Teacher effectiveness, from grade 5, should be judged by students

To the editor,

The purpose of this letter is to identify and eliminate the roadblocks to euality education.

Identifying problems:

1. Continuous, never ending negotiations for the sole purpose of increasing teacher's salary schedules and benefits.

2. The overwhelming number of man hours spent in meetings with negative results.

3. Constant request for pay raises regardless of economic conditions facing taxpayers.

4. The negative impact the union involvement in the field of education has to increase the cost to the taxpayer.

5. There is NO correlation between the percent of salary increases and the percent of increases in quality education.

6. Educational results remains at a low level despite the increases in teachers' wages.

7. There is NO motivation for teachers to work harder because ever body gets the same pay raise, regardless of effort.

8. Encourages mediocrity in teaching and provides no incentive to do a better job.

9. The step increment salary schedule senselessly rewards longevity and not productivity.

Solutions to the problems: (The goals of the following solutions are to eliminate the ever ongoing negotiation process, allowing the more productive use of the many man hours saved, consider and provide for the economic conditions facing the taxpayer.

1. Use the current salary schedule as a base upon which the change would take place and apply the COLA System (cost of living adjustment).

2. Pick a DATE upon which the percentage of the CPI (Consumer Price Index) would be applied automatically to the base salary each year.

3. The automatic application of the CPI each year will eliminate the need for meetings, save many valuable man hours, and takes into consideration the economic condition that the taxpayer faces each year.

4. Each teacher will get an automatic annual cost of living adjustment to their salary which would eliminate the need for salary negotiations.

5. The more ambitious teachers who put forth great effort and gets better results, will be rewarded.

6. Many options are open for rewards. For example; move up a step to the next increment level plus a $1,000 bonus; or reduce the teacher's share paid into health plan plus a $1,000 bonus, or any other number of combinations.

7. Each teacher would be competing against him/herself and not against other teachers.

8. After three or less years of being a mediocre teacher, a hearing would be held by the administration to determine whether or not a teacher should be dismissed.

How to determine teahers to be rewarded:

1. NOBODY in the administration, NO one on the faculty, NO one on the board of education, and NO parents are to be involved in the process of choosing teachers for rewards.

2. NO high test scores will be used as a basis for choosing a deserving teacher. The test scores will only serve as a confirmation of an excellent teacher

3. The method to use to determine a deserving teacher is to allow the people who spend the most time with teachers to make the decision of choice — the students themselves will show this through a simple poll.

A. Group the student polls as follows: Elementary Grades 5-6, Middle School Gr. 7-8, High School Grade 9-10, High School Grades 11-12

B. Near the end of the school year (Mid May) have the students as indicated above fill out a form and hand it in to their Home Room teacher

C. Sample rorm: Please print on the blank line of the teacher whom you feel you learned the most from this school year (Not the most popular, not the coolest, not the funniest, not the easiest), but the one you learned the most from this year. Also, print your name on the other blank line.

D. The teacher with the highest test results should be the teacher that receives the highest number of votes from students. Each confirms the other.

The union:

A. With the implementation of the above revised educational system there would be no need for any negotiation, thus no need for union participation in anyway.

B. Teachers would resign from the union which would eliminate union dues resulting in more money left in each pay check.

C. The elimination of the union's participation in education would leave the field of education in the hands of certified educators.

D. Under the revised educational system, the union's absence of pressure to constantly increase salaries would result in a closer correlation been the annual wage raises and the increase in quality education.

E. Using the CPI and Teacher Reward concept would TOTALLLY ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR A UNION!

Jospeh A. Christi

Winnisquam