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Boston Teachers Union
e-Bulletin
#41
(2009-10),  05/03/10

 

Greetings!

Last week was a terrible week for hundreds of our members as they were notified, according to the 'corporate' model, that they were being moved out of their schools, from which, in many cases, they had taught in or worked in for 20+ years. These folks were removed by and large after a 2-5 minute exit 'interview,' wherein they were given written instructions on how to land a new position and then were told to go back to class. No reasons for their displacement were given.

Contrary to a published report, the decision to remove any particular staff member was not based on MCAS scores or performance evaluation. ( Another report on WBUR claimed the decision to reassign certain teachers was based "on a combination of MCAS scores in the teachers' classrooms, student attendance and teacher evaluations.") The school department does NOT have any data to back up either claim, nor has it offered any evidence.  On the matter of evaluations, the closest many of these individuals have come to being evaluated in the last few years was a 15 minute drive-by evaluation that took place in the last month. For any school department official to assert that individual staff removals were driven by data or evaluation or MCAS scores is laughable and misleading. 

Altogether there are 409 BTU members in the 7 schools. 291 of our members submitted letters requesting to remain; 118 did not.
Of the 291 who applied to stay, 166 were accepted and 125 were not. Bottom line: 409 eligible to stay. 166 will remain. 243 will not . The 243 individuals have assignment rights to other buildings.

On 5/3, the BTU and the school department will sit down as part of the state-mandated process to review and negotiate the school department proposed implementation of new proposed working conditions in so-called underperforming schools. The key item the department is pressing is an attempt to extract 230 hours of forced overtime from all members without pay. This is not innovative. It is exploitative. The department can dress this up anyway it wants. It can call it a 'reform.' It can cite 'data.'  It can cite anything it wishes. But the bottom line is, the department it trying to take advantage of a new state law that is more economically driven than educationally driven.

The department is also seeking to increase class size in SEI classes to match that in regular education classes. We have asked them to provide research showing  how increasing class size will help SEI students close the achievement gap that faces them. We will pass along the research when we get it. Do not hold your breath.

We point  out the inconsistencies above to help inform as to the hypocrisy that runs rampant in our school system. The school department has been given the legal authority (perhaps, though we will test what we can) to try to obtain economic concessions from its 6500 employees, and it is seeking to do so. Sure, the economy is tight. Our schools are  desperate for whatever few dollars they can cobble together. But keep in mind the following: The new state law that grants these 'reforms' also takes more than $50 Million (yes, Million!) from the city per year for charter school expansion. That's a lot of money. Last time we checked, charter schools still do a mixed to poor job. Check out Sunday's New York Times front page article for even more evidence. So the next time you hear that your school is $20,000 short or even $200,000 short, remember that charter schools currently drain $800 plus per student per year from our budgets and the expansion will drain another $800.

We will keep you posted as to the negotiations in the Turnaround Schools. Negotiations in the master bargain commence on 5/13. Thank you, as always, for your support. Our colleagues in the so-called underperforming  schools greatly appreciate the outpouring of support for them, as they work their way through this situation.
BTU Supports School Custodians


Update: The school department budget proposes a 20% reduction in the number of school custodians. This cutback would severely impact our schools and our ability to teach and learn in decent conditions. Many school committee members have suggested that BTU members go on furlough and work without pay in order to pay for as many as 40 school custodians. While we are certainly sympathetic with the plight of custodians, we have rejected this offer, and have suggested instead that these same school committee members look at administrative waste instead. For example, there are many surplus administrators being 'hidden.' Rather than look at the BTU,  school committee members could look at that area of the budget and find more pickings.


Now, we do not want this fight and we didn't pick this fight. We believe that the school department needs more funds. And we resent the department's bringing up the subject of a BTU furlough when it doesn't apply the same standard to its own house. All of this said, we support the custodians and together with them, we have written the below letter:


We are writing jointly to express our concerns and strong opposition to the drastic cuts in the full time Boston School custodial staff. If implemented, these custodian layoffs will adversely affect the health and education of our students in several ways:

  • The 83 full-time custodial layoffs will affect 51 school buildings. In Madison Park (one of the city's largest schools), 10 of 26 custodians will be cut, increasing the cleaning coverage area from 37,000 to 59,000 square feet per worker.
  • These layoffs will reduce the full-time custodial workforce from 405 to 322 workers (down from 500 just a few years ago). That means a loss of 172,640 man-hours of school cleaning and maintenance next year.
  • Several schools will have no night cleaning at all, leaving students and teachers to return to dirty buildings eveyr morning. There will be situations where schools have three principals, yet essential cleaning crews will be cut.

The key to solving this issue is to bring more funds into the school department budget. The key is not-as some school committee members have asserted-to ask some employees, particularly those in the BTU, to take a one-day furlough. We resent the pitting of one employee group against another. This tactic is divisive and counter-productive.


As representatives of both the teachers union and the custodians' union, we would be happy to sit down with any party and explore the issue of cost-savings. In particular we are aware of a few examples of administrative waste, including unnecessary personnel, in the school department.


Finally, on behalf of all BTU members, we recognize the importance of having clean buildings, each well-maintained on a reasonable schedule. Daily, regular building maintenance is essential and conducive to a healthy learning and teaching environment. Eliminating 83 custodians will, beyond a doub,t hurt the day-to-day learning that we expect to take place in our schools. Thank you very much.


Dave Jelley, President of the Custodian Union
Richard Stutman, President of the Boston Teachers Union

Para Assignment Changes; Workshops Announced

  A new transfer process kicks in this year for paraprofessionals. This is a wonderful opportunity for all to take advantage of. There is a new excess pool procedure this year as well. If excessed, you are urged to attend the informational session on May 6th.

Para Assignment Deadlines

    * May 6th--Para Informational Mtg. at the BTU
    * May 6 through May 17--Transfer Lists are out and available for bidding
    * May 18-21--Interviews to be conducted for all who apply for transfer
    * May 24th--Principals and H/Ms must make recommendations of successful transfer applicants to HR by this date
    * June 8--Paras' excess pool to be held
    * June 15th--Principals and H/Ms must make recommendations to HR by this date of ranked excess pool candidates
    * June 18th--HR will send out assignment letters by this date

Any questions on the above, call Jenna Fitzgerald at 617-288-2000.

Informational Sessions

    * May 6th at the BTU for any and all processes
    * May 10--School Dept. and BTU will hold a resume workshop at the BTU from 3-5. Register by calling Patty at 617-288-2000.
    * TBA--Workshop at BTU to go over new Para Transfer Process. All paras interested in transferring to another school are urged to attend
    * TBA--Application Drop-in Session at Madison Park, from 2-6 on a date TBA.

Teacher Mock Pool
Teacher Mock Pool--Date set for May 27th, 4:00 - 6:00 PM. Questions, Caren or Michael at 617-288-2000.
Summer Pathway Program for ESL Licensure and Professional Practice

The Office of Human Resources will be conducting the ESL Pathway Program this summer. All BPS staff are eligible to apply for admission. The program is especially targeted to (1) SEI teachers who seek to provide ESL instruction to their students; (2) English teachers who have ELL students and want to provide appropriate instruction in ESL class sections; and, (3) individuals who seek to transition into ESL positions.   Prospective applicants are required to attend one information session.  These sessions are scheduled for May 11, 12, and 13.  Interested individuals need to register on MyLearningPlan in the HR catalog section.  Email .
Will You Hold a House Party for an Elected Official

The BTU is asking our members to hold house parties for our elected officials. What better way to get to know our elected officials and for them to get know us! If you can supply the location, we can supply the elected official, the guests, and the refreshments. We'll do most of the work. This is a great opportunity to help our members establish a better relationship with those who make the laws in the Commonwealth. If you are interested, please send us a short email .
CALDERWOOD FELLOWSHIP IN WRITING INSTRUCTION At UMASS/Boston

In partnership with UMASS/Boston, beginning this summer, the Calderwood Writing Initiative will offer a two-part graduate-level course on the teaching of writing. The course is open to teachers of all grade levels, in all subject areas. Applications will be accepted until May 14. The first half of the course-Theory, Research, and Writing-will meet from July 12 to July 16, from 8 am to 4 pm. The second half of the program will meet during the school year. Each participant will receive a $1,200 stipend and tuition reimbursement for six graduate credits upon successful completion of this program.

APPLICATIONS: To apply for this program, please send a resume with your contact information, current school name, teaching area and grade-level  information to: Jenny Desai, Director, Calderwood Writing Initiative. Applicants should also include one expository writing sample of no more than five pages, and an essay response to the following question about your writing pedagogy: What have you noticed about your students' writing and your teaching of writing that you hope to investigate through this program? Please contact Jenny Desai at (617) 720-7603 with questions about admissions policy.
Become a New Teacher Developer!


Full-time New Teacher Developers (NTD) provide critical in-classroom support to beginning teachers through classroom observations and feedback, collaborative reflection and goal-setting and modeling of effective instructional practices.  APPLY NOW! Go to the BPS on-line Career Center. Attend an Information Session on Wednesday, May 5th from 3:00-4:00 or  4:30-5:30 at the Boston Teachers Union.


Contact Lesley Ryan-Miller    (617) 635-9241 or Tamika Estwick   (617) 635-9203.

NBPTS Date Change

National Board Certified Teacher New Candidate Outreach will be held on June 3,  Thursday,  4-6 PM, at BTU. Check web site for qualifications. This is a change in date.
Questions? 
RTC Golf Tournament


Announcingthe THIRD ANNUAL RTC/BTU GOLF OUTING scheduled forMarch 17th. This year, the Charity we will be supporting will be Dana Farber Foundation & Jimmy Fund.More information will be forthcoming very shortly.

Dot HS Reunion for Students and Teachers

Attn: Dorchester High teachers from 1980 to 2000.  The 20 year Dorchester High reunion weekend  will be held on Saturday, October 9th, 2010, at Moseley on the Charles, in Dedham.  This event was put together by Dorchester High Graduates who would like to reconnect to strengthen our community and assist current students.  No reunion would be complete without the teachers. Questions?  Dion Irish, Tel # 617-961-3311.
Retirement Dinners





 

 

Sincerely,

Richard Stutman
BTU President

richardstutman@comcast.net (home)
rstutman@btu.org (work)
617-288-2000

TOP

 
In This Issue
 
BTU Supports School Custodians
 
Para Assignment Changes; Workshops Announced
 
Teacher Mock Pool
 
Summer Pathway Program for ESL Licensure
 
Political Organizing
 
CALDERWOOD FELLOWSHIP IN WRITING INSTRUCTION
 
Become a New Teacher Developer!
 
NBPTS Date Change
 
BTU Golf Tournament
 
Dot HS Reunion for Students and Teachers
 
Retirement
 
 
Featured Article

Teachers always show up. Read an enlightening op-ed piece in the NY Times by Gail Collins

 
 
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Back Issues

2009 -10 School Year
#01 08/31/09
#02 09/08/09
#03 09/14/09
#04 09/21/09
#05 09/28/09
#06 10/05/09
#07 10/13/09
#08 10/18/09
#09 10/26/09
#10 11/02/09
#11 11/09/09
#11A 11/11/09
#12 11/16/09
#13 11/18/09
#14 11/23/09
#15 11/30/09
#16 12/05/09
#17 12/14/09
#18 12/21/09
#18A 12/21/09
#19 01/04/10
#20 01/11/10
#20A 01/12/10
#21 01/18/10
#22 01/23/10
#23 01/25/10
#24 02/01/10
#25 02/08/10
#26 02/22/10
#27 03/01/10
#28 03/04/10
#29 03/08/10
#30 03/15/10
#31 03/22/10
#32 03/25/09
#33 03/29/10
#34 04/05/10
#35 04/12/10
#36 04/13/10
#37 04/15/10
#38 04/20/10
#39 04/26/10
#40 04/28/10

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