Greetings!

Good Morning,   

    We have some news today about the proposal process for both Pilot and Discovery schools.  The Pilot process is in the midst of its Request for Proposal (RFP) submission cycle, and Discovery RFP process is slated to begin shortly.  Both models offer alternatives to traditional schools.  Both models offer an increase in school autonomies, though there are substantial differences between the two:  The Pilot model offers more autonomies than the Discovery model and substitutes an Election-to-Work agreement that includes an appeals process instead of the BTU-negotiated grievance process. The Discovery Model captures many of the same autonomies and freedoms (budgetary, curricular, and assessment) as Pilots but seeks no relaxation of collective bargaining rights from our members.  BTU Contract provisions and the BTU-negotiated grievance process remain intact in Discovery Schools.

The Pilot model is well-established, and the Discovery model is a work-in progress. The Discovery model came into being when the union and management negotiated new pilot school contract language in 2005-2006. It has taken almost two years for the Discovery concept to gain traction, and we applaud Superintendent Johnson for being open to considering the Discovery Model as a viable alternative for school reform and change. The BTU supports a variety of models for school improvement, and feels that no one size fits all. Further, we feel, there must be created models which allow for school innovation without the sacrifice of one's collective bargaining rights.

The Discovery RFP is in its final stage of development and the RFP will be released imminently.

Where does each model stand now?

Nineteen groups have submitted Pilot School  proposals  in response to a recent  RFP sponsored by The Boston Foundation (TBF). Some of the 19 proposals seek to convert current traditional schools to pilot, some seek to open new pilot schools, and some wish to expand current pilots to an extended grade structure. The TBF has underwritten each of these exploratory proposals with a $20,000 grant with a promise of an additional one-time grant of $100,000 should a pilot school result from the planning process.

(Schools that have accepted TBF's $20,000, by the way, can decide instead to become Discovery Schools. They will not have to pay the money back.)

Pilot Schools operate differently than traditional schools.

1. They are free to hire anyone; they're  also free to 'excess' anyone they want on a yearly basis
2. They enjoy limited budgetary autonomy
3. They enjoy curriculum and assessment autonomy
4. They enjoy governance autonomy, but can no longer screen students via an a application process. (Some but not all pilot schools have been able in the past to create an admissions process to screen entering students. All new pilots are prohibited from doing this.)
5. They enjoy schedule autonomy and can increase or modify the school day

Discovery Schools will be able to take advantage of items  #2 and #3 only, in exactly the same fashion as permitted in Pilot Schools. Discovery schools will not be allowed, however, to adopt item #1.  Regarding #4, no new school, Pilot or Discovery, will be allowed to screen students. We applaud this move. Regarding item #5, as a general rule, Discovery Schools will not have a right to change their school schedule, but please keep in mind that in Boston currently there are many traditional schools (Expanded Learning Time Schools, Project Promise, the four McKinley sites, Ostiguy High, and many others too numerous to mention) that have changed their staff work day. The difference is, the changed work day in these schools has been negotiated separately, and all work time above and beyond the normal teacher work day is compensated.  This change would be allowed in individual Discovery Schools, too, but would be subject to negotiations and all time would be compensable.

For a full description of pilot school autonomies, see the CCE webpage . The CCE or Center for Collaborative Education, helps manage the Boston Pilot School network.  As of last week , however, the superintendent has installed an Assistant Superintendent in charge of Pilot Schools.

There are a few other points to consider regarding pilot schools. Their members belong to the BTU, get the same benefits and salary, and  the same system-wide seniority. The system-wide seniority, however, cannot be used to claim an attachment right to a building.  Pilot school teachers and paraprofessionals can be mandated to work up to 95 uncompensated hours per year. All other rights and benefits found in the BTU Contract are generally inapplicable in a pilot school, except that each pilot school drafts its own Election-to-Work Agreement as an alternative to the list of working conditions and grievance rights found in the BTU Contract.  For more, information,  See the BTU web page for FQA.

The BTU contract allows that a minimum of seven pilot schools shall be created over the life of the BTU agreement. Of the seven, one The Gardner Pilot, has been created already. Another,  a school to be run by the BTU at the site of what is currently the Thompson Building in Dorchester, also counts towards the seven. Provided there are five valid pilot proposals to consider, there will be five additional pilot schools over the life of this agreement. Converting a current school to a pilot schools requires a affirmative 2/3rds vote of staff, conducted in accordance with BTU election procedures.  Further,  BTU membership policy requires that the BTU leadership conduct a Q&A session with staff, to go over the ins and outs of pilot conversion  prior to the staff vote. Beyond that, All new pilots, conversion and otherwise, are subject to the approval of the BTU president as well as the superintendent and the Boston School Committee.  Once a school converts to pilot status, the move is irrevocable.

Receiving a grant from TBF in and of itself does not guarantee pilot status for a proposal even with the requisite approvals completed. This applies whether the school is a conversion pilot, an expansion  pilot, or a new pilot. Decisions for pilot approval, from the BTU perspective, will be contingent on a host of other factors as well:  system wide budgetary considerations, strength of application, student needs,  interface with and effect on neighboring schools, student demographics and system needs, and the like.  The BTU will be part of a systematic  process convened by the superintendent that looks at the entire city school system, our student population and its needs. From our perspective, decisions on Pilots will need to fit into this all-encompassing equation. Outside of its donation, TBF is not part of the decision-making process.

The Discovery School RFP is expected to be distributed shortly, and it is further expected that Discovery Schools will be operational by September 09,  the same start-time as the new pilot schools.  While there are no grants per se to encourage their development of Discoveries, the union and the superintendent have agreed to a $30,000 fund to help jump start Discoveries. The lump sum for Discoveries is neither meant nor intended to compete with the funds TBF is giving to Pilots. It is meant, however, to show a joint BPS/BTU commitment to this project.

Given the short resources in today's climate, more and more schools are relying on outside funding, even the one-time grants TBF is promising. While the money is minimally useful, one-time grants encourage a  short-sighted approach to school finance. Our schools need more resources, and this can result only from a city better able to sustain an increased revenue stream to our schools.

A word or two about the $20,000 from TBF:

To some the $20,000 (and then perhaps another $100,000) might look like a lot of money. After all, budgets are being crunched and schools are facing a $32 Million deficit for school year 08/09. What school cannot use the money, even though it is one-time money?  That might be one's first reaction. But there are a few problems: The money is chump change. It's one-time nature distracts us from a long-term solution to adequate school finance. And most significantly the origin of the money is suspect.

The Boston Foundation is a public charity, the largest one in this area. On the education front, it parcels out grants selectively. It gives money to pilot schools and charter schools. But only on a rare occasion does it find a traditional school program to support. It has argued the past that it gives money selectively to 'incentive-ize' change. The question we have to ask is, What kind of change?. And specifically, what might be the motives behind these selective grants?

The head of the Boston Foundation, Paul Grogan, has been in the forefront of a statewide movement to take away collective bargaining rights from what they term 'underperforming' schools. He has regularly worked with anti-public education and  anti-teacher union zealots on a host of issues for the last few years. Their group, for example, has proposed that the state create a Turnaround District, which would take schools out of the collective bargaining process and hand them over to the superintendent who would have unlimited power for a period of two years. Were this change unable to improve the schools, Grogan's group proposed charterizing them.  See the following from a report a few years ago:

     'A turnaround designation provides extraordinary powers to the superintendent in the ability to reassign personnel, implement teacher testing and dismiss unqualified teachers.  Schools that do not improve within two years could be placed under different management.

    "We are gratified that the Governor's education package incorporates so many of the goals and recommendations leading citizens have supported in the Great Schools Campaign," said Paul Grogan, president of the Boston Foundation and co-chair of the Great Schools Campaign, an effort led by community leaders to advance education reform.  "With significant and targeted new money linked to incentives for teachers, more flexibility and reform, we can make Massachusetts an international leader in math and science and a national model for turnarounds of our lowest performing schools." '

(Also see articles in the Worcester Telegram and in the BTU -Bulletin for more information about the proposed Turnaround District.)

We are actively working with Superintendent Carol Johnson to create a variety of different schools that will continue to pioneer best practices in the decades to come. We are excited about all these models and we rejoice that there is room for all of these, and more, in our system. But in the long term, all will go for naught if we don't get more revenue from sources that are agenda-neutral.

TeLLS Survey

As you may know, all teachers and administrators are being asked
to complete a survey of teaching, learning, and leadership conditions
in Massachusetts public schools. The Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey is sponsored by a coalition including Governor Patrick , the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, every education association and various business and policy organizations.

The survey will focus on issues of time, empowerment, leadership,
professional development, and facilities and resources that affect the school climate and impact student learning. The Governor and policymakers want to hear from educators directly about these conditions; the data will be used to inform decisions from the state to local levels. More information is available here.

For the survey data to have an impact, it is essential to have a high
completion rate in each school, district and for the state. School results will not be reported unless 40% of the staff responds to the survey.

All responses are anonymous and confidential. To that end, the survey has been designed so that there is no link between individuals and their responses. The vendor conducting the survey does not have any information that identifies individual educators.

To learn more about the distribution of the survey, see the BTU webpage for instructions as to who, what, when, where and how of participation.

Dates--Blood Drive, Group Ins., Paras, etc.

• March 6, 9:00 AM, Surround Care Paraprofessionals Meeting
• March 14, BTU night at the Celtics. Go Celts
• March 14, March 15--BEAM Conference--see below
• March 28, Rosie's Place & Pine St. Inn Fundraiser
• April 5, Para Conference.
• April 16, Group Insurance Meeting. Save the Date.
• May 13, BTU Retirees Day on the Hill
• May 29, BTU Annual Blood Drive-- Sign up here.
• When emailing, please remember to give your name and phone number.

BEAM Conference

Eliminating the Achievement Gap: Renewing Commitment, Transforming Practices, Getting Results

The BEAM conference will be held on March 14 and March 15th at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. Contact for more information either 617-296-3042 or 617-296-4413. Brochures will, too,  be available by calling either number. Presenters will include Dr. Carol Lee, Mychal Wynn, Dr. Tyrone Howard, Dr. Adelaide Sanford and others.

Let's Help Our School Nurses

School Nurses and other BTU members are encouraged to write letters to their State Senate reps advocating a favorable release of S.2455 Bill from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. The bill would provide equitable benefits in  the teachers' retirement system. Any questions, please email dmoreschi@boston.k12.ma.us

Here is a sample letter Deb Moreschi wrote:

Dear   :

I am writing to urge a favorable release of S. 2455, "Relative to providing equitable benefits for members of the teacher's retirement system". As you likely know, school nurses became eligible members of the Massachusetts Teacher's Retirement System (MTRS) after Education Reform in 1993 required Department of Education (DOE) certification. As a consequence of this change, a relatively small percentage of school nurses who have served our children for many years and are close to retirement have been unable to include their years of employment prior to 1993, for purposes of eligibility in Retirement Plus upon their retirement. This bill seeks to remedy this unintended consequence of Education Reform and gross inequity.

In addition, there are a handful of other school personnel who face this same inequity. Along with the MTRS and the Massachusetts Teacher's Association, the Massachusetts School Nurse Organizations (MSNO), of which I am a member, as well as a School Nurse at the Hyde Park Educational Complex, a Boston Public School, wishes to correct this disservice by passing this legislation. The bill makes it clear that in order to qualify for such benefits, as a school nurse, I would have to elect to buy into the Retirement Plus option

Iam hopeful that you will work with the Senate Committee on Ways and Means to favorably and expediently release this bill in order to meet its intent to make the DOE Licensed/Certified School Nurses whole and their benefits in MTRS equitable.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

To write a letter to your state senator, see here.

Volunteering  Overseas--Options for Retirees

The BTU received a request last week from a retiree looking for volunteer opportunities in Africa or Asia. Any ideas? Please send them to rstutman@btu.org .

26-Payment Teachers to Receive Pay Raise this Friday

26 payment teachers will receive a salary increase this Friday, 03/07/08. The increase is $600/26 and goes on your base salary. Others have already received this increase.

All members get an additional 3% across the board on 9/1/08, and an additional 1% on 2/1/09, plus all applicable steps and lanes, if eligible.

All of the above increase go onto one's base salary.

Attention Specialists!!!!

We have heard the following story many times:

A teacher (music, computer, art, and so on) is called into the office and is told that the principal has to cut the number of his/her days at the school from 5 to 4 or from 5 to 3. "I don't know if I can get you the other day or two at some other school. But if you want to work here, please sign on the dotted line that you accept this .8 FTE or .6 FTE position whether we can get you the additional days or not," the teacher is told. "You will have to take it or leave it."

Do not sign this agreement. Even though it is not binding, it complicates matters.  Do not agree to anything. If you are a permanent teacher, the school department has an obligation to find you a full time position AND you also have an attachment right to the primary school, in the case above, to the 4 day-assignment or to the 3-day assignment. Call the BTU and we will work with you.

Tuition Reimbursement for Paras and Teachers, including Teachers Just made Permanent. 

If you are made permanent in mid-year you are eligible for $500 in tuition reimbursement for the current school year, as well as for each school year prospectively until you are eligible for your first career award. All permanent teachers and paras with five or more years of service are eligible for the tuition reimbursement .

A teacher writes to tell us that he happily got his $500 within two weeks of sending in the application. "Make sure you keep reminding people," he mentions. We will.

From the SPED Faculty Senate

Is No Child Left Behind (NCLB) being used as a hammer to limit instructional options?  The SPED Faculty Senate is very interested in hearing from the rank and file about their experiences with NCLB.

Johnny is a 5 th grade student with academic skills three years below his grade level enrolled in a LD classroom.  The principal has insisted that Johnny receive all instruction at the 5 th grade level using 5 th grade materials as the regular education students.  Every week he fails the math test.  He is demoralized and angry and his teacher is devastated.  When this is discussed with the principal, s/he states, "This is the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law and I have high expectations for all students."
 

Do you see this in your school?  Is Johnny's case unique?  Please share your experiences, both same and different at spedfacultysenate@btu.org .

Yancey Book Fair 

Superintendent Carol R. Johnson, too was in attendance, along with a handful of city councilors: Council President Maureen Feeney, District Councilors Chuck Turner and John Tobin. This was a terrific event, and Councilor Yancey  went out of his way in his remarks to praise the role of teachers and the BTU, as did Superintendent Johnson.

ROLLINS GRIFFITH TEACHER CENTER OF BOSTON

SPRING CONFERENCE: TAKING CARE OF YOU! SELF-RENEWAL & SURVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR EDUCATORS

The Rollins Griffith Teacher Center of Boston is a nonprofit organization run by and for educators. Since opening its doors in 1980, it has continuously served teachers, para-professionals and administrators in all of Boston's schools, including private schools and day-care centers.

Workshops & Luncheon 
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Charles H. Taylor Elementary School, 1060 Morton Street,
Mattapan, MA  02126, (617-635-8731)

Conference is free and open to all B.P.S. Educators on a first-come, first served basis.

Workshops

• Classroom Management  Workshop
• Introduction to Natural Healing ( two sessions)
• Remember to Breathe Deeply:  
• Balancing the Stress of Teaching & Learning
• Feng Shui For Teachers
• Stress Buster:  Stretch. Relax. Renew
• Laugh Your Way To Better Health

North Shore Labor Council Hosts Conference

The North Shore Labor Council is having an education conference March 30 to explore issues that impact labor especially during elections. 

    North Shore Labor Council, AFL-CIO invites you to attend Educational Conference: Building Labor in 2008 election year. There will ne a panel discussion and workshops.

• Sunday March 30. 12:30 to1 p.m.- light refreshments; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - 
  
• programat Breed Junior High, 90  O'Callaghan Way, Lynn, MA
  
• $10 Registration fee, Childcare provided

For information and registration call Rosa at 781-595-2538

BTU and BTU-RTC Scholarships

BTU DEPENDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

 This year there will be 16 scholarships in the amount of $1,000 awarded to high school seniors who are dependents of BTU members.  To apply, please obtain an application from Jeanne Turner in the Union office or download the form from the BTU website and return with: a transcript of the dependent's last two years of academic work; 2) evidence of acceptance by an accredited college, junior college, vocational school or equivalent institution; 3) member's notarized federal tax return for the year 2007; and 4) a one-page statement of the dependent's professional goals.  The application and the four supporting documents must be received in the Union office no later than Wednesday, April 9, 2008.   The recipients of the scholarships will be notified by May, 16, 2008.

 
RETIRED TEACHERS CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIP

Each year the Retired Teachers Chapter of the Boston Teachers Union awards three scholarships to deserving high school seniors who are children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews of RTC members.  One of these scholarships is earmarked for a student who might choose to attend a vocational school or equivalent institution. Applications for these scholarships my be picked up at the RTC/BTU offices at 180 Mt. Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125 or they can be downloaded from the BTU website.

Charitable Event--Marathon for Cancer Research

If you would like to donate, please visit Erin's website at firstgiving.com/erinmcmanus or send checks, payable to Massachusetts General Hospital to
 
Erin McManus
164 King Phillips Path
Marshfield, MA  02050    

Charitable Event--AIDS Walk

AIDS Walk Boston takes place through the streets of Boston, Brookline and Cambridge. The 10K course (6.2 miles) starts and ends at the Charles River Esplanade.

AIDS Walk Boston has historically been AIDS Action Committee's biggest fundraising event, and is now in its 22nd year. Tens of thousands of people have participated in the Walk and have generously raised over 30 million dollars for the programs and services of AAC. These programs include housing/legal assistance, social support, rent and utilities assistance, and political advocacy, just to name a few. These programs and services are in need of funds, and I hope to be able to generate some through my efforts.

"I'd like to invite you to join my team, The Lifesavers, and walk with me! We could really use your help to raise funds and show your support in the fight against HIV/AIDS. You can learn more about the event and register online at www.aidswalkboston.org . "

I hope that you'll join me in this effort. Thank you in advance for your support!

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address.

We wish Tanya Santiago good luck, and we thank her for participating in this charitable event.

Obituary

The BTU is sorry to announce that Ms. Aida Barquet formerly of the bilingual department of the BPS passed away last Sunday. Aida worked at the Edison Middle, the Gardner Elementary and the Ohrenberger Elementary. She will be sorely missed by her family, friends, and former colleagues. The BTU sends its deepest condolences to her family.