Updated: 4:03 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, 2014 | Posted: 3:34 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, 2014
MIDDLETOWN

Staff turnover in Middletown similar to other districts, officials say

By Michael D. Pitman
Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN —

Middletown City Schools are looking to fill vacancies due to teachers leaving for a variety of reasons, including retirements and higher-paying positions at other districts.

Superintendent Sam Ison said the retirements are happening because of changes in the State Teachers Retirement System. As of July 1, 2015, the number of years to be calculated for retirement will lower the amount of money public employees can receive. Currently, a teacher’s retirement package is based on the best three salaried years. However, next July, the state will base retirement packages on a teacher’s best five years.

“So obviously, you’re going to lose money,” Ison said.

The district had 60 teachers leave. Twenty-four teachers retired while the balance offered resignations for various reasons. As of Friday, there were 39 new teachers for the 2014-15 school year, 28 of whom will be first-year teachers.

As of earlier this week, school officials said there were still a few positions to fill, including special education and math teaching positions, as well as some support staff, such as tutoring and aide positions.

“People are leaving for different districts for a variety of different reasons,” said Eric Gearhart, the school district’s human resources director.

Yearly turnover is typical in a school district, he said. Most of the turnover is due to teachers cashing in on retirement, but other educators are leaving for higher pay with other districts, either because they are getting an equivalent of a promotion or are being paid more by another district, Gearhart said.

“Some of our teachers have left for administrative positions, leaving for promotions,” he said.

Others are leaving for higher paying jobs with another school districts, and some are leaving to work in the school district where they live.

“I’ve been on the phone with other human resources directors in Southwest Ohio, and they are experiencing the same thing,” Gearhart said. “It’s not a Middletown thing.”

A breakdown of why educators are leaving Middletown outside of retirement is not fully known, he said, as they were not able to conduct exit interviews with all teachers.

“We’re always concerned, we always look at those issues,” Ison said. “This is an organization about people, and we always want to look at how to cultivate an environment that retains the best people, and the ones that are productive that help our students.”

Classes for the Middletown City School District begin Wednesday, though freshmen start on Tuesday. The first day for full-day kindergarten is a week later on Aug. 20.

BACK TO SCHOOL

The Middletown City School District returns to school next week. Here are some key dates to note for the upcoming school year:

Aug. 12: First day of school for freshmen

Aug. 20: First day of all-day kindergarten, though some kindergarten students report on Aug. 18 and 19

Dec. 22-Jan.5: Winter break

April 3-10: Spring break

May 19: Middletown High School graduation day

May 21: Last day of school

 

We have two administrative people giving reasons for the loss of teachers in Vivian's post and we have a teacher in a following post giving their opinion as to the losses. This teacher mentions that the school board might be clueless as to the alledged hostile type of system that is in place as it relates to the workers (teachers) and the suggested intimidation that is in place. This teacher also suggests that the workers are under a "my way or the highway" type of management within the district.

Question: Have the teachers, who share these same opinions, organized and gone up the chain of command, starting with the super and then the school board to voice their objections? Or.....is the super and school board the problem? We all know from the working world, be it private or public, that you can't talk to the problem about the problem. The problem-child management never self-judges, are incapable of bettering themselves by voluntarily changing their approach to subordinates, and will fire people who disagree before they will take a step back and do a self-evaluation to preserve a manager/worker relationship. Have seen it many times in over 40 years. It has never changed and I doubt that it ever will.

Ms. Andrew, realizing this is an internal personnel issue, would you have any preliminary comment on this situation? Is the school board aware of the potential divide between teachers and administration and if so, what has been done about it? Taxpayers may be interested to know what is going on inside their school district.

OR, is this little episode going the be labeled by management as just another (I love this word when describing a worker who has an issue with any unfair treatment) DISGRUNTLED. The old "if you don't agree with how we're treating you, it's not us, it's YOU" label put on someone who doesn't blindly go along with the program like sheep to slaughter because the program is wrong. It would seem, in both private and public workplaces, the old "It is unjust,unfair and discriminatory but the worker is not allowed to communicate freely how they feel" theme seems to be alive and well.

Only one thing worse than the Teacher's Union and their influence.........vindictive management.

"Vindictive Management" that's been going on for years in the city building. Has this "cancer" spread to the school administration since they moved into the city building? We are all well aware of Judy's method of administering.

As I understand, Ms. Lolli has been retired for a number of years. I also hear from a number of teachers----consistently---that she is a HUGE problem in her dealings with staff. Why is she still on the payroll? Time to cut ties and move on.    just 1chmoore.

If the district is going to hold teachers accountable then lets hold students and parents accountable as well.  A case in point. The district holds conferences twice every year.  Two evenings from 3:00pm-7:30pm my experience with these with a student load of 70 students 20 parents showed up. Parents will show up when their child is in trouble to explain that it cannot possibly be the child's fault is must be the teacher. Could it possibly be the lack of parent involvement.

Neil and Vet, 

I don't know specifically why the teachers in Middletown are retiring, but there will be a change in the teacher pension calculation that favors teachers retiring now. Teacher turnover is not limited to Middletown. It's happening state wide due to the change in the pension calculation. My guess is that this is the impetus for many of the retirements and NOT some of the theories advocated above.

Neil, 

Assuming itsamee's info. is correct.......

Problem One:
itsa mentions that the schools pass a levy based on current requirements both locally and at the state level, burdening the property owner in the process. Itsamee then brings to our attention that the state sometimes changes the ballgame requiring more funds after a levy has been passed.

Just wondering.....since this happens, apparently on a recurring basis, why haven't the schools banded together, scheduled a meeting with the Gov. and the state legislature and told the source of the problems about the problems they are creating locally? Haven't read a story where the schools have taken a pro-active role in problem solving on this, starting with a trip to Columbus, and seem to want to complain and "live with the problem' blaming the state politicians for all of the problems. If ya don't do something, things are guaranteed to stay the same. Get in the car and go north on I-71. The statehouse is downtown.

Problem Two:
itsa states districts are top heavy. Some of us have been seeing and saying this for years, yet school districts seem to continue to create asst principles, directors of curriculum, directors of learning, directors/assist. of this and directors/assist. of that, incurring large salaries for apparently no reason. Top heavy indeed.

itsa:
"I understand that you need to pay out more to get good people, but I do not think that is always what happens"

Paying people more to get good people isn't always the case. Sometimes ya just don't get what you pay for in a negative context. Sometimes poor performers miraculously work their way to the top with surface fluff rather than actual talent and content and demand high salaries for doing so. Look no further than Steve Price for an example. The man was all show and no go.

Problem Three:

The worker bees always take the hit at downsizing time. Has been said many times.....you can cut one director and save 3 or 4 workers......and still cover the directors day to day job responsibilites by portioning out the duties to the remaining directors kept. Hell. it might generate real work for them instead of attending endless meetings every day, producing little to no results.

The lower position people always get the shaft when the cuts begin.

Problem Four:
"the administration is full of people who seem afraid to make an actual change to the way things are"

It would appear it is all in the family between the admin.,the school board and the others within the academic community. None want to put forth a real effort to totally gut a disfunctional, non-producing, poor performing school system and retool with new people with new ideas that actually care about the overall outcome as to positive progress. Perfectly content to stay in the continuous improvement level until the end of time, and, in Middletown, don't have to worry about citizen pressure to change. Like dealing with the antics of council and the city leaders and demanding some city building firings while electing competent people on council, the people of Middletown are apathetic toward the school board, the school district and the lousy results they keep producing.....for decades. Nothing short of a complete gutting of council and the school board and the subsequent firing of city leaders and school administration will change a thing around here. Gotta have people running the city and the schools who want more than complacency and are just in survival mode to make a difference now. Fresh faces......fresh thinking....logical people, logical thinking.

OK--we lose "old school" teachers with bigger salaries/bennies/tenure to be replaced by younger entry-level lower salary/new tier bennies who grow in to the system along with new buildings, bringing new/younger thinking to children.

Maybe we trim "old school" high $$/tenured admin also--combining responsibilities and moving younger minds in to admin.

We become a new/progressive energetic system

What is wrong with this thinking?