June, 2011 End of the Year Check-In: Some Good News, Some Bad, Some Promise by Richard Stutman Professional Devel- Area

BOSTON TEACHERS UNION, LOCAL 66, AFT Non-Profit Org. Performance Evaluations and 180 Mount Vernon Street U.S. Postage Boston, Massachusetts 02125 PAID Terminations 4 Boston, MA 02109 Permit No. 52088 25th Annual BTU Paraprofessional Conference 7 BTU Honors 2011 Building Representatives of the Year 12 BostonBostonUnion Teacher The Award-Winning Newspaper of the Boston Teachers Union AFT Local 66, AFL-CIO • Democracy in Education • Volume XLIII, Number 10 • June, 2011 End of the Year Check-In: Some Good News, Some Bad, Some Promise By Richard Stutman professional devel- area. We will continue to negotiate over BTU President opment or graduate the summer, and both sides have a goal of ood day. By the time you get this courses. Others of wrapping up negotiations as soon as pos- Gmost likely the school year will be in you will be working sible. its last few days, and you will be ready to in other jobs, often On the matter of health insurance, enjoy a few short days of vacation. Before for a healthy diver- while the “i’s” are not all dotted on the long some of you will be back in school sion. Regardless of impending state legislation as we go to either teaching summer school or taking what you do in the press, it appears certain that the our mem- summer, your bers, along with other city employees, ★★★★★★★★★ thoughts will never Richard Stutman will have a very good health care package be far away from BTU President for the next four years. In July of 2015, our your school and your health insurance will have to match up BTU Election Results students, and September will be here with the new state legislation – a down- before you know it. That’s just the way it grade that will diminish the quality of our June 1, 2011 works: We take our work home with us, health care while making it more expen- PRESIDENT even in the summer. That’s why it’s im- sive. We’ll cross that bridge when we get Richard Stutman, O’Bryant HS ...... 1,165 portant to take some sort of break and do to it, and in the meantime will try our best EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT something different when possible. legislatively to get some needed changes Patrick Connolly, BTU Office ...... 1,103 So where are we union-wise at the end in the law. of the 2010-2011 school year? We’ve been There are a host of other external SECRETARY-TREASURER Angela Cristiani is elected new Political Di- Charles R. Johnson, Madison Park TVHS ...... 1,060 negotiating for a complete year and have problems facing us, as well as our col- rector of the BTU. made some limited progress. We’ve leagues around the country. The difficul- POLITICAL DIRECTOR reached a tentative agreement on how ties we face – charter schools, privatiz- The city will attempt to close even Patricia Armstrong, BTU Office ...... 492 Angela Cristiani, Psychological Services ...... 793 teachers and paras will move from school ation, increase in high stakes testing, and more schools, in particular smaller to school. There’ll be a slightly different continued inadequate funding – are found schools, to cover the loss of funds and SECONDARY FIELD REPRESENTATIVE assignment process that will take the everywhere in cities across the country students. Truth is, even more schools Caren Carew, King MS ...... 514 place of the excess pool; both the school from Baltimore and New York to San would have closed this year were it not for ELEMENTARY FIELD REPRESENTATIVE department in the BTU are pleased with Francisco and LA. No urban school sys- the tremendous resistance offered by Michael W. McLaughlin, BTU Office ...... 417 the outcome. We have made slim progress tem has been immune from these as- parents, teachers, and students in the PARAPROFESSIONAL/SUBSTITUTE in other areas of concern, however. The saults. Although we have weathered these affected schools. FIELD REPRESENTATIVE issues of compensation, performance a little better than most, this is about to Statewide, we will face increased stan- Carla Johnson, Ellison Parks EES ...... 51 evaluation, professional growth and de- change. In particular, the expansion of dardized testing, as the state hastens to Jenna Fitzgerald, BTU Office ...... 130 velopment, and the extended day remain. charter schools under the new Ed Re- impose even more testing to meet the EXECUTIVE BOARD That said, the state is about to release new form law will drain from our district an twice-yearly RTTT demands to establish John Allocca, Alternative Education...... 421 performance evaluation regulations that additional yearly cost of $40-$50 million, beginning and after data-points of student Karen L. McCarthy, Brighton HS ...... 412 Garret Virchick, Brighton HS ...... 501 will dictate some – not all – of the evalua- on top of the current loss of $65 million. benchmarks. Add to this the strong pos- Michael Maguire, Boston Latin Academy ...... 656 tion language we will have to adopt, pav- Individual school budgets will face con- sibility that the state will mandate that Evangeline Kariadakis, Ohrenberger ...... 109 ing the way for some movement in this tinued declines. (continued on page 6) Allison Doherty-LaCasse, Urban Sci. Acad. ... 521 Jessica Tang, Young Achievers K-8 ...... 543 Karene-Sean Hines, Timilty MS ...... 380 Robert P. Carroll, Sumner ES ...... 433 Eileen A. Weir, Madison Park TVHS ...... 510 Karen Wood-Hocker, Holmes ES ...... 259 Sterling Scott, Blackstone ES ...... 152 Mary Ann Urban, Retired ...... 495 Michael Crain, MPTVHS, HPEC, SBEC ...... 307 Tricia Melanson, Madison Park TVHS ...... 347 James (Timo) Philip, Brighton HS ...... 526 Erik Berg, Philbrick ES ...... 597 Alice Yong, Murphy ES ...... 591 Cheryl Kelly, RN, Alighieri ES/Edwards MS ..... 541

PARA COUNCIL Debra Brown, Sumner ES ...... 105 Christine Buttiglieri, Umana MS ...... 76 Lynette Harrell, Holland ES ...... 61 Adrianne Jordan, Edison K-8 ...... 78 Josefina I. Lascano, Edison K-8 ...... 76 CaSandra Samuel, Holland ES ...... 76 Maureen Sutherland, Gavin MS ...... 91 Donna Adame, WREC: Brook Farm ...... 28 See results for the Delegates to All Affiliated Bodies on page 6. The candidates await the results at BTU Hall. Commentary: Michael J. Maguire An Electronic Grass Roots Campaign ave you recently felt like nobody portant because our jobs are in the public tional approval. So a comment that is efits for the stu- H cares about you, your job, or your domain. “The people” have a say in our positively influential snowballs into the dents and their efforts? Me too. It happens most acutely jobs, so it is important that what “the most popular comment of the day. While parents. when I read the Globe or Herald. Sadly, people” read be positively influential. seemingly silly, this is important because But perhaps even in our daily newspapers, not many So, how best to do that? comments can be ranked by most/least the most fright- Michael J. Maguire people seem to care about the topic dear- I suggest that all of us register on the popular. After several days or weeks of ening sentiment est to our hearts: public education. major on-line news sources, especially this, you will get to know the personalities on the Net is that “unions served a pur- I would like to draw your attention to the Globe and Herald. Pick a user name of some of the more persistent commen- pose years ago, but are not needed now.” the electronic editions of the newspapers. that protects your identity but is playful tators. And those who are friendly to Good people really do believe this. They Most papers allow a reader to post a and fun, e.g. “BeantownTeacher.” Then public education will benefit from our think that when the heavy-duty machines comment at the end of a story. Some each day – especially in the morning – we support. went away, so did the need for unions. comments are thoughtful, but most are need to scan the on-line newspapers and If you are so inclined, I suggest adding Why does this sentiment matter to us? the equivalent of person talking just to TV news shows for stories about educa- short, targeted comments. Few people It does matter because if the public views hear his won voice. tion. Here’s were the fun begins. want to read a comment that is longer collective bargaining as a “thing of the Usually there are a few dozen com- Most comment areas allow for two than the original story. But a well thought past” or “an impediment to innovation,” ments on a front-page education story separate but related actions: voting to out verbal jab can do more to shape a then the politicians will enact legislation and only a handful of comments in the approve (or disapprove) of another debate than can a long, detailed rant. restricting or moving collective bargain- editorial section. Compare these low num- person’s comment, and making your own I suggest we emulate Socrates. Let us ing. We are on the verge of loosing our bers to those in the business or sports comment. Let’s take these on at a time. pose pointed questions to those who seek “right” to negotiate our health insurance; sections and you too will develop an infe- If you are new to such commenting to weaken public education and/or we could loose even more. riority complex. Comments in these sec- activities, I suggest you all read the com- unions. Let us ask where they get their So once again I am asking you to help tions number in the hundreds! ments in order to get the pulse of the “facts.” Let us ask them to pack up their shape public opinion. When you read a Now I don’t believe that the number of crowd. Vote for the comments that best opinions with data. Just think if it as an story about education, put in your elec- comments a story has is the be-all-and- reflect your feelings. Human nature be- electronic red pen as you edit their essays. tronic two-cents. Set the record straight end-all of its importance, but it does indi- ing what it is, the more approval a com- The more you read, the more you’ll or, at the very least, click the appropriate cate its popularity. And popularity is im- ment gets, the more people add addi- discover that the majority of the negative area to either approve or disapprove of a comments aimed at public education are comment or story. in fact inaccurate. The sentiments ex- Complaining in the teachers’ lounge pressed by people are often genuine, but will not solve the problem. Silently fum- the misinformation about public educa- ing will only lead to ulcers. But by band- tion is staggering. For example, the most ing together, we can tell the city what we repeated misunderstanding is that the think might help. teachers’ unions make it impossible to So the next time you read a story in the fire bad teachers. A close second is that newspaper, please log on to the online teachers’ unions prevent innovative cur- version of the paper and set the record ricula from being adopted. straight. If the Globe and Herald see that When we see comments like these, let hundreds or thousands of us are involved, us simply point out that the unions ensure they might be less inclined to demean our that due process rights are followed. Let’s profession. (L-R) Mike Gallagher (SEIU 615), Harris Gruman (SEIU), Angela DiLeo (MassCosh), Peter Rider (SEIU 615), Cliff Cohn (SEIU 509), Enid Eckstein (SEIU 1199), Rich Rogers (GBLC), Rocio stress that no teacher or unionists wants All of us in the BPS ought to be proud Saenz (SEUI 615), Garret Virchick (BTU) and Dick Monks (IUOE 877) were some of the labor a “bad teacher” in the schools. We do, of the work we do. Let’s take a minute to activists that came out in support of the rally. however, want the administration to iden- share that pride with the populous. tify poorly performing teachers, and ad- Housing Activists Confront dressing the issues head on in a fair and consistent manner. Phone Bank of America When we read stories that blame teachers for the troubles in education, let us Numbers Demand Fairness - Not Foreclosure simply point out that “neither teachers nor their unions run the schools.” Let us Office ...... 617-288-2000 n the first united protest of the Bank Tenant Movement around 300 people point out that one of the most sought after Health & Welfare ...... 617-288-0500 Igathered in Copley Square to denounce Bank of America’s failure to provide schools in Boston, the Boston Teachers AFT Massachusetts ...... 617-423-3342 relief to the victims of predatory lending practices. Practices that Bank of America Function Office ...... 617-288-3322 Union School, is run by teachers. The Lounge Office ...... 617-288-3322 helped to promote. City Life/Vida Urbana, The Chelsea Collaborative, Spring- BTU school is a great model of how field No One Leaves Coalition, Worcester Anti-Foreclosure Team, Direction Vision Center ...... 617-288-5540 collaboration between a school’s leader- Tremont Credit Union ...... 781-843-5626 Action for Rights and Equality - Providence (DARE), Lynn United For Change, ship and its teachers can yield great ben- The Merrimack Valley Project, and Mass Alliance Against Predatory Lending came together to demand that Bank of America halt all evictions, especially when the families being evicted can still pay rent. They also demanded that real modifications be made to existing mortgages including principal reductions. Much of the blame for the current economic crisis has been placed on Wall Street banks that first demanded and received changes in banking regulations Boston and then encouraged predatory lending practices that targeted low income UnionTeacher working families. At the same time they were writing these mortgages they were also betting against them with hedge funds and credit default swaps and other Published by the Boston Teachers Union AFT Local 66, AFL-CIO exotic financial instruments that were never regulated, thanks to high paid lobbyists. The housing bubble grew, then burst, and American taxpayers paid EDITORIAL NOTE: The Boston Union Teacher The opinions expressed in the hundreds of billions of dollars to bail them out. is published eleven times a year Boston Union As teachers we see the effects of homelessness every day. Many of our Teacher do not necessarily represent the September - July, inclusive. views of the Boston Teachers Union, or those students have had to endure multiple moves over the past three years. Sometimes of its members. this happens when their homes are foreclosed. Other times they are evicted from President WHEN WRITING: apartments when the owner is foreclosed, even when their family can still pay RICHARD F. STUTMAN All correspondence to the Boston Union rent. Why? Because the banks insist on empty apartments after foreclosure. Vice President Teacher must be typewritten and include the Individuals from the labor movement came out to support the rally. Rich PATRICK CONNOLLY author’s name and school or department if Rogers from the Greater Boston Labor Council addressed the crowd, targeting Secretary-Treasurer not school-based. the greed of Bank of America CHARLES R. JOHNSON All articles must be appropriate to the publi- and other Wall Street banks. Co-Editors cation, and in good taste. And Boston Union School MICHAEL J. MAGUIRE Letters to the Editor should be sent to teacher Riana Goode carried GARRET VIRCHICK [email protected]. a banner for City Life/Vida Ur- Editorial Board DEADLINE: bana. Caren Carew The deadline for submitting articles for Speeches and chants ener- Angela Cristiani the next issue of the Boston Union gized the crowd. Attempts to Jenna Fitzgerald Teacher is July 7th. enter the bank and confront All copy should be e-mailed to Robert Jango [email protected] and the officers of Bank of America Michael McLaughlin [email protected] were denied. But rally orga- Eileen Weir This deadline will be strictly adhered to. nizers vowed that this is only Boston Union School teacher Riana Goode is an ac- the beginning and they would 180 Mount Vernon Street ❖ Boston, MA 02125 tive member of City Life/Vida Urbana. be back. 617-288-2000 ❖ 617-288-2463 ❖ Fax 617-288-0024 ❖ www.btu.org 2 ❖ BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 Know Your Rights: Caren Carew, BTU Secondary Field Representative How does a person with disabilities apply for reasonable accommodations at work? he BPS policy Superintendent’s Cir- The circular provides a VOLUNTARY of their pay that has been deducted from spouse’s insur- Tcular EQT-1, ‘Employees with Disabili- self-identification form of employees with each paycheck throughout the school ance. If a teacher ties – Rights & Responsibilities’, commits disabilities. Even if an employee has a year added together to provide said is terminated to nondiscrimination against qualified per- disability that is apparent to others, they teacher with ‘stretch’ payments over the from the BPS/ sons with disabilities to education pro- are under no obligation to participate in summer based on work already done City of Boston, they will be mailed infor- grams and employment practices in ac- this self-identification, and failure to do so between September and June of that aca- mation about COBRA benefits. For fur- cordance with Section 504 of the Rehabili- will not result in any adverse action. The demic year. ther inquiries concerning COBRA con- tation Act of 1973 as amended and with circular states that any information an If a provisional teacher has been tinuation of coverage, get in touch with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). employee chooses to provide will be held granted a letter of Reasonable Assurance the Health Benefits and Insurance Office, A person with disabilities is defined as in strictest confidence and will be known (RA), they are NOT eligible to collect Room 807, City Hall. Give them a call at a person who (1) has a physical or mental only to BPS Equity and does not become Unemployment because they have been 617-635-4570. impairment which substantially limits one part of their regular personnel records. reasonably assured of a job in the upcom- The Boston Teachers Union Health & or more major life activities, (2) has a In addition to this policy, if you believe ing academic year. If a provisional teacher Welfare Fund which we negotiate to pro- record of such impairment, or (3) is re- you have been subjected to discrimina- has not been granted an RA, and has vide you with dental, eye care/glasses, garded as having such impairment, most tion or harassment, you may file a com- received a termination letter from the prepaid legal, and the like also has a of which require legal interpretations. plaint with either or both of the following BPS, they ARE eligible to collect Unem- COBRA benefits which are separate from Examples of the range of disabilities in- government agencies. Each agency has a ployment Compensation. your health care benefits. Please contact clude: * Non-ambulatory disabilities – short time period for filing a claim (EEOC- If a teacher has been terminated due to BTU Health & Welfare at 617-288-0500 physical impairments requiring use of a 180 days can be extended under state/ just cause and has done so via a settle- for more details. wheelchair; * Semi-ambulatory disabili- local laws; MCAD 300 days). * The United ment agreement drawn up with the BPS ties – physical impairments causing a States Equal Employment Opportunity Labor Relations Department, then they person to walk with difficulty (with or Commission (EEOC) JFK Federal Build- must refer to the terms of said settlement What is the severance pay without aides); * Coordination disabili- ing Room 475, Boston 02203. 1-800-532- in relation to filing for Unemployment policy in the BPS ties – impairments of muscle control to 5274. * The Massachusetts Commission Compensation when applicable. To ob- for teachers? limbs, resulting in faulty coordination; * Against Discrimination (MCAD); Bos- tain more information, call the Massa- The BTU Contract details, “Persons Sight disabilities; * Hearing disabilities; * ton Office; One Ashburton Place, Rm 601, chusetts Division of Employment via the who retire, resign, or die after ten (10) Speech impairments; * Learning disabili- Boston 02108, 617-994-6000. web www.detma.org/workers/howtofile years of teaching in the BPS shall be paid ties; * Mental or psychological disorders – .htm or by phone TeleClaims services at at the ratio of 40% of accumulated, unused impairments effecting normal mental pro- When can a teacher 1-877-626-6800 or 617-626-6800. Hours are sick days, without limitation. Payment cesses or emotional stability. collect Unemployment Monday - Thursday 8:30 – 6:30; Friday shall be based on the annual rate of pay of Section 504 defines a “Qualified Dis- 8:00 – 4:30. the person at the time of death, retire- abled Person” for employment purposes Compensation? ment or resignation. In the event of death, if they meet legitimate skill experience, A teacher is eligible for Unemploy- What does COBRA payment shall be made to the estate.” education, or other requirements of an ment Compensation when they have been mean concerning …”severance shall be paid in two install- employment position, and who can per- laid off or have not been rehired by the ments. One half of the payment shall be form the ‘essential functions’ of the posi- school system. If a teacher has been is- health insurance? made on or before December 31st of the tion with or without reasonable accom- sued a letter of termination and has not COBRA stands for the Consolidated year of retirement, and the other half modations. If the individual is qualified by been rehired as of the effective date of Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1985. It is shall be paid on or before December 31st a disability, the employer must consider said termination, then they are eligible the law that requires employers who offer of the year after retirement.” If a person whether the individual could perform for Unemployment benefits. group health insurance plans to give their has taught less than ten full years in the these functions with a reasonable accom- When a terminated teacher is paid employees the opportunity to stay on BPS, they lose their accumulated sick modation. The ADA doesn’t apply to indi- over the summer months due to being on their group health insurance plan if they days if they leave the system. viduals with minor, non-chronic condi- a 26 paycheck schedule, they are still able are no longer employed by the employer tions of short duration, such as a sprain, to collect Unemployment. These ‘sum- and the former employee isn’t eligible for broken limb, and the like. mer payments’ are based on a percentage health insurance coverage through a Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Speaks at Harvard Commencement Supporters of Public Education Rally to Protest His Policies ince Arne Duncan was appointed Secretary of Education under the S Obama administration we have seen an increase in standardized testing, charter school openings, public school closings, and attacks on teachers. Although he has never been a teacher his Race to the Top initiative has encouraged state legislatures to write laws to tie teacher evaluations to test scores, effectively taking this out of collective bargaining. A Harvard graduate himself, he was named Chief Marshall for the school’s graduation ceremony. A small but spirited group of teachers and public education advocates came out to protest his policies. In the crowd that day were former Boston Public Schools principal Deborah Meir, Citizen for Public Schools (CPS) activist and former Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Ann O’Halloran, current CPS Presi- dent Ruth Rodriguez-Fay, Save Our Schools organizer Liza Womack who emceed the rally, Fair Test and CPS member Lisa Guisbond, and education writer Alfie Kohn. Current Cambridge City Councilor candidate Larry Ward also spoke to the crowd urging them to keep fighting. He had this message for Duncan, “Arne, get out of our lives and get out of education.” (Photos courtesy of Liza Womack.)

BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 ❖ 3 Performance Evaluations and Terminations By Patrick J. Connolly the dismissal process. Often after a re- may well take over a year themselves, and soon find BTU Executive Vice President view by the Department of Human Re- and can be quite expen- they have received a sec- his time of year can be a period of sources and the Office of Labor Relations sive. During this time the ond DNMS evaluation. Tgreat stress for many teachers. There an intent to dismiss packet is prepared. teacher is without BPS Whether it is professional has been an increase in the number of This packet may be delivered to the salary and benefits. If not or personal pride, a sense teachers receiving an overall rating of teacher at his/her assignment by the eligible for retirement, the of denial, or a feeling that “Does Not Meet Standards.” This end of school police. This year several teachers teacher may face finan- they can fix things them- year evaluation had to be received prior to have been placed on administrative leave cial problems, as well as selves, many teachers do May 15, 2011. After receiving this year at the same time. Teachers must then the emotional problems not seek any assistance. end evaluation, the principal or headmas- make arrangements to gather their per- associated with the loss The BTU and the BPS ter may recommend to the Superinten- sonal belongings and materials after of a job. offer a peer assistance dent that the teacher be terminated. school time. This scenario is not in- program and have four Surviving May 15th with no overall Does Within ten days the teacher must re- tended to describe in all Patrick J. Connolly teachers working with Not Meet Standards evaluation does not quest a meeting with the principal/head- details or particulars the teachers who are having insulate a teacher from possible dismissal. master to review the intent to dismiss dismissal process and its ramifications. It performance evaluation issues. These four If a teacher receives at least four interim decision. This process is required by the only presents an outline. Each individual’s work with teachers during the school evaluations in a 12 month period during state ed reform laws. How likely is it that case may differ in some respects, but they year. To find out more about this program which a teacher is present, the principal a principal or headmaster will reverse a all share a determination by an adminis- contact Michael McLaughlin, Elemen- or headmaster may recommend that the decision they have spent months or a trator that the teacher’s performance Does tary Field Representative. teacher be dismissed. Interim evaluations year preparing? Not Meet Standards (DNMS). This judg- With the end of the school year ap- may be given up till the end of the school The dismissed teacher then has an ment is at the heart of the problem. Many proaching, what can someone do if they year. individual right to go to arbitration to teachers who receive a first DNMS evalu- have evaluation issues? Making sense of If a teacher is in either of these two seek a reversal of this decision. The BTU ation find themselves in this challenging some prescriptions is difficult. The teacher situations, the anxiety only increases. The may or may not support the teacher in situation and are uncertain how to re- may feel the administrator is out to get principal or headmaster may seek ap- this process depending upon each indi- spond. Many refuse to acknowledge that them. This may or may not be accurate. proval from the Superintendent to begin vidual situation. The arbitration process they may be having difficulty, keep it to Teacher and evaluator may look at the same lesson and come to different con- clusions. The prescriptions that are given may or may not be helpful. The administrator will probably not be around to ex- plain what to do to prepare for the next evaluation cycle beginning in September. What can a teacher do to help himself or herself address these issues? The BTU has thousands of members, teachers with great experience and resources. We have teachers who have de- veloped ideas and strategies to address many classroom issues. It is time to take advantage of our own resources. At the May, 2011 membership meeting a mo- tion was passed to attempt to address this evaluation issue. The BTU will offer a week long performance improvement institute in early August to address the concerns of individual teachers. There will be 5 four hour sessions at the BTU Hall. These will run from 8:30 am –12:30 pm, Monday – Friday either the first or second week of August. The idea is to look at each individual evaluation and to focus on ways to meet the prescriptions of the administrator. To accomplish this goal the BTU is looking within its ranks for up to twenty teachers who feel they have the classroom skills and interpersonal skills to work with teachers who are having evaluation issues. We constantly say we can provide better Professional Development, now is our chance. All levels, program and content areas are needed. These teachers will be compensated at the contractual rate for their participation. Permanent teachers who are having evaluation issues are strongly encouraged to consider this as a way to address their evaluation issues. Participants need to self – identify by contacting the BTU. Each teacher must send their DNMS evaluation(s) to the BTU. The program is designed, at present, to work with up to twenty teachers. The idea is to work one on one for twenty hours to review, dis- cuss, and address the issues and prescriptions of the evaluation. The hope is to provide a way for veteran teachers to improve their performance and the performance of their students. The BTU is doing this to assist its members. Mem- bers have asked for help to address evaluation issues. If you are in this situation do not let pride or denial stop you from obtaining assistance from your BTU colleagues. The career you save may be your own. For further information teachers who wish to assist in the program and teachers who desire assistance should contact [email protected].

4 ❖ BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 Dr. Carol Johnson and the Boston School Committee Awards Citations to BPS National Board Certified Teachers for Cycle 2010 January Snowday Cause for Celebration Postponement Does Not Chill the Glory! by Margaret Hoyt pril 8, 2011 at the monthly Boston School Commit- tee meeting, eight newly National Board Certified Teachers A(NBCT) and one renewal received commendations from the school district for their exceptional accomplishment in achieving NBCT. At the 6pm start of the meeting Superintendent Carol Johnson outlined the rigor of the process to attain NBCT including a yearlong portfolio and a six- hour written assessment. She spoke in glowing Angela DiPrizio Otis Elementary Grade 4, terms of the impact NB status has for the BPS. Before a packed audience including proud NBCT family members, NBCT Middle Childhood Generalist friends, colleagues, administrators and well-wishers at the 26 Court Street meeting quarters, Dr. Johnson and School Committee members recognized each teacher individually with a round of handshakes, a plaque and a group picture. Angela DiPrizio Otis Elementary Grade 4, NBCT Middle Childhood Generalist Cara Fenner Excel High School, History Grades 10- 12, History: Adolescence and Young Adulthood Kelly Garofalo Brighton High Schoo,l, ELA, English Language Arts Adolescence and Young Adulthood Karen McCarthy Brighton High School ELA, English Language Arts, Adolescence and Young Adulthood Robert Rametti Brighton High School, ELA English Language Arts, Adolescence and Young Adulthood Carla McCormack Edwards Middle School, Mathematics Mathematics, Early Adolescence Jeffrey A. Timberlake Boston Teachers Union School, Grade 3 Generalist, Middle Childhood Adam Moore Formerly Perkins Elementary School Generalist, Middle Childhood Renewed NBCT Whitney Weeder East Boston Early Education Center Generalist, Early Childhood Boston NBCTs are entitled to the BTU contractual four-percent pay raise, along with a reimbursement of their Cara Fenner Excel High School, application fees. They also have earned the opportunity to receive nine graduate credits at a locally accredited History Grades 10- 12, college with transcript fees only . The Center for Leadership Development in collaboration with the Boston History: Adolescence and Young Adulthood Teachers Union is pleased with the increased number of teachers attempting National Certification and the high rate of success in the BPS. Compared to the national pass rate of 36%, Boston is passing at about 75%. The number is approaching 65 with Dr. Johnson’s goal of doubling Boston NBCTs over the next five years. The BPS CLD/BTU leadership salutes their accomplishment and looks forward to their leadership in the Boston Public Schools. Teachers formed NBPTS in 1987 to advance the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching, creating a voluntary system to certify teachers who meet those standards and integrating certified teachers into educational reform efforts. Follow in their steps to earn this prestigious recognition of accomplishments. If you would like more information on how to apply, contact Maggie Hoyt [email protected]. (Margaret Hoyt is a BPS Lead Teacher andNBCT Candidate Provider.)

Kelly Garofalo Brighton High School, ELA, English Language Arts, Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Karen McCarthy Brighton High School ELA, English Language Arts, Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Robert Rametti Brighton High School ELA English Language Arts Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Carla McCormack Edwards Middle School Mathematics, Early Adolescence

Jeffrey A. Timberlake Boston Teachers Union School, Grade 3 Generalist, Middle Childhood BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 ❖ 5 ★★★★★★★★★ End of the Year Check-In: Some Good Things, Some Bad, Some Promise BTU Election Results (continued from page 1) teacher evaluations be tied to twice-yearly June 1, 2011 testing in all subject areas. If you think (continued from page 1) testing wasted a lot of class time in 2011, DELEGATE TO ALL AFFILIATED BODIES (TBA) well, wait until 2013 when the RTTT man- Sharon Abraham, Brighton HS ...... 112 date tying standardized testing to every Donna Adame, WREC: Brook Farm ...... 100 teacher in every subject area kicks in. Maritza Agrait, Occupational Therapist ...... 163 John Allocca, Alternative Education ...... 280 Currently only 17% of us teach in sub- Patricia Armstrong, BTU Office ...... 599 jects covered by a yearly MCAS. This will Roz Avant, Umana MS ...... 64 change. How bad will the testing frenzy Sandra Baler-Segal, Retired ...... 170 David Barry, O’Bryant HS ...... 94 get? Where will it end? Ronald R. Bennett, Engineering School HPEC . 89 In March, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Erik Berg, Philbrick ES ...... 515 rolled out 52(!) tests in its district. Inci- Anne Broder, Retired ...... 175 Sean Brooks, Dever ES ...... 114 dentally, this increase doesn’t take care of Debra Brown, Sumner ES ...... 225 all new requirements – this is only phase Nia A. Burke, Agassiz ES ...... 145 I of their planned increase. And in New Christine Buttiglieri, Umana MS ...... 105 Cornelia “Connie” Callahan, Retired ...... 186 Caren Carew, King MS ...... 704 Robert P. Carroll, Sumner ES ...... 361 Ted Chambers, Edwards MS ...... 264 Brenda Chaney, O’Bryant HS ...... 494 Carol Pacheco whispers something pleasant to Patricia Armstrong. Christine Choukas, McKay K-8 ...... 62 Patrick Connolly, BTU Office...... 508 consin, we have seen an increased a better relationship with our elected offi- Martha Cotton, Taylor ES ...... 232 cials, reaching out to them whether they Sarah C. Cooper, Blackstone ES ...... 75 pushback in activities around the coun- Michael Crain, Career & Technical Ed...... 239 try. We may not yet have turned the are labor ‘friends’ or not. Many of our Angela Cristiani, Psychological Services ...... 751 corner, but there seems to be heightened ‘friends’ voted in the House to take away Marjie Crosby, Occupational/Physical Therapy . 183 our health insurance this year just as Ed Doherty, AFT Massachusetts ...... 611 awareness of the need to fight back against Allison Doherty-LaCasse, Urban Sci. Acad. .... 387 the wholesale attacks on public employ- many voted against our schools’ best in- David Donovan, Retired ...... 209 ees. terest in the Ed Reform legislation last John Enright, Madison Park TVHS ...... 154 year. We need to work very hard at this Marta Johnson Faldasz, Roosevelt K-8 ...... 162 On a positive note, the challenges to Jenna Fitzgerald, BTU Office...... 526 the theoretical underpinnings of RTTT and reconnect with elected leaders. We Janey Frank, Retired ...... 348 have persisted – and grown. Legislation can no longer afford to be nonchalant in Mary Gaughn, Retired ...... 228 this regard, and we can no longer work Heather Gorman, Blackstone ES ...... 68 aside, ideas such as merit pay, tying stan- Christine Gorman-Arnold, Sumner ES ...... 89 dardized test scores ala the Value Added only with our so-called friends. We have Thomas J. Gosnell, AFT Massachusetts ...... 533 Model (VAM), and increased charter to work with everybody. And we will be- Adam Gray, Monument HS ...... 80 gin to do so. Keith Guyette, Dorchester Academy ...... 54 schools have continued to attract skep- John Herald, Madison Park TVHS ...... 92 tics. Michelle Rhee has been shown to be BTU members can expect that we will Karene-Sean Hines, Timilty ...... 297 a fraud as so many of her award-winning reach out to individual state reps and Tom Hocker, Boston Latin Academy ...... 164 schools were found to have cheated1. The senators for a meaningful dialogue. We Carla M. Johnson, Ellison Parks EES ...... 337 Kristen Pinto announces the election results. Charles R. Johnson, Madison Park TVHS ...... 502 value added model used to predict teacher will take a more assertive outlook. Adrianne Jordan, Edison K-8 ...... 103 York City, the board is developing a dozen effectiveness based on student test data, Finally, we have just had an election, Cheryl Kelly, RN, Alighieri ES/Edwards MS ..... 450 and we welcome our new leaders as we Karen Kilmain-Patriquin, Sumner ES ...... 86 more tests. To adequately meet the de- except for a small handful of studies led Josefina I. Lascano, Edison K-8 ...... 162 mands of RTTT, all districts in Massachu- by Gates, has been routinely discredited, say goodbye to our old. On the BTU Barry Lawton, East Boston HS ...... 161 setts will have to go down that same most recently by a leading mathemati- Executive Board, we have elected three Lisa MacGeorge, Adams ES ...... 133 2 new members: John Allocca, Jessica Michael J. Maguire, Boston Latin Academy ... 490 tortuous path. cian . And charter schools cannot shake Leonard Miraglia, Retired ...... 133 the claim that they Tang, and Garret Virchick. We wel- Marilyn F. Marion, Retired ...... 208 cherry pick their stu- come them on board, look forward to Gayle Marrow, Mildred Ave. MS ...... 217 their new ideas, and look forward to work- Karen L. McCarthy, Brighton HS ...... 234 dents. Johnny McInnis, BTU Pilot School ...... 133 All of the preceding ing with them. Michael W. McLaughlin, BTU Office ...... 477 Arguments to counter At the same time, we say goodbye to Emily McNeal, Philbrick ES ...... 152 valued departing Executive Board mem- Tricia Melanson, Madison Park TVHS ...... 277 RTTT would be made Walter Mitchell, Brighton HS ...... 66 easier and would get bers Mary Glynn, Isilda R. Colonette, Musabwase Mugemana, Madison Park TVHS .. 189 some real traction were and Angela Cristiani. Angela will be Carol Pacheco, Retired ...... 538 joining us as our new political director, Sherry Pedone, Mildred Ave. MS ...... 275 it not for the failing Seth Peterson, Snowden HS ...... 133 economy, which has and we look forward to working with her James (Timo) Philip, Brighton HS ...... 458 blinded many of our to enhance our political operation. At the Kristen W. Pinto, Umana MS ...... 181 same time we say goodbye to Patricia Declan J. Power, Counseling & former democratic allies Intervention Center ...... 152 who have joined in to Armstrong, who gave our organization Gilberto Rivera, Edison K-8 ...... 322 chase the (RTTT) many years of good service. We wish all Ivelisse Santos-Rodriguez, Boston well. Latin Academy ...... 137 money at the expense of Sterling Scott, Blackstone ES ...... 88 common sense. The We also thank all of those who ran for Marc Seiden, Brighton HS ...... 95 money will dry up office wanting to be a part of our organiza- John Simonetti, Holland ES ...... 180 tion and to help it. We appreciate their Linda Simonetti, Retired ...... 208 Ted Chambers studies the election results. shortly, leaving bad Richard F. Stutman, O’Bryant HS ...... 741 policy in its wake. Long belief in our union. Jessica Tang, Young Achievers K-8 ...... 407 What’s more, federal funds are about story short, the money will go, but the We thank you all for your hard work Paul Tenney, Retired ...... 199 and for making our schools as good as Mary Ann Urban, Retired ...... 358 to dry up even as the federal mandates testing will increase. We cannot afford to Garret Virchick, Brighton HS ...... 364 remain. In all, we’re facing a tsunami of give up our fight to restore some com- they can be. Have a nice summer, and we Brenda M. Webster, Retired ...... 222 difficulties, from the legislative to the eco- mon sense to what have been mislabeled will see you in the fall. Eileen A. Weir, Madison Park TVHS ...... 400 nomic to the political. So, yes, we are reforms. Colum Whyte, Lee Academy...... 110 1 http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/ Karen Wood-Hocker, Holmes ES ...... 195 facing tough times. While the national Both local or statewide, we need to 2011-03-28-1Aschooltesting28_CV_N.htm Alice M. Yong, Murphy K-8 ...... 534 climate appears bad, there are some bright shore up the BTU’s political operation 2 http://www.btu.org/sites/default/files/math_ spots. Led by a nascent activism in Wis- and get more active. We need to develop intimidation_driven_by_data_ewing.pdf

MTA Dierdre McLaughlin, President daughter of Marguerite Paul Toner Devine McLaughlin (top) addresses and Sarah Stutman, the AFT-MA daughter of Nancy and Annual Richard Stutman Convention. (bottom), are recipients of scholarships from AFT Massachusetts.

BTU delegates at the AFT Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Bobby Massachusetts Haynes addressed the membership about his Annual role on the Board of Directors of Blue Cross/ Convention. Blue Shield. Later that month he announced

AFT Massachusetts he will not seek a new term as president. Convention 6 ❖ BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 AFT Massachusetts President Tom Gosnell with BTU Paraprofessional/ Substitute Field Rep. Josefina Lascano, Lynette Harrell and Lisa Osborn-Kelley Carla Johnson and Josefina Lascano. Jenna Fitzgerald.

Irma Hernandez Adrianne Jordan, Debbi Brown, Jenna Fitzgerald, Josefina Lascano, from the Lisa Osborn Kelley, Christine Buttiglieri and Donna Adame. Condon School.

Jenna Fitzgerald with Paras from New Bedford. Paras from the Madison Park Vocational Technical High School.

Paras from the Condon School. Paras from the Condon School.

25th Paraprofessional Conference Paras from the Joseph Lee School. Paras from the East Boston Early Education Center.

BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 ❖ 7 Commentary: Garret Virchick With All We Have to Fight Against, What Should We Be Fighting For? hen the school year draws to a close it is an important time Wfor reflection. In our school life we think about what worked for our students and what didn’t. Where were our successes and where were our failures? Were our assumptions correct, or will we need to reassess our beliefs about student learning? What might we want to do different next year? As a Union we also need to be reflective. Successes, Failures, Assumptions, Reassessment. This should be true in good years as well as bad. But this year has been especially bad. It seemed like we were always on the defensive. Teacher Evaluations, Value Added, Standardized Tests, Charter Schools, Collective Bargain- ing. Every time you turned around there was some bad policy being touted as the panacea for public education. We can stand together as a Union to fight these battles, but if we are going to win the war that is being waged against public education we cannot simply be against these bad policies. To win the war we need to be united around a vision for a public education that works for students, parents, and teachers. Of course if this was easy we would have been there yesterday. Everybody and their cousin has an opinion about schools. And too often we divide ourselves based on one or a couple of ideas. Cliques get formed. Lunch rooms are divided. What ends up filling the divide is oftentimes the ideas of those who don’t teach in our schools and would never send their children to our schools. The money of Broad, Gates, and Garret Virchick Walton is determining the future of public education only because we have not figured out a way to unite ourselves, and unite with parents. This short commentary cannot offer a vision that might ulti- mately be built into a movement. That vision can’t come from one person. What I can offer is a framework for discussion. The question to be discussed is: What way forward for our union? A framework for this discussion has recently been offered by The Tom Mooney Institute for Teacher and Union Leadership. Tom Mooney was President of The Ohio Federation of Teachers, and a Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers. He was also one of the leading voices nationally for teachers on educational policy and school reform issues; he fought to make teachers real partners in determining educational programs and resource allocations at the district level. Unfortunately he passed away five years ago. But the institute that bears his name survives and has recently issued a working document called Constructing “Progressive Unionism” Out of Three Frames. (See box right.) The three frames include Industrial Unionism: Collective power to meet bread and butter needs and ensure fairness from management; Professional Unionism: Control of the profession to ensure quality; and Social Justice Unionism: Equity for our students through active engagement in the community. These three frames are not mutually exclusive. And no frame is “better” than the others. If a union resides in only one frame it would be impossible to build a united union. Rather the framework serves as a guide to tackle the big questions that are before us. And the objective is to come up with creative solutions to the problems and challenges we face without sacrificing the goals of each frame. To build a united Union we must start to have these challenging discussions about the way forward. Our future will be determined by the solutions we agree upon to meet these challenges, or in the worst case, the lack of agreement. These discussions need to happen in schools and lunch rooms, not just in union halls. What way forward for our Union? It’s up to you. It’s up to all of us.

Save the date: Building Reps Weekend

October 21-23, 2011

8 ❖ BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 We’re Learning Here A project by Amika Kemmler Ernst, Ed.D. FARRAGUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL This was in science class, where we’re he Farragut Elementary will no longer exist next year, although the learning about different landforms. I’ve building may be leased to a charter school. What irony! When I asked learned that the Grand Canyon was students what they would miss most, each one responded without formed by erosion caused by the hesitation, “The teachers!” Colorado River. T – Winnie Zhang, Grade 5 One teacher in particular, Helen Andrews, has been teaching in BPS for 50 years! I talked with her briefly about retiring vs. looking for a new “home” next year, recognizing a kindred spirit who is as committed to her profession as ever despite the challenges and changes she’s experienced. Several other teachers at the Farragut spoke about the sense of “family” created by this small school tucked in a corner near the bustling medical area off Huntington Avenue in Mission Hill. I was making a flag with four equal parts. Despite looming MCAS math tests, classes were fully engaged in a variety of I learned that 4 fourths makes one whole. learning experiences. A group of three girls were singing along with a storybook We’ve also learned about thirds and halves. • Brianna Cruz, Grade 2 in the kindergarten class. Second graders were making colorful “fraction flags,” while older students were reading and discussing a novel. Large posters in the hallway showed fourth grade observations of fiddler crab behavior; they were just beginning to study African dwarf frogs on the day I visited. I always enjoy “reading the walls” of a school. At the Farragut, I particularly liked reading about young children’s exploration of the similarities and differences between the “old” paper they’d recycled to create “new” paper. Activities like this are so much more engaging than the worksheets that (Amika Kemmler Ernst is a increasingly dominate early childhood education. recently retired BPS New Teacher Developer with As the school year comes to a close, I hope you take satisfaction in knowing extensive experience as a that each of you has indeed made a difference in the lives of your students. I classroom teacher, curriculum wish you a summer full of whatever gives you the energy to begin anew in developer, and graphic artist. Her “We’re Learning Here” September! Please invite me to visit your school next year! Project features images of everyday learning in our public schools, along with the words of the students pictured. ) We were organizing fractions from least to greatest. This year in math Ms. Grinley was helping we’ve learned percents for me draw a flower. fractions like 7/8 and 2/3. My favorite thing is We’ve also learned to learning about letters round fractions to the and sounds in phonics. nearest whole number. – Danika Duvergil, Grade 1 – Kiarra Adkins & Esteban Gutierrez, Grade 4

We were feeding our African dwarf frogs. We’ve learned that their backs can be dark or light, with black dots, but their bellies are all the same color. Their bodies are camouflaged for hiding under rocks in African streams. We’ve also learned they have lungs and gills. – Nasir DaCruz, Jasmany Medina & Shalandra Smalls, Grade 4

I was drawing and writing about giving flowers to my mom for Mother’s Day. This year I’ve learned not to make my letters too big and how to write longer stories. I was doing my ABC job with my teacher Mrs. M. I learned the alphabet – Kaylee Tran, Grade 1 this year and I made a lot of new friends. – Derling Bonilla Sierra, Kindergarten

BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 ❖ 9 Book Review by Paul Tenney “When the Luck of the Irish Ran Out” by David Lynch his is a well-written and well-docu- Destiny, were Eamon DeValera’s Party, glorious revolution and they were rightly Valera’s vision of Ireland was that of a Tmented account of the Irish banking the anti-treaty party in opposition to Sinn blamed for the financial disaster. All of rural agriculture based economy which collapse of 2008-2009 that ended the short Fein and the Fine Gael crowd. The treaty the opposition parties decried the role of was committed to unify the 32 counties in lived Celtic Tiger boom with a sickening in question was the one in 1922 that di- the government in the ongoing disaster a unitary state ruled by the Roman Catho- thud. It also plunged Ireland into its great- vided Ireland into the Irish Free State and but none of them had any positive plan to lic Church. The idea of a secular state was est economic crisis in its short history as the six counties of Northern Ireland; got prevent the average Irish worker somewhat ambiguous because the Irish a modern nation and endangered its sov- Michael Collins killed and; split and/or tax-payer from paying Constitution specifically installed the ereignty as an independent entity. If that the revolutionary back huge interest payments Church as co-ruler. This explains paris not enough, this crisis calls into ques- movement. to the bankers from Frankfurt tially the virulence of the Protestant oppo- tion the viability of The European Union Fianna Fail, founded and Paris. sition in Ulster. In response to the years of of which Ireland is a charter member. by DeValera, aced out Just a few weeks ago (mid- the Troubles in Ulster this constitutional This crisis which involved shady bank Sinn Fein from leader- April 2011) a stress test was provision was removed. The most recent deals and excessive borrowing was worse ship and replaced it with administered to the Irish sex scandals in the Church have vitiated than the American one because U.S. banks a Catholic dominated banks by the EU and the their once great power but this influence faced some regulation whereas in Ireland party dedicated to an iso- International Monetary lasted until relatively recently in the latter it was a cozy system of no regulation and lated Ireland of small farms Fund. The result was an years of the 20th century. In the meantime insider deals. Mr. Lynch weaves into his and export driven economy. additional 10 Billion Eu- the identity of the Irish nation especially narrative a witty social history of Ireland Fine Gael, the other conser- ros added to the 70 Bil- in its economy and its banking system in the modern period (post independence vative party represented pri- lions that Ireland now had to evolve in this context. 1949) and introduces us to a motley gang marily the Protestant middle must pay for the col- Mr. Lynch shows that the Irish gov- of politicians who best can be described class of Leinster (the Eastern lapsed loans situation. ernments in the early 21st century could as rogues and “cute hoors”. This latter province which includes This is because the not and would not diversify their economy. appellation does not mean physically at- Dublin) and those conservative Irish State guaranteed the loans The Irish educational system had not tractive but cute in this sense means devi- businessmen who chafed under in 2008! kept pace with scientific and technologi- ous, opportunistic and scoundrel like. the power of the Roman Catholic Church. This huge amount of money will im- cal advances world wide. They were par- The Irish voters tolerated this situa- Finally there is a small Labor party pat- mobilize the Irish state and economy for ticularly slow to include courses in com- tion because they were “our lads” and not terned after its counterpart in the UK but years to come. No one is rushing to give puter engineering and instead empha- the hated Brits who controlled the Irish otherwise not as radical or labor oriented Ireland a loan now. sized a curriculum that was heavy on state and its finances for so long. Indeed but rather the captive of the academics How did this sad state of affairs come Irish literature and humanities but fright- most of the politicians were members of who teach in the colleges and secondary about? David Lynch in this fine little tome fully light on science and economics. Sev- the Fianna Fail ruling party which ran schools. The Labor party, I might add, are gives us some historical and cultural per- eral American companies moved to Ire- Ireland for most of the 60 years of inde- in the forefront of reform of the anti- spective. Mr. Lynch traces the difficulty land in this period but some left because pendence. They were ignominiously quated Irish school system. I will mention back to the heady days of Independence of this disparity. ousted in the most recent election thus the role of the modern Sinn Fein in a later and the struggle of a young nation to The result was an over emphasis on bringing to a close the glorious revolu- sentence. forge a new identity from the old depen- housing and land speculation that went tionary period. The election of February 2011 ended dent colonial appendage to the once from boom to bust in a matter of about After all Finna Fail, or The Soldiers of Fianna Fail’s long reign as the party of the mighty British Empire. Eamonn De four years. Mr. Lynch talks about a phan- tom housing development outside a tiny town in County Leitrim that had more AFT Massachusetts’ Ed Doherty (left) congratulates winners of the COPE Award housing units than there were citizens in from the Quincy and Philbrick Elementary Schools. the town. It still sits there three years later a ghost town, a toxic asset that the government is vainly trying to dispose of. This was just the most outrageous example. Abandoned assets litter every county in Eire and the governments – National Assets Management Adminis- tration or NAMA –is struggling mightily to get 10 cents on the euro for them. Meanwhile the bankers of Frankfurt expect to be paid with interest because, as I AFT Massachusetts’ Ed Doherty (right) congratulates winners of the COPE Award have said, the Fianna Fail government for Occupational Therapists. pledged the full faith and credit of the state behind the rogue banks. This means that the poor and working class people of AFT Massachusetts’ Ed Doherty (left) Ireland will pay for a disaster that they congratulates winners of the COPE Award from the had no part in except as victims. Those Sumner and Winthrop Elementary Schools. bankers who did have a major role for the most part go free. Only David Drumm to my knowledge has been indicted in the U.S. and Ireland. Now as to the role of Sinn Fein, Mr. Lynch dismisses Sinn Fein with a wave of his hand. He acknowledges Sinn Fein’s role in the bloody “Troubles” of the North circa 1969-1995 when they along with John Hume’s moderate Social Democratic AFT Massachusetts’ Ed Doherty (second from right) party forged a peace process. In a final congratulates winners of the COPE Award from the irony the North as part of the United Agassiz, Clap and Beethoven Elementary Schools. Kingdoms economic entity does not suf- fer the lot of the South with its massive indebtedness and still weak economy. There is, however, a revival of sectarian BTU President Richard violence that is worrisome. In the South Stutman (third from left) the average citizen viewed Sinn Fein as congratulates Retiree too radical and dangerously socialist be- Winners of the COPE Award. They are fore the economic collapse. In the 2011 (left to right) Fran election Sinn Fein picked up several more Perkins, Joan Golden, seats in the Dail making it a significant President Stutman, player. Margaret Belissimo, David Lynch has written an important Charles King, Michael Rosenbaum, Joanne book that will, I hope, provoke many Fashina, Ella Swain, people Irish or Irish American to think Theresa Price-Frank anew about what constitutes modernity, and Helene Kent. stability and lasting prosperity in the 21st century. It is a good read by the fireplace Other winners of the COPE Award but not pictured are: Counseling & Intervention, East Zone ELC, Holland ES, McKinley and has the virtue of being entertaining as COPE Award Winners COPE Award ES, Mozart ES, Perry K-8, Rogers MS, Timilty MS, and Umana MS. well. I recommend it highly.

10 ❖ BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 Michael Russell, a parent of a kindergarten student at the David A. Ellis School, has formed the Boston Parent Teacher Alliance (B-PTA). Mr. Russell has been an activist for many years. He was actively involved in trying to stop the school closings at the School Committee meetings in the autumn of 2010. Mr. Russell has been working with other concerned parents, community members, teachers, and custodi- ans for the last several months. He has joined all of these constituents together to form the B-PTA which has held two open forums in Ja- maica Plain. Michael is looking to expand the scope of the fledgling operation to involve more teachers, school personnel, and parents to organize as one to improve the BPS for everyone; students and teachers alike. BTU Retired Teachers Chapter News RTC Executive Board Minutes, April 4, 2011 Members present: Anne Marie dating the site. Report Accepted. Data Processing: Met with Jonathan, tickets for the June 1st election. Report Adduci; Anne Broder, Treasurer; Mary Vice Chairman: None the IT person, and the chairman to make Accepted. Cahalane; Dave Donovan, Chairman; Social: A letter will be written to the the site membership friendly. The travel Old Business: None Eileen Ganley; Donna Cooley-Hilton; membership regarding the June 7th lun- information will be on the website. Report New Business: Committee will be Ruthanne Kennedy; Marilyn Marion, Sec- cheon. Report Accepted. Accepted. formed to accept names for the Phil retary and Paul Tenney. Benefits: No Report. Membership: We have 2,777 mem- Pirrone Service Awards Excused: Bonnie Mitten, Phil Fasano, Remembrance: No Report. bers. Report Accepted. Next meeting is May 2nd, 2011. Larry Connolly, Linda McNamee, Scholarship: Two applicants thus far. Election: None of the RTC officers Meeting adjourned at 11:50 a.m. Leonard Miraglia, Marie Broderick, The dates on the application were confus- have oppositions. We will have electronic – Marilyn F. Marion, Secretary Sandy Carle and Mary Jo Murphy. ing because of a date error. This will be The chairman called the meeting to corrected as soon as possible. Report order at 10:45 Accepted. INFORMATION FOR NEW RETIREES Secretary: The February and March Travel: Trip plans with Yankee have When you retire, you are no longer a member of the minutes were read and accepted. been completed. Tours-at-a-Glance and Union because you no longer pay dues. And, you Treasurer: The treasurer’s reports flyers through June were given to Elaine are no longer a member of the Health and were read and accepted. for mailing on Friday, March 18th. The Chairman: Chairman reported that Casino trip is a question unless we can Welfare Fund, which means you no longer have all representatives from the insurance pick up enough people at the spring meet- dental coverage and eyeglass coverage. companies are booked and ready to go for ing, where we would like to have a table If you wish to continue your connection to the the April 7th business meeting. The mem- inside the hall. The 3-day trip to Long Union, you can join the Retired Teachers Chapter bership was informed of the meeting via Island will be cancelled this afternoon, (RTC). The dues will be taken from your retirement US Mail and electronically. He was pleased since we cannot commit to a minimum, at check each month ($5 for teachers, $2.50 for paras). that many have responded electronically. this point. We will be meeting the Collette The newsletter has been updated and representative the week of April 11th. Re- The RTC offers a dental insurance benefit to its members for a fee each that he has worked with Jonathan on the port Accepted. month. Our Dental Plan covers members only and their spouse. You can process of entering information and up- Legislative: No Report. also avail yourself of COBRA coverage through Health and Welfare for 18 months after retiring. For info on COBRA, call 1-617-288-0500. FILL IN THE COUPON AND RETURN TO THE RTC TO RECEIVE A Boston Teachers Union Sponsors PACKET OF INFORMATION ON THE RTC, Hopefully, after reading the Charitable Golf Tournament info, you will fill in the blue card and return it to us. The BTU is happy to sponsor (Eileen Ganley is RTC Membership Chairperson.) THE ROSEMARIE DONOVAN MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT to be held at the Complete the information below and we will send you the application form. Robert T. Lynch Municipal Course at Putterham Name ______in Brookline on June 17th, 2011. Address ______All participants, donors are cordially invited to participate. City/Town/State/Zip ______Information and applications may be found on the BTU Email ______website or picked up at the BTU office. Telephone ______Proceeds will benefit cancer research and disabled citizens. Circle your previous position: Teacher Paraprofessional We ask your help in making this a successful event. Send this form to: BTU-RTC, 180 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125

BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011 ❖ 11 BTU Presents Awards to Building Representatives of the Year

his year’s middle and high school BTU Reps of the Year have con- Ttinuously been outstanding advocates for their BTU colleagues on day-to- day concerns and have effectively upheld the BTU contract to remedy ongoing issues as they have arisen. Both work in an understated, collaborative, effective manner at their respective schools. Nei- ther would anticipate being presented with this award. They do what they do for their colleagues so well because of the quality of their character, not for external acknowledgement. South Boston Ed Complex BTU Rep, Mike Sheehan, a teacher at Odyssey BTU Secondary Field Rep. Caren Carew presents Paul Revere Bowls to this year’s High School is the 2011 High School Secondary Building Representatives of theYear award winners Christine Choukas of the McKay School (left) and Mike Sheehan of Odyssey High School (right). BTU Rep of the Year. A couple of years ago, when Odyssey was slated to be info for BTU members at the Complex in counted on to go the extra mile and then closed, Mike assisted his colleagues in order to make sure these changes were some in obtaining info, assisting with due successfully advocating for the school’s as smooth and folks as well informed as process rights in disciplinary matters, viability and as a result of their efforts, the possible. filing grievances, making sure votes are School Committee voted for it to remain The Middle School BTU Rep of the conducted properly, and schedules con- open. This year under the Superin- Year was presented to Christine form to contractual work conditions. She tendent’s new reorganization plan, Odys- Choukas, a teacher and BTU Rep from is passionate about her job as a teacher sey was identified to be closed and re- the McKay School. She has been a very and as a BTU Rep. opened as an in-district charter and the effective BTU Rep dealing with two chal- I salute Mike and Christine, they can other two schools at SBEC were slated to lenging principals over several years at always be counted on to do the right thing merge into one school for the upcoming the Dearborn Middle School and she hit – and when in doubt, they check it out! school year. During this process, Mike the ground running as a BTU Rep as she Congratulations to you both. has been very proactive, working entered the McKay School this academic – Caren Carew, collaboratively with other SBEC BTU year. Christine, a strong advocate for her BTU Secondary Field Representative Reps in seeking out and communicating colleagues and students, can always be

011 BTU Elementary Building Rep- resentative of the Year awards were 2presented to Mary Moran and Patrick Alexis. Mary Moran is a hard-working rep at the Clap Elementary School. She is a tireless advocate for the staff at the Clap School this year. Of special note was the challenging year the Clap School staff had as they close and reopen next year as an Innovation School. Mary was always willing to call the BTU with information, schedule meetings with the staff and attend meetings with the Clap community. Patrick Alexis, rep at the Winthrop Elementary School, is a tenacious advo- BTU Elementary Field Rep. Michael Mary Moran (right) of the Clap Elemen- cate for the staff at the Winthrop. Mr. McLaughlin presents an Elementary Build- tary School says that the Elementary Build- Alexis showed concern and consideration ing Representative of the Year award to ing Representative of the Year honor be- for his colleagues as they were subjected Patrick Alexis of the Winthrop Elemen- longs to her mentor Janet Cassey (left), to building renovations and challenging tary School. also of the Clap School. staffing issues. He kept in close contact with the BTU office and never hesitated Congratulations to both recipients! We – Michael McLaughlin, to call with questions or invite us to the thank them both for the work they did BTU Elementary Field Representative Winthrop. this year on behalf of our members.

ebra Irby has been in the sys- You see I had the pleasure of present- tem for nine years and is cur- ing the 1985 Para Bowl to her mother-in- Drently a Building Rep. at the Lee law, Mary Hart. That was over 25 years Academy. This has been a very unsettled ago. And then again in 1997, eleven years year for all the paras at the Lee Academy. later I presented the Para Bowl to Debbie Debra has done double duty to keep Hart, Mary’s daughter. Now the honor them informed and trying to keep a calm belongs to Colleen’s sister- in-law so you setting. Debra did a wonderful job on see it has become a family tradition. Con- getting her paras to attend the Statewide gratulations to Colleen Hart from the Conference by filling two tables with paras Murphy School as Paraprofessional Build- who took the time to enjoy their day. And ing Rep of the Year. even apologized for the paras who could Congratulations to Debra and Colleen not make it. for their well-deserved honor. Secondly, I would like to say that this – Jenna Fitzgerald, presentation of the next Para Building BTU Paraprofessional/Substitute Debra Irby of the Lee Academy (right) Representative of the Year is quite a tradi- receives her silver bowl for being the Field Representative tion in the Hart family. Paraprofessional of the Year from Para/ Substitute Field Rep. Jenna Fitzgerald. Congratulations to this year’s Building Representatives of the Year! 12 ❖ BOSTON UNION TEACHER ❖ June, 2011