Support for teachers. Accessible services. Better schools.
We should celebrate teachers for all forms of student growth.
We need to decrease pressure on teachers and students regarding state-mandated testing. We can’t abandon state testing, but we can de-emphasize it. I believe that if we let teachers teach according to student needs instead of to a test, we will see increases in morale and curiosity. Higher test scores will follow.
Each Richland One school should create a culture of support that values teachers’ time and personal needs.
We need to implement policies that will rehumanize day-to-day operations in schools. Like all professionals, teachers deserve lunch breaks and time to use the bathroom, and shouldn’t be demoralized by unnecessary paperwork that takes their attention away from what they do best—teaching.
Involve search committees in the hiring and reassignment of school administrators.
We need to involve teachers, parents and community stakeholders when deciding who will lead schools. Executive directors too often make decisions without consulting with the employees that serve the public directly. Teachers feel unheard when their leadership changes without taking into account the needs of the school community.
Teacher recruitment should be efficient, intentional, and professional.
We have far more vacancies per student than neighboring districts. We need to be faster in hiring than our neighbors and our district should be quick to respond to the needs of potential hires. When we enact programs to retain teachers those programs need to be made known.
Improve Teacher Recruitment & Retention.
District offices and services should be accessible to teachers.
Teachers should be able to communicate openly with district leaders and we should give their perspectives the weight they deserve. District officials should welcome opportunities to meet directly with teachers and staff to hear unfiltered feedback. We need to audit our administrative services for efficiency and enact strategies to improve them for all employees—from teachers to principals to support staff.
District offices and services should function efficiently and openly.
When programs are sunset, policies are changed, or textbooks are not delivered in time for the first day of school, teachers and the public are often left in the dark about what happened. This lack of transparency means that teachers feel undermined instead of supported by their district leaders.
Improve District Office Services.
“Sometimes, if you wear suits for too long, it changes your ideology.”
-Joe Slovo
Contract negotiations should be collaborative; contract language should be precise.
We need to lead the state by adopting fair contracts. Vague language such as, “other duties as assigned” should be removed from contracts unless we are going to compensate teachers for their overtime.
New teachers should get contract paperwork in a timely manner.
The 2023-2024 school year started with 1,613 vacancies across the state. An offer from Richland One is almost never the only one a teacher is considering. If we want to effectively recruit teachers, new hires should not have to wait weeks for their contract paperwork. Having their contract in hand means that a new teacher can confidently make decisions about their future employment and communicate those decisions to other potential employers. It makes Richland One a good choice.
End contract adhesion.
The statewide culture of requiring teachers to sign year long contracts without knowing their wage or assignment needs to change. Richland One should lead the state by advocating for a budget process that empowers districts and teachers to know the terms of their renewal contracts before they sign them. Why can’t the change start with Richland One?