on Feb.1 — so that everyone has an equal chance.
Others were concerned with the rehiring process.
Integrated Physics and Chemistry teacher Leo McDaniel asked if current employees had to wait until April 10 to hear whether or not they would be rehired.
Graham said that was when the first decision would be made.
Another concern of teachers, including Millie Edwards, was if the re-application process would be repeated again if the high school is rated “unacceptable” for a third year.
Graham said he does not think the teachers would have to go through this same process again next year, even if the district is rated “unacceptable.”
But one of the top concerns regarded pay and retirement benefits. Currently GISD pays based on the number of years a person has worked for them.
Many teachers including Vanessa Pope wondered if they would go back to square-one since they were going to have to be rehired.
“What we’re doing will not affect your pay grade,” Graham said. “What we’re doing will not affect your status with (the Texas Retirement System).”