In a program change Valley View School District 365U Superintendent James Mitchem said was "quality over quantity," one hundred and forty-two reading and special education teacher's aides lost their jobs for the 2013-2014 school year Monday night.
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The Valley View school board voted 5-2 to approve the proposed reduction in force. Board members Elizabeth Campbell and Jim Curran voted against the measure.
The district will now hire certified reading and special education teachers to replace the aides, though in fewer numbers. About 30 teacher's aides are also expected to be hired back to the district.
Having fewer teachers with more training will better address students' needs, officials said. This is what Valley View principals "overwhelmingly" told the district they needed, Mitchem said. The decision has nothing to do with money, he said.
Many teachers and community members in attendance disagreed. Several told the board they were concerned how students would receive the same level of attention with fewer people in the classroom.
Many Valley View teachers said they rely on teacher's aids, or paraprofessionals, to achieve success in their classrooms, especially in light of several district-wide programming and testing changes.
"Some of these paraprofessionals are our heroes," one teacher said, "and we would really like to keep them."
Another teacher said she had "ridden on the backs of paraprofessionals for the success of my students and myself." She has been teaching in the district for 18 years.
"I could not do my job without them nor will I do my job without them," she told the board.
District officials said certified teachers require less training and are better equipped to offer research-based instruction and work with student data. A reading certified teacher has received 24 hours of reading-specific instruction, officials said.
Mitchem said that district officials understood the move would be "extremely controversial" but that the district is in need of change and the board could not shy away from making difficult decisions.
"Ultimately, what has paralyzed the administration from making difficult decisions is what's happening tonight," Mitchem said. "We are confident the recommendation will truly serve the best interest of the students."
Victoria Sutterlin, president of The Valley View Council, Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, said she wanted to "express (her) disappointment in the decision." She thanked Campbell and Curran for voting against the measure.
'Many of us are certified teachers'
Several teacher's aides told the board to remember that they are certified teachers. However, the district wants to hire back teachers with specific certification in reading or special education, which require additional instruction.
Board Member Elizabeth Campbell said certified teachers working as aides should be hired for the new positions and allowed time to complete the additional coursework. She encouraged the aides to apply.
Reading
The district's approach for reading is the more straightforward of the two. Elementary schools have traditionally been allowed either two certified reading teachers and four reading paraprofessionals or four certified reading teachers.
In the past two to three years, more Valley View buildings have adopted the model of four certified reading teachers.
District data shows having all certified reading teachers and no teacher's aides produces higher student achievement, officials said. Of the district's 12 elementary schools, the top four in percentage of students meeting expectations are following this model.
The district therefore plans to dismiss 32 reading aides and hire 16 certified reading teachers.
Special education
The special education, or student supports, plan is more confusing, as student supports run the gamet from learning disabilities to intensive, one-to-one care addressing basic needs.
Numbers from a previous board document showed that the district would cut 82 special education aides and add 40 certified special education teachers.
The program changes will not affect students requiring one-to-one care under their IEP, or individualized education plan, officials said.
Cutting aides and adding teachers will implement a consistent ratio of teachers to students served per building, plus add staff members trained in research-based intervention.
The teachers will help achieve a state mandated 70/30 ratio in a classroom of students without disabilities to students with disabilities. There are currently more students with disabilities in each classroom than the state recommends.
Hiring certified special education teachers will also reduce the class sizes of the district's self-contained special education classrooms that include students with more severe disabilities. The district currently exceeds the state minimum of 13 for these classes.