By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
We are extremely fortunate in Perry Township Schools to be extended the opportunity to serve the needs of the children in our community.
The beginning of the school year has been positive, and our staff is simply second to none. The reputation of your schools is positive, and we continue to experience growth in enrollment while attracting young families to our community.
Thus far we have enrolled more than 300 additional students as compared to last year at this time. Thank goodness our community provided the additional funding to be able to continue offering a variety of courses and at the same time have the space to address the growth in enrollment.
I would like to take a moment to highlight a relationship that many times we forget does not exist in most districts across the state. This year Perry Township Schools for the second year in a row was the first district in the state to ratify a contract between the teaching staff and the administration/board.
When you hear the term “teacher contract” it may bring up adversarial visions of negotiations going late into the night. However, we are proud here in Perry Township not to have to go through that kind of process. This year’s contract negotiations between our administrative team and the Perry Education Association is a model, in my opinion, for how this process should be completed. The recipe for such success is based on a foundation of trust, respect and appreciation between the bargaining teams that is just not found in other school districts.
We are fortunate to have a school board that believes your school district should reflect the best and the brightest in the education profession. The goal is to develop a salary structure that not only attracts quality teachers but maintains a salary base and benefit structure that encourages staff to make Perry Township a lifelong career home. As a standard we strive to be competitive with other school districts in Marion County and are committed to maintaining that standard.
There is mutual respect that exists between the administration/board team and the association. There are times when we disagree, but there is always a mutual focus on what is best for children in our classrooms. I am proud of the fact that both sides have never lost that moral compass that sets the standard in your school system. We would like to thank the association for its great work in representing our educators in this process.
We know as a community that you expect quality teachers in your children’s and grandchildren’s classrooms, and that will continue to be our goal. In a future column we will highlight some of our new teachers who were selected to join our team of educators. You will be impressed.
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
We are extremely fortunate in Perry Township Schools to be extended the opportunity to serve the needs of the children in our community.
The beginning of the school year has been positive, and our staff is simply second to none. The reputation of your schools is positive, and we continue to experience growth in enrollment while attracting young families to our community.
Thus far we have enrolled more than 300 additional students as compared to last year at this time. Thank goodness our community provided the additional funding to be able to continue offering a variety of courses and at the same time have the space to address the growth in enrollment.
I would like to take a moment to highlight a relationship that many times we forget does not exist in most districts across the state. This year Perry Township Schools for the second year in a row was the first district in the state to ratify a contract between the teaching staff and the administration/board.
When you hear the term “teacher contract” it may bring up adversarial visions of negotiations going late into the night. However, we are proud here in Perry Township not to have to go through that kind of process. This year’s contract negotiations between our administrative team and the Perry Education Association is a model, in my opinion, for how this process should be completed. The recipe for such success is based on a foundation of trust, respect and appreciation between the bargaining teams that is just not found in other school districts.
We are fortunate to have a school board that believes your school district should reflect the best and the brightest in the education profession. The goal is to develop a salary structure that not only attracts quality teachers but maintains a salary base and benefit structure that encourages staff to make Perry Township a lifelong career home. As a standard we strive to be competitive with other school districts in Marion County and are committed to maintaining that standard.
There is mutual respect that exists between the administration/board team and the association. There are times when we disagree, but there is always a mutual focus on what is best for children in our classrooms. I am proud of the fact that both sides have never lost that moral compass that sets the standard in your school system. We would like to thank the association for its great work in representing our educators in this process.
We know as a community that you expect quality teachers in your children’s and grandchildren’s classrooms, and that will continue to be our goal. In a future column we will highlight some of our new teachers who were selected to join our team of educators. You will be impressed.
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