Full context: THe Wareham Courier article

A selected portion of an answer I gave to a media member was published in the recent Wareham Courier. I am providing the full question and answer here to restore the context that was taken out in the article. I do knot know why the journalist chose to cut out any mention of administration responsibility for discipline.

"What instructions/training or provided by Wareham Public Schools to assist teachers in enforcing discipline among students?"

I'm surprised to receive this question, as this is the administration's determination of policy and procedure. However, I can say that the Wareham Public Schools are expected to operate according to the discipline code explained in each school's handbook, and enacted by the School Committee. At the secondary level, teachers have the right to assign detentions and in-classroom consequences to maintain discipline in class so all students can learn; at the elementary level, detentions can be assigned only by administrators. Educators may not assign in-school or out-of-school suspensions, or Friday after-school detention. Educators also may write discipline referrals, and administration is expected to assign consequences according to the discipline code. In urgent situations, educators are to try to reach an administrator for help. During those times no administrator is available

Calendar and testing survey

A reminder that a survey on standardized testing has been sent to WEA members.  Please complete it by Friday, March 13 for it to be included in the data.  The goal is to have 10,000 educators offer their ideas and information statewide.

Members should have received surveys about making up school days lost due to weather.  This survey does not represent a contract; stating that it would be possible to work on a given day is not equal to a promise.  We look forward to seeing the aggregate responses so that the Association can represent its members when negotiating any changes to the 2014-15 calendar.

Vacations in 2015

To answer many recent queries about the current 2014-15 WPS schedule: there is still room in the calendar for three additional snow days before any consideration must be made to go outside the passed schedule.  Should even that total be surpassed, the WEA will continue to advocate for all of the Wareham Public Schools community that set their plans on the understanding that the schedule would be faithfully followed.  As of now, there is no serious concern about canceling planned vacations.

Seniority, early retirement, and more

I apologize for the rare updates recently.  Communications work has gone into updates via the monthly Beacon and the WEA's Facebook page.  Below are some updates that have gone out on those media recently:

• An updated Unit A seniority list should be out next week.  Members are advised to look carefully as the new list includes the correction of typos, errors of calculation, elimination of non-contractual categories, and other errata that have accumulated over the past several years.  The Unit C list will be addressed shortly.
• Pleased to announce that the Unit C membership ratified the tentative agreement (already ratified by the School Committee) unanimously.  The new contract will be distributed and one the website as soon as possible.
• The early retirement incentive announced today is missing some essential specifics (perhaps because it was never mentioned to the Association for necessary feedback and clarification). Association leadership is seeking some of these necessary facts so that people can make an informed decision on something that they can know is contractual.

 

Health insurance rates

A word to clarify the recent email from the district about health insurance rates. The second column (100%) is the cost to the town of each plan, the third column (30%), is the total that all Wareham employees will pay for that year. The further columns divide that amount by differing numbers of paychecks. Those WEA members receiving a paycheck every other week, which is nearly all, would pay anywhere from $88.48 up per paycheck, depending on the plan. The full text of the signed agreement will be on the website by 5/13/13.

About artifacts

After an afternoon meeting, the WEA can report the following:

• Artifacts do not need to be electronic. There is no requirement to scan or photograph anything.
• There is no minimum number of artifacts to submit.
• The cover sheet remains a work in progress. Sheets with much of the language already completed will be available at the WEA website in the future.
• The timeline has been moved up significantly.

See our FAQs on evaluations for more detail. The WEA advises all Unit A and B members to submit artifacts for any indicator for which they have received no feedback, or negative feedback.

Clarification on Evaluation System Ratification

Contrary to discussion at the most recent school committee meeting, no ratification vote for the Unit A evaluation system has been scheduled by the WEA. Friday is a ratification vote for the Unit B successor contract, which includes the Unit B evaluation system. At present, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has not reviewed the proposed evaluation system. This necessary part of the process has not been executed, so ratification has not been scheduled. This may arise as a topic of discussion on the October 1 Executive Board Meeting scheduled for Wareham High School.

Clarification on Rubicon and wages

In the wake of some discussion at the outset of the year, I want to clarify questions I received on the use of Rubicon Atlas. Use of Rubicon Atlas is not required at any level. Instead, it is seen as a tool that people are "encouraged but not required" to use in their instruction and preparation. In other news, a reminder that the membership of Unit A ratified a contract that included a step freeze for the school year 2012-13. The contract does include a raise in base pay; as health insurance expenses have gone up, please check your base pay and not simply the post-taxes and expenses amount.