By James Lomuscio
The Westport Board of Education Monday night voted 6 to 1 to approve Superintendent Elliott Landon’s request not to renew contracts of 144 non-tenured teachers at the end of the school year—a move the teacher’s union head called “devastating” to the morale of all teachers.
Elliott Landon: “many uncertainties here.” Dave Matlow / WN photo
Landon said the tactic was necessary since the school board faces uncertainty as its 2011-12 school budget goes before the Board of Finance this week. The proposed $98.3 million budget is a $2.3 million increase, most of it covering salary and benefit increases.
“We have no idea what our final budget will be, and to preserve our options, I have asked the board to include our non-tenured teachers on the list,” said Landon. “There are so many uncertainties here.”
In past years, only substitutes had to live with the possibility of not having a job the following year. This year, however, Landon sent a letter to all non-tenured teachers as well, informing them their contracts would not be renewed. (See WestportNow March 15, 2011)
The letter had a mixed message in that the teachers were thanked for their service and asked to reapply to Marge Cion, director of Human Resources.
Prior to the board’s vote, Kathy Sharp, president of the Westport Education Association (WEA), strongly objected to the letter.
“When the non-tenured teachers received these letters, it had a devastating effect on the non-tenured and tenured teachers, a drastic effect on morale,” she said.
She said the teachers’ sense of “puzzlement and surprise” has been exacerbated by a national wave of resentment against unions resonating from recent events in Wisconsin.
“It left Westport’s teachers with a great sense of uncertainty and foreboding,” she said.
Board member Mark Mathias was the lone dissenter, saying, “I just didn’t think it was needed.”
“Our process has been the same in past years, and I don’t see a reason to change it,” he said.
Board member Elaine Whitney said the move was predicated this year by fiscal constraints.
“This year there are no easy cuts to be made, and we have to maintain as much flexibility as possible,” she said.
In other matters, the board voted unanimously to approve a school nurses contract through 2013, a contract hammered out during a collective bargaining agreement.
It provides a 2 percent pay increase the first two years and a 2.25 percent the third.
The board also gave a unanimous nod to a “Green Cleaning” program at the schools. Nancy Harris, assistant superintendent of business, explained that the new soaps and detergents would be eco-friendly.
“We got rid of all the caustic material,” she said.
At the opening of the meeting, the board heard a presentation from Brian Fagan, assistant superintendent of curriculum, and members of the District Math Team eager to implement Singapore Math in kindergarten, first and second grade.
A concept that originated in Singapore, the math approach uses concrete, pictorial and abstract concepts to improve the student’s critical thinking skills, explained Fagan.
Decsribed by one parent proponent as “math in 3-D,” Singapore math was touted as a means to make Westport students competitive on a global scale. The approach is already being used in the Scarsdale, N.Y. public schools and in Lexington, Ky., said Landon.
It is a shame that in those 144 non-tenured teachers there are some of Westports most effective teachers. If cuts are needed, wouldn’t it be best for our children if tenure was not a determining factor as to which teachers were cut? I think this is one of many reasons for the “national wave of resentment against unions”.
What an unfortunate decision. Our children are so fortunate to have young enthusiastic teachers that are well trained in the newest teaching techniques. Loosing these treasures would be devastating. One of Westport’s greatest assets is the school system, and we seem to be systematically degrading it. Something has to change or we are going to start losing teachers and new families to other towns.