Compensation of Supervising Teachers
for Teacher Education Majors
In Spring 1997, Governor Racicot formed a Montana Commission
on Teaching, under the auspices of the National Commission on Teaching and
America's Future, to review teacher certification and professional
development.� The Commission met for 18
months and published a report, Quality Teaching, Quality Schools:
Strengthening Montana's Most Important Profession.� The Commission recommended "that cooperating teachers
who supervise student teachers and other students in field experiences receive
compensation enhancements (e.g. tuition waivers) for each student mentored, in
addition to any stipend currently provided by university and college teacher education
programs in Montana."
Responding to the Commission's report and complaints from
the Billings school district, OCHE initiated a review of the policy 806.1 on
compensation for supervising teachers in Spring 1999.� Education deans and academic officers discovered substantial
differences between the five campuses engaged in providing teacher education
field experiences and the school districts with which they work.� They recommended revision of 806.1 to permit
a minimum monetary stipend for all supervising teachers and to encourage
individual campuses to develop plans for additional compensation that would be
responsive to the professional development needs of the teachers.
Since then, complaints from Billings have been joined by
complaints from Great Falls. Deans report that some superintendents threaten
not to allow teachers in their districts to supervise student field experiences
without a $600 stipend per event.�
Representative Raser of Missoula proposed HB 297 requiring payment of a
$500 stipend to each supervising teacher, which bill carries an appropriation
of� $700,000.
To assess the feasibility of HB 297, OCHE staff collected
data from each campus on the average number of students placed in field
experiences annually.� Campuses reported
placing some 886 students annually or 1772 students per biennium, for a
biennial cost of $886,000.
Campus Reports
Under the provisions of policy 806.1,
campuses of the Montana University System with teacher education programs will
report their respective plans for compensating supervising (mentor) teachers in
the next academic year to the Deputy Commissioner for Academic and Student
Affairs. The Deputy will brief the Board of Regents at their March
meeting on the Montana University System's plan for compensating supervising
(mentor) teachers in the next academic year.�
Below are the reports of the campuses, and at the end of each, the
estimated cost of the implementation of Representative Raser's proposal.
Montana State
University - Bozeman:� On average, Montana State University-Bozeman
places 221 student teachers per year in cooperating schools.� The university pays cooperating teachers a
stipend of $100 per semester and pro-rates the amount if more than one
supervising teacher is involved.�
Biennial cost under Raser bill, $252,000.
Montana State University - Billings:� The minimum honorarium paid by the College
of Education and Human Services to the cooperating teacher is $100.00.� Another option involves a course
voucher.� To be eligible for the voucher
the cooperating teacher must take a Mentor Teacher Supervising class, which
s/he pays for.� Continuing Education
Units (CEUs) are awarded for this class.�
After the cooperating teacher has successfully completed the mentoring
class, s/he becomes eligible for the 3-credit voucher option.� Teachers accepting a sophomore practicum
student are entitled to 1-credit voucher, and those accepting a junior field
placement student receive a 2-credit voucher.�
The vouchers may only be used for continuing education credits and not
for courses in a master�s degree program.�
MSU-Billings places approximately 240 students per year in the public
schools for a biennial cost of $240,000 under the Raser plan.
�
At the end year, the cooperating teacher, library-media
specialists, guidance counselors, and school administrators receive a thank you
letter for their services along with a 20% bookstore discount certificate and
library privileges for one year at the Mike and Maureen Mansfield Library. The
President hosts an �Annual Teacher Buffet Dinner Reception� for cooperating
teachers, library-media specialists, guidance counselors, school administrators
and one guest. Two free tickets to either a UM Basketball game or a UM Drama
Production are given to guests as they arrive.�
The campus sends 800 � 850 invitations, and 400 � 450 guests attend the
event.�
Beginning with the 2000 Annual Teacher Reception, the School
of Education has identified schools that work closely with the various
education programs and presented a �Partnership� plaque to the school
administration and teachers at this event.�
The university gives administrators a free golf pass for their
assistance in placing pre-service teachers.
Western Montana
College of the University of Montana: Western
Montana currently pay teachers $10/week for mentoring a student teacher.� Some students stay in one classroom for 15
weeks maximum so the teacher gets $150.�
Other students have split experiences, so the stipends are pro
rated.� Western Montana College places
about 110 student teachers per year in the public schools, for a biennial cost
of $110,000 under the Raser proposal.
Conclusions
Under the provisions
of revised policy 806.1, the Regents afforded the campuses the latitude to
enhance compensation to supervising teachers in ways that would be responsive
to their professional development needs and interests.� To date, MSU-Billings and the University of
Montana-Missoula have taken advantage of that flexibility to improve their
compensation of supervising teachers.�
Failure to address this issue on the part of the other campuses may have
given rise to some of the current complaints and problems that teacher
education programs are confronting in two of the larger school districts in
Montana.�