LEWISTON — In response to teachers’ complaints about their workload during the pandemic, Superintendent Jake Langlais has made changes.
Many teachers told the School Committee on Monday that they were working 80 to 100 hours a week and were approaching the breaking point of mental and physical exhaustion.
In a memo to the committee released Thursday, Langlais wrote that he believes he has “provided relief to some of the pressures that exist.”
Changes include:
• Removing the timeline for required training in Google’s remote instruction platform;
• Removing the requirement that teachers be tested for Google Educator certification;
• Postponing professional development designed to improve teaching English language learners, social/emotional learning and “other tools”; and
• Providing three uninterrupted days for teachers and education technicians to prepare lesson plans.
“There are unintended consequences to these decisions, but I do believe the ultimate result of providing more time for preparation will result in a positive,” Langlais wrote.
Consequences include less time with students, to which some educators objected during Monday’s meeting.
Langlais wrote in the memo that he had received thanks for the extra time but also regret from teachers about losing instructional time.
The superintendent’s changes were based on a motion approved by the committee Monday night. The motion passed 5-3 with Alicia Rea, Tanya Whitlow and Chairwoman Megan Parks voting against it.
Langlais had objected to the motion proposed by committee member Elgin Physic.
“I know these are COVID times, but School Committee action on professional development, I don’t know if that’s a slippery slope,” Langlais said.
“You want an answer by next Monday, but let me do my work around what I’m hearing in the survey,” he said.
A survey conducted by the Lewiston Education Association showed that teachers are feeling overwhelmed and undersupported.
Allison Lytton, president of the teachers’ union, said 43% of the 778 members took part in the survey, which was sent to all members.
She told the School Committee on Monday that an average of 3.58 out of 5 felt the workload was unmanageable. Fifty-three respondents were “rock stars who said they absolutely can keep going,” she said.
She said teachers felt “very supported” at the building level but only “somewhat supported” at the district level.
“The word that stuck out was ‘students,’” Lytton said. “That’s why we are here and we want to give the best education we can supply.”
Langlais said in his memo to the committee that he would like to take some time to see whether the changes have the intended outcome.
The three Wednesdays designated for preparation time without student responsibilities will take place over five weeks. The first was Nov. 4. The others are Nov. 18 and Dec. 2.
“I have asked principals to communicate with their staff to find out what other ideas they may have to reduce pressure on staff,” Langlais wrote.
He said it would take about a week to gather this information.
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