UFT October 18, 2006 Delegate Assembly Notes

Summary Notes by Iris Zevin: Delegate from Queens High School of
Teaching.

Teacher Survey:


1. A report was presented on the teacher survey that went out during
the summer months. Over 18,000 teachers responded to this rather
lengthy survey, giving their own ratings as to what they felt should be
the union’s priorities for the next round of bargaining for the new
contract.(24% of all respondents were from our own regions 3 and 4).
In addition more then 300 teachers volunteered to spend some time this
summer discussing teacher concerns and possible areas of focus for our
union.
2. The total statistical survey, a summary of the date was presented to
the delegate assembly) has not yet been released, but the top 4
priorities were discussed. 79% of teachers for example, rated
maintaining pension benefits as their number one priority, and all
teachers who responded listed it was one of the top 3 priorities. The
second priority was a substantial salary increase. Included in the
salary area, teachers showed an interest in cost of living increases,
cost free courses at CUNY and SUNY, and a new salary differential for
those with Masters+30 credits.
3. The third most important result was for enforceable student
discipline codes and the fourth was lower class size (that does not
involve salary reductions to pay for it).
4. Other important issues that were raised were
a. The need to be sure that letters are taken out of teacher files and
that they are restored to their positions when unfounded accusations
are investigated and found to be false.
b. The need to reduce the paperwork burden on teachers ( 79% of
respondents felt it was excessive).
c. A demand that when new programs ( ex.: Reading programs in the
elementary schools) are implemented that the DOE should be paying the
cost of training and materials, and that teachers should be reimbursed
for any expense they are forced to incur.

Contract Bargaining with the Coalition: The UFT has been working for
the last 5 months with other municipal unions on preparing bargaining
demands on economic issues. This collaboration has produced a series
of economic demands that are going to be presented to the city. The
UFT will be bargaining on non-economic issues separately. If these
present negotiations with the city are not successful, the UFT will
proceed to bargain individually for our union. This coalition is an
attempt by the unions to prevent the city for using one union against
another in the bargaining process.

The bargaining proposals were strongly approved by the Negotiating
Committee on 10/11/06.
The delegate assembly approved the proposals by a large majority on
10/18/06 giving the prez, Randi Weingarten and the negotiating
committee, permission to proceed with the coalition. A discussion of
these proposals will be discussed in greater detail in our upcoming
chapter meeting on election day.

Note to Paraprofessionals:

Paraprofessionals who have obtained a Bachelors Degree need to fill out
an application for their salary differential at their school. They
also need to submit an official transcript with this application.
Schools should have the applications.

Resolution to Support the Transit Worker’s Union: This resolution
proposed making a substantial contribution ($50,000) to the TWU to
defray some of the fines and penalties that have been incurred by their
union, in their strike against the MTA. A speaker for the TWU came and
spoke to the delegate assembly thanking Randi and the union for its
continued support during their negotiations and the strike. The
delegate assembly voted to make this contribution to their union funds

Local/National Political Overview:

Two representatives from the political action committee of the AFL-CIO
came to present a report on the status of various campaigns in N.Y.
State, whose outcome may have an affect on education and teachers.
People were urged to take an active role in these last few weeks, in
talking to others at their schools, about the importance of voting and
also supporting the candidates that the UFT endorses. There will be
telephone banks set up at the various borough union offices, if you
have time to volunteer to man the banks and make calls. A list of UFT
endorsements will be posted for your information, on one of the
bulletin boards near the mailboxes.

General Announcements:

Various meetings will be held in the next months and those
announcements will also be posted on the bulletin boards.

Future Meetings:

The next delegate assembly meeting will be held on Wednesday November 8
and the following on Wednesday December 6. If there are any issues
that you wish me to raise or discussion with representatives of the
union leadership, please let Michael Lieber or myself know.

Respectfully Submitted: Iris Zevin

Agreements & Disagreements

To the staff of QHST:

After my first year at the QHST, I considered the idea of taking a sabbatical. I had hoped to study the educational system in Germany and perhaps incorporate their best teaching practices into my pedagogy. When I brought this plan to the administration, I was asked to reconsider this idea because any kind of leave essentially ignored one of the primary foundations of the QHST: building community between the teachers and the students. It was a convincing argument, and so I deferred my foreign studies.

In this week’s Principal Information Sheet, Mr. Pugh states that we agree on many points, and indeed I do agree that building community is vital to our students’ success. It is for this reason that I categorically disagree with the idea that “attrition is a good thing.” When we lose talented staff members, it is the students who lose. In addition, stating that attrition is desirable allows us to circumvent the reasons that teachers may be dissatisfied and occludes ways to search for solutions that could make the QHST a better place to work.

We did, however, agree that when teachers work, they should get paid. When I was informed that teachers were being encouraged to design PD workshops for November 2, I asked Mr. Pugh if the teachers would be compensated for preparing workshops. I know that in the past, compensation for these kinds of workshops has been rather inconsistent. He agreed that they should get paid for their time. If you have a workshop that you would like to present, see Mr. Pugh so that he can approve your idea before you spend time developing the idea.

In addition, the comment in the PIS regarding paraprofessionals and their feelings of exclusion shows that the UFT and the administration can work together to create a dialogue that will address the staff’s concerns. I also wanted to remind the paraprofessionals that Kathleen Grantz represents the paraprofessionals and will bring your concerns to the consultative meetings with Mr. Pugh. Also be advised that paraprofessionals are not mandated to attend the 40-minute meetings which are traditionally scheduled for two Mondays per month. They may attend, but it would be strictly voluntary.

And lastly, a bit of levity. It was stated in the PIS that I will be running a PTA meeting sometime in November. When I read that I thought that adding that demand to my considerable workload would surely cause me to look for a teaching position elsewhere, thereby adding to the attrition rate for 2008. But Mr. Pugh reassured me that it was an error; I have scheduled a UFT meeting on November 2, at the end of the day.


Fraternally,



Michael Lieber

Results from the Questionnaire

Results from the questionnaire.

1. I think more common planning between communities would improve the experience of teachers and students.
Strongly Agree= 13 Agree= 5 Disagree= 6 Strongly Disagree= 30

2. I believe that Advisory is worthwhile, particularly the way it is presently structured.
Strongly Agree= 32 Agree= 10 Disagree= 6 Strongly Disagree= 3

3. Though DEAR / Advisory is not considered a prep, I often spend a great deal of time working on activities.
Strongly Agree= 15 Agree= 6 Disagree= 2 Strongly Disagree= 28

4. I feel that in many cases distributive leadership is a myth and that decisions are made without considering the opinions of the staff.
Strongly Agree= 13 Agree= 6 Disagree= 4 Strongly Disagree= 29

5. I would prefer not to have students come into my class as teaching assistants to simply fill gaps in their programs.
Strongly Agree= 13 Agree= 7 Disagree= 3 Strongly Disagree= 28

6. I often feel that students have too much power, and teachers do not have enough power.
Strongly Agree= 8 Agree= 7 Disagree= 9 Strongly Disagree= 28

7. I wish I had more support from the administration.
Strongly Agree= 8 Agree= 8 Disagree= 7 Strongly Disagree= 28

8. I feel that this non-traditional approach does not prepare students for college-level work.
Strongly Agree= 9 Agree= 10 Disagree= 3 Strongly Disagree= 27

9. The administration is very sensitive to the daily struggles that teachers face.
Strongly Agree= 27 Agree= 7 Disagree= 8 Strongly Disagree= 7

10. Generally speaking, the workload at the QHST is excessive.
Strongly Agree= 12 Agree= 6 Disagree= 6 Strongly Disagree= 25

11. I am pleased with the way the QHST has evolved and taken shape over the past four years.
Strongly Agree= 27 Agree= 10 Disagree= 7 Strongly Disagree= 6

12. There needs to be a more balanced approach between teacher-led instruction and student-centered approaches.
Strongly Agree= 13 Agree= 8 Disagree= 3 Strongly Disagree= 26

13. I wish that the administration was more considerate with my time.
Strongly Agree= 9 Agree= 7 Disagree= 5 Strongly Disagree= 27

14. I often wish that the climate at the QHST was more open to dissenting opinions.
Strongly Agree= 9 Agree= 7 Disagree= 6 Strongly Disagree= 27

Comments -- These are ALL the comments, and they are taken randomly from the questionnaires. There is no significance to the order in which they are listed.

1. Main concern is time. Too much is asked of us without being given the time to do it. Remove some of the "extra" things we have to do, to free up time for class-related activities. Do we really need 3 SLC's per week?
2. Concerns -- a) no more electives, students have holes in programs; therefore, certain sugjects become "repeater classes." b) The separation between communities gives less time to meet within disciplines to plan topics, etc c) No reason for 3 start times -- 1/2 of teachers do not teach first two bands d)Tracking within co-hort level e) single grade advisories. Solutions: a)Cross community classes would allow more opportunities for students to take different electives and fill up programs. b)Split community start times/cross community classes. c) Mix communities co-horts, d) Mixed grade advisory
3. Paraprofessionals are not considered as part of the "staff." We are not included in planning and teaching, and are treated as if we are uneducated and invisible. We are not utilized to the fullest potential. Solutions: Include us in community meetings and acknowledge us. Assign us to work with several students if we can do so.
4. This is trying to divide the staff and cause problems. We all knew waht we were in for when we signed on. I only answered what I felt was appropriate.
5. I like the idea and philosophy behind small learning communities; however, there are drawbacks to having split schedules. One drawback is the lack of electives available to the students.
6. Although I don't agree 100% with everything done at QHST, why would those that represent us, put out a survey like this. The way the questions are written, it clearly shows a tone that you are dissatisfied with QHST. We all knew QHST philosophy when we were hired and we all agreed to follow it. I am offended by this survey, and I am worried that the writers of this survey will only seed to cause rift -- not solutions -- Disgraceful!!
7. Why aren't the students at QHST given all the same opportunities? Why is the division in this school so black and white?
8. Concerns: Students safety during "holes" in periods, b) excessive amounts of students in common areas, c) "Project Learn" . . . what is it? d)Why are teachers removed from subject classes and asked/told to teach "Project Learn." Solutions: Create a "curriculum" and rename Project Learn.
9. Due to split schedule, it is impossible to co-plan with other teachers. I am talking about different sciences -- for example all chem or liv. env teachers. I wish we had to SLC's rather than three so that we have more time to prep and grade papers which keep piling up constantly. 10. I am concerned about the changing time of the administration. To me, it seems as though the best interest of the students is put on the back burner. In the past, decisions have been made collectively with the best interest of the students as the primary factor behind every decision. I don't feel as though the priorities are in the right order. Solutions: Always put the best interest of the students first. Decisions should be made with that first and foremost. Let's go back to distributive leadership.
11. I wish we had a more traditional schedule -- same classes meeting daily. Students would be more prepared. We could build in vocational programs for students with disabilities. How can the Empowerment Zone people tell us we can be flexible with the idea?
12. I am somewhat bewildered by this questionnaire -- Let's use the Union for some real issues when necessary -- not to cuase negative conversation about the foundation of QHST. These questions are very leading and seem to focus on the very culture/basis that the school was founded on! Why question a method of pedagogy if you came here to do the pedagogy expected and of which you knew about ahead of time. Since when can we not do some teacher-led instruction? Or is it that it is what some teachers would really like do do all the time since it is so much easier to carry off than to create a project that students can really learn from? What are our real issues? Do teachers really need help and maybe won't accept it? Are they reallyh open to professional dialogue, for constructive critiques? I admit that we have a heavy work load, but I had the same at my last school. Opinions that do not always agree with the philosophy of QHST should be heard if they are not a put down but rahter ideas that are for the benefit of our students! Everyone should be heard and I feel are.
13. The 3 separate schedules and start times are detrimental to after-school activities. Students that finish at 2:20 are asked to wait 2 hours to be a part of a club or team. The 3 schedules are totally unnecessary. Solution: Can 2 communities start at the same time?
14. Concerns: a) I am concerned that students spend more time in DEAR than they do in their subject-area classes. b) Aren't schools supposed to be for children? Arent they supposed to be educated? What's with TA's, TI's, Service, Project Learn? Where are our priorities? Solutions: Perhaps we can incorporate DEAR into the humanities and extend iehter SS or English to cover th egap during lunches. B) Planning, planning, planning. The idea that students' academic needs come first in a "collge prep school" should be first and foremost in our minds.

And I get the last word . . . . . Thank you all for taking part in the survey and for your enthusiasm, dedication, and your professionalism. I want to end on two points we can all agree on. We do have an extremely talented staff and together we can certainly find the best ways to serve our students.

Also, staff members have voiced their frustration at their inability to post comments on this blog. There are three reasons for this. First, I did not want to create a UFT blog that would make it possible for staff members to criticize other UFT members. That would be antithetical to the idea of the United Federation of Teachers. Secondly, I was afraid that staff members may write statements that might create difficulty with the administration. Finally, when I created the blog, I thought of it more as an electronic newsletter rather than a message board. Mr. Brown has opened his blog to teachers who would like to make comments about the UFT and this blog. Here is that website: http://www.monticohort1.blogspot.com/ I, too, have contributed comments to his blog.

Fraternally,

Michael Lieber