CTA PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release March 13, 2014 CTA has received the 56-page report from the Special Magistrate and will be closely examining it over the next twenty days according to Impasse timelines. We anticipate agreement with some recommendations, but not all. Of note, the Special Magistrate shares CTA concerns that the OCPS version of teacher evaluation only yields 7% teachers as Highly Effective. Neighboring districts report as much as 68% Highly Effective teachers. The Magistrate stated, It is in the publics interest to have a greater proportion of its school teachers rated Highly Effective. The Magistrate also said, CTA correctly asserts that, as it stands, evaluations are unrelated to compensation and there is no legal obligation to tie salaries to evaluation for FY 13-14. Additionally, the Special Magistrate recommended a solution for distribution of the Governors teacher raise initiative. This allows CTA to pursue the contracted step raise as a separate matter. Furthermore, while the district was pushing a two-year contract, the Magistrate agreed with CTA and recommended a one year contract. Now, with the release of the Special Magistrates report, finally the delay of OCPS teacher raises created by the districts unilateral decision to declare Impasse will move to the next step in a long process. Sincerely, CTA Orange CTA Press Release ORANGE COUNTY CLASSROOM TEACHERS ASSOCIATION 1020 Webster Avenue ♦ Orlando, FL 32804 ♦ 407.298.0756 Orange County Classroom Teachers Association Thursday, March 13, 2014 Contact: Diana Moore, Orange CTA President 407-298-0756 Summary The Special Magistrates recommendation was received by the Association late this afternoon. As expected the Magistrate split the baby and compromised in many of his recommendations. Wages Although the Magistrate felt bound by the extant teacher evaluation system - which he acknowledged was, if not required by law in FY 13-14 (as the District mistakenly claimed at the hearing), was nevertheless here as a practical matter. So constrained, the Magistrate was unable to recommend the step program urged by the Association. However, the Magistrate severely criticized the Marzano formula, describing it as inexplicable, and sought to minimize its adverse impact by (1) rejecting the Districts attempt to eliminate the highly successful appeals process that the Association fought for at the hearing, (2) made the appeal boards decisions final and binding, and (3) increased the pay to be received by employees pursuant to evaluations. The features of the Recommendation are summarized below: Aside from recommending numerous - but not nearly all - of the many technical language changes proposed by the Association, the Special Magistrate acknowledged that the CTA raises a number of concerns and issues with respect to the Marzano system. Indeed, he went so far as to write as follows: One has only to look at the Marzano formula for evaluating teacher performance and wonder if anyone can understand or explain how the system actually works. The Magistrate also expressed his concern that the Districts teacher evaluation model resulted in only 7% of the School Districts teachers [being] considered Highly Effective in their job. Notwithstanding the inability to understand or explain how the [Marzano] system actually works, the Magistrate *felt he+ must accept the reality that teacher pay for performance is here [in FY 13-14] and mandated in FY 14-15. However, because of the difficulty in applying the inexplicable Marzano formula, the Magistrate rejected the Districts proposal to abandon the current very successful Appeals Board Process altogether, and instead recommended the Associations proposal that employees who disagreed with how evaluations were conducted, be given the option to elect either the Appeals Board or the grievance process, either of whose decisions [would be] final and binding. Maintaining the Appeals Board, and making its decisions final and binding, provides an important counterweight to the vagaries of the inexplicable Marzano evaluation procedure. In addition to recommending these teacher protections, the Magistrate further recommended that teachers receive substantially more compensation than previously proposed: for Developing and Category 4, Effective and Highly Effective Teachers, increases to $500, $1,000 and $1,300 respectively. (These additional economic recommendations are for FY 13-14 only, and, importantly, do not obviate pending grievances relative to further and additional pay increases.) Regarding fringe benefits, the Magistrate rejected the Districts fringe benefit proposal, which would have entirely passed on all future health cost increases to employees) as a drastic step. Within 20 days of receipt of the recommendation, either side can reject the recommendations in whole or in part; all of the rejected recommendations, if any, will be submitted to the School Board for final resolution.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 12:50:09 +0000
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