Neshaminy School Board President Richie Webb released the following statement on rumors that the teacher’s contract could be signed Thursday evening:
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
It has come to my attention that there are numerous unsubstantiated rumors circulating through our district with respect to the future of our district if a new teachers’ contract is signed. In light of tomorrow (Thursday, May 16th) night’s NFT meeting, I felt it was important that I dispel these rumors now.
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Rumor 1: Signing the contract will lead to massive program cuts and job losses
Response: Nothing could be further from the truth. As Superintendent Copeland has said on several occasions, we are looking to increase the value of the courses we are offering to our students. This may mean that we repurpose resources, and potentially drop some courses in order to make room for programs offering significantly more challenge and growth to our children.
As examples of this, take note of our new “Jump Start” initiative and our proposed full-day Kindergarten pilot program.
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If teachers are concerned about job instability, then they should consider that any chance of job loss could most easily be avoided or minimized if two charter schools do not suddenly materialize as a fact of life due to a settlement of the long-standing contract dispute between the NFT and the District, particularly if it occurred just before the Board withdrew its offer for 2012-2013, which will most likely occur on or just before May 22, 2013.
Rumor 2: Signing the contract will lead to dramatic increases in class size
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Response: Again, nothing close to the truth. During our recent talks with the NFT, we proposed using an average class size based off of current levels. Obviously the exact language still needs to be firmed up, but conceptually the Board has demonstrated its desire to maintain current class size standards.
In addition to this, using the State guidelines for Special Education classes will actually bring more students back into our district instead of having them placed outside in another district.
Rumor 3: College course credits earned during the impasse will not be recognized for salary placement purposes
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Response: Completely false. The District has every intention of recognizing valid course credits earned during this impasse. As always, staff will still need to complete the appropriate form and attach official transcripts for all of the coursework they are submitting. Credit will be applied in accordance with the Board’s final offer.
