August 18, 2011
Dear Mr. St. John, NBEA Board, and Teachers of New Bedford,
Our intentions have always been to work in collaboration with the NBEA and the School District to improve the education of all students. The vision of UIA, drawn from our faith values and the stories of our congregants, is one of academic success and opportunity for all.
We are dismayed by the misunderstanding and tensions between United Interfaith Action and the NBEA. We want to address the mixed messages that you feel you are receiving from UIA. We have done a great deal of research by speaking with different individuals and groups who have diverse opinions based on their experiences. UIA listens and discerns what is compatible with its own philosophy and values.
Some of these remarks from these conversations were noted in an internal email that regrettably was made public without explanation of their purpose and meaning. We want to make clear that the statements that you refer to were
not made by UIA members. These statements were made by other individuals, as individuals, not as statements from any group. Furthermore, they are our interpretations of the statements of others, and do not necessarily represent their
opinions accurately.
As we have stated, UIA strongly believes in the rights of teachers to collectively bargain, and supports the work of the NBEA. We cannot ignore the challenges in the New Bedford school system, but we do not believe that attacks that
blame the union, teachers, administrators or parents are productive. We believe teachers should be supported, and thatthey will be the core of any improvement in the New Bedford schools.
We welcome the input of teachers and NBEA leadership, and we are always willing to meet and discuss how we can collaborate and move forward as we did with the Parent Teacher Home Visit Project. Once again, we extend the
invitation to you to join the conversation regarding how our school district can move forward with Small Autonomous Schools to fulfill our collective obligation to our children and our future.
Sincerely,
United Interfaith Action Board
Jack Livramento, UIA Board President
Our Lady of the Assumption, New Bedford
Marian (Toosie) Margolis, Treasurer
United Parish Church of Christ, Fall River
Rev. Donald Mier, UIA Board Secretary
First Baptist Church, Fall River
Sr. Marianna Sylvester, UIA Board
Our Lady of the Assumption, New Bedford
2 comments:
BS
I agree with the last post. Their response was a pile of s**t.
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