I found some old files from 2011, the year the dentist began reigning over the OSDE. This post is also about the first State School Board meeting, but it's specifically about the stipends promised to National Board Certified Teachers.
By law, NBCTs are to receive a stipend every year by January 30, of $5000, as long as they teach full time in a public school classroom in Oklahoma. This is an amazing program that allows dedicated teachers to stay in the classroom where their heart is, and still contribute to their family's finances.
The speech pathologists piggy-backed on the law for NBCTs, as they did in every other state that rewarded NBCTs, and they received an equal stipend..but they could earn the stipend doing part time work in public schools; NBCTs lost their stipend if they went half time.
The School Board meeting revealed the money to pay the speech pathologists' stipends was "gone." Obviously this was not new information to the Superintendent...she even had speech paths there to speak. No NBCTs were invited or told.
The Board's decision was to take the NBCT funding and add the speech pathologists to that 'bucket' of money. It meant a deduction of $1800 per NBCT, just weeks before the stipend was supposed to be sent to teachers. No notice. Just one fell swoop.
I listened to the Board meeting and took notes. I wrote a letter to the Superintendent. It was my first, and it was the first she ignored. To date, she has ignored every letter, email, snail-mail, and one note I delivered into the hands of her assisitant. Someone from her office has replied to three of my snarky tweets. Three-and-a-half years. Countless leters and emails and tweets. Three replies of under 140 characters.
My notes from listening to the meeting dated 1/30/11:
By law, NBCTs are to receive a stipend every year by January 30, of $5000, as long as they teach full time in a public school classroom in Oklahoma. This is an amazing program that allows dedicated teachers to stay in the classroom where their heart is, and still contribute to their family's finances.
The speech pathologists piggy-backed on the law for NBCTs, as they did in every other state that rewarded NBCTs, and they received an equal stipend..but they could earn the stipend doing part time work in public schools; NBCTs lost their stipend if they went half time.
The School Board meeting revealed the money to pay the speech pathologists' stipends was "gone." Obviously this was not new information to the Superintendent...she even had speech paths there to speak. No NBCTs were invited or told.
The Board's decision was to take the NBCT funding and add the speech pathologists to that 'bucket' of money. It meant a deduction of $1800 per NBCT, just weeks before the stipend was supposed to be sent to teachers. No notice. Just one fell swoop.
I listened to the Board meeting and took notes. I wrote a letter to the Superintendent. It was my first, and it was the first she ignored. To date, she has ignored every letter, email, snail-mail, and one note I delivered into the hands of her assisitant. Someone from her office has replied to three of my snarky tweets. Three-and-a-half years. Countless leters and emails and tweets. Three replies of under 140 characters.
My notes from listening to the meeting dated 1/30/11:
Ok -- just listened to
the School Board discussion to combine all NBCTs and Speech Paths in the same
fund. Superintendent Barresi prepared a memorandum (which I would love to see).
There were speech paths and school psychologists who were there to speak. The
Board voted to prorate PART TIME speech paths. If an NBCT goes part time, there
is NO stipend at all. Lots of confusion...I think people just wanted to 'play
nice' that late in the day.
In preparation for the
meeting Super. Barresi said she spoke to speech paths and the 'legislature' to
talk about the fact that the speech path revolving fund was low. A Mona Ryan,
who was present and spoke, talked to Super Garrett when she discovered the
speech path fund was not fully funded...got nowhere with Garrett.
The law that granted
speech paths their stipend supposedly mirrors the NBCT-ELO law, but Board
member Rozell several times talked about part time speech paths getting a
bonus. No NBCT who works part time, or in a private school is eligible for a
bonus. Hmmmm...One thing to include in any note to the Board.
Speech paths in
attendance were allowed to agree with Super Barresi that their certification
was 'life changing.' A school psychologist was invited to the podium to speak,
and she had sent a seven-page packet 'comparing' the various 'national
certifications.' The Board didn't have it...the attachment didn't open. No one
from ELO was invited to speak.
Barresi
says, " My understanding is those people (speech paths,
psychologists) had to work just as hard for that year, and do the
same...." Several times she repeats "We realized it was not...We
researched this..."
The saddest thing was a
side discussion that confused National Board Certification and national
certification. I believe Barresi said "they are all national board
certified.'
Again, NBCTs and
nationally certified speech paths must NOT turn on each other, but I felt,
listening, that there were points of truth that were glossed over or distorted
or misunderstood.
I listened to the
entire, toxic meeting, to hear if we could discover what happened to the
revolving fund for the speech paths, but never heard. That's still the question
in my mind...where is the money??
Now I have to take a
shower to wash off the stink of that meeting.
More of Super Barresi's words from the
recording "We realized, We researched, We talked to Mr. Herron (the man
who brought the packet to the Board), We talked to the legislature (there were
two legislators there and they spoke)." She certainly had her hand in
this. You can almost hear the fatigue in everyone's voices by then...they just
wanted OUT of there...
One thing I left out -- 2319 NBCTs
eligible for the stipend...695 speech paths and psychologists...some of whom
are part time, but getting the stipend.
NO NBCT spoke...no one was asked to
speak...nothing, nada. I don't even know if anyone knew before the agenda was
published a couple of days before the meeting...
And my letter to Superintendent Barresi...I believe I sent copies to members of the Board as well. Dated 2/3/11.
Superintendent Barresi,
I am a teacher in
Norman, an NBCT, a finalist for Teacher of the Year at three schools, a Teacher
of the Year at two, Norman Teacher of the Year, and a finalist for Oklahoma
Teacher of the Year. I have been awarded the Oklahoma Foundation for
Excellence, Medal for Excellence in Secondary Education. I have taught 31 years
in this state, and took a $1000 cut in pay in 1979, the year our family moved
from Iowa. That’s $1000 real dollars of income lost, with one more year’s
experience. I have continued to lose
ground compared to my colleagues in Iowa and Indiana, but I have been allowed
the luxury to teach because my salary was never the prime salary in our family.
I am open
to changes that may come in the future with a new administration. That said, I
was embarrassed, not just by the members of the Oklahoma School Board last
week, but by you as well. You were elected by 56% of ‘the people,’ but that means
you now represent 44% of ‘the people’ who did not vote for you. You represent
us all…even those who voted for someone else, or didn’t vote at all. I’m hoping
in the future there will be recognition that you’re working for all the
students and all the teachers of this state, not just those who support your
quest to expand choice and ‘competition’ in the schools.
I was disappointed by Senator Rozell’s remark about Ms.
Russell, but as I listened to the entire meeting, I see two things clearly that
I feel you and Governor Fallin deliberately distorted: 1. He is right. She
‘would (will) be worthless to us’ when she is home on leave, during the most
critical weeks of the Legislative session. We will have no voice at the State
House protecting the interests of teachers and students. 2. I believe without a
doubt, you misrepresented the situation for political gain. He did not say she
was worthless as a human being. He did not attack a pregnant woman. He pointed
out she will not be on the job when all the students and teachers of Oklahoma
need a strong, active advocate. Why did you and Ms. Russell even think she
should take that job this year, knowing she would be on leave? And why has the
position of Legislative Liaison been added to the SDE this year, only to be
awarded to a person who will not be present?
This was a highly-charged meeting, and that off-the-cuff
remark by a public official who should know better was unfortunate. The way you
and Governor Fallin twisted the story made my head hurt from the spin. You
chose to attack him, whereas he was attacking the situation we would be in now
that Ms. Russell was hired.
I listened to the entire meeting to hear the discussion
about the NBCT and speech path stipends. More concerns, Madam Superintendent.
It appeared, through your words, as if you and Mona Ryan
worked together with Mr. Herron (I do not know if I spelled his name correctly)
on the proposal to use the NBCT stipend fund to cover the losses in the speech
paths’ fund. You continuously used the word ‘we’ when talking: “We researched…we
realized…we worked with Mr. Herron…we talked to the legislature.” If there was
time to do all this prior to the Board meeting, why was there no time to alert
OCTP or ELO, or any NBCT of the meeting and the concern?
Your contention that “My understanding is those people had
to work that year as hard…and do the same…” is not true. The two national
certifications are extremely different. But while I am deeply concerned, and always
have been, that speech paths and school psychologists piggy-backed off the NBCT
law, that’s a done deal. I refuse to
turn on a fellow education professional in these troubling times. Some
policymakers may actually hope we’ll be distracted by in-fighting and forget what the real concern is. I hope you
misspoke when you said, “They are all National Board Certified.” Only NBCTs
have National Board Certification.
It sounds like speech paths can earn the stipend if they’re
working part time. If so, that law does not, as Senator Rozell believes, mirror
the NBCT law. To earn the stipend for NBC, a teacher signs a promise every year
that she works full time in a public
school in Oklahoma. I’m hoping you can clarify that, as I have several NBCT friends who gave up their stipend when
health concerns forced them to work part time. I would hope their lost bonuses
will be pro-rated back to them if that is the case.
I have three other deep concerns about that discussion.
First and foremost, where did the money
go for the speech paths’ revolving fund? Why aren’t any of you screaming
that question? Where is the money? Why was it gone?
Why were no NBCTs
allowed to speak at the meeting, why was the director of OCTP not
recognized to speak, when there were speech paths and school psychologists who seemed
to be invited to the meeting specifically to speak? Was OCTP informed of this
meeting, or was it only speech paths and psychologists? You even prompted them,
“Your national certification was life-changing…?” and asked them to speak. Any
NBCT could have been eloquent and specific about our certification, and the
impact on student learning.
And, finally, why did
this all happen literally days before the checks were to be in the hands of the
NBCTs and speech paths, by law? Why did this happen NOW?
You are my boss and I assure you I will work as tirelessly
as I always have for the students of Oklahoma. I am a fourth-generation
teacher. This is my family’s business. My heart and soul are in this
profession. I will go to school tomorrow and revel in the student learning I
will witness. I will be here tomorrow and beyond, no matter if policies and
laws make my job increasingly difficult. I’m a teacher; I adjust and make
things work.
Politics aside, I will go back to my classroom and do what I
do best: teach, and impact the learning of my students.
I am requesting copies of the proposal Ms. Ryan gave the
Board, and would further request a copy of the ‘comparison’ chart the school
psychologist who addressed the Board referred to. I think all of us deserve to
see this information.
I appreciate the opportunity to be honest here and await a
reply.
Claudia Swisher
National Board Certified Teacher
Norman North High School
Needless to say, I never received the answer to my question, "Where did the money go?" and I did not receive notes. I received nothing from them then, and less since then.
This is why we must vote today, and if need be, in the runoff.
This is why we must vote today, and if need be, in the runoff.
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