Huntsville AL to hire up to 110 TFA teachers. They laid off 1000 teachers, 280 staff.

[madfloridian]

They did all that and now they are hiring recruits without certification and with only 5 weeks training.

Teach for America contract could bring up to 110 new teachers to Huntsville schools

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Huntsville school system could have its pick from up to 110 of the "best and brightest" new teachers in the U.S. if the board approves the superintendent's latest staffing plan.

The board last week began considering a three-year, $550,000 contract with Teach for America, a non-profit organization that recruits recent college graduates from all backgrounds to teach for two years in schools in poor neighborhoods. The goal of the program is to close student achievement gaps.

.."Once they are selected, they spend five weeks working in a real summer school, preparing students for the fall. The teachers also learn more about teaching framework, curricula and lesson planning.

Here is more about the career teachers who were laid off this year. Wonder how they feel about being replaced by recruits with such little training.

The Investment That Pays

In Huntsville, Alabama, for example, high school classrooms are packed with 40–50 students after the state laid off more than 1,000 teachers because of budget cuts. Colorado's Falcon School District is charging students $1.00 for each bus ride to and from school to prevent the elimination of instructional services. And among an array of cost-cutting measures, McKeesport Area School District in Pennsylvania reduced school support staff, including custodians and secretaries, and eliminated more than 20 academic tutors who helped struggling students. Actions like these and countless others across the country may reduce spending in the short-term, but they come at a significant cost to our nation's economic future.

They have laid off support staff up to 280, including a man 2 years from retirement. Good luck to the new "recruits" working without support from these staff members.

Huntsville board upholds layoffs during emotional hearings with school employees

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Emotions ran high today as laid off school system workers, including three members of the same family, packed the Huntsville school board’s meeting room to express frustration at losing their jobs.

The board upheld its decision in the layoffs of 40 support workers who were part of a reduction in force, or RIF, that was approved last month. At that time, 280 people lost their jobs, including 77 support workers who were past their probationary periods with the system.

..."Many of those who spoke up at today’s hearings have been working for the school system for decades, including Gary Tripp. Tripp, his son, Gary Tripp II, and his brother, Jerry Tripp, were all laid off in last month’s RIF. Tripp’s wife, Christine Tripp, was laid off by the school system in February, along with about 140 others.

The elder Gary Tripp would have had 30 years with the system on June 30, his wife said, the same day his layoff is scheduled to become effective. The couple’s son has two small children to support.

It was a similar story for many of the employees. Bryant Benson Jr., a landscape worker, told the board that he didn’t deserve to be laid off after having a good record with the system for almost 23 years.

“I’m close to two years until retirement,” said Bryant Benson Jr. “I don’t think it’s right. That’s all I can say.”

That's heartless.

I always say if TFA teachers are so capable and so ready to take over classrooms from experienced teachers....why the heck does Bill Gates plan to provide them with ear wiring to talk them through classes.


Teachers will get live in-ear feedback just like NFL coaches thanks to technology funded by the Gates Foundation. Picture from FastCompany article

Gates Foundation Puts Whispers in Teachers' Ears With NFL-Inspired Tech

Teachers-in-training will have their very own personal angel to discreetly coach them through new lesson plans, with the same ear-bud wiring that feeds live information to NFL coaches. Teach for America is hoping that private coaching will speed up the painstakingly slow process of teacher development, allowing teachers to get both tailored instruction and the experience of being at the head of the classroom, without risking a disaster for students.

"Once a teacher understands what it feels like to be successful, it takes root immediately," Monica Jordan, coordinator of teacher professional development in Memphis City Schools, told Education Week.

This is all so ludicrous. And when people do come to their senses, it will be too late for those whose careers were cut short so Wendy Kopp's TFAers could be hired for 3 or 4 thousand a piece.

[hedgehog]

1. I say it's time to expand TFA! Instead of all the burnt-out nurses staffing

hospitals, let's get college college graduates to volunteer for two years.

[madfloridian]

2. Wow, interesting blog I found. Nail on head about true cost of TFA

http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/10/18/teach-for-america-inc-is-not-worth-the-expense/

"This morning Crystal Bonvillian ran an interesting article about the Huntsville City School board’s plans to hire up to 110 new Teach for American, Inc. teachers over the next three years. These hirings will cost the system $550,000 or $5,000 for each new teacher. Yet this money represents one-quarter of the total cost associated with recruiting, selection and professional development of a Teach for America teacher. The actual cost for all 110 of these teachers will be closer to $2,200,000 over three years.

Mr. J. W. Carpenter of TFA claims that 75% of that cost will be covered “through donations from the private sector.”

Let’s think about this for a moment.

The Huntsville City School System is projecting approximately a four million dollar deficit in its general fund operating budget at the end of the 2012 fiscal year. In order to address that deficit, the board has voted to reduce new teachers’ salaries to the state minimum. Additionally, the board has voted to freeze all STEP raises for all teachers/employees. And yet this same board is considering a proposal to spend $550,000 dollars over the next three years with a private company just to hire 110 new teachers? And this money is on top of the amount that these 110 teachers will be paid by the system?"

Very true indeed.

[coalition_unwilling]

3. Is there an Occupy Alabama movement yet? Those 1,000

laid off Huntsville teachers will make for some excellent shock troops for it.

[saorsa]

4. I want to start sharing this info,

is there a facebook page or web news source that I could access to share this? Some, well really, most of the stuff you post just blows my mind, it needs to be spread around.

[aquart]

6. Join Twitter. Join Facebook. Follow and Friend.

Or just email the link to everyone you know.

[madfloridian]

7. Be sure to share links with teachers.

Most of them simply don't know what is going on. At our school before I retired the principal ruled with an iron hand, and we usually didn't talk among ourselves much about things.

Also it's not stuff you read in the everyday media because they are all in love with reformers and TFA types.

:hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Facebook: Save Our Schools: America

https://www.facebook.com/groups/166264760082381/

[aquart]

5. Ear wires? Like robots?

[madfloridian]

8. Odd to have to coach a teacher in the classroom, isn't it?

Actually the "robot" reference is not far off if someone is on the other end of those ear buds telling them how to act and what to say.

Experienced teachers don't need Gates and his ear buds.

:hi:

[KamaAina]

9. This in a city whose economy depends largely on science.

Rocket science, in fact. :eyes:

[hedgehog]

10. Which raises the question - how many engineers and scientists have opted out

of the local school system in favor of private schools? It's a dirty little secret that in New York City and many Southern cities, people in the professional/technical classes send their kids to private schools because the local public schools are so poorly run and/or underfunded.

[madfloridian]

11. Hard to run schools when the powers that be are taking your money away

and giving it to private companies to manage charter schools.

[hedgehog]

15. I think this predates the Charter School movement. Many of these schools

started out as segregation academies; when the public schools were integrated, whites pulled their kids out, sent them to private schools and then cut the taxes used to finance public schools. Today the segregation is economic rather than racial. It's a triumph of libertarianism. It's going to come back around to bite these communities. I know of at least one company that is having trouble finding enough employees who can read well enough to work at its plant in the South.

[tammywammy]

12. Exactly what I was thinking. n/t

[blkmusclmachine]

13. Christian Dominionists' final goal is subversion of public education into private/religious schools:

The Christian Dominionists have entered END GAME disguised as Obama's version of NCLB, this time called RTTT.

[Starry Messenger]

14. recommend.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Been there done that

My district fired 80 and hired 150 TFAers.

[eppur_se_muova]

18. Front page of the H'ville Times said "Huntsville seeking 'best and brightest" ...

guess they never read the book.

A more appropriate headline would have been "Huntsville seeking union-busting scabs".