Shelton Goines was one of those teachers who had concerns. Goines, who taught instrumental music for four years before leaving KIPP at the end of the school year, said he wasn't aware of the fact that he wasn't getting paid union scale until the most recent contract negotiations began. He said he felt the school had not been honest with him when he signed a contract. He said KIPP works because of the dedication of its teachers. "Where is the dedication on [the school's part] to assure that I am getting an appropriate salary?" he said. "That is where I had a parting of the ways with my colleagues."
Most teachers, however, apparently believe their 18 percent salary premium was enough. They signed on to teach at KIPP, some said, knowing what they would be paid.
But Brad Nornhold, a math teacher and seven-year veteran of KIPP, said he was not aware that other teachers were concerned about the pay issue. "It is a school for choice for teachers as well as students. I didn't feel I was tricked. It was worth it for me to teach at a school that is working so well," he said.
As time went on, he said, the school leaders worked to make the workload more manageable for teachers. He worries, he said, about cuts in the school day. "I hope we can get the same results, but I think it will be harder," he said.
Baltimore now has dozens of charter and transformation schools that operate more independently of the school system. Aldon said that the union has negotiated with 30 other such schools in the city and that none of them has had issues regarding pay. A coalition of city charter schools has decided not to team with KIPP in negotiations with the union.
Carl Stokes, who heads the Bluford Drew Jemison Math Science Technology Academy in East Baltimore, said the school has longer hours as well. It got around the union contract, he said, by having a different pay scale for after-school activities than for the academic day. Teachers are not required to work after school, he said, but many do.
Stokes, like other charter school leaders, believes the state's charter school rules need to be strengthened, but he said a coalition of charter schools will probably wait at least a year before going to the legislature to request changes. "The Maryland law is one of the weakest in the nation," said Stokes, a former city school board member.
Besides the issue of the pay, he said, charters would like to be able to get public funding for construction and renovation to buildings as well as a formula for per-pupil funding.
