NOTICE TO ALL NBEA UNIT A and NBEA UNIT B MEMBERS
The meeting is to discuss and to consider a counter-proposal to the School Committee proposal, which, if ratified by the membership, would result in a concession.
KEITH MIDDLE SCHOOL
Auditorium
Thursday, August 5, 2010
3:00-5:00 PM
28 comments:
May we please know the details of the counter proposal? Or are we attempting to keep this from the press until we actually meet?
Paper ballots should be used. Members should not feel pressured to vote a certain way. Holding your hand up while your decision may please or disappoint a coworker is not productive.
We absolutely should be using paper ballots to decide this.
Paper ballots.
yes, to paper ballots!
PAPER BALLOTS
Why the debate over ballots vs a hand count? What's the big deal?
I think the union should have made the decision for us and spared us from having to attend a meeting.
This is to the individual who wanted the Union to decide for us...the Board did what was expected of them, to make a decision about what is best for the membership. In this case, the membership is deeply divided. Lou and the Board are trying to make the best of a really difficult situation.They felt that it was best for the members to have the opportunity to be heard. It is OUR responsibility to attend that meeting and vote accordingly. If you are too busy or disinterested to attend...don't. There are no attendance police. But please, don't complain after the fact that your voice wasn't heard.
$58.6 million was recently approved for Massachusetts. This is separate from the possible RTTT money and the new $9.7 billion proposal that was added as an amendment to the small business loan bill in the Senate this week. New Bedford has 11 schools labeled at Tier III schools...these schools are all eligible to receive significant dollars already from part of this $58 million already on its way. There are 4 turnaround models associated with this funding but that appears to only apply to a Tier IV school which is already experiencing this in our district. My point is lots of money is already coming...and lots more is on the way...do not support any pay freeze because when the money does come the lost salary will never be recovered.
to the previous post-I second that motion! :)
The poster discussing the so called Tier 3 money is so far off it's laughable. This money will take a year to funnel into award or application form. It will be competitive and based on approval of each planned dollar expenditure by DOE - including extensive union negotiations. There is zero chance that these dollars can have any effect on the budget that ALREADY commenced July 1, 2010. But hey, throwing fantasy numbers and state and federal terminology around can stir up enough confusion and fear to fulfill somebody's agenda.
I guess we'll have to see how much MORE money is coming after the Senate votes on Monday regarding the Teacher Jobs Bill. How $58 million is dismissed by someone as not coming when it's already approved is what's laughable. The $58 million on the way is real money...RTTT is possible and any federal aid that will come next week is possible...but only one additional source is actual thus far. You can be Chicken Little and run around throwing out your negotiated contract and I'll continue to honor my contract. The police and firefighters were threatened with layoffs if they did not accept a pay cut and guess what EVERYONE has been hired back. So, maybe you think getting paid $40k or $50k is a bit too much for well-educated hard working teachers but I think we should be talking about raises not pay cuts. I know a raise for us might mean we can't hire $1000 a day consultants or attend expensive conferences or buy the latest and greatest Graphic Organizer toolkit for teachers but I'd rather keep my promised salary.
FYI READ the RTTT Proposal from the DOE; the money can not be used for hiring teachers or teachers salaries. So like the last blogger said be aware. In addition if MA gets this money there are significant conditions attached to it -- one of which will change teacher evaluations and not in a positive way either. Please read it; it is very long and complicated. Most people don't have a clue!
Wow. I demonstrate that the "money is coming" claim is unrelated to this issue and in reply we get RTTT? A program that Mass. has not even received, might receive in September, with districts choosing spending priorities thru December 2010, IF all that goes to plan. How does that help a July 1 budget? How does that stop layoffs and pink slips that will shortly be in the mail? With my facts trumping your fear, it's time, I guess, to claim that opponents of layoffs are "throwing out the contract?" Really? I like my contract. I also want to sustain the contracts of as many brother and sister teachers as possible thru this September. Do you?????
I am no longer amazed by the behaviors of my colleagues. I've taught now for more than 30 years in this city and have sat through Informational and Ratification meetings attended by, on occasion, less than 300 professionals. I've hung my head in dismay listening to adults demand the money they are due, knowing full well that they haven't contributed beyond the payment of dues to our Association. Let a stray word reach these same people's ears about the possibility of a salary freeze and suddenly they gather the will to momentarily rail against those who are willing to listen to our Board's coming advice and behave in a manner in keeping with our positions. I am reminded of the scene in "It's A Wonderful Life" when the run on the bank occurs... One depositor, caring only for himself, demands full payment of his balance knowing that being first in line, he will create a hardship for those unfortunate enough to have arrived later than he. Given his money, he disappears into the crowd. The last woman in line, understanding the severity of the day, chooses to ignore those who couldn't see past the tips of their own nose and asks for seventeen-fifty.
Locally, Statewide, Nationwide and Globally we have been witness to one of the most severe economic downturns in American history. We have watched the Nightly News tour communities ravaged by unemployment and underemployment and have seen the rise of loan defaults, mortgage foreclosures and failures of every shape and size... To those of you demanding paper ballots in any possible upcoming vote I say this... Your request thinly hides your pre-determined vote. You know full well your choice to vote in favor of a contracted raise in pay will result in the further loss of jobs gravely needed by our junior teachers. Did any of you lose your home in the last year working for the salary you garnered? Did any of you default on your loans? Did any of you have need to pull your college-age child from their institutions because you could not afford the tuition? But you will acknowledge the pain created by your vote while shrugging your shoulders at the outcome.
Paper ballots?
Hardly.
I want to see you. I want us all to see you. To remember you. So that if the worst happens, you will be quietly marked for the remainder of your tenure with us.
To the anon. poster who offered that "Members should not be pressured to vote a certain way", I agree. If you are indeed as passionate about your P.O.V. as I am, you would have little trouble standing up for that same P.O.V.
See you all on Thursday.
Harry L. Dinkle
Paper ballots please. So people aren't "quietly marked for the remainder of their tenure"...I can't believe someone would actually post a threat like that. Saddam Hussein was against paper ballots too...that's why he'd win with 100% of the vote each election.
This is for Harry. I am one of those "new" teachers who will face layoff. I do struggle with my mortgage. I am one paycheck away from trouble. BUT, I will NOT be committing to memory the faces of those who vote for their raises.I will respect their participation and their voting their POV. Your threat cheapens our profession. You are a true example of a bully.
To Harry, It is "professionals" like you that give the rest of us a bad name. You don't me. You don't know my financial situation. Maybe I am facing foreclosure or bankruptcy, maybe my kids will have to forgo college because the economic times are bad. Maybe my husbands salary has been frozen for years, or worse yet maybe he lost his job. How dare you make threats that people will be marked for the rest of their tenure! Who do you think you are????? Your post is exactly why their should be paper ballots. Thanks for at least making that point a valid one.
So Dirty Harry, you were mad when educators were not interested in union matters before and you are mad that they are interested now. You are mad that people have pre-determined votes in mind yet you clearly do as well...and btw aren't all votes pre-determined if they weren't why would you vote...do you vote at random? Good luck quietly marking the 90% of teachers that will say no to a pay cut. When I vote in the upcoming mid-term elections this November I will be sure to look down and behind my back to make sure you aren't sniffing around my ballot.
I'm assuming Dinkle will be the guy passing out pitch forks and torches at the meeting. I hope I can just cast my ballot and leave. I do not want to sit through the circus that's going to ensue during this meeting.
To quote Diane Ravich in her new book: "When the facts change, I change my opinion. What about you sir?"
I originally was opposed to a paper ballot, however, after speaking with colleagues in both Units A and B I have changed my mind.
Harry's letter (and I appreciate him signing his name to it) did nothing to change my mind. While I originally agreed that I wanted to see who was voting for me to accept less so they could have a job, I have decided that varying from the established practice of how significant votes like these have been taken in the past is not a good idea and sets a dangerous precedent for the NBEA.
I am also curious as to how many members will show up for such an important meeting. I am empathetic with the so called new teachers who may have to look for work elsewhere, however, as I have indicated in previous posts new teachers have a significantly easier time finding a job because of the lower salary. I was a new teacher years ago who received a letter of layoff the first few years with the promise of being "called back in the inverse order of........". Some of the more experienced teachers may remember the jargon as I'm sure they may have gone through the same experience. During those first few years I did not rush out and buy a house, have kids, or encumber debts that forced me to live from check to check. The certainty of employment was not there. Now I and others in my age group who are looking at retirement are asked to make sacrifices for the greater good.
I have been involved in negotiating the last five contracts, handled and filed grievances, served on the Board of Directors, served as a faculty representative, spoken up and been retaliated against by a principal who lied through her teeth because of my union involvement, worked on PIMS committees, NBEA and MTA sub committees, voted for and against raising dues, stood on the stage at NBHS and defended a recommended contract that was not popular at the time. I did not do these things alone. They were done in conjuction with the president and other colleagues who volunteered their time for the sake of the NBEA. During the years that all of this was going on I don't remember meeting a Harry Dinkle. It makes me wonder what, besides paying dues, was the contribution of on Harry L. Dinkle?????????
Mr. Dinkle, you are one scary dude.
Guys like Dinkle are the reason why we need a paper ballot.
Mr. Dinkle;
I've never been one to tolerate bullies; your attitude is embarrassing to this profession.
Barbara A. Conlon
I can not believe that someone is so put out about attending a meeting. Are you serious? It is your duty and your right as a union member. Don't complain when
things don't go your way!!!!!!!
paper ballots. I don't want dirty harry to know how I vote.
Mr. Dinkle, BRAVO!!!! You know how to make a speech and your writing skills are fabulous! I think a Pulitzer Prize should be awarded! Perhaps a standing ovation for your thoughts at our meeting? Or maybe a moment of silence for the teachers who will be "quietly marked for the remainder of your tenure with us."
I find you arrogant and insulting. You are an embarrassment to the teacher profession and an embarrassment to the NBEA, What gives you the right to make idle threats to your COLLEAGUES? That's right your COLLEAGUES! We are all educated hard working people with differing points of view. That's what makes this country great! Your bullying tactics are not appreciated. Perhaps a class on anti-bullying would be appropriate for you! I just hope you are not the teacher that I have to collaborate with next year! Good Luck to whomever that person is!!!!!
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