Special Report
Delegates Detail District Deficiencies

State Fails to Improve District

Despite fifteen years of State intervention in the Paterson School System, the schools remain plagued by problems, according to the members of the Association's Delegate Assembly. The Delegate Assembly is the policy-making body of the Association.

Meeting at the end of November, the Association's building representatives spent a full meeting defining the problems that afflict the District from their point of view as staff members in the District's schools.

The building representatives met by groups - elementary, high school, and academy - in roundtable discussions aimed at detailing the problems they, their colleagues, and their students face every day as they struggle to teach and learn. This was a serious attempt to add the voice of the people in the schools to the discussion of what is needed in the system, said P.E.A. President Pete Tirri. This debate has, for too long, excluded the people who know best what is lacking in the schools.

Tirri continued, In so many areas, the state has absolutely failed to make the improvements needed for the school system. Classes in many cases remain overcrowded; program implementation is confusing or incomplete. Staff members feel frustrated and totally ignored in the process of school improvement. This is not the way this system should be. Our kids deserve better; our staff deserves better. They have been left behind for fifteen years.

After review and some discussion, the areas listed have become the centerpiece of the Association's efforts to have the voices of the staff and their students heard. Copies of these issues have been sent to the District administration in the hope that a dialogue will begin to make real changes, rather than the theoretical ones that have been brought to the forefront thus far.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ISSUES

Special Education:

• No books in core curriculum content areas for special education students.
• Too many teachers in one class (push-ins) distraction for Special education
• IEPs not being followed. Push-in vs. Pull-out violation
• Missing staff for resource positions
• Large special education
• classes with claims of waivers on class size?
• All resource students are being put into one classroom-so that the one resource teacher goes into that room-not enough resource people otherwise.
• Students are not receiving instruction outside of the 90 minute block even if it is documented in their IEP.
• Classroom teachers instructing resource students.
• Classroom teachers are given busy work packets for the special education students who are not being provided with resource staff instruction.
• Teachers asked not to follow IEPs-in violation-against the law…
• Push-in staff and students are required to do the same exact work, at the same level, as the regular ed. students.
• PUSH IN vs. PULL OUT programs
• Delegates noted concerns over special education student:
• District benchmark tests are at grade level rather than student's functional level
• Structure of literature blocks does not permit for small group instruction outside the classroom. Rather, this instruction is with the general population.
• Push in program requires staff to refrain from providing work at student's functional levels
• Unrealistic goals of the pacing schedule ignores the disabilities of the students
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• Bilingual Education:
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• Students are in regular Social Studies and Science classes without bilingual staff assistance
• PUSH IN vs. PULL OUT programs
• Delegates noted concerns over bilingual student:
• Testing
• Structure of literature blocks
• Instructions to refrain from providing work at functional levels
• Unrealistic goals of the pacing schedule ignores the ability levels of the students
• No books for Bilingual -or reading books?
• K & 1st Grade report cards not in Spanish
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• Regular Education:
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• Set of 20 books per class distributed to classes with more than 20 students
• Staffing vacancies hurting educational program
• Three teachers in one room during 90 minute blocks creates confusion and interrupts learning
• Scheduling/centers-not enough time to do all
• Coaches coming in observing- monitoring if the schedules are being followed.
• 25 minutes left for Social Studies, Science etc… after the 90 minute blocks are in place.
• Suppose to have Tech. Center during 90 minute blocks-some computers are functionally obsolete and the new LEAP materials can't be programmed into the computer.
• Literacy block mandates a 6 day cycle when the reading series etc. is on a 5 day cycle.
• Day 6 assessment day purpose and legitimacy questioned
• DIBELS, DRA, pre test, follow up tests, for both-District Benchmarks-students always being assessed.
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders traveling from one teacher to another (90 minute blocks) are disruptive.
• Inappropriate scheduling for primary grades-literacy and math instruction in the afternoon.
• Unrealistic pacing of chapters and stories for primary.
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• Lesson Planning/Plan books:
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• many complaints about format and the outrageous amount of additional work required
• arbitrary requirements that plan books be typed
• in some schools, plan books are required to be sent to principal via email creating need for computers at expense to staff members
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• Working Conditions:
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• Space availability for staff and students inadequate
• Fire/safety-no escape from teachers' room near the kitchen
• Not enough parking - some teachers paying $55 monthly to park on private property.
• Men's staff bathroom-right off of VP's office-door locked when he isn't in office-can't use the facility.
• One or two bathrooms for the entire faculty.
• General working conditions: Among the numerous complaints:
  • dumpster near building
  • mold in classrooms
  • rats
  • air quality poor
  • grease traps
  • heat / ventilation situation poor
  • broken water fountains
  • windows not working properly and new window warranties running out. What happens next?
  • HVAC-noise from heating systems

Discipline:

Severe behavior problems have become evident even in primary grades

A district wide discipline code, enforced throughout the District and supported by the central administration is urgently needed.

District administration needs to recognize the environmental issues that children bring with them to schools and provide services and programs to address those needs.

Administrators need to recognize problems and respond instead of blaming the problems on staff.

Theoretical statements that students are not engaged are insulting and excuses for lack of administrative support

Libraries:

• Libraries not being fully utilized -have to wait until after the 90 minute blocks.
• Librarians being used as resource/
• instructors. Clarification is needed as to the roles of our library/media specialists.
• Librarian getting an entire class, covering the class when there are vacancies or absences, or for grade level meetings
• Classes going to the library for the entire 90 minute block
• Library doesn't have grade level functioning level books for special education students.
• Librarians told to do things that aren't in the Job Description

General concerns:

• Staffing: There are too many new teachers without mentors, without strong backgrounds in the new curricular requirements.
• Alternate-route teachers are hired who are without student teaching… How can they be thrown into the schools and expected to effectively implement new literacy requirements?
• Parents need to accept the tremendous role they play in the education of their children.
• The District must reverse the perception held by many parents that they and the schools are adversaries, rather than partners, in the educational process.
• The District must more clearly identify the commitment expected of parents in the educational process.

Information regarding the Academy Issues was provided by Delegates from the Paterson Pre-Teaching Academy, HARP, Garret Morgan, International High School, BUILD, and the Mall Complex.

Building Safety

• PPTA -- Building is rented and District claims that repairs are the owner's responsibility
• Ceiling tiles are falling down, due to water damage
• Windows fall out of the frames
• International & BUILD - housed in Don Bosco
• Windows on first floor have been adjusted not to open for security purposes. Ventilation is poor.
• Windows on the other floors leak
• Mold, due to water damage, is located on the third floor and cafeteria

Physical Education Program

PPTA -- Use Don Bosco at the end of every day. Teacher's Supervision is to ride the bus to Don Bosco and back to Ellison Street. On many occasions the bus gets back late causing the teachers to work overtime without pay.

HARP -- Uses YMCA on Ward Street. The tail is wagging the dog. - the entire schedule for classes is based on the Phys Ed piece.

Academies can not share teachers or teach across academies because each one is on a different schedule due to physical education.

All physical education classes conducted at the YMCA are being taught by employees of the Y and the School Physical Education Teacher monitors all the activities. The two then collaborate on grades. Health is taught by the Physical Education Teacher, one class level per marking period. For some students this fits into 9th period, for some they give up ½ their lunch period.

• Application Process - This topic was discussed the most and seems to be of most concern to all.
• Elementary Academies:
• Have been told to select students from certain sending schools to help relieve overcrowding disregarding the application process, requirements for entrance or purpose of theme of the academy.
• High Schools:
• The application process has been watered down to allow anyone to apply without regard for career interest.
• All students are placed in a lottery and are chosen by chance.
• This will not help to keep the students in Paterson - our better students will apply to Tech, PC, etc. due to the parental concerns for safety in the schools.
• Morale
• PPTA - Morale is very low. There is a new Administrator every year. There is no consistency, no tardy policy; children are in the building but not in class. There are no consequences for inappropriate behavior.
• BUILD - Overcrowding is a major problem, test scores are low

High School Issues

Delegates from Eastside High School, Kennedy High School and Rosa Parks High Schools reported the following:

• All schools report:
  • huge attendance problems with no follow-up.
  • State Violence & Vandalism forms are "dumbed up" and phony
  • a need to be able to contact parents via the computer regarding student attendance problems, cuts, "tardies", etc. Fusion set up for home.
• Lack of supplies for science labs; inadequate number of seats/lab tables which force students to share rather than being provided with individual space.
• The temporary classroom units are isolated from the main school, without any kind of "bell: to indicate the beginning or end of class periods; no fire drill notification so staff in TCU's are not aware of what is going on.
• The TCU heating systems are dysfunctional; not working properly; there is no shelter from main building to TCU's. Students get soaked in rainy/snowy weather. "sidewalks" are made of wood and get icy from snow or freezing rain.
• The TCU's need more security attention, including the fact that they have no intercom system, need security officers assigned to the TCU's and coordination as to protocols for security.
• Parental involvement is poor. Report cards should not be distributed to students following Back to School Nights. Parents should be encouraged to come to school to get the report cards. The Parent Coordinator should discuss our concerns about parental involvement on the District's TV channel
• Attendance reports need to add the names of students on filed trips so teachers in other classes are aware.
• Attendance officer not assigned. Administration unaware of cut slip procedures
• Revolving door discipline. Little action taken by the administration, and no follow up
• Experienced staff members get worst schedules. Teacher scheduling not aligned with contractual mandates re: number of preparations, classroom changes. Schedules not available until September, precluding planning and preparation for new classes
• Lack of functioning copier machines, copy paper, toner and staples. Faculty rooms are without computers for staff use.
• In-service training is either of poor quality or non-existent. No materials available when training is actually held. No one seems to know what to do for special ed. Staff.