Survey: Longer days draining Hillsborough teachers

TAMPA — After being forced to teach a longer day this year, Hillsborough high school teachers are feeling pressed for time and are worried they are shortchanging students, a new survey shows.

Two-thirds of the teachers surveyed said they have less time for students outside class. Most are staying later and arriving earlier to get their work done.

Almost half thought the quality of their instruction had eroded.

Officials heard a loud outcry last year after announcing the change, which affected teachers at high schools and magnet middle programs. They were required to teach an extra class period.

The teachers union surveyed 4,000 teachers affected by the change, receiving responses from 57 percent that largely validated reports of exhaustion.

"It has been really, really, really drastic," said Celeste Sanchez, who teaches anatomy and physiology at Riverview High School.

The teachers union sees the survey as ammunition to take into contract negotiations. In a bleak budget year, school officials may not undo the change, which was expected to save as much as $28-million. But they could take other steps to help teachers.

"Let's look at some ways to make teachers' lives easier and make their jobs more doable," said Yvonne Lyons, executive director of the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association.

She suggested eliminating the two extra school days on the Hillsborough calendar and guaranteeing planning time for teachers.

The union is waiting to see whether the scheduling change affected areas such as student test scores and teachers taking sick and personal days.

The district helped administer the survey but didn't get involved in it. Testing director John Hilderbrand said he thought it was biased.

"You're dealing with a group of people who have been asked to work an extra hour without pay," he said. "The answers are going to be somewhat negative."

Letitia Stein can be reached at lstein@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3400. Visit the Gradebook at blogs.tampabay.com/schools.