European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 a a a the stars and stripes monday october 29,1990 education probation firings provoke controversy by Effie Bathen _ Niernberg Bureau Furth Germany a when Art teacher Marshall Kean was fired in May three military policemen were called to escort him from the principal s office and off school grounds. Kean a first year teacher at Grafe Wohr elementary school had wanted to protest his dismissal. But As principal Richard Sagerman told him he had no rights to do so. That is because Kean was in the 12-month probationary period then mandatory for Federal employees. In the military school system the trial period now two years is a continuation of the hiring process and teachers have no right to the formal termination and Appeal process available to regular employees. Kean a dismissal came a year after another probationary teacher Julia Feldman was fired amid controversy at the same school. The Kean firing broke open an old Union wound. A Agra Fenohr elementary school is having its annual tiring of the probationary teachers fest a or. Jan Prins wrote in the teachers Germany South regional newsletter in june. Prins a teacher from Bamberg was then the spokesman for the overseas education association a teachers Union. The Kean controversy is just one of several that arise each year Over the firing of probationary teachers. The sudden dismissals can Lead to angry exchanges among teachers parents school administrators and Community commanders. That anger often carries Over into the classroom where students lives Are suddenly disrupted. Parents report that children sometimes come Home in tears when a teacher is yanked from them. It is a conflict that shows no signs of being resolved. At Issue is what Prins and other critics say is the firing of educators arbitrarily and a with gratuitous  not so say the school administrators. They insist that the system protects teachers and that administrators Bend Over backward to be fair. Teachers Union representatives in the United states and in the Dodds Atlantic and Mediterranean regions contend a that personality conflicts not performance in the when a teacher suddenly leaves the classroom parents co workers and the children Are left to think the worst. Classroom Are the main cause for dismissal. A that teachers Are often fired without warning and with Little or no guidance to Correct deficiencies. A that a single supervisor can ruin a teachers career. A was far As we re concerned they Are firing people without just cause a said Marie Sainz Funaro president of the overseas federation of teachers another teachers Union based near Livorno Italy. Teachers in the military school system say friction develops because they May not be aware that administrators Are displeased with their performance. Prins asserts that fired teachers Are often told in vague terms that a they weren to teaching in Dodds  in six out of 10 cases a a communications problems with administrators staff and parents were cited As a cause say Union officials in the Dodds Germany and Mediterranean regions. Dodds officials agree that classroom performance is what counts and they say their system is a Good one. The Dodds regulations require a midyear evaluation which can be either written or verbal and then a formal annual rating near the end of april. In addition say school spokesmen supervisors Are strongly encouraged to do More. It is Dodds a operating policy to train supervisors to increase teacher performance said William Medan the chief of labor relations for the Atlantic Region. Even though probationary employees do not have Appeal rights when terminated they do have Union representation during the process he said. A the right to write their congressperson or Dodds administrators is also open to them he said. In practice a fired probationary teacher can make an informal Appeal to a District supervisor said Frank of Gara spokesman for Dodds Germany Region. A terminations must fully document Why a teacher did not meet standards and what attempts were made to help. He acknowledged however that he did not know of a dismissal of a probationary teacher that had been reversed. Dodds officials in Germany report that 901 teachers have been hired from the United states in the last three years. In that time 59 teachers have have been fired including 34 who were on probationary status. Several Hundred More teachers have been hired locally but administrators said they did not know the precise figure. Attorney Michael Bauernfeind says the numbers Are misleading. He has handled probationary dismissals for 10 years for the sea in Germany. He says Many teach ers Are coerced into resigning to avoid the stigma on their record. They May even be encouraged to keep things quiet in order to assure that the government will pay for their return to the states he said. New teachers sign two year contracts with the government. If they return to the states before the two years they must repay their own transportation costs both ways. Whether that obligation which typically costs about $7,000, is waived is up to the civilian personnel office that hired them. However school administrators can strongly influence the decision the Union attorney said. In addition he and other critics say that Dodds teachers differ from Many probationary civil service workers. They Are experienced professionals when they Are hired. For Many it is their first time overseas and often their first Contact with military life. These factors should be taken into consideration when administrators evaluate new teachers they say. The greater injustice says Bauernfeind is that Dodds screening officials in the United states May hire a teacher because he or she is enthusiastic Progress continued on Page 9principal defends painful decision to fire teachers by Effie Bathen Niernberg Bureau Grafe Wohr Germany a Richard Sagerman the Grafe Wohr elementary school principal criticized for firing two probationary Art teachers in two years says heated debate is part of any dismissal. A a it a a painful decision when you decide to terminate someone a Sagerman said. A it affects the staff the Community and the children. A the unhappiness the rumours the accusations Are All a part of  some teachers keep their dismissals confidential. An embarrassed teacher May want to avoid any Public notice and return to the states right away he said. But he noted that it is Only natural for others to turn to parents and fellow teachers for support. A they bring in personality conflicts to Cloud the Issue even when this is not the Case at All. The Issue is performance How is he Quot the teacher doing in the classroom Sagerman said. A a in a in a position where i have to keep my Mouth snut. I done to discuss personnel matters with  in seven years As principal at the Grafe Wohr school Sagerman has supervised about 50 probationary teachers. He said he has Given Only a minor mid course corrections to a handful. Until two years ago he had never fired a regular employee a fact he attributes to the time he spends observing teachers in the classroom. Sagerman said he observes the 30 teachers at his school 10 to 20 times a year. And in accordance with the Dodds performance plan he gives them a written list of performance standards at the beginning of the year and a midyear evaluation. The principal denies he has failed to consider settling in problems that face a newly hired teacher such As delays in receiving household goods or finding housing. Principal Richard Sagerman in the playground at Grafe Wohr elementary school says he emphasizes teacher perfomancet0 Quot a the administration has to be understanding a he said. But he would be a a remiss if he allowed serious deficiencies in classroom instruction to continue he said. Still his firing of teachers polarized the school and heated up the educational Grapevine. Larry Philpot the acting District superintendent when Sagerman fired the two teachers acknowledged that not All principals Are As thorough As the Grafe Wohr principal. A More principals should be following the same procedures. He was fully within his rights and professional responsibilities a Philpot said. A i am a real supporter of that principal.  Philpot said that if there is a failing it in the hiring process. Most Dodd teachers Are hired from the unite states which Means principals do not ii Ter View the teachers who will be worker for them. That procedure denies the Prii Cipal the Best Means of making the distinction Between a Good teacher an a Good paper a he said