Colleagues,
Hope you had a restful weekend. Here’s a brief update on negotiations and a few timely reminders:
– Negotiations. Bargaining for a successor contract is still in the mediation stage and is assisted by the NYS Public Employment Relations Board (PERB). And while neither party is at liberty to reveal the specifics under negotiations, we can tell you that, generally speaking, the District is seeking more district-controlled and administration-driven mandatory meetings, additional time without commensurate compensation, reduction of teachers’ professional discretion, greater management and administrative control, concessions in health care benefits, and other changes that would only further deteriorate the climate for teaching and learning in our schools. Additionally, the District’s salary proposal thus far is woefully inadequate and unacceptable – totally ignoring the reality of the current teacher shortage and the spiking increases in inflation and cost of living. RTA proposals, formulated and based on the surveys and input from our members, seek lower class sizes, safer and fully staffed schools, additional social and emotional services for our students, improved health care benefits, realistic salary adjustments, and many other needed changes. If Mediation does not resolve the stalled negotiations, RTA will request Fact-Finding – the next stage of impasse resolution process afforded to us by PERB. We will continue to keep you informed about any progress in our efforts on your behalf and on behalf of all our students.
– Evaluation Options. You have until this Friday, October 14th, to indicate which of the two options you choose for your APPR evaluation for the 2022-23 school year: evaluation by just your administrator/supervisor; or “Independent Evaluation” that, in addition to an administrator/supervisor, also includes a colleague teacher (Mentor) assigned by the Career In Teaching Panel. Details about the CIT Independent Evaluation option, and reasons for choosing that option, are in the flyer attached below. We highly recommend that you consider that option. And all you have to do is simply on the “TeacherEvaluation Selection” button at ROConnect and select “Independent Evaluation.” You can do this even if you’ve already selected the other option – but you must do it by this Friday. If you have questions, or need more information, please contact RTA’s Martha Keating <maskerade6@aol.com>.
– RTA Action Committee. From RTA Solidarity Wednesdays, to last month’s “Welcome Back” RTA social, to the Board of Education watch, RTA’s Action Committee has been mobilizing our members to become actively involved in an ongoing effort to support our negotiations goals, strengthen our unity, and advocacy for all our students. Here’s a link to the RTA Action Committee’s newsletter for this month < RTA Action Committee October Newsletter>. If your school does not yet have a liaison for the Action Committee, and you’d be willing to consider volunteering, please email Corrine Mundorff <cmundorff@rochesterteachers.com>.
– Breast Cancer Walk. This year’s Making Strides event will be held on Sunday, October 16, from 10am to noon, at the Frontier Field (333 Plymouth Avenue). RTA t-shirts will be available for RTA members on a first-come-first-served basis at the RTA tent in the main parking lot at Frontier Field. Please be a part of this day of camaraderie, support and saving lives. For more information, please contact Mary Barnum <mbarnum@rochesterteachers.com>.
– RTA’s MLK Awards. For the 40th consecutive year, the RTA Human Relations Committee is sponsoring the RTA’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Recognition Awards. This year’s ceremony, returning to in-person after going remote for the past couple years, will be held at the School of the Arts on Tuesday, January 17, beginning at 6:30pm. Teachers at every RCSD school will be asked by their RTA Faculty Representative(s) to identify the one student who best personifies the qualities exemplified by Dr. King. All honorees will receive a personified medal, a certificate of recognition, and a letter of recognition from the RTA. Their names will also appear in an ad in the January issue of the City Newspaper. We hope that every school and program will take this opportunity to recognize and honor our exemplary students and to acknowledge their families and educators for nurturing them. For more information, please contact Ms. Yolanda Montalvo, RTA Human Relations Committee Chairperson, at <ymontalvo@rochesterteachers.com>.
– First Book. In partnership with New York State United Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, RTA will once again distribute 20,000 books to our teachers to donate to their students. The event will occur at School #22, (595 Upper Falls Blvd.) on Saturday, October 29 from 9am until noon. We need volunteers to help at this community-wide event. We are also looking for volunteers to help unpack and sort the books on October 26 (3:30-6pm) and on October 26 and 27 (8am – 6pm). If you can help on any of these days, please email Aimee Rinere <arinere@rochesterteachers.com> or call the RTA office at (585) 546-2681. Thank you, in advance, for helping us to advance literacy and promote the joy of reading to our students.
Thank you for your continued solidarity and for all that you do for our students. As always, please contact us with any questions or if you need assistance.
Adam Urbanski, RTA President