Message From MTA President Barbara Madeloni

Greetings,

As we head into the holidays and toward the end of the year, I want to thank all of you who have helped Janet and me make the transition into our new roles. It has been a busy and productive time. Members, elected leadership and staff have shared their knowledge and passions to deepen our commitment to member-led organizing and reclaim public education. Here is a recap of the major activities we've undertaken in our first few months in office and a look into what might come in 2015.

Charter Schools. A bill that would have lifted the cap on charter schools - among other changes - was poised for passage in the Legislature on July 15, the day we took office. My first official act as president was to reach out to members to launch an aggressive e-mail campaign to state senators. The members responded in force. The very next day, the bill was defeated in the Senate by a vote of 26-13. Since then, members in Brockton and Fitchburg, with support from members and leaders in other locals, have continued to organize to fight charters that are seeking to open in their communities.

Licensure. "NONE OF THE ABOVE" was our response to DESE's proposed plans to tie license renewal and advancement to evaluations and/or student test scores. MTA members generated thousands of e-mail messages to Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members, all but shutting down their e-mail systems for a time. Local leaders were on the verge of busing hundreds of members to Bridgewater and Malden to protest at two DESE town halls when the department abruptly canceled the events and agreed to withdraw the proposals. Victory! But we are being vigilant to make sure the idea doesn't resurface in another form.

Forums. We have met with more than 800 members in 29 regional and local forums across the state. Each forum reminds us of the strength of our union: the knowledge, thoughtfulness and commitment of our members. In the new year we will share a summary of what we heard in the forums and work with leaders, members and staff to develop a plan to push back against the assault on our schools and colleges. We will fight for the schools every child deserves.

Legislative Agenda. On Dec. 6, the Board approved MTA's ambitious legislative agenda, which you can read about here in the members-only area of our website. We have been hearing from Legislative and Political Action Team members, local leaders and others who are enthusiastic about our proposals to stop and roll back high-stakes testing, charters and other initiatives that undermine public education, to promote initiatives that will help provide our students with the schools they deserve and to join coalitions to ensure the well-being of our students, our members and our communities.

Level 5 Schools. We don't win every fight, and that's true about the ones involving our two Level 5 schools - one in New Bedford and the other in Holyoke. MTA members and staff worked very hard, but faced an uphill battle in our efforts to modify the commissioner's plans for these schools. In the end, we won only small concessions. Through the legislative agenda and in other actions, we will continue to challenge the state's accountability system. Most recently I delivered this testimony to the BESE on Dec. 16 about why union rights are essential to creating the schools every child deserves.

Higher Education Contracts. Bargaining units within higher education spent the summer and fall negotiating. As of this writing, most are settled and ratified or ready for ratification. Within the UMass system, units organized solidarity campaigns and shared knowledge and tactics as part of their collective bargaining efforts. This solidarity work is continuing as UMass members are being asked to contact legislators and be certain that ratified contracts receive support.

Retreat and Next Steps. On Dec. 12 and 13, an interdivisional group of 29 staff met with Janet and me for two intensive days to share what we have learned from the forums and other local conversations with members and to consider how we can use that knowledge to deepen our commitment to being a member-led union. We will be continuing this conversation at MTA governance and staff venues as we develop our plans for the upcoming year.

Foundation Budget Review Commission. The FBRC hearings are an excellent opportunity for members to influence legislators by telling our stories and helping them understand what we and our students need to create the schools our students deserve. Please look at the upcoming schedule of hearings at the bottom of this article and prepare statements - your stories - about where we need resources and about the work you do every day to compensate for the lack of resources. I am on the review commission, and your stories can make a difference.

We have incredible challenges ahead, but our history tells us that when we access member knowledge and skills and join in solidarity, we can win meaningful struggles. As we enter the darkest days of winter, we can often feel overwhelmed. Yet this season of reflection and gatherings with friends and loved ones brings to mind one of my mother's favorite quotes, from Shelley: "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"

I hope you all have a chance to relax with friends and family and enjoy the spirit of the season in good health and good cheer.

In solidarity, and in anticipation of many great things ahead,

Barbara

Turn on the Town – Belmont Food Pantry Drive

Double the Impact of Your Holiday Giving!

Participate in the Turn on the Town Belmont Food Pantry Drive
& Support the Foundation for Belmont Education

Hammond Residential is sponsoring the annual Belmont Food Pantry Drive at Turn on the Town onDecember 4th and at their office from December 1st through December 5th.

Currently, the Belmont Food Pantry is providing assistance to a record number of Belmont families and needs to fully stock its shelves in time for the holidays. For every food item donated to the Belmont Food Pantry during the food drive, Hammond Residential will donate $1 to the Foundation for Belmont Education. 

During the Food Pantry Drive, Hammond will also match any cash/check donations made to the Belmont Food Pantry with a matching gift to the Foundation for Belmont Education.

In the spirit of holiday giving, help fill the Belmont Food Pantry shelves and, in the process, contribute to the FBE as they support educational excellence and innovation in the Belmont Public Schools.

Food/Monetary Donation Drop-Off Information:

December 1st-5th – Hammond Residential Office – 84 Leonard Street

December 4th – Turn on the Town – In front of Il Casale or Hammond Residential 

For a list of the most needed items at the Belmont Food Pantry, please click here.

AIC Master's & CAGS Programs

Information Meeting

Medford High School

489 Winthrop Street, Medford, MA 02155        

Thurs Dec. 11th @ 3:30 & 4:30

To RSVP or for more information, please call 800-540-9749 or email lindseyu@graduateprogram.org.

Programs Offered

·         Professional License - Elementary Ed., Moderate Disabilities, Early Childhood  (Middle/Secondary options also available)

·         Initial License - Elementary Ed., Moderate Disabilities, Early Childhood,

·         Initial License - Middle Ed, Secondary Ed (Subject areas available for Middle & Secondary licensure: Business, Biology, Chemistry, English, French, History, Math, Spanish and General Science.)

·         Initial License – Reading Specialist

·         School Guidance Counseling (offered only in Springfield)

·         School Adjustment Counseling (offered only in Springfield)

·         School Leadership - Principal/Asst. Principal, SPED Administrator, Superintendent/Asst. Superintendent

Program Highlights  

• Entire program conducted in or near your school
• One evening a week, same evening entire program*
• Finish one course every eight weeks
• Summer, winter & holiday breaks
• No weekend classes

NOTICE: The College strictly limits enrollment in each program to 27 and accepts reservations on a first come first served basis.  

If you can’t arrive by the start time please let me know, and we will be happy to wait for you.

I am here to help in any way I can, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Lindsey Urbaszewski

Coordinator, Off-Campus Programs

American International College

Phone: 800-540-9749

Fax: 800-504-7618

E-mail: lindseyu@graduateprogram.org  

*The practicum/internship course(s) of a program may require a different schedule.

First Friday - December 5th

What: First Friday Monthly BEA Social

When: Friday, November 7th - After School (3:00)

Where: Conley's - 164 Belmont Street,  Watertown, Ma 02472

Why: Opportunity to connect with Belmont colleagues. 

Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act

YOUR DISTRICT MAY NOT BE PROTECTING YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS FROM EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS!

Exposure to airborne asbestos fibers is known to cause a number of diseases, including mesothelioma, cancer and several other debilitating respiratory ailments. In August 2011, the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (DLS) requested that all school superintendents comply with the requirements of the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). DLS expected to receive more than 2,600 school-based reports, but it received roughly 1,600. DLS characterized the majority of reports received as either “severely deficient” or “deficient” in some way. Almost 1,000 schools ignored DLS’s request altogether.

WHERE DOES YOUR DISTRICT STAND?

MTA’s Division of Training and Professional Learning and the MTA Environmental Health & Safety Committee are offering seven workshops around the state for health and safety activists on the essentials of addressing the asbestos issue. We will also provide information on general health and safety concerns, as well as establishing and running an effective Health & Safety Committee.

EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PROTECT YOUR MEMBERS AND THEIR STUDENTS

• Learn which schools are non-responding in your district and receive information on how to make your district comply with the law.
• Learn the legal requirements of AHERA and what constitutes adequate compliance.
• Learn how to form a Health & Safety Committee to educate and organize your members to become involved in finding solutions to asbestos and other health and safety issues.
• Learn how to evaluate asbestos and other health and safety concerns such as mold, indoor air quality and new construction. Determine the appropriate balance of legal and self-help remedies.
• Learn how to write contract language and bargain over the contents of AHERA reports.
• Receive electronic health and safety survey tools in order to produce reports for your local.

All workshops scheduled for 4:00 – 7:00 PM. Dinner will be served.

DATE	SITE
Tuesday, December 2	MTA Lynnfield Office
Thursday, December 4	MTA Raynham Office
Thursday, December 11	MTA Auburn Office
Tuesday, December 16	MTA Braintree Office
Tuesday, January 6	Cape Cod Community College
Monday, January 12	MTA Holyoke Office
Tuesday, January 20	MTA Pittsfield Office

Presenters:    George Luse, MTA Division of Training and Professional Learning

Michael Sireci, MTA Affiliate Services

Sarah Gibson, Law Office of Sarah Gibson

REGISTER NOW

Ethnic Minority Affairs Conference

SUMMARY: All MTA members are invited to this year’s EMAC conference, which will celebrate the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee’s 35th anniversary. Standing on a Great Foundation is the theme of this year’s conference, which begins Friday night with a 35th anniversary dinner.

New this year is a free interactive workshop, The Skin that We Speak: Exploring Culture and Language in the Classroom and Beyond, presented by Beau Stubblefield-Tave, a principal in the Center for Cultural Fluency. This “bridge” workshop links the Just For New Teachers (JFNT) 13th Annual Conference to the EMAC conference.

This year’s special honoree is Louise Gaskins, who was instrumental in establishing MTA’s Minority Affairs Committee — the forerunner of EMAC — as well as the Human and Civil Rights Council and MTA’s Minority Involvement Plan. Over the years, Gaskins became a leading spokesperson for minority affairs at the MTA, and she is still active today.

This will be a memorable 35th anniversary celebration.

DATE: Friday-Saturday, December 5-6, 2014

LOCATION: Sheraton Four Points, 1125 Boston Providence Turnpike, Norwood, MA

WHO CAN ATTEND: All MTA members are invited to this year’s EMAC conference. Those attending the Just For New Teachers Conference are issued a special welcome. Members of the Student Education Association of Massachusetts (SEAM), are also invited to attend at no charge.
REGISTER NOW

MTA’s Just For New Teachers Conference

SUMMARY: MTA’s Just For New Teachers (JFNT) 13th Annual Conference presents the perfect opportunity to meet with fellow educators. This one-day conference, brought to you by MTA’s New Member Committee, will offer workshops on classroom management and instruction, teaching English language learners and legal basics.

New this year is a free interactive workshop, The Skin that We Speak: Exploring Culture and Language in the Classroom and Beyond, presented by Beau Stubblefield-Tave, a principal in the Center for Cultural Fluency. This “bridge” workshop links the JFNT Conference to this year’s EMAC conference, which will celebrate the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee’s 35th anniversary.

DATE: Friday, December 5, 2014

LOCATION: Sheraton Four Points, 1125 Boston Providence Turnpike, Norwood, MA

WHO CAN ATTEND: Just for New Teachers is open to MTA teachers in their first four years of practice. Members of the Student Education Association of Massachusetts (SEAM), are also invited to attend at no charge.
REGISTER NOW

BEA at the Celtics vs Lakers

The Belmont Education Association night at the Celtics

Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles

Friday, December 5, 7:30 PM

TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Tickets are $30

(If are enough people are interested, we can hire a school bus.

The price for game and ride will be $50)

Contact: Cecile at CMS - Cecile.Moskowitz@gmail.com

BEA SCHOLARSHIP FUND - GROUP #: 990070880

   

Performance-Based Licensure Email

 

Please send an e-mail TODAY to let state education officials know you oppose the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's dangerous "performance-based licensure" proposal to link your state license to your school-based evaluation and/or student test scores.

The MTA is strongly opposed to this plan and has sent a letter to Commissioner Mitchell Chester and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education calling for them to rescind it immediately. If enacted, this plan would drive excellent current and prospective teachers out of our public schools.

The "performance-based licensure" issue is currently in the policy "options" phase. "None of the above!" is our response to all of the options proposed. Let us gather our strength as a union and tell DESE to end the disrespect, stop wasting time and money, and reject this idea now.

Act now to tell state education officials, "None of the above!" The sooner we kill this idea, the sooner we can focus on initiatives that will actually help our students succeed in school and in life.

Thank you,

Barbara and Janet

ESP Bargaining Summit

ESP Bargaining Summit Saturday, November 15, 8am – 4pm Location:  SpringHill Suites Devens Common Center, 27 Andrews Parkway, Devens, Massachusetts 01434 USA The day’s workshops will provide ESPs with information and skills about negotiations to utilize in their local. The Summit will begin with a workshop on organizing for all attendees. This will be followed by a short introductory discussion on ESP issues with the participants and the ESP Committee.  Then there will be four 45-minute workshops on four topics. Participants will have the chance to attend each of the workshops, which are described below. The event will conclude with a panel discussion with the ESP Committee, following up on the issues identified in the morning discussion.

First Friday - November 7th

What: First Friday Monthly BEA Social
When: Friday, November 7th - After School (3:00)
Where: Summer Shack - 149 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, Ma 02140
Why: Opportunity to connect with Belmont colleagues. 

The Long History of Blaming Teachers First

What Time Magazine Needs to Know about Tenure and Why it Matters

TIME Magazine - The War on Teacher Tenure
Lilly's Blackboard - What TIME Magazine Needs to Know about Tenure and Why it Matters

ESP Bargaining Summit

The MTA Educational Support Professionals Committee invites all ESPs to attend a Bargaining Summit Saturday,November 15, 2014. Online registration is now open: http://www.cvent.com/d/c4qg0j

The event will be held at the SpringHill Suites Devens Common Center. There is no cost to attend. Continental breakfast and lunch will be served.

The day’s workshops will provide ESPs with information and skills about negotiations to utilize in their local. The Summit will begin with a workshop on organizing for all attendees. This will be followed by a short introductory discussion on ESP issues with the participants and the ESP Committee.  Then there will be four 45-minute workshops on four topics. Participants will have the chance to attend each of the workshops, which are described below. The event will conclude with a panel discussion with the ESP Committee, following up on the issues identified in the morning discussion.

Crisis ActivitiesWhat to do and when to do it when you need to ramp things up? What are examples of activities that might help in a contract struggle?

Interest Based Bargaining
What is it? How is it different than positional? How does it work? What is needed to make it successful?

Bargaining Law Primer on Negotiations
What is a mandatory or permissible subject of bargaining? What does the law cover for public employees?

I’ll Show You Mine/You Show Me Yours
Members will discuss what types of provisions they have in their contracts and will see what others have in their contracts. There will be a demonstration on how to use the contract database. Send your contract electronically in advance to have it placed on a CD to take home with all the other participants’ contracts.

8 - 8:30 a.m.                      Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 - 8:45 a.m.                Welcome

8:45 - 9:45 a.m.                Organizing Presentation  

9:45 - 10:15 a.m.              Open Discussion on ESP Issues with ESP Committee

10:20 - 11:05 a.m.            Workshop Session I

11:15 a.m. – Noon           Workshop Session II

Noon - 1 p.m.                    Lunch 

1:10  - 1:55 p.m.               Workshop Session III

2 - 2:45 p.m.                      Workshop Session IV

2:50 - 3:50 p.m.                Panel Discussion with ESP Committee

4 p.m.                                  Safe Trip Home

For more information, please contact Steve Day, 617-878-8314, sday@massteacher.org.

Directions to Hotel:http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/bossd-springhill-suites-devens-common-center

Help Ensure your License is not based on evaluation or test scores!

How would you feel about losing your license to teach - not just your job - based on your evaluation or your students' test scores?  Sound unbelievable?  Think again.

DESE officials are holding regional “town halls” to explore this concept and may propose adopting it in the future.  The town hall hearing in our region will be held on Wednesday, November 19^th at Malden High School from 4:30 pm-7:00 pm or Thursday, November 20^th at Bridgewater State University from 4:30 pm-7:00 pm.

We must organize to fight this ill-conceived proposal and to ensure that a teachers’ license is in no way affected by evaluation or student test scores.  Please let me know if you are free to join me at either of these rallies.

Tell The Charter Lobby To Play By The Rules

DESE Performance-Based Licensure Forums

The MTA has significant concerns about the “performance-based” licensure system that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is exploring and may propose adopting in the future. Under such a system, teacher and administrator licenses could be tied to their employment-based evaluations and/or evidence of student learning. We are urging members to share their views on this issue at these upcoming DESE forums.

• Tuesday, 10/21 – Western MA (Springfield College) 4:30 pm-7:00 pm
• Thursday, 10/23 – Central MA (Worcester Technical High School) 4:30 pm-7:00 pm
• Saturday, 10/25 – Boston (Simmons College) 9:30 am-12:00 pm
• Wednesday, 11/19 – Metro Boston (Malden High) 4:30 pm-7:00 pm
• Thursday, 11/20 – Southern MA (Bridgewater State University) 4:30 pm-7:00 pm

Registration link: https://keystone.org/maeducator.html

What do you think? Please let DESE know your views by speaking out at one of the forums. Space is limited, so please sign up soon.

Forums on Licensure Redesign

Forums on Licensure Redesign

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) would like to invite you to participate in an upcoming discussion regarding the future of educator licensure in Massachusetts. DESE has been examining the Commonwealth's licensure policies to support the design of a world class system of educator licensing and license renewal. Stakeholder engagement has been a critical part of this work, in May and June; DESE convened over 25 focus groups with more than 300 educators across Massachusetts. The    full report and the    executive summary from that first phase of outreach have been posted on the DESE website.

DESE is convening a number of conversations with stakeholders this October and November to solicit input regarding a set of draft guiding principles and policy options developed by DESE based on research of best practices and the feedback received from stakeholders. Five forums in different locations throughout the state will be open to all educators. Participants will be asked to share their thoughts on the pros and cons of multiple policy options that could advance those guiding principles for a new system of licensure. The schedule of these forums is as follows:

Tuesday, October 21st (4:30pm -7:00pm) at Springfield College

Thursday, October 23rd (4:30pm -7:00pm) at Worcester Technical High School

Saturday, October 25th (9:30am - 12:00pm) at Simmons College

Wednesday, November 19th (4:30pm - 7:00pm) at Malden High School

Thursday, November 20th (4:30pm - 7:00pm) Bridgewater State University

We hope you will be able to participate in this important, collaborative process, and to help spread the word to your colleagues and peers. To participate in one of these open forums discussions, please register as soon as possible as space may be limited by seating availability.

For more information about this initiative, please contact: Brooke Trainum at btrainum@keystone.org or 1-855-666-8953.

Thank you in advance for your support of this timely effort to build a licensure system that serves both educators and students well throughout Massachusetts.

What keeps a teacher going?

What keeps a teacher going?
A wordless lesson from watching a builder at work.

By Beatrice Reynolds | BOSTON GLOBE | OCTOBER 05, 2014

There is a man building a wall in a farmer’s field that lies on my way to work. It is a stone wall, long and low. He has been building it for close to two years now, I think. I’m not sure, actually. I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t out there, measuring, pondering, bent over his pile of rocks, lifting one, then another, then another.

He is not there every day. Most mornings the wall is untouched, and I wonder, where is he . . . the builder? Does he have other obligations, other jobs more pressing? It can’t be the weather that causes his absence. Just the opposite. I’ve seen him in dreary mists, bitter cold, thick heat, working the rocks, unaffected by the day. Once or twice each week, he is there. Moving the rocks precisely, building the wall, slowly, stone by stone. And his wall is a Keats ode. It is a thing of beauty.

Last year, my mother died. She was a very sweet old lady, all done with raising her 11 children, when cancer came. Mom had been a widow for 28 years, had held dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her vision was going, and her hearing was shot. But still, it felt too soon; old or not, she was our mom.

Our big family cared for her through a brutal and fast-moving illness. After work every day I would race to her house for my shift. I’d sit next to her blue recliner and she’d hold my hand. I’d rub her feet with lotion and she’d nod her head and say, “Oh, that feels nice.” And then, when it didn’t feel nice, “That’s enough now, honey.” When the pain was under control, she’d sleep.

For a few hours each day, I’d check her medications, get ice for her water, pat her hand, kiss her brow, nuzzle next to her with my head on her shoulder. How wonderful that felt! Then it would be time to go home, until the next day. Through those awful months, on my way to work each day, I would approach the field, weary and heartsick, and look at the wall. Soon I realized I was looking for the wall. It became my touchstone. And I knew that I would keep on.

I am a teacher. My students are little kids — eager, shy, scrappy, lonely, funny. Every year a new crop of children sprouts up, and I try to nurture them, as best I can. I push, prod, and challenge, and they move along. They learn how to multiply and divide, write and read, persevere, be friendly, see joy in life. It’s a big job we do together, my students and I. There is much important work to be accomplished.

But some days that is hard. Some days I am daunted. Like the builder, I am pondering, too. Lessons, Common Core standards, MCAS, PARCC, data assessments, politics, mandates. Acronyms and worries buzz around my head like so many gnats. They threaten to shoo my focus away from what is truly important. I drive to school with my mind full, struggling to find the time to fit it all in. Until I see the wall. And I know that I will keep on.

Early every morning I turn to look at it. Another foot done, I think. I notice he’s strung the measuring rope farther on, over toward that little tree now. It won’t be long before he’s finished. And I’m wistful about that.

On my lucky days, I see the builder hunkered down, planning his next move. Still at it. He doesn’t look at me at all; his focus is on the stones. And yet he speaks to me. Keep going, he says. Keep going. You are not yet done. You are building a thing of beauty, too.

Beatrice Reynolds teaches at Dennett Elementary School in Plympton. Send comments to connections@globe.com.

TELL YOUR STORY. E-mail your 650-word essay on a relationship to connections@globe.com. Please note: We do not respond to submissions we won’t pursue.

October 23rd BEA Training

Belmont Education Association

Building Powerful Organizations

Wellington Community Room

October 23, 2014

4:00 Welcome and Introductions

4:15 Breakout 1:  

• Organizing Forums to Empower Members

Breakout 2:

• Developing Organizational Structures to Maximize Power
• Running Powerful Committees

5:30 Dinner - Blue Ribbon BBQ and Fostering Communications with One-on-Ones

6:30 Building Effective Communications: (Re)Starting Your Charting

7:00 Thank you and good bye

Dan Scharfman Memorial Run