I think there is no better way to improve a student's learning environment than paying for staff development. Not only do teachers learn new and improved ways to teach our children, but they return to the classroom renewed and motivated. Most teachers will agree to train other teachers after returning from a workshop or conference so you are reaching many classrooms, therefore, many students with each dollar spent. Our teacher's contracts do not gaurantee reimbursement they just lay the groundwork for maximum amount that can be used. Teacher's salaries do noy provide the extra income for staff developement. Also, teachers can take far fewer things off of taxes than people working in other fields. Teachers spend tons of their own money on our kids!!
The district or the individual teacher should pay for staff development. What other profession asks an outside group to do that? I can see paying for CPR classes, because that benefits every child in the school and you can open the classes to parents, too. Also, teacher's may be able to deduct the cost from their taxes if they check with their accountant. Many professional development courses are deductible.
One year when we had quite a bit of excess funds due to an exceptional two years of fundraising (back before we learned to figure out what we were fundraising for - and just raised the money, then had to find out what to spend it on - we've learned better since then)
back to the point .... well, we purchased several things for the classrooms, library research, PE, Special Ed, etc. we choose to put a certain dollar amount aside for Teachers Continuing Education. Note that this was our choice, not the request of the principal or the school district. We limited the amount we would pay, per teacher, per workshop, per month. We accepted applications from the teacher, consulted the teachers on the board and the principal about the workshop and benefits to the students etc. Then we issued a check payable directly to the workshop - never to the teacher. If the teacher chose to not attend the workshop for any reason, the money was then put back into the PTA funds for future continuing education worksops.
Naturally this was all done in the decision process of the excutive board, then presented to the general membership as a Teachers Continuing Ed - special project. Once the line item was created, and approved, the classes did not go through the general membership - the money was paid out of the line item.
Have any of your PTO/PTA ever been asked by your principal to pay for staff development, especially for conventions? Our PTO is committed to enriching the children's education & I realize that conventions help our teachers to enrich/excite the educational process but I really believe it's our district's responsibility. Staff development is inlcuded in the teachers contract, therefore the district's responsibility. I also believe that teacher's also have a personal responsibility for their own development. Need Advice?
