Union representatives say any changes need to be negotiated.
In a 6-0 vote Tuesday night, the School Committee approved a new personnel policy that eliminates using senority as the sole criteria for teacher hiring and placement. Committeewoman Mary Ellen Winter was absent. School Committee Chair David Green said the action came in an effort to align EGSD policy with the state Department of Education's Basic Education Program, or BEP. The BEP calls for "an effective human capital management system," according to a 2009 letter from Education Commissioner Deborah Gist to superintendents. In that letter, Gist highlighted the language in the BEP (which was enacted by Gist's predecessor, Peter McWalter) that reads, "each LEA shall maintain control of its ability to recruit, hire, manage, evaluate and …
The teachers union cites failure of the schools to notify about negotiating a new contract, paving the way for a one-year contract extension.
Before contract negotiations have even begun on a new teachers contract — the existing one expires July 30 — the two sides are at loggerheads over the breach of a clause in the contract that the union says extends their contract one year. According to Supt. Victor Mercurio, union officials told him earlier this month that since they were not notified in writing about the school department’s desire to negotiate a new contract, the existing contract would be renewed for an additional year. Although that language does exist in the contract between the teachers and the school department, that is not how school officials see it. “We were surprised and disappointed,” said School Committee Chair Deidre Gifford. “There’s no reason why they can’t …
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11:46 am on Friday, January 11, 2013
If EG wants to evaluate teachers by the growth of students they might be in violation of Rhode Island law. This can not be part of an effective human capital management system because growth tests are not designed to tell what part of the growth is attributable to the teacher. more ›