Unfair? Imbalanced? Unleveled?

APS will move teachers to balance enrollment [ajc]
Atlanta Public Schools this week will begin reassigning teachers to balance enrollment. But the process, referred to as “leveling,” has upset some parents who worry class sizes will be too large as a result. The district is using a headcount taken on Sept. 2, a month into the school year, to determine which schools have too many teachers and which have too few. Teachers are moved based on performance and seniority. The process is expected to be completed by Oct. 4.

It sounded so benign. It happens every year in all school systems. And, after all, they have suspended 178 educators (as a consequence of the ongoing CRCT cheating scandal), overwhelmingly from the southwest part of town. Budget concerns make it impossible to hire enough teachers quickly enough to replace them seamlessly. A larger-than-usual number of transfers and larger-than-usual class size are inevitable.

Leveling is usually achieved quietly over the summer break, before children return to class. Obviously Atlanta Public Schools has had other things on its mind.

APS decision on moving teachers is delayed [wsbtv]

Verdallia Turner, the president of the Atlanta Federation of Teachers, is still not satisfied. She told [Channel Two's Richard] Elliot she's been trying to get more information on the criteria used to decide which teachers may or may not be moved, but she hasn't received any clear answers. "We're not getting enough information, and it's coming in too slow," Turner told Elliot. "They're trying to do a catch up, but we can't do a catch up with the children. The children are there. They have to learn, and we need all the support that we can get."

Ms Turner, you're right that it's not good that leveling is still going on. You're certainly right that the children shouldn't be penalized because it's been delayed. But what, exactly, are you asking for? Right of approval over teacher transfers? That seems unrealistic. Immediate halt to teacher transfers? Even less realistic. Reinstatement of those 178 accused educators to bring the workforce up to size? Only if the lesson you want the children to take home is that there are no consequences to lying.

But then, you are a union rep, and your only concern is keeping these educators' jobs. Not your concern whether they're actually guilty of anything they should be fired for. I think reinstatement is your goal. You'll get no sympathy from me if that's true.

Schools, parents weigh in on overcrowding and class sizes in Buckhead [Reporter Newspapers]
"As I received your emails and met with PTA presidents today, it was apparent that the numbers the board approved and the numbers that Human Resources was working off of were very different," [District 4 School Board Member Nancy] Meister wrote. "To the best of my knowledge, this discrepancy has been identified and although there will be an increase in class size, it will not be as severe and will be what your principals anticipated."

[Superintendent Erroll] Davis said the numbers that were released were preliminary ones released Sept. 12. He said he did not know who released those numbers to the public, but said the firestorm it generated should be a lesson in patience. "It’s an example of moving too quickly on erroneous information and if you don’t believe we have the children’s best interest at heart you might react that way, but the only thing I can say is we do have their best interests at heart and you should perhaps wait for official decisions before you gear up your machines," Davis said.

I'm sympathetic, Superintendent Davis, but you have to admit that historically APS has not given parents much reason to trust them. In the past, once a statement has been made, it's been too late for any degree of public outcry to affect it. We can't afford to wait.