SCEA Holds Teacher Roundtable with SCSD#2 Board of Trustees

The Sheridan Central Education Association leadership team sat down with the SCSD#2 board members on Monday, Jan. 23, and talked about the 2022-23 Climate Data Survey results.

Devon Johnson, Language Arts Teacher at Sheridan Junior High School made the opening remarks.

She also said that they value the collaboration they have with SCSD#2. She said some districts do not welcome feedback, but SCSD#2 does encourage feedback from staff and teachers. Johnson added that the survey received over 230 responses. She said that they wanted to say thank to all who took the time to responded to the survey.

She said that the goal was simple; they want to be pro-active rather than reactive. The survey included student behavior, student achievement and staff morale. They did the survey earlier so conversations could become more goal-oriented and if changes needed to occur there was time to make those changes.

Ed Calkins, history teacher at Sheridan Junior High School, talked about PBIS, saying that since the pandemic, student behavior has been on the rise.

Positive reinforcement is used when seeing appropriate behavior by thanking students for doing the right thing. Misbehaviors are used as an opportunity to teach appropriate behaviors, such as saying, “Here’s what you’re doing, this is what you should be doing. Lets practice,” Calkins said.

He added that teachers across the district indicated that PBIS is appreciated, and they were glad that SCSD#2 was using it. He said there is a very small group of students in high school who are still struggling with appropriate behavior, but he said that Superintendent Scott Stults already has plans in the works for a different approach to help these young people become successful.

There was some discussion about the program, and one board member mentioned that consistency is the key to the program and Calkins added that it has to become a part of a teacher’s daily routine.

Janet Peyrot, Meadowlark first grade teacher, talked of salaries in SCSD#2 and the cost of living,

She added that teachers love it here, but it will become more difficult to find and keep good teachers if they are not paid enough to have a good quality of life. She added that this is not just a district problem. Nationwide, according to the NEA, when adjusted for inflation, average teacher salaries declined 3.8 percent over last decade. She said that the base salary in Sheridan is $48,000, and 22 other districts have higher base salaries now.

Trustee Ed Fessler said they were aware of the issue, and mentioned that perhaps teachers should lobby the legislature on this issue.

Another factor Peyrot mentioned was housing for teachers, and she thanked the board for working on teacher housing.

Brian Rizer, SHS English teacher talked on morale and affirmations, saying. “It is my pleasure to talk about the morale within our district.”

He added that there is good support and communication between the schools and the central office. He mentioned that PBIS district wide and “Behavior is something we need to focus on and guess what, you guys answered, and we are on board and we believe in this.”

He said they are seeing growth this year, working with other professional learning committees as a way of making sure that every Sheridan student is coming out with the same education. Support of the administration for that is amazing. “There are so many things that this district is doing well,” he said.

Stults thanked the teachers for what they do everyday. He thanked the board for their support as well. “If we do the right work for the right reason, we’re doing good stuff.”

He added that SCSD#2 is all about kids, and how they can help them be more successful. And that SCSD#2 will strive to do their best and look at the data to improve. He felt that they have the right people who care about the kids. He said they are about looking at data to see where they can improve. “We are all here to help our kids be successful. We will continue to grow and get better. We will hold that flag high,” Stults said.

In his closing remarks, Calkins added:

Overall, the district received high scores on the survey, with most responses being 4.0 or higher out of a possible 5. Included were questions about how they felt the principal communicated with the staff; the central office; mission, values and goals and teacher morale.