Teachers Lead,

Students LearnA landmark teacher contract that takes the

transformation of Baltimore City Public Schools

to the next level

September 29, 2010

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Creating an Entire System of Great Schools

Baltimore City Public Schools has great students with great potential who deserve great schools. City Schools is working to transform itself into an entire system of great schools.

Putting Great Teaching at the Center of City Schools’

Transformation

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To create an entire system of great schools, City Schools must ensure that excellent teaching and learning is happening at every school.

Teachers must have the necessary skills, tools and supports to teach students well.

Students must be in school, in environments that are conducive to learning and engaged through rigorous curriculum and exceptional instruction.

Landmark Teacher Contract Advances Transformation of

City SchoolsThrough unprecedented collaboration,

City Schools and the Baltimore Teachers Union have brokered a tentative contract that puts the role of teachers and instructional effectiveness at the center of this transformation.

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Why Landmark?

Teacher compensation will reward what is valued, the improved opportunity to teach and for students to learn

Teacher compensation will reward instructional effectiveness, measured by teacher evaluations and evidence of professional growth

Teachers earn more money with higher pay scales and highest starting salary in state

Teachers control their own career advancement by choosing among leadership opportunities

Schools have flexibility over some working conditions under certain conditions

Transforming Teaching and Learning

The tentative contract transforms teaching and learning in City Schools by:

• Creating a culture of collaboration and shared leadership

• Supporting professional practice that is geared towards results

• Giving teachers clear career paths to exercise leadership and share their expertise

• Linking it all to competitive compensation

The result will be that students will benefit and make learning gains 6

For Teachers the Contract Means:

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• New opportunities to strengthen their professional practice in order to increase student achievement

• New opportunities to chart their own career paths

• Promotion opportunities that recognize and reward outstanding work

• Opportunities to help lead the work of making sure every student in City Schools succeeds

For City Schools as a Whole the Contract Means:

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• The ability to attract and retain excellent teachers

• The ability to truly engage teachers in leading the transformation of the district

• An expansion of excellent instruction across the district’s 198 programs and schools

• Excellent instruction leads to excellent student achievement

• Entrepreneurial opportunities to support unique student needs

A Truly Collaborative EffortTeachers are essential to the

transformation of City Schools

The contract was jointly developed from the outset by the district and the Baltimore Teachers Union

The contract was informed by teacher input

The contract is the result of eight months of hard work

The contract is governed by a joint oversight committee of labor and management

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Teacher compensation is based on how well teachers teach and students learn, and on Achievement Units (AUs) awarded for:

Teacher evaluations: the best evaluations result in the most AUs

Multiple measures of student performance

Approved collaborative site-based workTeacher professional development that

is demonstrated to increase student learning

Instructional Effectiveness Enhances Compensation

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The new teacher contract increases City Schools’ starting salary for new teachers from $41,128 to $46,774, the highest in the state

The new contract moves City Schools from the bottom quartile to the top quartile of MD districts in terms of teacher pay

Top base pay for teachers increases from $80,596 to $100,806

Teachers Can Earn More Than Ever Before,

More Than in Most MD Districts

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In the past, teachers had to wait until they reached major milestones—such as a Master’s degree—to get major raises in pay. Under the new contract, they can increase their pay as both they and their students learn.

Through a range of activities, teachers can accumulate Achievement Units (AUs), which translate into pay increase intervals:• College courses/credits• MSDE credits• Professional development • Evaluations

Teachers Control Career Advancement

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Master’s plus 30 credits

Master’s

Doctorate

Before, the major milestones for making more moneywere largely limited to the completion of degrees. Now, teachers can accumulate AUs which translate into incremental pay increasesas they demonstrate professional growth.

Achievement Units

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Earn as You Go

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Teachers Maximize Potential

• Through a new career ladder that encourages and rewards leadership, teachers can advance in their profession and grow into a range of teacher leader roles.

• Teacher advancement along this ladder is determined by peer reviews that weigh:– Instruction– Leadership– Continual Learning– Student Achievement

A professional path…

LeadPathway

Serve as lead academic

teacher at a school;

collaborating with the

principal to improve

academic performance

Model Pathway

Serve as model of

excellence; play a

leadership role; create

professional development opportunities

Professional Pathway

Focus on classroom success; active in

school-based roles

Standard Pathway

Focus on instruction;

professional development

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Through a “school-based option” provision in the contract, schools:• Have flexibility to modify the universal working

conditions spelled out in the contract to better meet the needs and philosophy of their own school communities

• Must have 80 percent of staff in support of any proposal to modify working conditions

Under the school-based option provision:• Unions leaders or City Schools CEO can veto school

proposals

• The option will be phased in district wide over 3 years

Schools Have Flexibility to Meet Student Needs

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Great Teaching …

• Teaching and learning are improving in Baltimore City Public Schools. Together, the district and the Baltimore Teachers Union can improve teaching and learning further by tapping into—and maximizing—the leadership ability of teachers, and involving teachers in their own professional development.

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Leads to Great Learning …

Teachers who are empowered and experienced in instructional best practices engage in great teaching.

And when there is great teaching, great learning takes place.

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Which Leads to Great Schools

for All Students

When students engage in great learning, they achieve and succeed …

That’s why we’re all here.