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Teachers in Virginia speak out about being underpaid and in most cases I believe they are correct. I can think of several ways of approaching this problem but there is one approach that I haven’t heard teachers volunteer their time and effort to participate in as necessary to provide the means for localities to increase their compensation.
Who is better qualified and in the position to know when their school administrators are spending money that produces little or no value to the learning process for students? Teachers have a wealth of knowledge about school operations that should be shared with their administrators without fear of a backlash that harms them in any way.
Governor Mark Warner created a program designed to review operations of each school district in the state in an effort to identify areas of improvement that would save the school district money. The savings isn’t taken away from the school district but is retained for use in other areas of school operations that will increase the academic knowledge and performance of students. So why is it that so few school districts have participated in this program?
The answer in most cases is a lack of understanding of the program. School superintendents are reluctant to investigate details of this program due to their fear that any discoveries will make them look bad. This is a very selfish and self-serving attitude and should never enter the mind of school administrators who are serious about their mission to provide the best education possible to the students in their district.
School Board members of most districts are also not well-read about the details of the efficiency review program. Board of Supervisor members usually know next to nothing about the program and aren’t inclined to do any independent research to learn important details of the purpose of the program and how it is performed.
Who is most qualified and in a position of knowledge to know if such a review will produce positive results for their school? The teachers of each school usually know more about these things than what they are comfortable in sharing with their superiors. This administrative environment should not be allowed to exist, if it is a deterrent to teachers making suggestions for improvement to the educational process being utilized within their school.
Every school district in Virginia is currently knee-deep in the process of preparing their 2012-2013 budget for submittal to their Board of Supervisors for approval. Usually, each locality has an approved budget by May, or no later than early June, of each year. Teachers should feel safe and comfortable in freely providing their input to this budget process. If they have suggestions for improvement, or suggestions as to how money being suggested for one thing could be better spent on another thing, then by all means they should attend the budget meetings and provide their input. If teachers believe an efficiency review is a good idea, they should say so and encourage administrators to approve the review.
It appears that trust is lacking in the area of school administrators, teachers, citizens, and elected officials who must make a decision to either approve or reject the proposed school budget. Independent agendas seem to be more important than unified efforts to implement efficient methods and operations that will improve the learning process and educational value to students. So why isn’t this more transparent in each school district? When these folks in high places start doing their job properly and as a responsible adult, instead of an irresponsible person with their own personal agenda, positive results might just suddenly appear.
Teachers, start today with an attitude of hands-on involvement in behalf of your students and yourself. At the end of each day you will feel better and your efforts will start to produce positive results. Get a good grip and go get ‘em.