Friday, May 24, 2013

Miscellaneous FAQs for Teachers


Questions
1)  I have been tenured in another state. Can this be used toward my tenure in Fauquier County?
2)  I am considering moving to the area to teach. What is the academic atmosphere in your high schools?
3)  How many years of teaching experience will your county transfer?
4)  What percentage of their current salary do teachers receive at the time of retirement?
5)  Cost of living in our area increases rapidly. Why has the supplement paid to teachers with advanced degrees not been increased in recent years?
6)  What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a kindergarten teacher?
7)  Bringing speakers for professional development is sometimes costly. Is it worth it?
8)  Why don’t Fauquier County schools have more African American or Hispanic teachers? If we are supposed to be an equal opportunity school system, the ratio of minority teachers should be a lot higher than it is.
9)  Faculty meetings at my school never deal with issues within the school. They usually seem to be more of an in-service. What should faculty meetings involve?
10)  Are teachers allowed to meet directly with School Board members to discuss concerns? If not, why?
 
Answers
1)  Q I have been tenured in another state. Can this be used toward my tenure in Fauquier County?
A
No. The Code of Virginia requires a three-year probation period before a continuing contract is offered (in state, a one-year probation period).
2)  Q I am considering moving to the area to teach. What is the academic atmosphere in your high schools?
A
One of the goals of this school division is to ensure that each student at every school develops academic skills to progress and achieve success. That being said, as far as the academic atmosphere specific to our high schools, you might be better served by contacting the principals. It might also be helpful to check out the academic course offerings that are listed on our website.
3)  Q How many years of teaching experience will your county transfer?
A
All teaching experience with other school divisions is given credit upon transferring to Fauquier County Public Schools. For specific information contact Janelle Downes, Director of Human Resources.
4)  Q What percentage of their current salary do teachers receive at the time of retirement?
A
The retirement amount is based on a calculation that considers the highest 36 consecutive months of qualifying salary, the age of the retiree and the number of years of Virginia Retirement System service. It is not a strict percentage.
5)  Q Cost of living in our area increases rapidly. Why has the supplement paid to teachers with advanced degrees not been increased in recent years?
A
The supplement paid to teachers with advanced degrees is not related to cost-of-living increases. Each year we compare the supplements that we give our teachers to those in other school divisions in the area, and while they are not where we would like for them to be, our supplements are competitive with the market.
6)  Q What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a kindergarten teacher?
A
In the broad sense, kindergarten teachers experience the joys of helping young children to discover the world around them and to learn to read. The frustrations come from recognizing how far behind some children are as they walk in the door the first time, but the challenge is to help those children gain ground. In Fauquier County we have all-day kindergarten and each classroom has an instructional assistant to work with the children. In general, kindergarten teachers, like all teachers, possess a love of children and learning and have a desire to help children learn and succeed. Kindergarten teachers may require a bit more patience and understanding (and more energy!), but the rewards of introducing children to reading and to a host of information about numbers, science and history can be enormous.
7)  Q Bringing speakers for professional development is sometimes costly. Is it worth it?
A
We often find that bringing quality educators here is far less expensive than sending 400 teachers to a workshop to hear these speakers – where we’d have to pay substitutes, conference fees, lodging (if applicable) and mileage -- at a minimum, $250 per teacher. The majority of teachers are appreciative of the on-site access.
8)  Q Why don’t Fauquier County schools have more African American or Hispanic teachers? If we are supposed to be an equal opportunity school system, the ratio of minority teachers should be a lot higher than it is.
A
The County and Schools Human Resources Department sends our job listings and job fair information to all colleges in the Eastern region area. HR has undertaken initiatives to recruit minorities, attending job fairs advertised specifically as Diversity Job Fairs and also advertising in specialty magazines.
9)  Q Faculty meetings at my school never deal with issues within the school. They usually seem to be more of an in-service. What should faculty meetings involve?
A
Traditionally faculty meetings were devoted to nuts and bolts matters – procedural matters affecting the operation of the school. With the high use of email now many procedural matters can be handled without face-to-face meetings. Many see that as a waste of time. Therefore, many principals use faculty meetings as an opportunity to learn. If a principal is using faculty meetings for learning or sharing opportunities, one might consider the principal a progressive, proactive instructional leader who believes in the professionalism of his/her staff. If you believe there is a need to discuss some procedural matters that affect your day-to-day work, you might ask the principal to address these topics specifically.
10)  Q Are teachers allowed to meet directly with School Board members to discuss concerns? If not, why?
A
There are many mechanisms in place for a teacher to voice concerns. Dealing with concerns at the building level (grade-level chair, department head, assistant principal, principal) is the preferred option. As another option at the building level, a teacher with a concern may contact the school’s representative on the Advisory Committee for Educators and Staff (ACES). If it is an individual matter, the teacher may submit his or her concern in writing, via the ACES representative, to the superintendent personally with the assurance that the letter will never be shared with ACES and that the superintendent will respond. A teacher may also make an appointment to meet with the superintendent to resolve the concern. Should these levels of response not resolve the concern, there are additional options. On the fourth Monday of each month, Chairman’s Night is held at 5 p.m. in the School Board Administration Conference Room; this is an opportunity for citizens to express their concerns to the chairman of the School Board and the superintendent in an informal setting. Matters relating to personnel issues should be addressed solely to the superintendent through his office; personnel matters will not be discussed during Chairman’s Night. Another option is Citizens’ Time, a time set aside at each School Board meeting for citizens to address the full Board; again, however, personnel matters may not be addressed during Citizens’ Time. While School Board policy does not prohibit a teacher from contacting an individual Board member, it is likely the Board member will refer the teacher to the superintendent to ensure that all other levels of response were pursued first. Employees are permitted to discuss concerns with individual Board members as long as the discussion does not involve a personnel matter or a grievable matter.