But it still has caused plenty anxiety among state lawmakers and school district administrators. I know few people in executive capacities with public schools who have been crazy about the requirement to keep classes small. But somehow the people inside the classrooms, teachers, have always remained pretty vocal about their support.
As a matter of disclosure, I should say my family has more public school teachers in it than many elementary schools, so I do not come at this without any biases. I do realize that the main reason teachers' unions like this amendment is that it makes it harder for people to fire teachers. The haters will say that protects bad teachers, but trust me, there are plenty of other flaws within the system to do that. Rather, what the class-size amendment does is to stop as many teachers from being laid off because of budget cuts.
The reason Amendment 8, which would allow districts to calculate class-size far more loosely, is coming up right now is because administrators would like the freedom to cut more decent teachers. With falling property values, a stoppage in growth and an unwillingness on the part of elected officials to raise taxes, it has become very hard to keep a school properly staffed. This amendment would mean schools would not need to do that.
Ironically, the thing that has made the running of schools most difficult is the policies of Bush and Republican cronies in Tallahassee. Bush did a lot to raise accountability in schools, but he also imposed a focus on testing that severely dampened the chances a student will graduate with a dynamic and inspiring education. Keeping classes small at least allows teachers the ability to cover the required curriculum and still have the time to offer any individual attention which particular students might need.
To me, that is a very bad idea, and goes against the spirit of the original class-size amendment passed by voters in 2002. If anything, we needed size limits more stringently enforced. I am voting against Amendment 8.
I am one of those public school teachers strongly opposed to Amendment 8. Why? Because I like to teach rather than play classroom cop.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I have ever met a teacher who is in the trade because they love to work for empire building bureaucrats, and only the least competent are there for a pay check, but we all listen when someone talks about catching a child's interest or seeing a spark light as a new idea is understood. It can come from figuring out long division to walking around barefoot on a wet canvas, but insight almost always happens one on one or when a student is working in a small group.
I suspect there are any number of places in any bureaucracy where waste can be cut w/out going after the people doing the primary 'production' job. A 90% cut of professional level non-classroom jobs might be a good start in Tallahassee and every county office, and wouldn't affect class size at all.
We currently have certified people who go weeks at a time w/out talking to a student, and Amendment 8 would include these 'teachers' in the class count equation. Others are 'co-teachers' required by one state/federal law or another who are certified, but primarily taking up a classroom chair. Amendment 8 does nothing about these burdens on the budget, but adds to the difficulties of actual learning and teaching. I would love to see tax dollars going where they would do more good, but the way to do this is to trim the bureaucracy.
Vote NO on Amendment 8.
ReplyDeleteMany home school parents rely on the Florida Virtual School to fill in gaps where the parents do not have the expertise to teach their parents.
Amendment 8 also specifies that FLVS teachers will have no cap to their loads. Right now most of the FLVS teachers had loads of 200 students. There are a few part-time graders to help alleviate this load, but just how high can their loads go if Amendment 8 passes?
Does anyone think the current load of 200 is reasonable? Why was this included in the amendment at all?
How come the majority of the politicians supporting Amendment 8 sent their own children to private schools where average class sizes range from 12 to 15? They are great proponents for charter schools, but charter schools have the luxury of withdrawing low-performing students. Charter schools also tout having smaller class size than public schools. A charter school in our county dis-enrolls students the day after their parents lose their jobs for the large local employer. Students are invited to attend if they live within the legal boundary for the school and if their parents work for the local large employer. Parents are required to volunteer a minimum number of hours each month. If the parent does not meet this volunteer obligation, the school dis-enrolls their children. Some charter schools dis-enroll students for low test scores or low grades. Public schools do not have the privilege of dis-enrolling anyone.
ReplyDeleteSo now that an effort was made to give some of the advantages private and charter schools enjoy to the public schools, Amendment 8 is formulated to take it away because the state says they cannot afford it. However, the state does continue to demand schools meet all the additional, burdensome testing and behavior initiatives non-educators think will enhance a classroom without providing the funding needed for implementation.
Public School parents stand firm and vote NO on Amendment 8.
Please vote NO on Amendment 8.
ReplyDeleteThere is a false illusion in the Amendment. A firm cap on 25 at the high school level is very different from the average cap in class size of 30 it proposes. 30 becomes more like 35 to 40 when non-weight bearing teachers are averaged in.
Taking one typical high school with approximately 1800 students as an example that can be applied across the board, there are 105 teachers, guidance counselors and media specialists.
Of these, 19 (5 guidance, 2 media center specialists, and 12 various testing, grant, and behavior specialists) are non-weight bearing teachers, meaning they are not assigned students. In addition 5 teachers who used to be pull-out or self-contained ESE teachers servicing the students with learning disabilities no longer have separate classrooms with students. Instead there is a new philosophy of inclusion where the formerly separated disabled students are mixed in with the regular classes and the former ESE self-contained classroom teachers are co-teachers working with those students with disabilities within the mainstream classroom.
Administrators have taken this to mean that they can have up to twice as many in the regular classroom because there are now 2 teachers present. Although the co-teachers do the crucial job of helping the disabled students, the responsibility for lesson development, testing, and grading still lies with the mainstream teachers so that their workload has been increased.
At any one period 25% of the 81 mainstream, regular teachers are on plan, and the students are distributed in the classrooms of the remaining 60. Included in this number of 60 are a couple ESE teachers in self-contained classrooms who have reduced number of students and deserve every aid and small size class they can get because they are serving the students with the most severe needs who cannot succeed in any mainstream academic environment.
The expansion of the number of non-weight-bearing teachers is because of the huge increase in testing mandates which have these teachers pulling out students for testing programs throughout the school year. Some of the other specialists address the needs of those students who live in adverse conditions (like the homeless kids who stay awake all night and use school as the safe haven where they can relax).
This year high schools took a while balancing classes, but they did get the class sized down to 25 in the five core areas of language arts, math, science, social studies, and foreign language. Vocational classes have always had caps because of the equipment required and safety issues for their classes. The remaining electives have borne the brunt and have much larger classes. Older students are being encouraged to dual-enroll at the community college, and many students are spending one or more periods per day taking on-line courses from the Florida Virtual School. As long as it is part of the regular school day, the counties earn the FTE (full-time equivalent) tax dollars. If it is beyond the normal school day FLVS earns the FTE.
Amendment 8 does nothing to reduce the testing demands that have been added to schools both at the state and national levels, so those additional non-weight bearing positions will continue. As long as all those non-weight bearing positions are needed to meet these initiatives, they will be kept. Amendment 8 would impose an average cap instead of the current fixed cap, so all these teachers, counselors, co-teachers and media specialists will be averaged with the mainstream teachers.
Years ago we had average caps of 28, but that was before the huge increase in the need for these additional non-weight-bearing positions. In those days counselors and media specialists were it.
At the high school level the Amendment lifts the cap from 25 to 30. It will not be 30, but closer to 35 to 40 per class.
Please vote NO for amendment 8. It will hurt every public school, especially the students.
Please vote NO on Amendment 8.
ReplyDeleteThere is a false illusion in the Amendment. A firm cap on 25 at the high school level is very different from the average cap in class size of 30 it proposes. 30 becomes more like 35 to 40 per regular class when non-weight bearing teachers are averaged in.
Taking one typical high school with approximately 1800 students as an example that can be applied across the board, there ar : 105 Teachers, guidance counselors and media Specialists.
Of these, 19 (5 guidance, 2 media center specialists, and 12 various testing, grant, and behavior specialists) are non-weight bearing teachers At any one period 25% of the 83 mainstream, regular teachers are on plan, and the students are distributed in the classrooms of the remaining 60. Included in this number are those ESE teachers in self-contained classrooms who have reduced number of students and deserve every aid and small size class they can get because they are serving the students with the most severe needs who cannot succeed in any mainstream academic environment.
The expansion of the number of non-weight-bearing teachers is because of the huge increase in testing mandates which have these teachers pulling out students for testing programs throughout the school year. Some of the other specialists address the needs of those students who live in adverse conditions (like the homeless kids who stay awake all night and use school as the safe haven where they can relax).
Amendment 8 does nothing to reduce the testing demands that have been added to schools both at the state and national levels, so those additional non-weight bearing positions will continue. As long as all those non-weight bearing positions are needed to meet these initiatives, they will be kept. Amendment 8 would impose an average cap instead of the current fixed cap, so all these teachers, counselors, co-teachers and media specialists will be averaged with the mainstream teachers.
Years ago we had average caps of 28, but that was before the huge increase in the need for these additional non-weight-bearing positions. In those days counselors and media specialists were it.
Please vote NO for amendment 8. It will hurt every public school, especially the students.
Another thing which already affects class size it that many teachers who used to be pull-out or self-contained ESE teachers servicing the students with learning disabilities no longer have separate classrooms with students. Instead there is a new philosophy of inclusion where the formerly separated disabled students are mixed in with the regular classes and the former ESE self-contained classroom teachers are co-teachers working with those students with disabilities within the mainstream classroom.
ReplyDeleteAdministrators have taken this to mean that they can have up to twice as many in the regular
classroom because there are now 2 teachers present. Right now this can mean up to 50 in a high school class. Although the co-teachers do the crucial job of helping the disabled students, the responsibility for lesson development, testing, and grading still lies with the mainstream teachers so that their workload has been increased. Following this logic and applying the Amendment 8 proposed cap of 30, the class size with a co-teacher present could be 60!
This year, the first year of full compliance with the small school amendment, many high schools took a while balancing classes, but they did get the class sized down to 25 in the five core areas of language arts, math, science, social studies, and foreign language. Vocational classes have always had caps because of the equipment required and safety issues for their classes. The remaining electives have borne the brunt and have much larger classes. Older students are being encouraged to dual-enroll at the community college, and many students are spending one or more periods per day taking on-line courses from the Florida Virtual School. As long as it is part of the regular school day, the counties earn the FTE (full-time equivalent) tax dollars. If it is beyond the normal school day FLVS earns the FTE.
ReplyDeleteFor years the needs of specific programs (ie: Vocational) or students (ESE) have been addressed by class caps. Finally there was the recognition that what was good for those students may be of benefit to the general population. The regular kids in regular classes were being given the advantages they had not had in the past.
Schools have found a way to accommodate the small class cap without adding a huge number of additional teachers. Let’s try it for a couple years before throwing it out.
Thank you commenters. You provide a thousand reasons here today why this amendment is a bad idea, and make a far better case than I can.
ReplyDeleteThe sky is falling , the sky is falling.
ReplyDeleteAll this amendment will do is give school boards a little flexibility and prevent some featherbedding
If there is feather-bedding, what is the point of class-size restrictions in the first place? The line needs to be firm. The districts want to break the rules.
ReplyDelete