Teachers

The United Teachers of Wichita announced Friday afternoon that 82% of its members voted to approve a new one-year contract.  "Make no mistake, teachers are not happy with three straight years of no raise, no step movement, no track movement" said UTW President Larry Landwehr.  "This will be the fourth year in a row with the same exact salary.  Teachers do not get cost of living increases, even though costs for everything continue to rise"....

What makes one teacher better than another? That's the question the US department of education hopes to answer, and it may look to research done in Washington state for answers. Researchers there looked at where teachers got their education, and the programs those school provide. Now they hope to find out what about that training best prepares teachers for success in the classroom. The study found significant differences in different programs a teacher's effectiveness.

"I like trying new things and making sure there's lots of space, open and easy to get around. Kind of setting things up in different places. " With more numbers on his math board, than days left until school starts, it's a busy time of year for teachers like James Moffett. "When those kids come in on August 16th, they're not going to wait for you to find where things are and get things organized. It needs to be already done. " But among the worries of being ready, come the worries of all the changes the entire district will experience once school is in session.

The room was packed at Monday night's Wichita School Board meeting as the district announced its Distinguished Classroom Teacher recipients and nominees for 2011. New Teacher, Elementary: Eunice Perez, kindergarten teacher at Washington Elementary. Runner up: Brandon Hoskins, second-grade teacher at Kensler Elementary. New Teacher, Secondary: Echo Wells, math teacher at Jardine Technology Magnet. Runner up: Marjorie Brown, Interrelated English teacher at South High School.

Latest Update By Kara Sewell (WICHITA, Kan.) With homemade signs of support, a group of Wichitans wait to make their voices heard. "It seems like every time they cut, they always cut from the bottom up," said Jesse Ingram. The group of Wichita teachers and staff say Saturday's legislative delegation forum was their last chance to hear from lawmakers and tell them to stop making cuts to education. "The community supports education," says Terry Rains. "We do have some concerns and we'd like to have them listen to us and give us some support in Topeka," adds Ingram.

Does a Pennsylvania teacher tell it like it is when she describes students as lazy and disengaged? She's under fire for talking about students in blog postings.  Some believe her classroom should be off limits online. Read the CBS News story and tell me what you think.

Geography Surveyed: Kansas Data Collected: 05/22/2012 Release Date: 05/23/2012 09:00 ET Sponsor: KWCH-TV Wichita 1. Is it appropriate or not appropriate for teachers to be friends with their students on Facebook? Asked of 500 Adults Margin of Sampling Error for this question = ± 4.3% 29% - Appropriate 65% - Not Appropriate 6% - Not Sure 2. Is it appropriate? Or not appropriate? For teachers to use Facebook and other social media sites as part of their class?

Wichita teachers will not receive any pay increases, or decreases, as part of a tentative contract agreement for next school year. The United Teachers of Wichita said Thursday it and the Wichita Board of Education have reached a tentative agreement for the 2011-2012 school year. It comes as the district had to cut almost $30 million because of cuts in state aid. The UTW says the agreement means teachers will be working for the same salary for the fourth year in a row, and will not receive any cost of living increases or step or track increases on the district's salary schedule.

Few details are being provided as the Wichita superintendent John Allison prepares to announce “Phase three” cuts. Phase three will be building level cuts and will more than likely include teachers. In past cuts, Allison has held a news conference before anything is officially presented to the school board. A school spokesperson says that likely won’t happen this round. The spokesperson confirmed that layoff notices will begin going out this week.