This makes me sad for our teachers and sad for our district. I have read this column several times and each time I feel worse for the teachers. No one stood up for them when Career Ladder was cut nor when Extended Learning Plan was eliminated this past April. I am wrong. Todd Brockett local NEA president always steps up to the podium to stand up for ALL teachers, not just those who belong to NEA. I have yet to see the MSTA teacher rep come to that podium once--and the majority of the teachers belong to MSTA. I understand all administrators (principals and vice principals, too) belong to MSTA. Apparently the district pays for their dues. In response to the career ladder/extended learning plan eliminations, the teachers didnt send a demand letter to the board in response. (SJSD does not have collective bargaining) They accepted it as a board decision. Many of them have kids going to college and expenses to cover. Home mortgages. Health expenses. The disparity continues to widen. Read Steve Boohers column from todays News Press. Who speaks for the teachers? By Steve Booher St. Joseph News-Press | newspressnow/opinion/columns/com Summer is a quiet time in the schools. Though our district offers summer enrichment programs, most of the kids are gone, buildings are empty and teachers, administrators and staff take time to recharge. This summer is likely a troubling one for the St. Joseph School District. All the peace and solitude won’t completely erase worries about the results of an FBI probe, a Grand Jury investigation, a state of Missouri audit and a wrongful termination lawsuit. And the phone calls and e-mails continue. During the past few months, we have received a number of calls and e-mails from teachers or a close relative of one, staff and ex-employees of the district. Most of the callers want to express two things. They’re glad for the light shed on some of the school district dealings, and each has their own tale of nepotism, misuse of money or intimidation by the administration. And in just about every case, the callers and senders want to remain anonymous. It doesn’t paint a nice picture of our schools. Some teachers say they are truly frightened for their jobs if they speak out. They fear they will be punished, picked on, threatened and run off. Some say they feel they are expected to go along, put a smile on their face, clap at the appropriate times during an assembly and never, ever criticize. St. Joseph has a group of teachers who need someone or some group to speak for them and get their backs. You would think that teachers’ associations could fill that role. There are two associations within the school district, the Missouri State Teachers Association and the National Education Association. Todd Brockett, a teacher at Robidoux Middle School, is the local NEA president. He spoke out against stipends at the May board meeting and serves on the ad-hoc committee that’s trying to clean up that mess. It’s clear that he’s trying to look out for colleagues. And what about the MSTA? Well, the MSTA is actually more of a lobbying group than a union. It’s the preferred organization here because it purports to represent both teachers and administrators. But, let’s be clear, the MSTA, at least in St. Joseph, is part of the administration. According to the school district’s website, St. Joseph employs two MSTA representatives. Both serve as directors and are paid far above the average teacher’s scale. And both receive stipends, although neither name appeared on the initial stipend list given to the ad-hoc committee. Only after a committee member specifically asked did the administration disclose their full stipends. For the record, one MSTA representative earns an additional $8,000 in stipends and was paid a $2,100 travel stipend and a $2,900 “night duty” stipend. The extra money boosts that person’s compensation to more than $80,000 per year. The other representative earns an extra $5,000 above base pay for serving as a coordinator, and that person also received the $2,100 travel and $2,900 night duty stipends. It’s interesting that neither of these additional stipends were disclosed until recently. At any rate, it’s clear that the MSTA is not an effective voice for dedicated classroom teachers, despite the fact that a paragraph in the group’s professional code of ethics reads, “We believe that for students to learn, teachers must be free to teach.” Free from what? Intimidation? Harassment? Until classroom teachers in St. Joseph are uplifted, in terms of both salary and respect by their own administration, they will continue to feel intimidated. They will watch as administrators are handed out pay raises and stipends while their salaries remain relatively low. And if they want to keep teaching, they won’t dare say anything. I have a feeling, though, that our phones will keep ringing.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 13:19:35 +0000
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