Arizona Education Association

Summer 2013

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AT THE CAPITOL Teacher Evaluations and Dismissal Bill HB 2500 was brought forward by the Arizona School Board Association (ASBA) from their school district attorney group. It was introduced and said to be a "clean up" bill related to the comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation bill that was passed during the 2012 legislative session (HB 2823). The AEA believes this is a much more substantive bill with major policy changes on teacher evaluations, improvement time periods, and teacher dismissal processes. Accordingly, the AEA intervened on this bill on behalf of our members' interests. AEA Amendments The AEA worked with Representative Goodale, her legislative staff, and the ASBA and Arizona School Administrators (ASA) to make changes to the bill as introduced. Three of the most significant changes that AEA was successful in making are: 1.Removing teachers classified as "developing" from the dismissal components of the bill. As introduced, a teacher classified as "ineffective" or "developing" were both considered inadequate. The AEA and ASA (administrators) worked hard to remove "developing" teachers from the potential punitive implications of HB 2500. 2. nsuring that a continuing status teacher E retains due process in the school year in which they are deemed "ineffective" through an evaluation process. A previous version of this bill put a continuing teacher labeled "ineffective" immediately on a probationary contract which means they could be dismissed without due process. AEA's concern was that a teacher could be "railroaded" in a single year by an evaluator simply because there was a personality conflict. The AEA worked hard to ensure a continuing teacher could be changed to probationary status in the next school year only after an evaluation ranked them "ineffective," thus ensuring a continuing teacher could not be dismissed without due process. 3. roviding 45 instructional days for improveP ment time. As introduced the bill changed the improvement time to 60 calendar days which could have allowed a district to put a teacher on an improvement plan and start the 60 day time period over a long school break (like an extended winter break). AEA was successful in changing the 60 calendar days of improvement time to 45 instructional days so that a teacher has a full 9 weeks of class time when put on an improvement plan. The fact that the AEA was able to successfully negotiate these three major changes to a bill that was originally so detrimental to teachers' rights and professionalism is a significant victory in light of the current political climate. During the negotiations various individuals with considerable political influence sought to add provisions that would have significantly harmed teachers' due process rights, lessened improvement time periods, and reduced continuing teachers' rights to a hearing. AEA weighed the potential harm of these changes to our members and accordingly agreed to remain neutral if all attempts to add other harmful provisions stopped. The AEA also negotiated in good faith with the bill's sponsor, Representative Goodale, to make the significant improvements outlined above. The AEA remains concerned that those furthest from the classroom continue to push for changes to teacher evaluation policies before school districts have had a chance to complete or test a new evaluation system. The AEA is vested in teaching as an esteemed profession and recognizes that our teachers work each and every day to do the best job they can in their classrooms. In the future, the AEA hopes that legislators focus on real issues like adequately funding our schools and giving teachers the support they need to provide a quality public education for every child. The AEA firmly believes every student deserves a caring and quality teacher in the classroom. AEA also believes that teachers need to be given the tools and resources to be effective in the classroom. All public school employees must be evaluated fairly and accurately. This means school districts and administrators should work with their teachers to help them improve on a timely basis. The AEA stands ready to work with our local associations and members to bring evaluation policies in line with the changes in HB 2500. This bill passed the Arizona House on Thursday, February 28, 2013, by a vote of 50 ayes – 7 nays – 3 absent. The bill has been transmitted to the Arizona Senate. More Legislative Update on next page Continued on page 8 Summer.13advo.indd 7 AEA Advocate x Summer 2013 7 3/18/13 12:03 PM

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