Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/25821
Klipfel — Abdullah’s mentor for both BTSA and PAR — says the two programs sometimes flow together seamlessly, and it’s difficult to separate one from the oth- er. To be successful, she adds, a relation- ship must be built based on trust and car- ing between the mentor and participant. She is proud to have such a relationship with Abdullah. Leslie Littman, president of the Hart District Teachers Association, says that supporting new teachers is crucial to re- tention, especially in the hard-to-staff ar- eas of special education, math and sci- ence. She estimates that half of the dis- trict’s approximately 1,000 teachers went through the PAR program, which became mandatory over a decade ago for teach- ers with less than three years of experi- ence. Only a handful have left the dis- trict, she says proudly, noting that na- tionally nearly a third — 32 percent — of new teachers leave the profession within seven years. In addition, several veteran teachers identified as “struggling” who have com- Money needed In contrast to districts that put money into teacher support, Centinela Valley Union High School has not had an active Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) panel for two years because the district decided to stop funding the program, despite contract language for PAR with its local association. Many teachers in the district have been identified as “struggling,” but there are no resources to help them. “Nobody wants to be a struggling teacher, and the lack of PAR funding is a huge disservice to teachers,” says Betty Samantha Abdullah watches as a mock trial takes place in her eighth-grade English class. for teacher support Funding model puts Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) programs at risk. Setterlund, president of the Centinela Valley Secondary Teachers Association. In- stead of helping teachers, the district has transferred teachers to different school sites on an unprecedented scale. This is typical of what’s happening in many districts throughout the state: PAR is no longer available to help struggling teachers. The lack of funding for teacher support comes at a time when it has never been more difficult to be a teacher due to budget cuts, high-stakes testing and increased class sizes, says CTA President David A. Sanchez. In 2009, state funding for the PAR pro- gram was put into “flexibility” — also called “Tier 3” — along with other categorical programs. Phil Lafontaine, who oversees teacher quality for the California Depart- ment of Education, says that school districts and county offices of education receive the same amount of money for PAR that they received in 2008 — $29 million total — but can now use it for any purpose including salaries, materials and other programs. The “flexibility” will last until 2013. FEBRUARY 2011 | www.cta.org 11