Timing of Ketterhagen’s merit pay plan touches off firestorm
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
The final words spoken by out-going Burlington Area School District Superintendent David Moyer at Monday night’s curriculum meeting were direct, to the point – and might have summed up just where tensions on the board headed.
“To hell with it,” said Moyer Monday evening after School Board member Philip Ketterhagen ripped into the various school improvement plans and their outcomes as presented.
After nearly three hours worth of presentations by the principals at the elementary school, intermediate school, middle school and high school levels, the meeting looked ready to wrap up on a positive note after teachers highlighted the first year of work under the Professional Learning Community (PLC).
Halfway through the meeting, Ketterhagen made a point of telling the media that they should stay until the end of the meeting. When he finally got to speak, he laid a bombshell that sent ripples of anger through the majority of the people present.
“I love what I see and I love what’s going on,” he said. “But we’ve got to look at what’s current.”
He then said his comments were directed at the Curriculum Committee and the School Board in general, and stated, “The BASD performance report is a failure.”
Ketterhagen cited the recently-released Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Exam scores – in which Burlington, as a whole, did not perform well – and said that because of Burlington’s drop in both the scores and area ranking, teachers needed to have “some skin in the game.”
“We are not a football team that scrimmages within itself,” Ketterhagen said. “You play football against other teams.”
Continuing with the analogy, Ketterhagen said the entire “team” of BASD employees had not bought into the PLC and Roadmap to Academic Excellence, and that the School Board needed to “steer” the current culture toward better success.
“The School Board has failed this purpose,” he said. “Without teachers having skin in the game, why should they change?”
School Board member Rosanne Hahn then said, “You’re talking merit pay.” Ketterhagen said yes, and added, “There will be no payments until the achievements have improved.”
By forcing teachers to take a zero percent increase and pay a portion of their health insurance premiums, he said, teachers would instead be paid in the future when test scores improved.
“If you have a stubborn bull, you hit him over the head to get his attention,” Ketterhagen said. “(Teachers) don’t believe we’re serious in improving these achievement scores.
“If you don’t change the culture, you’re not going to change the game.”
For many in the room – including the school principals who had just finished presentations showing that change was already in progress – that statement did not rest well. School Board President David Thompson asked if Ketterhagen understood how he was coming across, at which point Ketterhagen admitted “as a nut,” but contended that his points were valid.
Others were not so sure, pointing to testing beyond just the WKCE.
“Those test results are from October,” said Winkler Principal Jennifer Barnabee, referring to the WKCE exams. The exams are given in October and measure academic progress from the 2010-11 school year.
Instead, she referred to the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing that showed strides made by a majority of students from September through this spring.
Moyer also pointed out that the delay in receiving the WKCE results – normally about six months – was what was why the district had switched to MAP testing.
“No one is making excuses or not trying to get better,” Moyer said. “Nobody in this room is satisfied with the current test scores.”
Ketterhagen then asked if the district had the teachers’ collective attention, at which point Moyer said yes.
Indeed, the principals certainly seemed to get the point. While the elementary schools were happy with the progress shown on the MAP testing, even they admitted there was work still to be done to get every student showing proper growth.
The MAP tests are given in the fall, winter and spring, allowing students, parents and teachers to see how the students progress throughout the school year. The computer-based test is also adaptive, which means it adjusts its level of difficulty for right or wrong answers.
Dyer Intermediate Principal Joyce Uglow had set much larger goals, and while the improvements were similar to those made at the elementary level, she had expected more.
District testing, though, went beyond just the WKCE and the MAP this year. Eighth graders are taking the EXPLORE test, while 10th graders are taking the PLAN – both pre-tests of a sort for the ACT exam given for college-bound students.
The scores weren’t great at the middle school level, but progress had been shown at the high school level.
Even more important for BHS Principal Eric Burling was the fact that the PLAN examinations were given just two weeks before the WKCE. He said his teachers had purposely asked him not to completely disrupt the school day for just the 10th graders and the WKCE – and he listened.
The resulting change, with preparation switching more toward the PLAN test and no special setup for the WKCE, Burling said, played a huge part in the lower WKCE scores.
“We did the PLAN test first,” Burling explained. He then added that, two weeks later, “The kids were kind of cranked out by then.”
When Ketterhagen continued on the point that he loved the setup and the collaboration – just not this year’s results – he added, “You need a 2×4 to get everybody behind it.”
Karcher Middle School Principal Marty McGinley – who has children in the district and used his daughter’s MAP testing as an example to point out improvements and expectations – said Ketterhagen was wrong that teachers had “no skin in the game.”
“They have a lot of reasons to make this place better,” said McGinley, who pointed out that half the teachers have children being educated by the district.
“If you came to my school and watch what they do every day … you might have a different opinion,” he added. “I don’t think you understand what we’re talking about here.”
Ketterhagen then said that those in attendance didn’t understand what he was trying to say, and that the district wasn’t “going to change the game until you change the culture” by making teachers more accountable.
Both citizens’ members also spoke up at the meeting. Dia Kleitsch, when Ketterhagen had claimed earlier that he knew what teachers were thinking, got the board member to admit he hadn’t personally witnessed any classes or the process at the schools.
Taylor Wishau then asked near the end of the meeting if Ketterhagen knew what all the teachers were thinking, at which point Ketterhagen looked over at Wishau and said that he didn’t need to know what all the teachers were thinking.
That, in essence, summed up the argument, as the principals and some board members made the point that teachers were behind the changes and that the school improvement plans had made progress toward their stated goals – just not perhaps the WKCE testing.
With that testing being phased out, though, and a new standardized test replacing it in the near future, those same principals said the district was headed in the right direction. In particular, Burling pointed out the change in programing at the high school – specifically going to the new schedule to guarantee consistent instructions across key areas and the new initiative to have every student either college, career or service (meaning military) ready – was working.
“I think the data you threw out is kind of unfair,” Burling said.
Moyer expressed his frustration as well, saying he had seen leaps and bounds this year and that he was proud of how the staff had bought into the PLC and the Roadmap, before symbolically throwing up his hands and saying, “To hell with it.”
Thompson was more blunt.
“I think your comments are just wrong,” the School Board president said. “They are divisive and insensitive. When you steer a battleship, you do it slowly. You don’t flip it over.”
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If the teachers are already improving scores, why would they worry about switching to a merit-based system? I really dont see the problem here, in fact, this is why we elected Mr. Ketterhagen. This is the kind of “change” we need.
There’s nothing wrong with a merit-based pay system. However, I do have a problem with how Ketterhagen proposed it. By springing this on the administration just as principals have completed their improvement plans for the year is a stunning act of grandstanding meant to add to his legend as a folk-hero reformer for the beleaguered taxpayers of BASD. It does nothing to advance the legitimate cause of merit pay and only deepens the divide between the board, the community, teachers and administrators. His delivery, in essence, told the principals they are idiots and their improvement plans were a colossal waste of time. These are talented professionals who with the proper marching orders from a thoughtful school board are more than qualified to create a pay system that rewards good teachers based on holistic measures of their skills (and not a single high-stakes test that is being phased out of use). A board member who is actually concerned about the quality of education here — and not his reputation as a gunslinging reformer — would have first went to the administration to discuss ideas and develop an effective plan, and then would have rallied support among his fellow board members based on reason and preparation. What’s lacking is the statesmanship needed to bring the community and its professional staff together for the common good of our educational system. Instead we have swords drawn and tensions heightened. A blowhard blusters and divides. A statesman plans and builds.
“To hell with it,” said Moyer.
Excellent! This guy is going to refund the hundreds of thousands we wasted on his skyrocketing salary, paid for tuition, retirement, and boatloads of other benefits he bilked from the kids???
Don’t count on it. What a pro.
Marc – you’re going to sit there and tell me you elected a wild canon who, in spite of running on a platform that included teacher respect, sat there Monday night and talked about hitting them between the eyes to get their attention?
How nice of you to elect him. Do you think you could get him some common sense about how to deal with the board and a few manners while you’re at it?
I don’t believe Mr. Ketterhagen’s comments were directed at “all” teachers. As he stated only “those who have not bought in”. We’ve all experienced the “teacher that didn’t care and was just there for an easy paycheck”. This is whom his comments are directed at.
Thank you Danny for your above post. It stated what I would never have been able to express. If the teachers are going to be held accountable, then so should the parents of the students. I see no mention of parental responsibilities.
Ask the teachers who got non-renewed how divided the administration is. They were seasoned teachers that were on board with the changes in the educational system. Dr. Moyer needs to leave and the entire administration staff in BASD needs to be replaced before any real changes are going to happen. Ask the Board why our taxes are paying for every single administrator to get a Doctorate degree (estimated at $90,000) and they are laying off teachers and putting 30+ kindergarteners into a classroom.
I think what everyone is forgetting is that merit pay will not work due to the fact that children are not all made the same. Does merit pay work in a business….yes bc businesses are black and white. Children are not. People forget that teachers work with children of all abilities and disabilities, of all languages, of all income levels, and with children who have absolutely no support at home, to say the least. There are some children who will progress well, quickly, there are some who will progress much slower….but how do we make these incredible gains in test scores when funding, when assistant support is being taken away at a rapid rate. He can a kindergarten teacher with 30 children in her room and no assistant reach every child?! Especially considering at that level children are completely dependent. And who says the children are taking these computerized tests accurately? To speak for my 1st grade daughter….her teacher expressed concerns with her MAPS scores in October. When I asked my daughter about it, she clearly stated she couldnt always hear the question, forgot the button to push in increase volume and just began guessing. So how efficient are these test scores in really testing kids knowledge?!! Children are not all created equally. And when do we start putting some blame on the families who do not support their children at home?!
I am saddened to read about the divisive and disrespectful manner in which Mr. Ketterhagen has begun his term in office. While we may be in agreement on some of the issues, he has taken the focus away from the issues and made it personal. His attack on teachers is inexcusable.
EVERY single teacher wakes up each morning planning to help students feel safe, build confidence, and learn to high levels. They work extremely hard each day to address the individual and diverse needs of all of their students (i.e. Johnny didn’t have breakfast, Suzy’s mom is in the hospital, Jimmy’s dog just died, Mary’s parent just lost another job, Timmy’s parents are going through a divorce, Cindy’s parents expect her to be perfect in everything she does, Sean is being bullied on the bus, etc.) These teachers plan lessons, learn the latest technology to keep students interested and adapt to how their brain operates, they adapt the lessons to the various learning needs of multiple students within each classroom. At the end of the day, they have meetings, parent contacts, and yes, papers to grade and more lessons to plan. They go home to their families, plan their dinners, take them to practice, help them with their homework, tuck them in at night and spend several hours completing the work that didn’t get done for school the next day. They lay their heads on the pillow and worry about their children and the children of every student who is in their classroom.
Protection for ineffective or substandard teaching is not an issue now that seniority no longer guarantees continued employment ( no teacher contract). This is a good thing. However, it also means that teachers who are highly innovative and loved by our students and parents are also able to get a job anywhere since districts are not contractually bound to hire at the bottom of the pay scale.
Think about it… Would YOU like to work for an employer who publicly humiliates you, speaks about you as if you should be beat with a stick to comply? And comply with what? Test scores that only test part of what students should know and be able to do? What if you taught agriculture? What test score tells the school board if you are an effective teacher? Yet, farmers would consider this to be one of the most useful classes. What about our students who are training to be EMT’s? The teacher who makes this possible doesn’t prepare students for taking the standardized tests you are looking at? What about the art teacher who helps the students learn that each generation/culture has their own manner of expression of the human condition? You are being misled if you are under the impression that test scores tell you everything about the value of our children’s education.
Does this mean that continuous improvement should not happen? Of course not! We need to constantly get better at educating our students and we need to do this in a fiscally responsible way, that does not tax our citizens out of their homes. Perhaps lobbying the legislature to adjust taxes for seniors on a fixed income (poverty and below) would be a good place to start.
Teachers do not fear being held accountable. They welcome an opportunity to work with the community to design the best educational system in the state. We can’t afford to treat our teachers differently than we would expect them to treat our community’s children.
Please reconsider how we speak to and about each other in this difficult time.
Kindness is never wrong. However, I fear that my vote for Mr. Ketterhagen was.
Mr. Ketterhagen is spot on!!!!
Ditto…Give it them straight Phil. That’s why we elected you.
I think things will get better after the superintendent leaves. The whole school system seemed to go down and divisiveness up under this David Moyer. It was obvious he was in over his head, yet he was so arrogant. Not a good combination. Just a bad hire.
I am so worried for the future of Bulington youth. I feel there are GREAT people who go to school each day to work with our children. These people have been slapped in the face by our governor and now by a member of the school board! “If you have a stubborn bull, you hit him over the head to get his attention.”???? Really? What do you do if you have a stubborn school board member?
I think there are changes that need to be made to improve the education. One is to be more careful of who you elect to the school board!
Sincerely, Mother of future students in the BASD.
I think it’s a shame that cynical people such as Mr. Ketterhagen seek to serve on the school board to further their political aims rather than to guide and improve the quality of education in the district. Clearly he has a lot to learn about how to conduct himself in his new office. Fortunately he apparently is married to someone who will coach him in his duties. I wonder if voters knew they would be getting two for the “price” of one when they cast their ballot.
Ketterhagen will make this whole district a joke, no one will stay on the board, and we will be left with more of his type who have no idea what they are talking about… not sure why this guy, and his wife are so angry about everything, but …bring on the tax cuts! Let’s cut the taxes in half, and let Wevote Burlington educate our youth. Then our angry bunch can storm the town, and protest every person in Burlington with a brain.
It did not take long for this group to show their true colors. Disrespect for our kids, our neighbors, and our town. I can’t wait for the real estate market to come back. I will take my kids and leave for another place where uneducated insurance agents stick to what they know best.
Phil Ketterhagen’s grandstanding Monday night had NOTHING to do with test scores and merit pay. It had everything to do with finding another soap box to stand on to promote his no pay raise attitude toward the teachers. Having failed to get his point across and get people to back him “for the good of the taxpayers,” he instead decides to go after the same teachers he claims he respects.
Did anyone else notice this little tidbit in the story? “Halfway through the meeting, Ketterhagen made a point of telling the media that they should stay until the end of the meeting.” Clearly, Ketterhagen had no desire to listen to what the principals had to say and instead wanted a grand audience for his ravings.
Wouldn’t it be great if all of the angry taxpayers actually focused on a solution that would raise the income level in Burlington over the next fifty years-instead of attacking the system that many of them were totally happy with when they had kids in the district…
Selfishness and jealousy, mixed with dishonesty will lead to nothing good…not now, not ever.
It’s funny how this guy did not want to discuss anything when he ran for the school board… just post lies on his blog, then refer voters to the blog like it is the truth.
I hope the people who voted for Ketterhagen are ashamed and embarrassed of their vote. This is a man who is supposed to strive to provide the best educational opportunities possible children, not aim to “hit educators over the head” to follow his ways!! Is this the message the people who voted for Ketterhagen wanted to portray to the youth in our district? If so, I’m embarrassed to say I live in Burlington and even more scared to send my kids to our schools!
No I am not ashamed and I voted for him. His way may be a little blunt, but his message is loud and clear. Why is Burlington needing to increase the property tax levy this year again? Other districts that have acted on the Act 10 reforms are saving millions of dollars accross our state. What is so different about Burlington. If you are scared to send your kids to school here, go to a privet school and pay more. If teachers want to leave the district, let them. There are 1000’s of qualified teachers waiting for jobs.
They are still losing millions of dollars, look at Kenosha. Plus, I don’t know if you know this, but it takes money to run a school. With Walker taking money from schools and giving it to the rich companies that will so called “create jobs” schools need to raise taxes to get the money they need so they don’t become bankrupted.
Just because a person has a degree and is what you called “qualified” doesn’t mean that they are a good fit for students.
Maybe Mr. Ketterhagen would be willing to extend his philosophy to other areas. Insurance companies take our money, much like the schools take tax payer money. I’m sure many of us are unhappy with both the cost and having to deal with the insurance company if we happen to have a claim. Maybe it’s time your local insurance agents have to publish their salary and benefit package. Then we will have the opportunity to evaluate and decide if what they do for us is really worth the cost of their salary. Maybe they ” need to get some skin in the game “, after all.
I see the teachers union hacks have plenty to say. The gig up up crybabies! No more will the tax payers take your nonsense!
I am so disappointed, ashamed and outraged at the lack of professional behavior by an elected official. The group he affiliates is full of such hate and jealousy, the people he draws to his cause are hypocrites and it is time for this community to come together to rise above them and do what is best for our children’s future.
I find it amazing those who feel public workers or union employees are not tax payers. The area businesses hurt by a large amount of community members having their pay substantially reduced is staggering. Let’s look at those who pay $0 taxes in Burlington, I’ll bet none of them are teachers. Mr. Ketterhagen, do you claim to know those teachers “need to be hit over the head” from personal experience?
You are no better than a school yard bully and it is time for you to understand your actions affect our children and you will be held accountable to doing what is best for them.
I don’t understand how a home owner can justify decimating their own property values. Such a vile and destructive way of thinking.
The WeVote terrorists remind me of a bucket of crabs, when one almost makes it out they pull it back down trying to get out themselves.
How can anyone not the wealthiest in this state vote for a Republicon, they are not Republicans, and they are not looking out for your best interest. Move past the words they use and look at their actions. Did they really reduce your taxes or increase the burden further on the backs of the working poor and middle class.
From the journal sentinel “Viewed nationally, Wisconsin’s approach puts a remarkable tax burden on the broad middle class.
Considering only the two big taxes, a two-parent family of three earning $75,000 a year and living in a median-priced home in Milwaukee would pay about $7,500 in local property and state income taxes. That compares with $5,300 in Chicago, $4,600 in Minneapolis and $5,000 in Des Moines, according to a Journal Sentinel analysis of figures from national studies.
The one-two punch of the two taxes explains middle-class frustration even in the face of falling tax rankings.”
We would not be in this mess if our tax funds had not been handed over to out of state tax evaders and were appropriated for the services like education that they are supposed to provide. We would not have been forced to seek assistance via a levy if OUR tax funds were not funneled right out of our state house and in to the hands of cronies in a huge quid pro quo scheme, LOOK at the legislation passed and see where YOUR tax funds went. Lining the pockets of these corporatists with OUR tax dollars is not helping our children receive the education they deserve.
I do believe in fiscal responsibility and continuous improvement and holding people accountable, but that goes for everyone, including you Mr. Ketterhagen.
What a pathetic individual. How does that man sleep at night? If my employer was slashing left and right, and talking about.. what was it, hitting a bull over the head in reference to me? I’d be long gone. Thank God I didn’t go into Education and went into Business. Luckily for me I have a Human Resources department that is on my side. These poor teachers have nowhere to go to.
I went through the BASD. I am a very creative person – fairly smart too. However, I bombed every test. I was never a good test taker. No matter how hard I tried, my good grades never came from tests. They came from projects, essays etc.
I’m in Sales. Merit pay is simple for me. I make some sales, I get paid more. I show value to my company, they try to keep me around. It’s not that simple for teachers. I feel bad for the teachers that get kids like me. No matter how hard I tried, I was horrible at tests.
I am very close to another example why the testing thing does not work. I know of a music educator that taught in another school district for over 35 years. He had brilliant kids. But again, they had such creative minds. Tests certainly do not speak creative. These kids bombed tests. Failed some classes. Yet, he had multiple students go on to Julliard. Even more that became music teachers themselves. Some toured the world with different music groups. So are you telling me, that because his kids didn’t get perfect A’s on their tests, that he did not deserve a raise for the brilliant students that came out of his program?
It’s a shame. This merit thing does nothing for teachers or students.
I remember seeing that Ketterhagen’s website when he was campaigning. Said something like “I’m a conservative man.” That right there should have been the red flag folks. Don’t bring politics into the school board. The only thing that man cares about is keeping spend down so it doesn’t hit his paycheck. I don’t care if your democrat, republican, black, white, pink or blue. You should care about the kids. And you should care about the people caring for those kids.
I noticed all the for sale signs popping up in Burlington – probably young families like mine itching to get the heck out of this tomb of a town and go to a place that supports our children.
RECALL KETTERHAGEN.
we all knew that Mr ketterhagen would explode. It surprised us that it happened so soon. The july monthly meeting should be exciting. he should resign before the meeting.
When did teachers become the punching-bag for the rest of society? I take great exception to Mr.Ketterhagen’s characterization of teachers being like bulls who have not “bought in” and need to be hit in the head.
There are very few teachers who are “milking it”. No one went into this business to get rich, but rather as a means of performing a very important public service. Most want to do a good job and are dedicated. In fact, 50 – 60 hours a week is not unusual. Yes, some teachers make $60K. These are very well-educated and experienced teachers. This will change, as Mr. Smet has indicated, in the years to come as the mechanisms for which teachers can get raises are stripped away. Merit pay is almost impossible to implement in cases like this, where humans rather than machines are being handled. I don’t believe it will ever come, and if it does, unreliable measures such as the soon to be replaced WKCE’s, in which by the way the kids have no stake and very often blow off entirely, must not be used as a determination. As a result, good teachers will leave the business. Getting beat up by the public as well only makes the wounds worse.
Shame on you, Mr. Ketterhagen. You need to choose your words more carefully. What a source of demotivation for our teachers!
We need more elected officials to “Rock” the boat as our Gov. Scott walker had the courage to do. Good Job Philip. It took courage.
Test scores as goals of education? Think back to your own education: did what you really learn, what really mattered, get evaluated on a standardized test??? And what was your attitude about taking a standardized test? Did you care about the outcome? Did it matter to you??? The testing industry is just that — a business.
It seems as if the TeaParty folks want to kill off public education and dumb down America, so they can elect more people to public office who unthinkingly follow the TeaParty mantra — which has been designed by the uber-wealthy such as the Koch brothers, to gain more control and wealth for themselves. Their other group, “Americans For Prosperity,” should really be understood as “One tenth of one percent of Americans getting more prosperity.”
Teachers work so exceptionally hard to plan and present interesting, involving ways for students to learn, to think, and to grow. I can’t think of more dedicated professionals than those in the education and medical professions. I have no children, but I’ve always supported public education and see it as the best investment we can make for the future of our families, community, and nation.
Standardized test scores simply don’t measure the richness and joy and creativity which happens every day in every classroom!
Merit pay for teachers is such a joke. I never took any of these tests seriously besides the ACT and I only tried the the first time I did it. And guess what, I’m still going to college, the teachers did a stupendous job of teaching me, and i would take my education at Burlington over any other school. Teachers are the ones that need a smack, it is the students that don’t do anything, because there is know support outside of the school that need it. Students spend more time with their families than they do with there teachers, its hard for a teacher to help a student, when the parents don’t care.