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Date: 8/23/2023
WARE — Ware Public Schools is in a good position to begin the year, staffing-wise, according to Superintendent Michael Lovato.
Lovato told the School Committee at its Aug. 16 meeting that the department was in “a pretty good spot for hiring.”
“We’re down one teacher for the entire district right now, and that’s at the high school,” he said, noting the opening was for a computer technology teacher, and said he had talked with school administration about “creativity” to keep the position. He said the vacancy would not create any scheduling shifts.
Lovato went on to say that the school department was also still searching for some paraprofessionals, which he said are “crucial for some of our neediest kids.” There was “promise” that these positions would be filled, he added, stating school principals had been working diligently to fill the openings and the department was still receiving applications from interested individuals.
“We do have confidence that we will be fully staffed before school starts,” he said. “I know the one concern we have is that [computer technology] teacher at this point as far as what we’re going to do with that moving forward.”
The school year begins on Thursday, Aug. 24, for grades 1-12. Students in kindergarten with last names starting with A-M start on Wednesday, Aug. 30, and students in kindergarten with last names starting with N-Z start on Thursday, Aug. 31.
The staffing news is especially positive given ongoing local and national reports of a shortage of educators that is projected to worsen over time. According to a January 2022 survey conducted by the National Education Association, 55% of educators nationwide are considering leaving the profession earlier than planned, a sharp increase from 37% that reported that to be true in August 2021. The same survey revealed that 86% of NEA members saw more educators changing professions or retiring early since early 2020.
According to data provided by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Massachusetts had 76,977.6 full time equivalent teaching positions filled in the 2022-23 school year, compared to 76,328.8 in 2021-22 and 75,146.7 in 2020-21.
The number of teachers employed without a licensure waiver or provisional license has remained steady at 93.4% in 2022-23 and 93.5% in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Ware has been slightly behind the state average in this area with 90.2% of its teachers did not require waivers or provisional licenses in 2023 compared to 86.4% in 2021-22 and 92.1% in 2020-21.
The two common waivers are the one-year hardship waiver and the critical shortage waiver. The hardship waiver is a one-year exemption that allows the district to employ an unlicensed teacher if schools are unable to hire a licensed individual for a position. This does not necessarily mean the teacher is unqualified, but rather does not hold the specific license in the area in which they would be teaching. Critical shortage waivers allow schools to re-hire retired educators without impacting their retirement benefits. A provisional license is a non-renewable license valid for five years issued to educators with a bachelor’s degree and have passed the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure but, unlike those with initial licenses, has not completed an approved educator preparation program.
Retention rates, which measure the percentage of teachers that remain in the same position from year to year have slipped statewide. In 2021, Massachusetts had a 90.6% retention rate, but that dipped to 89.8 in 2022 and 88.7 in 2023. Ware’s retention rate has likewise slipped, reporting 88.4% in 2021, 86.8% in 2022 and 84.6% in 2023. Teachers who moved from school to school but stayed in-district are considered retained.
The School Committee also agreed to shift Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School Principal Pamela Iwasinski from a contract requiring 210 working days to a 260 working day contract, which would be more in line with the department’s standard. Lovato explained that Iwasinski’s previous contractual arrangement was one made between her and former Superintendent Marlene DiLeo to accommodate her need to take care of her children.
“It is critical that my principals are available for 12 months,” he said. “Anybody who’s been in a principalship knows that’s really where we run around in circles to make sure everything is done [and] making sure our teachers are prepared when the school year starts. It is important that our teachers walk into prepared classrooms and buildings and that happens by the principal.”
Lovato also noted that while she was on a 210-day contract, Iwasinski had been in the office every day since he started working on July 1. He added it was his impression from talking to Iwaskinski and others that her working beyond her contract was not uncommon or an effort to impress a new superintendent.
“This is her work ethic as far as what she does to get the school done,” Lovato said.
Lovato suggested an annual salary of $112,000 for 260 days, explaining it would put Iwasinski in median salary ranges, based on research comparing at least a dozen districts, including multiple schools within some districts, and the department’s middle school.
“We can’t beat everybody, that’s not a responsible financial decision, but we do have to be competitive and that makes us competitive, in my opinion,” he said, later adding of Iwasinski, “personally and selfishly, I want to keep her.”
Lovato said there was a question about how the shift would impact the hiring and negotiation process for a full-time Ware Junior Senior High School principal and it was something he and the School Committee would have to review when it begins its recruitment effort. Former Principal Eugene Rich resigned in July and Scott Slattery was selected to act as the interim principal.
“I don’t think the high school is any more important than any other school, but the high stakes of the high school and the movement of the high school, and what the high school brings is that additional pressure [which is] what you’re paying a little bit more for at the high school level,” he said.
When asked if she agreed with the arrangement, Iwasinski called Ware her “home away from home.”
She admitted occasional frustration that when she has explored opportunties elsewhere, “there’s always an astronomical amount on the table,” but added she appreciated the department and committee’s efforts to be competitive.
“It really deep down bothers me that I’m like, ‘Man, my 15 years counts everywhere else but here,’ and that’s not true — you guys are doing your best to acclimate and be more competitive and I super appreciate that,” she said, later reiterating she was happy to continue working in Ware, but did wish the salary was a bit higher and in line with some neighboring districts.