Recently Adopted Policies

Recently Adopted Teaching & Learning Policies
of the Racine Education Association (10-1-08)

Achievement Gap / Society Gap

The REA recognizes that students of all races, ethnicity, language and socio-economic status need the skills and tools to read, compute, critique and create at high levels.  The Association supports initiatives that move all students to high levels of achievement and believes that a challenging school curriculum and research based instructional and assessment practices are of critical importance.  The Association recognizes that achievement gaps can be substantially narrowed only when school improvement is combined with social and economic reform in the larger community.  Such reform includes full funding of local, state, and federal mandates.

Public schools must have the resources to support all students in meeting their academic potential.  The Association believes all students should have equal access to highly qualified educational personnel.

The Association believes high-quality early childhood education is key to eliminating the achievement gap. This includes small class sizes in the early grades, before- and after-school and summer programs with certified educators, resources, and social support.

The Association believes that schools should provide the guidance and resources so that students of all races, ethnicities, languages and socio-economic status have an equal opportunity to enroll and achieve in rigorous classes, including Advanced Placement (AP) courses and International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs.

The Association believes educational personnel must take an active role in the development of standards, assessments, and other tools necessary to ensure the success of all students. Assessments should be developed and implemented in a balanced way so as not to discriminate against any students.

The Association recognizes that a disproportionate number of minority and disadvantaged students receive punitive sanctions, such as retention, tracking and the withholding of diplomas. These actions are unfair, ineffective, contrary to professional assessment standards, and exacerbate the achievement gap.

The Association supports community partnerships to help accelerate the learning of children who are academically behind their peers. Such programs could focus on increasing reading and verbal interaction between parents and children; providing positive role models, mentors, and tutors; providing supports to parents who want to improve their skills at helping their children meet with academic success; making affordable, quality child care more readily available; and fostering meaningful interaction among diverse groups.  (REA Representative Assembly, 9-08)

Education for Career and College Ready Students

The REA believes that the primary goal of public education is to provide all individuals, preschool through adulthood, opportunities to become informed, effective, and productive citizens. To achieve this goal, education for employment must be interwoven into the educational system to aid individuals in career selection.

The REA believes that public education must prepare each student to be a responsible citizen to the best of his/her ability, to read literally and inferentially, write accurately and coherently, communicate orally, compute effectively, recognize the importance of natural and physical sciences to a technological society, and appreciate the aesthetic qualities of life. (REA Representative Assembly, 9-08)

Elimination of Discrimination

The REA is committed to the elimination of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious beliefs, residence, disability, economic status, political activities, professional association activity, age, marital status, family relationship, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, and all other forms of discrimination.  (REA Representative Assembly, 9-08)

Employee Accountability

The REA recognizes that the term "accountability," as applied to public education, is subject to varied interpretations. The Association believes that school employees can only be accountable to the degree that they share responsibility in educational decision-making with legislators, other governmental officials, school boards, administrators, parents and taxpayers.  (REA Representative Assembly, 9-08)

Level Playing Field

REA adopts the position that school district budgeting should be done as equitably as possible based on student population to support the concept of a level playing field for all students and staff.  A level playing field includes but is not limited to the following characteristics:

Fair, equitable, reasonable, pre-established published standards (e.g., class size, prep time) to guide decisions must exist.

Standards should be applied across and between sites and levels of system (e.g., early childhood, elementary, middle, high) and professional areas.  (REA Representative Assembly, 4-05)

Professional Involvement

The REA believes that education employees are most effective when they are given opportunities to participate in all areas of decision making.  These areas include but are not limited to:

A. Direct involvement in assuring high quality decisions regarding curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

B. The allocation of funding under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and responses to the Act’s mandates.

C. Authority in determining materials to be purchased under all budgeting practices.

D. Input into planning and designing of school construction and remodeling.

E. The choice to participate in determining school district policies and administrative regulations.

F. The right to be paid released time to participate in professional improvement through conventions, workshops, and conferences.

G. The right to paid released time to present testimony before governing bodies which establish educational policy.

H. The right to paid released time to serve on local, state, or national committees.

Professional involvement by education employees must be allowed in a manner that does not overburden an employee's workload or create excessive demands on an employee's time. Education employees must be assured that their professional involvement will in no manner jeopardize their employment status.  (REA Representative Assembly, 9-08)

Referendum

The REA may support future referenda for levy limit overrides if the District demonstrates sound fiscal policy by achieving minimal requirements:

Action consistent with REA level playing field policy.

Immediate budget improvements consistent with REA policy; and

Long-term budget structure improvement.  (REA Representative Assembly, 5-05)

 

Review of Need for No Confidence Vote 

The REA will review on at least an annual basis the need for a no confidence vote regarding BOE/administration’s (at all levels) actions to improve District finances.  The Executive Committee and Rep Assembly will conduct annual reviews in October.  (REA Representative Assembly, 4-05)

School District Personnel Administration

The REA believes that school district personnel policies and practices must not discriminate against individuals because of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious beliefs, residence, disability, economic status, political activities, professional association activity, age, marital status, family relationship, gender, gender identification or sexual orientation.  District policies and practices must assure that the most highly qualified and best-suited candidates for all positions are recruited and selected.  This includes temporary, contractual and permanent positions.  All applicable provisions of collective bargaining agreements must be adhered to when carrying out district personnel policies.

The Association supports the development and implementation of affirmative action plans and procedures that will encourage employment and advancement opportunities at all levels within the school district.  It may be necessary, therefore, to give preference in recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion policies to certain ethnic-minority groups or women or men to overcome past discrimination.  Affirmative action plans must ensure that practices such as evaluation of qualifications, interview procedures, hiring, determination of compensation and benefits, employee performance evaluations, and retention are conducted without discrimination.  (REA Representative Assembly, 9-08)

School Principal Selections

The REA supports the following actions when openings exist for RUSD school principal positions:

School Association Representatives working with the REA President will recruit and select the teachers who will assist administrators with search and interview activities;

School Association Representatives working with the REA President will participate in the development of interview questions and procedures;

The REA President and Executive Directors will coordinate communication regarding school principal selections with Central Office administrators.  (REA Representative Assembly, 4-08)

 

Special Education

The REA will take action in support of the following expectations of REA members:
1. The District must make available a full continuum of special education services to all students with disabilities so that each student is provided an appropriate education in his/her least restrictive environment.
2.  IEPs must be written according to individual student needs and not according to the programs or services that are available at a particular school.
3. IEPs must be implemented as written and not changed by central office or building administrators.
4.  IEP determinations should be by consensus of all team members and not imposed on the team by LEA representatives.
5.  Students whose IEPs state they are to receive special education instructional services must be taught by an appropriately licensed special education teacher.
6.  Special education teacher caseloads should be comprised of students with disabilities.
7.  Students with disabilities should not be inappropriately placed in general education settings without appropriate involvement of regular education teachers and provision of required special education services and supports.
8.   Alternative testing and accommodations for student testing should be carried out according to determinations made in each student’s IEP.
9.   The IEP process throughout the District must comply with the spirit and intent of all provisions of IDEA and WI Chapter 115.
10.  Administrators must respect and honor all IEP decisions made by teachers, parents, and LEA representatives.  (REA Representative Assembly, 4-04)

 Student Assessment and Standardized Testing

The REA recognizes that standardized achievement tests are used for a variety of purposes, including public accountability. However, the primary purpose for administering these tests should be to improve teaching and learning. The Association believes that both state and district assessment programs should:

Be based on clearly defined and reasonable content standards.

Use assessment instruments (tests) that are bias-free to the fullest extent possible.

Include multiple measures of student learning.

Allow for modifications/accommodations, or alternatives, for students with special needs and English Language Learners.

Enhance instruction and student learning.

Be provided with adequate resources, including funding and time.

Provide educators with professional development to help them use the results to improve teaching and learning.

The Association opposes the use of standardized test results, including “value-added” measures, to evaluate teachers, administrators, educational support staff, schools, or school districts. The Association also opposes the allocation of educational funding, or the application of sanctions, based on the results of standardized achievement testing.  The Association further believes that state and district assessment programs should not be the basis for comparing schools or the sole measure for determining graduation or promotion.  (REA Representative Assembly, 9-08)