| SEARCH OnWEAC |
|---|
Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) and Representative Terry Musser (R-Black River Falls) are circulating a bill that would make teacher preparation time a mandatory subject of bargaining.
In a memo to all legislators, they said 60% to 70% of teacher contracts address preparation time in some manner. This means two things, they wrote:
"This is especially true in the current environment where teacher time is stretched tight as teachers serve in multiple capacities to meet the educational needs of children," they wrote. "As a result, teachers are left with little or no time in the day to prepare for classroom instruction and to meet the other demands on their time."
They noted that in Boyceville, the school board has proposed to eliminate all preparation time from the collective bargaining agreement only one year after the teachers fought to include elementary preparation time language.
In addition, they wrote, the Clintonville school board has proposed reducing preparation time, and the Wittenberg-Birnamwood school board is expected to try to eliminate preparation time during the upcoming bargain.
"These are just a few examples," they wrote. "In the end the children pay the price. We know that the quality of our children’s education suffers when teachers are not given enough time during the workday to prepare for the classroom."
Under the bill, school districts would be required to bargain collectively with respect to time spent during the school day, separate from pupil contact time, to prepare lessons, labs, or educational materials, to confer or collaborate with other staff, or to complete administrative duties.
The 2007-08 WEAC Legislative Agenda supports including teacher preparation as a mandatory subject of bargaining. According to the Legislative Agenda's talking points:
WEAC's 2007-08 Legislative Agenda
Posted June 5, 2007