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Subject: Re: [MK8](NMR) Teacher on Special Assigment (TOSA)

From: M Stanley

Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 21:54:42 -0400

What an interesting way to work things. I think your position is pretty
cool.

On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 9:49 PM, Tami Mangusso wrote:

> Before I explain how we make this work at my school I need to explain how
> specialists jobs are determined. In my district all specialists are full
> time we don't have any part time positions. My district uses a point
> system. The points are based on the number of sections in the building. I
> am a .8 by section count in my building. Being a .8 would mean I would need
> to travel to another school for a .2 (1 day). However, there are some other
> options. Principals can choose to use the building TE to buy back their
> specialists or the district can use a special budget to help keep
> specialists full time in their building. If a specialists team doesn't get
> bought back to stay full time in one building, then they will travel to
> another school.
> Last year my principal didn't have enough TE to buy all 3 of us back. By
> the district rule if a principal wants to buy a specialist back, they must
> buy all 3 specialists (music, art, P.E.). We are a package deal. This
> would mean that my principal would have to have .6 TE to buy all three of us
> back. Well she didn't have it so she ended up applying for the TOSA money.
> This is money that is different from the district buy back money. TOSA
> money is used to help schools to pay for an assistant principal. I am not
> totally sure how our principal convinced the district to give us TOSA money,
> but she was able to do it and that's all that matters. With the TOSA buy
> back I am obligated to deal with student discipline one day a week. I only
> deal with discipline I do not do teacher observations nor do I order
> teachers around. I only deal with behavior students and their parents. I
> am allowed to give out suspension and lunch detentions, but that is the only
> power I have. I actually call my TOSA day my "Law and Order" day because
> I have to be an investigator, a juror, and finally the judge.
> We have a 4 day rotation and we only have Music, Art, P.E, Media/Technology
> as our specials. Our Media specialists is an Educational Assistant so she
> is not a TOSA on her light day. She just gets the day to focus on the
> library's needs. We only have 3 classrooms for 1st - 5th grade.
> Kindergarten is the only grade level that has 4 classrooms. On our TOSA
> day we only have one kindergarten class. They have specials at 1:30 - 2:15.
> The rest of the day we don't have any classes to teach. Some days we deal
> with discipline all day and sometimes one issue can take the whole day.
> There are some days where there are no issues. It is up to us as to what we
> do with our time when there are no issues to deal with. I usually deal with
> technology issues or do some tech maintenance because I am the tech person
> in my building. I also love to go into the classrooms and help out. I
> usually go to the classrooms that have the real big trouble makers. That
> way I can
> see how they act in class and I can get to know them better. Next year the
> TOSA budget is being cut. Most of the assistant principal positions are
> also being cut. I am still a .8 for next year, but we lucked out and got
> bought back by the district. So I get to stay in my building all day, 5
> days a week. My team mates and I will still have to help with discipline,
> but we are actually planning on going into the classrooms to cover the class
> so that the teachers can go observe other classrooms. Some people consider
> this as babysitting, but I see it as an opportunity to really get to know
> what they do in the classrooms so I can use some of it in my music room.
> It's also a great way to get to know the students better and they get to
> see us in a different role. Which I think will help students to respect us
> more and see us more as a Teacher and not just the music, art, or P.E.
> teacher.
>
> Tami in CO
>
>
>
>
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--
Martha Stanley, NBCT
www.marthabeesmusic.com
The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas first!
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