Discovery and Pilot School's Rfps
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Snowden School Entertains Chinese Exchange Students See page 8. BostonBostonUnion Teacher The Award-Winning Newspaper of the Boston Teachers Union AFT Local 66, AFL-CIO • Democracy in Education • Volume XL, Number 9 • April, 2008 Discovery and Pilot School’s RFPs Out Pilots Offer More ‘Flexibility,’ Discoveries, More Protections By Richard Stutman being open to considering the and many others too numerous BTU President Discovery Model as a viable al- to mention) that have changed y the time this newspaper arrives, ternative for school reform and their staff work day. The differ- we will be in the midst of two sepa- change. The BTU supports a ence is, the changed work day Brate Requests for Proposal cycles, variety of models for school im- in these schools has been nego- one for an application for a school to be- provement, and feels that no one tiated separately, and all work come a Pilot School and one for Discov- size fits all. Further, we feel, time above and beyond the nor- ery Status. there must be created models mal teacher work day is compen- Both models offer alternatives to tra- which allow for school innova- sated. This change would be al- ditional schools. Both models offer an in- tion without the sacrifice of one’s Richard Stutman lowed in individual Discovery crease in school autonomies, though collective bargaining rights. BTU President Schools, too, but would be sub- BTU Paraprofessional/Sub Field Rep. there are substantial differences between ject to negotiations and all time Jenna Fitzgerald with Christopher the two: The Pilot model offers more au- Where does each would be compensable. Castellani, Artistic Director of Grub Street, tonomies than the Discovery model and model stand now? For a full description of pilot school au- Inc. at book signing of “Born Before Plas- substitutes an Election-to-Work agree- Nineteen groups have submitted Pilot tonomies, see the CCE webpage at (http:/ tic.” ment that includes an appeals process School proposals in response to a recent /www.ccebos.org) The CCE or Center for BTU’s Jenna instead of the BTU-negotiated grievance RFP sponsored by The Boston Founda- Collaborative Education, helps manage process. The Discovery Model captures tion (TBF). Some of the 19 proposals seek the Boston Pilot School network. As of Fitzgerald many of the same autonomies and free- to convert current traditional schools to early March, however, the superinten- doms (budgetary, curricular, and assess- pilot, some seek to open new pilot dent has installed an Assistant Superin- Participates in ment) as Pilots but seeks no relaxation schools, and some wish to expand cur- tendent in charge of Pilot Schools. of collective bargaining rights from our rent pilots to an extended grade struc- There are a few other points to con- Boston “Memoir members. BTU Contract provisions and ture. The TBF has underwritten each of sider regarding pilot schools. Their mem- Project” the BTU-negotiated grievance process these exploratory proposals with a bers belong to the BTU; get the same remain intact in Discovery Schools. $20,000 grant with a promise of an addi- benefits and salary, and the same system- orn Before Plastic is the newly The Pilot model is well-established, tional one-time grant of $100,000 should wide seniority. The system-wide senior- Bpublished book with stories and the Discovery model is a work-in a pilot school result from the planning ity, however, cannot be used to claim an from Boston’s most enduring neigh- progress. The Discovery model came process. attachment right to a building. Pilot borhoods. into being when the union and manage- (Schools that have accepted TBF’s school teachers and paraprofessionals Mayor Thomas M. Menino, ment negotiated new pilot school contract $20,000, by the way, can decide instead can be mandated to work up to 95 uncom- through Grub Street Inc., asked se- language in 2005-2006. It has taken al- to become Discovery Schools. They will pensated hours per year. All other rights nior citizens to participate in a “Mem- most two years for the Discovery concept not have to pay the money back.) and benefits found in the BTU Contract oir Project” and share their memo- to gain traction; little progress was made Pilot Schools operate differently than are generally inapplicable in a pilot ries of the good old days. during the Payzant-Contompasis era. We traditional schools. (continued on page 2) (continued on page 4) applaud Superintendent Johnson for 1. They are free to hire anyone; they’re also free to ‘excess’ anyone they want on a yearly basis Students from Madison Park’s 2. They enjoy limited budgetary au- tonomy Nursing Program Volunteer to Help with 3. They enjoy curriculum and assess- ment autonomy Cavanaugh Blood Drive 4. They enjoy governance autonomy, but can no longer screen students 52088 rmit No. oston, MA 02109 oston, Non-Profit Org. Non-Profit PAID U.S. Postage U.S. – Sign Up Now to Give the Gift of Life – via an application process. (Some B Pe Dear Friends and Colleagues: but not all pilot schools have been his is another reminder that on Thursday, May 29th from 10:00 am to 5:00 able in the past to create an admis- Tpm the BTU and the Red Cross will be sponsoring the Tom Cavanaugh sions process to screen entering Memorial Blood Drive. As you know, giving blood saves lives. Tom, along students. All new pilots are prohib- with several other dedicated volunteers, played an integral part in saving lives ited from doing this.) of people throughout the Commonwealth through their efforts. A few years 5. They enjoy schedule autonomy and ago Tom passed away and the event fell dormant. This year we are bringing it can increase or modify the school back and naming it in Tom’s honor. In order for it to be a success we are asking day individuals from each school to act as a point person for their school. All that Discovery Schools will be able to take we ask is that you make sure that announcements are made the week before advantage of items #2 and #3 only, in ex- the event in your building. actly the same fashion as permitted in Since this year’s Blood Drive has been announced the feedback has been Pilot Schools. Discovery schools will not encouraging. Students from Madison Park’s Nursing program have volunteered be allowed, however, to adopt item #1. to participate with the donation process. Several people have signed up by com- Regarding #4, no new school, Pilot or pleting the form on page 7 and others have used the link found in the e-Bulle- Discovery, will be allowed to screen stu- tins and the BTU home page. Please indicate if you have a preferred time to dents. We applaud this move. Regarding donate. This helps the Red Cross allocate adequate personnel and supplies to item #5, as a general rule, Discovery manage the event. All walk-in donors are welcome. Each donor will receive a Schools will not have a right to change free T-Shirt and a chance to win one of four prizes from a free raffle. A compli- their school schedule, but please keep in mentary lunch with refreshments will be provided. mind that in Boston currently there are (continued on page 7) many traditional schools (Expanded Learning Time Schools, Project Promise, the four McKinley sites, Ostiguy High, Song Highlights Standardized Testing Concerns 3 ➤ ➤ HCA: Changes for Congo’s Children 5 AL 66, AFT AL 66, Monitoring and Assessing Student Progress 6 BOSTON TEACHERS TEACHERS UNION BOSTON LOC 180 Mount Vernon Street Vernon 180 Mount Boston, Massachusetts 02125 Boston, Discovery and Pilot Schools RFPs Out… (continued from page 1) school, except that each pilot school drafts positions are so tight in certain subject will be operational by September 2009, lective bargaining rights from what they its own Election-to-Work Agreement as an areas that the HR Dept. has prohibited the same start-time as the new pilot term ‘underperforming’ schools. He has alternative to the list of working conditions some subject areas (art, music, computer, schools. While there are no grants per regularly worked with anti-public educa- and grievance rights found in the BTU elementary, ELA, ESL, physical educa- se to encourage their development of Dis- tion and anti-teacher union zealots on a Contract. A more extensive Q and A about tion, and social studies) from being “open coveries, the union and the superinten- host of issues for the last few years. Their Pilot schools can be found on the BTU posted.” To open post positions in these dent have agreed to a $30,000 fund to help group, for example, has proposed that the website. fields would exacerbate the shortage of jump start Discoveries. The lump sum for state create a Turnaround District, which The BTU contract allows that a mini- positions, as open posted positions are Discoveries is neither meant nor in- would take schools out of the collective mum of seven pilot schools shall be cre- exempt from being filled via the excess tended to compete with the funds TBF is bargaining process and hand them over ated over the life of the BTU agreement. process. This would leave fewer available giving to Pilots. It is meant, however, to to the superintendent who would have un- Of the seven, one, The Gardner Pilot has jobs for our members in those subject show a joint BPS/BTU commitment to limited power for a period of two years. been created already. A school to be run areas. Despite this action by the HR this project.