[Mpls] Teacher turnover, excessive lay offs, and the law

[Dan McGuire]

Britt Robson wrote:

>Is Mr. McGuire saying that lack of state funding and the uncertainty about
>how much funding schools will have in the coming biennium has "very little"
>to do with teacher instability? 
>
Yes. 

>Or is he hiding behind the "state law"
>construction (as opposed to "state action") so that he can lay the blame on
>the current MPS administration? 
>
I'm not hiding behind anything.

>How much does declining enrollment and the
>consequent downsizing of the teacher workforce, couple with seniority rules,
>have to do with teacher instability? 
>
How much does declining enrollment have to do with due to the school 
closings and administrative decisions to lop off teachers and programs 
without first making qualitative decisions?  The parents I talk to say 
it's a big factor.

>Is it really mostly about "lopping off" quality teachers and programs without any forethought as to their
>effectiveness?
>
Tell me about the decision making process that was used to determine 
which programs and teachers were lopped.

> Finally, if peformance pay for teachers really becomes a part of the state solution to ending the shutdown, how will that affect teachers in the MPS?
>  
>
That will depend on how it is implemented.  If it is done on the cheap, 
it will probably exacerbate instability.  If sufficient talent and 
resources are applied to the  process, stability and student achievement 
will likely be enhanced.  But don't expect the results to show up next 
semester.

Dan McGuire
Ericsson