Teacher absences across Western Pennsylvania have been plentiful in recent years and for various reasons.  The reasons for BPSD absences include and are not limited to: serious illnesses, committee meetings where groups collaborate, and conferences where teachers develop, grow, and learn new teaching techniques and ingenuity.

Nonetheless, these professional development sessions contribute to the 9.44% of the time teachers are out of the classroom within the Bethel Park School District.  The professional development conferences bequeath an endless amount of knowledge for the teachers to establish a concrete curricula for the students; the teachers learn how to mesh with other teachers in their department, convey useful information for students to utilize, incorporate enthusiasm within the classroom, relate and bond with different types of students, and become the utmost cutting-edge teacher within Western PA.

“Our district is progressive when it comes to professional development.  We also do a lot of committee work where it’s a collaborative environment; groups get together and make decisions for important educational programs as the committee process is in place.  That work unfortunately takes people out of the classroom,” Dr J. states.

As Dr. J mentioned before, across the board, the main reason why teachers are out of the classroom at Bethel is due to the professional development process, where teachers grow and enrich their educational modules.

Nevertheless, the average amount of time teachers are out of the class in the seven-county area is 7% of the time, which doesn’t look good compared to full-time American workers who are only absent about 3% of the time, according to national statistics.

Compared to other districts in Western Pennsylvania, Bethel Park ranks #5 in highest absenteeism, according to a recently published article by the Trib.

Furthermore, Bethel Park School District uses a large chunk of their budget, a jeering and staggering $234,320, on substitute teachers. Compare this to Baldwin, who only has a 1.81% absenteeism rate, and who only spends $93,400 on substitutes.

Dr. J explains, “We [administration] try to encourage teachers to adjust their planning if they know they’re going to be out of school.  For example, if a teacher knows they’re going to have to hand out a test within the next five days and they know they’re going to be out Thursday, they may perhaps plan the exam to be administered Thursday by a substitute teacher, so it won’t impact instructional time.”

This is an excellent point as teachers often alter their lesson plans when they know they’ll be attending a conference, so students won’t be negatively impacted.  Essentially, the vast majority of teachers are being proactive and planning ahead.  However, nothing can be done when a teacher becomes suddenly ill or a personal issue arises.

“There is no substitute for a regular teacher in the classroom; substitute teachers cannot provide the relationships and classroom environment that is created by the regular teacher.  However, our substitute teachers are highly qualified and can take care of immediate needs,” Dr. J mentions.

This is true as full time teachers create a positive learning environment and establish relationships with the students that spark enthusiasm, engagement, and interest within the classroom where no student is left behind.  The highly competent teachers at BPSD provide a positive environment for all students.

Dr. J adds, “Everything Bethel Park does is the focus about what’s best for students: decisions we make and the professional development we engage in.  It’s all about what enables and benefits students.  It’s all about growth and if you aren’t willing to grow in the profession, then you’re going to be stagnant, and students are only going to receive minimal education, and we aren’t about minimal. We want to be as best as we can possibly be for our students.”

In conclusion, the 9.44% of the time the teachers are out of the classroom within BPSD compared to other Western Pennsylvania school districts is mainly due to professional development and various committee groups where teachers grow and collaborate to work as a whole.  The teachers’ absences across the board harvest a positive result for students as Bethel Park provides the most qualified, innovative, and modern teachers across Western PA.

For more information on this highly controversial topic, please view:

http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/3089089-74/teachers-percent-classroom#axzz2HWKtvlXv