Critics Raise Questions Over Proposed Statewide Teacher Contract
Friday, November 13, 2015
Kate Nagle, GoLocal News Editor
Critics of a potential statewide teacher contract are warning of implications should the state move away from district level negotiations, as a Senate committee is currently considering its potential and is expected to report on its findings in January.
Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed sponsored the resolution to establish the commission at the end of the last General Assembly session, which is currently awaiting findings from a Boston-based consultant expected early in December.
“The Center believes there can be a state role in saving money for local school districts. Negotiating and offering a large group health insurance option, that local districts can choose to participate in or not - as opposed to a mandate that would surely be part of any statewide contract - is one such concept,” said Mike Stenhouse with the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity. “Consolidating control over another large piece of our education and taking it away from taxpayers and local officials, however, we think that's dangerous. We saw it with RhodeMap RI, and the fire unions, now we're talking about teachers -- it would tie the hands of municipalities through mandates.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Larry Purtill with the state’s largest teacher union, NEARI, acknowledged that the talks are still in the nascent stage, but that there were a number of issues he believed should be addressed on a statewide basis.
View Larger +
Senate President Paiva Weed
“There are a lot of unanswered questions before anything could happen, so it certainly wouldn’t happen this year,” said Purtill. “I think there has been a lot of interest in the discussion, including NEARI, on how to make starting salaries competitive and some uniformity across the state so districts aren’t competing for teachers based on salary and benefits. State wide health care plan may be the logical place to start; keeping good quality health care benefits while lowering, or at least controlling the costs. This discussion should also lead to how we attract people to the profession, including more minority teachers and those who want to teach in urban areas.”
Last Consideration Under Carcieri
The state had last considered the possibility of consolidating teacher healthcare costs under the Governor Donald Carcieri.
“Healthcare does seem to be an area that makes sense to look at,” said Tim Duffy, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Association. “[Governor] Carcieri proposed bringing the teachers into the state healthcare system -- at the time, most of the local school districts had slightly better plans than the state, so they were resistant. By the time Chafee came into office, there was no longer any movement to pursue this.”
Duffy — and others — noted that they saw the Obamacare “Cadillac” tax as being a reason to look at the costs now.
In addition to Paiva Weed’s support of looking into the issue, Moderate Party gubernatorial candidate Robert Healey had suggested a statewide contract as part of his platform.
“The rationale behind this is that local school boards are usually the first step on a political ladder. Many who run for office are of the ilk that are former school teachers or their relatives and those who are sincerely dedicated to the best interests of the students,” said Healey during the campaign. “The unions, when negotiating contracts, send in negotiators. These negotiators, having negotiated several contracts across the state, are no match for the lambs sitting on the school board. While school board members are nice people, they are no match for skilled negotiators. School boards members, for the most part, will probably negotiate a multi-million dollar contract once in their life. Union negotiators do several each year.”
View Larger +
Ken Block, GOP candidate for Governor
Moderate Party founder — and Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Block — cautioned on the implications of a statewide contract.
“For starters, it is disconcerting that towns would lose local control of key educational issues. If the end result of a statewide teacher’s contract is a lessening of quality in certain school districts, then that would be a disaster,” said Block. “Additionally, it would only make sense to consider a statewide contract if several bad elements of current contracts get fixed in the master contract. For example, the school fiscal year should match up with the municipal year – and in most communities they do not.
“A statewide teacher’s contract should be simple and narrow,” said Block. “It should deal with issues of compensation only – and re-empower local authorities to be able to make decisions that impact the quality of education.”
Warning Signs
Former Director of Administration Gary Sasse voiced his concerns as the state considers a statewide contact.
“In considering the merits of adopting a statewide teachers’ contract the key question to ask is will it result in our kids receiving a better education? Unfortunately, a statewide teachers’ contract could stifle efforts to improve the performance of Rhode Island’s local schools,” said Sasse.
“In the collective bargaining process negotiations on economic matters and performance are linked. If a statewide teacher contract was negotiated over economic issues, could school committees lose leverage at the bargaining table to negotiate issues impacting the effectiveness and efficiency of public schools?" said Sasse.
A statewide teacher contract could imposes higher property taxes in some communities,” continued Sasse. “If a statewide salary schedule was imposed on local education authorities how would it be paid for in districts whose costs are below the statewide salary schedule?”
View Larger +
Gary Sasse, former Director of Administration
“A statewide teacher contract could enhance the leverage of unions at the bargaining table. What risks is the state taking to place the teacher unions in a position to close down all schools if a stalemate is reached in negotiating a statewide contract? Much needs to be done to improve the performance of Rhode Island’s schools, particularly for minorities,” said Sasse. “Using political capital to debate the merits of a statewide teachers’ contract will take energy and attention away from issues that can make a real difference in providing all kids access to quality educational opportunities.”
Related Slideshow: Depression Among High School Students: How Does Your Community Compare?
The below slides show the number of students who reported experiencing depression at least once in the past 12 months, based upon the SurveyWorks survey, which was offered to public high school students across the state in the spring of 2014. For those who said they had been depressed, the survey asked how many had considered suicide and how many had actually attempted it. Schools are listed based on depression rates, starting with the lowest to the highest. Note that the rates can be affected by how many students participate in the survey and how supportive a school environment is. Schools that were not full high schools are not included. Source: InfoWorks! data from the Rhode Island Department of Education.
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#56 Block Island School
Location: New Shoreham
Number of Students: NA
Number of Student Respondents: 30
% Who Have Been Depressed: 16.7
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: NA
% Who Attempted Suicide: NA
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#55 Cranston Construction Career Academy
Location: Cranston
Number of Students: 158
Number of Student Respondents: 124
% Who Have Been Depressed: 19.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 8.1
% Who Attempted Suicide: 0.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#54 Sheila Skip Nowell Leadership Academy (II)
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 81
Number of Student Respondents: 15
% Who Have Been Depressed: 20.0
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: NA
% Who Attempted Suicide: NA
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#53 Exeter/West Greenwich
Location: Exeter and West Greenwich
Number of Students: 540
Number of Student Respondents: 438
% Who Have Been Depressed: 20.1
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 9.1
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.8
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#52 North Smithfield High School
Location: North Smithfield
Number of Students: 519
Number of Student Respondents: 431
% Who Have Been Depressed: 21.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 7.9
% Who Attempted Suicide: 2.3
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#51 South Kingstown High School
Location: South Kingstown
Number of Students: 1,073
Number of Student Respondents: 685
% Who Have Been Depressed: 22.3
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.8
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.7
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#50 Portsmouth High School
Location: Portsmouth
Number of Students: 960
Number of Student Respondents: 777
% Who Have Been Depressed: 22.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 6.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#49 Chariho Regional High School
Location: Charlestown
Number of Students: 1,201
Number of Student Respondents: 955
% Who Have Been Depressed: 23.7
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.2
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.8
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#48 Narragansett High School
Location: Narragansett
Number of Students: 429
Number of Student Respondents: 349
% Who Have Been Depressed: 23.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.2
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.3
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#47 Mount Pleasant High School
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 898
Number of Student Respondents: 656
% Who Have Been Depressed: 23.9
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 8.1
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.5
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#46 Barrington High School
Location: Barrington
Number of Students: 1,027
Number of Student Respondents: 843
% Who Have Been Depressed: 24.0
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 9.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 3.2
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#45 Scituate High School
Location: Scituate
Number of Students: 469
Number of Student Respondents: 399
% Who Have Been Depressed: 24.1
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 8.2
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.1
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#44 William B. Cooley Senior High School
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 617
Number of Student Respondents: 376
% Who Have Been Depressed: 24.2
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 6.9
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.8
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#43 Ponaganset High School
Location: Foster and Glocester
Number of Students: 684
Number of Student Respondents: 541
% Who Have Been Depressed: 24.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.2
% Who Attempted Suicide: 6.2
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#42 East Greenwich High School
Location: East Greenwich
Number of Students: 729
Number of Student Respondents: 675
% Who Have Been Depressed: 24.6
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 9.7
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.8
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#41 Lincoln Senior High School
Location: Lincoln
Number of Students: 1,005
Number of Student Respondents: 771
% Who Have Been Depressed: 24.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.1
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.1
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#40 Smithfield Senior High School
Location: Smithfield
Number of Students: 755
Number of Student Respondents: 499
% Who Have Been Depressed: 24.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 12.2
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.3
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#39 North Kingstown Senior High School
Location: North Kingstown
Number of Students: 1,387
Number of Student Respondents: 979
% Who Have Been Depressed: 25.0
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.4
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.2
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#38 Coventry High School
Location: Coventry
Number of Students: 1,607
Number of Student Respondents: 1,254
% Who Have Been Depressed: 25.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.1
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#37 Paul Cuffee Charter School
Location: Providence
Number of Students: NA
Number of Student Respondents: 205
% Who Have Been Depressed: 25.9
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 13.2
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.4
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#36 West Warwick Senior High School
Location: West Warwick
Number of Students: 935
Number of Student Respondents: 628
% Who Have Been Depressed: 27.2
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 14.9
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.1
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#35 Westerly High School
Location: Westerly
Number of Students: 917
Number of Student Respondents: 662
% Who Have Been Depressed: 27.3
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.8
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.6
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#34 Providence Career and Technical Academy
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 577
Number of Student Respondents: 424
% Who Have Been Depressed: 27.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 5.5
% Who Attempted Suicide: 3.4
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#33 Toll Gate High School
Location: Warwick
Number of Students: 958
Number of Student Respondents: 684
% Who Have Been Depressed: 27.5
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.5
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.9
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#32 Classical High School
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 1,119
Number of Student Respondents: 997
% Who Have Been Depressed: 27.7
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 8.8
% Who Attempted Suicide: 2.6
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#31 Cumberland High School
Location: Cumberland
Number of Students: 1,337
Number of Student Respondents: 1,039
% Who Have Been Depressed: 27.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 12.0
% Who Attempted Suicide: 6.6
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#30 E-Cubed Academy
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 349
Number of Student Respondents: 167
% Who Have Been Depressed: 28.1
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 12.5
% Who Attempted Suicide: 3.8
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#29 Central Falls High School
Location: Central Falls
Number of Students: 727
Number of Student Respondents: 464
% Who Have Been Depressed: 28.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.9
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#28 Burrillville High School
Location: Burrillville
Number of Students: 682
Number of Student Respondents: 555
% Who Have Been Depressed: 28.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 3.1
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#27 Blackstone Charter Academy
Location: Pawtucket
Number of Students: 168
Number of Student Respondents: 146
% Who Have Been Depressed: 28.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.1
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#26 Cranston High School West
Location: Cranston
Number of Students: 1,526
Number of Student Respondents: 1,242
% Who Have Been Depressed: 29.2
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 13.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#25 Hope High School
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 894
Number of Student Respondents: 642
% Who Have Been Depressed: 29.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.3
% Who Attempted Suicide: 8.6
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#24 Rogers High School
Location: Newport
Number of Students: 538
Number of Student Respondents: 390
% Who Have Been Depressed: 29.7
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 9.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.5
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#23 William E. Tolman Senior High School
Location: Pawtucket
Number of Students: 1,034
Number of Student Respondents: 563
% Who Have Been Depressed: 30.0
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.7
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.9
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#22 Shea Senior High School
Location: Pawtucket
Number of Students: 858
Number of Student Respondents: 593
% Who Have Been Depressed: 30.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.3
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#21 Tiverton High School
Location: Tiverton
Number of Students: 541
Number of Student Respondents: 437
% Who Have Been Depressed: 30.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.8
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.7
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#20 Central High School
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 1,112
Number of Student Respondents: 700
% Who Have Been Depressed: 30.6
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 6.3
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#19 Mt. Hope High School
Location: Bristol
Number of Students: 990
Number of Student Respondents: 745
% Who Have Been Depressed: 31.0
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 13.8
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.9
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#18 Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 486
Number of Student Respondents: 327
% Who Have Been Depressed: 31.2
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 8.3
% Who Attempted Suicide: 4.9
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#17 North Providence High School
Location: North Providence
Number of Students: 969
Number of Student Respondents: 769
% Who Have Been Depressed: 31.7
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 14.3
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.2
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#16 Cranston High School East
Location: Cranston
Number of Students: 1,583
Number of Student Respondents: 1,317
% Who Have Been Depressed: 32.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 14.1
% Who Attempted Suicide: 6.7
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#15 Academy for Career Exploration
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 168
Number of Student Respondents: 97
% Who Have Been Depressed: 33.0
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 12.4
% Who Attempted Suicide: 1.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#14 Middletown High School
Location: Middletown
Number of Students: 685
Number of Student Respondents: 514
% Who Have Been Depressed: 33.3
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 11.7
% Who Attempted Suicide: 6.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#13 Johnston Senior High School
Location: Johnston
Number of Students: 893
Number of Student Respondents: 659
% Who Have Been Depressed: 33.5
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 16.4
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.6
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#12 Pilgrim High School
Location: Warwick
Number of Students: 991
Number of Student Respondents: 791
% Who Have Been Depressed: 33.5
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 16.1
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.8
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#11 East Providence High School
Location: East Providence
Number of Students: 1,502
Number of Student Respondents: 1,181
% Who Have Been Depressed: 33.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 14.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.3
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#10 Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 838
Number of Student Respondents: 608
% Who Have Been Depressed: 34.4
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 15.4
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.4
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#9 William M. Davies Career & Technical Center
Location: Lincoln
Number of Students: 849
Number of Student Respondents: 702
% Who Have Been Depressed: 34.5
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 17.6
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#8 Warwick Veterans Memorial High School
Location: Warwick
Number of Students: 910
Number of Student Respondents: 629
% Who Have Been Depressed: 34.8
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 16.3
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.8
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#7 The Greene School
Location: Exeter
Number of Students: 162
Number of Student Respondents: 138
% Who Have Been Depressed: 35.5
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 16.7
% Who Attempted Suicide: 7.2
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#6 J.M. Walsh School
Location: Pawtucket
Number of Students: 192
Number of Student Respondents: 172
% Who Have Been Depressed: 36.6
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 17.4
% Who Attempted Suicide: 6.4
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#5 Times2 Academy
Location: Providence
Number of Students: NA
Number of Student Respondents: 35
% Who Have Been Depressed: 37.1
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 17.1
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.7
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#4 Woonsocket High School
Location: Woonsocket
Number of Students: 1,579
Number of Student Respondents: 1,026
% Who Have Been Depressed: 37.3
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 17.0
% Who Attempted Suicide: 9.3
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#3 RI Nurses Institute
Location: Providence
Number of Students: 266
Number of Student Respondents: 193
% Who Have Been Depressed: 38.9
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 10.9
% Who Attempted Suicide: 5.2
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#2 Sheila Skip Nowell Leadership Academy (I)
Location: Central Falls
Number of Students: 73
Number of Student Respondents: 25
% Who Have Been Depressed: 40.0
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 12.0
% Who Attempted Suicide: 12.0
View Larger +
Prev
Next
#1 Beacon Charter High School for the Arts
Location: Woonsocket
Number of Students: 227
Number of Student Respondents: 209
% Who Have Been Depressed: 41.1
Of those Who Have Been Depressed
% Who Considered Suicide: 27.9
% Who Attempted Suicide: 12.2
Related Articles
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.