The Greene County Community School District is among the first group of Iowa school districts to receive funding to launch Teacher Leadership and Compensation (TLC) programs. The announcement was made Monday by Gov Branstad, Lt Gov Kim Reynolds, and Iowa Department of Education director Brad Buck. As Teacher Leaders, 27 teachers will receive additional pay next school year.
Of the 346 public school districts in the state, 146 applied for this first year of funding in the TLC program. Only 39 districts were selected for funding. The Greene County district will receive $404,000 in additional state funding to implement its Teacher Leadership program. The amount of funding was based on student enrollment.
The TLC program is part of the 2013 education reform package promoted by the governor and approved by the state Legislature. The goal of the TLC program is to foster greater collaboration among teachers so that they learn from each other rather than working in isolation. By offering stipends to teachers in leadership roles, the program seeks to attract and retain more effective teachers. The overarching goal is to improve student learning in Iowa schools.
Across the state, TLC programs will be phased in over three years, with all districts participating by the 2016-17 school year (although participation is voluntary). The cost to the state in Fiscal Year ’15 is $50 million; that cost will grow to about $150 million annually in the third year. For districts participating in the first year, TLC funding becomes part of the Iowa school finance formula.
Districts were selected for first year funding based on the strength of their application, with diversity in demographics and geography also part of the decision. The Panorama Community School District received funds. Guthrie Center and Adair-Casey submitted a joint application but did not receive funds. Paton-Churdan, Carroll, Glidden-Ralston, Ogden, Boone and Coon Rapids-Bayard did not apply. A complete list of the districts that applied and their scores, and a list of the 39 districts receiving funding is posted at http://www.educateiowa.gov/teacher-leadership-and-compensation-system.
Districts were given flexibility in designing their program, but a requirement was that 25 percent of a district’s teachers be involved in leadership roles. The Greene County district will identify 27 of its 110 teachers for leadership positions as follows:
- Three instructional coaches will not teach classes but will serve as consultants to teachers, observing and recommending teaching strategies to improve student performance. One each for grades K-3, 4-8, and 9-12. Salary supplement $10,000 each.
- Five curriculum leaders will teach fulltime and spend additional time training in curriculum matters like testing and the Iowa Core. The will share that information with other teachers. Aligned in each subject area, not by building or grade. Salary supplement $2,000 each.
- Four mentor teachers will teach half-time and spend half their time in other classrooms, observing and coaching teachers. One in each attendance center. Salary supplement $5,000 each.
- Fifteen model teachers will teach a regular schedule and will be observed often by other teachers looking to see “best practices” in teaching. Varying numbers in each building. Salary supplement $2,000 each.
Total additional cost to the district for the teacher leaders is $104,922 including employment taxes. Another $287,000 is budgeted to cover the cost of teachers to replace those taken out of the classroom. That includes new hires to replace teachers who become instructional coaches or mentors, and substitutes for when teachers are in other classrooms observing.
“I am extremely excited about the grant. I feel it provides a great opportunity to change teaching and learning in Iowa,” Greene County superintendent Tim Christensen said.
He has already started the application process for teachers to fill the leadership roles and will begin interviewing next week.
The Greene County and Jefferson-Scranton boards discussed the grant application as it was being prepared. Teachers would commit to the leadership roles for only one year; coaches and mentors could choose to return to their classrooms after the year, displacing the teacher who had been hired for that classroom. Board members questioned how that would be handled in the hiring process. Christensen said the newly hired teachers would be aware of that possibility, and that accommodations might be possible depending on each teacher’s certifications.
Board members also questioned the long term future of funding for the Teacher Leadership and Compensation program. Christensen said the TLC program will have benefits even if it does not continue over the long term.
