The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Parents: 38 ‘Hollywood’ movies shown during teacher absences
School district cites nationwide educator shortage
MIDDLETOWN — Some parents are raising concerns about the quality of their middle-school children’s education when teachers are absent, after their students were shown nearly 40 movies in class since the academic year began.
Heather Chandor, whose daughter attends Beman Middle School, enumerated facts related to these instances during a Board of Education meeting this week, saying that her daughter’s class experienced 208 classroom hours with no instruction during that period.
Chandor listed just some of the movies: “Finding Nemo,” “Home,” “Yes Day,” “Monsters vs Aliens,” “Transylvania,” “Tooth Fairy” and “Dog Gone.”
During that period, Chandor said, students “have sat, ready to learn at Beman Middle School, with absolutely no instruction happening in science, STEM and Spanish.”
She and two other concerned parents sent 22 emails to administration members, the superintendent and central office staff, Chandor noted.
“Zero: the number of communications that we have received in response that would indicate that there is any concern from the superintendent or central offices for what is happening in the classrooms at Beman Middle School, and zero communication on any plan to help our children receive the education they deserve,” she told members.
Without communication to “even acknowledge this extreme situation, to show any compassion for what our students are experiencing or showing any plan that the school is making to improve it, would have me agreeing with those children that there is no value for education,” Chandor said.
Public Schools Communications Director Jessie Lavorgna said this week that “there should have been communication with families of students in this class.
“While the district continues to work diligently at recruiting, hiring, and retaining a qualified candidate for the position mentioned, there is a shortage of teachers for
world language (and other areas) statewide,” she said. Beman Middle School Principal Raymond Byron said Friday that, in addition to having Chief Academic Officer Stacey McCann contact Chandor, he met with her and other concerned parents Jan. 20 and 27.
“We continue to look for a qualified instructor for that class,” he said.
“In the meantime, we now have Apex Learning, an online, standards-aligned learning platform that is being provided to us for free through the Connecticut State Department of Education, up and running for our students in the Spanish classes impacted by this state- and nationwide shortage,” Byron said.
The shortage of teachers at Beman, Chandor said, has been well known for two years. “As we have seen, it’s not something that’s going to have a quick solution,” she said. “However, some plan must be put in place to alleviate the lack of education our children are currently experiencing.”
She asked the superintendent for plans to change the situation to “ensure that students are not sitting in the classroom, or a cafeteria on their phones, or watching a movie when they should be learning,” Chandor said.
“You had kids for six months going to three classes throughout the day — three classes — with no instruction, no teacher,” Chandor said Thursday. “It blows my mind. The message to kids is, if the adults in our lives don’t care, why should we care?”
Considering there is a shortage of teachers, Chandor said, “if this is the reality, we can’t not teach our children. A sign of insanity is you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.”
Prior to the school board meeting, the district was in the process of setting up the State Department of Education’s free online, standards-aligned core courses through Apex Learning. It is now in place, “to help alleviate the strain caused by these shortages,” Lavorgna said.
Paige McMullen’s daughter is a seventhgrader at Beman, and uses the tim e to co mplete her classwork, she said Thursday. Her student was among the first class at the new middle school.
When Keigwin and Woodrow Wilson middle school students began attending Beman two years ago, “the transition was very chaotic,” at least for her daughter’s team, not only because of Keigwin closing, but the rush to get it open in time, the WWMS principal leaving, teachers moving, pandemic challenges facing students and the district, McMullen said.
“We’ve had a pretty high tolerance, and we’ve tried everything,” she added. “My biggest issue is transparency,” she explained.
In the fall, McMullen said, the Spanish teacher had left the district, and half of her daughter’s friends left, as well, because “there was a general discontent with the communication from the administration, feeling like people weren’t listening, that kind of stuff,” added McMullen, a proponent of public education.
At the seventh-grade open house in late summer, of the five core subjects, there was no one from the science or Spanish department there, she noted.
Teachers advised parents to contact board members about their grievances. All three parents reached out to a number of individuals at the school. “Nothing was received — literally nothing,” McMullen said.
McCann did speak with Chandor after the BOE meeting.
Beman parents also received a letter from McCann Wednesday night, explaining the Apex information. “This is the first movement we’ve gotten,” McMullen said.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Cannata said at the school board meeting that there are 39 staff vacancies in the district, including 16 paraprofessionals.
“That’s alarming,” Chandor said Thursday. “It’s not sustainable for giving our children the proper education. I don’t think the problem is quick or easy to solve.”
Over a three-month period, school board member Delita RoseDaniels said, the report shows there have been 34 resignations. “Tonight’s testimony alludes to some of the struggles that we are facing with our students.”
“A lot of people are leaving the profession, or leaving for districts that are closer to hom e or we are losing som ee mployees to people that might be having a little higher salary,” Cannata replied. “There is the concern that the job has become a little more challenging,” she added.
There is also a dearth of daily and building substitutes, Cannata explained. “We are having a hard time filling those positions.”
Another issue may be that at least one nearby district pays $15 more per hour for substitute teachers, the assistant schools chief said. Middletown reviewed its compensation in late 2021, and increased the hourly rate the next spring for building and long-term subs to $105, and daily subs to $100 in order to stay competitive.Cannata said the district intends to revisit the compensation.