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September 2011

Continued on page 3

In This Issue

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2 President’s ColumnBold Print

Major Changes Ahead

Amesbury Paras Fight Off Outsourcing Bid

Continued on page 6

Two complex policies alter the landscape

4 Diary of a New Teacher:The challenge of reaching academically struggling students

7 Retiree CornerThe Golden Apple

WORKING TOGETHER President of AFT Massachusetts, Tom Gosnell, speaks on municipal health insurance at the State House. By working together, public employee unions in the state were able to fi ght for key protections in the health insurance law enacted this summer.

If you’d like to receive an electronic version of the

Advocate, send an email to advocate@aftma.net. Please include your home mailing address for identifi cation.

6 On Campus: The Vision Project

5 Behind the Scenes: Field Representative Andy Powell

Did you know that your AFT MA membershipentitles you to discounts on insurance products?For more information see the special ad on page 8or visit the benefi ts page of our website:www.aftma.net/member-benefi ts/

From health insurance to teacher evaluation, new measures will have a big impact on the lives of AFT MA members.

PARA POWER When Amesbury proposed outsourcing special education paras, the paras fought back. From left: science teacher and union vice president Brian Hopkins, AFT Amesbury president Cindy Yetman and paraprofessionals Deb Murphy and Priscilla Terry.

The scenario has become distressingly familiar. An outside entity—often a private, for-profi t

company—rides into a strapped-for-cash city or town offering a quick-fi x solution to local budget woes. The magic bullet: replacing some part of the work force with non-union employees who earn less, receive fewer benefi ts and have few if any job protections.

That’s exactly what happened in Amesbury last spring when Futures Education, a so-called special education turnaround specialist, promised local offi cials big savings if they shifted paraprofessional jobs to the private fi rm. With Amesbury facing a $400,000 gap in next year’s school budget, the offer sounded too good to turn down. For the paraprofessionals, many of whom have worked one-on-one with the same special needs students for years, the writing was on the wall.

“This wasn’t just about protecting our jobs, it was about the impact that outsourcing would have on the kids we serve,” says Priscilla Terry, a special

education para and building representative at Cashman Elementary School. “The town really saw this as a straight fi nancial issue. I don’t think they ever thought about how the kids and their families would be affected.”

Fact fi ndersThe news sent

shock waves through Amesbury’s classrooms. The plan being considered by the school committee would outsource 63 of the district’s 91 paraprofessional positions. But even as their future employment lay in doubt, the paras found it nearly impossible to get basic information about the outsourcing proposal and its implications. How many paras would be employed by Futures? How much

would they make and what kind of benefi ts would they have? How would the new system be managed? How much money could Amesbury really expect to save?

At the end of June, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved an

overhaul of the state’s teacher evaluation system, capping off months of intense debate. A few weeks later, Massachusetts state lawmakers voted in favor of another controversial measure: a municipal health insurance reform law that weakens the ability of public employee unions—including teacher unions—to bargain over health care. And while teacher evaluations and health insurance might not seem to have much in common, changes to both are likely to have a big impact on the lives of AFT MA members.

The two reform packages also share another important attribute. Both are immensely complicated—even convoluted—and will be governed by regulations that in many cases are still being written. Says AFT MA President Tom Gosnell: “These are incredibly complicated issues and we’re going to do everything we can to keep our members well informed and up to

date.” What do the new measures mean

for you? Here’s a look.

Municipal Healthcare 101When the Massachusetts House

of Representatives passed a bill that would have virtually eliminated the ability of public employee unions to bargain over health insurance, union leaders knew they had to fi ght back. In the following weeks, they pushed hard for changes to the legislation that would protect retirees, mitigate the impact of cost shifting on low-income members and provide employees with a greater share of cost savings gained through insurance plan changes.

The end result, explains Andrew Powell, an AFT MA fi eld representative and an authority on municipal health insurance, was a much better law than that passed by the House. “If the unions hadn’t worked together we were likely to get a far worse outcome,” says Powell. “We were looking at losing collective bargaining entirely, but by putting our differences aside and working together for common solutions we were able to preserve a seat at the table and secure some vital protections for our members, especially the most vulnerable.”

Most importantly, notes Powell, the new law is not a mandate. While cities and towns have the option of transferring employees to the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC)

(or increasing copayments and deductibles to the level of the GIC), they may still engage in traditional collective bargaining or in coalition bargaining with all of the municipal unions. And municipalities that do elect to pursue the new reform option must negotiate through what are called local Public Employee Committees. “The important thing is that we continue to have a voice in this process,” says Powell.

2

BOLDPRINT

More Challenges Ahead

Print MaterialCongratulations to Garret Virchick, editor of the Boston Union Teacher for winning an Award for Excellence in the AFT Communications Contest. Girchick received the top prize for his story “Exposing the Man Behind the Curtain: What’s Behind Education Reform?” Also recognized were Peabody English teacher Michalene Hague, who won a fi rst place for best editorial for “Why I Am Union,” which appeared in the February 2010 issue of the Advocate. Hague shared top honors with Connie Clauson, a former contributor to the Diary of a New Teacher, who wrote movingly of losing her teaching job in the November 2010 Advocate.

Library LuminariesSeveral librarians and members of the Massachusetts Library Staff Association (part of AFT MA) were recognized by the Massachusetts Library Association for their great work in spreading the word about library programs in the commonwealth. This year’s PR award winners include: Susan Flannery of the Cambridge Public Library, Sharon Gilley of the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefi eld, Kathleen O’Doherty of the Woburn Public Library, Kathleen Quinlan of Lexington’s Cary Memorial Library and Libby Fox of the Middleborough Public Library. Congrats all around and keep up the great work!

Tech TalkTed Chambers, a social studies teacher at the Edwards School in Charlestown, was selected to represent the AFT at the Democratic Governors Association Education Summit. Chambers, who is helping to design high-quality lesson plans for teachers with Edwards colleagues Tracy Johnson and Kevin Qazilbash, participated in a panel on the ways in which technology is transforming the teaching profession. Chambers and his colleagues received a special shout out at AFT’s TEACH conference in Washington this summer. The crew won an Innovation Grant from the AFT last year for their proposal to design and share lesson plans, the fi rst of which are being rolled out this school year.

Gold StandardApostolos Paraskevas, a professor in the Composition Department at Berklee College of Music, was awarded a Gold Level Award at the California Film Awards for his fi lm “I Finally Did It!” Dr. Paraskevas, who co-directed the fi lm with fi lmmaker-director Mathew Tucciarone, authored the script and composed the score for the feature-length documentary that explores the power of friendship, music, and death via a most unusual, yet sympathetic character. The fi lm also features a soundtrack of Paraskevas’ original music.

Silver ScreenBoston teachers Robert and Yvonne Lamothe screened their documentary “TEACH: Teachers are Talking—Is the Nation Listening” at the Save Our Schools march and rally in Washington, DC this summer. The documentary features conversations about the art of teaching and learning by teachers themselves. For more information about how to see the fi lm for yourself visit www.fi lmourways.com.

The Advocate loves good news. If you’ve got news to share, send us an email at: advocate@aftma.net.

Thomas J. GosnellPresident, AFT Massachusetts

Local Educators Join ‘Save our Schools’ MarchBy Garret Virchick, Boston Teachers Union

On July 30th the temperature in Washington, DC was hot, topping

100 degrees. And almost 5,000 teachers, parents, students, education writers and supporters of public education were steamed. The impetus: ten years of the failed education policy No Child Left Behind and the recent attacks on public education and public school teachers.

Joining the Save Our Schools rally and march was a contingent of 30 members of the Boston Teachers Union who took time off from summer vacation to come to DC. The group included veteran teachers and provisional teachers, substitutes and retirees. Marching behind the BTU banner were other teachers from Massachusetts schools as well as graduate students from local colleges along with supporters of public education from across the Commonwealth.

A pre-march conference and rally featured some of the country’s preeminent defenders of public education, including Jonathan Kozol, Diane Ravitch and former BPS principal Debbie Meir. But the surprise star of the event may have been actor Matt Damon who wowed the crowd—and teachers—everywhere with

TIME TO MARCH A contingent of Boston Teachers Union members at the Save Our Schools march and rally.his impassioned defense of the profession. Damon, the son of a former Massachusetts school teacher, had some reassuring words for the audience. “The next time you encounter some simple minded punitive policy that has been driven into your life by some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone anything, please, please, please know that there are millions of us behind you. We love you, we thank you, and we will ALWAYS have your back.”

Learn more about Save Our Schools and hear Damon’s entire speech on our website: www.aftma.net

Good things do end. Summer is one of those good things. The longer

days, the warmer weather, the greater opportunity to engage in outdoor activities, and an interesting baseball season—all of these contribute to the good life.

Labor Day brings big change even for those who work during the summer. The remainder of 2011 and all of 2012 will immerse us in a sea of challenges.

For the past several years public employee unions have worked mightily to protect insurance coverage for their members. However, since health costs have risen enormously, since cities and towns are struggling with the recession, and since the private sector has dramatically reduced health insurance coverage for its employees, the public and political atmosphere has hurt public sector unions. Our colleagues in Wisconsin, New Jersey and Ohio have lost their long held right to bargain about health insurance.

In this state the health insurance legislation adopted in July will change how we negotiate about health insurance coverage. The public sector unions managed to prevent the most draconian proposals that would have given cities and towns absolute control over health insurance coverage. Clearly it will be easier for cities and towns to enter the Group Insurance Commission and to offer different plans. However, they must also

negotiate about health reimbursement accounts which will provide assistance to those with signifi cantly higher co-pays and deductibles. No one will lose health insurance coverage.

AFT MA will be educating its fi eld representatives, the local presidents, and local library chapter chairs about the complexities of the law and what to expect in upcoming collective bargaining negotiations. A summary of the legislation is available at www.aftma.net.

During the past school year the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education established a taskforce to recommend a performance evaluation system for teachers. The Race To The Top grant which Massachusetts received mandated that the state establish a comprehensive system.

The use of MCAS scores in the evaluation system was a dominant topic which provoked animated, and sometimes stormy, discussion.

AFT MA consistently opposed its use because we believed that teacher evaluation was not the purpose of the test and that no data existed to prove that it was a proper evaluative tool. The task force, despite our opposition, decided to include it as one factor in the evaluation of teachers. No numerical weight was given to the use of MCAS scores.

Of course currently only 17% of teachers teach subjects tested by MCAS. A brazen inequity.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted this recommendation and many others. For example, throughout the state the rating marks must be exemplary, profi cient,

needs improvement, and unsatisfactory. However, unions and cities and towns will still collectively bargain over many of the procedures in the evaluation process.

Those schools which the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has labeled underperforming will have the new system in place for the 2011-12 school year. For all the other schools the target date is the 2012-13 school year.

In this area also AFT MA shall be educating its fi eld representatives and local presidents about what to expect in upcoming negotiations.

The fi nancial situation remains precarious. Although the recession has not hit Massachusetts as severely as some states, the damage is still signifi cant.

Our public libraries continue to suffer. Although those working in the libraries provide magnifi cent service, the cities and towns continue to reduce their numbers, to cut back on hours open, and to purchase fewer books.

Massachusetts continues to fund public higher education at a level that other states would consider an overwhelming embarrassment.

Although the federal stimulus package contributed mightily to the maintenance of k-12 public education, that money is gone and will not reappear while the composition of the current Congress remains as it is. Layoffs have not been multitudinous, but they have happened. School departments have chosen not to fi ll positions opened by retirement. Students are not getting the resources they need.

The elections in 2012 are important, just as all elections are. Democrats have disappointed us. Republicans have assaulted us. Look at Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida where collective bargaining and unionism have been assaulted relentlessly. Battles will continue.

AFT MA remains committed to fi ghting for its teachers, paraprofessionals, librarians and all its members as well as the students in Massachusetts. While the road on which we travel will have plenty of obstacles, the command is clear. Move ahead, fi ght tough and smart. If you have questions or comments, contact tgosnell@aftma.net The offi cial publication of

AFT Massachusetts, AFL-CIO

Thomas J. Gosnell, PresidentMark Allred, Sr., Secretary-Treasurer

VICE PRESIDENTSPatricia Armstrong

Deborah BlinderKathryn Chamberlain

Brenda ChaneyKathy Delaney

Catherine DeveneyPatricia Driscoll

Marianne DumontJ. Michael EarleMargaret Farrell

Mary FerriterJenna FitzgeraldRichard Flaherty

Paul GeorgesAlice M. GunningDaniel Haacker

Joyce HarringtonSusan Leahy

Rebecca McInnisFrancis McLaughlin

Bruce NelsonCatherine Patten

James PhilipBruce Sparfven

Richard StutmanGale Thomas

Jennifer C. Berkshire, Editor38 Chauncy St., Suite 402

Boston, Mass. 02111Tel. 617-423-3342 /800-279-2523

Fax: 617-423-0174www.aftma.net

advocate@aftma.net

September 20113

Big Changes AheadContinued from page 1

Key componentsHow will the new law work? If

a municipal governing body votes to exercise the local option given to them by the law, it must notify public employee unions, propose a plan design change or propose transferring employees into the GIC. Any proposals put forward by the municipality (public authority), must clearly demonstrate estimated savings and the methodology arrived at estimated them. The municipality and the employee unions then have 30 days to negotiate over the proposed changes. Twenty fi ve percent of savings from plan design changes must go to help employees defray increased costs, while retiree premiums cannot increase for the next three years. In cities or towns that vote not to use the new reform law, traditional collective bargaining remains in place. Municipalities are also prohibited from unilaterally increasing premium rates; these rates must continue to be negotiated through collective bargaining.

With two complex new policies, the devil is in the details—and in the implementation.

Big pictureAlthough the law lays out a process

for municipalities to follow, many of the details remain to be worked out, notes Powell. “The law will be driven mostly by a set of emergency regulations issued by the states Administrative and Finance division. The regulations were issued August 12th and are still being reviewed.” Locals are advised to not rush into implementing the new reform law as both labor and management offi cials are still determining how the new law will work. And while many of the details remain in question, the big picture does not, says Powell. “We’re all going to be paying more out of pocket. The reform law isn’t designed to lower health care costs but rather to lower government’s share of health care spending.” (For more on the new health insurance law go to www.aftma.net).

Operation evaluationAfter months of feedback—and

pushback from educators—the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to approve new educator evaluation regulations at its June 28 meeting. Many educators agree that the fi nal version is a signifi cant improvement over earlier drafts, thanks largely to the input provided by teachers in the fi eld. Still, educators and policymakers warn that the real test of the new design will be how it plays out in the real world of schools and classrooms, with many details yet to be

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worked out. “The primary goal is to create fair

and workable evaluation systems that are about support, not ‘gotcha,’ and the regulations only provide a rough framework for that,” says Dan Murphy, AFT MA’s director of educational policy and programs. “The hard work will be done during bargaining and implementation when teachers and administrators get into the nitty-gritty of protocols and procedures, tools and resources, checks and balances. AFT Massachusetts stands ready to help with

that process.” System in a nutshellThe new evaluation system is pegged

to four performance standards and four performance ratings. The standards are: 1) curriculum, planning, and assessment; 2) instruction/teaching all students; 3) family and community engagement; and 4) professional culture. The ratings are exemplary, profi cient, needs improvement, and unsatisfactory.

Upon being evaluated at the end of an evaluation cycle, educators receive a rating on each standard and an overall performance rating. The overall rating then determines the educator’s plan for the next evaluation cycle. Educators rated profi cient or exemplary are placed on “self-directed growth plans” of up to two years, while those rated needs improvement and unsatisfactory are placed on “directed growth” and “improvement” plans respectively that may be shorter than a year.

The goals and contents of each plan are jointly developed by the evaluator

and educator to refl ect the educator’s specifi c strengths and weaknesses, as well as school and student needs. Each plan must spell out the actions that the educator will take to achieve the plan goals, as well as the support, assistance, and professional growth opportunities that will be offered by the district and school. The educator receives an evaluation and overall rating at the end of the plan, and a new cycle begins.

Multiple sources of evidenceThe new regulations are explicit that

evaluations and performance ratings must be informed by multiple sources of evidence. Traditional classroom observations, including unannounced classroom visits, are one major source of evidence, but the regulations also allow evaluators to consider evidence of student learning and growth; so-called artifacts of professional practice (such as lesson plans); evidence of peer collaboration, professional development, and outreach to families; and, beginning in the 2013-14 school year, student feedback to teachers and staff feedback to administrators.

The new regulations will be phased in over the next three years, beginning this school year in Level 4 schools and in a handful of “early adopter” schools. All Massachusetts school districts are expected to have new evaluation systems in place by the 2013-2014 school year.

Note: the complete text of the new regulations and other relevant materials can be found at www.aftma.net under ‘educator resources.’

The AFT Massachusetts Advocate4

Diaryof a New Teacher

By Bill Madden-Fuoco, Humanities teacher,

Urban Science Academy, West Roxbury, MA

There is a perennial strain of teacher-to-teacher conversation with which you may be familiar.

It arrives in June and goes something like this: “I can’t believe they’re letting Christina attend summer school when she got a 45 in my class.” When kids fail a class but are eligible for promotion via summer school, a teacher may perceive the event as a blow to the integrity of the education system. Others bridle at the administration’s hijacking of teacher authority and the travesty of going soft on kids who “deserved” to be held back.

What the next steps should be for a student who fails a class is a worthy topic of discussion, but the umbrage that some teachers take as the school year closes strikes me as misplaced. We know by October which students are at risk of lacking credit when June rolls around. Yet, in my observation, our conversations about student performance during the fall and winter rarely hit the urgent notes heard in the waning weeks of the year when it’s too late. A bigger problem than easy bridges to promotion is the fact that we fail so many students in the fi rst place.

During my teaching residency year, a ninth-grade student named Jonathan would shuffl e into every class a minute or two late and slump into his seat as if he had just walked all the way from Alaska. His classroom contributions proved his intelligence, yet at the end of every class his work was half-completed at best. Forget about homework or writing projects. Substitute Jonathan’s torpor for fl ash, and you had Gio, a similar case. With a penchant for wearing NBA warm-ups and airing any joke that came into his head, Gio exuded charisma, but little evidence of learning.

I found these students simultaneously endearing and infuriating. Their lack of work shattered my presumption that if teachers deliver accessible, challenging, and engaging curriculum, student learning will take care of itself. Further, the knowledge of the lives that likely awaited them if they didn’t make it out of high school nearly drove me to depression.

My mentor teacher urged me to stay on both of them. I did, fi rst making sure that they understood the material. I scheduled conferences with their families. Jonathan’s parents came in one day in November and several adults basically harangued him for a half hour. I had no success arranging a conference with Gio’s mom. Month after month, I encouraged these boys daily and tried to prove to them that their success mattered to me and that I wouldn’t give up on them. Miraculously and without warning, Jonathan and Gio started producing work sometime in March and earned B’s for the third quarter.

I ran into Gio on the subway one day in June. I asked him what it was that made him start doing work. “I don’t know, man,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. “Wait,” he corrected himself. “There was something.” The greatest mystery in education was about to reveal itself to me. “One day I just fi gured, if I’m

here at school, I might as well just do the work.” “That’s it?” I asked, disappointed. “That’s it, man.”

In their book Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys, Michael C. Reichert and Richard Hawley present compelling evidence that for many students, an authentic teacher-student relationship is a prerequisite for classroom engagement. I don’t credit myself with Jonathan or Gio’s academic turnarounds, but my experience working with them showed me that delivering strong curriculum is necessary but insuffi cient. It must be accompanied by actively reaching struggling students.

When we think of the job as not simply teaching, but making sure every student learns, the importance of personalized interventions becomes clear. Under this framework, it is no longer acceptable to deliver the best classes possible and then place the onus for success solely on students’ shoulders. Such an approach assures four-year graduation rates in urban schools that remain around fi fty percent. Yet, many teachers send underperforming students the message that “your education is here if you want it.”

A mindset in which a teacher takes responsibility for student learning is critical. But again, while necessary, this mindset is insuffi cient. In each of my three years as a high school humanities teacher, I have had 100 or more students in my care. My approach to reaching for struggling students is zealous but scattershot; it lacks organization and systematic rigor. Too many students fail my courses, and many who should be making the honor roll hover below it.

The start of another school year represents another chance to get it right. This past summer I read Isabel Wilkerson’s amazing The Warmth of Other Suns to bolster my content knowledge about the Great Migration, and researched ways to improve vocabulary instruction. In addition to developing the curriculum delivery side of my teaching, I also read about classroom-based systems for tracking student data and providing personalized interventions. I plan to adopt an approach called “Flagged for Success” that Robyn Jackson

wrote about in the October 2010 issue of Educational Leadership. It involves establishing objective signals that trigger support actions before students are mired in failure. My goal is to tighten up the data tracking and intervention part of my teaching game.

My fear is that we are inured to high failure rates and see them as inevitable. The work of making sure every student learns—not merely teaching them—is incredibly hard, but in the end, that’s the job. Students’ statuses in June are wide-open but taking shape now.

Let’s talk about that.

OPERATION ENGAGEMENT Humanities teacher Bill Madden-Fuoco says that the most important lesson he has learned in his fi rst three years as an educator is the difference between teaching and making sure that students learn. “The work of making sure that every student learns—not merely teaching them—is incredibly hard, but in the end, that’s the job.”

Meet the 2011-2012 New Teacher Diarists

The Advocate is pleased to introduce a number of new contributors to this year’s Diary of a New Teacher column—and to welcome back some familiar faces.

Bill Madden-FuocoA humanities teacher at the Urban Science Academy in West Roxbury, Bill was also a semi-fi nalist in the state’s 2012 Teacher of the Year contest.

Robert TobioRobert teaches math and special education at the Mary Lyon Pilot School in Brighton. He previously taught at Monument High School in South Boston, which closed at the end of the school year.

Melissa McDonaldA fi fth grade teacher at the Parthum Elementary School in Lawrence, Melissa is returning to teaching after a year of maternity leave.

Joyce MelkerA paraprofessional at the Henry Lord Mid-dle School in Fall River, Joyce is currently training to become a teacher through the JET program at UMass Dartmouth.

Matthew RobinsonMatthew is beginning his second year teaching English and journalism at the Burke High School in Dorchester where he also oversees the student newspaper.

Riana GoodWhile Riana is technically no longer a new teacher, this Spanish teacher at the Boston Teachers Union School in Jamaica Plain says that she still feels like a ‘newby.’

September 20115

BEHINDTHE SCENES

Andrew Powell,Field Representative

As a young boy in the Merrimack Valley, Andy Powell knew exactly what he wanted to be when he

grew up: a fi refi ghter. “It was my dream,” says Powell. “I was a big fan of the show ‘Emergency.’” He realized that dream at the ripe old age of 18 when he joined the volunteer fi re department in Merrimac, MA, but Powell still had to earn a living. When he wasn’t fi ghting fi res or responding to emergencies in the small town near the New Hampshire border, Powell had a very different line of work, as a customer service representative for John Hancock, a health insurance carrier. “I learned an incredible amount about health insurance and I’ve been able to use that knowledge over the years to help municipal employees,” says Powell, who recently joined the staff of AFT Massachusetts

as a fi eld representative.In 1995 Powell moved to Dracut

to become a full-time fi refi ghter, but his role as an expert on health insurance was only beginning. He quickly got involved in his union, joined the executive board and was asked to represent the fi refi ghters and other public employees in Dracut in negotiations with the town over—what else?—health insurance. With costs rising, Dracut offi cials wanted big changes in employee health benefi ts. Explains Powell: “I think the local union members knew that I had their best interest at heart.” Powell and other union leaders in Dracut formulated a proposal to completely overhaul the town’s employee benefi ts package through a process known as coalition bargaining. “We saved the town substantial money and ended up strengthening the unions’ bargaining position as a result,” says Powell.

And while most union members might have been happy to put the experience of negotiating over health insurance behind them, Powell was just getting started. In 2005 he joined forces with Boston Benefi ts Partners, which advises public sector unions in Massachusetts on employee benefi ts. His job: working as a professional advisor to unions, including AFT locals in Lawrence, Lowell and Chelmsford. “As an expert on municipal health insurance, my job was to educate local leaders on an incredibly complex subject,” says Powell. “Now my goal is to become an expert in all of the issues affecting AFT locals. I have a lot to learn.”

Powell joins the staff of AFT MA at a time when the health insurance landscape in the state is undergoing

a dramatic change. (See this month’s cover story: “Changes Ahead”). Massachusetts lawmakers passed a measure over the summer that weakens the ability of unions to bargain over health benefi ts. And while Powell is concerned about the fi nancial burden members are likely to face—he notes that the new law was never intended to lower health care costs but to shift those costs onto users—he also points to several important protections in the law. “There are protections for retirees and the law also requires municipalities to offset some of the cost shift for the most vulnerable,” says Powell. “Now we have to fi gure out a way to focus on the real problem: the cost of health care is out of control. What are we going to do about it?”

These days Powell has more than the fi ne details of health insurance

policy on his mind. Just two months ago he and his partner Eileen welcomed twin boys, Dillon and James, to their family; Powell also has an eleven year old son named Samuel. And after spending most of his four decades in and around the Merrimack Valley, Powell has made a major transition, to the South Shore community of Marshfi eld, or “Marsh Vegas,” as he likes to call it in tribute to its historic role as the gambling center of the state.

As for hobbies, Powell loves camping and the outdoors and is an amateur musician who plays guitar as often as he can—which isn’t much since the twins arrived. “My hobby right now is changing diapers,” says Powell.

Welcome aboard!

DETAIL MAN New AFT MA fi eld representative Andrew Powell spent the last fi ve years advising Massachusetts public employee unions on health insurance. “Now my goal is to become an expert on all of the issues affecting AFT locals.”

AFT MA’s newest staff member got his start as a fi refi ghter—and went on to become an expert on the issue of municipal health insurance.

Lesley University School of Education

6The AFT Massachusetts Advocate

On Campus

A New Vision for Public Higher Education

Richard FreelandCommissioner, Mass. Department of Higher Education

It is a privilege for me to be able to share a few thoughts with AFT

members as we begin a new academic year. This promises to be a busy year for those of us working at or on behalf of the state’s 29 public college and univer-sity campuses, as we collectively pursue an ambitious agenda called The Vision Project.

This strategic plan for Massachusetts public higher education was approved by the Board of Higher Education in May, 2010. It seeks to focus the work of our public colleges and universities on seven aspirational goals to assure that Massachusetts has the best educated citizenry and workforce in the nation and that we are a leader in academic research that drives economic development. The seven goals are designed to position Massachusetts for national leadership in the following areas: college-going rates, college completion, the alignment between degrees offered and workforce needs, student learning outcomes, prog-ress made in closing achievement gaps,

level of research linked to economic de-velopment and level of business activity derived from academic research.

Through the Vision Project we will quantify our standing with respect to these goals, celebrate our achievements, identify areas that need improvement, and document our progress. Next spring we will issue the fi rst in a series of an-nual reports documenting our standing among the 50 states with respect to these areas of educational achievement.

The good news for Massachusetts cit-izens and taxpayers is that we are already making strides in key areas. Our college-going rates are among the highest in the

nation. Our focus through the Vision Project will be to boost the readiness of those high school students least likely to enroll in college. Last spring the Board of Higher Education voted for a new standard requiring four years of high school math in order to qualify for ad-mission to the state colleges and UMass, beginning in 2016. Research shows that a rigorous high school curriculum is the greatest predictor of college success. Every Massachusetts high school student deserves access to such essential college preparation.

Another focus of Vision Project work involves STEM education. The needs of the Massachusetts’ economy require us to attract more students into the fi elds of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, where some industries report near-zero unemployment. A fi nal example of Vi-sion Project work involves the area of learning outcomes assessment, where a working group of campus leaders has recommended an ambitious approach to documenting student achievement.

Good intentions notwithstanding, AFT members might well question the wisdom of proceeding with such a bold agenda in the midst of a fi scal crisis. Indeed, with the stresses on our system translating into a heavy workload for faculty, what is to be gained by compar-ing ourselves to other highly competitive public systems?

The answer, I believe, has two key parts. First, even in this time of severe fi scal constraint, the Governor and leg-islature have found room in the budget to support a new fund that will help our

public campuses intensify their work on Vision Project goals. Though the size of this fund is modest, it constitutes a ma-jor vote of confi dence from Beacon Hill in the importance of our work and the kind of effort that is likely to earn future fi nancial support.

The second reason is that we simply cannot afford to hunker down and await better times. Public higher education has never been more important to Mas-sachusetts than it is today. Our state is engaged in a fi erce global competition for talent, investment and jobs. Our primary assets in this competition are the educational level of our citizens and workforce, and the inventiveness and competence of the creative individuals and organizational leaders who drive our innovation-dependent, knowledge-based economy. A state that has historically undervalued its public higher education institutions must begin to change course if it is to remain competitive. Collectively our institutions now educate two thirds of all residents who remain in state for post-secondary education. They need and deserve greater public support.

As educators, you play a critical role in helping students get to or graduate from college. I welcome your ideas and feedback. Please feel free to contact me at commissioner.freeland@bhe.mass.edu or visit the Department of Higher Education web site: www.mass.edu.

Richard Freeland is a guest columnist this month. The regular “On Campus” contributor, Dan Georgianna, will re-turn to this spot next month.

EDUCATED STATE OF MINDRichard Freeland, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, with some of the students who attend the state’s 29 public colleges and universities.

“Public higher education has never been more important to Massachusetts than it is today. Our state is engaged in a fi erce global competition for talent, investment and jobs.”

Continued from coverAmesbury Paras Fight Off Outsourcing Bid

“We needed to fi nd out what Futures was all about and doing the research helped us get a bigger picture,” says Deb Murphy, a special education para at Amesbury Elementary, who came to be known to her colleagues as the ‘researcher in chief.’ Before long a squad of para researchers was delving deep into Futures’ background.

The paras quickly discovered that the company that proposed taking over their jobs had no experience providing special education paraprofessional services. (Futures was hired by Amesbury last year to analyze the town’s special education programs).And in communities where Futures was providing outsourced therapy services, notes Murphy, former district employees didn’t appear to work for their new employer for long. The fi nancial data also painted a troubling picture. “There was no long term data showing how much money Futures saved for these districts after the third year,” says Murphy, who likens the arrangement to a credit card with a special low introductory rate. “Futures had a very well-rehearsed sales pitch.”

Parental involvementThe paras also enlisted the help of a

natural ally: the families of the children they cared for every day. “These were the people who were going to be most affected and we wanted to make sure that they had a say about who would be caring for their kids,” says Cindy Yetman, president of AFT Amesbury and an education technology teacher at Amesbury High School.

When the school committee met to discuss the outsourcing plan, students, families, even concerned community members packed the auditorium. For a full three and a half hours they testifi ed to local offi cials about the potential impact of losing their paraprofessionals. “The passion of the parents and the community members was just incredible,” says Deb Murphy. “They had all the same concerns and feelings that we did.”

A fi nancial fi ght But even as support for the

paraprofessionals grew within the community—and questions about Future’s ability to deliver the services it promised continue to emerge—the

school committee remained steadfast in its commitment to the outsourcing plan. Explains Murphy: “The town’s message from the very beginning was ‘this is not about the quality of the work—this is about saving money. They had a fi nancial goal in mind and the only way they would budge is if we matched that,” says Murphy.

Matching the savings that the town expected to realize through the deal meant that the paras would have to make sacrifi ces—in many cases deep sacrifi ces. “They gave up a lot to maintain their positions and to continue to deliver the quality of the services that the children of Amesbury need,” says Yetman.

The paras don’t sugar coat the hit that they took in order to continue to do their jobs. “People who’d been here the longest lost the most,” says Terry. Among the concessions the paras made: giving up vacation pay, holiday pay, longevity bonuses, sick leave incentive pay and reimbursement for professional training and education. “We made sure that the town understood that they were taking money from the people who are already the lowest paid,” adds Terry.

The union is the solutionThis fall the paras will go back to the

bargaining table to try to restore some of the lost benefi ts. (The town’s fi nancial situation has improved somewhat since the outsourcing plan was fi rst announced). When they do return, says Murphy, it will be as the strongest, most united force they’ve ever been. “This was an organizing campaign for us. It changed the way we communicate, it changed the way we think about local politics and it made us realize the deep support we have in the community.”

For AFT MA fi eld representative Dianne Heeley, the paras’ fi ght against outsourcing was deeply personal. She’s retiring this month and the thought of seeing so many of the paras lose their jobs was unbearable. “I couldn’t go out on that note.” She offers effusive praise for the paras’ hard work. “They were so focused and they really rose to the challenge,” says Heeley. And while the paras were forced to give up signifi cant benefi ts, Heeley is convinced that the ultimate agreement was a victory for the paras—and for the union. “Not only did we save all of these jobs but we really showed that the union wasn’t the problem, it was the solution. That was the most important thing.”

7

Marie Ardito, Co-founderMassachusetts Retirees Unitedwww.retireesunited.org

Retiree Corner

7

SENIOR SEMINARS

How to Protect Your Nest Egg and Plan for the Right Outcome for Your FamilyThis popular seminar, given by elder law attorney Mary Howie, looks at many issues involving probate, trusts, Medicare Trusts, Benefi ts for veterans and their spouses and much more.

When: September 24, 10 to noon Where Presidential Park, 314 Main Street, Unit 105, Wilmington, MA (Main St. is Rt. 38. The entrance to the park is across from the Wilmington House of Pizza sign.)

Living in Retirement as an In-formed Retiree This two hour seminar will help you understand eligibility for Medicare, including the Medicare B penalty and surcharge. Also covered: new tax laws regarding the sale of a second home, tax sheltered annuity distributions, laws regarding working in retirement, and many other issues.

When: October 1, 10 to noon Where Presidential Park in Wilmington (see above).

All the above seminars are free. To register call Marie Ardito at 1-617-482-1568 or e-mail mardito@retireesunited.org. Make sure to specify which seminar you plan to attend and the number of individuals who will be attending.

TheGoldenApple

By Marcy A. Winer, paraprofessional, Greenhalge School, Lowell, MA

September 2011

A Friend and Mentor Inspires a Change

A Testament to the Power of EmpathyWhat is empathy? According to

Wikipedia, the free online ency-clopedia: “Empathy is the key corner-stone in genuine human relationships. Empathy is conscious. It means one with empathy feels compassion, while those without do not take into account other people’s emotions.” Empathy is a capac-ity to feel with someone. It is common knowledge that one must have a certain amount of empathy in order to feel com-passion for another.

I don’t need to be poor to feel compassion for the poor, nor must I be diagnosed with a life threatening or debilitating illness in order to feel for a person in that position.

Nor must I think of myself as old in order to feel the fears, the loneliness and the uncertainty of someone who is old.

In too many instances empathy has been replaced by greed, power and a smug belief that ‘that could never hap-pen to me.’ Some of us are too wrapped up in ourselves to imagine walking in another’s shoes, much less trying to feel with them.

I recently encountered someone who defi es this attitude, whose whole life is a testimony to empathy. Let me introduce Gina Johnson, an artist whose

special talent is portrait work. She is special because of the select group she paints: those who have given their lives in service to our country. Her mission began with those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has since extended to include those who’ve made the supreme sacrifi ce in any war for our country.

Gina will be the keynote speaker at the Massachusetts Retirees United Annual Meeting held at the Hillview Country Club in North Reading on Sep-tember 22, 2011. Her Traveling Tribute Wall, Faces of Remembrance will be on display there. Gina’s commitment to our military comes from deep within her soul, as she believes in “paying forward” to the families of those who have died in service to our country. The long hours she spends giving of her time and talent, while still maintaining a full time job and raising a family on her own make Gina an inspiration for us all.

Gina presents each original detailed pencil portrait to the military families. Not only does she do the portraits for free, she also bears the expense of mail-ing and supplies.

She will share with us how she began this journey and some of the experiences she has had. Loss is always diffi cult

and becomes even harder when it is the loss of a young person denied a full life because of their willingness to serve our country.

MRU has spent time this past year acknowledging our members and teach-ers who have served. We honor Gina and her tribute to those who served and died for us by featuring her talent at our annual meeting. Here is an inspirational woman who truly feels with and for others, a true testimony to the power of empathy.

Come join us on September 22, 2011 and bring a portrait of your loved one for Gina to sketch. Details about the state meeting can be found in our July 2011 Newsletter, MRU Matters or on our website at www.retireesunited.org.

Attention MRU members: Our address was listed incorrectly in the most recent issue of MRU Matters. The cor-rect address is:

Massachusetts Retirees UnitedP.O. Box 4015

Chelmsford, MA 01824-0615

Sometimes the toughest jobs are the most rewarding. Sometimes

you need someone to ‘shake you up’ and help you realize that a profession you’d never thought of entering, was in fact just what you needed after all. That is exactly how I became a paraprofessional. I was due for a change in profession after working many years, fi rst for the federal government, then in business. I needed to fi nd something that added zest and more happiness to my life. My best friend, Paula Tye-Flagler suggested that I consider becoming a para. I took her suggestion seriously, and within that very week I was hired to work at the Greenhalge School in Lowell.

The six years I’ve now worked as a para have been both rewarding and challenging. If I wake up in a grumpy mood (a rarity!) I know that as soon as I get to school, there will be 22 faces smiling at me, ready for a brand new day. I know that I add value to these children’s lives each day that I am there. They need me and sometimes the only structure they have for the day will be the six hours I spend with them in school. I get excited when I

see them learning to read, developing social skills, sharing with their friends and understanding the expectations that a public school education brings.

I owe all of this to Paula Tye-Flagler, an amazing, inspirational woman. Paula got her start in the Lowell Public Schools in 1982. She began at the Laura Lee School and later moved to the McAvinnue School where she teaches preschool to special needs children. She has also served as a mentor to new student teachers.

Paula has an amazing way with children. She lights up whenever she sees little children at the park, at the beach or in stores. At times when we are out together, she will stop to talk to children and they always respond with smiles and giggles. Her connection with children is immediate and long lasting. She has long-term relationships with former students and often visits them in the summer and goes on ice cream outings with them. They love her so much! Paula also takes the time to really understand the unique family situations that often occur in an urban school district such as Lowell. Many times she has gone out of her way to educate the families who may require additional readiness materials to help their children succeed. During the school year, Paula rewards her students with special gifts for their hard work.

Paula has been a tremendous role model, teacher, friend, advisor and

sounding board for me for many years. One year, I had a very challenging little boy who came from a broken family. He had behavior problems that could disrupt the classroom in an instant. It was Paula I called on for help. I’d vent that I was at my wits end with this student. Paula reminded me that he needed me to provide discipline and structure at school because he wasn’t getting it at home. She reminded me that this would benefi t him in the long run. She was right. I remained tough yet loving. At the time, his mother was absent from the home and I

tried to remember that. I grew very attached to him and felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the progress he made. Paula’s confi dence in me is the reason I took a leap into education. At the time I had to trust that this would be a good change for me and she was right. She has always been my biggest supporter and I know that she always will be right there, lending me an ear when I need it. Her preschoolers are lucky to call her Miss Paula and I am blessed to call her my friend.

CHANGE AGENT Paula Tye-Flagler (left), a teacher in the Lowell Public Schools, inspired her friend Marcy Winer to take a leap of faith and become a paraprofessional. “Paula’s confi dence in me is the reason I took a leap into education,” says Winer. “She has always been my biggest supporter.”