Paul Bass Photo
Mayo (at right in photo) with board members Coral Ortiz and Che Dawson.
The public schools are losing eight teachers to resignations and retirement in November and December — which raised the question of whether that’s a cause for concern.
The question was raised at Monday night’s regular Board of Education meeting.
Board member Darnell Goldson raised it right before the superintendent’s personnel report was unanimously approved.
The report included notice of five teacher resignations effect Oct. 31-Dec. 5. The departing teachers have been working at Elm City Montessori, Mayo Early Childhood, Troup, Creed High, and Clemente schools.
Another three teachers — William Dillon of Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, Deborah Shindell of King-Robinson Magnet, and Janusz Stygares (who’s assigned to multiple buildings — put in for retirement effective November and December.
Twelve other teachers have put in for family medical leave.
The school system hired five new teachers, meanwhile, at Coop, Clinton Avenue, Metroplitan Business, and Wilbur Cross.
Goldson confers with fellow board member Alicia Caraballo.
“Teachers are leaving,” Goldson said. “We’re not even halfway through the year.”
“Why are these people leaving a month after school started?” he asked. “… How do we slow this process down?”
Reggie Mayo, who just began serving as interim superintendent while the district looks for a permanent replacement for Garth Harries (who left his job two months into the school year), promised to look into the question and provide answers.
The Rev. Boise Kimber offered an answer.
Kimber: “Sourced.”
“They were going to get fired,” Kimber, who has been speaking up regularly on education issues at school board meetings, told Goldson during the public comment portion of Monday night’s meeting.
Asked afterwards who told him that, Kimber responded, “My sources.” (Kimber’s “sources” have provided him with good information in the past. For instance, in August 2015, when school officials claimed not to know the plans of Co-op’s principal for the coming year, Kimber revealed that that principal had in fact taken a job elsewhere and wasn’t returning; he was right, as officials were forced to acknowledge.)
So far this school year, close to three dozen teachers have resigned, about the same number as at this point in the previous school year, according to district Talent Direct Mike Crocco.
School officials can’t publicly discuss the reasons for individual teachers leaving. But “our attrition rate is about 10 percent, which is right where you want to be,” said school system spokeswoman Mercy Quaye.
Teachers union President Dave Cicarella said in fact only one of the departing teachers is leaving because of a poor recommendation. “On occasion there are some that choose to resign in lieu of termination or non-renewal. But they in no way comprise the bulk of the resignations,” he said.
Under the evaluation system instituted under New Haven’s “school change” program, teachers with low scores receive extra help to try to improve their performance. Occasionally they are asked to leave, but the goal is to strengthen their skills instead.
When Grants Run Out …
Mayo: I’ll get back to you.
Goldson raised a second concern Monday night about the superintendent’s personnel report: The fact that it included switching the payment of eight Wilbur Cross High School teachers from various grant funds to the operating budget. Fellow board member Michael Nast echoed the concern, saying that many teachers are paid from grant funds, and those funds are running out — with an unclear picture on whether the system can afford to pay them all through the regular operating budget.
Goldson further expressed frustration that for “six months” district officials have not provided overall financial information to give a sense of how big a problem this will be.
“I have nothing to do with six months. I’ve been here [as interim superintendent] for eight days,” Mayo responded.
He promised to return to the board with more information. In the meantime, he said, he has asked his staff to keep paying those teachers through operating funds while looking for openings in other grant-funded positions in the district. Mayo agreed that this “is a problem” the district needs to address.
What They Make
The personnel report also included the hiring of three new paraprofesionals, two at Jepson Magnet School, one at Mayo Early Childhood. Two of them start at $18,793, the third, who begins at one step higher in the pay scale, at $19,451. Paraprofessionals have been speaking out for higher pay, finding a sympathetic ear in the mayor; but a last-minute state budget cut quashed plans to deliver it for this academic year.
Sixteen new cafeteria workers and “general workers” are on the job throughout the district as of this week. Most are being paid $17.79 an hour for between three and (in two cases) seven hours of work a day.
Union representatives renewed calls at the meeting to increase the pay of paras, as well as of cafeteria and security workers. Board member Ed Joyner proposed voting to instruct Mayo to increase the salaries; Goldson added a friendly amendment to seek 15 – 25 percent raises. The board did not pass the proposal, but members agreed during discussion to encourage higher pay in general.