Stillwater disciplines four teachers over literacy training shortcuts

Four Stillwater public school teachers have been disciplined and three others have left the district after an investigation determined that some took shortcuts on state-mandated literacy training.

The allegations surfaced in January after the training company notified the district that some teachers had completed the training unusually quickly.

Superintendent Mike Funk said four teachers were suspended without pay after the district determined they “engaged in misconduct in connection with the LETRS training program.”

(LETRS stands for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling.)

The district said the teachers’ actions included using Google to find answers, asking a colleague to fill in answers and creating a Google Drive folder with answers and sharing them with other teachers.

The four also offered to help other teachers by signing in with their user name and password and filling in answers, the district said.

One of the suspended teachers told the district that he didn’t take the training seriously and believed it was acceptable to take shortcuts to complete it.

The district said it interviewed 78 teachers in all and found that the vast majority “did not engage in any wrongdoing.”

Local teachers union President Tony Klehr said the union “does not condone the behavior of a small group of educators.”

“We do believe that discipline could have been avoided with stronger and better communication around the parameters and norms and expectations of the professional development,” Klehr said.

In response to questions, the superintendent issued a statement calling the actions “a serious breach of professional and ethical responsibilities” and “contrary to the expectations of our district.”

“We remain focused on maintaining the integrity of our education programs, repairing the harm that has occurred, and maintaining our expectation that all staff uphold the values that define our profession,” Funk said.

In a statement, school board Chair Alison Sherman said: “As a community, we hold our educators to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. Unethical conduct has no place in our schools.

“Our mission is grounded in ethical behavior and an unshakable focus on student success, and we will continue to uphold those values without compromise.”

Funk had no comment about the three teachers who left the district, other than to confirm that allegations were made against them. Two of the teachers resigned, and one retired.

None was formally disciplined, and as such, “the law prohibits the District from disclosing any information about the nature of the allegations that were made against any of the teachers,” Funk said in a statement.

The school board confirmed the teachers’ departures in a consent agenda vote in March.

The state now requires some teachers to take literacy training from one of several certification programs.

The Stillwater district chose the LETRS program and describes it as an “intensive 80-hour course.” Teachers who complete the course earn a stipend of $1,140 or 12 graduate credits. The program is equivalent to four graduate-level courses, the district said.

Klehr said teachers have been excited about the literacy training and that some have already begun implementing it in their classrooms.

“We think there are lessons to be learned on all sides of this,” he said.