ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 27, 1996 TAG: 9607300039
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BEDFORD
SOURCE: JOANNE POINDEXTER STAFF WRITER
The Bedford County School Board has decided to wait until Aug. 8 to consider a new teacher attendance and substitute-teacher policy after hearing objections from teachers to proposed changes.
About 40 teachers crowded the board's meeting Thursday night to oppose a proposal from a committee of administrators.
Bedford County Education Association President Julia Hayth asked that teachers be represented on the committee and have a chance to help rewrite the proposal before the board votes on it.
Teachers described the proposal as "heavy-handed" and punitive. They were concerned about being punished because of a few teachers who abuse the sick-leave rules.
"If I'm part of the problem, then I should be part of the solution," said one teacher who would not give her name during a break in the meeting.
Hayth said the association realizes there are a few teachers who might be absent more than others, but, she told the board, "Don't punish all teachers."
The proposal is not all bad because it requires accountability, Hayth said, "but parts of it are very offensive to teachers."
The BCEA complained to the board in June that the system's current substitute policy was unfair because it resulted in teachers' doing double-duty when a co-worker was out. The policy also allotted each school a specific number of days for substitute teachers.
The BCEA said some schools were not using their allotments, using instead aides and regular classroom teachers to save money.
After the BCEA complained, School Superintendent John Kent said teacher absenteeism should be reviewed as part of the policy change and appointed the committee, which included three principals and a representative from the personnel office.
The proposal eliminates the allotment system but gives principals "the discretion to use other available school personnel to cover classes when substitute teachers are not available."
It also requires that teachers who miss more than five days have a doctor's statement and that corrective plans be established for teachers with undocumented use of sick days. The proposal would change the way cumulative sick leave is used and establish rules for personnel leave.
It says teacher attendance patterns should be documented in the teacher evaluation process and establishes rewards for teachers with perfect attendance. Principals, who must track attendance and share the information with their faculties, will be evaluated annually on how they manage teacher attendance.
Several teachers, who would not give their names, told a reporter the proposal is too detailed and needs to be clarified because sections could have various interpretations. They said they were upset because they were not represented on the committee.
School Board Chairman Elizabeth Bailey said that, in hindsight, teachers should have been included on the committee. She speculated they were not included because the committee was formed after schools were out for the summer.
Kent will meet with Jess Tucker and Lanny Lamblin, association representatives, and Hayth on rewording the proposal before the Aug. 8 School Board meeting.
"We will smooth out some rough edges," Kent said.
In addition to trying to eliminate problems the schools were having with teacher absenteeism, the committee "was trying to encourage people to be as judicious as they could in their use" of sick and personal leave time, Kent said. But, he added, the teachers had a "knee-jerk reaction" and began "reading accountability as punitive."
Kent said he doesn't expect the proposal or its rewritten version to save much money, but "it will justify the expenses."
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB