"Under threat of losing their jobs if they didn’t go along with extra work for not a lot of extra pay, the Central Falls Teachers’ Union refused Friday morning to accept a reform plan for one of the worst-performing high schools in the state.
The superintendent didn’t blink either.
After learning of the union’s position, School Supt. Frances Gallo notified the state that she was switching to an alternative she was hoping to avoid: firing the entire staff at Central Falls High School. In total, about 100 teachers, administrators and assistants will lose their jobs.
Gallo blamed the union’s “callous disregard” for the situation, saying union leaders “knew full well what would happen” if they rejected the six conditions Gallo said were crucial to improving the school. The conditions are adding 25 minutes to the school day, providing tutoring on a rotating schedule before and after school, eating lunch with students once a week, submitting to more rigorous evaluations, attending weekly after-school planning sessions with other teachers and participating in two weeks of training in the summer."
http://www.projo.com/education/content/central_falls_teachers.1_02-13-10_A8HEI7Q_v61.3a65218.html
In theory, the superintendent is not asking a lot and the union is acting like a bunch of babies.
The only problem I have is there were teachers who would go along with the superintendent's plan, they shouldn't get fired.
As a teacher, if the Superintendent asked me to the extra work, I would have agreed to it and I would try to get extra pay, but if they said no, so be it. It's not like they are asking for my first born.
So, it will be interesting to see what happens. While I hope the union sees the light and agrees with the superintendent, I also hope that the teachers who go with the program are not fired. It will be interesting to see what happens. They won't have a problem finding teachers, though, as The CCSD and other school districts is about to lay off hundreds if not thousands of teachers.
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If any teachers want to break with their union on this issue then they should be able to keep their jobs. But all of them, regardless of what their personal feelings may be, who let the union speak for them should be fired along with all the others.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, the union has shown that it is not willing to make even minor concessions to improve student performance, which is, after all, the mission of the school. I believe that, if they are to let any of them back, renouncing membership in that union must be a condition.