Southern Boone Teachers Are Drowning

 In an email sent to district parents last week, Southern Boone School District Superintendent Chris Felmlee wrote, “As the school district continues to navigate through one of the most challenging years any of us have ever experienced in education, we recognize that our teachers and staff are exhausted and stressed. We understand that they need time to rest and recharge. In order for us to make our district the best place for our students, we must make this district the best place for our staff. Out of an abundance of concern for the mental and physical wellbeing of staff and students, the Board of Education approved an amendment this afternoon to the 2021-2022 school calendar to extend Thanksgiving break for much needed time for rest and renewal.”

The school board voted unanimously to add Monday the 22nd and Tuesday the 23rd to Thanksgiving break, giving teachers and students a full week off. I applaud this decision because the teachers I have been in contact with this school year are experiencing more stress and pressure than ever before in their careers. They are tired of hearing parents complain about face masks and quarantines. They are frustrated with having to administer endless assessments and standardized tests while a pandemic rages on. They are worried about contracting a deadly virus from their students and bringing it home to their families.

One educator friend described the seriousness of the situation to me. “Teachers feel defeated. We are asking for help, and no one will help us. We are yelling at the top of our lungs, but instead of giving us a life raft they are letting us drown.”

Mr. Felmlee’s letter continued, “Our board of education and district administration care deeply about the mental and physical wellbeing of teachers and staff. Our students, faculty, staff, and parents/guardians have all worked tirelessly to persevere in the face of some very difficult challenges. The school district is hopeful that the extra time will ultimately benefit everyone in some way, even though it may initially present a challenge for some families. The additional two days off during the extended Thanksgiving break will give all of us a chance to focus on self-care, family, and friends during this season of being thankful.”

One of the biggest issues teachers have cited this year is their perception that the board of education does not listen to teachers when they voice their concerns about their safety. By doing away with mask mandates and voting on changing the school visitor policy (an item on the board’s agenda this week) to allow unmasked and potentially unvaccinated parents and visitors to squeeze into crowded classrooms for holiday parties and to pack gymnasiums for assemblies and concerts, some teachers feel that the school board does not take seriously its responsibility to keep staff members and students safe.

Sarah Papineau is a member services coordinator for the Missouri State Teachers Association. “I can certainly say that the staff I have worked with at Southern Boone want a positive, collaborative, and supportive relationship with the community. They do want a voice in the decisions that impact them, just as each of us do in our own work settings. We're currently in the process of setting up a Community Teachers Association Welfare Committee with the goal of ensuring that staff have an avenue to weigh in on issues, collaborate on great ideas, and to strive for continuous improvements. Their desire is that Southern Boone continues to be a wonderful place to work, which will in turn allow staff to do the incredibly important job of educating our kids. I work with welfare committees around the state and I'm excited to see the great ideas and outcomes in Southern Boone.”

Another area of concern for educators is a severe shortage of substitute teachers. Finding reliable and qualified subs is a tremendous stressor to teachers, especially during the pandemic. I subbed in the Southern Boone School District for nine years. When I started in 2012, I was paid $80 per day. In 2021, subs still receive $80 per day despite a substantial increase in the cost of living over the last decade.

 

Substitutes in Missouri are required to complete at least 60 hours of college courses. Currently, the University of Missouri charges resident undergraduate students $321.30 per credit hour, which adds up to $19,278 for 60 credit hours, not including thousands more in mandatory fees and textbook purchases. Yet at roughly $10 per hour, qualified substitute teachers who have completed two years of college earn less than entry-level workers in other fields who might possess no college or professional experiencewhatsoever.

The SoBoCo school board is taking a look at compensation for substitutes, and one can only hope that they will decide to follow Jefferson City’s recent decisions to increase sub pay to $100 per day and implement an incentive plan that pays subs a $500 bonus for every 20 school days worked. Under Southern Boone’s current substitute pay plan, a sub can earn only $8,000 for working 100 school days. Under Jeff City’s new policy, a sub will earn $10,000 in base pay for working 100 days plus an additional $2,500 in bonuses for a total of $12,500.

Don’t even get me started on Southern Boone’s base pay for certified teachers. SoBoCo ranks 161st in the state for average pay for teachers with a bachelor’s degree. 15 miles to the south, Jefferson City ranks 49th overall while Columbia, 15 miles north of Ashland, comes in at 30th.  

The Southern Boone County Board of Education must continue to listen to its teachers. These educators are doing an amazing job of teaching, nurturing, assessing, and protecting our children in a tremendously challenging time, but they are feeling overwhelmed, underappreciated, and utterly exhausted. If things don’t improve substantially, I fear there will be a mass exodus of teachers at the end of the school year. That would be much costlier to the district than any increase in pay.