Over the 2023-24 school year, a committee of faculty was formed to explore what roles constitute a full-time teacher’s workload at the school—continuing a “conversation that’s been going on since the merger,” according to Director of the Upper School (US) Jessica Keimowitz. Now, with the committee’s findings, the decades-old system is changing. To be considered full-time, most teachers teach four classes, advise, and fulfill an additional role. That additional role, which is required for full-time faculty, can take many forms, including coaching, acting as a club’s faculty advisor, running an extracurricular program, or advising ninth graders.
“Every school that I know of defines a full-time job as teaching a certain number of courses and doing something outside of the classroom,” Ms. Keimowitz said. “[It’s] the way that independent schools have operated for a long time, and BB&N is no different. No independent School has figured out a foolproof, fully equitable and universally lauded system for categorizing what that stuff is outside of the classroom.”
The committee met three times last year to discuss the system. Various subcommittees were also formed to investigate other schools’ systems for assigning out- of-the-classroom responsibilities. They aimed to improve equity and transparency, as well as create a more “accurate description” than the 20% nomenclature, Ms. Keimowitz said.
“Many, not all, but many of the additional responsibilities outside of the classroom are not the same in terms of time spent, or frankly, effort devoted. They’re not the same as teaching a class. So, to equate that with a numeric system doesn’t feel great.”
Ms. Keimowitz laid out the new system at the June all- faculty meeting. Now, “additional responsibilities” will fall into three tiers: Standard, Standard Plus, or Leadership. Standard responsibilities do not require excessive time outside of school hours. The Standard Plus tier requires a beyond-average time commitment, such as coaching the Speech and Debate team, Ms. Keimowitz said. Leadership responsibilities, such as grade dean or department head, typically allow for a class drop—only teaching three classes.
Some exceptions to the system have been grandfathered in. Teachers who “are doing work above and beyond,” such as by both coaching a Varsity sport and advising a club, are offered stipends. The school’s system for offering stipends has changed throughout its history. The school doesn’t currently stipend all responsibilities, like most public schools do, because it would likely reduce teachers’ base salaries. How it is determined who deserves a stipend has been previously confusing and inconsistent, according to teacher testimonials.
Many factors determine what tier responsibilities fall under and whether a role should be stipended, Ms. Keimowitz said.
“How much time is required? How much student interaction is required? How much parent interaction is required? Is there travel required? Is it outside the school day? Is it during the school day?”
Ms. Keimowitz acknowledged that the system is a work in progress. “I can pretty much tell you we won’t get it perfect. We can make it better.”
US Math teacher Chip Rollinson, whose “final piece”—as he refers to it—is running the Math team, said he applauds the committee’s efforts.
“[US math and computer science teacher] Mr. Fidler said to me, and he’s been at this school 44 years, this is by far the most work [he’s seen] in this direction.”
A better system would “try to figure out where the gross inequities are and then try to lessen that,” he said.
US Arabic Teacher Amani Abu Shakra, who is also the Senior Spring Project Coordinator and the Yearbook Advisor, noticed the ambiguity of the 20% system caused confusion.
“I think there were a lot of maybe negative feelings associated with the [20% system], and I think maybe there’s some bitterness that arose from it,” she said. “But I think the language makes it feel like it’s more leveled right now.”
Ms. Abu Shakra said the old system failed to value teacher’s additional responsibilities.
“People feeling like they’re acknowledged for the work they put in outside their classrooms is also very important. When you feel like you’re seen and you’re appreciated, it goes a long way.”
US Science Teacher Paige Kemezis volunteered to join the committee in the fall and focused mainly on researching other schools.
“I think the key word for me is transparency,” she said. “You’re able to see where your role fits and how it fits into the community… It’s going to be really helpful and empowering for the teachers to be able to use this information to help themselves.”
US English Teacher Beth McNamara, who is the Grade 11 Dean and coaches Varsity Softball, among other uncounted roles like chairing the Keegan Fellowship Committee and serving on the Senior Spring Project Committee, has seen the system of additional responsibilities vary throughout her time at the school.
“In 2001, both Thirds Soccer, which never met on the weekends and Varsity Softball, which had preseason practices, obligations six days a week, and a postseason, were both 10% responsibilities,” she said. “It has been malleable the entire time.”
Additionally, she has seen similar efforts stall, she said.
“I’m optimistic that the hope and intent to try to balance workloads and pay people what makes sense is going to work. I also know the exact same version of this committee existed in something like 2006, and it’s still been messy every year since then.”
A through line during her experience has been the importance of feeling valued in every role, she said.
“Regardless of the reality, the sense that it is equitable almost matters more than the exact dollar person-to-person.”
Ms. Mac acknowledges that achieving true equity is challenging.
“It is an impossible thing to get this exactly right,” she said. “The attempt to get it right is highly noble. Everyone knows it’s going to be complicated, but it’s never going to be perfect, nor could it ever.”
