Good evening Board Members and Superintendent L Myers-Small
Speaking to you tonight on the eve of Phase two about communications.
Our members communicate with our students every single day. It is our
most important duty to our students. It is what we do each and every school day.
I wish I could tell you that Central Office communicates that well. This is not aimed
At anyone in particular but a systemic failure. While understanding that this large bureaucracy
Is hard to change. In these pandemic times, it is more critical than ever that the District becomes more accurate, more transparent and more timely. Changes need to be
Communicated rapidly and widely.
As the RTA Labor Relations Consultant I remain ready to respond to our members, however,
there are certain items that we just don’t know about.
What technology is going to be standard in each classroom?
Are all of the requisite tools installed or in the rooms?
When will teachers be getting demonstrations of how to implement simultaneous instruction?
Is this an equitable situation for students working remotely?
There are still Phase 2 teachers who have not been told about the status of their accommodation requests. From an email this morning: No one has officially responded to me about when I am expected to return.
Why wasn’t more help given to the Benefits Department to handle all of these matters?
Some itinerants teachers are still confused about their reporting locations. And no one is answering until the RTA asks.
Today our parents were sent a letter that ALL students are returning on Monday. That is causing great confusion.
Teachers want to be back in-person with our students every day. Until that happens, the District needs to improve its communication with and responsiveness to its employees.
Our kids deserve the best from their teachers and the teachers deserve better from the District.
And so do their parents.
Martha Keating