Safety hazards, lack of supplies cause of concern for teachers

Local representatives from the Community Teachers Association and National Education Association reeled off a long list of issues to Cape Girardeau School District's board of education during the board's meeting Monday night.

Brenda Woemmel, junior high social studies teacher and president of the Cape Girardeau NEA branch, cited several safety hazards at Central Junior High, such as overloaded circuits and electrical cords running from one end of a classroom to the other.

The hazards result from the current electrical wiring in the building, which board members say should have been fixed when the building was renovated this year. Control Technology and Solutions of Cape Girardeau handled the electrical work.

The board seemed surprised by the news. Several asked the teachers for a typed list so they could address specific problems.

Pat Renard, president of the local Community Teachers Association and fellow junior high teacher, said she can't use the new dryer purchased for her family and consumer sciences class because the electrical plug on the dryer doesn't fit the outdated wall outlet.

Shortage of outlets

Many of the classrooms only have two electrical outlets, one in the back and one in the front of the classroom. With the addition of computers and other technology to classrooms, two outlets are not nearly enough, Woemmel said.

Another issue on the teachers' concern list was a lack of supplies.

"In some buildings, we simply don't have enough basic supplies to teach with, and it's just the beginning of the school year," Woemmel said.

Renard said teachers arrived at the junior high one day during the first week of school to find no copy paper or transparency sheets in the building.

Renard and Woemmel both admitted that several of the issues had arisen just since the start of school. Others, however, have been brought before school administration in the past, including low substitute teacher pay. Currently, substitute teachers in the Cape Girardeau School District make $50 per day.

Subs heading elsewhere

"Last year, there were more subs than ever who didn't want to come to Cape because of the pay," Renard said. "If you could make $10 to $15 more a day at Scott City or Jackson, would you come to Cape?"

Renard stated that substitute custodial staff and cafeteria workers in the Cape Girardeau School District make more than substitute teachers, who are required to have at least 60 college credit hours.

She based her figures on two classified advertisements that ran in Monday's edition of the Southeast Missourian. The first advertised substitute custodial staff openings at $7.30 per hour, the second offered $6.55 an hour to substitute cafeteria workers.

Basing it on an eight-hour day, Renard said those workers make $58.40 and $52.40 per day.

Low substitute pay has resulted in a shortage of available substitutes, which in turn has had a huge impact on regular teachers, who have been often asked to serve as substitutes during their only preparation hour.

cchitwood@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128