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Some good sentiments from Dr. Bonneau, but the rest of the principals dropped the ball. "They are waiting for the NBEA." The principals make a lot more cash than most of us. Where is their leadership? Tom Clark and the mayor exposed their faulty logic.
As for us, we have to do something as well. It might be best to take a middle course and give up 2 or 3 days. These could be the 2 professional development days during the school year and 1 of the days that we work before the students report. Do we really need to have grades 6 and 9 come for a full day on September 7? That could be our third day.
There is $10 Billion of Emergency Education Funding pending in Congress. And Massachusetts is a finalist for RTTT funding. Money is coming...don't give in and break the contract. If you do it once the contract will never be honored in the future.
I am tired of the Standard Times criticizing the teacher's union at every turn. Their bias is obvious. There are many proposals to cut costs but the school committee is turning their nose up at most of them. What about closing some of the small schools? How about giving up course reimbursement?
Are Consultant positions critical? GET RID OF THEM! Why are athletic programs remaining untouched? There are still positions such as confidential secretaries and others who could be cut in an effort to cut costs. Why elevate the Equity & Diversity position to Asst. Superintendent which pays much more? All these positions surely have merit but why put are they not seriously being discussed? Without seriously discussing these options and others, I do not think wage freezes and furloughs should be considered.
I am not in favor of a pay freeze. I had over 30 in my class this past year and I got no help from some people whose jobs are being eliminated. What is it exactaly that they do????
I am going to have a huge class again this year, and I am suppose to give up my money to save there jobs, when I receive no help from them, and another thing do I get extra pay afterall I had 31 in my class and some teachers in this system had 15.Where is the fairness there?
I don't think we should take a pay freeze. Eliminate the foolish PD days if we must do something. I am disgusted with the way this "budget crisis" is being dumped on those with direct influence on the young people that must be educated in this community. It is now OUR fault that people may lose their jobs. STOP spending money on things that don't improve the learning conditions for students. What do the $$ gurus do with it? They don't buy new furniture(same desks for over 20 years(at least)...same technology/refurbished computers for years.....pathetic copy machines/wiring capabilities....etc...
If teachers are expected to take a pay freeze, that should also extend to the adminstration. Superintendent of Diveristy? Teachers do that every day! What a joke that position has become! Teachers, as some Einstein mentioned should sacrifice too-we sacrifice everyday when we have 30 plus kids in a class with no help from certain departments, that WE have to deal with not the people who sit the air conditioned offices and are soooooooooooo far removed from reality!
I really hope the union agrees to the freeze. It's the right thing to do in these times. To insist on a raise when unemployment is in the double digits and layoffs are widespread shows a huge disconnect with the world at large. NO ONE is getting raises right now-- we work incredibly hard, but so do many others in many other professions and many other industries-- my fiancee included- have taken pay cuts in order to keep their jobs.
Refusing to concede to a pay freeze is going to do NOTHING to work against the image of the union as a self-serving bunch. This will not help us when we go to negotiate the next contract. This is so short-sighted!
Young Teacher-you are angry at the wrong people....of course we think you are worth $20 a week....we just don't think it should be taken from the wrong place! Anonymous-we are not disconnected from the real world, what we are paid to do is educate our young people so that they won't have to take government hand-outs because they don't have marketable skills. That is one of the main reasons for people needing unemployment checks or government assistance. Your fiancee may be able to leave her place of work during the day, or take a little rest or a lunch w/o a problem, she may get flex time, she may use a decent bathroom, etc....WE ARE AT WORK ALL DAY many days w/o breaks or even a real lunch 1/2 hour because there is NO Coverage! We NEED to KNOW our worth and fight for what we deserve.
While I was glad the SC put the principals on the spot, I am displeased with their decision regarding the Assistant Superintendent for Equity. This position is a luxury we cannot afford right now. The committee is pandering to those that played the race card when Dr. Bonner got the boot. If we really need another assistant, give him/her a more meaningful role.
After reading these blogs and attending the last few school committee meetings I feel the need to clarify something. It is only my personal understanding- if the union agrees to a pay freeze, it will not bring back any positions cut before the meeting held on July 12th. The savings from the union agreeing to a pay freeze will only prevent 55 MORE positions from elimination.
As a member on Step 12-B30/M the difference in my gross pay will be $27.38 per week. While I realize that everyone's financial situation may not be the same as mine, I do believe that in this economy we need to be realistic.
If we refuse this pay freeze we will have to do more with less. We will be hurting ourselves, our colleagues and our students.
I do agree that teachers should not be the only ones to take this pay freeze. I feel everyone from the superintendent/assistant superintendents/directors/ principals and all union and nonunion personnel should agree to this pay freeze with us. The DOE requires 180 days. We could go back to a 181 day work year, 180 instructional days + 1 day for prep before the students begin. The other 3 Professional Development Days could be done in 6half days like most of the neighboring communities do it, and we've cut down our days in return for our salary freeze.
This is a time for our union to stand firm together, not a time to pit veteran teachers against newcomers and "my job is more necessary than your job" types of comments have no place here.
Every member of the NBPS has a job to do that enhances the lives of our students in one way or another.
This is directed to the attention of the elementary classroom teachers. At the conclusion of the school committee meeting 7-12-10, it is the opinion of the school committee that if the NBEA does not support the pay freeze initiative, 112 teachers are slated to be cut. As a teacher with many years in this district, I can attest that past history will show that the elementary level will shoulder the bulk of these cuts. You have witnessed the beginning of that by the elimination of all math and literacy coaches. Past history has also shown the propensity of the administration and school committee to use a hatchet rather than a scalpel to implement these cuts. Having said that, expect the possible elimination of all art, music, and physical education. Consider as already discussed, larger class sizes without any planning time. A decrease or elimination of planning time is not a concern shared by our secondary level colleagues. You decide- a few extra dollars in your pocket or your sanity. Support a pay freeze.
You do not need to throw away the contract in order to give in with a pay freeze. There are so many possible sources of income that will be funneled into the system. The link to John Kerry's website-> http://kerry.senate.gov/press/release/?id=07430099-0390-4caa-b2f0-184fc219a04a was one example of new money coming. Race to the Top is also a possibility. And there is $10 billion pending in Congress as we speak. Every year we get all of these threats and money always finds its way to the schools. Every year new positions are created with no real purpose or role. I don't want to single out any specific positions but we all are well aware of SEVERAL that have absolutely no impact on the day-to-day aspects of school. They do not perform direct services; i.e. they do not have students. Some classes have so few students in the district that teachers are given "duty" periods in order to bulk up the size of the classes that are in session. A new Assistant Superintendent for Equity and Diversity...give me a break; this could not be any more see through...this is a band-aid for the Bonner flap. Read everything, there are other options...potential savings in transportation negotiations...the elimination of professional development days. Maybe this can be a year where we don't waste thousands of dollars flying in some motivational speaker to pump us up.
This is directed to step 12 B/30 with many years, do you have a huge master's loan on your back or did you just take a course here or there? It's amazing that you make the same money as some teachers who have this monkey on their backs! Maybe we should consider this to balance out the budget.
To anonymous who attacked B30/M you obviously missed my entire point. I have 26 years experience so no, I don't have personal student loans. What I do have is a mortgage, and two children in college for which I receive absolutely no help-all on the money we've saved because putting them through school is a priority for us. You got where you are doing what you needed to do to get there. That's why my comment stated that I know everyone's situation is different. I CAN and AM WILLING TO give up $27.83 a week to keep a colleague. (What happens to the laid off colleague with the huge student loans?) Let's stop fighting amongst ourselves, look at the big picture, keep colleagues off the unemployment ranks, lower class sizes and do the right thing for everyone.
To b/30, I also have 3 children in college, with my huge student loan and my childrens. I am more than willing to give up a step raise this year to save others. I also have a big mortgage plus 4 loans.
I think it is so important that as many people possible write their opinion on this blog. We need a place to discuss, share ideas and give our opinions. We are all in different places when it comes to money. Some teachers might no be able give up that $20-$30 dollars a week because of their financial obligations and others might. Only YOU know what you can afford and what you can not. I know many teachers whose partners have been laid off and other teachers whose spouses are getting over time at their jobs. Some teachers in our school district are working two jobs just so they can keep their home and raise their children.
So lets work together and share our thoughts with respect and dignity!
Cut out all the wasted paper. Go technological -- emailing. There were days when I would get multiple photo copies of the same useless material. Think about how much money would be saved in the ink department alone! All of the schools multiplied by the number of teachers , administrators, etc. That's literally thousands of copies per item, then multiply this number times 180 days. I bet if someone actually sat down and did the math that this line item alone would save 20 positions at the very least. We have have to trash or recycle tons of this paper weekly. We could be a little creative here New Bedford and have families pay for some school supplies too. If they have money for multiple phones and new sneakers then they can support their children's education. I have seen and heard enough. Don't ask teachers to give up any more than they do already. Someone else has to step in!
Unfortunately the decision we as a union make isn't going to make everyone happy. That being said, what we need to remember is that everyone has different fiscal responsibilities. In a perfect world this wouldn't be happening, but as you can see it isn't perfect. It is a difficult time for a lot of people. The one thing we need to remember is that there are strengths in numbers. We need to demand to know what positions will be cut, what positions would be saved, and how OUR money will be spent. We need this in writing! (somehow binding would be great) We should not make any decisions until we have all of the information. They need to come up with a plan. Until we see what the plan is, how can we make an educated decision? If we ran our classrooms the way they are running the school system none of us would have jobs! Don't trust them. The info that they given at the last four meetings continues to change. Attend the school committee meetings and see for yourself!
I agree with having the parents chip for their children's educational cost. Alot of parents in this area feel entitled, the students mirror their opinions-a lousy work ethic. The teachers give enough of their time and money. The parents should also be held accountable. After all, these parents gave birth to their children.
Another major expense incurred by the school department is the money used to educate the children of illegal immigrants. Many of these children require special education and bilingual services. We are spending big bucks on people that are breaking the law. Unfortunately, the school department has to educate them because of the Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe. Maybe we should be working with ICE to deport the illegals.
"Refusing to concede to a pay freeze is going to do NOTHING to work against the image of the union as a self-serving bunch. This will not help us when we go to negotiate the next contract. This is so short-sighted!: To Anonymous: You are right, it will do nothing for our image. But what is our image? We are always put down in the paper and the press. Our own School committee disrespect us. We have to stand firm. We DONT have all the FACTS. Our PR committee needs to state that very clearly. They also need to state that teachers sacrifice daily for the students in their classroom. We do not need to concede to this right now. I think we should take a wait and see approach. Why should we rush into this decision? Because the mayor says so??????
"I'm just sorry to see the mayor take this action to balance the budget on the backs of people who work very hard for the city and are dedicated to the city."
25 comments:
Some good sentiments from Dr. Bonneau, but the rest of the principals dropped the ball. "They are waiting for the NBEA." The principals make a lot more cash than most of us. Where is their leadership? Tom Clark and the mayor exposed their faulty logic.
As for us, we have to do something as well. It might be best to take a middle course and give up 2 or 3 days. These could be the 2 professional development days during the school year and 1 of the days that we work before the students report. Do we really need to have grades 6 and 9 come for a full day on September 7? That could be our third day.
There is $10 Billion of Emergency Education Funding pending in Congress. And Massachusetts is a finalist for RTTT funding. Money is coming...don't give in and break the contract. If you do it once the contract will never be honored in the future.
I am tired of the Standard Times criticizing the teacher's union at every turn. Their bias is obvious. There are many proposals to cut costs but the school committee is turning their nose up at most of them. What about closing some of the small schools? How about giving up course reimbursement?
Are Consultant positions critical? GET RID OF THEM! Why are athletic programs remaining untouched?
There are still positions such as confidential secretaries and others who could be cut in an effort to cut costs. Why elevate the Equity & Diversity position to Asst. Superintendent which pays much more? All these positions surely have merit but why put are they not seriously being discussed? Without seriously discussing these options and others, I do not think wage freezes and furloughs should be considered.
I am not in favor of a pay freeze. I had over 30 in my class this past year and I got no help from some people whose jobs are being eliminated. What is it exactaly that they do????
I am going to have a huge class again this year, and I am suppose to give up my money to save there jobs, when I receive no help from them, and another thing do I get extra pay afterall I had 31 in my class and some teachers in this system had 15.Where is the fairness there?
I don't think we should take a pay freeze. Eliminate the foolish PD days if we must do something. I am disgusted with the way this "budget crisis" is being dumped on those with direct influence on the young people that must be educated in this community. It is now OUR fault that people may lose their jobs. STOP spending money on things that don't improve the learning conditions for students. What do the $$ gurus do with it?
They don't buy new furniture(same desks for over 20 years(at least)...same technology/refurbished computers for years.....pathetic copy machines/wiring capabilities....etc...
If teachers are expected to take a pay freeze, that should also extend to the adminstration. Superintendent of Diveristy? Teachers do that every day! What a joke that position has become! Teachers, as some Einstein mentioned should sacrifice too-we sacrifice everyday when we have 30 plus kids in a class with no help from certain departments, that WE have to deal with not the people who sit the air conditioned offices and are soooooooooooo far removed from reality!
I am a young teacher and it makes me very sad to read that my job is not worth $20 or so a week to my colleagues. Ouch.
I really hope the union agrees to the freeze. It's the right thing to do in these times. To insist on a raise when unemployment is in the double digits and layoffs are widespread shows a huge disconnect with the world at large. NO ONE is getting raises right now-- we work incredibly hard, but so do many others in many other professions and many other industries-- my fiancee included- have taken pay cuts in order to keep their jobs.
Refusing to concede to a pay freeze is going to do NOTHING to work against the image of the union as a self-serving bunch. This will not help us when we go to negotiate the next contract. This is so short-sighted!
Young Teacher-you are angry at the wrong people....of course we think you are worth $20 a week....we just don't think it should be taken from the wrong place! Anonymous-we are not disconnected from the real world, what we are paid to do is educate our young people so that they won't have to take government hand-outs because they don't have marketable skills. That is one of the main reasons for people needing unemployment checks or government assistance. Your fiancee may be able to leave her place of work during the day, or take a little rest or a lunch w/o a problem, she may get flex time, she may use a decent bathroom, etc....WE ARE AT WORK ALL DAY many days w/o breaks or even a real lunch 1/2 hour because there is NO Coverage!
We NEED to KNOW our worth and fight for what we deserve.
While I was glad the SC put the principals on the spot, I am displeased with their decision regarding the Assistant Superintendent for Equity. This position is a luxury we cannot afford right now. The committee is pandering to those that played the race card when Dr. Bonner got the boot. If we really need another assistant, give him/her a more meaningful role.
Do we get some of this money? http://kerry.senate.gov/press/release/?id=07430099-0390-4caa-b2f0-184fc219a04a
After reading these blogs and attending the last few school committee meetings I feel the need to clarify something. It is only my personal understanding- if the union agrees to a pay freeze, it will not bring back any positions cut before the meeting held on July 12th. The savings from the union agreeing to a pay freeze will only prevent 55 MORE positions from elimination.
As a member on Step 12-B30/M the difference in my gross pay will be $27.38 per week. While I realize that everyone's financial situation may not be the same as mine, I do believe that in this economy we need to be realistic.
If we refuse this pay freeze we will have to do more with less. We will be hurting ourselves, our colleagues and our students.
I do agree that teachers should not be the only ones to take this pay freeze. I feel everyone from the superintendent/assistant superintendents/directors/
principals and all union and nonunion personnel should agree to this pay freeze with us. The DOE requires 180 days. We could go back to a 181 day work year, 180 instructional days + 1 day for prep before the students begin. The other 3 Professional Development Days could be done in 6half days like most of the neighboring communities do it, and we've cut down our days in return for our salary freeze.
This is a time for our union to stand firm together, not a time to pit veteran teachers against newcomers and "my job is more necessary than your job" types of comments have no place here.
Every member of the NBPS has a job to do that enhances the lives of our students in one way or another.
Let's do what's right for EVERYONE!
This is directed to the attention of the elementary classroom teachers. At the conclusion of the school committee meeting 7-12-10, it is the opinion of the school committee that if the NBEA does not support the pay freeze initiative, 112 teachers are slated to be cut. As a teacher with many years in this district, I can attest that past history will show that the elementary level will shoulder the bulk of these cuts. You have witnessed the beginning of that by the elimination of all math and literacy coaches. Past history has also shown the propensity of the administration and school committee to use a hatchet rather than a scalpel to implement these cuts. Having said that, expect the possible elimination of all art, music, and physical education. Consider as already discussed, larger class sizes without any planning time. A decrease or elimination of planning time is not a concern shared by our secondary level colleagues. You decide- a few extra dollars in your pocket or your sanity. Support a pay freeze.
You do not need to throw away the contract in order to give in with a pay freeze. There are so many possible sources of income that will be funneled into the system. The link to John Kerry's website-> http://kerry.senate.gov/press/release/?id=07430099-0390-4caa-b2f0-184fc219a04a was one example of new money coming. Race to the Top is also a possibility. And there is $10 billion pending in Congress as we speak. Every year we get all of these threats and money always finds its way to the schools. Every year new positions are created with no real purpose or role. I don't want to single out any specific positions but we all are well aware of SEVERAL that have absolutely no impact on the day-to-day aspects of school. They do not perform direct services; i.e. they do not have students. Some classes have so few students in the district that teachers are given "duty" periods in order to bulk up the size of the classes that are in session. A new Assistant Superintendent for Equity and Diversity...give me a break; this could not be any more see through...this is a band-aid for the Bonner flap. Read everything, there are other options...potential savings in transportation negotiations...the elimination of professional development days. Maybe this can be a year where we don't waste thousands of dollars flying in some motivational speaker to pump us up.
This is directed to step 12 B/30 with many years, do you have a huge master's loan on your back or did you just take a course here or there? It's amazing that you make the same money as some teachers who have this monkey on their backs! Maybe we should consider this to balance out the budget.
To anonymous who attacked B30/M you obviously missed my entire point. I have 26 years experience so no, I don't have personal student loans. What I do have is a mortgage, and two children in college for which I receive absolutely no help-all on the money we've saved because putting them through school is a priority for us. You got where you are doing what you needed to do to get there. That's why my comment stated that I know everyone's situation is different. I CAN and AM WILLING TO give up $27.83 a week to keep a colleague. (What happens to the laid off colleague with the huge student loans?)
Let's stop fighting amongst ourselves, look at the big picture, keep colleagues off the unemployment ranks, lower class sizes and do the right thing for everyone.
To b/30,
I also have 3 children in college, with my huge student loan and my childrens. I am more than willing to give up a step raise this year to save others. I also have a big mortgage plus 4 loans.
Just My Opinion..
I think it is so important that as many people possible write their opinion on this blog. We need a place to discuss, share ideas and give our opinions. We are all in different places when it comes to money. Some teachers might no be able give up that $20-$30 dollars a week because of their financial obligations and others might. Only YOU know what you can afford and what you can not. I know many teachers whose partners have been laid off and other teachers whose spouses are getting over time at their jobs. Some teachers in our school district are working two jobs just so they can keep their home and raise their children.
So lets work together and share our thoughts with respect and dignity!
LET THIS ISSUE BRING US TOGETHER!
1200 members. 1200 opinions. I don't envy you, lou.
Cut out all the wasted paper. Go technological -- emailing. There were days when I would get multiple photo copies of the same useless material. Think about how much money would be saved in the ink department alone! All of the schools multiplied by the number of teachers , administrators, etc. That's literally thousands of copies per item, then multiply this number times 180 days. I bet if someone actually sat down and did the math that this line item alone would save 20 positions at the very least. We have have to trash or recycle tons of this paper weekly. We could be a little creative here New Bedford and have families pay for some school supplies too. If they have money for multiple phones and new sneakers then they can support their children's education. I have seen and heard enough. Don't ask teachers to give up any more than they do already. Someone else has to step in!
Unfortunately the decision we as a union make isn't going to make everyone happy. That being said, what we need to remember is that everyone has different fiscal responsibilities. In a perfect world this wouldn't be happening, but as you can see it isn't perfect. It is a difficult time for a lot of people.
The one thing we need to remember is that there are strengths in numbers. We need to demand to know what positions will be cut, what positions would be saved, and how OUR money will be spent. We need this in writing! (somehow binding would be great) We should not make any decisions until we have all of the information.
They need to come up with a plan. Until we see what the plan is, how can we make an educated decision?
If we ran our classrooms the way they are running the school system none of us would have jobs!
Don't trust them. The info that they given at the last four meetings continues to change. Attend the school committee meetings and see for yourself!
I agree with having the parents chip for their children's educational cost. Alot of parents in this area feel entitled, the students mirror their opinions-a lousy work ethic. The teachers give enough of their time and money. The parents should also be held accountable. After all, these parents gave birth to their children.
Another major expense incurred by the school department is the money used to educate the children of illegal immigrants.
Many of these children require special education and bilingual services.
We are spending big bucks on people that are breaking the law. Unfortunately, the school department has to educate them because of the Supreme Court ruling in Plyler v. Doe.
Maybe we should be working with ICE to deport the illegals.
"Refusing to concede to a pay freeze is going to do NOTHING to work against the image of the union as a self-serving bunch. This will not help us when we go to negotiate the next contract. This is so short-sighted!:
To Anonymous: You are right, it will do nothing for our image. But what is our image? We are always put down in the paper and the press. Our own School committee disrespect us.
We have to stand firm. We DONT have all the FACTS. Our PR committee needs to state that very clearly. They also need to state that teachers sacrifice daily for the students in their classroom.
We do not need to concede to this right now. I think we should take a wait and see approach. Why should we rush into this decision? Because the mayor says so??????
"I'm just sorry to see the mayor take this action to balance the budget on the backs of people who work very hard for the city and are dedicated to the city."
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