NEA Moves to Help Poor Schools with Best Teachers
October 1, 2009
WASHINGTON — The USA’s largest teachers union will encourage local chapters to ignore contract provisions that in the past have kept school districts’ best teachers out of schools that serve mostly poor and minority students.
Testifying Tuesday before the House education committee, National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel said the union, which represents about 3.2 million teachers and other workers, will ask local affiliates to draw up memoranda of understanding with local school districts that would "waive any contract language that prohibits staffing high-needs schools with great teachers."
Van Roekel said the move is part of the union’s "Priority Schools" campaign that will also encourage "the most accomplished teachers-members" to start their teaching careers in high-needs schools, remain there or transfer there.
In the past, NEA has come under fire from critics for supporting contracts that allow experienced teachers with more seniority to transfer to schools that serve more middle-class children.
The critics include the Education Trust, a Washington-based advocacy group for low-income and minority students.
"They’ve said (it’s a) local issue," says Amy Wilkins, the Education Trust’s vice president for government affairs. "That’s a non-approach."
Wilkins on Tuesday said that she welcomes the move but that she’s not holding her breath. "I want to see it," she said.
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who chairs the House committee, said the announcement, which came during a hearing on teacher quality, was an important step for NEA in moving good teachers into difficult-to-staff schools.
"You can’t just steal them from affluent schools," Miller said.
In an interview, Van Roekel later said, "We’re going to support our locals in doing what they think is the best way to turn around these schools."
He said many experienced teachers prefer middle-class schools because their principals are often more experienced than those in hard-to-staff schools.
"They’re not willing to go there if there’s not going to be a good, solid principal," he said.