Bringing down District 14 is not the answer
To the editor:
Great things are happening in School District 14.
We have a tremendous staff that helps provide students with a rich curriculum and many unique opportunities as well. We have an administration that supports and encourages the students and staff to grow and learn.
Now is the time to support Manitou. There is great concern that this group calling itself “Stand Up for Manitou” is actually focused on bringing down this district.
It’s time to consider the effects of their practices. Where are the positive things shared by former district employees who completed their survey?
Why haven’t they bothered to ask the current staff, parents or community about their feelings about District 14? Why aren’t they considering what their actions are doing to our district and especially the long-term effects?
If you observe comments that staffers make on Facebook, you see that they are the complete opposite of what this group is proclaiming. If this group has a problem with someone, bringing down the entire district is not the answer. If this continues, Manitou could lose so much more.
Now is definitely the time to stand up to this group, speak out, support our district and not allow them to break it down.
Vi Gaunce
former Manitou Springs Middle School science teacher
Soliciting feedback for the sake of appearances
To the editor:
Decisions that affect Manitou Springs District 14 teachers directly are made seemingly without teacher input. From simple, day-to-day decisions like teacher/student parking spaces, to the calendar and teacher salaries.
District administrators are unwilling to accept feedback (in survey form or otherwise) that they do not solicit. Outside surveys and data are consistently disregarded.
They also do not utilize the survey data they solicit with fidelity. Or they put out a survey, or ask for feedback in “listening sessions” and from the District Accountability Committee, and then move in another direction.
It all seems disingenuous. So they appear to be soliciting feedback from staff, but have actually already made the decision. It seems like smoke and mirrors.
The number of administrative positions at the district level is top-heavy. There are several people in those positions who are under-qualified (HR in particular) and do not understand their own policies.
We are not trusted as professionals. … Certified staffers are given very specific “hours” even though we are all salaried employees.
In the same vein, if you’re going to assign me such specific hours, then I should be compensated (either with time, money or both) for work completed outside of those hours: extra duties, meetings, etc. Currently, the “compensation” is laughable or nonexistent.
Current District 14 teacher
Where is the administration steering the district?
To the editor:
After many years working at Manitou Elementary, I truly love my school, my community and especially my students. I feel proud and protective of the wonderfully enriching experiences, high-quality instruction and unconditional love and support dedicated teachers provide to kids every day.
But I often worry about the direction that our district administration is steering us. There is a significant disconnect between district leadership and the elementary school staff. The needs of the teachers, and therefore the needs of the students, are not appropriately understood.
Teachers need more work days to plan, prepare and create so we can reach our highest potential. We require more support staff, such as a math interventionist, to ensure our instruction is accessible to all kids, and an additional counselor to ensure we are living up to our claims of honoring the whole child.
We need an alternative to Late Start Wednesdays that doesn’t cancel intervention services for struggling learners and does not disrupt the stability of daily routines, upon which our most vulnerable kids rely.
We need relief from playground duty, lunchroom duty, crosswalk duty, midday meetings and the multitude of additional responsibilities we take on that further reduce our ability to focus on our kids.
We overextend ourselves every day, often covering each other’s assignments when there are not enough substitute teachers. All while witnessing new hires occurring at the district level, such as the new public relations specialist.
But we need substance and results prioritized over image and optics. Our school must be valued by administration beyond just a public relations front.
The question, “What is best for kids?” needs to drive the district-level decision-making process as it once did. Teachers know what is best for our kids, which is why our voices should be heard.
However, many of us feel our input and perspective is not properly valued. District leadership provides an occasional survey or listening session, but these rarely, if ever, lead to any discernable, positive change.
Manitou Elementary teachers will always put students first and will continue to go to great lengths to provide kids what they need and what they deserve. But we need to feel supported, valued and heard in order to have sustainability and longevity in a very difficult profession.
A devoted teacher in the district
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