A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Teachers and Staff

Many charter school advocates believe the best teachers should be in the classroom, regardless of certification requirements. Additionally, charter schools often are strapped financially and only can provide low teacher-student ratios by hiring noncertified staff (often at a lower salary) rather than certified educators. Professional educators claim the most effective teachers are those who have received training through certification programs and are licensed.

Considerations:

Teacher Certification

Many states require that charter school teachers be certified. A few states, such as Connecticut and Illinois, have alternative certification programs that allow staff to work in a charter school (and other public schools) with the intent of becoming certified. Certification requirements are less likely to be a problem for conversion schools because the majority of teachers in them were certified before the school converted to charter school status.

Consider the following options:

1. Require only certified teachers.

• Generally, the most effective teachers will be those who have received training and are certified.

• Require, as public schools do, certification of teachers unless specifically waived (providing the state has corresponding legislation).

2. No teacher certification requirements are needed in legislation.

• Certification is not a guarantee that all individuals will be qualified to teach and have a positive influence on student achievement.

• School enrichment can occur by involving community members and retired educators to work with students to augment noncertified staff.

• Charter schools are held accountable for student achievement. If the school is successful, it makes no difference whether teachers have formal certification.

3. Require a ratio of certified to noncertified teachers.

• This is a compromise. Because charter schools are experimental, a combination of teachers is required to balance the total quality of teachers in the school.

4. Allow for the hiring of noncertified teachers who intend to obtain certification.

• Although certification does not guarantee quality teaching, additional training may provide teachers with increased knowledge of subject matter, instructional techniques and child development, thus raising their potential for effectiveness.

Salaries

The legal status of charter schools usually dictates how salary decisions are made. If charter schools are a part of the district, then district salaries and collective bargaining policies likely will apply. If charter schools have nonprofit status, then the decisions usually are made by the charter school.

Consider the following options:

1. Teachers' salaries are set by the charter school.

• Charter schools should have the ability to pay teachers on the basis of competence rather than seniority.

• Given the fiscal constraints of some charter schools, they should be able to set salaries based on their total budget and costs.

2. Salaries are set by the state or district.

• If the charter school receives state or district funds, then teachers in such schools should be subject to district agreements on salaries and other compensation.

Teacher Leave of Absence

Many states require districts to grant teachers a leave of absence (usually 3 to 4 years) to teach in a charter school. Until the time period has expired, teachers are allowed to return to schools within the district. Variations exist in how states address seniority and benefits issues while teachers are on leave to work in a charter school.

In the few states where some charter schools have been established for longer than the teacher leave of absence allows, teachers have been forced to choose between their former position in the school district and continuing their careers at the charter school. While this is not yet a widespread problem (most charter schools are relatively new; three-quarters of them have been open less than 3 years), it is likely to escalate in coming years. School districts are concerned about extending the leave period because they might have to accommodate an influx of senior teachers after already hiring replacement personnel. For their part, the teachers whose leave of absences are expiring argue that they need sufficient time to assess teaching opportunities at the charter school.

Consider the following options:

1. Restrict charter school teachers' options to return to their districts.

• Teachers who work in a charter school do so at their own risk. If they are able to return to their "home" districts, teachers have no guarantees and may need to renegotiate items such as placement and tenure.

2. Provide a leave of absence for teachers to return to an equivalent position in their districts.

• Since charter schools are public schools, policies regarding leaves of absence should be the same as for district.

Pensions and Benefits

Retirement is usually packaged with salaries. If the district is controlling salaries, retirement and benefits usually follow. If separated, then the charter school is left to deal with benefit and retirement packages for all its employees. Charter schools in most states, however, have the option of using the state teachers' pension system.

Consider the following options:

1. Restrict charter school teachers' access to the district's traditional public schools teachers' retirement system.

• Teachers who work in charter schools do so at their own risk. They are not guaranteed the ability to make contributions to current retirement funds.

2. Charter school teachers should have equal access to the public teachers' retirement system.

• Guaranteeing access to retirement systems provides a "safety net" for public school teachers to work in charter schools.

Collective Bargaining

In a district, teacher unions negotiate wages, working conditions and terms of employment with school authorities. Yet, many educators view collective bargaining agreements as the single largest obstacle to innovation in schools because they restrict such things as hiring and hours. Since charter schools are intended to foster experimentation, advocates believe these obstacles should be removed. On the other hand, collective bargaining has been a positive force for teachers. Allowing charter schools to opt out of participation could undermine that progress for all educators. Collective bargaining issues for charter schools focus on whether existing collective bargaining agreements should apply to charter school employees. These issues often are packaged with salaries and retirement benefits because they often are included in collective bargaining agreements.

Consider the following options:

1. Charter schools should operate independently from district bargaining agreements.

• Personnel costs and union agreements constitute much of the inflexibility within public schools. Freedom to operate under new rules is at the heart of the charter school movement. They should form their own agreements as needed.

• Critics of union-negotiated collective bargaining agreements contend that many of the funds secured through such collective bargaining agreements do not actually reach teachers. Instead, they are used for lobbying efforts. Charter schools need to keep their funds locally.

2. Charter schools should be bound by district collective bargaining agreements.

• Because charter schools are most commonly sponsored by local districts, district collective bargaining agreements should apply within any district public school.

• Because of economies of scale, agreements negotiated by and for the district will have created better agreements for the majority of teachers than ones negotiated by individual charter schools.

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This page was last updated January 9, 2002 (jca)