AFT Massachusetts 38 Chauncy Street Suite 402 Boston, MA 02111 May 2012 Continued on page 8 Paraprofessional Pride, Unity on Display If you’d like to receive an electronic version of the Advocate, send an email to [email protected]. Please include your home mailing address for identification. Did you know that your AFT MA membership entitles you to discounts on insurance products? For more information visit the benefits page of our website: www.aftma.net/member- benefits/ Teachers Tell Stand: “Sit Down” EXPERT TESTIMONY Lowell teacher Susan Uvanni and Boston teacher Riana Good look on as Ross Kochman, a 6th grade teacher at Boston’s Harbor School, testifies to members of the Joint Committee on Education about a controversial proposal that would gut workplace protections for educators. Continued on page 3 PARA TEAM Paraprofessionals from the Condon Elementary School in Boston. Close to twenty paras from the Condon attended the recent statewide Paraprofessional Conference, the largest delegation at the event. In This Issue 4 2 President’s Column Bold Print Diary of a New Student: A teacher returns to the class- rooms where she was once a student 5 Behind the Scenes: Travel opens a new teacher’s eyes Happy Birthday Phantom Tollbooth 7 Retiree Corner Senior seminars 6 On Campus: Responding to school shootings 1-A-4-A: 2012 Convention Supplement W hen Chris Lopez, the library para at Boston’s Condon Elementary School, realized that a teacher needed urgent assistance with a student in crisis, she knew just where to turn. Lopez sounded an urgent call for veteran para Sharon O’Dwyer who quickly arrived on the scene. “We help each other out,” said O’Dwyer. “We support the teachers and the students— we’re part of a team.” The team ethos that is the rule among paras at the Condon was on vivid display at the recent statewide Paraprofessional Conference at the Boston Teachers Union hall. More than 20 paras attended from the South Boston school, far and away the largest delegation at the event. The Condon paras say that they look forward to attending the gathering all year. “It’s a day for us,” said Sheila Yetman. This year, the group succeeded in bringing a brand new recruit: Casey Manning, who started at the school as a long- term sub and is completing her first year as a para. “They made me come,” said Manning, to the delight of her new colleagues. The Condon paras say that they exemplify the spirit of the annual para gathering, this year themed as “A Tribute to Paras.” Each year paras from schools across the state meet up here to recharge and celebrate an occupation that gets too little recognition. Tom Gosnell, the president of AFT Massachusetts, acknowledged that in his remarks to the crowd. “You are critical to the success and support of our students,” said Gosnell. “You have an extremely demanding job.” S ome of the state’s top teachers made a special trip to Beacon Hill last month to urge legislators to reject a measure that would eliminate many workplace protections for teachers. In hours of passionate and eloquent testimony before the Joint Committee on Education, the teachers argued that the controversial ballot measure would silence them, thus making it far more difficult for them to advocate on behalf of the students who need them the most. Teachers and legislators also had an opportunity to hear from representatives of the outside group, known as Stand for Children, that is pushing the measure with a major financial assist from corporate foundations including the conservative Walton Foundation. At the hearing, Stand chief Jason Williams spoke to the powerful impact that great teachers can have on struggling students. But while the educators present no doubt share that view they argued forcefully that the Stand initiative will punish the very teachers who take on the most challenging assignments. Jessica Tang, a 6th grade humanities teacher at the Young Achievers Math and Science Pilot School in Boston, told the legislators that the seriousness of the threat facing educators in the Commonwealth had brought her out of her classroom. “Teacher voices aren’t heard enough in policy discussions because we’d rather be in our classrooms,” said Tang, the recipient of a Sontag Prize in Urban Education, an award to outstanding educators across the country. Tang said that her own insights into what students need in order to succeed had come from students themselves, along with input from parents and community members. “Students have practical concerns, parents want more opportunities for their kids and community members want schools they can be proud of. This proposal addresses none of those,” said Tang, noting that the ballot initiative appears to be far more concerned with ways to limit the ability of teachers to bargain collectively than with the lives of actual children who attend Massachusetts schools. No silver bullet While Stand’s Williams stated in his testimony that there is “no silver bullet” for turning around struggling schools, the educators argued that the ballot measure represents a one-size- fits-all approach that would essentially handcuff them, making collaboration and innovation in their schools far more difficult.
Transcript
AFT Massachusetts
38 Chauncy Street Suite 402 B
oston, MA 02111
May 2012
Continued on page 8
Paraprofessional Pride, Unity on Display
If you’d like to receive an electronic version of the
Advocate, send an email to [email protected]. Please include your home mailing address for identification.
Did you know that your AFT MA membership entitles you to discounts on insurance products? For more information visit the benefits page of our website:www.aftma.net/member-benefits/
Teachers Tell Stand: “Sit Down”
EXPERT TESTIMONY Lowell teacher Susan Uvanni and Boston teacher Riana Good look on as Ross Kochman, a 6th grade teacher at Boston’s Harbor School, testifies to members of the Joint Committee on Education about a controversial proposal that would gut workplace protections for educators.
Continued on page 3
PARA TEAM Paraprofessionals from the Condon Elementary School in Boston. Close to twenty paras from the Condon attended the recent statewide Paraprofessional Conference, the largest delegation at the event.
In This Issue
4
2 President’s ColumnBold Print
Diary of a New Student: A teacher returns to the class-rooms where she was once a student
5 Behind the Scenes: Travel opens a new teacher’s eyes
Happy Birthday Phantom Tollbooth
7 Retiree CornerSenior seminars
6 On Campus: Responding to school shootings
1-A-4-A: 2012 Convention Supplement
When Chris Lopez, the library para at Boston’s Condon Elementary
School, realized that a teacher needed urgent assistance with a student in crisis, she knew just where to turn. Lopez sounded an urgent call for veteran para Sharon O’Dwyer who quickly arrived on the scene. “We help each other out,” said O’Dwyer. “We support the teachers and the students—we’re part of a team.”
The team ethos that is the rule among paras at the Condon was on vivid display at the recent statewide Paraprofessional Conference at the Boston Teachers Union hall. More than 20 paras attended from the South Boston school, far and away the largest delegation at the event. The Condon paras say that they look forward to attending the gathering all year. “It’s a day for us,” said Sheila Yetman. This year, the group succeeded in bringing a brand new recruit: Casey Manning, who started at the school as a long-term sub and is completing her first year as a para. “They made me come,”
said Manning, to the delight of her new colleagues.
The Condon paras say that they exemplify the spirit of the annual para gathering, this year themed as “A Tribute to Paras.” Each year paras from schools across the state meet up here to recharge and celebrate an occupation
that gets too little recognition. Tom Gosnell, the president of AFT Massachusetts, acknowledged that in his remarks to the crowd. “You are critical to the success and support of our students,” said Gosnell. “You have an extremely demanding job.”
Some of the state’s top teachers made a special trip to Beacon Hill last month to urge
legislators to reject a measure that would eliminate many workplace protections for teachers. In hours of passionate and eloquent testimony before the Joint Committee on Education, the teachers argued that the controversial ballot measure would silence them, thus making it far more difficult for them to advocate on behalf of the students who need them the most.
Teachers and legislators also had an opportunity to hear from representatives of the outside group, known as Stand for Children, that is pushing the measure with a major financial assist from corporate foundations including the conservative Walton Foundation. At the hearing, Stand chief Jason Williams spoke to the powerful impact that great teachers can have on struggling students. But while the educators present no doubt share that view they argued forcefully that the Stand initiative will punish the very teachers who take on the most challenging assignments.
Jessica Tang, a 6th grade humanities teacher at the Young Achievers Math and Science Pilot School in Boston, told the legislators that the seriousness of the threat facing educators in the Commonwealth had brought her out of her classroom. “Teacher
voices aren’t heard enough in policy discussions because we’d rather be in our classrooms,” said Tang, the recipient of a Sontag Prize in Urban Education, an award to outstanding educators across the country. Tang said that her own insights into what students need in order to succeed had come from students themselves, along with input from parents and community members. “Students have practical concerns, parents want more opportunities for their kids and community members want schools they can be proud of. This proposal addresses none of those,” said Tang, noting that the ballot initiative
appears to be far more concerned with ways to limit the ability of teachers to bargain collectively than with the lives of actual children who attend Massachusetts schools.
No silver bullet While Stand’s Williams stated in
his testimony that there is “no silver bullet” for turning around struggling schools, the educators argued that the ballot measure represents a one-size-fits-all approach that would essentially handcuff them, making collaboration and innovation in their schools far more difficult.
2
BOLDPRINT
Full STEM AheadMaureen Parker, an eighth grade physical science teacher at the Locke Middle School in Billerica, has been selected to participate in the 2012 Siemens STEM Institute this summer. Parker is one of fifty middle and high school STEM educators who will spend a week at the world headquarters of Discovery Communications where they will be immersed in hands-on STEM professional development. Following the Institute, the Fellows will serve as STEM ambassadors in their schools and communities as they continue working together on STEM projects and empowering peers with the tools and knowledge gained from the Institute. Parker began teaching at the Locke in 2001 after a 16 year career in industry as an electron microscopist, histotechnician, and environmental chemist.
Pencil ProjectKudos to students in fifth through eighth grades at South Lawrence East School who took part in two community service projects to collect school supplies for a school in Kenya and pajamas, socks and underwear for the pediatric unit at Lawrence General Hospital. Jill Riker, an eighth-grade teacher at South Lawrence East, worked with sixth-grade teacher Pat Briton, to organize the projects. Students at South Lawrence East began work on the project in February, settling on the logo, “Bring On The Love.” The entire school collected school supplies for The Pencil Project, for a total of seven large boxes for a school in Kenya through an organization called Kawelle. Congrats to Riker, Briton and your students for their inspiring work.
Trivial pursuitsCongratulations to the winners of the first ever Lynn Teachers Union Trivia Night. The team headed up by Diane Dunn and Cathy Deveney, an AFT MA Executive Board and paraprofessional at the Thurgood Marshall Middle School member, took the top spot in the event, successfully answering the most number of stump-worthy questions. The event, which was emceed by AFT MA’s own Brian LaPierre, attracted more than 70 Lynn educators from schools across the city. If you’d like to organize a trivia night for your union, contact [email protected].
Employee of the MonthGabriella White, the Academic/Testing Coordinator, has been named Nashoba Valley Tech’s Employee of the Month. Gabby was nominated by Andrea Watson, Jeremy Slotnick, Jonathan Roman, Emily Smith and Eric Stevenson, who praised her for her hard work and dedication to her students at Nashoba Valley. “She is always available to give advice and suggestions about ways to improve classroom performance, and is often seen talking to and encouraging students to do their best. She inspires us to work our hardest under any circumstance and should be commended.,” wrote the students. Congratulations Gabby!
Ed DohertySpecial Assistant to the President, AFT Massachusetts
Most people facing open-heart surgery would seek out
an experienced doctor who has successfully performed the operation over a number of years. Very few, if any, would search for a young man or woman just out of medical school with scant experience. The same would hold true for people looking for a lawyer to represent them in an important legal proceeding. Their first choice would probably be the firm’s senior partner, not the rookie, just out of law school, who has only appeared a handful of times before a judge. In medicine and law, experience is valued. There is a presumption that those who have been in these professions for a number of years have talent, knowledge, and ability that exceeds that of their younger colleagues.
Unfortunately, in the field of education, the notion that experience is a positive attribute in one’s professional life is not as prevalent. For example, a recent Boston Globe editorial lamented the idea that “young, talented teachers” could lose their positions to “veteran teachers.” Experienced teachers are often characterized in the media as burnt-out, lazy, unfamiliar with new
methodologies, and too old to relate well with students; while younger recruits are enthusiastic, energetic, eager, and committed. The message coming from this distorted picture is that younger is better and that seniority rights in teacher contracts are an obstacle to keeping younger teachers in classrooms; therefore, these rights for teachers must be eliminated.
In Massachusetts an attack on teachers’ seniority rights is currently being spearheaded by “Stand for Children,” an organization whose innocuous name has nothing to do with its real agenda. One only has to look at some of Stand for Children’s major donors, including Bain Capital and the Walton Family Foundation (Walmart), to realize that what it “stands” for is Big Business and not for children. These are organizations that like to be able to say, “you’re fired,” without worrying about such things as fairness, due process or anti-discrimination protections.
Stand for Children’s major strategy in its attack on teachers’ rights is to place a ballot question before voters next fall that would restrict teachers’ collective bargaining rights around issues of evaluation, assignments, and transfers. Further, it would prohibit the use of seniority as a determining factor in teacher layoffs. Stand for Children’s claim is that seniority protects “bad” teachers, and that the goal of the ballot question is to
ensure that all students have excellent teachers.
This is another distortion. The reality is that seniority does not protect anyone from being evaluated by their supervisors and being dismissed if his or her performance does not measure up to expectations. It does not matter whether a teacher has been teaching for two years or for forty-two years, that person can be fired if he or she is unable or unwilling to do the job well.
Seniority rights are not a protection for bad teachers; on the contrary, these rights are a protection for good teachers. Seniority is a protection against capricious and arbitrary decisions by the employer; and further, these rights act as a barrier to prevent age discrimination, racial bias, or any other form of prejudice. Seniority rights prevent school districts from firing higher paid teachers in order to replace them with teachers on the lower salary steps. Seniority allows experienced teachers to advocate for children and to have a voice in educational decisions; and, when necessary, to disagree with a principal or superintendent or school committee member without fear of retribution or job loss.
Attacks on our teachers’ rights are totally unwarranted given the outstanding work of our state’s teachers. For the past four years Massachusetts has been rated number one in the nation in student achievement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in both math and reading. This is an incredible record. Our teachers deserve a great deal of the credit for our students’ outstanding academic performance. The experience and dedication of our teachers should be valued and respected, just as we value experience and dedication in other professions. Our teachers do not deserve to have their reasonable protections and legitimate rights abolished. ▪
L e t t e r s t o t h e E d i t o rDear Editor:Some of the issues addressed during the Telephone Town Hall on 3/28/12 are already being implemented in Boston Public Schools. Older teachers are being given less than satisfactory evaluations in various areas and are being told outright that they should retire. Some have even been terminated with the loss of their retirement that they have worked so hard to accrue. Principals are doing this in response to a not very subtle mandate from the Superintendent’s office.
The aim, of course, is to reduce the school’s budget. Many not so subtle tactics are being used to “get rid of” older staff members.
The methods being used with the older teachers are being used system wide. Principals walk up to older teachers and tell them verbally that they “should retire.” Then various tactics ensue to wear down the teacher whch destroys the teacher’s morale piece by piece. Eventually, if all hints and tactics haven’t been heeded the harassed and totally morale frazzled teacher gets terminated. The teacher then leaves without the benefit
of a retirement. In addition to this, Boston’s
principals are not strangers to nepotism, favoritism, other preferential treatment in their hiring of employees for their buildings. Some principals are simply politically connected figureheads who wield their power in corrupt and inappropriate manners in their schools. They hire teachers who don’t have proper credentials to take over positions as they become available in their schools as they see fit.If you want to get corroboration about this information, just ask some of the older teachers around the city. They know what is being done in the schools.
Name and address withheld upon request.
May 20123
Para Pride, Unity on Display Continued from cover
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SPECIAL DAY Iris Santana (left) is a first year para at the Holland School in Boston. Her friend Jacqueline Stroud has worked at the school for 6 years. This was the first time either had attended the Paraprofessional Conference.
At the statewide Para Conference, celebration mixes with a palpable fear for the future. Paras across the country are losing their rights as their profession and way of life comes under assault.
While much of the day was devoted to celebrating the hard work of the education support personnel, serious issues dominated the discussion. Several Massachusetts school districts have sought to privatize paraprofessional services in recent years, a trend that is likely to accelerate given the deep financial straits in which many cities and towns find themselves. In Amesbury, paras who work with special education students successfully fought an effort to outsource their jobs by working with parents and community members. Still, their victory came at a significant cost to the paras—already the lowest paid educators in the city—who gave up vacation days, longevity bonuses and reimbursement for professional training and education in order to hold onto the jobs they love.
In Lynn, the Lynn Teachers Union which represents the paras in that city’s schools, has fought off a similar privatization bid—for now. President Brant Duncan notes that the Lynn paras learned much from their
counterparts in Amesbury. “The lesson here is that we have to work together to be successful,” says Duncan.
Under siege The featured speaker of the day was
Ruby Newbold, president of the Detroit Association of Educational Office Employees and an AFT vice president. Newbold reported having seen one of the misleading television ads being aired here by the controversial group Stand for Children (see cover story). Said Newbold: “They don’t stand for people who actually work with children.” She cautioned the audience members to be wary of organizations that claim to speak for ‘children’ or ‘parents’ but are really mouthpieces for a corporate agenda. “They have a plan and they’re following it,” said Newbold. “They want our schools, our unions and our way of life.”
In Michigan, paras, teachers and other public employees have found themselves under a full-0n assault in recent months. Lawmakers recently passed a measure banning public employers from deducting dues from the paychecks of school employees. Union leaders say that the bill was passed to punish school employees for exercising their free speech rights in calling for a constitutional amendment to protect collective bargaining rights in the state.
Community solution Newbold said that the experience
of the paras and teachers in Michigan demonstrates that it isn’t enough to merely belong to a union. “We have to organize ourselves,” said Newbold, who serves on the AFT’s Paraprofessional Advisory Council with Jenna
Fitzgerald, the Paraprofessional Field Representative for the Boston Teachers Union. “We have to remind ourselves ‘this is who we are’ and ‘this is what we believe in.’”
Despite the immense challenges facing paras, teachers and other public sector union members today, Newbold told the crowd that she remains hopeful. Said Newbold: “We have something the other side doesn’t have: each other—we have solidarity. They may have money but we have right.” She encouraged the paras to help educate their colleagues about the importance of belonging to a union, and to get involved if they aren’t already. “Get informed and involved in our fight—because that’s what it is: our struggle.”
That message seemed to resonate with the paras in the audience, a number of whom were attending
the event for the first time. Jerome Anderson, a para at the Washington Elementary School in Lynn, which serves students with behavior problems, said that staff at the school were trying to do a better job of working directly with parents in an effort to help them understand what paras do. “Parents don’t always realize,” says Anderson, a first-time attendee at the conference.
First year para Iris Santana was attending the event with her friend Jacqueline Stroud. Both work at the Holland School in Dorchester. Santana said that Newbold’s speech had encouraged her to become more active. “She really challenged us today.” Stroud nodded in agreement. “We do this work because we love kids,” said Stroud. “That’s why we’re here.” ▪
The AFT Massachusetts Advocate4
Diaryof a New Teacher
By Lorena GermanEnglish Teacher
Lawrence HIgh School
TEACH FOR LAWRENCE Lorena German, a third year teacher at Lawrence High School, has come back to teach at the same school that she once attended. German brings with her a direct knowledge of the challenges that her students will face when they go onto college. “I want them to see, through me, that they have a chance to make a change.”
In my classroom there is a young girl. She came to the US when she was little. She was raised here in
Lawrence and all her schooling was in the public schools. In middle school she was very involved in her studies. She always did her homework and then some. She won city wide spelling bees, read endlessly, participated in after school activities and even tutored peers when allowed. She was responsible in her education and had serious goals for her life. College was already on her mind. She graduated from eighth grade with honors.
Then, she went to Lawrence High School. She sat in classes packed with other students and was highly distracted by the dysfunction. She saw students who dropped out long before graduation day. She saw classrooms plagued by endless standardized tests and busy work. She experienced absent teachers and a few others who seemed like they were only coming in for a paycheck. She sat there and was frustrated. She was angry. She knew that not every school operated that way because she visited other schools and she knew students in other places. She wished and hoped, but that wasn’t enough.
During the school day she couldn’t breathe properly because the air was perfumed by so much gossip and negativity: students who were more concerned with their social lives and what boyfriend they had that week; young people arguing about what he said and she said. Meanwhile the search for a new superintendent continued.
She went away during the summers to various college-sponsored programs for high school students as a way to compensate for what she was lacking during the year and to boost up her resume. She still hadn’t given up on that college goal.
Senior year rolled around and the A student had become a B/C student. Then it was time to apply for college. Since she hadn’t had a real counselor for four years, she finagled and got a teacher to list herself as a counselor. She then wrote her own college recommendations. She passed them to the teacher and the woman signed on the dotted line. Office aids, personnel and teachers didn’t understand her vigor or frustration and just questioned why she walked around with a puffed up chest. Maybe because that’s all she had.
What she doesn’t know is that while she’ll get into college she won’t be academically prepared. Her classes
will be a sea of white American students and she will start to question her identity as a Latina in the U.S. She will not understand what the class is talking about as they discuss British poetry or when the teacher corrects her paper and grades her down for “poor syntax.” She will start to wonder why each time she says that she’s from Lawrence people give her funny looks. She will learn that her experience is not unique because she will meet other students from other inner cities like her.
That young girl in my classroom is me. And that is why I returned to the same classrooms in which I was once a student, this time to teach. I teach because I really know and understand the young people that sit in front of me. I want them to see, through me and through my experience, that they too have a chance to make a change. I teach for Lawrence. ▪
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1A
L e g a l R e p o r t
2012 Convention ReportThe State of the Union Report on Organization
Continued on page 3A
By Haidee Morris, General Counsel, and Joseph Lettiere, Associate Counsel, AFT Massachusetts
Evergreen Clauses
Last year we reported on the nullification of evergreen clauses by the Supreme Judicial Court in the Boston Housing Authority case. We are pleased to report that, through union cooperation we were able to successfully pass legislation which reinstated evergreen clauses. Evergreen clauses are once again valid, retroactive to the time of the SJC decision. Evergreen clauses can be important for preserving arbitration rights and including stipend positions as regular compensation for retirement purposes. If you do not have an evergreen clause, make sure to negotiate your contracts retroactively to the expiration date of the last contract to avoid these problems.
“Stand for Children” Petition
Looming on the horizon, with significant funding from right wing sources, the assault on teacher unions continues. With the ink barely dry on the new performance evaluation standards required by the latest education reform act, the corporately funded “Stand for Children” organization has filed an initiative petition which would put decisions about whom to keep and whom to layoff in the hands of the principal based on many subjective factors, but
By Tom Gosnell President, AFT Massachusetts
excluding relevant experience from primary consideration. This is an open invitation to discriminate on the basis of age, as relevant experience is excluded from the primary determining factors.
Furthermore, the principal is not required to consider only performance evaluations. The principal has carte blanche to consider “merit and ability” which includes performance evaluations, as well as other unspecified factors related to job performance and the “best interests” of the students in the school or district. The principal also has unfettered discretion as to whether to accept a teacher in a transfer or layoff situation, leaving a teacher without rights or, ultimately, a job.
The petition would end layoff protection for teachers with professional teacher status over those without such status, prevent less than full time teachers from getting professional status, and creates endless bureaucratic red tape regarding appointments, dismissals, and evaluations. These are but a few of the many bad aspects of this petition.
AFT Massachusett is signing on to an amicus brief with the AFL-CIO in solidarity with the MTA, which has filed a legal challenge to the petition being on the ballot. However, it is easy to get on the ballot and hard to get a petition denied, so we anticipate a difficult fight at the ballot box.
In the last convention report I wrote about challenging events
in Massachusetts and in the nation. Much has also happened this year.
In Wisconsin the governor and the legislature massacred collective bargaining for public employees. Court challenges did not succeed. However, the unions collected twice the number of signatures to put on the ballot the recall of Governor Walker, the architect of the assault on collective bargaining. The campaign is fierce. I have told the AFT leadership in Wisconsin that AFT MA will give them all the assistance we can.
Repeal of collective bargaining also happened in Ohio, but in a powerful display of solidarity the unions gathered a massive amount of signatures to put on the ballot a repeal of the legislation. Then they persuaded the voters to repeal the legislation. Showing our union solidarity, we gave them financial assistance.
The Indiana legislature passed a bill, signed by the governor, eliminating the right to collectively bargain about practically everything. Idaho teachers have lost tenure and collective bargaining is history in
Tennessee. Rhode Island has seen a diminution in the pensions of those already retired and the future pensions of those currently working.
What has happened throughout the nation was bound to have some impact on us.
What has happened in Massachusetts is not nearly as draconian, but we have not escaped unscathed. Our voice in bargaining about health insurance is not as robust. However, the public employee unions were able to get into the legislation the right to negotiate mitigation monies to offset any large increase in co-pays and deductibles. In addition, the premium split is still subject to negotiations.
Pensions for those hired on or after April 2, 2012, will see changes requiring more years to be worked to get full pensions. Those hired before that date will not be affected.
The most prominent current challenge is the initiative petition which, if passed, will cause chaos and confusion. In the convention folder there is an abundance of literature which explains the petition and gives many, many talking points which can be used both with our members and the general public.
Continued on page 4A
By Annemarie Dubois Director of Organization, AFT Massachusetts
AFT MA members will long remember this past year as one of immense challenge, significant change, and strong coalitions. Collective bargaining, health insurance, teacher accountability and evaluation, and continuing financial deficits in many cities and towns dominated our members’ lives as they struggled to do the work they love in schools, colleges, and libraries across the state.
Public employees in Massachusetts faced an unprecedented assault on their collective bargaining rights when the legislature passed a bill allowing municipalities to transfer their employees to the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) to obtain health insurance. Although the legislation promises financial relief to municipalities in these still difficult financial times, it does nothing to reduce health care costs. It simply shifts those costs to employees in the form of higher copays and deductibles. While the bill will drastically change the health care landscape for our members, the state Public Employee Coalition, including AFT MA, worked tirelessly and effectively for months at the State House to avoid a total catastrophe that would have left unions completely out of the process.
Some municipal leaders have used the law as a springboard for real negotiation about the issue of high cost health insurance, and have worked with union leaders in coalition to both reduce costs and to lessen the burden on employees. In those communities, union leaders have worked together as never before, setting aside their differences, to negotiate successfully multiyear health insurance plans that protect members, especially the most vulnerable, with mitigation plans that span the length of the agreement.
Sadly, in other communities, leaders used the new law as a club to transfer employees to the GIC and to beat unions into acceptance of a one year mitigation fund, the minimum required by the new statute. Despite utilizing a strong coalition approach, these union leaders could not provide any benefit to their members beyond the bare bones statutory requirement.
If we ever had any thought that without collective bargaining, politicians would treat our members fairly and maintain contract items that provide good working conditions, salaries and benefits, the unbridled use of power some municipal leaders have demonstrated in the implementation of the new health insurance statute certainly
disproves that theory.In one unintended consequence
of the new law, in virtually all communities where officials have raised the issue, union leaders have formed strong bonds as they worked together , and many have resolved to continue to work as the Public Employee Coalition on issues that affect any or all union members in the coalition. As we mobilize to defeat the Stand for Children Innitiative, our coalition members provide us a natural springboard in our communities as we take our fight directly to the voters.
If we enlist their assistance, we can spread our message more quickly to other public employees, their families and the community at large. Our coalition colleagues will certainly face the same assault on seniority and other employee protections if the largest sector of public employee unions, teachers, lose this fight. We must build on the strength we have found in coalition with our municipal union colleagues to effectively combat those who would destroy all of us.
Stand for Children threatens the very foundations of teacher due process rights as well as collective bargaining over the terms and conditions of employment. They claim, as do their corporate supporters the Walton Foundation, the Gates foundation, and Bain Capital, among others, that eliminating teacher rights will improve public education and “close the achievement gap”. They assert that by staffing classrooms with young, enthusiastic, innovative teachers and eliminating the “old dead wood”, at risk students will succeed.
Make no mistake about the real issue in this fight-money. If veteran teachers with multiple advanced degrees earning salaries at the top of the salary scale lose their jobs, and younger inexperienced teachers with bachelor’s degrees replace them, at the low end of the salary scale, school districts will save millions of dollars annually. If the cycle continues to repeat itself, and without due process rights for the new young teachers who in ten or so years would find themselves at the top of the scale, it would, the savings would multiply as each crop of “old dead wood” met its fate.
Some will argue that public education simply could not function under such circumstances and that career educators would continue to work in education. Perhaps some few would, those necessary to serve as principals or district administrators, in non- union positions. Since they have no protection other than what exists in their individual contracts, their longevity to the age of retirement seems doubtful.
Richard Stutman, Boston Teachers Union, Local 66 Richard is president of the Boston Teachers Union. and a former math teacher in the Boston Public Schools.
Gale Thomas, Lynn Teachers Union, Local 1037 Gale is a long-time activist in the Lynn Teachers Union and works part-time at the Harrington School in Lynn providing intervention instruction.
Susan Leahy, Billerica Federation of Teachers, Local 1677 Sue recently retired as a first grade teacher at the Vining School in Billerica.
Frank McLaughlin, Lawrence Teachers Union, Local 1019 Frank is president of the Lawrence Teachers Union and a history teacher at Lawrence High.
Bruce Nelson, Peabody Federation of Teachers, Local 1289 Bruce is president of the Peabody Federation of Teachers. He is a retired English teacher.
Catherine Patten, Amesbury Federation of Teachers, Local 1033Catherine is a 2nd grade teacher at Amesbury Elementary School.
James A. Philip, Boston Teachers Union, Local 66 Timo is a member of the executive board of the Boston Teachers Union. He teaches social studies at Brighton High School.
Paul Georges, United Teachers of Lowell, Local 495 Paul is president of the United Teachers of Lowell and a VP of the Mass. AFL-CIO.
Alice Gunning, Lynn Teachers Union, Local 1037 Alice was president of the Lynn Teachers Union until last year and a longtime elementary teacher.
Daniel Haacker, Massachusetts Library Staff Association, Local 4928 Dan is VP of the Massachusetts Library Staff Association.
Joyce Harrington, Salem Teachers Union, Local 1258 Joyce is president of the Salem Teachers Union and a 5th grade teacher.
Patricia Armstrong, Boston Teachers Union, Local 66. Patricia a labor member of the Democratic State Committee.
Deb Blinder, Holliston Federation of Teachers, Local 3275 Deb teaches Spanish at Adams Middle School in Holliston.
Brenda Chaney, BostonTeachers Union, Local 66 Brenda is the community outreach coordinator for the BTU..
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J. Michael Earle, United Teachers of Lowell, Local 495 Michael is vice president of the United Teachers of Lowell and taught honors biology at Lowell High School.
Margaret Farrell, United Teachers of Lowell, Local 495 Retired after 47 years of teaching, Midge is now chairperson of the retired teachers group in Lowell.
Jenna Fitzgerald, Boston Teachers Union, Local 66 Jenna is the paraprofessional field representative for the Boston Teachers Union.
Richard Flaherty, Medway Federation of Teachers, Local 3645 Dick is former president of the Medway Federation of Teachers and a retired social studies teacher.
Kathy Delaney, Lawrence Teachers Union, Local 1019 Kathy is a middle school counselor and union VP.
Catherine Deveney, Lynn Teachers Union, Local 1037 Cathy is a a para at Marshall Middle School and a VP of the LTU.
Patricia Driscoll, Lawrence Teachers Union, Local 1019 Pat taught for 35 years in the Lawrence Public Schools.
Marianne Dumont, United Teachers of Lowell, Local 495 Mickey is the Education Issues Chairperson for the United Teachers of Lowell.
2012 Convention Report
Bruce Sparfven, UMass Faculty Federation, Local 1895 Bruce is Vice President of the UMass Faculty Federation at UMass Dartmouth. He is also chair of the Educational Services Unit.
Mary Ferriter, Chelsea Teachers Union, Local 1340 Mary is the lead teacher of the Chelsea Middle School Alternative Program, located in the Browne Middle School.
Kathryn Chamberlain, Chelmsford Federation of Teachers, Local 3569 Kathryn teaches 6th grade math and science.
Sean Bowker, SE Regional Teachers Federation, Local 1849 Sean teaches biology at SE Regional Vocational Technical HS.
Jennifer Berkshire, EditorJennifer is a freelance journalist and an adjunct faculty member in Labor Studies at UMass Amherst.
Michael F. Canavan, Field Representative for Legislation Mike formerly worked for the National Association of Government Employees and SEIU.
Jennifer L. Daniel, Office Manager Jennifer graduated from Bristol Community College and has been with AFT Massachusetts since 1994.
Edward Doherty, Special Assistant to the President Ed served as president of the Boston Teachers Union before joining the staff of AFT Massachusetts.
Annemarie T. DuBois, Director of Organization Past president of the Peabody Federation of Teachers, Annemarie was a former English teacher.
Shawn Flood, Field Representative Shawn is a former field representative with the AFT Northern New England Council and an organizer for the New Mexico Federation of Teachers.
Joseph R. Lettiere, Associate Counsel Joe formerly served as associate counsel for Council 93 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Dan Murphy, Director of Education PolicyA former researcher, writer and analyst, Dan came to AFT MA from AFT’s national headquarters in Washington DC.
J. Coley Walsh, Field Representative for Legislation Coley was formerly a guidance counselor at the Lawrence Regional School.
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R e p o r t o n O r g a n i z a t i o nContinued from Convention Report, page 1A
Haidee Morris, General Counsel Haidee was formerly the labor counsel to the Boston Public Schools and the Massachusetts Community Colleges.
2012 Convention Report
Brian LaPierre Political Organizer Brian was a field representative for AFT MA and taught history at both the Thurgood Marshall Middle School and Lynn English High School.
Diane Frey, Field Representative Diane began her long career in the labor movement as an organizer for 1199 and worked most recently for AFT in Vermont, organizing early education workers.
The issue has far-reaching monetary impact at the state level as well. Lower teacher salaries would lessen municipal demands for local aid increases. If teachers didn’t stay in the profession long enough to qualify for retirement benefits and work long enough to collect a pension, the unfunded pension liability the state faces would disappear.
The consequences of a Stand victory reach far beyond teachers and education. They threaten every public employee whose unions would face the same draconian legislative and ballot initiative fights to destroy their due process and collective bargaining rights. Private sector unions would
also face the same fate, albeit in different forums.
The state placed the Lawrence Public Schools into Level 5 status, receivership, a first for any district in the state. Commissioner Chester appointed Boston principal Jeffery C. Riley as the receiver who wields unprecedented singular authority over the system as he attempts to improve student outcomes in the district. He signed a three year contract, but has stated publically that the turnaround may take longer. He has begun an intense evaluation process of some 60 teachers. They will learn by the end of the school year whether or not they will have jobs for the next school year.
The Lawrence Teachers Union working with AFT MA and AFT has joined Jobs With Justice to reach
out to members of the Lawrence community including parents, church and civic leaders to create coalitions so that the opportunity to transform the schools will succeed and will impact life in the city itself positively.
Teacher accountability and teacher evaluation dominated the year in our Level 4 schools in Boston, Lawrence, Lowell, and Lynn, but they now move to the forefront in our Race To The Top districts for next year. Many of our members have voiced their frustration as they have tried to negotiate what became a moving target since DESE failed to meet its own deadlines for the release of guidelines and rubrics. Teacher evaluation will dominate negotiations for years to come since DESE will continue to roll out some aspects of the evaluation
system, including the use of student achievement and student/parental and staff feedback, over at least the next two years.
Our members in Boston continue their protracted fight for a fair contract as do their colleagues in Peabody, Salem and Lawrence. Our members in Lynn, Lowell, Westport, and Pittsfield among others, settled contracts this year. The settlements in Pittsfield gave all five bargaining units multiyear contracts for the first time in years.
One of the most significant changes this past year occurred at AFT MA itself. Veteran field representatives Steve Asadoorian, Dianne Heeley, and Political Director Cathy Dwyer retired. Long time secretary Mary Ann Dority also retired.
Brian LaPierre moved into the job of political organizer, and Andy Powell, Walter Armstrong, and Mike Regan joined the staff as field representatives. Eileen Carney joined the staff as secretary and Carmela Dyette became our receptionist.
Shawn Flood, Diane Frey, Special Assistant to the president Ed Doherty and I joined our new field representatives working with our locals.
Dan Murphy, director of education policy and programs worked with our members and with DESE on their behalf.
John Coley Walsh and Mike Canavan worked as lobbyists at the State House on behalf of our members.
As always, Jennifer Berkshire told our stories in The Advocate and assisted our locals in establishing communication networks to facilitate the distribution of information and political action.
Jennifer Daniel, our office manager, continued to assist our members at the AFT MA office.
As we face the coming year and the immense challenges ahead, we commit ourselves and our resources to fighting the attacks that threaten the rights of our members and of all public employees and the institutions in which they work. 3A
Eileen Carney,SecretaryEileen is a graduate of Boston College and considers herself a proud advocate for public education.
Walter Armstrong, Field RepresentativeWalter was previously the president of the Bellingham Municipal Employees, part of AFSCME Council 93.
Carmela Dyette, Receptionist Carmela is a graduate of the Boston Public Schools and is currently attending the Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Andy Powell, Field RepresentativeAndy formerly worked as a health insurance consultant with Boston Benefits Partners, advising public sector unions.
Per Capita DuesAt large DuesAFT RebateAFT Defense Fund GrantAFT AssistanceInterest IncomeInsurance Administrative Fees
TOTAL REVENUES
EXPENSESAdvertisingAssistance to Members and LocalsAutomobilesCharitable ContributionsCitizens for Public SchoolsConferences & ConventionsContributions to Cand. & Refer.DepreciationEmployee BenefitsExpenses ReimbursementsInsuranceLibraryMaintenanceNewspaperOffice SuppliesPayroll TaxesPension PlanPer Capita – AFTPostageProfessional FeesPublic RelationsRentSalariesScholarshipsTelephone & Utilities
TOTAL EXPENSESINCREASE IN NET ASSETS
ASSETS AT BEGINNING OF YEAR
ASSETS AT END OF YEAR
2012 AFT MA Scholarship Winners
AFT Massachusetts congratu-lates the winners of the 2012 Albert Shanker, Sandra Feld-man and Jay Porter Scholar-ships. Each winner, a high school senior and dependent of an AFT Massachusetts mem-ber, will receive $1500 towards the cost of his or her college or post-secondary education. Congratulations to this year’s winners and best of luck with your future endeavors.
Albert Shanker, Sandra Feld-man and Jay Porter Scholar-ship Recipients
Rose AlloccaAbigail HeingertnerBrandon HigginsKayla MarandolaAmalia MendozaShawn MorrisseyBoris StanchevSarah Vandewalle AFT MA Professional Staff Union Jay Porter Scholarship
Benjamin Soper
Statement of Financial Position: April 30, 2011
Once again, I am pleased to report that the finances of the organization are sound. We have weathered another year of assault on our collective bargaining rights as well upon our dignity as public (and private) servants. The toll has been massive but we continue to fight the good fight to protect what we have. Our members, whether they be teachers, librarians, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, college professors, bus drivers or secretaries, are doing the job every day for the good of the citizens of the Commonwealth. After all, isn’t the state of Massachusetts tops in education? And the strange thing is that Massachusetts is the most unionized state in the nation.
Over the past year, we have battled the assaults on our health care plans, our pensions as well
as collective bargaining rights. Now, in 2012, we face yet another challenge in the so called “Stand for Children” initiative petition. Everyone wants an excellent teacher in every classroom. However, as you will hear at this convention as well as your local leaders, if this petition passes, it will gut our collective bargaining agreements.
This will be a massive fight and the winds are currently not in our favor. However, the leadership of this organization will do battle without any increase in revenue for the coming fiscal year. We understand that times are tough for all of us and we will work within our existing resources to win this battle. However, each and every one of our members must do his or her part to spread the word to defeat this wretched petition.
Thank you for the opportunity to be your Secretary-Treasurer. It is an honor to serve this organization. Enjoy the convention! ▪
Continued from Convention Report, page 1A
Go to the AFT MA web page at www.aftma.net to learn much more. We shall work very hard and very smart to defeat this initiative.
Since the challenges will continue, public employee unions will continue to band together to fight, to fight hard, and to fight even harder.
I shall repeat what I wrote the last two years.
AFT Massachusetts, in alliance with like minded organizations, will fight for increased revenues, the avoidance of layoffs, the amendment of the education bill, the preservation of health care coverage and pensions,
the continuation of quality public education for our students from pre-kindergarten to higher education, and the maintenance of public libraries for all residents.
As we move forward, all AFT MA members need to be activists, willing to articulate the values and ideals we believe are necessary for a civilized society.
We want what is good for students, fair to all educational workers and librarians, and collaboratively done. ▪
President’s Report
Congratulations!Distinguished Service Award Recipients
Congratulations to the win-ners of the 2012 Distinguished Service Awards. The awards are presented annually to AFT MA members who have demon-strated an outstanding level of service and dedication to their union locals.
K-12 EducatorsThad Ackerman, AFT Amesbury
William Donaghey, United Teachers of Lowell
Public & Private Higher Education, Municipal Li-brarians or NursesWayne LeBlanc, UMass Faculty Federation
School Related PersonnelBarbara Bemis, New Bedford Fed. of Paraprofessionals
Catherine Deveney, Lynn Teachers Union
Retired Member Judith Robinson, United Teachers of Lowell
4A
May 20125
BEHINDTHE SCENES
Chaya Harris
A new teacher discovers
a passion for travel
TRAVELING TEACHER Chaya Harris, a fifth grade teacher at the Mather School in Boston. Harris traveled through Latin America last year with GEEO, a nonprofit that offers affordable trips to educators. Says Harris: “When my students see me, an older version of them, they think ‘maybe I can experience other worlds too.’ It opens their minds to what’s possible. It opens up a new world.”
By Matt Robinson
Though perhaps best known for the award-winning book The Phantom
Tollbooth (which recently celebrated its 50th year as a favorite of young and old alike), Norton Juster spent many years teaching. As such, the architect who once designed homes and curricula has a thing or two to say about education and how it has changed.
After receiving a Ford Foundation grant for what was supposed to be a book for children on cities and urban planning, Juster began work on a book about a fantastical world where words and numbers lived in harmony.
“It is a story about a kid who didn’t like school,” he explains, noting the similarities between his hero and himself. “I see things differently,” he says. “I start with images and do things differently than the way most writers do.” Though he attributes his unique approach to his architectural training (which, he suggests, makes you look at everything from different points of view), he says that he felt the need to write his book because, even 50 years ago, he was seeing how so many students were not allowed to shape their own perspectives.
“In school today, you learn one way to do a thing,” Juster suggests, recalling the “deadly” dictum he learned in the Navy of “tell ‘em what you gonna’ tell ‘em, tell ‘em and then tell ‘em what you told ‘em” and
Phantom Tollbooth Turns 50
PAY THE TOLL Norton Juster, author of the children’s classic, says that there is too much emphasis on testing in education today and not enough on creativity.
noting that both his daughter and granddaughter both scold him for trying to suggest alternate ways to deal with problems and ideas. “They say they can only do things one way. That makes me angry because the essence of why [people] go to school is to develop a way to look at things from various points of view.”
Continued on page 7.
Teacher Chaya Harris’ students may not have accompanied her on her 16 day trip through Latin America
last summer—but they have been the beneficiaries of her experiences none the less. All year, Harris’ has used pictures and stories from her travels through Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil with a group of nine other teachers to communicate a simple but powerful lesson to her students: there is a world beyond Dorchester.
“Students in our community don’t have opportunities like this and they don’t know anyone else who does either,” says Harris, a fifth-grade teacher at the Mather School. “When they see me and I’m basically an older version of them, they think ‘maybe I can experience other worlds too.’ It opens up their minds to what’s possible,” says Harris, who grew up just blocks away from the school where she now teaches.
The trip was organized by Global Exploration for Educators, a nonprofit that runs affordable group tours for teachers. (See information below). GEEO is currently offering trips to the Galapagos Islands, Peru, China, and a 15 day trip to Turkey. Participants are promised a well-planned trip with plenty of freedom to explore, as well as the opportunity to travel with other teachers.
Harris says that exploring Latin America with a group of educators only deepened the rewards of the trip. “Teachers are naturally compassionate and we’re always thinking about how to share. We’re also very open-minded,” says Harris, who notes that the trip included plenty of “firsts” for her and
her travel mates. Among them: hang gliding, barefoot hiking, different styles of dance and plenty of unusual food. “We ate parts of the cow and pig that none of us had ever tried before.”
The group also visited some elementary schools in Uruguay where students were participating in an after-school program. Harris says that she and the other teachers were fascinated by the differences between the Uruguyan school and their own facilities. “The teachers didn’t have a lot of supplies to work with and yet they were obviously doing a lot with what they had,” says Harris.
And while her travels may be over for now, Harris has had plenty of
excitement to contend with since she returned. “Being a new teacher is an adventure every day,” says Harris, who followed the lead of her mother, Boston teacher Donna Hill Harris, into the classroom. The younger Harris studied journalism at Northwestern in Chicago but opted to return to Boston and pursue a teaching career.
Harris says that she’s already looking forward to her next trip: to the Galapagos Island—but not for a few years. “The experience was just amazing. Other teachers should take the opportunity to travel if they have it. The trip was a real adventure for me and it opened up a new world for my students too.” ▪
Global Exploration for Educators Orga-nization (GEEO) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that runs summer profes-sional development travel programs designed for teachers.
GEEO is offering 13 different travel programs for the summer of 2012: India/Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand/Laos/Cambodia, China, Russia/Mongolia/China, Turkey 8 day, Turkey 15 day, South Africa/Mozambique/Zimbabwe/Botswana, Morocco, Peru, Ecuador, The Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica. The deadline for signing up is June 1st, but Space is limited!
Educators have the option to earn graduate school credit and professional development credit while seeing the world. The trips are 8 to 24 days in length and are designed and discounted to be interesting and affordable for teachers. GEEO provides teachers educational materials and the structure to help them bring their experiences into the classroom. The trips are open to all nationalities of K-12 and univer-sity educators and administrators, as well as retired educators. Educators are also permitted to bring along a non-educator guest.
Detailed information about each trip, including itineraries, costs, travel dates, and more can be found at www.geeo.org. GEEO can be reached 7 days a week, toll free at 1-877-600-0105 be-tween 9AM-9PM EST.
6The AFT Massachusetts Advocate
School Shootings Prompt Reflection, Debate
On CampusDan Georgianna, Political DirectorUMass Faculty Federation, Local 1895
Students at Virginia Tech commemo-rate the killings of 52 students and faculty, five years ago this month. Since then there have been two more shootings at the school.
Five years ago this month, a student who had been diagnosed with
anxiety disorders shot 57 students and faculty at Virginia Tech, killing 32 of them and then himself. The killings at Virginia Tech became the focus for national debate over violence, gun laws, and mental health on college campuses, especially after many more incidents of killing on college campuses, including two more at Virginia Tech.
For me, the murders at Virginia Tech illustrate misguided laws and university policies that defy common sense. Virginia Tech officials were not allowed access to the killer’s long history of mental illness, including a judge, who ordered treatment ruling that he was mentally ill. Two years before the murders, his English professor warned university officials that the shooter’s writings showed mental instability and aggression towards his classmates. University officials did nothing. She wrote later that Virginia Tech administration seemed more interested in preserving his privacy than protecting the campus.
University officials waited more than two hours after they knew he had killed two students in a dormitory to notify the campus and then sent a careful though misleading message about a shooting “incident” in a dormitory. An earlier warning may have saved some of the other 50 victims who were shot in classrooms around the same time that the message was sent out. The U.S. Department of Education initially ruled that Virginia Tech had been negligent in warning the campus, but a special administrative judge recently exonerated Virginia Tech, ruling that warning the campus two hours after the first murders were
discovered was a reasonable amount of time.
The shooting had little effect on gun control laws due to the usual deadlock between forces in favor of gun control on campus and opposition that argued faculty and students licensed to carry guns could have stopped the shooting. Virginia Tech had rules against carrying guns on campus, and Virginia had background check laws for gun purchases that should have stopped the killer from buying handguns.
Following the killing, the Federal Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act was amended to require colleges to issue “timely warning” when notified of danger to the campus.
Most faculty and staff know to report shooting or other acts of violence immediately to campus police. Few know what to do when directly confronted with violence. A student at Okios University, where a student recently shot and killed six students and a secretary, had the good sense to lock the classroom door, turn out the lights and keep everyone quiet when the killer approached. She told the local newspaper, “We were so scared, we didn’t have any idea what to do.”
While murder and violence thankfully are rare on campus, few faculty or staff know what to do with the more common difficult situations on campus, such as an angry student coming to a faculty office to argue a grade, a student reporting sexual abuse, a student showing signs of suicidal intent or something as simple as a fire bell going off during class. These are practical matters. Faced with students crying in their offices, most faculty and staff do not know what to do as they listen to stories that they would rather not hear. The decision to leave the office door open when a distraught student asks to shut it can be difficult.
University administrations are not much help. I’ve attended workshops on reporting sexual abuse and other potential crimes that focused on protecting school officials’ you know what rather than give sensible advice to faculty and staff.
Seeing no campus policies, processes, support systems or even safe forums for asking questions and
sharing ideas, the UMass Faculty Federation program has started a monthly program for faculty and staff for advice and discussion this semester.
The first meeting, for example, covered what to do when a distraught student comes to an office. A faculty member from the UMass Dartmouth Law School advised faculty and staff that the choice of open or closed door should be the student’s. Every meeting with a student should be noted with time, place and details about the meeting. The likelihood of something bad resulting from the meeting should be reported immediately to a supervisor with details in writing.
Further meetings are planned on response to a fire during class, advising students in abusive situations, what to do with a threatening student while waiting for the police to come, what to do if a student has a seizure in class, and while horrific to contemplate, perhaps what to do when the shooting starts.
While far from the usual salary and working conditions negotiations, these are common problems that educators face that require practical solutions and advice. If the administration is mainly interested in covering their you know what, unions need to step in. ▪Share comments with Dan Georgianna at [email protected]
UMass Lowell Adjuncts Fight for Fairness
UMass Lowell may brand itself a “world class university,” but the adjuncts who teach many of its classes for as little as $3500 a course, say that to earn that distinction the school must treat its employees fairly. The Lowell adjuncts voted to form a union last year and have been trying to reach an agreement with the university since then. While adjuncts at other UMass campuses receive health and retirement benefits as well as regular wage in-creases, the Lowell adjuncts get none of these.
The school recently made headlines for its decision to pay outgoing president, Jack Wilson, more than half a mil-lion dollars. After a year-long sabbatical Wilson will return to UMass Lowell to teach for more than $200,000.
For more info visit www.adjunctmajority.org
PhD/EdD in Educational lEadErship
4 year program designed for part-time studentssmall classes
state of the art research in education leadership and policy
producing education leaders and policy makers with critical thinking skills
school of education, public policy and civic engagement
a program focused on soc ia l jus t i ce and equal i ty in educat ion
www.umassd.edu/educationalleadership
7
Marie Ardito, Co-founderMassachusetts Retirees Unitedwww.retireesunited.org
Retiree Corner
7
SENIOR SEMINARS
Protecting Your Nest Egg Two hour seminar, presented by Elder Law Attorney Mary Howie
When: Saturday June 23, 10 - NoonWhere: Presidential Park, Unit 105, 214 Main Street (Rt. 38), Wilmington
Preparing for RetirementA comprehensive 2 hour seminar for teachers, paras and education support personnel within 10 years of retiring. Note: seminar is offered on multiple dates.
Upton: Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional School, 65 Pleasant Street.When: Tuesday, May 1, 2:30-4:30 PM
Peabody: Higgins Middle School Auditorium, 1 Kint St. Ext., May 9, 3:30-5:30 PM
For details or to register for any of the above seminars, contact Marie Ardito at 1-617-482-1568 or e-mail [email protected].
Important Information for Active Employees
If you have creditable service that you have not purchased and that you are eligible to receive it is imperative that you begin the process at once. On April 2, 2013 the interest rate will increase to 8.25% making the cost of buying back this service substantially more.
If you need aren’t sure whether or not you are eligible to buy back ser-vice, Visit www.mass.gov/mtrs/. If you have questions or need additional information, contact me at [email protected].
May 2012
“Grammy School” In SessionBack in the dark ages, when those
of us who retired were still in the classroom, this was the season when one anticipated the end of the school year; only one more day off, Memorial Day! It was full steam ahead to the finish! Today many of us, both male and female, have taken on other roles. We are guardians of our grandchildren, best known as babysitters. Now we anticipate the end of the school year from a different lens.
One of the great lessons I learned very early in my teaching career was how much knowledge some youngsters lose when idle for two months during the summer. Depending upon their age, a child can lose as much as a grade level if they do not read over the summer months. With this in mind I try to do something that encourages reading and math skills during the summer months for my grandchildren. Now I convene “Grammy School” with my youngest grandchildren and have seen positive results in them. Our new routine makes the summer pass with ease and productivity.
“Grammy School” follows a schedule and lasts anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half each day. The Internet is my assistant, as there are numerous websites offering appropriate materials not only in arithmetic and reading, but in other areas as well. Google a grade level and subject area and you will be surprised with the results. I use only those sites
that offer free materials, as I have grandchildren at multiple grade levels. The Dollar Store is another great teacher aide with many inexpensive workbooks at a reasonable rate.
Field Trips are also a component of “Grammy School.” Consultation with your local children’s librarian can provide you with age appropriate materials for your grandchild to read if you are not knowledgeable about current children’s authors. There is nothing better to turn a reluctant reader on than finding an author each child likes. Introduce them to series books that are age appropriate and when they find a series they like you have turned a reluctant reader into an eager reader!
It is equally important that children spend a little time each day on arithmetic to keep math facts fresh in their minds. Download worksheets or construct your own. Use materials in your food pantry. A multi-modal approach is the way to go. Make it fun!
Some school districts only teach cursive writing for one year. The kids either get it or they don’t. School districts are happy to lend you books to use during the summer describing their method. Five or ten minutes a day of cursive practice is all it takes to assure that the next generation will know how to write by hand.
All work and no play make Johnny or Jane dull so be sure to do fun things
as well. Take an adventure walk during which the children learn about trees, look for certain plants, or identify the flowers in a neighbor’s yard. Look for other opportunities to expand experiences. Most libraries offer free passes to children’s museums and other places of interest—even state parks. Sign up for one of these.
Kids love working on the computer and there are numerous games and learning experiences with their favorite TV characters, and puzzles. Some good websites are pbskids.org, nickjr.com, scholastic.com, and jigzone.com.
One thing you will discover is that others will want to use these ideas with their children. Unless you want to babysit the neighborhood share this information with them.
Advance planning on your part will make this work. Start now. As you learned when you were teaching, preparation of your lessons took care of discipline. So too, preparing for what you will do in “Grammy School” will help make the summer months pass happily and educationally. Your grandchildren will never be heard saying: “I’m bored.” ▪Marie Ardito’s column appears regularly in the Advocate. Contact her with questions or column ideas at [email protected].
Continued from page 5
When he wrote and tried to publish his book, Juster was told that it would not work for children because the ideas were too advanced and complicated. “It was general opinion of editors that it was not a children’s book,” Juster recalls. “The vocabulary was too difficult and the ideas were well beyond kids and they would never get the word play and punning….And to top it all off that fantasy was bad for children!”
Five decades later, children of all ages continue to get happily lost in the wonderful world Juster created.
“All my learning since I was a kid was fantasy,” explains Juster. “It was the only way I could learn or get my head around things….Everything I did in school was based on doing things totally different than other kids were doing…so I make sure to this day that when I go to schools and talk to kids that it is what they think that is important.
There is no one meaning, “ Juster emphasizes, “even if it is what the author wanted it to say!”
Decrying standardized testing and other one-sided systems, Juster supports a more open-minded, cross-pollinating way of looking at and dealing with the world. It is such
TheGolden AppleNorton JusterTeacher and author of the Phantom Tollbooth
PHANTOM AT 50 Norton Juster, a long-time teacher, says that his writing has been inspired by the problems he had as a student. “I started having fun and messing around with ideas that I had misunderstood in schoollike what letters and words ‘taste’ like and what music ‘looks’ like in color and taking expressions like ‘jumping to conclusions’ literally.”
open-minded practices that allowed him to write and teach and achieve all that he has.
“I started having fun and messing around with ideas that I had misunderstood or had problems with in school,” explains Juster, “like what letters and words ‘taste’ like and what music ‘looks’ like in color and taking expressions like ‘jumping to conclusion’ literally.” And though
editors and colleagues and even his own family may take issue with how Juster experiences and expresses his world, he says contentedly, “it all worked out.” ▪Phantom Tollbooth fan Matt Robinson is an ELA teacher at Burke High School in Boston and a regular contributor to the Advocate.
Teachers Tell Stand: “Sit Down”Continued from cover
Building a Social Justice Education Movementa free conference for educators, students and activists
Help us Build a movement for quality education that combines the visions of youth, communities, families and teachers...
JOin TAG Boston for our 2nd annual conference Saturday, May 19, 2012, 9 am-5 pm The Curley School, 493 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA
For more information, visit www.tagboston.org
Share • Inspire •democratize •debate •activate
SPEAK UP Ada Fuentes, the public education organizer for Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and a recent graduate of the Boston Public Schools, told state legislators that public education should remain public. “My children’s future should not be in the hands of the Walton Foundation,” said Fuentes.
By Ross Kochman,6th grade ELA teacher, the Harbor School, Boston
Anna is just beginning to learn English and her parents chose to send her to my middle school in Boston not knowing we didn’t have a Structured English Immersion program for her.
My co-teacher and I knew it would be hard for her to succeed at our school. Our administrators wanted to get her transferred, but September turned into October and nothing happened.
Meanwhile, we moved Anna into a homeroom with another ELL student so my co-teacher could give them semi-private instruction – only 55 minutes a day, but it was the best we could do.
The school’s administration team frowned upon the move, but ultimately they accepted it. All of us knew this new homeroom would be best for Anna.
Still, she wasn’t in the right school. The admin team said her parents had to go to a central administration building and make the switch themselves. I knew that wasn’t going to happen: Anna’s parents weren’t equipped to navigate the confusing student assignment system. More importantly, Boston’s central administration wasn’t behind the move. Staff members were warned that my school was trying to “get rid of” our English Language Learners. It appeared that they were trying to make it harder for us to find the right placement for Anna.
If I continued to advocate for finding a better school for Anna would I be labeled as a teacher who tries to get rid of his students? Would central administration put a negative report in my file? I ultimately decided that with the protection of the Boston Teacher’s Union I could do the right thing. I decided to help Anna’s family find a better school for her.
There was an excellent program in a school near Anna’s house. So, using my weak Spanish, I got her
Anna’sStory:Ateacherfightsfora student—and puts his job on the line.
father to visit the school with me during one of my work periods. We walked around the building, talked to teachers, and observed a math class. He was impressed. We went straight to the administration building to fill out the paperwork. We were told that the window for transferring students was closed. Another blockade from central administration.
I asked them to open a transfer file anyway and I used connections I had made during my years in BPS to push the process along. Within days, Anna was finally at a school that would give her a chance to succeed.
It’s for students like Anna that I became a teacher.
But her story would have ended
differently if the Stand for Children ballot proposal were in effect. I could not have risked offending administrators at the school and city level if my livelihood were completely in their hands. The connections I have made within the system, through my years of teaching, aren’t valued in the Stand proposal even though they ultimately made the difference in finding the right placement for Anna.
This story is a small example of the larger picture that groups like Stand simply don’t understand. The corporations that mostly sponsor their attempts at reform haven’t been to my classroom. They don’t know the students and the families that I serve and they haven’t asked for the input and knowledge of teachers. They are too busy supporting the narrative that teachers are the problem and veteran teachers with experience are hurting our schools. As teachers we want to reform education. We want what’s best for the communities we serve. But we can’t ensure a quality public education for all if corporate groups shut us out of the conversation. Support teacher voice and teacher advocacy. Tell Stand to sit down. ▪
Will You Take the Pledge?Join us in standing up for public education and keeping our schools on the right track. Go to www.aftma.net and take the pledge today.
Second grade teacher Susan Uvanni traveled from Lowell to tell educators about the success that she and her colleagues have had in boosting student achievement at a formerly struggling school in that city. Uvanni teaches at the CW Morey Elementary School, where more than half of our students speak a first language other than English, and more than 80% are low income. She told legislators that in the past four years, the percentage of students at the school scoring proficient or higher on the math portion of the MCAS more than tripled, while the school was one of just 18 across the state last year to meet AYP and exist accountability status. The key to the teachers’ success, said Uvanni, was a culture of trust at the Morey that encouraged risk taking and innovation.
“There is no silver bullet, no “one-size-fits-all” educational protocol. Reaching the students who need us the most will take more than slogans or TV commercials. We need time, trust, and leadership that empowers teacher, not tears us down,” said Uvanni.
Innovation at risk Former Lynn teacher Francis
Vigeant, who now provides hands-on
science training for urban educators, told legislators that he fears that if the ballot measure becomes law, the achievement gap will actually widen. Vigeant said that while he considers himself a good teacher—his students’ test scores in New Hampshire were the highest in the state—he isn’t sure that he would enlist to be an urban teacher again. “There are so many elements that, as a teacher, you have absolutely no control over,” said Vigeant. “When I taught in Lynn I had students who lived in cars.”
Advocacy imperiled Teacher Ross Kochman left his
classroom to attend the hearing, something he does only rarely. “I didn’t even miss class when my grandfather died last month,” Kochman, a 6th grade ELA Teacher at Boston’s Harbor School, told legislators. Kochman described in detail the lengths that he’d gone to help a student find the services she needed within the Boston Public Schools. “Her story would have ended differently if the Stand for Children ballot proposal were in effect. I could not have risked offending administrators at the school and city level if my livelihood were completely in their hands,” said Kochman. (See full testimony at right.)
The Joint Committee on Education is expected to announce a report on the proposed measure later this spring. Under Massachusetts law, initiative petitions go first before the legislature Statutes may be adopted by the legislature by a majority vote in both houses. If the statute is not adopted, proponents must collect another, smaller round of signatures to place the statute on the ballot this November. ▪For more information, visit www. aftma.net
