Get the latest news from RTA President Dr. Adam Urbanski.
Adam’s Updates (12.5.21) Negotiations, PD, Fighting School Closings & Disruption, No Response Yet to RTA Proposals
Colleagues, Here’s a brief update: - Preparing For Tough Negotiations Ahead. While our current contract does not expire until June 30, 2022, the District is already signaling that they will seek to “right-size” the District at the expense of students and their teachers. Dr. Shelley Jallow, the state-appointed RCSD Monitor who appears to be the one to really call the shots at Central Office, recommended in her earlier reports and more recently on November 30th, that the District should hire an outside law firm to represent them in negotiations, demand a longer school day and school year, decrease our health benefits, max-out class sizes, lay off teachers, mandate more meetings, require more student testing, remove all contractual constraints on teacher evaluations and professional development, and outsourcing services, and fortify Central Office (she’s even proposing that the District hire a Charter Schools Coordinator). All this at a time that the District is swimming in money. She...
read moreAdam’s Update (11.9.21) Latest Proposal on Reorganization of Schools
Colleagues, Superintendent Myers-Small just proposed to the Board of Education that some schools...
Adam’s Update (11.7.21) Seeking Safe Schools
Colleagues, For the last several weeks, we have been trying to get the District to enact measures...
Adam’s Update (10.31.21) Action Needed
Colleagues, The presidents of all four unions within the RCSD sent the message below to...
Adam’s Update (10.15.21) Union Presidents Call For District Leadership Address Safety Concerns In RCSD Buildings
Colleagues, Attached is a joint letter sent to Superintendent Myers-Small and Board President Van...
Adam’s Updates (9.23.21) Vaccination/Testing Mandate, Proposed Solutions to Reopening Concerns, Negotiations, Open House
Colleagues, Here’s a brief update: - Vaccination or Testing Mandate. More than 95% of Rochester...
Adam’s Update (9.16.21) Sunday Deadline, Solution Driven Unionism, Rochester Teachers Care, Resource Handbook, Office Protocols, Thank You
Colleagues, Here’s a brief update: - Deadline Is This Sunday. More than 80% of teachers have...
Adam’s Updates (9.12.21) Bus Transportation, Simultaneous Teaching
Colleagues, Just another brief update on the issues related to the problems with bus...
Adam’s Update (9.9.21) Late Buses & Simultaneous Teaching
Colleagues, Please excuse this late hour email but we want to at least acknowledge and initially...
Adam’s Update (9.06.21) Brief Update Trying to Clear Up Confusion
Colleagues, Last night’s meeting of the RCSD Board of Education was frustrating, to say the least....
Adam’s Update (9.3.21) The Mess We’re In
Colleagues, I’m sure you’ve been following the unfolding developments with the District’s...
Adam’s Update (8.26.21) Impact Bargaining Continues
Colleagues, When the District announced a week ago their plan for reopening schools, we...
Adam’s Update (8.18.21) District Communication on Vaccinations
Colleagues, Earlier today you received a communication from the District notifying you about the...
Adam’s Update (7.22.21) Contract Extension
Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to inform you that, earlier this evening, the RTA Representative...
Adam’s Update (6.25.21) Thank You & Enjoy Your Well Deserved Summer Recess
Colleagues, Just a brief note to wish you a safe and restful summer recess. You’ve certainly...
Adam’s Update: The Truth About the District’s Budget, Part III: Pattern of Misrepresentation
Colleagues, As we wind down this difficult school year, and await the report of the Fact Finder...
The Truth About the District’s Budget, Part II: How to Spend the Additional Money
Colleagues, At the same time that the Rochester City School District continues to misrepresent and...
Adam’s Update (6.6.21) Negotiations, Simultaneous Teaching, Layoffs & Displacements, APPR, Vaccinations, Rochester Teachers Care, the District’s Masking Policy
Colleagues, As we begin the final stretch for this school year, here’s a brief update on some...
Adam’s Update (6.1.21) The Misrepresentation of the District’s Finances
Colleagues, Differences in school finances are not unusual. We’ve had these disputes before and...
Adam’s Update (4.28.21) We’re Not Falling For It
Colleagues, Before you decide whether to accept the Superintendent’s invitation (see below) to...
Adam’s Update (4.15.21) RCSD’s 2021-22 Plan
Colleagues, Earlier today you received a communication from the District about “Important...
Adam’s Update (3.15.21) Safety in Schools, Avoiding Layoffs, Simultaneous Teaching Alternatives, Insisting on an End to Bad Faith Bargaining
Colleagues, It’s been a full year of unprecedented difficulties. Yet, you have gone way beyond the...
Adam’s Updates (3.5.21) Vaccination Openings for RTA Members with Release Time
Colleagues, As I’ve indicated in Wednesday’s Update, with the help of our state-level union, the...