Baltimore teachers are at a crossroads today
The day has come when Baltimore city teachers will decide whether to accept or reject a radical contract that will overhaul the current pay and evaluation system that has existed in the district for decades.
It has been a rather anti-climatic two weeks leading up to the vote today, which will take place from noon- 3 p.m. at Polytechnic Institute. While vocal supporters and dissenters have publically spoken out against the contract, of the dozens of teachers I've spoken with in the last few weeks, the majority said they'd rather have their voices heard in their ballots.
What the decision seems to have come down to is whether teachers are willing to take a leap of faith that an incomplete evaluation system will complement or hinder the new initiatives and hefty pay-raise opportunities outlined in the new contract.
We have covered the details to the extent they were available. We paid special attention to how teachers will be evaluated, and the safeguards outlined in the contract specifically targeting balancing the power of principals.
We covered the protests (an online petition to delay the vote had 170 signiatures this morning.)
Our editorial board has weighed in, and their support of the tentative agreeement has been dutifully challenged in our op-ed pages. We have polled our readers on whether the city is moving in the right direction.
I have spoken to many teachers whose voices have been, and will continue to be heard in the coming days and weeks. I am heading over to Poly for the vote, and will post updates via twitter: http://twitter.com/EricaLG
The contract has been the topic of intense debate among city teachers, right up until early voting last night. Hundreds of teachers went to the BTU headquarters to cast their votes, and conversations outside the headquarters varied from, "It's too good to be true," to "It's just that good."
Either way, Baltimore city teachers are at a crossroads today. And despite what our coverage has lent to the discussion--and I have noted the criticisms--a city teacher who is against the contract, said it best:
"Teachers will have to decide today whether this contract reflects a career they want in Baltimore."
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
Looking at the petition I was struck by the numbers of signers who were art teachers, media specialists, librarians and school psychologists, all classifications that could well fall through the cracks "in the fine print" of a new teacher evaluation system. I was additionally struck by how many of them seemed to be begging for information from their reps on how this contract would impact their livelihoods. Many seemed to indicate support for reforms, but when thousands of employees literally have no idea of how this contract affects their pay scales, I think the union has a problem.
Posted by: Claudlaw | October 14, 2010 11:50 AM
Baltimore teachers are at a crossroads, in fact it looks like the cross on which our beloved Jesus was crucified. Teachers are to be liberated to teach the way they wish, but I see no improvement in the ability of teachers to eject troublesome and disruptive pupils in order to concentrate on the many other pupils who are trying to learn. Second, the social pass for anyone without an IEP means that a not inconsiderable percentage of pupils in middle school ARE UNABLE TO DO THE WORK of third and fourth graders. I think teachers would readily accept the terms of this contract if they did not have these two arms (no help with disruptive pupils and pupils who are manifestly unprepared for middle or high school instruction and testing at those levels. Baltimore's students are not stupid, but they are uneducated, which is why they do so poorly on the standardized tests. In parting, I do not wish to ignore the many students, who sit quietly, listen, learn, and do well. This generation's hope lies in those students. The job is to bring more of the other students into this category, and I don't think the new contract helps to accomplish this.
Posted by: RayKing | October 14, 2010 11:58 AM
this might be a factor in the refusal of the BTU to delay the vote. I had heard rumors that Arne Duncan was planning to showcase Baltimore's contract in his visit with Oprah next week, but those have not been verified. The article lauds a $100 million dollar grant Tampa FL got from Bill Gates to tie teacher pay to evaluations. Since when was he an education expert anyway? And since when did the Democratic Party decide it wanted to sell the schools off to corporations?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/14/AR2010101404094.html
Posted by: democracy in education | October 14, 2010 9:42 PM
Claudlaw, you were correct in your perception that certain classifications of personnel were not considered in this contract. The social workers for example bring in millions as they bill for services; however, they were not included to be grandfathered in the system nor was there a way for them to reach the highest levels for compensation. The related service groups most likely added the votes needed to reject this contract.
Posted by: emjay | October 16, 2010 11:08 AM
One educational reformer in Illinois mapped the areas of the state with the highest incidence of poverty. He then mapped the areas with the lowest performing schools. Is it not surprising that the two overlapped? That is the direction education reform should be headed. The thing people do not want to admit is that the child has a listening when he/she enters the school. Do something about the listening and schools will perform better. All the "reform" is about the teacher, the speaker. When we as a society make sure our future, the children, really have an equal start, then our schools will be effective for all children.
Posted by: Boris | October 17, 2010 9:44 PM