Dear Mr. Callahan,
Thank you for taking time to talk with Penngrove parents this morning. I brought up the first question regarding teacher contract negotiations.
I feel like my point was missed entirely. I am well aware that if teachers choose to leave PCS, there are many applicants to fill their spots. I have no doubt that many, many new teachers would happily fill a vacant position. My point was that we, as a parent community, don't want to lose our veteran teachers. These teachers bring something to the table that new grads simply can't - experience and a familiarity with the school's unique culture, climate, and community. On top of that, as you know, new grads, though they're cost-saving in their lower starting spot on the salary schedule, require training, days out of the classroom for BTSA, and time to get "caught up" on the many different parts that go into being a teacher. This comes at a cost to our children while helping your bottom line. They lose consistency in the classroom that can't be made up.
As I mentioned before, I am looking at these negotiations through the lens of a teacher who left the field - I have a master's in education, two credentials, and am National Board Certified. I adored my job at every level - as a classroom teacher, as an instructional coach, and as a district- and school-level TOSA. However, the gross incompetency from my district's leadership along with critically toxic contract negotiations left me with such disgust and despair that I walked away, and I wasn't the only one. The good teachers are the ones who left - we know we can either get teaching jobs elsewhere or embark on a new career path. When all that's left in your schools are new teachers and the "so-so" teachers, parents, like myself, who transfer their children into your district from their home district, will flee and take their ADA with them. If your schools are facing the enrollment issues you brought up this morning, then this would be disastrous.
Please, please, please take time to fix the negotiations issues at your end. Take this as a cautionary tale and do the right thing to protect the future workplace climate at your schools and keep those incredible teachers you have in their classrooms. PCS teachers deserve every single thing they are asking for (and then some!), and the parent community at our school stands behind them.