I received a postcard saying a tentative agreement had been reached. 2 meetings are scheduled on Friday at Tech for explanation and a vote. 12:00 and 2:00.
I wish they would announce the terms, I believe last time many many people abstained from voting to show displeasure at the terms, but still allowing the contract to be ratified. Do you think that we got the 21% given to Richard Myers?
I am thinking: 1. Clothing allowance of $5,000 per year 2. $300 gas allowance 3. Use of the IPS gasoline pumps 4. Bonus of $17,000 per year. Dr. White and the Board Members would not allow a larger increase, unless his teachers had the same pay.
If you are a Union member you received a postcard in Saturday's post stating, "We have a tentative agreement on your IEA contract". You have to attend to hear all of the details and vote on the contract. Date andTime: Friday, August 7th, with two sessions 12:00 or 2:00, at the Arsenal Tech Auditorium. Both members and potential members welcome.
The IEA sends these postcards out giving teachers less than a week notice-and this is summer break, some people are not in town. Teachers go to the meeting and have to vote then and there, without any time in advance to decide? Am I understanding this correctly? Does this sound a little like an attempt to rig this vote? If a teacher is out of town can they send a proxy?
I won't believe it until I see the new contract in my hands! Just another ploy from Dr. White to try and get the teachers on his side before the back to school assembly with him on the 10th of August. I say all teachers need to walk out while he is talking or not go at all!!! That would be wonderful news coverage!!!
OK, people, don't fuss at me for posting an off-topic comment; however, after reading the below copied story in today's Indy Star, I was just plain angry that Eugene White accepted a $17K bonus based on the ISTEP+ scores of elementary students just like the kids at Sidener where almost 99% of the students passed. Where is our leader's head? Doesn't he understand that his bonus was based upon the young students' achievements? He should give this school $7,500 of his bonus to build its playground. Read the story. _______________________________________________
August 2, 2009
IPS CAN'T EVEN SEEM TO SWING A PLAYGROUND By: Matthew Tully The Indianapolis Star
The frustrated parents at Sidener Academy aren't asking for much.
Just a playground -- a place for their kids to burn off steam, have fun and get a bit of exercise.
That's all.
It seems like a reasonable request. Sidener is an elementary school, after all, and playgrounds are as fundamental to elementary school as chalkboards and water fountains. But at Sidener, an IPS magnet school near Glendale Town Center, a playground is not elementary.
Take a look at the grassy grounds behind the school and all you'll see is an old soccer net and, on one recent afternoon, a flock of geese.
"All the kids pretty much say recess is boring because there's nothing to play on," Rebecca Klein, president of the Sidener parents association, told me last week. "This isn't just that they're bored; there is also a real need to have activities for them that help with their physical health."
Klein leads a group of parents that has spent a year pushing IPS to provide their children's school with playground equipment. They've asked. They've pleaded. They've waited.
But as Sidener prepares to begin its second year as an elementary magnet serving high-performing students, parents recently learned that IPS will not outfit the school with the climbing walls, sky towers and other playground equipment they sought. So the parents are trying to raise the $7,500 needed to partner with KaBOOM!, a nonprofit group that builds playgrounds.
"It's kind of crazy for the parents at a really small school to have to raise this kind of money," said Klein, whose daughter will enter third grade this year.
Sidener's size indeed makes it hard to raise bucks. It will have only 233 students when classes begin later this month. Nearly three-quarters of the students come from families who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Still, parents are trying. An art auction will be held at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at Zest, a restaurant at 1134 E. 54th St. Other ideas also are being developed.
The playground problem started when the building housing Sidener transitioned a few years ago from a standard elementary school to a middle school. As older students arrived, playground equipment was transferred to other elementaries.
Last year, Sidener opened as part of the district's magnet program. A year in, parents are ecstatic about the school, which saw nearly 99 percent of its students pass ISTEP last year. That's 25 percentage points better than the state average.
Still, there is that one issue.
"A playground is part of what is expected at an elementary school," Principal James Whisler said. "It's part of the curriculum. Our (physical education) teacher can use playground equipment to build students' motor skills, cognitive skills and social skills."
Not yet.
IPS recently announced plans to spend $675,000 to sprinkle new electronic signs throughout the district. But you can't play on signs. And for now, Sidener students have nothing to play on.
Insubordination, can't do it. Best bet, if it is not good, it to abstain from voting. It says we're taking this, but we are not happy about it. Write to Ann and tell her you want a yes, no, or abstain on the ballot. presiea@yahoo.com
I'm thinking that Eugene White is missing a stellar and desperately needed opportunity for some great PR with this situation!
Let Dr. White donate $7,500 (from his recently awarded $17,000 bonus for elementary ISTEP+ passing scores) to build the Sidener Academy playground. He could host a photo opportunity for the media where he holds this gigantic check for $7,500 and hands it over to the Sidener Parent Association President, Ms. Klein. After handing over the check to Ms. Klein, Dr. White could have a few of the Sidener students on site to thank him personally, another photo op. He could even name the playground the Eugene White Neighborhood Playground.
It's a win-win situation. White gets some much-needed warm fuzzy media attention, and the Sidener students get a nice playground. Makes sense to me.
I have faith in my team to work out a good deal and I will wait and hear what they have to say next Friday. Its not to answer thousands of phone calls in one day about the agreement. Next time those who are putting down the staff needs to give their time to work out a better deal, talk is cheap, look at Dr. White.
This whole thing is suspicious to me. Why is our union allowing IPS to force them into a last minute deal where we all have to gather at Tech? Then have to return to Tech on Monday. Come on, we vote for IU trustees online now. Someone post the particulars..NOW!
She said that anyone wanting a chance to vote and hear about it must attend these two sessions at Tech on Friday 12 and 2 (I believe she said). Why is a non-school day being done. My summer employment does not end to Saturday (a camp). I cannot just get away (would be the same as abandoing classroom in my opinion). Why is the union only offering one day for this chance?
Why not a day to tell us what is in the contract (maybe mail out pertanient information to those who don't attend) and a day or two or a week later to vote?
This seems like it may be something they don't want us to digest. They want to force feed and agree before realizing it is not anything we really want. I wonder what they want us to miss.
Almost sounds like something Dr. White would do. Ramming something down the throats of the stakeholders. Is he running our union as well now?
Treat us like professionals! Why should we be herded together like sheep just to have something announced? That makes us look unprofessional and catches us off guard.
Send out the specifics in an email, and let us read it, digest it, and form an opinion.
The IEA website has gone down so their is no way to even see if this information about the contract and vote on the same day is even legal within our own governance agreement.
I want time to look this over and discuss it with my colleagues. You know what they say "Marry in haste, repent in leisure". We all want the money that is owed to us, I know I've already decided how I will spend every cent of this money but I don't want to discover later that I have given away something I really wanted.
Here's what Andy Gammill wrote today in the Indy Star.
August 3, 2009 IPS schedules mystery board meeting Read Comments (0) The Indianapolis Public Schools Board will meet next week in a special meeting to take up a personnel item, but so far I haven't had luck figuring out what that will be. Sometimes they do these meetings for something very minor; other times it's something very big.
Here's what the official meeting notice said: "The Board will meet in a Special Called Meeting on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the John Morton-Finney Center for Educational Services to take action on a personnel matter."
I asked the district's PR office last week what the meeting was for and never heard back. So this morning I called the board office and was told that they didn't know what the item was but that Superintendent Eugene White's administration was requesting the action. So back to the district PR office, which said (again) they will try to find out and let me know today or tomorrow.
UPDATE:Add IPS Board President Michael D. Brown to the list of those folks who doesn't know why the board is meeting. He had a few guesses as to possible topics, but nothing definitive at all.
The IEA said late this afternoon that information will be distributed Monday at the Tech opening meetings and teachers can have until 5:30 pm Tuesday to vote on the contract at the IEA office.
7:27 this is nothing but an underhanded attempt to discredit this blog and what is being said by teachers on this blog, or an attempt to keep people from voting. You are a low life, and part of the problem. As they say, lead, follow or get out of the way.
The IEA office phone number is 598-8464, the meeting and vote are still Friday at Tech. Call and confirm if there are any questions.
I phoned IEA on Monday and was also told that I would be able to get details of the agreement next Monday and would be able to vote at the IEA office until 5:30 on Tuesday. Do they have to decide you are low life before they tell you this or do you become low life once they tell you?
I also phoned IEA and they knew nothing about this, so I phoned again and they suddenly discovered that there would be voting at the office. Why didn't everyone get a call? Why didn't everyone get a postcard? I've been a member for over 25 years, 10 years as an AR, served on committees, and haven't moved in over 20 years. Sad but apparently they are no better then the administration.
So why won't any details be released before Friday? I'm sure the bargaining team will present the teachers a great tentative agreement. They didn't give in for two years. They wouldn't cave in now.
IEA is now working on reduced staff and in my humble opinion doesn't have the time to take each phone call from the members. Take a hour out of your busy schedule to listen to the major points of the tentative agreement and then (members) vote. I would like to thank the members of the bargaining team who worked on the agreement this summer for their time and effort.
6:51 it is still summer. Some of us who are working other employments (you know continueing education is not free). We cannot just take off with a weeks notice. Especially when that was suppose to be the last day. Want to leave a good impression for next summer.
In addition why not release information on the internet (that way they don't have to answer the phone). So that members can study and then hear why at the meeting. Ask informed questions.
Or does the IEA beleive we are ignorant and will just follow their recomendations? What do they not want us to see by rushing details force feeding and basically telling us to vote, "YES"? They are not going to let us internalize and think from my understanding. Just say this is it. Here are highlights. Now vote.
Instead of seeing it and going over and thinking about it. We are professionals and have brains. We should be allowed to decide on our own.
How does Michael Brown not know why a meeting is being held? That is ridiculous.
Am I the ONLY one who is puzzled as to how many out-of-district employees we are hiring? How can we be hiring people from the outside when we still don't have RIF'd teachers all placed? We are pulling people in (most of whom get jobs that are never even posted) and hiring them because they're part of the Good 'Ole Boy system.
Do you ever notice that some people get hired or promoted into Positions that you've never seen posted on IPS Online Employment? Right now, one of the School Improvement Teams is without a Secondary Math Coach, but no one has ever seen the Math Coach position posted. But, at the last minute, there will be someone filling that position even though it is not advertised.
Things are really screwy, a friend was called by personnel and told he'd been traded, what is with this, are we in the major league baseball, I'll give you one science teacher and a teacher to be named later. They have no idea what they are doing in personnel. It is so incrediably unprofessional.
The problem with Central Office is that there is no rhyme or reason as to why some people are hired. We have perfectly qualified people ALREADY in the district, who apply for jobs and get turned down. Why? Because "we" (a.k.a Central Office) know people on the outside, and we bring them in as a favor. We literally create job positions for people from the outside...all the while we are RIF'ing teachers from the inside. There is no money for teacher raises, but there is money for bonuses, merit pay, etc. It is a sad hypocrisy, this district. We are told Cultural Imperative #1, but watch Central Office do the exact opposite.
This is all so sick and sad! Where is Andy Gamill when we need him...or ANyONE that can bring light to this sick system??? Funny, there isn't a blog spot for teachers in Lawrence TWP..or Pike...or Washington...or Warren...etc., etc., etc.!
Teh problem with Andy Gamill is that he wants names to go with stories (and by that, I mean author's names). I have sent him stories that would make anyone's head spin, but he wants to use my name. I have two kids and a mortgage, so unless I know that Andy would be aggressive enough to help us make changes, then it is not worth me losing my job. It makes me sick to see what White gets away with. We work in an industry for kids, and yet we are more crooked than most companies. The man is never seen, and only heard from through blogs and Mary Louise. People can say what they want about Pat Pritchett, but the man let us do our jobs, and would come into schools (even if the media is not there...gasp!) and visit. Goodness, I really could care less at this point about being treated like a professionsl....I would like to be treated as a person!
The problem with the Star is that they won't do any investigations. They will report stories if you provide all the details and the information, and are willing to be named. You can't give them the information and expect them to go after the story. If that were the case we'd be reading exactly how much money was spent on the two vacations, opps I mean hiring trips taken by Dr White and Dr Johnson, and Dr Kendrick and Dr. Bridgewater, one set to China and another to California. Come on Andy dig a little, I'll even send you a trowel.
I was going through some papers and found something written by Harrison Ullman, of Nuvo, he was willing to actually do some research and reporting. Remember when they reported about the townships and how they could write off anything and everything as deseg related, and bill the state. Rest in Peace Harrison, when will someone step up to fill his shoes, and his place in my heart.
WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MONEY!!!Isn't everyone else as sick and scared as we are about the lack of equity in pay? For crying out loud! No secrecy, please! POST IT! Please.
The union doesn't want to have to deal with all the questions like they did with the last contract. They were forced to hold meetings to give details on the "new" insurance. I remember Peggy Penn getting mad because we asked questions and wanted details. What do we have now? Crappy insurance that costs way too much. Didn't anyone ask if having a Catholic based organization provide both our insurance options was a good idea? Oh that's right.....theey left that info out just telling us it was ISTA. They love hidding details from us.
If you are not happy with the contract, then volunteer your time to work on the committee! I have never seen so many folks complain, yet they do nothing, not even attend one school board meeting. Its easy to talk, then you need to start working to get out the school board members now.
The Board Members who were mentioned at the Tech Welcome Back are the ones who need to go. If you haven't been in a classroom in over 20 years, then you are too far removed.
I received a postcard saying a tentative agreement had been reached. 2 meetings are scheduled on Friday at Tech for explanation and a vote. 12:00 and 2:00.
ReplyDeleteI wish they would announce the terms, I believe last time many many people abstained from voting to show displeasure at the terms, but still allowing the contract to be ratified.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that we got the 21% given to
Richard Myers?
You haven't lost your sense of humor, clever.
ReplyDeleteI checked the IEA website and IEA hotline. No details of the tentative agreement were mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking:
ReplyDelete1. Clothing allowance of $5,000 per year
2. $300 gas allowance
3. Use of the IPS gasoline pumps
4. Bonus of $17,000 per year.
Dr. White and the Board Members would not allow a larger increase, unless his teachers had the same pay.
I find nothing on a new deal. Where did this info come from?
ReplyDeleteFrom Dr. White's contract
ReplyDeletehttp://www.indianabarrister.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/euene-white-ips-agreement.pdf
page 19 for the perks
It's $900 for the car, not $300.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a Union member you received a postcard in Saturday's post stating, "We have a tentative agreement on your IEA contract". You have to attend to hear all of the details and vote on the contract. Date andTime: Friday, August 7th, with two sessions 12:00 or 2:00, at the Arsenal Tech Auditorium. Both members and potential members welcome.
ReplyDeleteThe IEA sends these postcards out giving teachers less than a week notice-and this is summer break, some people are not in town. Teachers go to the meeting and have to vote then and there, without any time in advance to decide? Am I understanding this correctly? Does this sound a little like an attempt to rig this vote? If a teacher is out of town can they send a proxy?
ReplyDeleteI won't believe it until I see the new contract in my hands! Just another ploy from Dr. White to try and get the teachers on his side before the back to school assembly with him on the 10th of August. I say all teachers need to walk out while he is talking or not go at all!!! That would be wonderful news coverage!!!
ReplyDeleteOK, people, don't fuss at me for posting an off-topic comment; however, after reading the below copied story in today's Indy Star, I was just plain angry that Eugene White accepted a $17K bonus based on the ISTEP+ scores of elementary students just like the kids at Sidener where almost 99% of the students passed. Where is our leader's head? Doesn't he understand that his bonus was based upon the young students' achievements? He should give this school $7,500 of his bonus to build its playground. Read the story.
ReplyDelete_______________________________________________
August 2, 2009
IPS CAN'T EVEN SEEM TO SWING A PLAYGROUND
By: Matthew Tully
The Indianapolis Star
The frustrated parents at Sidener Academy aren't asking for much.
Just a playground -- a place for their kids to burn off steam, have fun and get a bit of exercise.
That's all.
It seems like a reasonable request. Sidener is an elementary school, after all, and playgrounds are as fundamental to elementary school as chalkboards and water fountains. But at Sidener, an IPS magnet school near Glendale Town Center, a playground is not elementary.
Take a look at the grassy grounds behind the school and all you'll see is an old soccer net and, on one recent afternoon, a flock of geese.
"All the kids pretty much say recess is boring because there's nothing to play on," Rebecca Klein, president of the Sidener parents association, told me last week. "This isn't just that they're bored; there is also a real need to have activities for them that help with their physical health."
Klein leads a group of parents that has spent a year pushing IPS to provide their children's school with playground equipment. They've asked. They've pleaded. They've waited.
But as Sidener prepares to begin its second year as an elementary magnet serving high-performing students, parents recently learned that IPS will not outfit the school with the climbing walls, sky towers and other playground equipment they sought. So the parents are trying to raise the $7,500 needed to partner with KaBOOM!, a nonprofit group that builds playgrounds.
"It's kind of crazy for the parents at a really small school to have to raise this kind of money," said Klein, whose daughter will enter third grade this year.
Sidener's size indeed makes it hard to raise bucks. It will have only 233 students when classes begin later this month. Nearly three-quarters of the students come from families who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.
Still, parents are trying. An art auction will be held at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at Zest, a restaurant at 1134 E. 54th St. Other ideas also are being developed.
The playground problem started when the building housing Sidener transitioned a few years ago from a standard elementary school to a middle school. As older students arrived, playground equipment was transferred to other elementaries.
Last year, Sidener opened as part of the district's magnet program. A year in, parents are ecstatic about the school, which saw nearly 99 percent of its students pass ISTEP last year. That's 25 percentage points better than the state average.
Still, there is that one issue.
"A playground is part of what is expected at an elementary school," Principal James Whisler said. "It's part of the curriculum. Our (physical education) teacher can use playground equipment to build students' motor skills, cognitive skills and social skills."
Not yet.
IPS recently announced plans to spend $675,000 to sprinkle new electronic signs throughout the district. But you can't play on signs. And for now, Sidener students have nothing to play on.
Insubordination, can't do it. Best bet, if it is not good, it to abstain from voting. It says we're taking this, but we are not happy about it. Write to Ann and tell her you want a yes, no, or abstain on the ballot.
ReplyDeletepresiea@yahoo.com
Re: 3:26 PM about the Sidener playground article
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that Eugene White is missing a stellar and desperately needed opportunity for some great PR with this situation!
Let Dr. White donate $7,500 (from his recently awarded $17,000 bonus for elementary ISTEP+ passing scores) to build the Sidener Academy playground. He could host a photo opportunity for the media where he holds this gigantic check for $7,500 and hands it over to the Sidener Parent Association President, Ms. Klein. After handing over the check to Ms. Klein, Dr. White could have a few of the Sidener students on site to thank him personally, another photo op. He could even name the playground the Eugene White Neighborhood Playground.
It's a win-win situation. White gets some much-needed warm fuzzy media attention, and the Sidener students get a nice playground. Makes sense to me.
Write Ann requesting particulars of this Tentative Agreement be made available ASAP before the vote!
ReplyDeletePlayground story...
ReplyDeleteMary Louise Bewley, where are you when Dr. White needs your advice?
The man is looking more and more like a greedy so and so. This is not good for him or for the school corporation.
He needs the cash.
ReplyDeleteI have faith in my team to work out a good deal and I will wait and hear what they have to say next Friday. Its not to answer thousands of phone calls in one day about the agreement. Next time those who are putting down the staff needs to give their time to work out a better deal, talk is cheap, look at Dr. White.
ReplyDeleteCome on...someone post the deal. My summer hasn't ended yet...I won't be attending any meeting. I say we boycott the meeting on the 10th.
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing is suspicious to me. Why is our union allowing IPS to force them into a last minute deal where we all have to gather at Tech? Then have to return to Tech on Monday. Come on, we vote for IU trustees online now. Someone post the particulars..NOW!
ReplyDeleteIf they are not happy about it, as 3:32p.m. states, then why are they accepting it??? Is someone's arm being twisted??
ReplyDeleteMy wife says there is a card about an agreement.
ReplyDeleteShe said that anyone wanting a chance to vote and hear about it must attend these two sessions at Tech on Friday 12 and 2 (I believe she said). Why is a non-school day being done. My summer employment does not end to Saturday (a camp). I cannot just get away (would be the same as abandoing classroom in my opinion). Why is the union only offering one day for this chance?
Why not a day to tell us what is in the contract (maybe mail out pertanient information to those who don't attend) and a day or two or a week later to vote?
This seems like it may be something they don't want us to digest. They want to force feed and agree before realizing it is not anything we really want. I wonder what they want us to miss.
Almost sounds like something Dr. White would do. Ramming something down the throats of the stakeholders. Is he running our union as well now?
Treat us like professionals! Why should we be herded together like sheep just to have something announced? That makes us look unprofessional and catches us off guard.
ReplyDeleteSend out the specifics in an email, and let us read it, digest it, and form an opinion.
To the School Board, Dr. White, and IEA:
ReplyDeleteYour lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part.
You've had two years to plan this agreement, and now this 11th hour meeting has taken on emergency status.
Give us the information in advance so that we can make informed comments, educated decisions, and vote intelligently.
wow!
ReplyDeleteI agree, we need time to sift through the information and a later date to vote.
ReplyDeleteAndy Gammill (IndyStar) has posted there will be an emergency school board meeting next week; a personnel issue.
ReplyDeleteSad but is seems to be we don't trust anyone.
ReplyDeleteThe IEA website has gone down so their is no way to even see if this information about the contract and vote on the same day is even legal within our own governance agreement.
I want time to look this over and discuss it with my colleagues. You know what they say "Marry in haste, repent in leisure". We all want the money that is owed to us, I know I've already decided how I will spend every cent of this money but I don't want to discover later that I have given away something I really wanted.
Re: 4:46 PM
ReplyDeleteHere's what Andy Gammill wrote today in the Indy Star.
August 3, 2009
IPS schedules mystery board meeting
Read Comments (0)
The Indianapolis Public Schools Board will meet next week in a special meeting to take up a personnel item, but so far I haven't had luck figuring out what that will be. Sometimes they do these meetings for something very minor; other times it's something very big.
Here's what the official meeting notice said: "The Board will meet in a Special Called Meeting on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the John Morton-Finney Center for Educational Services to take action on a personnel matter."
I asked the district's PR office last week what the meeting was for and never heard back. So this morning I called the board office and was told that they didn't know what the item was but that Superintendent Eugene White's administration was requesting the action. So back to the district PR office, which said (again) they will try to find out and let me know today or tomorrow.
UPDATE:Add IPS Board President Michael D. Brown to the list of those folks who doesn't know why the board is meeting. He had a few guesses as to possible topics, but nothing definitive at all.
The IEA said late this afternoon that information will be distributed Monday at the Tech opening meetings and teachers can have until 5:30 pm Tuesday to vote on the contract at the IEA office.
ReplyDeletehen what is happening on Friday?
ReplyDelete7:27 this is nothing but an underhanded attempt to discredit this blog and what is being said by teachers on this blog, or an attempt to keep people from voting. You are a low life, and part of the problem. As they say, lead, follow or get out of the way.
ReplyDeleteThe IEA office phone number is 598-8464, the meeting and vote are still Friday at Tech. Call and confirm if there are any questions.
So are you an administrator or are you with IEA?
I phoned IEA on Monday and was also told that I would be able to get details of the agreement next Monday and would be able to vote at the IEA office until 5:30 on Tuesday. Do they have to decide you are low life before they tell you this or do you become low life once they tell you?
ReplyDeleteI also phoned IEA and they knew nothing about this, so I phoned again and they suddenly discovered that there would be voting at the office. Why didn't everyone get a call? Why didn't everyone get a postcard? I've been a member for over 25 years, 10 years as an AR,
ReplyDeleteserved on committees, and haven't moved in over 20 years. Sad but apparently they are no better then the administration.
So why won't any details be released before Friday? I'm sure the bargaining team will present the teachers a great tentative agreement. They didn't give in for two years. They wouldn't cave in now.
ReplyDeleteIEA is now working on reduced staff and in my humble opinion doesn't have the time to take each phone call from the members. Take a hour out of your busy schedule to listen to the major points of the tentative agreement and then (members) vote. I would like to thank the members of the bargaining team who worked on the agreement this summer for their time and effort.
ReplyDelete6:51 it is still summer. Some of us who are working other employments (you know continueing education is not free). We cannot just take off with a weeks notice. Especially when that was suppose to be the last day. Want to leave a good impression for next summer.
ReplyDeleteIn addition why not release information on the internet (that way they don't have to answer the phone). So that members can study and then hear why at the meeting. Ask informed questions.
Or does the IEA beleive we are ignorant and will just follow their recomendations? What do they not want us to see by rushing details force feeding and basically telling us to vote, "YES"? They are not going to let us internalize and think from my understanding. Just say this is it. Here are highlights. Now vote.
Instead of seeing it and going over and thinking about it. We are professionals and have brains. We should be allowed to decide on our own.
It's all gamesmenship. Everyone involved (School Board, White, and the IEA) is playing games.
ReplyDeleteWhy is everything so hush-hush? I am beginning to wonder about our union? I am very busy with prior committments on Friday.
ReplyDeleteHow does Michael Brown not know why a meeting is being held? That is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAm I the ONLY one who is puzzled as to how many out-of-district employees we are hiring? How can we be hiring people from the outside when we still don't have RIF'd teachers all placed? We are pulling people in (most of whom get jobs that are never even posted) and hiring them because they're part of the Good 'Ole Boy system.
Jobs that are not posted:
ReplyDeleteDo you ever notice that some people get hired or promoted into Positions that you've never seen posted on IPS Online Employment? Right now, one of the School Improvement Teams is without a Secondary Math Coach, but no one has ever seen the Math Coach position posted. But, at the last minute, there will be someone filling that position even though it is not advertised.
Things are really screwy, a friend was called by personnel and told he'd been traded, what is with this, are we in the major league baseball, I'll give you one science teacher and a teacher to be named later. They have no idea what they are doing in personnel. It is so incrediably unprofessional.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Central Office is that there is no rhyme or reason as to why some people are hired. We have perfectly qualified people ALREADY in the district, who apply for jobs and get turned down. Why? Because "we" (a.k.a Central Office) know people on the outside, and we bring them in as a favor. We literally create job positions for people from the outside...all the while we are RIF'ing teachers from the inside. There is no money for teacher raises, but there is money for bonuses, merit pay, etc. It is a sad hypocrisy, this district. We are told Cultural Imperative #1, but watch Central Office do the exact opposite.
ReplyDeleteThis is all so sick and sad! Where is Andy Gamill when we need him...or ANyONE that can bring light to this sick system??? Funny, there isn't a blog spot for teachers in Lawrence TWP..or Pike...or Washington...or Warren...etc., etc., etc.!
ReplyDeleteTeh problem with Andy Gamill is that he wants names to go with stories (and by that, I mean author's names). I have sent him stories that would make anyone's head spin, but he wants to use my name. I have two kids and a mortgage, so unless I know that Andy would be aggressive enough to help us make changes, then it is not worth me losing my job.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sick to see what White gets away with. We work in an industry for kids, and yet we are more crooked than most companies. The man is never seen, and only heard from through blogs and Mary Louise.
People can say what they want about Pat Pritchett, but the man let us do our jobs, and would come into schools (even if the media is not there...gasp!) and visit.
Goodness, I really could care less at this point about being treated like a professionsl....I would like to be treated as a person!
The problem with the Star is that they won't do any investigations. They will report stories if you provide all the details and the information, and are willing to be named. You can't give them the information and expect them to go after the story. If that were the case we'd be reading exactly how much money was spent on the two vacations, opps I mean hiring trips taken by Dr White and Dr Johnson, and Dr Kendrick and Dr. Bridgewater, one set to China and another to California. Come on Andy dig a little, I'll even send you a trowel.
ReplyDeleteI was going through some papers and found something written by Harrison Ullman, of Nuvo, he was willing to actually do some research and reporting. Remember when they reported about the townships and how they could write off anything and everything as deseg related, and bill the state. Rest in Peace Harrison, when will someone step up to fill his shoes, and his place in my heart.
WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MONEY!!!Isn't everyone else as sick and scared as we are about the lack of equity in pay? For crying out loud! No secrecy, please! POST IT! Please.
ReplyDeleteThe union doesn't want to have to deal with all the questions like they did with the last contract. They were forced to hold meetings to give details on the "new" insurance. I remember Peggy Penn getting mad because we asked questions and wanted details. What do we have now? Crappy insurance that costs way too much. Didn't anyone ask if having a Catholic based organization provide both our insurance options was a good idea? Oh that's right.....theey left that info out just telling us it was ISTA. They love hidding details from us.
ReplyDeleteIf you are not happy with the contract, then volunteer your time to work on the committee! I have never seen so many folks complain, yet they do nothing, not even attend one school board meeting. Its easy to talk, then you need to start working to get out the school board members now.
ReplyDelete2:47p.m.--I have had great respect for many of our board members, but some need to go. What do we do to get them out?
ReplyDeleteThe Board Members who were mentioned at the Tech Welcome Back are the ones who need to go. If you haven't been in a classroom in over 20 years, then you are too far removed.
ReplyDelete