At least 10 percent of Morgan Hill Unified School District
teachers are leaving the district, according to the Morgan Hill
Federation of Teachers.
Morgan Hill – At least 10 percent of Morgan Hill Unified School District teachers are leaving the district, according to the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers.
There is a lot of frustration among teachers, union representatives say, over issues including class sizes, district administration, new teaching systems and what they say is a lack of communication.
“They are leaving in record numbers this year,” said Sobrato High School teacher Jeannie Wallace. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen this kind of exodus.”
But speaking after the emotional meeting in which dozens of educators packed district headquarters, Morgan Hill Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Jay Totter said the numbers are not unusual.
“The district keeps track of the number of staff who leave the district, and there appears to be a larger than normal number of retirements this year, perhaps due to the retirement incentive that was offered, but at the present time we do not see a larger than normal number of resignations,” he said. “That could change as the year progresses.”
Wallace said the MHFT has had reports from the building representatives at the individual schools that there are more teachers leaving that have not put their names on the list.
“When we ask them why they are leaving the district, they often cite salary,” she said. “They can make thousands more in other districts. They also usually cite the benefits package, and although ours has been improving dramatically, it’s still not comparable to some. But the fact of matter is, they wouldn’t have been looking if they were not dissatisfied with their current job. There is a general sense of malaise about the district.”
The teachers are leaving for a variety of reasons, she said, including frustration over some of the systems being put in place by district administrators.
“Of course we teach standards, but standards represent a floor … but what is happening now is taking away the floor and putting in place a low ceiling,” she said.
Teachers came together at Tuesday’s School Board meeting to tell trustees they are frustrated with a number of issues, notably over-populated classrooms. Seven of them told trustees and district administrators teacher morale is lower than ever.
New Britton Middle School teacher George Karr said his small classroom is filled with students, so much so that he doesn’t have enough seats for them all. The contract calls for a cap of 35 students; Karr said he has 34 kids, but that that is too many. Some secondary classes have 36, 37 or 38 students.
“Instead of dividing and conquering, it’s a separating and pacifying imperative,” he said. “I have no where to put them … To me, it’s simple. It’s a part of the contract that we all have x amount of kids, and that should be it.”
MHUSD School Board President Peter Mandel said classroom crowding is an issue that is larger than the district.
“Our teachers do have to educate very large classes of children, but reducing the classes by one or two is not really the solution,” he said. “The solution is for the state to provide enough funds so we can get classes down to where teachers can be more effective. Currently there is an issue with the compensation to our teachers for those cases when class sizes go above contract levels. That question is coming to the board through the proper grievance process, and the board will be having a hearing on that soon. Hopefully resolution of that issue can happen quickly.”
Totter said the district cannot solve every classroom overage, but that the district has the obligation to make the attempt.
“Even though there is language in the agreement between the district and the teachers’ union that establishes class size maximum, there is also language in the contract that speaks to the district’s attempt to reach those maximums,” he said. “It is not always possible to do that, given singlet classes, AP classes and other unique classes. The district continues to work with the teachers’ federation to reach agreement.”
Wallace said the contract states that the district has to have the consent of the principal and the teachers affected before exceeding contract maximums. She also said this year, there are at least 50 teachers who have been affected, where typically there are less than 10.
