As teachers return to school and Charlotte-Mecklenburg buses start their practice runs, today brings a couple of opportunities for people to get inspired for the coming school year.
The Democratic National Convention host committee is holding a panel discussion on access to quality education at 6:30 p.m. at Central Piedmont Community College's Pease Auditorium. Panelists include former N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt, CMS board Chairman Ericka Ellis-Stewart, Superintendent Heath Morrison and Robert Balfanz of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization.
The session is part of Mayor Anthony Foxx's convention legacy program, which is highlighting paths to the American dream, according to a host convention spokeswoman. Admission is free and open to anyone, but registration is required online or at 6 p.m. on site.
Someone is bound to ask about Morrison's party affiliation. I don't know. He doesn't seem to have registered to vote here yet (there's an unaffiliated Heath Morrison, but he's been here too long to be the superintendent).
Also, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture is offering all educators free admission to its America I AM exhibit from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit highlights African American contributions to the United States, and tonight's event includes a toolkit for using the information in class. The event is for educators only (not even their families) and requires registration and an employee ID.
(If you end up reading this in archived blogs, the events are for Monday, Aug. 20.)
Monday, August 20, 2012
Get psyched for school year
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22 comments:
It's interesting that they'll be holding a discussion on access to quality education at CPCC. Seventy-five percent of all classes at CPCC are taught by part-time teachers, who are paid the same rate regardless of experience or effectiveness. So much is said in this paper about retaining excellent teachers, teacher morale, teacher pay, etc., but nothing is ever said about the working conditions in our community colleges. Here's the first paragraph from a part-time teacher contract at CPCC:
"Central Piedmont Community College
Terms and Conditions of Part Time Employment
1. Part time employment with the College is AT-WILL, meaning that it can be terminated at any time for any reason, with or without notice or cause. These terms and conditions of part time employment do not constitute an agreement for employment for any particular term nor do they create any contract rights whatsoever."
Part-time teachers are limited to three classes per semester, and someone with a Master's degree is paid $1,825 per 3-credit hour semester-long course. So, if one is lucky enough to teach 3courses in the Fall, 3 in the Spring, and 3 in the Summer, the compensation for the year would be $16,425. There are no benefits of any kind.
So basically, part-time teachers at CPCC can be fired at any time, for any reason, and all will be paid the same. If that type of working environment is conducive to quality education, perhaps they should try it in CMS.
Boy a DNC event to talk about education amazing. Wonder what the Dem EES is going to spout about? Wonder is she will endorse LIFT? Wonder if she will speak about CPCC having to educate CMS Seniors on Freshman level when they enter CPCC? Wonder if she will talk about who paid for her plane ticket to London? I doubt it so I doubt anyone will listen to Kojo I mean EES.
When Morrison lived in Nevada, he registered as an independent, called "non-partisan" in the Silver State. I suspect the same will be true in NC.
My kids are "excited" about going back to school to play games on their iPads. They can text friends in class while playing game cool, cool. Heath welcome they will be sending you welcome emails and you can respond too them as well. One is going to "tweet" to BOE members about how well the "technology" works for their personal life.
Working Conditions for tenured CMeS teachers:
Reneged promised ABC bonus money
Frozen Salary for 4 years
Elimination of Dental Benefits
Elimination of Vision Benefits
Reduction of Health Benefits
Increase in Class Size
Increase in days taught (without compensation)
Idiodic workdays to explain the new Common Core expectations
Listening to Andy Baxter "I dont know" to every question about pay for performance. (Oh,that was last Year)
Slapped in the face with administration receiving $17,000 market adjustment raises while teachers average is $750
No respect for the job from the community or within CMeS itself
Great Way To Recruit The Best and Brightest
9:09, I might add this one other point. If I were a teacher, I'd be most bummed with this school system and probably any other big urban system is how all the educrats, administrators, urban leaders and local politicians want to blame all the ills of this subculture on me.
I'm just saying! But you are right about a lot of things. However I think it is the culmination of a lot of political issues that have been simmering for some time. The two major things I see is how the professional teacher associations take political sides and how the education profession has failed to police its less than desirable teachers.
Good luck to you. Still the CMS schools are full of outstanding teachers in my opinion. Many have poured their hearts into these urban kids and these kids are unwilling to feel or express any gratitude.
The event is for educators only (not even their families) and requires registration and an employee ID.
Speaking of party affiliation.....
How will the Democrat teachers get in without an ID?
Jobs that make more than an untenured CMeS teachers:
McDonalds Manager
Truck Driver
How demoralizing
Teaching is an INTRINSIC REWARD. I have heard that all my life.Unfortunately I cant pay my mortgage on this anymore.Thanks BOE and CMeS for not even keeping my pay anywhere near the rate of inflation! I am very PSYCHED.
With all the school buses on the road not only the children, but we all have to breath extra fuel exhausts in the air. CMS should follow CATS lead and head in the direction of alternate fueled buses. CMS should go to a biodiesel fuel mix and get off the petroleum addiction. For a consumer the size of CMS economies of scale work in the taxpayer's favor. Instead of congesting traffic school buses would be safer and roads less congested if the buses ran before or after the morning rush.
to 6:42am - run buses before the morning rush?? they already do! CMS needs to change the insane, counterproductive 7;15am high school start time to a later time. Early school hours don't do our teenagers any good. They are asleep all first block anyway.
to 7:39. thank you to the high school comment. We moved here a few years ago and couldn't believe the 7:15 school start time. Other parts of the country have done away with early high school start times because of the numerous studies that say later start times are more beneficial academically, physically and socially. Maybe Heath can help our teenage students with this one. BTW, buses start running at 5am, ridiculous!
2 or 3 years ago, CMS experimetned with later start times for 2 high schools. After the first week, parents were complaining. Absentism was higher.
You are not dealing with a modern society mindset here in CMS.
Att he Q & A last night did EES disclose who paid for her airfare to London and what intention their was? My kids want to know I am home schooling them and I am on the topic of cheats in society. We covered Enron & Wall street , Madoff plus others. I want them to here from a local direct cheat and EES getting on a plane not knowing who was paying for her vacation certainly fits the bill.
11:34 The "experiment" with later school bells for two high schools was done ironically at two of the lowest performing high schools in the system. Unfortunately due to the schools' demographics, not much difference was noted. Think it was more CMS staff and athletic directors that had a problem with it. I still feel it is something that most teenagers would benefit from (later school times that is) and that CMS should get on board with. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
12:58, no it was the parents that had the issue with it. Since they were not at the house at that later time to push the kids out to get on the bus, the kids slept in and skipped school.
Another interesting on school schedules. When CMS went to the block schedules, all the high schools improved their performances on EOC tests except one school.
Pretty interesting that no matter what strategy CMS picks, some schools improve and some fall back. For example, several non SS schools had academic gaiins aboe the ones they treid to snowball us with last week. And the biggest "untruth" they told was about one school that had a complete change in clientle from the previous year to last year. Thus a significant inmprovement in academic performance which they tried to pan off on the first year of SS there.
Wrong it was CMS most notably Morgan/Davis who used changed bus schedules as a HUGE money saver. Of course they will produce no data to show the actual gains in cost since they hide. Further more they should be held accountable for the number of above performing students who left CMS with their good grades to go private due to the changes. No positives just a lump of negatives due to bell schedule changes by Morgan/Davis 2 complete MORONS.
We have to be at our door by 8:45 am and we can leave after 4:45 pm. Good luck going to the bank, post office or a medical appointment! Most middle schools are on this schedule, was 'sold' to us as a cost cutting measure. How much money was actually saved???
glad people are complaining about school start and end times. This is not rocket science, even if CMS has 150,000 students. The high schools should be moved back one hour to 8:15. The teenagers will get 5 more hours of needed sleep a week and we dont have to worry about the issue of parents not able to get their kids awake and off to school before they go to work. Give me a break.
What the heck does E E-S know about quality education?
glad people are complaining about school start and end times. This is not rocket science, even if CMS has 150,000 students. The high schools should be moved back one hour to 8:15. The teenagers will get 5 more hours of needed sleep a week and we dont have to worry about the issue of parents not able to get their kids awake and off to school before they go to work. Give me a break.
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