SAISD School Board Rejects R4 contract

At the end of a very long meeting Monday, the SAISD School Board voted 6-1 to terminate the contract with the R4 Group.  Those voting in favor of terminating the contract were Olga Hernandez, Eliseo Cadena, Carlos Villarreal, James Howard, Tom Lopez, and Angie Ruiz.  Board member Doug Sellers voted against terminating the contract. 

 

At the meeting, Alliance president Shelley Potter presented the results of a survey conducted by the Alliance during April.  The survey had three sections – one on the Estrada DAEP, one on the OCI, and one on the four designated R4 high schools.  Potter provided the Board with representative comments about OCI and the Estrada DAEP as well as comments regarding the program at the four designated high schools. Potter told the Board:

"The majority of teachers do not see positive changes in student behavior as a result of either OCI or the DAEP at Estrada.  In fact, the majority see either no change or negative change.  They express serious concerns about the quality of work, the level of work, and the appropriateness of work that they receive from Estrada upon a student’s return.  At the four high schools that are the designated R4 campuses, almost half the respondents, 49%, say that the program has had a negative effect on the learning environment at their campus, while only 9% say it has had a positive effect.  When asked whether the feedback from the program has helped them improve their teaching, 91% said no." 

She closed with the Alliance’s recommendation not to renew the contract saying, “It is very obvious to us from the survey results as well as from what we have heard throughout the year via school visits, emails, phone calls, etc. that the majority of the secondary teachers – those on the ground, your front line employees – do not believe this program is producing desirable results.”

At the meeting, Dr. Duron noted that the program was not about new practices or strategies but about monitoring.  Board members asked many questions about the need to have an outside program and non-district staff monitor district teachers.  Several of the Board members expressed their faith in SAISD teachers and staff.  Referring to the Express-News article that said the R4 program got teachers out from behind their desks, Board members said they do not believe our teachers have to be told to get out from behind their desks and interact with students. They said that our teachers know this is part of being an effective teacher.  They also noted that such practices as learning walks were happening prior to the R4 Group coming into the district.

 

The Alliance thanks all of you who participated in the survey.  Check out the number of responses by site.

Board Presentation on Student Discipline

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SAISD 2009-10 Instructional Calendar

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Climate Survey Results

The Alliance conducted a climate survey last November to assess SAISD employee opinions regarding their work sites and the District. 1476 employees responded to the survey. Click here for a PDF copy of the overall survey results. Click here for the results by level.

SAISD Board approves health insurance