A new decision from Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott confirms that a district can reduce the salary of an employee who is reassigned to a lower paid position if the reduction occurs between contract periods and if the employee receives formal and timely notice.
In the case considered, a continuing-contract employee was reassigned from one position, natatorium manager, to another, teacher/coach. The district maintained his salary during the first year but reduced it in line with the district pay plan effective the beginning of the next school year. In the decision, the commissioner restated the general rule that “teacher pay can be reduced but districts are required to inform teachers of reductions in pay before teachers lose the right to unilaterally resign from their contracts.”
The commissioner went on to clarify that, for the notice to be sufficient, it must be both formal (from a high-level official) and specific (stating how much of a reduction is possible).
—Brajenovich v. Alief Indep. Sch. Dist., Tex. Comm’r of Educ. Decision No. 021-R10-1106
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced in March that workplace discrimination charge filings soared to an unprecedented level (95,402) during Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, up 15 percent from the prior year. “The EEOC has not seen an increase of this magnitude in charges filed for many years,” said the commission’s Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. “While we do not know if it signifies a trend, it is clear that employment discrimination remains a persistent problem.”
All major categories of charge filings increased. Charges of age discrimination and retaliation saw the largest annual increase. Charges based on race, sex, and retaliation remained the most frequently filed. Many factors—including current economic conditions and increased workplace diversity— may have contributed to the surge.
The EEOC filed 290 lawsuits, resolved 339 lawsuits, and resolved 81,081 charges in FY 2008, according to its data. The agency recovered approximately $376 million in monetary relief for discrimination victims and obtained significant remedial relief from employers to promote inclusive and discrimination-free workplaces.
Employers have stepped up wellness communication and don’t plan to cut their budgets for wellness and employee assistance programs, according to a survey by Buck Consultants, a communications firm in New York.
While employers look for ways to shed costs, almost half of them (45 percent) report increasing their wellness communications to assist employees with stress brought on by the economic downturn. Fifty-three percent of survey respondents reported an increase in the use of wellness services since the financial crisis started.
Other survey findings include the following:
—“Wellness Programs Seen as Key Benefit, Survey Finds,” News in Brief: Workforce Management, March 19, 2009.
In a finding that goes against conventional wisdom on private- versus public-school education, a team of University of Illinois education professors noted that public school students do better than private school students on standardized math tests.
Their study indicated that two factors are responsible for the difference:
While some parents prefer the “back-to-basics” approach to math that some private schools use, the older methods don’t do a good job of preparing students for today’s standardized tests.
—“Public Schools Outperform Private Schools in Math Instruction,” Science Daily, Feb. 25, 2009.
Beaumont ISD seniors who want to return to the district to teach math or science can look forward to something that other college graduates are finding more elusive these days: a job.
The district’s school board recently approved a measure to offer jobs to Beaumont high school seniors who want to return to the district to teach after completing their postsecondary studies. Seniors in the grow-your-own program are required to complete their bachelor’s degree and earn a teaching certificate in math or science to be guaranteed a position in the district.
Districts often use grow-your-own programs to bring promising high school students back home to teach. Beaumont has put a different spin on the concept by focusing its program on math and science, both chronic teacher shortage areas.
The district expects that the students who take the district up on its offer will make good teachers because they know what they want to do and have the drive to complete a college or university program.
—“Before heading to college, Beaumont ISD grads could have job offer,” by Emily Guevara, Beaumont Enterprise, March 19, 2009.
The Laramie County School District 2 school board recently voted to put an end to a mid-week teacher training effort that the community dubbed “Wacky Wednesday.” Each Wednesday, kids were dismissed at noon and sent home while teachers met for staff development.
While some believed the staff development effort was cutting edge and destined to improve student learning by improving teacher quality, parents were less enthused, saying that their kids were being cheated because of the shortened school day.
The district was certainly ahead of the pack in its effort to embed training in the school day, according to data collected by the National Staff Development Council in Dallas. Very few American school districts have teacher training during regular school hours, but the practice is not uncommon outside of the country.
In most European and Asian countries, teacher training is incorporated into regular school hours. Their students spend less time in class but score higher than American students on math and science tests.
—“Time Well Spent? Teacher learning debated in Wyo.,” by Mead Gruver, The Associated Press, March 12, 2009.
