Under close scrutiny - For schools facing sanctions, this is a pivotal year

For some teachers, the first day of school was a bittersweet event. Mixed in with the excitement of welcoming students back to school was anxiety about what will happen in the spring when the students take standardized tests.

For those who work in schools facing sanctions, this is a "do or die" year. If students do well, schools might exit the programs that threaten to punish them. If schools don't meet growth targets on standardized tests, they might be taken over by the state or closed down completely.

Most schools facing sanctions were visited by state auditors on School Assistance and Intervention Teams (SAITs) last year, and will be closely monitored this year.

Here are some stories about what it has been like to work in schools facing sanctions, how teachers are coping with the pressure and how schools came to be in this situation in the first place.

At Curtis Middle School in San Bernardino, teachers say they would like nothing better than to see the school improve academically. When the school was first subjected to federal scrutiny, they were optimistic that things might turn around. However, since the principal decided to transfer teachers against their will - as well as urge teachers to seek work elsewhere - without legal justification, morale is now dropping much faster than test scores.

Teachers believe the administration is using sanctions as an excuse to punish teachers and retaliate against union activity. The San Bernardino Teachers Association is fighting to make sure local administrators do not commit injustice in the name of sanctions.

The school is facing "corrective action" under Program Improvement (PI). According to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 2001, Title I schools that do not make "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) for two consecutive years are subject to federal sanctions that could ultimately lead to the replacement of school staff, school closure or a state takeover. Curtis is also part of California's High Priority Schools Grant Program (HPSGP) designed to assist the state's lowest-performing schools with an infusion of extra money.

Curtis ranks 1 out of 10 on the API scale. In the 2001-02 school year, test scores dropped 9 points.

Auditors from the state, working under the auspices of the federal government, first visited the site last October to observe and interview staff. The auditors reported that the school lacked "strong and effective leadership." Shortly thereafter, the principal was replaced. They also said Curtis lacked a positive climate for learning and needed a "consistent and effective" approach to managing student behavior for a safer school environment. Teachers, who had decried a lack of discipline at the school, did not disagree. Other recommendations from the auditors included:

• Dealing with the large number of students with discipline problems who are transferred to the school;
• Providing additional staff development time for standards-based instruction and other areas;
• Increasing the number of fully credentialed teachers at Curtis, which has a huge teacher turnover and has nearly half of its teachers working on emergency permits;
• Instituting a teacher dress code;
• Having teachers sign a letter of commitment;
• Non-renewing, reassigning or placing on assistance any teacher who does not commit to the action plan in its entirety.

When teachers submitted their demand to bargain these items, administrators failed to respond. Eventually, they agreed to negotiate. At the behest of the school board, administrators decided to go above and beyond a dress code (which teachers said was unnecessary since the school already had a dress code in place, but did not enforce it) by holding "Professional Dress Up Day" every Monday. Teachers would have to dress as if they were going for job interviews, the men in suits and ties and the women in business attire. Teachers decided to focus on matters more relevant to improving the school.

Teachers felt good about having the union involved in bargaining the "corrective actions" imposed on them. "The association understands the full ramifications of sanctions and works to protect our rights," says Rose Palomino, a sixth-grade math and science teacher who has worked at Curtis for a decade. "It was a real advantage to have union members involved. We were able to get information about what was happening. Having union involvement meant there was less uncertainty and frustration."

Negotiations came to an impasse on the matter of providing additional staff development time. Teachers preferred that there be paid staff development days added to the school calendar, but administrators balked even though the school is receiving $1.5 million in HPSGP money over three years. Instead, administrators said one minimum day per week would be the only option, which leaves teachers with less time to prepare for their classes and meet with students before and after school.

When auditors revisited the district and asked why the matter had not been dealt with, they ended up demanding that the district resolve the issue with teachers, says Mary Ann Francis, the site rep negotiating with the district.

When Principal Jim Dilday told Francis she was being involuntarily transferred, she was stunned. "He said I did not show a commitment to staff development, after I had sat with him for two days to negotiate it," she says. "I told him I had signed the commitment letter and that I was committed to the school."

When asked why she was being transferred against her will, she learned that her actions as a union rep were the reason, even though union activity is protected by law.

Previously, the principal had scheduled a staff development day on the only day teachers have between semesters to work in their classrooms without students around and prepare for the second half of the school year. Since the action violated the contract, Francis informed teachers that they did not have to attend the meeting.

This, Dilday told Francis, was proof that she lacked commitment.

"I'm devastated, absolutely devastated," says Francis. "Curtis has been my home for 11 years. I have never taught anywhere else. I could not be more committed to improving this school. I've been a cheerleader for this school. I don't think anyone besides the principal could question that. I have had glowing evaluations for my classroom teaching."

Another teacher was involuntarily transferred on the grounds that "staff in the front office didn't like her." And other teachers were asked to leave - with such comments as "maybe you should find another job."

A grievance has been filed and SBTA is contemplating whether to file an unfair labor charge with the Public Employment Relations Board.

Ironically, after Francis' involuntary transfer, a bargaining agreement was worked out that gave teachers most of what they had asked for. The district agreed to add four days to the school calendar strictly for professional development and pay teachers at their hourly rate. Under the agreement, half of the teachers' work day between semesters can be used for professional development, but only if the teachers agree.

However, because of the involuntary transfers, teachers feel no reason to celebrate.

"Everybody is shell-shocked," says Mikki Cichocki, a teacher at Curtis and former SBTA president. "It's been an interesting year. Many teachers are depressed. They are pushing us to the edge and complaining that we don't like it. Everything is so destabilized, nobody even feels comfortable asking questions."

Teachers fear that the administration's actions against teachers will take attention away from the real issue of how to improve the school and cause even more veteran teachers to leave. It's already happening, says Cichocki, who is leaving the classroom to serve as a member of a hearing panel on district expulsions.

"It's hard to say what kinds of changes will take place this year," says James Mack, who has taught a class for high-risk students at the school for 19 years.

"Things are bound to improve, but right now it definitely feels like we are under attack."