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Board debates career‑ladder working‑time definition; motion to adopt modified calculation fails
Summary
Board members debated a proposed MSDE definition for calculating the Blueprint career ladder's 60% teaching/40% non‑teaching split. The department recommended counting total contractual teacher time (including pre/post student‑day PD) to mitigate hiring burdens; extensive debate followed and the motion to adopt the modified definition failed.
MSDE presented a recommended definition for calculating teacher working time under the Blueprint career ladder. The department’s proposal would measure the 60% teaching / 40% non‑teaching requirement against a teacher’s total contractual time (the teacher day and contractual year), rather than only the student day. MSDE staff argued that counting contractual PD days and pre/post‑school contractual minutes would reduce the total new hires local systems would otherwise need to meet the 40% non‑teaching time requirement.
Board members and public commenters engaged in a lengthy debate over the proposal’s likely effects. Teacher representatives cautioned that even a modest shift in the calculation (MSDE staff estimated a 5–7% difference in available time when professional‑development days are prorated across the year) could be small relative to actual workload needs and might not produce the collaborative planning time teachers need. Several board members emphasized the need for an impact study, legal review of how the change interacts with existing negotiated contracts, and additional transparency about how many additional hires would be required under different calculations.
When it came to a vote on the superintendent’s proposed definition, the result recorded in the transcript was that the motion to amend the calculation failed. Board leadership said the topic would be revisited in January, asking MSDE and partners to return with more data and implementation analysis.
What’s next: MSDE will be asked to provide a deeper impact analysis — including local bargaining and staffing implications — and the board planned further consideration of the working‑time definition at a future meeting.
