Put funds toward teacher and classroom resources

School districts should put resources behind helping all teachers improve in the classroom, rather than toward those seeking additional college credits.

Last week members of the Medford School Board were faced with the request to increase compensation for teachers who work extra hours during vacation periods to improve their classroom and teaching skills.

Within the fixed budgets of school districts and other local governments, increasing spending in one area must be balanced with cuts in other areas. The job of local elected boards is to prioritize that spending to get the most return on the money spent toward the ultimate goal of ensuring all students learn.

While it would be easy to dismiss the discussion as simply being perpetually unsatisfied employees with their hands out asking for more money, that would be superficial and largely incorrect.

The more pressing and fundamental question for board members is what can be done to help teachers do an even better job in the classroom than what they are already doing?

In the absence of the state legislature applying some of the state’s massive tax surpluses to help districts get ahead, local board members must be creative and calculating in ensuring the greatest return on dollars spent. This prompted a board member to suggest shifting funds that provide a token reimbursement to teachers for earning advanced college credits to the budget for curriculum development.

The end goal of both programs is to help teachers get better at teaching. Ongoing education is essential in all professions, whether it is formalized in a degree program or increased access to experts and seminars.

In perspective of the district’s nearly $30 million budget, the approximately $30,000 spent each year for college credit reimbursement in the district is a small part of the overall district spending. Likewise, in any given year the number of teachers actively pursuing advanced degrees that will directly benefit their classroom instruction is relatively small.

There is a much broader opportunity to apply those funds to provide additional curriculum resources to teachers, parents and the community. A good example of this has been how the school has used the CARES grant funds for the special education department to increase access to speakers, including opening sessions up to parents and caregivers.

Putting additional funding toward this sort of staff development can have a significant broad-level impact bringing everyone up, rather than the committed few.

Being a school board member is all about prioritizing needs and balancing how the limited funds available from taxpayers are spent to get the most value. In an ideal world, it would be great to increase funding for both efforts. However, in the world of financial realities and hard choices, the district must look at what will benefit the most students now and in the future.