9486 in the collection
School staffing at issue
Ohanian Comment: One of the lead attorneys in the landmark Williams case filed a complaint over Hiram Johnson's use of substitutes; the district blames "unforeseen circumstances." But when kids do not pass the math exit exam and are denied high school diplomas, officials talk about student failure, not "unforseen circumstances."
In New York City eons ago, I was classified as a "permanent substitute," meaning I had the same classes all year.
By Kim Minugh
A San Francisco attorney has filed a complaint against the Sacramento City Unified School District for its failure to get permanent teachers at the head of all Hiram Johnson High School classes by the 11th week of school.
John Affeldt of Public Advocates, who was one of the lead attorneys in the 2005 settlement of the landmark Williams case, filed the complaint Friday afternoon, stating that the district is out of compliance with state law and could be at risk of losing state funding.
There is "no excuse" for the district to have waited more than two months since the start of the school year to adjust staffing levels according to enrollment, Affeldt wrote – even given the school's unexpected influx of more than 200 students. As a result, nearly 400 students have lacked the quality education they are entitled to, he wrote.
"One of the serious issues we sought to redress in the Williams case was precisely what appears to be happening at Hiram Johnson: a high minority, low-income, low-performing school experiencing extended periods of core courses taught by short-term, rolling substitutes," Affeldt wrote in the claim sent to Superintendent Maggie Mejia.
According to state law enacted by the Williams settlement – reached between the state and Affeldt's firm – the district has 30 days to remedy the situation.
Sacramento City Unified spokeswoman Maria Lopez said the district received Affeldt's complaint late Friday afternoon and that it would be inappropriate to respond so quickly.
"We will read through it and respond appropriately," she said. "We still have people adjusting the schedules and we know they'll be continuing to work on it through the weekend."
Until this week, nearly 400 students at Hiram Johnson had been in core academic classes led by substitute teachers for more than two months.
This week, administrators began moving some of those children into classes with credentialed teachers, but as of Friday, some remained under the guidance of substitutes.
Lopez could not say how many.
The issue first came to the public's attention two weeks ago, when English and drama teacher Larry Tagg went before the school board to ask that more teachers be hired.
A week later, district officials explained that they were still in the process of verifying enrollment figures.
Hiram Johnson's population is highly transient, with students sometimes enrolling in a school but then showing up at another, they argued.
In addition, two teachers had left to teach at other schools just before the school year started, compounding the problem.
Lopez has said the delay is not attributable to budget issues.
District officials missed a self-imposed deadline Wednesday to have all the affected students in classrooms with highly qualified teachers.
Since then, they have not set another timeline, or even clarified how many students remain under the guidance of substitutes.
Several teachers and an increasing number of parents have decried the delay, some saying they have called the school or district asking for answers but have received none.
Some students have reported having as many as four or five substitutes rotate through their classes since the year began.
"It's hard enough that kids struggle in their classes because they don't get it or they need that extra (help), and they get accustomed to one teacher and – boom – there's another teacher," said parent Victoria Mancera.
Her son, junior Chris Ramirez, has been in two classes with substitutes, including algebra – a subject that has given him trouble in the past, but a class that he must pass to graduate.
"Chris is really trying really hard," Mancera said. "It's kind of disappointing that the school doesn't have enough foundation for the students that are trying to get ahead for a better education."
Hiram Johnson already has been under scrutiny for its academic performance. The school's test scores are in the lowest 10 percent when compared with schools statewide.
Additionally, Hiram Johnson is in the second year of Program Improvement, a series of sanctions set up for failing schools under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
That history makes the teacher shortage all the more concerning, Affeldt told The Bee.
He said the situation is "outrageous."
"The kids at this school are going to be hit harder by this kind of instructional quality problem ... than at any other school," he said. "These are the kids who should be getting the most qualified teachers, not the least qualified rolling substitutes."
Affeldt said the district is in violation of state law requiring all classes to have permanent teachers at the beginning of the year. In writing the Williams settlement, he and others provided a 20-day grace period for districts to deal with issues such as enrollment fluctuations.
If his complaint is not addressed, Affeldt said, Hiram Johnson could lose more than $1.2 million the school has been allocated under the Quality Education Investment Act.
The money comes from another statewide legal settlement and has been divided up among some low-performing schools to help raise student achievement by lowering class sizes and boosting teacher training opportunities.
Affeldt also said the district could face a lawsuit if not responsive to the problem.
Tagg and Kirk Zaro, another teacher who has voiced his frustration with the vacancies, said they were thrilled to see Public Advocates taking on the issue.
"It's a clear case of wrong vs. right. (The district) could have done this so much earlier," Zaro said. "That's what they needed – a little bit of pressure to get them to do the right thing."
Initially it was believed that six teachers were needed to fill the vacancies, but it is not clear what that number is now, given that some students have been moved into other classes.
Two openings were posted on the district's online job board for the first time on Thursday – one for English and one for math.
Sacramento City Unified teacher salaries range from $40,000 to $85,000, excluding benefits, with the median at $66,000, according to the district. The average daily cost of a teacher is about $315, also excluding benefits.
The average daily cost of a substitute is about $96 for the first five consecutive days, and $146 for each additional day.
They are limited to 20 consecutive days.
— Kim Minugh
Sacramento Bee
2007-11-17
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/499036.html
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