President's Report
UFT President Michael Mulgrew started by thanking chapter leaders as over 1100 did survey on professional development. We're not supported on ESL and special ed. Most schools have PD committees. 2/3 have meaningful PD. Only 12% blame superintendents for mandating PD. Loudest is not always majority. Still frustrated with DOE.
National
Can't accept hate as rationale for violence. Expecting Senate to pass new bill on Healthcare before July 4 break. Guy occupying white house likes senate bill. Working on senators in certain states.
DeVos (we want her to talk in public) says again it is up to states to recognize civil rights. She does not understand federal civil rights.
Janus case fast tracking to US Supreme Court. Could have decision early next year making US a right to work country.
State
Mayoral control of NYC schoolsis expires in June in Albany. Mulgrew won't trade anything for mayoral control including having more charter schools.
Don't want to go back to 40 school boards. Want some form of mayoral control. Self government issues in Albany. Assembly usually gives local governments local control issues. Mulgrew says it is load of crap to tie school governance to expanding charter schools. NYC only local government that has to pay for local issues. Speaker of Assembly won't pass anything on local controls anywhere in NYS until NYC'S local issues are settled. Big fight in Albany over mayoral control. It will get ugly. 40 school board elections next May if nothing passes.
Down from 3 days to 2 days of testing next year for math and ELA state tests. Board of Regents looking for better standards on ELL'S and special ed.
CTLE: DOE approved vendor. UFT having more training this summer. One more day to enroll in catastrophic insurance. 8,000 UFT members signed up.
ATR Severance Package
Negotiating for a year and a half. Mulgrew mentioned a number 962 and then 1100 in atr pool. Should see significant changes in a reduced ATR pool. Severance not pensionable but still get retro if an ATR retires.
Protest against superintendent
Skirmishes with administators but school system is going in the right direction. Won public battles against principals. Picket superintendents. Want supportive, respectful environment. Superintendents must do jobs to create respectful schools. Have data on grievances and discontinuances. Brooklyn superintendent has bad record. Superintendent wants to talk to borough rep. Meeting went horrible.
UFT brought it up to Farina. Liz, Borough rep, had meeting with superintendent and chancellor and we got everything. 2 schools have advisory committees. Tenure decisions often based on whether or not superintendents like principals. Since we got what we asked for, no picket tomorrow.
City
We did very well with the City Council. Our priorities were funded. Teacher's Choice up. It might be over $200 per teacher. We have to see how many teachers there are next year to figure out the exact number per teacher.
Overall we had good year after November 8 election. 93% paperwork complaints resolved in our favor. 80% APPR complaints successful. Highest graduation rate ever. Next year we have to battle constitutional convention and Janus. Thanks us for work for this year.
Staff Director's Report
Leroy Barr gave some dates including tomorrow being the deadline to apply for catastrophic health insurance.
Question: Four teachers excessed in my school. Why not lower class sizes to keep jobs? Principal said too many higher priced teachers
Mulgrew Answer: Class size is on the table. We will check on budget at that school. Teachers embracing mobility. Need a different setup for mobility. City population changing. Deal with people moving to various neighborhoods. Subject for contract negotiations.
Q Summativeconferences. Some have not gotten proper amount of observations.
A Document it. Matrix is our friend. Must use contractual tools available. Get info to right people (DRs).
Q If we lose Janus, what happens?
A It depends on decision. Does everyone have to join union? Or, are only agency fee payers out? Very troubling.
Q Staff members getting developing and are unhappy. What are we doing?
A Problem in district 3. Some teachers put in impossible situations. Many different grade levels in one ESL class.
New motions
I raised a MORE resolution on the DA voting on ATR agreement. Believe it or not, it did not pass.
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| That's me with the mic and Arthur Goldstein sitting to my left writing his minutes of the meeting. |
Special Orders of Business
Political endosements. City council endorsements. Paul Egan motivated them.
Jonathan Halabi spoke against endorsing Fernando Cabrera for City Council in the Bronx. Said he does not share our values. Cabrera is a homophobe. He is not with us.
Marjorie Stamberg said we have to vote on class. Must have a working class party.
UFT HS rep said Cabrera not a homophobe. Was an 18 year guidance counselor. Endorsements carried
Contingency endorsement passed.
Resolution to show solidarity with Puerto Rico teachers union.
Peter Lamphere tried to amend it to include Federation of Maestro de Puerto Rico. He wants them included.
Leroy Barr spoke against supporting FMPR. AFT brought this to us. Union came to us through AFT. FMPR cannot bargain on behalf of teachers. Resolution violates our process. AMPR is the official union. FMPR disaffiliated with AFT.
Amendment failed. Original resolution passed.
Mulgrew wished us a great summer.
James, what you wrote is incorrect. You only get retro if you are retiring and take severance package, everybody else would be considered resignation and would therefore forfeit retro. If you lack the age and/or years you lose all retro.
ReplyDeleteI just write what he says. I added your piece for clarification.
ReplyDeleteJust the same nonsense with no action.
ReplyDeleteHe's sadly mistaken if he thinks a significant number of ATRs are taking the peanuts.
ReplyDeleteEven if only one ATRs takes the deal it will be touted as a major victory by the UFT.
DeleteEverything is wonderful. It was a great year after the election. That's the spin.
ReplyDeleteMy principal also complaining about high teacher salaries
ReplyDeleteAre principals allowed to openly complain about high salaries because higher salaries are directly related to an older workforce? Since all salaries are lock step, you can make this relationship. I always found this offensive. The only thing that constitutes age discrimination is that someone must say you are too OLD for the job and they must use the words too old. It seems to me that anything else which is equally as damaging and policies that discriminate against older workers are quite alright.
DeleteAge discrimination also includes using punitive measure to target older employees because of high salaries. I read it on EEOC. Have to prove ATR pool is punitive, shouldn't be difficult because it is used as a punishment for those getting through a 3020a, and metted out for everyone else that was excessed and not picked up because of higher salaries that penalize schools via individual school budgets that were once centralized. Another example of a discriminatory practice. You can file individually with the EEOC and it doesn't cost anything. Then you can get a lawyer to sue the City and include your legal costs. I'm not taking the 50K, I'm sueing.
DeleteIt is just about discriminatory policies. I hope there is class action lawsuit against all these crooks.
ReplyDeleteWhat PD survey?
ReplyDeleteI'll take 40 school board elections in which people get to vote over deBlasio's abdication of school control to Farina.
ReplyDeleteMulgrew has got to be getting kickbacks from mayor.
ReplyDeleteNo picketing the Board of Ed, huh? That's because the dude organizing was reprimanded for the publicity it would bring to the 1 person who has control of the schools - deBlasio. There are 2 people who will never be criticized by name, Trump an deBlasio - for polar opposite reasons.
ReplyDeleteIt is stated in the minutes from the May meeting, that we need at least 600 plus for a quorum and that we only had around 500. Does this mean that all motions voted on, are ruled invalid?
ReplyDeleteWhen can we see the fine print in the ATR agreement?
ReplyDeleteSee June 4 posting on ICEUFT blog. It is all there.
ReplyDeleteWhat's Weingarten doing to fight the right to work case?
ReplyDeleteJust an observation, Norm is promoting the hell out of Mike Shirtzer. Is there a coup going on to dump Jia?
ReplyDeletePlease Mike Shirtzer run next time!!!
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't bother me any if Mike ran.
ReplyDeleteA Bronx principal known for starring as a killer in a B-movie gang flick threw a fifth-grader to the floor and then threw a table on her, injuring the girl and terrifying her so badly that she’s been unable to return to school, the student and her mother charge.
ReplyDeleteBronx mom Vanessa Roman and her daughter Vanessiana Himes, 11, say controversial Public School 132 Principal Anissa Reilly flew into a dangerous rage upon encountering Vanessiana’s unruly classroom on May 24. Reilly threw a scary temper tantrum and pushed Vanessiana onto the floor, causing a cut and bruise to her arm, the mother and daughter said.
“My daughter still can’t return to class, she’s so upset,” Roman said. “The class was out of control, and Ms. Reilly pushed my daughter down. She came home crying. It was too much.”
After the incident, Roman took Vanessiana to file a police report at the 42nd Precinct stationhouse, where the girl said Reilly pushed her, causing her to hit her shoulder.
And your point is? ??
ReplyDeleteJust remember, it took Mulgrew 18 months to negotiate that.
ReplyDelete