Long Term Substitutes: Beware of False Promises

This is the story of a long term substitute in a Houston area school district, and it is not an isolated event.  The purpose of this post is to bring to light misinformation brought on by district administration that directly affects the teachers and students that work and learn there.*
There are thousands of substitutes across Texas working for slightly better pay than a regular substitute.  These teachers may or may not be certified.  They are usually expected to do everything a certified teacher would do for less than half the pay.  Many of them are retired teachers, many are certified, many are looking to get their foot in the door by getting on the job experience.  But all too often, school districts treat them with much less dignity and respect than they deserve.

One such teacher was working full time in a classroom going to meetings, doing lesson plans, creating work centers, managing students with disabilities, having weekly parent teacher conferences, buying supplies, tutoring after school and all for $150 per day.   (That amounts to a yearly salary of about $28,000 without benefits, in case you were counting).  She was told by Human Resources that she could give herself an edge by working as a long term substitute in the district.  Then, an opening in the very classroom she was in comes up.  She was well liked by staff. Also, many students' reading levels had come up several levels since she had been their teacher. She was complimented often by the school administration for going "above and beyond" what was expected of her.  In fact, at least one other teacher in the school told her that they wouldn't apply for the job because they believed that she deserve it and that she had an established relationship with the kids and their parents.  So she interviewed for the position.  After the interview she was told by the principal that she didn't get the job.  When she asked why, she was told, "unfortunately, we can't consider prior experience at our school because that would be unfair to the other applicants."  The first thing the teacher wondered was whether they would have considered her prior experience if she had done a bad job.

Parents called FBISD administration, called the office of the principal, called anyone they could talk to asking for an explanation as to why their child had to suffer losing such a great teacher.  Here's what they got:

Hello,

Because I am the assistant superintendent for...ES, I will respond to your concern.  First of all, thank you for sending this email, as I know this is a valid concern for any first grade parent whose child is getting a new teacher.  I am posting excerpts from the letter that Principal... will send to parents tomorrow regarding the hiring of a new teacher for the students:

We appreciate Mrs. [substitute] working with our students at Elementary School. 

...While we do not like disrupting the students by having a teacher change, please understand the need to supply the students with a permanent teacher... 

Change can be difficult.  I have found that children often respond to situations by watching how the adults around them respond. I encourage you to focus on the positive and communicate to your child that you, like us, are confident that they will do just fine with their new teacher. We will do everything we can to ensure both a smooth transition and a successful remainder of the year for your child.

Thank you for your support of Elementary.

I am confident that [the principal] will truly monitor the transition and is available if you have further questions or concerns.

 In other words, we're sorry for your loss, but if your child suffers, it's your fault, not ours.

One of the many disappointments here is that Human Resources told her that her experience would help her, and the principal of the school said they didn't even consider it.  If she had had a poor record at that school would the principal have considered her experience then?  

The principal played Pontius Pilate and said that it was out of his hands, that anyone who had questions could talk to administration.  Administration clearly pointed the finger back to the principal.  The students cried and the parents were furious.  

As pathetic as this sounds, this is not the first time we have heard of this happening in Fort Bend ISD.  It has certainly happened at different schools but this particular principal seems to have had a history of quoting regulations that could not be backed up on paper and using them and his authority to oust teachers for a variety of reasons.  

Five years ago, this same principal used to work at a high school in Fort Bend and recommended that a teacher's contract not be renewed because the teacher had violated several policies.  We'll let the news article speak for itself.   

You can read the entire article with the rest of the district's reasoning here.

In 2008 from Fort Bend Now-"FBISD Board Votes To Not Renew Marshall Teacher’s Contract"

Following a rare public hearing on a personnel matter, Fort Bend ISD trustees voted unanimously not to renew the contract of a popular Marshall High School social studies teacher.

Jeffery said the action was part of a personal vendetta against him by Assistant Principal Alfred Holland... Jeffery [stated] that many of the regulations he was cited for were not written policies but instead examples of “micromanagement” by Holland, and none were related to Jeffery’s teaching ability.

Jeffery, through his attorney, noted that he had been “an excellent teacher,” was chosen as the school’s favorite teacher by the Class of 2009, was a former Teacher of the Year nominee from Marshall and had received no administrative write-ups in the three years preceding Holland taking over as assistant principal...

During testimony before the board, Holland said Jeffery “does not follow the rules.”...

Under questioning from Jeffery’s attorney, Holland repeatedly could not produce copies of the policies Jeffery was accused of violating. Holland also admitted that he received a request from Jeffery for copies of the policies but did not produce them, saying that he believed the documents would be provided to the teacher as a part of an ongoing grievance process. One of the policies Jeffery was accused of ignoring was the use of school-approved hall passes. When asked where in the school handbook the hall pass policy was written, Hall said he was not certain that it was an “official” policy.

“I don’t think there is, per se, an official hall pass policy. I don’t know if it’s in (the handbook) or not, but I know it was communicated to the teachers,” Holland said.

Three current and former faculty members of the Marshall High social studies faculty testified on behalf of Jeffery, telling the board Jeffery was a good teacher and that Holland and Reynolds’ management of the school was rigid and controlling and created an environment that made it difficult for them to teach.

Read the entire article here:  http://www.instantnewsfortbend.com/2008/05/23/32031

Principals certainly have a right to hire anyone they please.  But do students, classrooms, teachers and parents mean so little that an administration can do whatever the whims of a select few demand? Apparently so.

If this is the case in your district, let someone know.