Despite years of paring down costs and looking for every way possible to reduce spending while maintaining quality programming, Governor Cuomo has called for districts to find greater “efficiencies” for the 2015-16 school year and beyond.

In response to that mandate, the district has established a committee of teachers, administrators, parents and other community stake holders to study the district spending and make recommendations.

BESE defers expensive teacher retirement study

In a rare move, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education overruled a recommendation by one of its own committees to fund an expensive study of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana’s Unfunded Accrued Liability.

Many of you have raised questions about how opting out of standardized tests affects your district, your teachers and your students. A great deal of misinformation has been spread, either unwittingly or deliberately, by school district officials and others. Attached is a NYSUT fact sheet that sets the record straight regarding the consequences and non-consequences of opting out.

Annual Professional Reminders

• If you are actively seeking a new job, or even a transfer, it’s a good idea to inform your principal (in a one-on-one meeting) before s/he gets called for reference checks. That call should not be how s/he finds out that you are looking.

Following a tumultuous election season which saw a reshuffling of the makeup of the state legislature and Governor’s mansion, union leaders are anticipating a challenging legislative session—especially for public school teachers and staff, as well as state employees—set to begin today, January 14^th.

While Governor-elect Larry Hogan has been mum on specific legislation he wishes to pass and budget decisions he plans to make, most foresee possible cuts to education in key jurisdictions like Baltimore City, as well as a loosening of the restrictions placed on charter school management, as key legislative battles looming in Annapolis over the next 90 days.

The Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees, Local #4883 held their 2015 Open House on Tuesday, January 13th at their offices in Towson, MD. BCFPE members and allies gathered throughout the day to share food and fellowship with their fellow union brothers and sisters. AFT-Maryland president, Marietta English, along with other AFT-Maryland staff, stopped by with their best wishes for a successful 2015 for the local. Read more about the event at BCFPE.md.aft.org.

The Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees held their 2015 Open House on Tuesday, January 13th at their offices at 305 West Chesapeake Ave. in Towson, MD.

Contained here is the Constitution and Bylaws of Eduation Minnesota Local 1977.

constitution_edmnstfrancismar_14.pdf

Join us in fighting back. New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE), a coalition of 50 groups statewide, has sent a letter to the governor responding to the offensive, outrageous education questions he circulated in December. 

Now we need to support NYSAPE and let lawmakers and education leaders know that the governor's education agenda is misguided, dangerous and bad for New York students.