Are Teacher Unions Under Attack?

On the state level they are going after our retirement, our health care and our evaluation system.

In New Bedford, the Education Roundtable, led by John Bullard and Carolee S. Matsumoto, are going after our contract. They criticize teachers, New Bedford Public Schools and New Bedford Educators Association.

In Wisconsin, Governor Walker says he not is anti-union or anti-teacher. In New Bedford, John Bullard says, "We are not anti-union. We are certainly not anti-teacher."

We'd like to thank these gentlemen for the clarification.

Please read what the Education Roundtable has been saying about our students teachers and schools in the World Peace Journal. What are your thoughts?


Education Roundtable Members

John Bullard, chairman, Sea Education Association, former mayor of New Bedford - "It’s hard to avoid the message that spending time in our school system is hazardous to one’s education."

Lisa Schmid Alvord, Our Sisters' School

Lee Blake, Center for University School Partnerships, UMass Dartmouth

Tom Davis, Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation, says there "needs to be an annual planning and stewardship process, and right now that doesn't exist" in the schools. Davis, who sits on the roundtable and also serves on the board of the New Bedford Global Learning Charter School, also believes all schools should try to attach assessments and bonuses with tangible achievements like Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores, attendance rates and graduation rates. He said this fall the charter school will apply such provisions through a system of "merit-based evaluations and bonuses."

Global Learning Charter Public School - 2010 Accountability Data

Craig Dutra, Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts
“However, to incentivize improvements, the New Bedford School Department needs to also implement a performance-based compensation and employment system for key personnel. For example, in the schools that are significantly out-performing schools in the other gateway cities on the MCAS tests, the principals, key staff and teachers should receive extra monetary rewards for their successful efforts."

Kate Fentress, The Women's Fund

Stephen Furtado, Global Learning Charter Public School
Percent of Students at Each Performance Level for Global Learning Charter Public School

Nancy Harding, Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts

Daniel Lesser, United Interfaith Action
Letter Written by James Blair: UIA more interested in left-wing politics than faith

The Rev. David A. Lima, Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford

Jim Mathes, SMILES
“The last-in, first-out approach to staffing, said Jim Mathes, who serves on the roundtable and is executive director of the SMILES Mentoring Inc. in the city, "is something that should be discussed" during the negotiations for the next contract.”

Carolee Matsumoto, educational consultant
“The union contract contains several areas that deserve scrutiny, with the most critical area for renegotiation being the NBEA seniority and tenure agreements.” If its education is ever to rise above mediocrity, or worse, New Bedford has to pay specific attention to the teachers’ union contract provisions that have historically prevented change and supported obstructionist behaviors against any attempts to focus on what is best for our students.”

Denise Porche, Island Foundation

Bruce Rose, NAACP/UMass Dartmouth

Sister Marianna Sylvester, United Interfaith Action
Letter Written by James Blair: UIA more interested in left-wing politics than faith

Paul Vigeant, SouthCoast Development Partnership, UMass Dartmouth
"How do you balance seniority rights with financial stresses?"