Platteville Journal letters for June 13

Where you can’t park

On June 1, the City of Platteville began enforcing its new parking restrictions. Although these new regulations came about due to the construction of Rountree Commons, this letter is not about those residence hall students and their parking. This letter is concerned with downtown residents who have been a part of the Platteville community for decades.

On June 1, parking south of Pine Street was eliminated for downtown residents. Instead of keeping the number of vehicles parking in areas similar to what it has been for many years, those downtown residents (more than 50 vehicles, I think) are being forced to find new parking.

This new restriction is going to make parking worse for:
•    Those downtown residents, of course.
•    Downtown businesses and their customers.
•    Areas surrounding the downtown (most probably north of Furnace Street).

Right now, many downtown residents are gone and have no idea that the new parking policies affect them. I think business owners and other city residents are also unaware. The problems will really start in August and September and grow from there.

To avoid those problems, there are a number of simple solutions from which to choose. At the May 31 parking meeting, the city manager seemed to be aware of the situation and to acknowledge the problems that will occur, but seemed unwilling to explore the solutions.

At that May 31 meeting, the city manager mentioned something about the city’s plan to lease parking spaces sometime in the future. Perhaps the first part of that plan is to let parking get worse.

Richard J. Christensen

10 S. Third St. #4, Platteville

Teachers and snow days

“School board to vote on employee handbook” (June 6) mentioned that there will be a change in the handbook concerning make up “weather days” for the teachers from what has been past practice. Teachers will now be required to make up those “weather days” at the end of the school year, but students will not (the three “weather days” allowed by the past contract).

I guess I don’t understand the reasoning behind this. It was insinuated that when teachers do not come in on those days, it costs the district $50,000 per day or a total of $150,000. By making up those days at the end of the school year how does that save the school district money? If “weather days” are not called by the superintendent, does the district somehow save $150,000 per year? If anything I would think the district saves money in busing and food service costs and heating etc. on a snow day.

Having been in education for 37 years and being surrounded by present family members and friends in education, I take issue with the scenario being presented. “Weather days” are seldom fun or slack off days for teachers. Many if not all teachers use those days to catch up on planning, grading, upgrading, changing lesson plans, gathering supplies etc. for their classrooms. Oftentimes teachers go to the school to work in quiet on those days. Just because students are not in school does not by any means imply teachers are abdicated from their responsibilities. When days are missed, lesson plans need to be revised, and continuity is interrupted. When do you think those accommodations are done?

It is quite easy to look at someone’s occupation and tell what they are doing when you can visually see them and monitor their every move. It is far more difficult to tell what they are doing when they are out of the public eye working behind the scenes. It’s sort of like me saying farmers must only work in the summer, having several months off, because that’s when I see them out in the fields. However, having been raised on a farm I know for fact nothing could be farther from the truth. I believe that our teachers have gone through the knothole enough this year without adding any ill-informed fuel to the fire, especially from those who should know the amount of work teachers put in to their jobs.

I would think that as the leader) of our K–12 district education here in Platteville, the superintendent would be doing everything in her power to educate the public as to what is really going on behind the scenes and to dispel false assumptions. Implying teachers don’t do anything outside of school hours, so they must earn their pay by tacking on days at the end of the school year, plays right into the hands of the misinformed and will most assuredly not improve working conditions or work performance.

Teachers are not hourly paid employees. On the one hand, teachers are expected/required to come in to early morning meetings, stay after school for late meetings, supervise extracurricular activities, attend in-services etc. as needed, yet they are treated like hourly wage earners when required to make up unexpected “weather days.” You can’t have it both ways. They have a job to do educating our children, which reaches far beyond the school day and school year. This article implies that teachers do nothing outside of the school day so they must be reined in.

Because of recent increased demands and workloads expected of teachers and the reduction of preparation time allotted compared to years past, many dedicated teachers are spending up to 70 and even more hours per week doing what is required to stay on top of their jobs. As we are seeing this year, some are choosing to leave the profession. Our school district is losing hundreds of years of experience never to be regained, for multiple reasons, including feeling unrecognized and unappreciated for the countless hours of work required outside of the school day. They may not be required to stoke the furnace as our forefathers did nor walk up hill going and coming from school each day, but the needs of the students are ever increasing and the responsibilities of the teachers today have grown by leaps and bounds compared to their predecessors.

To gain some sense of balance in their Iives, I suppose teachers could start cutting instructional time to spend that classroom time instead correcting papers, communicating with parents, upgrading ever changing curriculum, increasing technological knowledge, recording grades, posting assignments etc. to eliminate some of their work outside of the school day which is not being appreciated or acknowledged anyway. I don’t think this scenario would help test scores or school performance, but I can certainly understand why some might choose that path.

I would think a leader of any organization would stand up for their employees, teachers in this case, both privately and publicly in word and in action instead of writing inflammatory remarks as were quoted in the Journal. Declaring that teachers understand the reasoning for this change in policy being endorsed by the superintendent and probably the school board is a misrepresentation when many of the teachers where in fact appalled by such words that reflect a lack of trust for them and their professionalism and dedication they display daily.

I for one have appreciated all the teachers’ time and effort, both in and out of school which they have performed for my children who have gone through this system. I hate to see that being ruined by using “tools” that are so divisive in nature and meant to demean and control. I believe working together collaboratively as a team, respecting one another, will bring about the kind of education most of us want for our children here in Platteville, so that they can truly compete in today’s world. I don’t know what they do in Madison, or Milwaukee, or elsewhere, but we have a long history of working together, showing respect one for another, here in Platteville. For those retiring, good luck and thank you so much for your tireless service. For those staying, you also are appreciated by many of us here in the community. Thank you for hanging in there this difficult year.

Steve Elvidge

Platteville

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