A dispute over teacher layoffs and displacements, and the growing number of multi-language learners has evolved into a vote of no confidence by the Teachers Association of Newport (TAN) in Superintendent of Schools Colleen Burns Jermain and Director of Multi-Language Learners (MLL) Ronilee Mooney.
The teachers no confidence vote took place last week but was not announced until today when teachers began a week-long protest in which the union said teachers would be wearing black to school. There was no indication of any work stoppage that might disrupt school, according to information contained in the union’s press release.
“We have never lost faith in our students and look forward to finishing the school year strong,” said Jennifer Hole, TAN president, in the press release. “However, we have lost confidence in Ronilee Mooney and Colleen Burns Jermain.”
Meanwhile, Newport School Committee Chair Rebecca Bolan said she believes the teachers union will be filing grievances over the layoffs and displacements.
Displacements occur when teachers are moved from their current positions into other positions, maintaining their jobs, but not their particular positions. Because of the requirement for MLL certification, some of those displacements may be occurring with teachers who have seniority, Bolan said.
“I’m disappointed we couldn’t find common ground,” Bolan said. We are “hoping we can work out some of the issues.”
Because of budget cuts, the result of the end of COVID funds and the Rhode Island Department of Education re-instating funding based on enrollment (most districts lost enrollment), it has been a “difficult year for school districts all over Rhode Island, leading to very difficult decisions,” Bolan said.
At issue, Jermain said, is the “need to have teachers with certification and skills to address the population we have before us today.”
That population is one in which multi-language learners are growing, not only in Newport, but statewide. Newport, however, has seen growth in multi-language learners from 5 percent several yeas ago to 20 percent today, Jermain said.
According to the most recent Kids Count Factbook, released just a couple of weeks ago, in 2022-2023, Newport had the fourth highest percentage of multilingual learner students in the state at 19 percent, behind Central Falls (48 percent), Providence (37 percent), and Pawtucket (20 percent).
In its press release, the union said “we have exhausted efforts to compel the superintendent to act in the best interest of students, and with the projected budget cuts facing our district, we felt we had no choice.
The union’s main complaints, as outlined in its press release, were:
- A “failure to provide training and professional development to support MLLs” and a need for “additional resources and enough trained and qualified educators to teach them.”
- Burns Jermain failure “to accurately communicate her vision for the district to staff and the community. She restructured – which means eliminated – positions at the Pell Elementary School and Thompson Middle School without adequate notice and input from the education professionals…”
- Elimination of “reading and math interventionists, behavioral support specialists.”
Jermain said that a number of teachers have been MLL certified.
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I am a teacher & life-long Newporter/taxpayer. At this time of year, teachers are normally beginning to pack up in a way that will make for an efficient and effective start of the next school year. To date, teachers have not been provided with an implantation plan next year, because admin does not know what it will be. NOS leadership waited until May 31 to deliver displacement & involuntary transfer letters. This coupled with many teachers who were laid off, has left many with uncertainty and stress about what their job will be, wondering if they will have a job next year, and the inability to plan. This news of rising ELL population, the knowledge that ESSER funds would be gone, and the shortfall with the high school build was known long before now. State funding is predictable. Responsible plans should have been developed with collaboration from teachers, and the community long before now. Three Administrative positions were added with ESSER funds. MTSS Coordinators – (Multi-tiered System of Support)-One at each level. Their job is to coordinate the variety of interventions (reading, math, behavior) that resulted with Covid. The funds are gone, so these luxury positions should be the first to go. I hate to see anyone lose jobs, but if we no longer have the funds, that is what makes most sense. Additionally, the positions that were being coordinated by these administrators-(the interventionists)-have all been cut! Who & What will they be coordinating? We were able to provide students with MTSS supports prior to Covid using the staff that we had at that time. We could easily go back to that model, especially since if enrollment has declined significantly since then. Finally, Middletown, Portsmouth and many other districts utilize the state mandated MTSS process using the administrators they have. They do not have 3 administrators whose job is strictly MTSS as Newport does. Depending on the school, the MTSS process is facilitated by the principal, VP, Special Ed lead, lead teacher, etc.
Another decision in the proposed budget that I can’t support is to keep one reading teacher for the entire district. That position is at the high school. If there is funding for a reading teacher, it should be at the elementary level. With this said, I do not feel as though NPS leadership is making decisions that best support the students, families and teachers in Newport, while being responsible to taxpayers.
So now when school teachers don’t get their way they still feel need to get last word in so they publicly announce they officisly lack confidence in a superior or superiors!!! Oooohh i know you are bit what am I? Anyone with a brain would take this official announcement as a complete joke and realize whatever the school teachers were sore about it came down to being told no to extorting more funding from public funds!! In fact taxbase should appreciate a official no confidence vote as its an opportunity to remind tax payers, that despite the school teachers pathetic behavior and the most unprofessional group of adults on planet, that those qualified to make important decisions will behave as professionals. While school teachers seek to publicly smear anyone who tells them no!!!! But if taxpayers gave the greenlight for a more appropriate responce , the next days front page would reveal exactly how much fedral funding went into school teachers pockets, also ask why evry other union is represented by industry leaders qualified to offer the most competanr industry skills. While school teachers throw their hands up ,evry time they proved industry failure , to blame their superiors for not teaching them how to teach!!! I’d also mention thar babyl and others are offering a ten dollar tool that has its customers in full command of a chosen language while school teachers are lucky if their customers know a few dirty words after 4years!!