MONROE - A new state law could make local school districts to find a means to pay for specific teacher preparation time.
On Monday, Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill, which makes teacher preparation time a mandatory bargaining point during contract negotiations.
While the idea would afford teachers time to prepare for classes, it still will have to be funded, Monroe schools Superintendent Larry Brown said.
"I don't know there is a school district in Wisconsin that doesn't have to pay for teacher prep time," he said.
The new law won't force school districts to pay any more for preparation time, but the issue now must be discussed during negotiations.
"It just means we have to talk about it," Brown said.
The law won't go into effect until 2011.
Monroe's teacher contract negotiations are under way, Brown said, and coincide with the state legislature's budget schedule.
The new bill will force school boards and school district staff to negotiate the amount of time teachers must spend in a day for preparation, according to a statement from Mary Bell, a Wisconsin Rapids teacher and president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
The council is a large state teachers' union.
"It's simple. Educators who are the most successful in the classroom have time to plan and organize lessons for students. Prep time is an important part of a school's success," Bell said.
Brown didn't anticipate teacher preparation time being a sticking point in upcoming contract negotiations, but if the teachers' collective bargaining unit decides to promote using more time and money for preparation time, a decision on it will not be the district's top fiscal priority.
"Health insurance is the number one user of that dollar," he said.
However, discussing the need to set aside additional time for educators to prepare in contract talks could be a worthwhile endeavor, Brown said.
"If you want them to do a job, they need time to prepare," he said.
On Monday, Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill, which makes teacher preparation time a mandatory bargaining point during contract negotiations.
While the idea would afford teachers time to prepare for classes, it still will have to be funded, Monroe schools Superintendent Larry Brown said.
"I don't know there is a school district in Wisconsin that doesn't have to pay for teacher prep time," he said.
The new law won't force school districts to pay any more for preparation time, but the issue now must be discussed during negotiations.
"It just means we have to talk about it," Brown said.
The law won't go into effect until 2011.
Monroe's teacher contract negotiations are under way, Brown said, and coincide with the state legislature's budget schedule.
The new bill will force school boards and school district staff to negotiate the amount of time teachers must spend in a day for preparation, according to a statement from Mary Bell, a Wisconsin Rapids teacher and president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council.
The council is a large state teachers' union.
"It's simple. Educators who are the most successful in the classroom have time to plan and organize lessons for students. Prep time is an important part of a school's success," Bell said.
Brown didn't anticipate teacher preparation time being a sticking point in upcoming contract negotiations, but if the teachers' collective bargaining unit decides to promote using more time and money for preparation time, a decision on it will not be the district's top fiscal priority.
"Health insurance is the number one user of that dollar," he said.
However, discussing the need to set aside additional time for educators to prepare in contract talks could be a worthwhile endeavor, Brown said.
"If you want them to do a job, they need time to prepare," he said.