Colleagues,
As you begin your well-earned recess, I want to wish every one of you happy holidays with your family and friends. I also want to express to you my gratitude for all that you’ve done to make sure that we finally achieve a contract that is good for students and fair to teachers. Your overwhelming show of solidarity is the principal reason why we finally and successfully concluded negotiations for a successor contract.
Due to the unexpected closing of our schools yesterday and today, our contract ratification at every school and work location had to be rescheduled for Tuesday, January 3rd. The Board of Education will also vote on the new pact on the same day. The highlights of our Tentative Agreement, as well as the actual language and the new salary schedule, were communicated to you by us last Friday and that same information is posted on the RTA website <www.rochesterteachers.com> along with accurate answers to frequently asked questions. Rather than trusting inaccurate, uninformed and misleading posts on social media by groups bent on undermining our unity, please review the exact information we sent to you and posted on our website. As always, feel free to email any of the RTA officers if you have any questions or need additional information.
With our new three-year Tentative Agreement ratified on January 3rd, and with our new and well-respected superintendent appointed yesterday, we will continue our ongoing efforts to improve the teaching and learning conditions in our schools. And with your continued and unswerving support, I remain confident that we will make progress toward achieving a more genuine profession for teachers and more effective schools for all our students.
Have a happy and safe holiday break!
Adam Urbanski, RTA President