What are you willing to do?

“To teach is to touch a life forever”, or so the saying goes. We became teachers because we wanted to effect change in the lives of the students we encounter.  We work together, cooperatively, towards a common goal of benefiting our students, so they in turn will become productive members of society.  Our hope is that the next generation is more successful than the last, because we know that this will benefit the whole.  Now look at the definition of a union- “the act of joining together people or things to form a whole”.  There is no coincidence, this is what we are, what we believe.

The NBEA is under attack and has been for quite some time. There are “factions” out there who wish to divide us.  Any political or military leader will tell you the best way to win the war is to divide and conquer.  This is exactly what the Education Roundtable and United Interfaith Action political groups are doing.  Though, we have learned to fight back, some actions by these factions are more covert.  The Education Roundtable attacked the New Bedford Public Schools- particularly the teachers, publicly.  They were quite opinionated on how they believed the schools to be failing, the children to be suffering and it was all the “teachers and their union’s fault”.  We found holes in their arguments and fought back- fought them into silence, or so we thought.  The United Interfaith Action has been more covert in their attack.  They have endorsed political candidates, seduced the faithful into purporting their agenda, and promoted Innovation Schools without regard for the input of the educators of New Bedford.

Marlene Pollock and Jack Livramento, both members of the School Committee AND the UIA, are pushing this agenda of Innovation Schools.  They state they are going to give teachers more of a say in their buildings; they state it will not cost the district anything; they state it will benefit the children of New Bedford Public Schools; they state teachers will maintain their collective bargaining rights; and they state that no teachers will be laid off because of displacement from these schools.  Have they read the prospectuses of either of these schools?   The authors of these documents have circumvented the Massachusetts General Law on Innovation Schools by selecting to be “New” schools rather than “Conversion” schools.  If a section of an existing school is being used to house an Innovation school, isn't that “conversion”?  To be a “new” school, we would think it would have to be in a separate building.  By selecting the “new” status, they have arbitrarily denied the teachers within those schools the right to vote on what they want.  Aren't the teachers working in those buildings “in the know” or the experts on what would work?  Why are they not being listened to?  

The prospectus states that class size has been determined at 15 students per class, but Mrs. Pollock and Mr. Livramento have denied that claim publicly.  Read the prospectus and then ask where those displaced students would go- into the already overburdened classes.  These “faction-istas” will also state that it will cost the District nothing.  Their budgets come directly off the top of the New Bedford Public Schools budget- approximately $3 million in the first year.  Their budgets will be secure and maintained.  The rest of the district will have to spread its financial resources even thinner while trying to provide a quality education.  Plus, if the proposal goes through, in order to provide space for these classes, some teachers may be displaced to other schools, if positions are available.  

Under the agreements within the prospectus, the principal of the school would have autonomy over areas such as curriculum, budget, schedule and calendar, staffing policies and procedures, district policies and procedures and professional development.  Does this sound like the maintenance of collective bargaining rights?  Or even accountability by the district who is forfeiting these funds?  Check out who the UIA is affiliated with- the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Walton Family Foundation- in particular, both of which are known to fund union-busting initiatives across the nation.  Then look up the definition of faction- Pollack and Livramento, the creators of “dissension within a group”. They were elected to represent the New Bedford Public Schools best interests and all they are doing is trying to favor a select few while destroying the rest.

What is best for everyone?  We all would love smaller class sizes, better technology, supplies, more planning and professional development.  All New Bedford Public Schools students would greatly benefit from additional unified arts and more focused areas of instruction for our ELL and Special Education students.  The reality is we have these issues district wide.  There are pockets of success within our district without “Innovation”.  As the saying goes “don’t reinvent the wheel”- look at Swift and Pacheco schools.  Model what they did in other elementary schools.  Check out the success the Technology Academy has had at New Bedford High School.  Create other academies within the high school and within the parameters of the current contract and schedule.  There are many experts at all levels of education within our own district- why not listen to the people who are right now “walking the walk”?

Back to the opening statement- What are you willing to do? Would you be willing to go to school committee meetings? Would you be willing to write a letter to the editor of the Standard Times? Would you be willing to hold a sign and picket the mayor, or other members of the school committee? Would you be willing to stand up to the UIA political group and refuse to do home visits?  Unions were created to fight for better working conditions, better wages, and ensuring safety and protection from discrimination in the workplace.  Early in United States history, unions learned that there is power in numbers.  The same holds true today.  We hold power to instill change if we are united.  What are you willing to do?

Kady Plante-Szady

NBEA Unit A Vice President / Grievance Chair

Health Educator, New Bedford High School