Here are my notes with tweets sent at the time:

The board meeting got started late…

• Getting ready for bd mtg on tfa replacement teachers being hired in my district and it’s a full house #pinkslip
• Late start to school bd mtg as they get ready to discuss bringing TFA to our district
• Finally bd is coming out of closed session at #scusd

I was wrong about this, it was only an informational presentation:

• @k_shelton yep vote on whether to bring in TFA for positions they say are unfilled but have strangely given notice to teachers in those jobs

It started with some other items, like the pledge by a student (with her autobiography), an Adult Ed teacher of the year award:

• At #scusd bd mtg teacher getting adult ed educator of the year shared she got #pinkslip
• #scta pres speaks our truth, why bring in TFA if you handed out 750 #pinkslips in #scusd?

The Superintendent then gave a report on his Priority Schools, of which Oak Ridge will be one.

• Superintendent’s report at #scusd on priority schools (which would be mine)
• As super shows figures at #scusd and our api and ayp show growth and don’t look that bad…

I give some background to folks following my tweets telling them that TFA will not take the place of AdultEd teachers being laid off because basically, Adult Ed funding has disappeared and so have the classes, then the discussion begins:

• @Stephieand the teacher of the year is in adult ed which I don’t think they will use them for

• They are having TFA do the preso at #scusd mtg
• Super at #scusd bd mtg is pleaing that the focus be on the children, which suggest those who oppose will be painted as not doing it for kids
• TFA has sent up a rep who flashes some union cred and being a teacher’s son
• scud Their mission helping kids pass algebra test would be credible, if they hadn’t laid off a bunch of 9th grade algebra teachers
• scusd TFA says their mission is to get folks to become opinion and policy leaders on education
• scusd TFA I’m not seeing the connection to how this will solve the immediate issues
• @k_shelton I’ll be talking
  Letting Ken know would be speaking during public comment
• This discussion of TFA at #scusd is dragging on…
• TFA flak is claiming all their recruits are “certified” because they are intern credentials
  They only have 6 weeks of training before they start out.
• Bd mbr Arroyo grills them on the retention issue @scusd bd mtg
• Bd Mbr Rodriguez picks on the $4000 per intern admin cost
• Rodriguez and Arroyo slam home that they are concerned about TFA not being rooted in community
• Bd Mbr Jerry Houseman is saying this is bad timing for bringing a program in like TFA
  This was one of the last comments and I think it was the kindest way to put things
• Bd mbr Rodriguez points out that we will still need to address achievement issues
  This is important because she is signaling that although she doesn’t see this as an appropriate solution, something will need to be done.
• Okay now someone from CSU ed dept is saying she has local career changers ready to go #SCUSD

At about this point, I delivered my own speech to the board, and you can watch it here, I speak at about 32 minutes in.

• Okay discussion on TFA at #scusd over, it was informational, but I’m sensing it’s a dead issue.

What were my impressions? Hmm, I was less impressed with the case that the officials from TFA made about their program that the more what sounded like more sincere testimonials from TFA Alums. I didn’t get one point that they seemed to make which was no one was talking about the children. When we go up there saying, this isn’t effective, and question there studies saying they are, that’s not rhetorical point, it means that there is no way that an intern with no teaching experience, and only 6 weeks training can compare to a credentialed teacher. I don’t think they compare that well to new teachers with a full credential. I don’t say that to brag, or put them down but because it’s part of the discussion about what’s best for the kids. Folks can see that as an attack, or self-protection (or even self-delusion), but for me it  is based on the needs of our students.

I think the statement, this is not the time for this program here, sort of summed up the entire situation really well.  I w0uld not want to rule out the need for this in 10 years, when many teachers will be retiring. But, if they come in now, they will bump out teachers who are in the 5 – 8 year seniority range. There isn’t as large a group of teachers after that in the district so if that group is gone, when the retirements kick-in, the district will be like a ghost town.

Next, there is much more to be done. The priority schools will need to be reformed, with or without TFA. That will not be an easy job. This will cause a lot of moving around. Complicating things will be the layoffs, recension, which begin this weekend with 170 notices going out for pink slips that have “date errors”? Any recensions before the end of the year will make things pretty straightforward. After that point it gets messy, as administrators coming “down” will be bumping into positions, etc. All of this is dependent on getting a bargaining agreement with the district and teachers’ union (an area of considerable behind the scenes maneuvering, and stealth PR in the local paper). The details vary, but I’m sure this story is VERY familiar to anyone in California, and we’re not the only district going through this.