Brevard Federation of Teachers & School Board of Brevard County Workshop

April 21, 2020

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Instructional Staff Mental Health

Why Does This Matter?

Improved mental health leads to better employee

attendance, performance, fewer accidents, workers comp claims, turnover, healthcare costs (EAP

Supervisor Training PowerPoint).

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Background

An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older --about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder each year (National Institute of Mental Health Disorders)

Depression the most prevalent chronic condition in BPS; 16.1% verse a norm of 10.3% (CIGNA)

43% of adults with mental illness get care every year (National Alliance of Mental Health)

64% of adults with serious mental illness get care every year (National Alliance of Mental Health)

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Discipline Meetings

Evaluation Issues

4

What Does This Look Like to BFT?

Outcomes

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Summary of Conference

9%

Letter of Reprimand17%

Termination9%

Resignation in Lieu of Termination

8%

Resignation8%

Leave of Absence8%

Unfit for Duty8%

Forced to Transfer8%

No Action 25%

What Does This Look Like to BFT?

Overwhelmed teachers

(Stressed, afraid,

depressed, self-esteem

issues)

Potentially recruitment

and retention issue

Ineffective Instruction

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Solutions

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DISTRICT-WIDE AWARENESS

BETTER EMPLOYEE EDUCATION ABOUT

EAP

BETTER TRAINING FOR ADMINISTRATORS

Solutions

INCREASE THE NUMBER OF FREE FACE-TO-FACE COUNSELING SESSIONS

FROM 6

EAP BEFORE OR IN LIEU OF DISCIPLINE

MANDATORY EAP

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Substitute Shortage

Why is this important to our students,

teachers & administrators?

Ineffective learning environment

for our students

Teacher morale & encouraging

teachers under the weather to stay

home

Overwhelmed administrators

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What Does This Look Like To BFT?

Combining classes/Dividing classes

Increase student to teacher ratio

Ineffective learning environment

Increase to student discipline issues

Overwhelmed and burnt out teachers

BPS sick & personal leave policy should be a benefit that keeps teachers, not the opposite

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Background

FILL RATE SUBSTITUTE SURVEY

OBSTACLES BLOCKING SUBS

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BPS

Substitute

Fill Rate

12

Overall Fill Rate for February 83%

# of Schools below 80%

Actual # of vacancies; disturbing

Number of Unfilled Positions Per Month

13

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.

North Area Central Area South Area

Schools With Less Than 80% Fill Rate Per Month

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0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.

North Area Central Area South Area

Substitute Pay Rate Comparisonto 10 Counties

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District HS Diploma AA Degree Bachelors Retired

Brevard County $63.45 $65.63 $93.75 $121.88

Hillsborough County $90.00 $90.00 $90.00

Indian River County $75.00 $95.03

Lake County $65.00 $75.00 $85.00 $95.00

Miami/Dade County $95.85 $130.95 $130.95

Orange County $90.00 $90.00 $90.00

Osceola County $71.25 $71.25 $84.00 $90.00

Pasco County $65.00 $65.00 $70.00 $75.00

Polk County $80.00 $80.00 $80.00 $80.00

Seminole County $66.78 $66.78 $81.69 $98.00

Volusia County $71.55 $80.55 $92.48 $113.18

Substitute Shortage Solutions

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INCREASE OVERALL PAY

PAY INCENTIVES FOR HARD-TO-FILL

PAY TEACHERS TO COVER CLASSES OR

MISS PLANNING

MOVE MORE PD TO THE SUMMER OR

TEACHER WORKDAYS

PROMOTE SUBSTITUTES

THROUGHOUT BPS

Health Insurance

Why Does This Matter?

Premium, deductible, copay increases, etc. are

detrimental to a workforce that is struggling with pay. Teachers and staff may be

forgoing health care to save money.

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Background

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2015

Employee $35 Employer $70

2015

Required biometrics starting in 2015

2016–2017

Well Care Centers 2016-2017

2019

Formulary changes, Spouse biometrics Flat copay for high-tech imaging 30-day specialty, Voluntary 90 N0W, Removed dispense as written

2020

11 changes to the plan in 2020 in the form of copay increases, deductible increases, out of pocket increases

What Does

This Look

Like to BFT?

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Lack of understanding about a self-funded insurance plan

Anger over changes and increases

Belief that we don’t have “good” health insurance

Constant changes leads to confusion as to what is covered and what is not covered

Avoiding health care to save money

Projected Trend vs. Actual Trend

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$0

$20,000,000

$40,000,000

$60,000,000

$80,000,000

$100,000,000

$120,000,000

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Trust Fund CY 2010-2019

Actual Expense Estimated Expense 6% Trend

Recommended Solutions We’re Comfortable With Now

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Tobacco Surcharge (Affidavit $150,00-

$500,00)

Dependent Eligibility Verification Audit (Potential savings

$200,000- $1,956,000)

Increase Coaching by 15% ($500,000-

$1,000,000)

Revamping education about plan

Create a timeline for consideration of plan

for 2022

Recommended Solutions That Seem Promising But Need More Info

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Designated Care Network Savings ($730,000)

Registered Nurses for employees on some campuses

Incentives

Board Infusion

Increased contributions

Concerns About the Alternative Network

No contract with Health First; Estimated savings of 10%

but no contract

No disruption report

Union is looking at a potential lawsuit against Health

First for monopolistic practices

Lack of clarity about savings

Rushed effort (Lack of education is an ongoing theme)

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Recruitment?

Retention?

“Often, policymakers respond to

teacher shortages by focusing on

recruiting warm bodies to

classrooms, even though improving

retention is more critical to solving

shortages in the long run. One

reason for this approach is that

teacher turnover is often an

invisible problem whose real costs

are unknown to parents, the public,

and the policymakers themselves.”24

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Background

Teachers who left the district SY19 Teachers who left the district SY20 YTD

Reason Count Reason Count

Contract Expired 118 Contract Expired 26

Death 1 Death 2

Dismissal due to Finding by Bd 2 Dismissal due to Finding by Bd 1

Job Abandonment 1 Ineligible for rehire 1

Prob term-may be elig 4 rehire 4 Prob term-may be elig 4 rehire 7

Resignation for Emp in EDU/FLA 11 Resignation for Emp out of Ed 5

Resignation for Emp out of Ed 6 Resignation for Other Pers Rsn 128

Resignation for Other Pers Rsn 254 Resignation in lieu of term 2

Resignation in lieu of term 5 Resignation with Prejudice 1

Resigned for Emp in Ed out/FL 2 Resigned for Emp in Ed out/FL 2

Retirement 134 Retired 27

Grand Total 538 Grand Total 202

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Background

Retention.

Retention.

Retention.

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Estimated cost to BPS

of losing 538 teachers

per year is $5,918,000

(Cut that in half and

BPS saves $2,959,000) https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/prod

uct/the-cost-of-teacher-turnover

Why do

teachers

leave?

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Compensation

More than half of teachers do not feel supported, and 1 in 4 quits as a result.

Lack of teacher preparation- training and mentoring matter

Teacher Working Environment

Test and Data Obsessed

Relationships with administrators

What Does This Look Like to BFT?

Compensation

One of the main indicators that teachers pay is too

low is that a growing number of our teachers have

taken second jobs to make ends meet.

Teachers can’t count on raises year by year that

keep up with inflation and the cost of living.

Teachers are leaving for other professions that

require similar levels of education and that offer

better compensation packages. 29

What does this look like to BFT?

Pay for Performance Raise History

2014-15

$980 HE, $735 E

2015-16

$2400 HE, $1962 E

2016-17

$581 HE, $475 E

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2017-18

$875 HE, $600 E

2018-19

$1100 HE, $825 E

2019-20

$2000 HE, $1500 E

Compensation Solutions

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Predictable raises that keep up with inflation and cost of living.

• Ex: minimum of $1000 per year for effective, with more to be negotiated

Commitment to no pay freezes

What Does Teacher Preparation

Look Like to BFT?

Training and mentoring matter!

District Mentors

There are not enough district mentors to effectively reach our teachers who need them.

School Based Mentors

Our school-based mentors are overwhelmed with their own day to day duties.

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Teacher Preparation Solutions

Training and mentoring matter!

District Mentors- we need more, and we need mentors who are dedicated to our early career teachers.

First year teachers have a mentor in their classrooms modeling/coaching once every two weeks

School Based Mentors- increase supplement, reduce workload.

Teacher/Mentor Preparation Program

Pinellas County- Spring Board to Success

Coaches Training

Coaching & Field Experience 33

What Does the Teacher Work

Environment Look Like to BFT?

What do teachers value?

Teachers want to feel that their input is valued, and they want the opportunity to teach freely and creatively.

Teachers are bogged down with obsessive test and data requirements.

Ex: The spreadsheet that Elementary teachers were sent to monitor data has seventeen columns for data that can be accessed elsewhere.

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What Does the Teacher Work

Environment Look Like to BFT?

Teachers want an administrator who is flexible and not rigid in beliefs or expectations.

Administrators can make or break morale at schools.

Administrator tried to write a teacher up who put a few blue highlights in her hair.

Still have teachers asking about first Wednesday of the month being jeans day because their administrator told them they couldn’t wear them.

Administrators only choose certain people to give input on school programs, decisions, etc.

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Teaching Working

Environment Solutions

Principals identified by BPS and BFT

sharing what they’re doing with

other schools

More mentoring for administrators

More awareness of generational

diversity 36

Retention? Recruitment?

You don’t have a recruitment problem if you don’t have a retention problem.

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Next Steps?

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