The MTA teacher membership is now up to 518 members. With teaching assistants and nurses, we number 657! What I am going to say tonight is not relative to a particular building or a particular group within our membership. And, what I am about to say is not simply teachers complaining (again).

We are faced with deeply entrenched systemic problems that are so negatively affecting our members that I fear we may never completely recover.

On May 5th of this past school year, I stood here and expressed my deep concern regarding 31 district-wide issues of vital importance. Sadly, this afternoon, when I reviewed the list, 24 remained. Compounding that depressing statistic is the fact that more issues and concerns are mounting on a daily basis.

Just last Thursday, when I spoke on Opening Day, I stated that the MTA will firmly support what is educationally sound and in the best interests of our students and colleagues. Tonight I need to express the collective outrage regarding all that is occurring and is not consistent with sound educational practices.

The following is just a sampling of what our teachers have experienced in the first five days of work:
• On Sept. 1st, there were teachers who had no idea of their teaching assignments.
• Teachers returned to school and learned for the first time that they were assigned to teach classes that were totally new to them.
• Teachers returned to school and were shocked to learn they were teaching a class outside of their certification area.
• Teachers returned to school and were surprised to find out that they had been placed in a team-teaching situation.
• Teachers reported for work and had no assigned classroom/office space.
• Class lists were not distributed in some buildings until Tuesday morning!
• New lesson plan formats were presented to elementary teachers with no advance notice and there are many corresponding concerns associated with this change.
• There are schools where no master schedule has been distributed.
• Teachers came in and found out workbooks they expected to have for their classes had been cancelled.

In addition, there is the district-wide crisis of our Print Shop that is not in operation. This is absolutely unfathomable! How can a district of our size operate without a printing facility? Does anyone recognize how deeply this hurts our students? Here’s one example: We have math curricula that is brand new and textbooks that do not match this new curricula. Teachers have been told to secure appropriate supplemental materials in order to provide copies to students. How???

How can we do our jobs and help our students when we are working under such handicapping conditions? How can this be allowed to occur when we have been identified as a District in Need of Improvement?

In this short time span I’m not able to elaborate upon the fact that we have heard nothing about our Re-Structuring Plans that were submitted before the end of the last school year, nor have we seen the final PDP document that was worked on last year.

On Opening Day I stated that we cannot afford to lose valuable members and that we must work to ensure that our teachers are respected and valued. I fail to see how that has been evidenced by the District over the past five days.

For months I have asked pointed questions relating to the functioning of this school year. On behalf of our members I have been active in bringing forth items of concern and have always expressed a willingness to be a part of effecting solutions. The mechanism for clear communication is non-existent. To a large extent we have been left out of what could have and should have been many opportunities for shared decision–making.

It is a tribute to our members and their professionalism that they have, once again, kept the system running. However, the line needs to be clearly drawn tonight. Our members will not be held responsible for district-wide issues and problems that so clearly go beyond their customary duties and responsibilities. Enough is enough!