Politics & Government

Cobb Moves Forward with Teach for America

The Cobb Board of Education voted 4-3 to allow CCSD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa to begin fundraising efforts for Teach for America for the 2013-2014 school year.

In a 4-3 vote at Thursday night's nearly four-hour meeting, the Cobb Board of Education authorized Hinojosa's fundraising efforts for up to 25 TFA teachers, who will likely work in South Cobb during the 2013-2014 school year. Board members Kathleen Angelucci, Alison Bartlett and Tim Stultz voted against the measure.

In order for the TFA teachers to be hired, the board established four stipulations at :

  • No more than 25 TFA teachers would be allowed.
  • Principals would have the final say on which teachers they would allow to teach in their schools.
  • TFA teachers can displace no Cobb teachers.
  • TFA teachers will be evaluated against an established set of metrics.

Possible Fee Increase for TFA Training

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The fee required for each TFA teacher pays for the teacher's five-week training prior to entering the classroom and the ongoing training each teacher receives regularly throughout her two-year commitment.

Hinojosa said the training fee for each TFA teacher has increased from $2,000 to $4,000, but the fee would be negotiated in a contract to be presented to the board in the future.

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"It looks like, yes, it was an increase for the training...That is not solid at this point. I've had no conversation with Teach for America about how much would be required at this point. I need your authorization to engage in those conversations," said Hinojosa.

TFA Not Limited to South Cobb Schools

Thursday night was not the first time the board was to vote on bringing TFA to South Cobb schools.

South Cobb parents

For the first time this year, Hinojosa said he would be open to bringing TFA teachers to all of Cobb, not limited to South Cobb, where there is a wide achievement gap.

Board Members Take Stances on TFA

During the 35-minute discussion of the measure on Thursday, Stultz proposed adding a fifth stipulation that for all the funds raised for TFA, the superintendent must raise matching funds for the district's general fund.

Stultz said he simply did not think the district will be able to hire 25 new teachers, whether they are TFA teachers or not, with the district's current budget constraints.

"The current model is broken in more ways than one," he said at the board's Thursday meeting. "I can't support more teaching positions until we fix the budget overall."

Board member Kathleen Angelucci has been a vocal opponent of TFA, calling the proposal "appalling" and "a slap in the face" to current Cobb teachers. She, too, took a fiscal angle in her opposition.

"We're sitting here talking about costs, increased costs to the district... Teach for America will add to that cost and attrition. So we're willing to take that on to implement a program that's not absolutely guaranteed?" she asked.

When Patch attempted to ask Angelucci about the costs of students in South Cobb continuing to test grade levels below their own, Angelucci only said, "No comment."

Angelucci also said, "You wouldn't choose a physician that went through a six-week boot camp. You wouldn't choose an attorney that went through a six-week boot camp. I think that to degrade the professionalism and the teaching profession in general is just an absolute shame, and I do not support this in any way."

Board Vice Chairman David Morgan is behind the push for TFA. He first began speaking about TFA as an alternative solution to the district's achievement gap

"It is our job to make sure we augment our talent pool in giving another option to educate our children...I don't know how that indicts, undermines or fundamentally erodes a teacher," Morgan said.

Should Cobb bring in more Teach for America teachers or try another alternative? What can the district do to help close the achievement gap? Leave your comments below.

New human resources director Michael Shanahan said TFA was used in the Oklahoma City school district in which he last worked.

Responding to Morgan's question about TFA's performance there, Shanahan said it was "a little early to establish those results, but the impression was positive in almost every case."

South Cobb Has High Teacher Turnover Rate

To address the continued argument that Cobb has more teachers than it can hire, South Cobb board member Morgan said, "We almost have more turnover in Post 3 than we do the rest of the posts combined...We're already hemorrhaging."

According to Hinojosa, of the 500 resignations received in the last school year, and more than 200 of them were from Post 3 schools, which are in South Cobb and Powder Springs.

Teacher Union President Not Pleased with Vote

After the vote, Connie Jackson, president of Cobb County Association of Educators and a staunch opponent of TFA for Cobb, said she was displeased.

"My feedback is the members who just voted for TFA sold out the teachers in Cobb. The message just sent to Cobb County teachers on the back of cutting 350 teaching positions, increasing class sizes, eliminating elementary parapros and taking away our step raise, it is disgusting. It also isn't addressing the real issue," Jackson said.

"Teach for America is a Band-Aid for a gaping open wound. I hope the people that voted for it understand that all they're doing is pretending to care about the achievement gap," Jackson continued.


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