York High School students will once again be able to figure out their math homework at the school’s math lab now that the Elmhurst District 205 Board has fixed an error in the teacher’s contract.
The board re-set the pay rate for teachers who spent extra time in the lab at $38.66 per hour, a rate that indicates the teacher is providing tutoring and academic support. The original contract set the rate at $25 per hour, which is a supervision rate.
Teachers were unwilling to staff the lab after school for the $25 rate, which meant the lab was closed after school as of Jan. 11. Students and teachers asked the board to fix the situation Jan. 12, saying the lab was a valuable resource.
“The York math lab goes back to the 1970s and is one of the reasons we can teach such a rigorous math curriculum,” board member Jim Collins said.
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Jim Woell explained that the teachers contract, ratified in November, reduced the rate of pay for teachers who work in the math lab because the negotiators believed lab staff were supervising students and were not actively involved in tutoring.
“It has come to light that the $25 per hour rate of pay does not accurately compensate the teachers who work in the math lab,” Woell said.
Woell said that he and Michelle Fitzgerald, assistant superintendent of learning and teaching, visited the lab Jan. 13 and saw students receiving direct instruction and tutoring.
“The teachers were very engaged and involved with the students in helping them solve problems and provided help that went far beyond supervision of students,” Woell said.
At the Jan. 12 meeting, students and teachers also offered examples of how the lab helped them succeed in math.
One student described the Geometer’s Sketchpad, an application that gives students visualizations of different math functions, noting that it often helps those who can’t afford a tutor. Another student, a junior, praised the lab’s free resources and said spending time after school there has created “a little math family.” Another speaker described the various activities that go on at the lab after school, such as students who miss school catching up on assignments, students studying for college algebra tests and students debugging code.
Woell added software required for students to complete assignments is licensed only on the 20 computers in the lab. Limiting access to the lab has limited student access to the pertinent software.
Information given to the board indicated that the lab is open for about 130 days each school year. With one hour now costing $38.66, the district’s annual spending on the lab will go from $3,250 to $5,026.
Carol Morency is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
