Why is the Gilroy Unified School District negotiating with the
teachers union about teacher evaluations?
After all, even the president of the teachers union sees this as
an administration matter.
The problem is not that teacher evaluation procedures are not in
place, the problem is that the procedures are not being followed by
school administrators.
Why is the Gilroy Unified School District negotiating with the teachers union about teacher evaluations?
After all, even the president of the teachers union sees this as an administration matter.
The problem is not that teacher evaluation procedures are not in place, the problem is that the procedures are not being followed by school administrators. The embarrassing dismissal of teacher Kristen Porter last school year, and the subsequent grievance and out-of-court settlement made that plain. How the failure of administrators to follow current procedures became a teacher contract negotiation issue is mystifying.
Let’s get right to it. It’s a waste of time and resources to spend “countless hours” discussing revisions to plans that have never been fully implemented. This is a problem that needs action, not talk.
Let’s stop the talk and start at the beginning. GUSD has teacher evaluation procedures in place. If those need to be updated, do it. Let’s not get mired in bureaucracy; let’s start with the plan in place and revise as necessary.
Instead of spinning our wheels and delaying implementing teacher evaluation procedures, let’s hold administrators responsible for following the plans that they were supposed to be following all along.
That way the vision of teachers union president Michelle Nelson will become a reality much more quickly.
“Teachers need to know: ‘What am I doing correctly? What am I not doing correctly? If I’m not doing something correctly, what can I do to fix it?’ People were caught by surprise, and there shouldn’t be surprises,” Nelson told reporter Katie Niekerk.
If, after current teacher evaluation procedures are consistently implemented and followed for a reasonable period of time, revisions are necessary, then let’s have that discussion – publicly. How teacher evaluations are conducted is a concern for this entire community because it impacts the education of our children. That’s not a discussion that should be hidden behind closed doors under the shroud of “labor negotiations.”
The current teacher evaluation procedures should be posted on the district’s Web site so that parents, teachers and potential employees can understand how it works. Then, if and when the time comes to revise the teacher evaluation procedures, the community will be fully equipped to make comments on proposed changes.
That’s the first step on the path to accountability.
