Colleagues,
Before you decide whether to accept the Superintendent’s invitation (see below) to “discuss important issues, share your suggestions, and make a connection,” you should be alerted to the possibility that this is little more than yet another end-run on your union. Here’s why:
– Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small, at a time that the District is swimming in money, is still refusing to settle our festering negotiations unless we agree to significant reductions in your health benefits.
– Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small, despite our advocacy on your behalf, is still refusing to agree to any alternatives to the simultaneous teaching requirement.
– Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small, along with some hostile school board members and the anti-union State Monitor, supports “right sizing” the District (a euphemism for maxing out class sizes, closing schools, laying off teachers, cutting services for students).
– Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small has shown a pattern of being in agreement during meetings and then reversing her position right after the meetings.
Attempting an end-run on the union in the midst of negotiations represents bad faith bargaining and is prohibited. We will file an Improper Practice charge with the NYS Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) against this thinly veiled violation.
Actions speak louder than words. And empty rhetoric is no substitute for real leadership. By failing to respond to teachers’ questions and concerns brought to her attention by their union, and instead “reaching out” to individual teachers, the Superintendent may be hoping to use that input to further undermine your union. But I am confident that this latest effort to divide us won’t work either. I know that teachers who do sign up for a “ten-minute zoom appointment” will urge the Superintendent to negotiate in good faith with their duly-elected representatives, instead.
Adam Urbanski, RTA President
Begin forwarded message:From: Superintendent’s Office <SuperintendentsOffice@RCSDK12.ORG>
Subject: Zoom Connections with Lesli
Date: April 28, 2021 at 11:32:04 AM EDT
To: Superintendent’s Office <SuperintendentsOffice@RCSDK12.ORG>
Dear Colleagues: I am happy to announce that in May, I will begin holding monthly office hours for RCSD staff via Zoom. This is an opportunity for you to schedule time with me individually to discuss important issues, share your suggestions, and make a connection.
The first “Zoom Connections with Lesli” session will take place on Wednesday, May 5, from 3:30 – 5:00 pm. To schedule a Zoom appointment, simply respond to this email and provide the following information:
Your Name:
Title:
Work Location:
Topic:
Appointments will be scheduled in ten-minute intervals and in the order they are received. A confirmation email, along with the Zoom link, will be sent to those who receive an appointment. If you don’t get an appointment this time, there will be additional opportunities each month.
I am honored to serve as your Superintendent of Schools and am committed to building relationships with as many of you as I possibly can. I look forward to seeing you on screen!
Sincerely, Lesli