‘You aren’t listening:’ Shawnee Mission teacher resigns in front of school board
Shawnee Mission teacher Amanda Coffman publicly resigned in front of the school board Monday night — becoming one of the first to walk away from a three-year unilateral contract imposed by the board after negotiations with the union failed.
The Indian Woods Middle School teacher compared her relationship with the Shawnee Mission school district to a “bad marriage.”
“Just like a bad relationship, our communication has broken down. You aren’t listening,” said Coffman, who teaches gifted education. “When you failed to show up to the conversation but sent your lawyer instead, I finally understood that this just isn’t going to work. The kids and I deserve better.”
Linda Sieck, president of the National Education Association-Shawnee Mission, warned earlier of a “mass exodus” of teachers after the school board imposed a long-term unilateral contract. The board’s decision followed a series of unsuccessful negotiation attempts and a state-mandated fact-finding session.
Teachers have until Friday to decide whether to accept the three-year contract, continue working under last year’s contract or resign.
So far, Coffman is one of at least two teachers to resign before the end of the school year. Zachary Stinnett, a math teacher at Shawnee Mission North High School, resigned effective Feb. 7, according to a human resources report approved by the school board Monday.
The report also showed nine resignations taking effect at the end of the school year in May.
During negotiation sessions, the school district and union failed to agree on compensation increases and adjustments to teacher workload. Largely, the contract talks hinged on how the district will spend $9.6 million in restored state funding. The unilateral contract dedicates 79% of that funding to teacher compensation.
The union pushed for the district to adjust teacher workloads as part of the contract, because secondary teachers often instruct six classes out of seven periods every day.
Teachers have been packing school board meetings for several months, sharing feelings of emotional and physical exhaustion after instructing between 150 and 180 students each day. They say that leaves little time for grading, planning, talking to parents or advising students.
Class loads were increased during former superintendent Jim Hinson’s tenure due to budgetary constraints. But with new state funding, the union argued it’s time for the district to lighten teacher workloads.
But administrators said the district did not have the time or resources to begin adjusting teacher workloads this school year.
During a conversation with the Kansas City Star Editorial Board last week, board president Heather Ousley said the district was forced to choose between lightening workloads — which could be done by hiring more teachers — or giving existing teachers compensation increases.
“You’re putting yourself in a situation where if you hire more teachers, you’ll turn right around and won’t be able to keep them,” she said. “So the trick in navigating that space is how do you adjust workload with maintaining compensation increases year-over-year.”
The school board included language in the unilateral contract stating that the administration will begin phasing in adjustments to teacher workloads beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.
The fact-finder report agreed with the district about taking time to address teacher workloads and stated, “it is not logistically possible to determine the specific hiring needs, hire the needed number of teachers and rearrange class schedules within this fiscal year.”
“The board will address this issue, but will not jeopardize current or future raises for all staff (which are based on the availability of new state revenue), or risk the district’s long-term financial stability,” district officials said in news release.
Spokesman David Smith said stakeholders are beginning to discuss how the district should go about adjusting teachers’ workloads. That could include hiring more teachers and building new classrooms. He said it would cost about $5 million to hire 70 new secondary teachers, for example.
“We can’t do all of that in one year. So how do you start adjusting workload in a way where you start phasing it in, in the most effective manner,” Ousley said.
School board members told The Star that adjusting workloads could mean budget cuts down the road, but said it is too early to say how the district will reprioritize funding.
The school board will discuss how to implement changes to teacher workload during strategic planning in June. For now, teachers are left to decide whether to accept the unilateral contract.
The contract includes a 1% base salary increase this year, a 1.25% bump next year and a 1.5% salary increase in the third year. Combined with other scheduled salary increases for some teachers and additional health insurance contributions, the district said teachers should receive an 11% compensation increase over three years, on average.
But many teachers have said the contract will leave them with a lower salary than last year, especially with the rising costs of living and health insurance. Sieck previously said around 40% of union teachers received a one-time, 1% salary stipend as part of last school year’s contract, so will likely see no pay increase this year.
Teachers in the Shawnee Mission school district are the highest paid in the state.
The fact-finder report showed Shawnee Mission teachers earn more than $71,000 on average, a salary 30% higher than the median average of all Kansas districts. The district’s lowest starting pay is about $43,000, according to the annual budget. The union has said the majority of teachers earn less than $65,000 a year.
After resigning, Coffman said she is a “highly educated, very talented teacher — they’re in high demand in other districts.”
“There will be no clarifying questions,” Coffman said after speaking in front of the school board. “I don’t answer to you anymore.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 1:59 PM.
