Texas Teacher Law

Fundamental Friday - contract resignations

Last week I reviewed what you can expect from your school board in the next month regarding your contracts for next year.  This week, the topic is what you should do if you do not want to return next year to your current job.

Your teaching contract, if renewed, gives you a right to work in the district for the next school year. Unless your contract specifies a particular campus or assignment, the district can put you to work on any campus and in any teaching position that you are certified for.  

• If you want to stay in the district, but change campuses, you will have to apply for a transfer according to your local district policy.  Check the policy now, since the deadline for applying may be very early. 

• If you want to stay on your campus but change grade level or course, you will need to let your principal know.  Nearly all campus assignments are at the discretion of the campus principal.

• If you want to change districts (perhaps because you couldn't get a transfer or assignment change), you have until the 45th day before the first day of class for the following school year to let your current district know.  This means that you can go ahead and sign a new contract when they are issued, and then resign later.   

Classroom Management Advice From Real Teachers

We all know the difference between textbook learning and experience. Knowing is necessary to doing, but doing requires rapid adjustments and creativity and the ability to think out ahead of where you actually are. 

So when it comes to classroom managment, all the professional development in the world may not be enough to keep your students from texting all the way through your class unless you apply a little experiential knowledge as well.

I found an amazingly generous thread of discussion at the Texas Teacher Chatboard.  A new teacher posted a cry for help, and so many teachers shared so many wonderful suggestions that I wanted to pass it all on to you as well.  The following four responses were especially full of great ideas.

http://texas.teachers.net/chatboard/topic13186/1.27.09.19.59.55.html

http://texas.teachers.net/chatboard/topic13186/1.28.09.09.19.51.html

http://texas.teachers.net/chatboard/topic13186/1.21.09.17.09.55.html

http://texas.teachers.net/chatboard/topic13186/1.21.09.23.38.32.html

Texting

Came across this blurb on the website of a Houston television station today - Baytown Teacher Suspended for Text Messaging Students.

Very little information available yet, obviously, but let's talk about the situation anyway.

First, since the police are investigating, the messages probably contain content indicating inappropriate communication or communication about illegal activites, such as underage drinking or something of that sort.

Second, if the police investigate a teacher for inappropriate conduct with a student, the school district will almost always place the teacher on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, whethe the district has any information about the allegations or not.  It's just smart for a district to remove a teacher from contact with students when there is any potential criminal activity. 

Third, a teacher on administrative leave pending a criminal investigation will usually continue to receive full pay until the district takes action on the contract.  For the district to take action mid-year, or end of year on a non-probationary contract, the teacher must get notice and a list of reasons, and will have the opportunity to request a hearing where the teacher can present his or her case. 

Fourth, texting students is not in and of itself inappropriate - it is, after all, just another form of communication - but because it is so informal and so full of abbreviations and codes, it is a risky form of communication for teachers to use.  Text messages are highly vulnerable to misinterpretation because of the brevity, especially when parents who may not be texters themselves get involved.  Use a form of communication with your students that uses complete sentences and paragraphs, so that it can be clear what you are talking about.

Fifth, texting is not a private form of communication.  Anything you text can be passed on to others, or discovered by parents, police and school officials.  So be very formal and cautious about what and how you say things.

Fundamental Friday - Your Teaching Contract

If you didn't dig your contract out last Tuesday and read it, you'll want to do that after you read this post. 
In the spring, principals and school boards make decisions about renewing and non-renewing teacher contracts.  Depending on what type of contract you have, the possible actions vary.

Below is a list of the different contracts you could have, and what to expect for each one.

If you have a probationary contract, you could be renewed, or you could receive notice of a non-renewal by the 45th day before the last day of instruction. If you do not receive any notice at all before the 45th day before the last day of instruction, then you have been renewed.

If you have a term contract that ends this year, you can be renewed, or you can receive notice of a possible non-renewal before the 45th day before the last day of instruction. 

If you have a term contract that ends in 2010 or 2011, you may not receive any notice at all.  Your contract will continue for next year.  You may also receive notice that your contract has been extended for an additional year beyond its current ending date.

If you have a continuing contract, you may receive notice of a proposed discharge.  That notice may come at any time.  If the district is not proposing discharge, then you may not receive any notice at all about your contract, but you may receive a general notice of your assignment for the following year.

Most teachers are employed under a term contract of one or two years.

Tuesday Tasks - Where Do You Stand?

Today's Tuesday task will be simple if you're an organized person, not as simple if you're a pile filer like myself.

Get out a copy of your current teaching contract, and read through it.  Read the whole thing. 

School boards will be making contract decisions in the next month, so it's a good idea to know where you stand and what you can expect for next year. 

On Friday, I will post a review of the various contract status possibilities, and what they mean for you.

And if you cannot find a copy of your current contract, just ask for a new copy from the central office.

Special Education Students

If school law is my original series, then I have a spin-off called disability law.  I work with families who have special needs members to do legal planning for the future.  If you have children with special needs, or if you have friends or family members, you may be interested in listening to this short, free, explanation of legal planning for special needs children.  Introduction to Legal Planning for Children with Disabilities.

Fundamental Friday: Layoffs

Galveston ISD is still struggling to get back on it's feet after Hurrican Ike devastated much of the island and it's economy.  Facing a lowered student population and a stressed budget, the GISD board of trustees decided it had no choice but to reduce staff. 

But instead of the usual pink slips, it is starting with a request for voluntary resignations.  Those who submit resignations will receive a percentage of salary based on their years of service with the district as a severance. 

It's a creative solution.  There may very well be teachers who are more than happy to voluntarily leave the district, especially in Galveston's current unique circumstances.  Any resignations will reduce the district's need to layoff people who want and need their jobs, and I applaud GISD for taking this approach.  In addition to simply being a very employee-friendly way of handling the crisis, it also makes it abundantly clear to the staff that the Board's motivation really is reduce staff, not to "clean house," as other districts have appeared to do.

But what happens if the district still needs to reduce staff after all the resignations have been turned in?  Texas law does allow a district to break teaching contracts mid-year, but sets out very specific rules about when and how to do so.

First, in order to terminate teaching contracts mid-year for financial reasons (non-contract employees can be let go anytime), the school board must declare that a financial exigency exists, after considering all relevant information.  This forces open debate and public input on the plan to reduce staff.

Second, once the Board declares the financial exigency and staff reductions are chosen as a means to respond to it, the choice of which contract staff to terminate must be made according to objective, pre-determined criteria.  What does that mean?  It means the district must have adopted a policy that describes who will be terminated if there is a financial exigency.  The policy should clearly describe how to identify the people to terminate - including how to distribute reductions among campuses and how to pick the individual teachers.

Each district adopts their own policy, so there are no statewide criteria.  But most districts use a list of the following criteria, in a variety of orders:

proper certification

appraisal scores

years with district

years in teaching

Layoffs (also called reductions in force) are not the time for principals to get rid of their least favorite teachers.  The criteria in the district policy must be followed, or the contract termination will fail if challenged.

Carnival of Education

The latest Carnival of Education is hosted by the Examiner.  If you'd like to take a look at some new and different education related blogs, take a look.

Good Teachers, Good Coaches, Good Students, Good People

Football in Texas is, well, football in Texas.  People are SERIOUS about football.  But you all know that.  We like to say football teaches character, and this story shows that in a wholly unexpected way.  Read it when you can be in a place where you don't mind people seeing you tear up.  Grab a tissue before you click. Football Story

New Laws Might Be Coming

Today is the opening of the Texas legislative session.  It's a big deal because the Texas legislature only meets every other year, and only for five months even then.  Compared to nearly every other legislative body in the country, that's next to no time to handle state business.  On the other hand, we've managed to amass a bigger set of law books than almost every other state besides California and New York, so the time crunch doesn't seem to hinder productivity.  Quality, now that might be another debate . . .