AVERAGE MEMBERSHIP, AVERAGE ATTENDANCE, AND PERCENTAGE OF ATTENDANCE FOR ALL SCHOOL LEVELS Mr. NATCHER. We would like to have a summary of average membership, average attendance, and percentage of attendance. (The following statement was submitted:) Records are no longer kept centrally that would allow the system to report average daily attendance. Membership figures are included in the projection table provided for the record on page 187, Part 1. SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING ATTENDANCE RECORDS Mr. NATCHER. Dr. Scott, give the committee some idea as to how you keep the attendance records. What's your system? Dr. SCOTT. The Department of Pupil Personnel Services has the responsibility for maintaining the followthrough in terms of the absentees if they are absent over 2 days. The offices of elementary and secondary schools and the various operating assistant superintendents have the responsibility of monitoring the reports as they come in from the local schools. Attendance reports are kept each day, and these are cumulative. The problems associated with that now is that, as youngsters move from class to class, teachers record attendance figures, but not necessarily on a form that would be transferred to the school office. This is one of the problems associated with the contract that was agreed upon with the WTU prior to the termination of this fiscal year. We now are proposing that absentee figures be kept up to date in terms of making checks in the afternoon as well as in the morning during the schoolday, so that we can have an accurate figure as to how many youngsters actually come to school in the morning and how many remain in the schools. Then a full count would be sent to the central office. As it stands now, one count per day goes into the central office. ATTENDANCE OFFICERS Mr. ROSENFIELD. Mr. Chairman, we have only 32 attendance officers. As a State board as well as a local board of education, we are responsible for 160,000 youngsters with only 32 people. The NEA recommends one attendance officer for every 1,500 students, yet we have only one for every 5,000, which is quite inadequate. Mr. NATCHER. Mr. Rosenfield, do you believe that in the past we have maintained a good system as far as attendance is concerned? Has it been an accurate system? Mr. ROSENFIELD. I think that conditions have changed and we do need a closer check today than perhaps we needed a few years ago. I was not on the Board then, but I know the need today. Mr. NATCHER. I believe all of you people in general are in agreement. on that. ABSENTEE PROBLEM Dr. SCOTT. Mr. Chairman, to summarize my statement would be that there is an absentee problem, and that better attendance records would more clearly indicate the scope of the problem. We also have a problem in terms of the number of staff members needed to respond to those who are absent in terms of giving them service. IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE ATTENDANCE RECORDS Mr. NATCHER. An accurate attendance record is important not only from the standpoint of the operation of a good school system, but from the standpoint of presenting to the Federal Government from time to time figures required for grants, loans, and participation in all kinds of Federal programs, one of which, as you well know, is the impacted area section of the law. STATUS OF TEACHER TENURE Now, Dr. Scott, update the tables in last year's hearings concerning teacher status, permanent, probationary, and temporary. (The information follows:) a/Includes classroom teachers, counselors, librarians, school psychologists, pupil personnel workers, school social b/A significant shift has occurred in the composition of our teaching group in the past two years. This is 1. The decrease in the percentage of permanent teachers from 52.7% in October 1964 to 45.2% on November 1, 1956 can be explained by the increase in the overall number of teaching positions and not because of a large loss of permanent status personnel. There was a small decrease in the number of permanent teachers during the period (from 2,970 to 2,267) mostly due to appointments of permanent teachers to administrative and supervisory positions. The newly established positions added to the staffing pattern during the past two years have been filled by temporary or probationary teachers. 2. The increase in the number of probationary teachers from 410 (or 7.3%) in October 1964 to 1313 (or 20.7%) on November 1, 1966 is largely explained by the new optional procedures for entering probationary status. The Board of Education policy adopted May 23, 1966, permits a teacher who meets the general and college degree requirements to enter the probationary status with a contract to meet any remaining college courses and written test requirements during the two year probationary period. Over 1,000 temporary teachers have signed contracts with the Chief Examiner and have been made probationary. NOTE: The number of permanent, probationary and temporary teachers listed in this study for November PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN PERMANENT TEACHERS Mr. NATCHER. We had more temporary teachers than we had permanent teachers at one time. What is the situation now, Dr. Scott? Has it reversed just a little? Do you have a breakdown on the permanent, probationary, temporary! Mr. CORNICK. Mr. Chairman, if I may, this year we had about 49.7 percent of our teachers, permanent teachers, as compared to 36.5 the previous year. The number of temporary teachers the last year we have a record for was 22.3 percent, and the previous year it was 26.8 percent. So there has been a shift between temporary teachers and perma nent teachers. Mr. NATCHER. How do you account for the shift insofar as permanent teachers are concerned from 36.5 up to 49.7? What brought this about? How did you accomplish this? Dr. SCOTT. I would gather that many teachers are acquiring the master's degree. I think one of the reasons for the number of temporary teachers is the fact that a master's degree is required. Mr. NATCHER. In addition to the master's degree, Dr. Scott, you are not going to object if I ask my old friend Mr. Henley a question or two at this point? Dr. SCOTT. No; I would not. Mr. NATCHER. Mr. Henley, in addition to the master's degree, how do you account for this change? Mr. HENLEY. One difference is in terms of the salary that has been provided for teachers, which makes the turnover smaller. There have been programs that we have been operating which make it possible for teachers who would previously have been temporary to become eligible for our license requirements. This is the second way. The third way is that we have had a better recruitment department, which has been able to go out and get those persons who are qualified and who meet our license requirements. I think these are three of the points that make the reduction in the temporary teachers that we have. The report you received is for the 1970 school year, and 1971 will show you a better picture than that. I think it has gone down to 17 percent. BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS, AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS IN OPERATION Mr. NATCHER. Thank you, Mr. Henley. Now under buildings, schools, and school administrative units in operation, we would like for you to update that table, too, please, Dr. Scott. (The information follows:) |