Reinstate a Teacher

    The most important people in children's educational lives are their parents. The most important people in children's educational lives, while at school, are their teachers.
    Therefore, again, I must continue to advocate for cutting an administrative job and replacing that cut with the reinstatement of a teacher. At the last Finance Committee meeting, both Jamie Cruikshank and Joanne Chambers discussed the class load burdens on teachers. They discussed having HS teachers sent to AAK and having 8th graders go to the HS for certain courses. Lawrence Ave., AAK, and the HS are all feeling the tremendous burden of teacher cuts over the last few years. When I look at the administrative positions currently in existence, I believe the AD/Dean position should be cut and a teacher should be taken off the cut list. Mr. Brady stated that the AD has to show up at many sports events -  implying that the job is very time-consuming. Well, why not re-think the obligations of the AD position and offer the job, at a lower pay with fewer obligations, to a teacher?
    An additional problem with handing a teaching job to an administrator is that it is impossible to wear both hats. When an administrator/teacher is sitting in the Teachers' Room and hears the conversations in the room, can the admin/teacher really take off the administrator hat? Would teachers even feel free to speak freely with an administrator there? I believe there are unanticipated problems with creating an administrator/teacher (AD/PE) position.
    I strongly encourage the BOE to re-think this recommendation. The protecting of administrators' jobs, when so many teachers, aides, assistants, secretaries, clerks, etc. have lost their jobs, is unacceptable and unfair.