Greetings!

Good morning,

We generally do not discuss individual school issues in this space. But sometimes an event takes place that is so violative of acceptable standards that it demands attention. One such event took place recently at the Orchard Gardens Pilot School.

A week ago Friday the OGPS principal, acting on her own authority, involuntarily excessed 15 permanent members of school staff without regard to their seniority. Seven permanent teachers and at least eight paraprofessionals were excessed, many of them told that they were not a 'good match' for the school. The excessings surprised and angered our members.

When excessing is permitted at a traditional school, it must follow seniority rules and it is only implemented as a result of a staffing reduction. Neither took place at OGPS. First of all, the excessings are not reductions per se: Most, if not all, of those reassigned will be replaced by yet-to-be-hired personnel. And secondly, the excessing was not done by seniority.

The permanent teachers and the paraprofessionals excessed will receive new positions in this year's excess pool. (The permanent teachers excessed have an average of 9.5 year's seniority. The paraprofessional average will be announced shortly.)
 
Because Orchard Gardens is a pilot school, staff do not have the benefit of seniority attachment rights to a school, and they are therefore subject to involuntary excessing in any given school year. This practice is not permitted at traditional schools, where permanent staff have an 'attachment' right to the school and if excessed, their excessing must follow the rules of seniority. Mass excessing of this magnitude, while technically allowed under rules in place at pilots since 1994, is very rare.

The mass excessing of staff and resulting instability will only make matters worse at this troubled school. OGPS has long been considered by many school observers as one of the most problematic schools in the city. It has had four different principals in five years, along with a considerable yearly churning of staff. Next year there will be even more staff turn-over, as no fewer than 11 of the school's provisionals have, too, gotten their walking papers. All told, the school can expect to replace no less than 1/3 to 1/2 of its staff next year.  Matters got so bad at OGPS a few years ago that then-Superintendent Payzant unilaterally disbanded the school's governing board without warning and installed hand-chosen replacements in what was termed an overnight coup. Though few school administrators will admit this publicly, the management of OGPS has become in many ways an embarrassment to the system: Staff are generally disheartened and angry. Many feel bullied. There's little confidence in leadership. And this school year is only at the half-way point.

Some of the events that surround these excessings are curious and bizarre as well. As  news of the mass excessing spread, dissatisfaction among staff mounted, and the principal summoned all to a meeting in the auditorium. At this meeting, without any foundation, she warned staff about the legal ramifications of pulling any illegal job actions, and she handed each a copy of Mass State Law outlawing illegal strikes. This was both unwarranted and a transparent attempt to intimidate staff. Staff were, in the words of one member, read the 'riot  act,' and further told--unbelievably--that if staff thought good teachers were being excessed, 'they hadn't been in their classrooms.'

Our members resent having their colleagues called out. They also resent the public display of mistrust and intimidation. None of this ought to be tolerated.

MCAS Lobby Day

On Wednesday, February 13, BTU members are invited to take part in a Lobby Day sponsored by Citizens for Public Schools (CPS), as part of its Campaign for the Education of the Whole Child.  The BTU is a financial backer and is a supporter of the CPS. Participants able to attend in person will convene at the State House in Boston, beginning at 10:30 am in Room A-1.

Everyone who cannot attend is asked to make a phone call or two to legislators and the Governor to ensure high quality education by reforming the MCAS now.

What's wrong with the MCAS? Simply,

• The MCAS contributes to the drop-out rate
• It narrows the curriculum and does not promote high quality education
• The high stakes MCAS harms student engagement and widens education and opportunity gaps
• We need to develop better assessment tools

For more information on the MCAS, see the CPS webpage.

How to Contact people?

• Call the Governor's office at 617-725-4005, or email by following the directions.
• Call your own Representative and Senator, by phone,  617-722-2000, or by emailing your rep. or senator . If you do not know your state senator or representative, click here .

Superintendent to Speak at This Week's Membership Meeting.

Superintendent Carol Johnson will describe her reorganization plan at this week's membership meeting.  The meeting starts at 4:00, and Dr. Johnson is expected to speak beginning at some time around  4:30 PM. She is expected to speak for 30 minutes or so.

Dr. Johnson reached out to the BTU and asked for time at the membership meeting to go over her plan in detail. We appreciate very much her taking the initiative to reach out to us and we welcome her appearance at our meeting.

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.

Retirees and COBRA Dental Insurance

Attention all Retirees of 2006: If you joined Cobra upon retirement, your 18 months' eligibility is probably ending.  If you wish to continue dental coverage, contact the RTC on Wednesday and Thursdays from 10-2 at 617-288-2000 to receive information and obtain applications for the RTC plan.

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 (TeLLS) 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 the who, what, when, where and hows of participation.

Paraprofessional Meetings Upcoming

There will be a Paraprofessional Informational meeting held at the BTU on Thursday,  2/28, at 4:00 PM.

Surround Care Paraprofessionals will meet on Thursday, 3/6, at 9:00 AM.

Upcoming HR and School-Based Deadlines

Some HR/Staffing Deadlines:

A couple of HR deadlines are rapidly approaching. By 2/1, principals and headmasters were required to have given to the superintendent a list of teachers they wish to grant permanency to. Principals and headmasters will be notified by 2/15 which of their recommendations for permanency, if any, have  been accepted by the superintendent. Provisionals made permanent this year are eligible immediately for a tuition reimbursement.

           Why do we keep repeating the issue of tuition reimbursement???? Answer: It is an underused benefit worth $500 per year to thousands of our members. The benefit is easy to obtain, it's quick and painless. The $500 is a reimbursement and is not subject to taxation. Who is eligible?

• Teachers who are made permanent during this school year. (There will be announcement shortly from the superintendent as to who has been made permanent.)
• Teachers who are permanent but who are not yet receiving their first career award
• Paras with five or more years of experience

The HR Circular that explains some of the below in more depth has been re-released. It can be found here See below deadlines and highlights.

• February 29: OHR mails excess letters to permanent teachers without positions--please see directly below.
• Feb 29 - March 14: Permanent teacher transfer process--please see directly below.

The 2/29 dates above are later that what had been advertised earlier. These activities are not fixed by contract , except 1) They must occur on the same date, and 2) that date must be prior to March 15.

• February 29: "Open-posted" teaching positions posted externally on Career Center
• March 15: Approximate date for OHR to mail letters of Reasonable Assurance and Permanent Appointment to provisional teachers
• April 14: OHR sends excess notices to paraprofessionals without positions
• April 14 - 18: Para Excess Pools

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

• Feb 13, 4 PM, BTU Membership Meeting; the superintendent will make a presentation on her reorganization plan.
• Feb 28, 4 PM, Paraprofessional Informational Meeting
• March 6, 9:00 AM, Surround Care Paraprofessionals Meeting
• March 14, BTU night at the Celtics
• March 14, March 15--BEAM Conference--see below
• April 16--Group Insurance Meeting. Save the Date.
• May 29--BTU Annual Blood Drive-- Sign up here

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.

BC Carnegie Lecture Series

Boston College Teachers for a New Era is pleased to announce that on Tuesday, February 12th at 4:30 p.m. in McGuinn Hall Room 121,  Dr. David C. Berliner will deliver BC TNE's Fourth Carnegie Lecture . The title of Dr. Berliner's talk is: The effects of high-stakes testing on the economy and the educational system: Wicked policy for Massachusetts and the nation  

Dr. Berliner is a Regents' Professor in the College of Education at Arizona State University.  David Berliner is also co-author (with B.J. Biddle) of the best seller The Manufactured Crisis which debunks the myths that test scores in America's schools are falling, that illiteracy is rising, and that better funding has no benefit. 

OIIT Professional Development

OIIT Professional Development

Few seats available in OIIT winter courses outlined below. For more information and to apply, visit MyLearning Plan, the district's new course management system.
http://www.mylearningplan.com/

·    TEC4801:  BoardMaker Upgrade to Version 6, Section 2
(few seats left; begins March 31st)
The workshop focuses on the new BoardMaker Version 6 for Windows. Participants will receive an upgrade, but must submit the old version previously received.

·    TEC6801:  Advanced BoardMaker to Support Curricular Activities
This course (blended and online) will continue to build on participants' skills from the introduction to BoardMaker workshop. The workshop will provide a comprehensive, curriculum-based approach to the creation and use of content-based topic boards, with emphasis on applicability across a wide range of diverse learning needs.

MATSOL Conference

MATSOL Conference: Developing the Academic Language
of English Language Learners, on Fri May 16, 2008 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM

MATSOL hope that you will join them for a day that includes a keynote session, invited speaker sessions and practitioner workshops, all examining the concept of academic language in K-12 education: the contexts in which academic language is learned, how our understanding of it has evolved, and practical ways we can help English language learners develop their proficiency.  

MATSOL has a new ON-LINE registration system.  There will be no mail-in paper registration, making it easier and faster.  Go here to register by check, credit card, or purchase order. You are encouraged to register now, as space is limited. REGISTRATION DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2008.

MABE Conference

MABE is offering a one day institute on March 7, 2008.  It will feature two highly important and related educational strands- Special Education and Dual Language Education. MABE is honored to be able to introduce two highly respected key-note speakers, Dr. Beth Harry and Dr. Mary Cazabon.  In addition, participants will have the option of hearing from Dr. Shernaz Garcia and Dr. Elizabeth Howard.
    
The registration forms can be downloaded from the MABE website . and the New England Equity Assistance Center website website   from January 15 to March 1, 2008.   

Nat'l Board for Professional Teaching

CLD/BTU  National Board Support

Winter Thoughts? Think about Take One & 1 In-service credit
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards option for entering NB  teacher certification process
4 week Intro course to TOWARD NBCT status.

Mondays

• March 24, 31
• April 7 & 14, from  4-7 p.m. at the W. Rox. Ed. Complex

BTU Dues 2007/W2 Info

Dues for 2007: $ 1005.66 for teachers; for paras,  $ 493.92.

Salary Increases

The salary increase is coming up, as well.

• 22 payment-teachers  will receive the increase in pay cycle  01/19/08 to 02/01/08, on the paycheck issued on 02/08/08.
• 26 payment-teachers  will receive the increase in pay cycle 02/16/08 to 02/29/08, on the paycheck issued on 03/07/08.
• Paras will receive the increase effective 02/01/08.

Teachers will receive a pro-rated $600 salary increase per year on their base, and paras will receive a pro-rated $300 salary increase per year on their base on the paycheck dates cited above.  Here's how the salary increase works:

On the BTU webpage , you will find both salary grids, one for 9/1/07 through 1/31/08, and one for 2/1/08 through 8/31/08. The grid in effect as of 2/1/08 is $600 more per location (lane and step)than the grid in effect from 9/1/07 through 1/31/08, except for the first row, which for this year only is exempt from the salary increase. In essence, everyone on the grid earns an additional $600/22 for the last 11 checks this school year or $600/26 for the last 13 paychecks, depending on whether one receives 22 or 26 paychecks respectively.
For paras, the same applies, except that all receive an additional $300 pro-rated into their salary schedule effective 2/1/08. Substitute teachers do not receive a salary increase as of 2/1/08, but they did receive an additional 3% increase in the per diem rate for certification effective 9/1/07.

Effective 9/1/08, all members receive an additional 3% salary increase, and an additional 1% on 2/1/09. These increases affect all levels, all rates, and all differentials.

Effective 9/1/09, all members receive an additional 3% salary increase, and an additional 1% on 2/1/10. These increases affect all levels, all rates, and all differentials.

Grover Cleveland End-of-an-Era Party

The Grover Cleveland's End of an Era Party has been scheduled for June 13th at the Adam's Inn in Quincy from 7pm to midnite.  The cost is $65 for champagne toast to the Cleveland, a barbecue buffet and a DJ for a nite of dancing and merriment.  Checks made payable to Grover Cleveland can be mailed to:

Ms. Lucia c/o Grover Cleveland Middle
11 Charles Street
Dorchester, MA 02122

We would appreciate responses as soon as possible to assist in planning.  All former Cleveland staff and friends of the Cleveland are invited.  Email fin802@comcast.net for more information or questions.  Thanks.

Obituary

The BTU regrets to announce the death of Mr. Daniel Tarpey, former Boston teacher and coach at Boston English High School and member of the English High School Hall of Fame. Mr. Tarpey leaves many family members, friends and former colleagues to mourn his passing. In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy may be made to the Mary T. Tarpey Scholarship Fund, St. Michaels College, One Winooski Park, Colchester, VT 05439. The BTU extends is most sincere condolences to his family and friends.