Once again, our school, as a private school, has a unique place when it comes to this issue; there are no unions to which our faculty can belong and no collective bargaining exists. That being said, I’ve worked here for three years, as both a teacher and an administrator, and never once did I feel powerless in my negotiations. This is due to a top-down attitude of professionalism and respect which permeates all discussions of teacher evaluation, discipline, hiring and termination.
Teacher evaluations are a complex, formal and open process and both the teacher and administrator must sign off on evaluation documents before they become part of a permanent record. In the case of teacher behavior which requires immediate disciplinary action, such meetings are formal, professional, and take place in a group, including the teacher, his or her department head, a principal, the HR director, a senior administrator and any non-student advocates the teacher wishes to invite. Our Head of School takes very seriously the school’s obligations to due process rights for teachers and that posture permeates every step of the process..