A March 27th Times Herald-Record article entitled “Schools fear ‘contract’ will cost them” contained extremely important information about the implications of Governor Spitzer’s school aid plan that will include 55 schools districts signing a “Contract for Excellence.” Middletown will be one of those districts.

The impetus behind the governor’s plan is to make sure that the money for school aid is not wasted, and, most importantly, that districts be held accountable (see related excerpt from the governor’s address). This is where the TH-R article became quite interesting. It was revealed that superintendents’ contracts will be tied to student performance. The article stated “lots goes into performance that superintendents don’t control.” Our superintendent was quoted as saying a consequence of this is “you are going to drive good people away.”

Well, well, well. Welcome to our world! Is it not fascinating that this seemed to be no problem when the shoes were on the other feet? For three years our teachers have faced constant pressure regarding student performance. We have been told to work on increasing student attendance, decrease student failure rates, increase academic achievement, implement quarterly assessments, and strictly follow district scope and sequence documents.

Through various means we have consistently expressed our deep concern over the systematic dismantling of this district’s programming and personnel. We have taken out a paid ad, spoken at the microphone at Board of Education meetings, written letters, asked to meet with the BOE, published a list of concerns, and used this publication as a forum — all of which led us to think, “Is anyone listening?” Coincidentally, the superintendent is quoted in the March 27th TH-R article as saying “I don’t think anyone is listening.” What a fascinating (and ironically humorous) overlap of experiences!

Three years ago, when we heard that our new superintendent wanted to know about teachers who had “high failure rates,” the MTA was quickly involved in pointing out that many factors influence student failure rates and are completely outside the control of teachers. On more than one occasion, it was stated publicly and printed in this newsletter, that we were going to lose quality teachers from our ranks if central administration continued to persist in equating student failure rates solely with teacher performance. This issue has been a constant source of frustration and one in which the union has been continually involved. We adamantly maintain that our members will not be evaluated on student failure rates (or on student success rates). Our evaluation process is a mandated condition of bargaining and not subject to change based simply on the opinions or desires of our superintendent, building administrators, or board of education.

Our strength is in our collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and we will be vigilant in monitoring Governor Spitzer’s Contract for Excellence, particularly in relation to how our CBA may be affected. NYSUT is already deeply involved in analyzing the implications of the Contract for Excellence and is a readily available resource for locals with questions and concerns. The Contract for Excellence will place very serious demands upon our district. At the April 12th Board of Education meeting, tentative plans revealed the district’s thinking regarding how to use the approximately $4.3 million in Contract for Excellence school aid. Most notable is that Governor Spitzer’s plan states that each district’s reform plan “will need to be developed in consultation with all the stakeholders that are involved in every district, including parents, teachers and administrators.”

Know that the MTA is always listening and always monitoring anything that may affect our members. We will continue to utilize our power to protect our members and uphold our contract. We will speak out, we will publish task force reports, we will file grievances, and we will continue to hold meetings that allow our members the opportunity to voice their questions and concerns. We will do whatever it takes to let others know that we will not be bamboozled. We will not be duped, and we will not be hoodwinked because, quite simply, we know the truth and no one has the power to prevent us from speaking it.