PEA MEMBERS QUESTIONS & CONCERNS FOR PCS TEACHERS' ADVISORY
COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 2020
Area Question/Concern
Multiple Worksites - Recently, we have been asked to govern how we use our sick days and to use personal days unless we are sick. I understand that this may be because of photographic evidence of people vacationing while using sick days. First, mental health is very important and therefore should be considered a valid excuse for a sick day. Second, vacations are good for mental health. When you consider optics, it doesn’t look good, how about suggesting people be more cautious in sharing their activities? I know you are wondering why people cannot use summer vacation and breaks for vacations, there are numerous reasons. Sometimes opportunities arise that are too good to pass up simply because they are untimely, it is cheaper to go some places during non-peak times, and some people prefer to avoid the crowds that accompany common vacation times. It sounds like the problem lies in what we call our days off. How about increasing the number of days we call “personal days,” we could simply change the name of some of our sick days? Three days that get converted to sick days are not enough; sometimes, that is part of why people conserve those days. You could also change it so we can accumulate more than three days. Another reason people don’t use personal days is because of the process. The process is somewhat demeaning, and as an adult, to have to get permission. I understand keeping the rules about days before and after holidays, but the rest of the time, our business is our business and we should not be required to divulge if we don’t want to.
Multiple Worksites - We have been given one sick leave day a month and that has been that way in Pittsylvania for many years. Mr. McDaniel encouraged us to take the “mental health day” as needed and that is what we did. For personal leave time that has accrued, it should be converted into its own bank, just like our sick leave. I suggest we have up to 12 days of stored personal leave for use as that will allow for individuals to take at least 2 weeks of school at their own leisure without having to take sick leave days because of the personal leave policy. Too, upon retiring from the school division, we should be paid for accrued personal leave time separately from sick leave time.
Multiple Worksites - When planning the calendar, be more considerate. Having to return January 2 for just 2 days of work robbed us of opportunities with our families, especially those with family out of town. I believe our next calendar remedies that, but it should not have happened in the first place. Remember, we are people, not just employees.
Multiple Worksites - Is there a school system policy against principals giving EXEMPLARY rating on the final summative evaluation? When you make substantial student growth from pretest to final test and go from an F average on pretest to a B+ or A on final posttest average that should be reason enough. If the rating cannot be given at all then why is exemplary a choice? Doesn't PCS have teachers who deserve exemplary rating or are we minimal educators?
Multiple Worksites - How does the Proposed Revisions to the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers affect PCS teachers? Can this get explained in SIMPLE terms? Too much in the document to plow through and digest.
Multiple Worksites - The previous advisory meeting had a lot of questions and comments about getting substitutes. Lots of replies but no solutions. The reason for lack of substitutes is simple: 1.Low pay and 2. Student behavior and discipline substitutes encounter. Apparently PBIS has not resolved the discipline problems when these two problems are corrected people will beat down the door to sub. So what does the superintendent plan to do to correct the lack of substitutes? Surrounding school districts pay more.
