What's in Store for Pittsburgh Schools in 2012-13?
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VOL. 5, NO. 1 SPRING 2012 HAPPY STUDENTS, HAPPY TEACHERS, HAPPY FUTURES Students, such as these at Pittsburgh Brookline, are encouraged to DREAM: Dare to Believe and Achieve, Respect My Community, Exert Extraordinary Effort, Act Responsibly, and Make the Right Decisions. Pages 10-11. photos: jason cohn What’s in store for Pittsburgh schools in 2012-13? By Meaghan Casey from a full- to partial-magnet program. It doesn’t matter where you came Administrators and staff at all HEALTHY EATING from; it’s where you’re going that counts. four schools have been working PAGE 5 That is the message being spread diligently to make sure that transition to unite high school students from is as smooth as possible. Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Brashear and Pittsburgh Brashear Principal John Vater has Langley, and Pittsburgh Oliver and even reached out to personally call the Pittsburgh Perry as they prepare for families of Pittsburgh Langley students, their transition as part of the District welcoming them and documenting and Realignment Plan for the 2012-13 addressing any concerns. school year. The Pittsburgh Langley “I’m a fan of larger schools and facility will be converted to house a I’m looking forward to the increased new K–8 school, current Langley high number of students walking through school students will be assigned to our doors in the fall,” said Vater. EFFECTIVE TEACHING Pittsburgh Brashear. The plan also calls “Because of the size of our building PAGE 9 for the closure of Pittsburgh Oliver High and the number of clubs, activities and Pittsburgh Perry juniors BrittNee Watkins and Chelsea Schubert plan School, assigning students to Pittsburgh courses that we can offer, I think it for the transition of Oliver students attending Perry next year. Perry High School, which will convert See REALIGNMENT, Page 14 TWITTER.COM/PPSNEWS TINYURL.COM/PGHFBOOK PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS CALENDAR, PAGE 19 2 — THE PITTSBURGH EDUCATOR Spring 2012 Teacher effectiveness key to increasing achievement Nearly two years ago our school At the heart of our new way of helping teachers to help of all students while doing so with fewer resources. It means we district made headlines when we students is the nationally recognized Pittsburgh Promise® will be making changes. While some of the changes may affect reached a new five-year collective scholarship program. We will see our first group of four-year the quantity of what we used to have, they are not intended bargaining agreement with the Promise college students graduate this spring. Promise- to affect the quality of our children’s education. For example, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT) Readiness is deeply rooted in our schools and throughout our we will be closing some schools to address excess capacity in June 2010. With improving student community. The support of our foundations, citizens, and in our buildings and increasing some class sizes to be closer achievement as its driving force, the corporate community for our students is ongoing and says a to national averages. We believe we have planned a way to landmark agreement was overwhelm- lot about how special Pittsburgh is. We have many people, in achieve these efficiencies without impacting the quality of the ingly ratified by the membership. It addition to our teachers, to thank for their encouragement and education our children will receive and in a way that increases DR. LINDA included specific language around support. These past few years have demonstrated that a path equity. Under the new educational delivery model, every child LANE maximizing teacher effectiveness to for change is possible when all of us put the interest of children has access to the arts and library services, and every school will advance students’ academic growth. first when it comes to transforming public education. have a teacher with the additional responsibility to focus on And, it has become the cornerstone of supporting family engagement for their school. our unwavering focus on teacher effectiveness. Teachers are As you may remember, in June 2011 we reduced more than the most important school-based factor for accelerating student 200 of our central office staff who were funded through the achievement and reducing racial disparities. Most importantly, General Fund operating budget. This year, based upon our our District has been unified with a common purpose of new educational delivery model, we will be making significant Promise-Readiness for our children, which the teachers’ union, reductions in July to the number of school-based staff for the our Board and the entire staff and community support. start of school next year. We anticipate that these reductions Today, I’m pleased to report that we have made significant will result in hundreds of school-based furloughs, including progress in advancing the teaching profession in a way that teachers, paraprofessionals and clerical staff. The term focuses on student achievement. On behalf of our Board and “furlough” is used when an individual has recall rights for a the entire District, I applaud the many dedicated teachers future vacancy. The term layoff is used when an individual does who embrace the new data and opportunities we have made not have recall rights, as is the case for non-certificated staff available for professional growth. This thank you is especially most of which are in central office. important and timely since National Teacher Appreciation week is May 7–11. Thank you to all who continue to put the best interests of our students first. More factors should be considered when having to reduce the teacher workforce Excellence for All is the vision Currently, we are obligated by state law and our collective bargaining agreement to conduct a furlough process based for our students and staff on only one criterion—seniority. In the past, seniority was an Excellence for All is the District’s guiding vision for the important factor in order to protect teachers from discrimi- improvement of both our students’ academic performance and nation. Additionally, there was not an adequate evaluation our staff’s work performance in getting our children Promise- system in place, which could provide reliable evidence to Ready. What we set out to do is definitely working. differentiate teacher performance. Today, we are in a different place. The District and the • Our students are achieving better—PSSA scores are on teachers’ union have worked together to develop and implement the rise and racial disparities are beginning to narrow, a new evaluation system that is fair and consistent for teachers. but we must do more to increase our rate of progress This is why the District feels strongly that we must work significantly for all students. together to improve upon the current seniority-based furlough • We achieved AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) as a process. I have two main concerns with keeping the status quo: District twice in the past three years, which is a distin- first, the disproportionate impact that seniority-based furlough guishable feat among urban districts nationwide. Superintendent Dr. Linda Lane and Pittsburgh Promise will have on some of our schools, and secondly, our failure Executive Director Saleem Ghubril volunteered as “guest to use the data we have on teacher performance to inform the • Our community is invested in our student’s success grocery baggers” to support the current in-store, at-the- furlough process. There is a better way, one that advances the through the Pittsburgh Promise® and we’ve already had register promotion for shoppers to make donations to goal of an effective teacher in every class so that our children more than 3,200 students benefit from it. The Pittsburgh Promise®, a scholarship program aimed at are best served. • Our teachers have become empowered partners in our removing the financial barrier to higher education for eligible Now, when we must furlough more staff at one time than in success with nearly 100 in new leadership roles that help students graduating from Pittsburgh Public Schools. the District’s 100-year history, it is tragic that we are unable to to spread effective teaching practices throughout the consider the factors that matter the most. I feel strongly about District with a focus on our neediest students and schools. the need to put children first, and that is why I am asking the • Our school district has been recognized nationally for In the midst of changes to improve teachers’ union to consider other factors beyond seniority for our work to transform and improve public education the furlough process. and for embracing the way we’re helping teachers to performance, budget challenges arise The education of our children has never been more important improve their impact on students. for their life success, for the progress of our City and the Pittsburgh is in an enviable position. We are similar to districts well-being of our nation. In Pittsburgh, we have chosen to lead Internally, our culture is changing and we’ve worked hard at across the Commonwealth and country in our need to make rather than follow. Our District’s sustainability and competi- staying focused on what’s best for students, while finding ways to painful financial reductions. However, we are unique in the tiveness depends on how well we are able to adapt to a difficult deliver education more efficiently. All of this change has not been amount of grant monies that have been invested in what matters economy and growing pressure on public education for results. without challenge, compromise and, in some cases, discomfort. most for our children—having effective teachers. It means that We should be gratified to see how the work of our staff and Change is not easy. We fully recognize that our teachers are the at the same time we may need to make reductions to our General the support of our community are beginning to achieve better key to keeping students engaged and motivated in the classroom.