NFT LEADERS: ‘WE ARE STUNNED AND PERPLEXED BY THE DISTRICT’S DISORGANIZATION AND CONFUSION.’

 

District Admits It Was Not Aware of Many Longstanding Aspects of Teacher Contract 

LANGHORNE, PA (March 18, 2013) — Leaders of the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers said today that they are “astounded” by School Board President Ritchie Webb’s assertions on Friday that he and the Board were unaware of a large majority of 201 existing contract agreements with the teachers’ union, an omission that NFT Treasurer Marian Reed called “absurd and irresponsible on the part of the district.”

In a meeting on March 8, the NFT provided the district with 201 exhibits and side agreements —also called Memoranda of Understanding—that are part of the existing contract under Pennsylvania law. NFT leaders noted that the side agreements (a traditional practice in labor contracts) were developed over three decades by past union leaders and past district administrations, working collaboratively. NFT leaders said that at the March 8 meeting, district officials produced only 17 of the agreements. In later statements reported by the Courier Times, Board president Ritchie Webb was quoted as saying that the Board had “thought there were maybe 50 or 60” side letters. 

NFT Treasurer Reed said, “Frankly, we’re stunned and perplexed by the district’s disorganization and confusion, and astounded by Mr. Webb’s comments. We presented 201 contractually binding pieces of this contract to the District at our meeting, some in place for decades, and they were aware of only 17 of them. Since 1980, our union has kept these legal documents in our office, in a simple three-hole-punch binder. That wasn’t a tough job for us, but it seems to have been beyond the district’s capability. Surely board members who are ultimately responsible for running the district, and who have been sitting members of the board for the terms of five superintendents, should have a better understanding of their district and this contract.”

Reed added, “Mr. Webb’s comments show a real failure on this Board’s part to understand the contract and even the concepts that make up a contract, such as the difference between letters of agreement and past practice. Their failure to comprehend these issues is hindering negotiations. In his comments, Mr. Webb appears to confuse two very different contractual concepts, past practice and letters of agreements. Sadly, after more than five school years of negotiations, our School Board president does not understand basic contract terms and concepts.” 

Reed noted that none of the agreements are secret in nature. “These agreements were carefully created over 30 years by past teachers, administrators and Boards, working together to resolve concerns. A few agreements were even reached over the past five years.  They took time, communication, and trust in both sides. For Mr. Webb to ridicule them with no respect for the history of the time period they were established or the hard work of past teachers and administrations is unbecoming of someone charged with leading our school board.” 

NFT President Louise Boyd said, “Instead of trying to negotiate through the papers, Mr. Webb should deal with issues at the bargaining table. The NFT has repeatedly urged the Board to bring issues they’d like to discuss, such as security badges, to the table, instead of announcing new ones every few weeks in the newspapers.” 

Boyd added, “Teachers have done our part. We’ve agreed to virtually all of this Board’s financial demands. Now the Board has moved on to attacking contractual safeguards vital to our professional rights and to the quality of education in our schools. For example, they want to abolish class-size limits. They want administrators to be able to change students’ grades. And now Mr. Webb claims that the vast majority of our District’s longtime contractual agreements are ‘ridiculous.’ Is it any wonder that we don’t have a contract?” 

As a point of clarification, Boyd said that there has not been a single meeting held between Superintendent Copeland and NFT leaders to review the side agreements. (Recent reporting that there had been several of those meetings was inaccurate, she noted.) “Superintendent Copeland cancelled last week’s meeting with me to review and explain the history of each of the agreements,” Boyd said.

Ravitch and Roemer debate education reform in Baton Rouge

Education historian Diane Ravitch and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Chas Roemer debated the way education is being overhauled in Louisiana on Thursday, March 14. Roemer, defending the status quo of Gov. Jindal’s reforms, was clearly outmatched.

Medicare Rights

Medicare Rights has a great informational site. Whether you are new to Medicare or wondering how your Part D insurance is changing. Your answers can be found in the Medicare Interactive.

February Board of Education Meeting Notes

At the February Board of Education meeting, several positions both certified and non-certified have been elimated and added.  For a full briefing, go to our district web site to read the full minutes from the meeting.  For my purposes, here's my take on what effects the non-certified staff.

Four non-certified positions have been eliminated as approved by Board action.  These include two tutorial positions, the in school suspension and the greeter position.  The in-school suspension supervisor will now be replaced by substitutes as needed and the greeter position will be absorbed by the secretarial staff at the high school. 

Two new certified SRBI teaching positions at locations to be determined.  These positions will be both math and language arts.

The district will add an additional position of an athletic director secretarial position.  This position will be an 8 hour/day but will NOT be year round.

BCFPE Member Named Rookie of the Year

Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE) member Brian Amereihn has been named Baltimore County Department of Corrections Rookie of the Year.

Amereihn graduated with an overall Department of Corrections examination score of 95.4 percent. Last July, he was recognized for his efforts if deescalating a potentially explosive situation. Amereihn is pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice.
 

MPEC Conducts Employee Information Meetings

The leadership of the Maryland Professional Employees Council (MPEC) conducted informational learning sessions March 11 and 12  to inform Unit G members of pertinent union policies, and activities, and training schedules. 

The meetings were held in Training Room 2 of the State Highway Administration building, 707 North Calvert Street in Baltimore on March 11 and in Conference Room, C-1 of the Department of Natural Resources, Tawes State Office Building, 580 Taylor Avenue, in Annapolis, on March 12.

AFT-MD Reps Testify on Charter School Legislation

Members of the AFT-Maryland legislative team testified in opposition to four charter school bills for which hearings were held March 13. The bills proposed making a study of ways to improve to charter schools, allowing charter schools to directly hire school personnel, establishing an independent charter school advisory council, and proposing that charter schools be allowed to certify their own principals.

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