Thank you to all the members who came to Woodbury on Monday and Tuesday to call our fellow NYSUT members and remind them how important it is to get out and vote in support of the school budget. A special thank you to Geisha Kwiatkowski and
our colleagues at MAP who completed the entire bulk mailing campaign. Remember to vote next TUESDAY, MAY 19th! In solidarity, Heather Castellano Political Action / VOTE COPE Mark Steinberg President NYSUT Board Information from President Magee - NYSUT applauds Assembly APPR reform legislation5/14/2015
We are very proud to announce that Lynbrook resident and RVCTA member Lesli Deninno is running for Lynbrook's =Board of Education. Three positions are open, with five running. Please support Lesli in this election by spreading the word to family and friends.
In unity, Viri Pettersen, RVCTA Thank you to Stu Stein and Henry Dircks (Mepham) for directing me to this news article in Capital NY.
Mark Click on the link below: http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/05/8567311/education-chairs-propose-significant-policy-changes# TO: Local Presidents
FROM: Matt Jacobs, Regional Staff Dir. DATE: May 5, 2015 RE: Request from Regent Tilles Jim Kinnier, president of the Teachers Association of Sag Harbor, asked us to transmit the following message to all local presidents: I spoke with Roger Tilles yesterday regarding another matter, and at the end he asked if this would be communicated to all Presidents and then, in turn, to all their members. We were asked to communicate to him our thanks for how he has stood up for public education. Although he very much appreciates the expression of goodwill, the response has been overwhelming. He replies to all his communication and does not have a secretary. He has heard our message of appreciation and is politely asking us to refrain from sending these messages. Please pass this message on to your members. He described all that he is doing on behalf of public education and it's very impressive. The high opinion we have of him is more than deserved. "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!" Blurb: Believe it or not, the fight for public education continues! Several LI teacher union locals and parent Opt Out groups have coordinated a series of pickets and rallies outside the offices of Senators who voted "Yes" on Governor Cuomo's teacher-bashing budget. Senator Tom Croci, called out by screaming picketers at the NY State office building in Hauppauge, responded with a (pathetic) video explanation of his vote. Mepham reps have been participating at each event, while Mike Dolber has come out of retirement (figuratively, of course) to lead the charge. We'd like your help in making the next picket at Senator Flanagan's office a "humdinger!" The picket is on Friday, May 1, from 3:30 to 5:30 at 260 Middle Country Road, Smithtown, NY. Friday morning, I flew to London to deliver our petition to Pearson’s board of directors at their annual shareholder meeting and make sure they understand that spying on students is simply not ok.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with my colleagues from British teachers’ unions, social justice advocates and, most important, parents, we made our voices heard—in the room, outside the building and online. It’s clear that we got their attention. But we’ll need to keep up the pressure to win this fight. Watch the video from inside the shareholder meeting and share the petition demanding that Pearson stop spying on students and open its “test security” practices to full public review with your friends. When I spoke, I asked Pearson for three clear things: 1. Stop spying on what kids say on social media, and immediately disclose the contract language and methods it uses for “test security.” 2. Stop lobbying for more high-stakes testing in the United States and abroad, and end campaign contributions to politicians who advocate for more testing. 3. Stop investing in so-called low-cost private schools in the developing world—schools that exploit the world’s poorest families and often cost more than 30 percent of a family’s income for just one child’s tuition. When Pearson’s CEO responded, he spoke of the company’s desire to have a positive social impact. While he disputed the characterization that Pearson was spying, he said he understood the need to ensure teachers had time to implement new standards before being judged and that tests must be accurate and fair—and not used excessively. Certainly, that doesn’t go far enough, but it’s clear Pearson can no longer completely ignore our concerns. But as my students at Clara Barton High School used to say, you can’t just talk the talk—you have to walk the walk. And step one for Pearson is to stop monitoring our kids, to disclose its contracts and to show us how its “test security” practices work. I hope you’ll watch the video and share the petition. Pearson must be held accountable for more than just shareholder value—it must take responsibility for the people whose lives are affected by its products and policies. It won’t be an easy fight or a short one, but if we stand together, I believe we can hold Pearson accountable. In unity, Randi Weingarten AFT President Joe Netto, MAP Psychologist asked us to forward this to everyone. Please vote for Bellmore-Merrick to win the L.I.Spring Sports Heroes Video Challenge. See below:
I wanted to share this link with you from Team Up 4 Community, a local nonprofit run (in part) by former New York Islander Steve Webb. They award grants to organizations and clubs that focus on athletics. This year they have nominated the One Voice, One Message 5K Run/Walk for one of three grants, and they put together a short YouTube clip that pulled together our pictures of the event. The contest is essentially a voter contest. When you click on the link and scroll down you’ll see the list of nominees. To vote for Bellmore-Merrick, you’ll need to include an email address and then click on the vote button. The polls are open untilApril 30, so if you’d like to share this information out to your building teachers you should do so as early as possible. Here is the link: http://teamup4community.org/li-spring-sports-heroes-video-challenge-open Let me know if you have any trouble viewing the page, or if you have any other questions. Best, Matthew McGevna Account Executive; Syntax (631) 589.4000 ext. 124 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Share Your News<http://fs30.formsite.com/mmcgevna/form1/index.html?1409333103259> New York State Education Department (NYSED) is currently accepting public comment on developing new teacher evaluation standards. It represents the first opportunity to provide your input directly and specifically to NYSED, which you can send by email to: [email protected].
Teacher evaluation should be determined by our local boards of education in collaboration with the collective bargaining unit representing the teachers. New York State's Taylor law gives bargaining units the right to collectively bargain evaluation procedures. This law and the rights it affords employees should be honored. Guidelines from NYSED are fine, but they should not prescribe a one-size-fits-all teacher evaluation system for the entire state. Teachers should be evaluated by what they do in their classrooms. Test scores should not be used to evaluate teachers. Education Update ~ NYS Education Department taking public comment on new teacher evaluation standards ~ Click on the link below. http://www.nysenate.gov/news/education-update-nys-education-department-taking-public-comment-new-teacher-evaluation-standard Attached, please see NYSUT's Position Statement on Recommended Changes to APPR and letter to Merryl Tisch. NYSUT Position Statement on APPR Changes Tisch Letter TO: Local Presidents, RC Presidents,
PAC, and VOTE/COPE FROM: Matt Jacobs, Regional Staff Dir. Jeff Friedman, Regional Political/Organizer DATE: April 22, 2015 RE: Press Conference to Oppose Senator Martins' APPR Bill____ With more than 80,000 students opting out of the Math and ELA state tests on Long Island and more than 200,000 statewide, Albany is desperate to find an easy way out of the hole they’ve dug themselves. The introduction by Sen. Martins of Senate Bill S-4709, entitled “Annual professional performance review plans submitted by the highest performing ten percent of school districts,” is not the solution parents, educators and community members demand. This bill divides our children and school districts into two classes – those that get a free pass and those required to double down on the onerous and misguided system of test and punish. Sen. Martins’ cynical, self-serving approach will only serve to further widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. We emphatically disagree with the approach taken by this “reparative” measure. Those most privileged, high wealth districts, situated in areas that give the most in campaign contributions, will be permitted to give their children the rich, well-rounded, high quality education all children deserve. But in the low wealth, high needs, disadvantaged areas of the state, school districts will be forced to impose still more cuts to instructional programs in order to devote more time to high-stakes testing and the endless hours of test prep that go along with it. As a consequence, districts with the greatest need will have a more difficult time than ever attracting the best teachers. If education is supposed to be the great equalizer this bill takes us in the wrong direction. We are one Long Island and one New York. All our children matter regardless of where they live. We stand firm in declaring high stakes testing damages all children and we are not fooled by Sen. Martins’ transparent attempt to divide us in order to curry favor with donors. We will voice our opposition to this bill at a press conference on the steps of Nassau County Legislative Building 1550 Franklin Ave., Mineola, NY 11501 on Tuesday, April 28th at 4:30 PM We will be joined by community members and allies from NYSAPE, NYCC, AQE and LIPC. Please encourage your members to attend. |
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