Mehlville Students Gain Classroom Time With Teacher Agreement

teachers will get more time with their students next year, but it's at the expense of training time.

The change was part of an agreement signed by the school board and the Mehlville National Education Association. The necessary changes to next year's academic calendar were approved at a school board meeting on June 28.

Before the change, eight days were scheduled to end two hours early so teachers could do training. Under the new plan, those days have been turned into full-instruction days.

School Board President Venki Palamand said many teachers he has spoken with liked the change. In a vote, 97 percent of the MNEA teachers gave it their approval as well.

"I don't know if teachers in general were crazy about the idea of doing professional development right after they got done with class," he said.

Individual schools are set to now make up their own training schedule. The sessions could be over summer break, in the evenings or on the weekends for teachers.

A news release from the district stated the training is voluntary, but the district expects high participation.

Teachers who do attend the training will be paid $30 an hour for up to 16 hours of training, Palamand said.

The district's teachers are also voting whether to have the National Education Association continue to represent them. They are the only choice for the district's teachers, but they could vote against any representation.

The election is set for Oct. 3.