As Ohio’s educators prepare for the statewide roll-out of common teaching standards in 2014, school districts are spending millions of dollars annually on professional development, and several school districts have staff members dedicated to facilitate training.

Just over 50 percent of education professionals spent one day or less in professional development in 1999-2000, according to National Center for Education Statistics data. Only a small minority reported attending four or more days in that same time frame. Today, the Ohio Department of Education requires educators to complete either six semester hours of related coursework or 180 hours of continuing education every five-year licensing cycle — that translates to 36 hours of professional development per year.

The updated curriculum — with coinciding new instructional practices — has been the primary focus of professional development in local school districts over the past two years, according to officials. The federal government now requires that 10% of Title I funds for under-performing schools be allocated to professional development.

Each school district has a professional development committee and an individual plan for each teacher, as required by law, said Keith Millard, director of secondary programs for Hamilton City Schools.

“We want to offer professional development to meet the needs of students, teachers and the district that is current, topical and pertinent,” Millard said.

The required professional development is fulfilled through a mixture of college or online courses, workshops, publications and related activities, he said, and teachers typically exceed the required units for training each year.

“It speaks to the professionalism to which teachers approach their professional development responsibilities,” Millard said.

Hamilton City Schools was unable to provide an estimation for annual expenses related to professional development.

The district receives Race to the Top dollars from the state — part of which pay for professional development. The district recently received $10,000 from Race to the Top for teachers to develop student learning objectives per new teacher evaluations, Millard said.

“(The training) is to prepare and position the district for when Race to the Top (funds) end in June 2014 and we move into the new accountability and curriculum system,” Millard said.

Within the food services and transportation departments, about $13,000 is spent annually on providing training through speakers and videos incorporated into staff meetings, according to Joni Copas, spokeswoman for Hamilton.

“The city health department or ODE will come speak … laws are always changing,” Copas said.

Middletown City Schools spent $2 million in federal Race to the Top funds for professional development in 2010 and 2011, according to treasurer Kelley Thorpe.

Employees also have the option to seek out additional training and coursework from outside agencies. Included in teacher union contracts are tuition reimbursements of as much as $1,000 per year in Middletown, and a maximum of $810 per year in Hamilton, according to officials.

The Hamilton and Middletown districts also dedicate funds to partner with consultants at the Hamilton County Educational Service Center for professional development in certain subjects areas, such as science in Middletown, according to Mack.

Mack said the consultant will observe teachers during a lesson, provide feedback and then model their own lesson.

“(The consultant) models the lesson to provide rigor … to get teachers thinking about the process as a student would,” Mack said. “Understanding it and having it modeled helps bring it back together.”

Mack said all of Middletown’s training is connected back to the district’s three goals: to improve academic achievement, develop instruction and cultivate positive school behaviors.

Butler County’s largest district — Lakota Local Schools — dedicated about $353,000 on professional development from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, according to treasurer Jenni Logan. However, Lakota currently has a freeze on offering tuition reimbursements to teachers and administrators.

Karla Combs, a fourth grade teacher of language arts at Cherokee Elementary School in Liberty Twp., said she has been pleased with the variety of training opportunities made available to her during the past 14 years by Lakota. Prior to the tuition freeze, Combs said she received a reimbursement to earn her Master’s degree from Miami University.

“We’re very fortunate to have professional development days built into the calendar,” Combs said. “It helps to be more focused on the specific student needs I’m seeing here within my district and my classroom.”

In Hamilton, teachers in major content areas receive 2.5 days of professional development each year for content-specific and implementation strategies, Millard said. This year, he added, the district is adding two days of early release each month — during which students leave an hour early and teachers get two hours of Formative Instructional Practices from the district’s instructional coaches.

To help teachers in the delivery of new instruction, several school districts have dedicated staff members — such as instructional coaches — to support the unique needs of each building. Mack said instructional coaches are not teachers themselves, but provide support and coaching to teachers.

In Middletown, instructional coaches have an average salary of $68,700. The average rate is $70,000 in Hamilton, according to officials.

“The instructional coaches are on the teachers’ salary schedule, but they don’t work in the classrooms,” Copas said, who added the salaries are funded from a variety of sources including Title I, Title II-A and Teaching American History grants.

The Lakota district doesn’t have instructional coaches on the payroll, but utilizes teachers on special assignment, according to officials.

Combs said she serves on a professional development committee at Lakota which is currently deconstructing the common core standards to identify what has to be taught and which lesson plans can meet the needs of all students. She said another major focus has been on how teachers can incorporate technology into curriculum.

“There’s a wide range of knowledgeable teachers to help us and journey with us,” Combs said. “I’ve grown so much as a teacher because of the wealth of professional development and the mentors I’ve been exposed to here.”

Carolyn Mack, staff development coordinator for Middletown City Schools, said teachers in certain grade levels and content areas have begun implementing Ohio’s new common core — including math in grades K-5 and science in grades three and six.

Mack said the new curriculum is being introduced to grade levels in sections so that teachers can build up resources and try out new teaching styles. She said rotating substitute teachers are utilized once or twice a month so teachers can use a three-hour block to review pacing guides for student learning and share teaching successes and what didn’t work for students.

“We’re seeing teachers really take ownership in trying strategies in classrooms,” Mack said. “We try to emphasize that reflective piece.”