Do The Math

According to Superintendent Sue Walker, Assistant Superintendent Marcia Harris, the Superintendent’s cabinet and the Shoreline School Board, teachers just don’t get it. What is it that your teachers are supposedly too dense to understand? Apparently we can’t do simple math.

District administration’s argument goes something like this: If only teachers understood that tough financial choices must be made, they would realize that wisdom of current district policies. “Fiscal responsibility”, “long term solutions”, “solvency”: These are the buzzwords of Superintendent Sue Walker’s current propaganda blitz. The implication seems clear: District administration and the school board are the responsible adults in this situation. Childish teachers are well meaning, but simply can’t comprehend what’s required to put our District back on track. That’s a job for the grown-ups, and by golly, somebody has to make the tough, responsible choices around here. For God’s sake, all we want to do is add more teachers to decrease class size? What could be wrong with this?

The Bottom Line

It is no accident that District administrators and the School Board use the language of the market. In District speak, Shoreline doesn’t have public schools. It is an “organization.” It doesn’t have a mission to teach children. It’s primary goal must be to maintain “fiscal responsibility” and “solvency.” It doesn’t have a personnel department. It has a “human resources” department. We are all just cogs in a machine.

A funny thing happens when folks start talking about the “bottom line” as being the most important aspect of a situation to consider: Integrity often goes out the window. The end justifies the means. Our leaders should not be questioned: They ultimately know what is best for us.

Teachers can add and subtract too

23+23+29 is all the math one needs to know to understand the District’s plans for Shoreline’s elementary students.

Let’s take a Shoreline elementary school with 3 classes for the fifth and sixth grade. In previous years , the District would balance these classes

by number and grade level for say, three classes of 25 (25+25+25) with overload assistance from paraprofessional support personnel. The District’s new plan is this:

23+23 + 29. Two classes under the overload cap, and one overloaded class with one hour of overload support a day. The other 80% of the time, the teacher and students in the class of 29 students get no extra support at all. What’s more, every time a new student enrolls at this elementary school, they add to the class of 29. The District will keep the classes of 23 artificially low to keep from offering overload support. Great if you are the kid and teacher in the class of 23. A disaster for that overloaded class of 29, 30, 31 or however high it goes.

When the superintendent and school board say they have hired new teachers, one imagines that these teachers will be opening up new classes, thus leading to smaller class sizes and improving instruction. At the elementary level this simply is not the case. The new teacher will be split between providing one hour of support a day for a handful of different teachers. Our district has never attempted to use a teacher in this fashion before.

The District’s plan to “improve instruction” comes at the expense of student learning and quality education.

23 + 23 + 29 does not equal an improvement in instruction.

What’s more, the School Board has already budgeted over $500,000 for overload support. Why are they refusing to spend it?

The Real Bottom Line

Your teachers get that money is important to running a school district. They know we must balance the budget. What they refuse to support is unnecessary changes that lead to a decrease in the quality of instruction for Shoreline Students.

Your teachers demand a Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources Director and School Board that are willing to collaborate with teachers, and act with integrity toward our common goal of bringing our School District back to greatness.

-David Guthrie