Tuesday, December 21, 1999
Teachers: Smaller class No. 1 priority
BY DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati Public Schools teachers say reducing class size is the most crucial change administrators can make to boost student achievement, according to a survey the teachers union released Monday.
Teachers gave priority to smaller classes over pay raises in the survey, which the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers commissioned to gauge the mood of the district's 3,300 teachers.
School administrators last weekend offered a contract proposal that would reduce class sizes; they plan to pursue a tax increase in March to pay for it. The union and administration disagree on hiring details.
The union is negotiating a new contract; the current three-year contract expires Dec. 31.
Survey used to bargain
Union President Tom Mooney aims to use the survey as a tool at the bargaining table.
The most effective classes have 15-18 students, and 90 percent of teachers polled felt that small class size helps raise achievement, Mr. Mooney noted.
Nearly one-third of respondents said they had more students in their classes this year than last, probably because of districtwide budget cuts since last spring.
“Children come in with so many special needs, and in order to address those needs, the children need smaller class size,” said Betty Hill, who teaches at Millvale School in Cumminsville.
After class size, teachers' priorities included focusing on academic standards, increasing parental involvement, improving school discipline and inviting more teacher input into program and policy decisions, according to the poll.
Pay-performance link
Other findings included:
• Nearly two-thirds of teachers support linking pay to performance, but 90 percent oppose linking evaluation and pay directly to student test scores. CPS teachers have the second-highest starting salaries in Hamilton County; Sycamore is first. Starting salary at CPS for rookies with bachelor's degrees is $29,299, while veterans with master's degrees top out at $60,642.
After announcing budget cuts last spring, Superintendent Steven Adamowski asked CPS employees to accept a pay freeze and said he wouldn't put money in the budget for teachers' pay raises. Monday, Mr. Mooney said the union would seek cost-of-living raises.
• Eighty-five percent of teachers said creating more charter schools won't help students learn. The school board last spring adopted a policy allowing schools to convert to charter schools to free them from state, district and union regulations.
• About 37 percent said students' behavior problems have increased in the past year.
The union paid Fallon Research and Communications Inc. of Washington, D.C., $19,000 to survey its teachers. Researchers polled 625 teachers by telephone Dec. 9-12. The margin for error is plus or minus 5.65 percentage points.
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