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South Point schools try for fresh startSOUTH POINT. Ohio CAP) - Kathy Roberts is entering her second week as a teacher at South Point High School and she's excited by her first five days on the job.Thekids have been really helpful,” said Ms. Roberts, who teaches business English and journalism. “Attendance has Been good and they seem to really want to have a good year, Tnls represents a fresh start for them, you know,”Those sentiments might be expected to come from most school systems around the country but South Point is an exception, ft was just a few weeks ago that this small; rural system was in complete chaos.After weeks of salary negotiations last spring, (he South Point Association of Classroom Teachers (SPACT) struck the system May 5, The system's 103 teachers refused to enter their classrooms and a bitter struggle began that soon led to mass arrests, fail sentences and a flurry of court suits.The teachers were fired. The pupils stayed away en masse, Nobody knew what to expect this fall.The legal ramifications have yet to be resolved but the system’s seven schools —including a high school, junior high and five grade schools—apparently t as well as can be expected in the face of aare functioningnew and largely inexperienced staff, School Supl. Lawrence Derifield, who assumed his office just three days before last spring’s strike, is keeping his fingers crossed.Wehad heard rumors attendance would be down,’’ he said. But we had 2,602 students last year and we have 2,-600 this fall, so the situation appears to have stablized.”Only 28 of last year's teaching force is back this fall and five of the district's seven principals also are new. As a result, Derifield said the first week waas a time of adjuxtment.'‘However,’’ he added, “we’re well pleased wilh the new staff, everything, considered. We had no trouble finding teachers. Asa matter of fact, I interviewed 500 applicants for the76 jobs, so I do feel we have a very capable staff... and their actions this past week seem to bear this out.”Derifield said he has heard very littlefrom SPACT since school began.I understand they're seeking court action, he added, “There have teen eight cases settled and they've all been settled in favor of the board of education.”The teachers were fired under the provisions of the controversial Ferguson act, which prohibits Ohio’s public employes from striking. However, Derifield said the board has reinstated all teachers who asked for private hearings during the summer, including several he said had clearly violated the act.Meanwhile, SPACT President Les York said the fired teachers are hopeful they wilt be reinstated after their hearings before a special court during the latter part ofSeptember.The constiirttionality of the FergusonAct will be considered, he said, and we feel the boa rd will be ordered to rehire us.” He said the Ohio Industrial Commission had recently recommended that the teachers be reliired,If we’re not rehired, they’ve broken the union,” said York, He said none of the South Point teachers now working Is a SPACT member.York said he hadn't been keeping up with the quality of education in the South Point classrooms.But, he added, we know many of the teachers are inexperienced and we don’t feel a teacher can come into a situation like this and do a good job. For one thing, they were all hired on a contingency basis,” The teacher’s association struck after being unable to gel the board lo agree to a minimum starting salary of $8,000, plus a$1,000 bonus to each teacher in the district.The starting salary is somewhere around $7,390,” said Ms, Robert, who.has never before taught fulltime. “But I get $8,-000 because of my Master's degree.A recent graduate of Marshall Universityat nearby Huntington, W. Va., she said she had received several pamphlets from SPACT and on one occasion had been visited by three teachers, but had riot been home at Ihe time.I also got several telephone calls but they, thankfully have Stopped, she added.She said the pamphlets had been critical of the school board members.“But I've been treated very well,” she said. Everybody is working hard and nobody ever mentions the strike. We’ve all been so busy we really haven’t had a chance to discuss it,
Newspaper Details
Journal News
Hamilton, Ohio, US
Mon, Sep 01, 1975
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Brickael S.
NA, 15 Nov 2022
Other Publications Near Hamilton, Ohio
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