This document has been formatted for printing from your browser from the Web site of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE -- This document is © copyrighted by the Illinois Association of School Boards. IASB hereby grants to school districts and other Internet users the right to download, print and reproduce this document provided that (a) the Illinois Association of School Boards is noted as publisher and copyright holder of the document and (b) any reproductions of this document are disseminated without charge and not used for any commercial purpose.

Illinois School Board Journal
July/August 2001

In-district credit: A cost-effective option

by Edward P. Cox

With the recent passage of the new teacher certification requirements, many districts will need to review professional growth opportunities offered to their certified staff. In particular, long-term staff members - those no longer seeking advanced degrees or movement on the salary schedule - will be seeking classes that meet their needs more than in the past.

Required continuous teacher self-improvement is a new and permanent reality, with which teachers, boards of education and administrators will all have to deal. More than ever before, it will be in every district's best interest to seek ways to expand professional growth opportunities for experienced staff in a manner that is well received by staff, cost effective for the district and focused on shared priority needs. In-district credit programs can help your staff meet the new requirements and provide other benefits to the district as well.

Periodically, staff members raise questions regarding the feasibility of district-developed courses, which can be applied to the district salary schedule. Often those questions arise during negotiations, and some districts include specific language in the master contract regarding reimbursement of tuition costs.

In most districts, however, the degree of professional growth developed, offered and supported by the school district is left almost exclusively to the discretion of the district's board of education and management team. Here is an area where management can really make a difference and can work in a collaborative rather than competitive environment with their labor unions.

The benefits of using your own staff to develop and teach courses, which apply to the salary schedule and meet state and local contract requirements, are shared relatively equally by the school district and its staff members. Some districts already provide extensive support for professional growth by providing sites and/or partial reimbursement for university classes or support for attendance at conferences and workshops.

An in-district credit program builds on these opportunities by offering a series of courses developed by district personnel, uniquely relevant to that district's needs. It awards non-transferable district credit to those taking the courses. Use of in-district classes for salary schedule advancement can be limited to a specific number of classes per lane change and/or a specific number of classes during a set period of time.

Use of district staff is a key component of an in-district credit program. First, relationships among staff would be greatly enhanced by the professional sharing that would occur in these courses. Not only would it foster greater interdependence and understanding, in larger districts and buildings it would bring together teachers who may otherwise never get the opportunity to interact in a professional growth environment. It would help unleash the tremendous creativity demonstrated in our K-12 classrooms every day with the benefits flowing to other staff in the district.

The program can be developmental, renewing itself with fresh ideas and classes each year. Benefits - like the convenience of no travel and no university paper work - would be widely appreciated by staff. Staff would surely note and appreciate both the time and money saved.

The curriculum offered through such a program would largely depend on the expertise of the staff willing to be involved initially in teaching the courses and the current priorities of the district. An assessment to determine areas of staff interest should be administered, and the courses offered could be adjusted annually.

Courses that didn't fill over a period of time could be dropped from the curriculum. Classes could be offered at the time of year and time of day best suited to the specific faculties affected.

Technology, team building, leadership, multicultural sensitivity and innovative instruction are among the possible academic strands that could be developed. Under the leadership of a teacher/management team, all courses would be reviewed and approved in advance using whatever guidelines the district chose to develop.

The benefits are numerous and noteworthy. Specific priority needs of the district can be integrated into such a program. If technology has been identified as a priority in-service need, it could become a logical curricular strand. Further, the technology courses could be customized to fit the specific applications currently being emphasized. The teachers with advanced technology skills gain the teaching experience; the staff gains expertise in the applications emphasized by the district.

By reinvesting in its own personnel, the district is expanding its total teaching capacity. This type of program puts the district in a proactive position regarding teacher renewal activities. Excuses for lack of renewal, like relevancy of offerings, convenience and cost, become much less tenable if an in-house program is available.

Teacher recruitment and retention would also benefit. New staff members would be impressed by the additional on-site growth opportunities, and the non-transferability of district credit helps retain experienced staff.

The expanded use of teaching resources, the good feelings and the expanded personal capacities that result will also benefit the students in the district.

The cost-effectiveness of this approach is an important benefit to the district, particularly if it currently provides any reimbursement for course work. Staff salaries for teaching in-house classes generally range from $30 to $40 per contact hour. A class worth the equivalent of three credit hours on the salary schedule would accommodate 20 people and cost approximately $1,600, far less than the cost of comparable conferences and/or university classes.

In districts that have started these programs, cost-effectiveness is generally cited as a sustainable benefit.

The district has relatively complete control of the program, so it can adjust its availability, participation, procedures and size to maximize those financial benefits. Since the individual teachers spend no money at all and staff advances on the salary schedule and/or meets continuing certification requirements, financial benefit is quickly realized.

In-house programs are not without their problems and limitations. Administrative time and facilities can be a problem. Master contract implications would have to be worked out and affected unions would have to be consulted. The program would not meet the needs of teachers seeking advanced university degrees or new specialized certificates.

But to a segment of the staff in every district, an in-house alternative would make both professional and financial sense and would benefit both the district and its staff - a classic win-win arrangement.