Lobby Night in Annapolis: Feb. 9, 2015

The 2015 Maryland Legislative Session is under way, and AFT-Maryland is launching its legislative agenda early in the session, bringing the issues that support Maryland workers and their families to the attention of the Maryland General Assembly.

Join AFT-Maryland as we visit Maryland's elected leaders and make the case for workplace safety, equitable education funding, protecting due process rights for teachers, and legislation for corporations to pay their fair share of taxes.

Hogan Inauguration Today, Budget Concerns Tomorrow

Larry Hogan will shed the “Governor-Elect” title later today and be sworn in as the 62nd Governor of Maryland. While his inauguration speech is expected to address a general direction and plans for the next four years in office—particularly in regard to private-sector growth and across-the-board tax cuts—many are looking with greater anticipation and anxiety as Hogan announces his budget plans this coming Friday. In specific, public sector and education workers are concerned with how Hogan will make up a $760 million budget deficit.

Security Guards Form New STA Chapter

            The newest chapter of the STA was formed when the district’s board of education voted to recognize the Sayville Security Guards Chapter of the STA. Nearly every member of the group’s approximately 19 members signed cards requesting representation by the new unit.

STA Represented at District Efficiency Committee

Despite years of paring down costs and looking for every way possible to reduce spending while maintaining quality programming, Governor Cuomo has called for districts to find greater “efficiencies” for the 2015-16 school year and beyond.

In response to that mandate, the district has established a committee of teachers, administrators, parents and other community stake holders to study the district spending and make recommendations.

BESE Report January 2015

BESE defers expensive teacher retirement study

In a rare move, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education overruled a recommendation by one of its own committees to fund an expensive study of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana’s Unfunded Accrued Liability.

Opt-Out of State Tests Fact Sheet

Many of you have raised questions about how opting out of standardized tests affects your district, your teachers and your students. A great deal of misinformation has been spread, either unwittingly or deliberately, by school district officials and others. Attached is a NYSUT fact sheet that sets the record straight regarding the consequences and non-consequences of opting out.

MHFT Newsletter -- January 14, 2015

Annual Professional Reminders

  • If you are actively seeking a new job, or even a transfer, it’s a good idea to inform your principal (in a one-on-one meeting) before s/he gets called for reference checks. That call should not be how s/he finds out that you are looking.
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