Regional Professional Development Center, school districts pool resources to meet costs of teacher development

There is a dry-erase calendar in the office of the Southeast Missouri State University Regional Professional Development Center. The board is full of workshops and training sessions for teachers managed by the center's 23-member staff of consultants and education experts.

The center has been evaluating how it provides services to teachers across the region despite budget cuts and reduced personnel.

"We're tyring to figure out ways we can better serve our schools with reduced numbers of personnel," said Cheri Fuemmeler, director of the Southeast center.

The center, which is on the second floor of Southeast's Innovation Center, offers continuing education for teachers in 90 school districts in Southeast Missouri. Its 16-county coverage area stretches from Ste. Genevieve County to the Bootheel. The center's consultants travel to the school districts to work with teachers and administrators and help implement new programs.

This year's state budget allocated about $6.5 million toward the operation of Southeast's center and 10 other centers across the state. Last year's budget included $15 million in critical needs funding for nine professional development centers. In 2007, the budget included $20 million to support the services.

Southeast Regional Professional Development Center participants learned new ways of teaching old material, like the Pythagorean theorem, Tuesday, September 29, 2009, in Cape Girardeau. (Kit Doyle)

Including federal funds, the Southeast center budgeted $1.2 million this year, down from $1.6 million last year.

Fuemmeler said she expects additional state cutbacks.

"We're not out of this year yet," she said. "We anticipate there will be changes. We don't know what they are."

Five positions at the Southeast Center were cut, including three for the Starr Teacher Program. Under the program teachers received one year of training and worked as consultants with the center for one year.

Fuemmeler said the center is organizing more regional workshops to pool resources. Before, she said, consultants worked more with individual districts. She said smaller districts are feeling the effects more because they have fewer resources for professional development.

"They've got a principal that's already wearing a lot of hats," she said of those districts.

Area administrators said they have noticed changes in the center's services, and they are concerned about future cutbacks. School districts are required to spend 1 percent of their state money on professional development for teachers.

Assistant superintendent Dr. Rita Fisher said 70 to 75 percent of the Jackson School District's professional development funds go toward programs at the center. She said she is in contact with the staff constantly about topics like technology and Missouri Assessment Program testing.

In the past, the district used the Starr Teacher Program. It is also in the middle of a three-year program with the center to develop professional learning communities.

"I think it's more of a concern that something gets cut that we're in the middle of," she said.

Sarah Long, assistant superintendent of the Poplar Bluff School District, said part of the budget constraints are being passed to school districts. The center's fees increased, creating more out-of-pocket expenses for the district, she said. She said she is prioritizing more with the district's budgeted $250,000 for professional development.

She said smaller surrounding districts are also trying to pool resources with bigger districts.

"Actually, they are calling us for resources," she said.

As the state budget cuts continue to affect programming, she said she is also concerned about agreements that allow teachers to pursue graduate degree credits through the center.

Kelly School District budgets $30,000 for professional development and uses the center for about half of its teacher training. Professional development chairman Keith Kyle said the center offers affordable services that would be more expensive if the district contracted with a company.

"With them there I can offer my teachers a huge amount of professional development that I wouldn't be able to get otherwise because my $30,000 would disappear quickly," he said.

Kyle said this year fees are higher and with fewer staff it takes longer to get in contact with consultants.

"These are all things we understand but wish it didn't need to be that way," Kyle said.

abusch@semissourian.com

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