LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - New JCPS Superintendent Donna Hargens has her work cut out for her. Uncertainty and inexperience cloud the plan to turn around low performing schools here in Jefferson County. With millions of dollars in funding that could be in jeopardy, we have been digging into the records to find out more.
Karen Veith has a lot riding on the plan to turn around low test scores at Waggener High School in St. Matthews. Her son Andrew is a rising junior there.
"I think every parent is concerned about the child's test scores," said Veith.
As president of the Waggener PTSA, Parent Teacher Student Association, Veith said her son has done well at the school. but he's in the minority. Waggener is one of seven under performing schools where JCPS over hauled its teaching staff to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. That program aims to pair the best teachers with the students who have low standardized test scores.
But we obtained records from JCPS that revealed a majority of the new teachers at problem schools are just as unproven as the old ones. 149 teachers didn't make the grade at low performing schools. But 60 of the replacements, or 40 percent, have no experience in the classroom. We also found that 11 others removed for low test scores were simply reassigned to other low performing schools or allowed to stay in their current school.
Records also show the district was scrambling to fill 28 spots at low performing schools. With less than a month to go before the first day of class, there were still vacant teaching positions in English, math, chemistry and business courses.
Dewey Hensley works for the Kentucky Board of Education and monitors the NCLB Act at Kentucky's low performing schools.
"Clearly that's not the purpose of the re-staffing model the way the federal government has defined it," Hensley said of the results of JCPS's teacher transfer plan. "Obviously that's not what we're after in terms of getting those best teachers with the most needy kids."
Even more concerning said Hensley is that JCPS could lose millions in funding if they don't meet the federal guidelines for turning around schools under the microscope. That's something the Kentucky Board of Education is watching closely.
But JCPS executive director of human resources Bill Eckles said it's unfair for the state to be taking such a hard look the district over no child left behind, since Eckles doesn't believe the program is in the best interest of students. He said the only reason they did the teacher overhaul was because the law requires the district to do something.
"Those folks in many cases aren't really bad teachers but they get identified as such in some cases," Eckles said.
But Hensley thinks JCPS should have considered other options like the transformation model, which leaves teachers in place at low performing schools. Instead of moving the teachers, the program gives them added training and resources and ultimately ties teacher pay to student achievement.
Eckles said JCPS did not have the time to pursue that plan.
"It's easy to throw stones," he said, "but we have to manage the district."
Eckles said JCPS is committed to improving test scores and believes the steps the district is taking will make a difference. Karen Veith is counting on it.
"Any educational facility has to have a good group of teachers," she said.
JCPS went through this same thing last year, when it used restaffing to try and improve test scores at six other low performing schools. The district won't know the results until test scores come back next month. Eckles said a transformation model will be ready later this fall.
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Karen Veith with Troubleshooter Eric Flack
Dewey Hensley
Bill Eckels
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