Attention all BTU teacher members: As you may have heard, policy language about employee evaluations was drafted, revised, and presented by the district on May 21, 2019 to the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners Policy Committee. Here is a summary of the Unannounced Formal Observations section of Draft Policy GCO-RD:
● The 1st formal observation for 1st year teachers must be announced
● All other formal observations could be announced OR unannounced
● The 1st unannounced formal should not take place before the Initial Planning Conference (but since the current language says “should” this leaves the door open for principals/observers to conduct the unannounced formal before the initial planning conference)
● The 2nd unannounced formal should not take place before the Mid-Year Performance Review (but since the current language says “should” this leaves the door open for principals/observers to conduct the unannounced formal before the mid-year performance review)
● Just like regular formal observations, unannounced formals should not be conducted after an unexpected or major disruption to the schedule (again, with the word “should” this is merely a recommendation that can’t be enforced)
● The current language would allow for unannounced formals to be conducted without any pre-observation conference, a right currently available to teachers prior to announced formals
The board presentation, made on the behest of Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises, Chief Executive Officer, and Jeremy Grant Skinner, Chief Human Capital Officer, was presented by Jessica Papia, Director of Employee Effectiveness, and Jerome Jones, Director of Labor Relations and Negotiations. The presentation on changing policy for employee evaluations can be found at this link:
As per the Board Policies and Administrative Regulations for the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, administrative regulations guide how policies are implemented. Policy development is a step-by-step process designed to be comprehensive, consistent, and open:
● Policy language is drafted and revised by staff with stakeholder input.
● Proposed policy language is presented to the Board’s Policy Committee.
● Public comment is accepted for 30 days after the presentation, with staff members compiling a list of issues raised.
● 1st reader: Policy language is presented to the Board of School Commissioners, along with recommendations from the Policy Committee and a summary of the public comment received.
● A public forum or work session may be held to discuss the policy language.
● 2nd reader: Policy language is presented to the Board of School Commissioners, along with recommendations from the Board.
● The Board votes on the policy
It is imperative that teachers make public comment on this proposed policy within 30 days of the May 21, 2019 proposed employee evaluations policy.
The district is selling these changes to the employee evaluation as “formal observation processes that increase authenticity and accuracy” but we as educators know that this will decrease scores on teacher evaluations and, as an effect, decrease teacher retention.
Please review the draft policy and regulations on Board Docs and fill out this feedback survey to ask questions and submit feedback.
BTU members, officers, and staff provided public comment at the May 21st Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners Policy Committee Meeting and formally presented at the June 11 th Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners meeting to express our opposition of unannounced formal observations.
Click here to complete the survey
If you would like to help organize to combat these “surprise” formal observations, especially for the First Reader at the July 23rd board meeting, please contact Melissa McDonald at melissa.e.mcdonald@gmail.com.
Finally, we need our teacher members to use their voices and reach out to the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners to share their opinions about the proposed policy.
One request we received from membership during the May 22nd Building Representative meeting was information on how to make their objections to formal observations heard, and sample language for reaching out to the board. On the next page is a SAMPLE letter. Feel free to use as much, or as little of it as you’d like. The more you make this your own with personal anecdotes and ideas, the greater the impact on the commissioners when they read it!
_________
Dear School Board Commissioners:
(Introduce yourself, where you work, what you teach, your years of experience, and any accolades/awards/achievements you want to show of about yourself!) I am writing today to oppose the proposed Evaluation Policy Proposal of Unannounced Formal Observations. I am committed to ensuring I provide high quality instruction to my students and believe this policy change will create a culture of fear and distrust, thwart the intended goal of teacher growth, and increase an already alarming rate of teacher turnover for the district.
Charlotte Danielson herself, who created the rubric used in formal observations said, “…learning can only occur in an atmosphere of trust. Fear shuts people down. Learning, after all, entails vulnerability. The culture of the school and of the district must be one that encourages risk-taking.” The addition of unannounced formal observations feels like a “gotcha”, and would create the exact culture of fear, where I’d be unwilling to be vulnerable and take risks.
Our working conditions are more difficult than surrounding school districts and to implement this proposed policy against overwhelming teacher objection would increase teacher turnover which ultimately hurts our students. I believe that teachers should be meaningfully engaged in any proposed evaluation policies moving forward.
I urge you to vote against this proposed policy,
Name
Position and School
The Board Members and contact information are as follows:
| Board Policy Committee | policyreview@bcps.k12.md.us |
| School Board Main Account | schoolboard@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Cheryl A. Casciani, Board Chair | ccasciani@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Linda M. Chinnia, Board Vice Chair | lchinnia@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Muriel Berkeley, Commissioner and member of the Policy Committee |
mberkeley@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Michelle Harris Bondima, Commissioner | mbondina@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Andrew “Andy” Frank, Commissioner | afrank@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Martha James-Hassan, Commissioner and member of the Policy Committee |
mjames-hassan@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Ronald S. McFadden, Commissioner and member of the Policy Committee |
rsmcfadden@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Vernon A. Reid, Commissioner | vreid@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Johnette Richardson, Commissioner | jarichardson@bcps.k12.md.us |
| Joshua Lynn, Student Commissioner and member of the Policy Committee |
jlynn@bcps.k12.md.us |