Food for extra hours

Working without a contract since last June, the Mohonasen Teachers Association decided to give their school board a little "food for thought."

The Schenectady County local's 300 members collected and delivered nearly 2,000 non-perishable food items to a recent board meeting to demonstrate the number of hours in a week they work outside their contractual day.

Even members were surprised how quickly the time added up: In just one week educators tracked 117,246 minutes — that's 1,954 hours — of extra time calling parents, preparing lessons or running to the store for supplies.

"People mistakenly believe our work day begins and ends when the children are in our classroom. When we wheeled in all the food, I think this really shed some light on just how much our members go above and beyond on a daily basis," said Mohonasen TA president Sue Nelson.

Nelson said negotiations have been slowed by the school district's insistence that teachers add time to the elementary school week, a concession teachers don't feel is necessary, given the time they already give.

The food items were donated to the Northeast Regional Food Bank. "We're trying to keep things positive," said Nelson, whose group is participating in NYSUT's Local Action Project to build community awareness and support. 

Comedy for a cause

The South Jefferson Teachers Association has resurrected its Skits and Frenzy talent show, raising $3,680 for students.

Back after a five-year hiatus, the show featured district employees singing, dancing and doing comedy spoofs and skits to a sold-out audience.

Organizers were forced to set up an overflow area in the cafeteria and broadcast the show on a television screen.

The proceeds go to the SJTA Foundation Fund, which provides scholarships for summer camps or extracurricular programs.

SJTA president Nanci Carestia joined fellow physical education teacher Tom LaDuke for a few rounds of the waltz and jitterbug as part of the show, which was directed by union member Abby Stone with the help of RaeAnn Thomas, technology coordinator.

UFT seeks collaboration

The United Federation of Teachers has invited New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein to join the union in applying for federal funds to develop a network of schools that would serve as a national model for turning around failing schools.

Run by the chancellor, the schools would combine best practices in instruction and labor-management relations with the health and human services needed to ensure school success.

Speaking at the union's annual spring conference, UFT President Randi Weingarten said President Obama's economic stimulus package includes a $5 billion innovation fund called Race to the Top that seeks the turnaround of the lowest-performing 1 percent of schools in the nation.

"Side by side, we can develop a collaborative, coordinated, comprehensive school turnaround model to serve our neediest children in our most challenging educational settings," Weingarten said.

In 1999 the so-called Chancellor's District was expanded to turn 40 struggling schools into laboratories for an all-out assault on school failure.

"The Chancellor's District schools had much that we are still fighting for today," Weingarten said — "smaller classes, tutoring time, highly qualified teachers, parent involvement, proven instructional programs and job-embedded professional development from a teacher center in every school."

Because the effort was to fix schools rather than close them down, "We were able to build on strong parental and community support in our city's toughest neighborhoods," she said.

Despite its success, the Chancellor's District was dismantled in 2003.

Rally against injustice

More than 130 NYSUT members came out to support two of their newest union colleagues from the Administrative Professional Group at Cayuga Community College.

Eight days after the NYSUT local was certified, the college terminated two employees, re-creating their jobs at a lower pay grade.

"This is a great injustice to two experienced employees," said APG President Robert Frame. "Their commitment to the college is well known. It is truly unfortunate the college does not have the same commitment to its employees."