Cobb County Board of Education Vice Chairman David Morgan explained his push for Teach for America at his monthly town hall meeting on Saturday at Riverside Primary School.

Getting the approval of the board for the 50 Teach for America teachers in South Cobb could be an uphill battle, he said.

“I will tell you, it’s not a slam dunk,” Morgan said. “People are not exactly smitten with Teach For America.”

The Cobb County Association of Educators has notified Cobb community members and stakeholders via email and urged them to show up at Thursday’s school board meeting to advocate against the proposal, which is a discussion item on the board's meeting agenda.

“They see it as some sort of indictment against the teachers we already have,” Morgan told the group of almost 15 parents and community members on Saturday. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

He issued a call to action, "In some way, shape or form, let your voice be heard about TFA. I think it will be a great thing for our kids.

"Dr. Hinojosa said in Dallas, they started with 50 and when he left it was 250 because it was so much of a success. He said it is probably similar in Cobb. When it first came through, it barely scraped by, then once (it was shown successful), oh, it was the best thing since sliced bread," Morgan explained.

The nearly 15 community members were supportive of the proposal and wanted to know why some board members were opposed to it. 

One of the top concerns of the TFA proposal's opponents is the cost, which will total $400,000 for the 50 teachers by the end of their two-year commitments.

Bringing in TFA teachers would be “fiscally neutral,” Morgan said, “because all the money is being raised by outside donors.”

Although Morgan could still not reveal the names of the donors, he did confirm that the donors have agreed and are committed to paying for the teachers if the proposal is supported and passed by the board of education this week.

“The external donors, they want Cobb to do well, too, because most of them, if not all of them, represent Cobb County in some fashion. So I think it will be a continuous supply just because everyone has some skin in the game,” Morgan said in response to a parent’s question of whether more TFA teachers would be supplied after the initial two-year commitment of the first 50 TFA teachers under this proposal.

In the future, Morgan sees the TFA program being successful in the district and the district even matching outside funds to bring in more TFA teachers.As long as the board supports TFA in Cobb schools, the funders will continue to pay the fees for the teachers, Morgan explained.

One of the arguments against TFA in Cobb is that it would displace other teachers or send a message that current teachers are not performing well.

No teachers would be displaced as a result of the 50 TFA teachers being placed in South Cobb schools, especially because the South Cobb area has the highest turnover rate in the county, Morgan said

“We have numbers through the roof in terms of vacancies,” Morgan said.

A second argument against TFA is that the teachers in the program only have a summer boot camp of training, which could not equal the education and training of other teachers.

However, in addition to a summer training boot camp, Teach for America teachers receive constant ongoing training, feedback and reinforcement throughout their entire time with the program.

“They’re constantly being pushed, prodded, evaluated,” Morgan said. “Everything comes from a place of possibility.”

Lastly, some are concerned that bringing in the 50 TFA teachers would send a message to current Cobb teachers that they are not performing well.

“If you’re a good teacher, you want as many good teachers in there as possible… People who are most threatened…aren’t serving our children,” Morgan said.

TFA uses a value-added method, which means teachers work to increase education levels for all students, not just the ones who have the most challenges. “Right now, we don’t have a Race to the Top, we have a Race to the Middle,” Morgan said.

 What do you think about Teach for America? How will it help South Cobb schools?

What parents had to say:

“In two years, for a group of teachers that are dedicated, that may not have children at home, may not have a spouse, may not have a lot of the external things that some of the teachers that have been in this 10-plus years have, they have a greater commitment level, I think, because they don’t have a lot going on. They don’t have to run out the door at 2:45 and say ‘Sorry, can’t stay.’ The second thing is, that two-year commitment, I would be willing to give it a try because in one year you can add value as opposed to a teacher who’s been sitting there–and I see it, and I’m living it– for 10, 15 years and you’re not adding any value. Give me that teacher for two years, as opposed to that 10-year teacher and I’ll take it any time any day.” -Barbara Stone, South Cobb-area educator

Albert McRae, Mableton resident and active community member, said, “A good spirit coming in will set the tone. Other teachers are like ‘Man, this other person is trying to come in and take my job or make me look bad.’ And they see the spirit of this kid or this person, and it will be contagious to them to  make them step their game up.” Having TFA would allow the district to better evaluate how its teachers are selected, trained and evaluated, McRae continued.

When it comes to the initial two-year commitment, Kiddada Grey, whose children attend Imagine International Academy of Mableton, said, “Teach for America is a service-oriented and people who get involved in service are committed beyond belief.”