Intercepts

Francine Lawrence, president of the Toledo Federation of Teachers, unveiled her plan for a teacher-led school before the school board last night. The key segment of the story follows:

David McClellan, president of the principals' union, blasted Ms. Lawrence's
idea and efforts, claiming she subverted the district's school improvement
committee by presenting the idea to teachers at Pickett Elementary and even
worse, that her idea would violate his union's contract.

"I will fight this as hard as I can," Mr. McClellan said. "It is a clear violation of our contract and if they go through with it, I will file for an unfair labor practice."

State law that requires administrative leadership, particularly for disciplining students, and the Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel union's contract states there will be a principal in every school.

Ms. Lawrence wants two "teacher leaders" in the school - one for instruction and the other for operations.

"I am not going to be derailed by roadblocks," she said. "This is not intended to be against Mr. McClellan or his model … People throughout the country are looking for different models and they need to be creative."

Posted by Mike Antonucci on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 08:18 | Permalink