State Budget brief: Maintaining quality staff in schools


State Budget brief Maintaining quality staff in schools Background Placing high quality teachers and staff in schools is one of the most important things we can do to improve student achievement. To ensure a great school staff for years to come, an aggressive strategy is needed to recruit and retain the best and brightest to the profession. That strategy should include creating incentives and rewards for professional growth and development combined with funding for mentoring programs so beginning educators can learn from experienced teachers. In order for the great teachers and staff members in Wisconsin’s public schools to be fully effective, they must be part of the decision-making in how the school is run. If Wisconsin is to recruit and retain the best and the brightest educators, it must restore fairness to the state bargaining law. That means repealing the outdated, inflexible Qualified Economic Offer (QEO) law. Investments to maintain quality staff in schools contained in 2005-2007 budget The governor’s budget proposal for 2005-2007 will maintain quality staff in schools by: Providing funding for competitive grants to school districts where school boards and educators are interested in designing compensation systems that reward teachers for acquiring skills and knowledge that have been demonstrated to improve student learning or for accepting hard-to-staff or challenging teacher assignments. Expanding the grant program for teachers who receive certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to include teachers who receive master teacher licenses under the state’s new licensure rules. Providing $2.6 million to help experienced teacher mentors for beginning educators. Repealing the QEO to provide more flexibility for teachers and school boards to work together to find better ways to link teacher compensation with implementing effective instructional strategies, to address escalating health insurance costs and to create equity between teachers and other public employees in bargaining. WEAC position The Wisconsin Education Association Council supports investments in the governor’s 2005-2007 budget bill to recruit and retain quality staff in schools by creating incentives and rewards for professional development, establishing teacher mentoring programs, and repealing the unfair Qualified Economic Offer. Talking points Providing school districts with critical resources to reward teachers for pursuing professional development opportunities will improve student learning. It is a well-established principle in education circles that mentoring works; however, with the revenue caps, schools do not have the funding or the flexibility to implement effective monitoring programs. The governor’s budget provides needed funds to establish these critical programs. The governor’s budget builds on the exciting new teacher licensure process established in a new administrative rule known as PI 34 by allowing master level teachers to qualify for grants currently available to those who receive certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Repealing the QEO will help Wisconsin attract and retain the best and the brightest in the education profession. Wisconsin teachers are the most qualified in the country but rank 23rd in pay, a drop from 15th in 1993 when the QEO law was imposed. Since the QEO law went into effect, teacher compensation has lost ground to inflation, making it even more difficult to attract and retain the best and the brightest. Repealing the QEO restores fairness and true collective bargaining at the local level. Additional information If you have comments or questions, please contact Deb Sybell, WEAC Legislative Program Coordinator, at sybelld@weac.org or by phone at 800-362-8034 ext. 227.

State Budget brief
Maintaining quality staff in schools

Background
Placing high quality teachers and staff in schools is one of the most important things we can do to improve student achievement.

To ensure a great school staff for years to come, an aggressive strategy is needed to recruit and retain the best and brightest to the profession. That strategy should include creating incentives and rewards for professional growth and development combined with funding for mentoring programs so beginning educators can learn from experienced teachers.

In order for the great teachers and staff members in Wisconsin’s public schools to be fully effective, they must be part of the decision-making in how the school is run. If Wisconsin is to recruit and retain the best and the brightest educators, it must restore fairness to the state bargaining law. That means repealing the outdated, inflexible Qualified Economic Offer (QEO) law.

Investments to maintain quality staff in schools contained in 2005-2007 budget
The governor’s budget proposal for 2005-2007 will maintain quality staff in schools by:

Providing funding for competitive grants to school districts where school boards and educators are interested in designing compensation systems that reward teachers for acquiring skills and knowledge that have been demonstrated to improve student learning or for accepting hard-to-staff or challenging teacher assignments.
Expanding the grant program for teachers who receive certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to include teachers who receive master teacher licenses under the state’s new licensure rules.
Providing $2.6 million to help experienced teacher mentors for beginning educators.
Repealing the QEO to provide more flexibility for teachers and school boards to work together to find better ways to link teacher compensation with implementing effective instructional strategies, to address escalating health insurance costs and to create equity between teachers and other public employees in bargaining.

WEAC position
The Wisconsin Education Association Council supports investments in the governor’s 2005-2007 budget bill to recruit and retain quality staff in schools by creating incentives and rewards for professional development, establishing teacher mentoring programs, and repealing the unfair Qualified Economic Offer.

Talking points

Providing school districts with critical resources to reward teachers for pursuing professional development opportunities will improve student learning.
It is a well-established principle in education circles that mentoring works; however, with the revenue caps, schools do not have the funding or the flexibility to implement effective monitoring programs. The governor’s budget provides needed funds to establish these critical programs.
The governor’s budget builds on the exciting new teacher licensure process established in a new administrative rule known as PI 34 by allowing master level teachers to qualify for grants currently available to those who receive certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Repealing the QEO will help Wisconsin attract and retain the best and the brightest in the education profession.
- Wisconsin teachers are the most qualified in the country but rank 23rd in pay, a drop from 15th in 1993 when the QEO law was imposed.
- Since the QEO law went into effect, teacher compensation has lost ground to inflation, making it even more difficult to attract and retain the best and the brightest.
- Repealing the QEO restores fairness and true collective bargaining at the local level.

Additional information
If you have comments or questions, please contact Deb Sybell, WEAC Legislative Program Coordinator, at sybelld@weac.org or by phone at 800-362-8034 ext. 227.