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hauncy StreetSuite 402B

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February 2012

Continued on page 8

In This Issue

2 President’s ColumnBold Print

Pittsfi eld Turns a Corner

Continued on page 3

4 Diary of a New Teacher: The many challenges of teaching at a “turnaround” school

Survey Lets Teachers TELL All

7 Retiree CornerThe Golden Apple: A retired teacher goes space age

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Advocate, send an email to advocate@aftma.net. Please include your home mailing address for identifi cation.

6 On Campus: Confronting economic nonsense

5 The Teaching Pulse: an educator hopes to get his colleagues talking

Did you know that your AFT MA membershipentitles you to discounts on insurance products?For more information visit the benefi ts page of our website:www.aftma.net/member-benefi ts/

The Year Ahead: Changes, Challenges

MESSAGE SENT Educators in Boston brave frigid temperatures to send a message to city offi cials: ‘Talk to Teachers.’ Their wish for 2012? A contract that’s fair to educators, good for students and affordable for the city. See p. 5.

SPECIAL DELIVERY Bus drivers and monitors in Pittsfi eld where the Pittsfi eld Federation of School Employees recently fi ve settled contracts.

Phot

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Mich

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Members of the Pittsfi eld Federation of School Employees fi nally have

something to celebrate. Last month, the fi ve chapters of the PFSE, representing cafeteria workers, bus drivers and monitors, clerical, custodial and paraprofessionals, each ratifi ed a three-year deal. At a time of deep economic uncertainty, members of the support staff union say that the agreement represents an increasingly valuable commodity: security. Linda Connors, who has spent 18 years as a cafeteria worker at Taconic High School, says that after years of negotiating with the city one year at a time, a multi-year agreement comes as a relief. “I’m just looking forward to signing my name,” says Connors, who serves as chapter chair of the cafeteria unit.

Recession runs through itThe economic recession that has

had a grip on Massachusetts for nearly four years has been particularly hard on places like Pittsfi eld—cities that bore the brunt of previous downturns. This one-time manufacturing hub,

tucked into the banks of the Housatonic River, has spent decades attempting to bounce back from the loss of its major employer, General Electric. GE’s decision to leave the city, taking roughly 10,000 jobs with it, devastated Pittsfi eld, draining the city not only of jobs but of optimism. The result: a slide in the city’s population. In recent years Pittsfi eld has sought to remake itself as the culture hub of Western Massachusetts, promoting the arts as a way to attract both jobs and tourist dollars. Today art galleries and music venues increasingly fi ll the buildings that industry long ago vacated.

The ones who stayedThe 500 members of the Pittsfi eld

Federation of School Employees wear their residency here as a badge of

honor. Unlike so many of the city’s former inhabitants, the PFSE members have chosen to stay. “It’s a nice little town,” says Nina Pyrzanowski, a bus monitor who also serves on the union negotiating committee.

The new year is barely a month old but already 2012 is shaping up to be a period of immense challenge.

A major election looms, including a ballot initiative that, if passed by the voters of Massachusetts, would effectively end tenure for teachers in the state’s public schools. Meanwhile teachers and other public employees continue to deal with the impact of new legislation and regulatory changes made during 2011, including the state’s municipal health insurance law, passed last summer.

While plenty of changes loom, some constants remain, says Tom Gosnell, president of AFT Massachusetts. “It is rather remarkable that the assault on teachers and their unions never ceases.” Gosnell predicts that such attacks on teachers—and on public sector union members more broadly—will endure into 2012. “The year ahead will pose challenges that will require us to continue to fi ght hard and smart, to think creatively, to work collaboratively when we can, and to get for the students the resources they need to obtain a superior education.”

Here’s a look at what’s ahead.

Tenure on the ballotAdvertisements by the group Stand

for Children assert that the aim of their ballot initiative is “a great teacher in every classroom.” Who would disagree with that worthy goal? But the ballot question, which, as of now will appear on the 2012 Massachusetts

ballot, would effectively end tenure for teachers. If voters approve the measure, seniority will no longer be a determining factor in teacher layoffs. Furthermore, if a school closes, teachers in that school will no longer have a right to an assignment elsewhere, no matter how many years they’ve taught or how good their evaluations are.

The far-reaching ballot measure has attracted a growing body of critics including the state’s Secretary of Education, Paul Reville, who warns that the ballot question will trigger a “distracting and divisive battle.” Meanwhile superintendents and principals’ groups have charged that

the measure—pushed by an outside group—would strip school districts of local authority.

Late last month the Massachusetts Teachers Association fi led a complaint with the Supreme Judicial Court asking that the initiative be barred from the ballot due to its confusing and misleading nature. The MTA’s complaint was fi led on behalf of seven plaintiffs, including three former Massachusetts Teachers of the Year. For now, though, the controversial question remains on the 2012 ballot—and key rights for educators hang in the balance. Stay tuned.

2

BOLDPRINT

Higher Education HonorsUMass Faculty Federation, Local 1895 has presented its annual awards to outstanding faculty and staff at UMass Dartmouth. The Scholar of the Year award was given to Vinod Vokkarane Ph.D., a dynamic researcher in optical and wireless networks. Raymond Laoulache, a student-oriented mechanical engineering professor of fl uid dynamics and wind power, was named Teacher of the Year and the ESU Service Award went to Jessica Arruda M.A., assistant director of IT Services and union area representative. Each award recipient received a $1000 cash award in addition to their certifi cates. Congratulations to all on your terrifi c accomplishments!

Sing it proudLisa Bello, a 7th and 8th grade teacher at the James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury, was named Best Female Vocalist at the 2011 Boston Music Awards. Bello, who not only sings but writes and produces music, is a well known fi gure on the city’s music scene and is a frequent guest on the 94.5 morning show. While Bello has been nominated for the award in previous years this is the fi rst time she’s taken home top honors. Here’s to another break out year for Bello in 2012!

Perfect posturesStaff at the William P. Connery Elementary School in Lynn have come up with a novel idea to help them relax. Teacher Rita Gallo came up with the idea of introducing yoga at the school to help educators there deal with stress. With the aid of some talented instructors from North Shore Yoga staff members at the Connery say that they’re breathing in, stretching out and releasing the tensions of the school day. Sounds like a program that plenty of educators could benefi t from these days!

Wanted: top teachersThe search for the state’s top teachers is underway once more. The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program, coordinated by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Hannaford Supermarkets, is now accepting nominations for the 2013-2014 award. Now in its 51st year, the statewide program honors a Massachusetts teacher who represents the positive contributions of all teachers statewide and energizes the teaching profession. The selected teacher will be announced on May 8, recognized as National Teacher Day. The current Teacher of the Year is Boston teacher Adam Gray. Nominations are due by Friday, Feb. 3. For more information about the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program, contact Deborah J. Walker at 781-338-3347 or via email at djwalker@doe.mass.edu.

The Advocate loves good news. If you’ve won an award, attended a conference, given a performance, etc, let us know. Send your good news to advocate@aftma.net or call 617.423.3342 x 235.

The offi cial publication of AFT Massachusetts, AFL-CIO

Thomas J. Gosnell, PresidentMark Allred, Sr., Secretary-Treasurer

VICE PRESIDENTSPatricia Armstrong

Deborah Blinder Sean Bowker

Kathryn ChamberlainBrenda ChaneyKathy Delaney

Catherine DeveneyPatricia Driscoll

Marianne DumontJ. Michael EarleMargaret Farrell

Mary FerriterJenna FitzgeraldRichard Flaherty

Paul GeorgesAlice M. GunningDaniel Haacker

Joyce HarringtonSusan Leahy

Francis McLaughlinBruce Nelson

Catherine PattenJames Philip

Bruce SparfvenRichard Stutman

Gale Thomas

Jennifer C. Berkshire, Editor38 Chauncy St., Suite 402

Boston, Mass. 02111Tel. 617-423-3342 /800-279-2523

Fax: 617-423-0174www.aftma.net

advocate@aftma.net

End the Attacks on Teachers

Thomas J. GosnellPresident, AFT Massachusetts

AFT MA Welcomes New Staff Members

It is rather remarkable that the assault on teachers and their unions never ceases. The initiative petition

advocated by Stand for Children is only the latest example. Yet students in the Massachusetts public schools are the highest achieving in the nation according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test. All students in the regular public schools are taught by teachers who work under a collective bargaining agreement. The states whose students rank lowest on the (NAEP) test are taught by teachers, very few of whom, if any, work under collective bargaining agreements. So much for the argument that unions interfere with educational progress.

Massachusetts needs to do a comprehensive study of our students’ achievement. What are all the factors that contribute to their achievement? While we can certainly speculate, speculation is no substitute for hard data. Nonetheless, since we do not yet have hard data, I shall engage in some speculation.

Important factors are very fi ne teachers, parental support, community support, adequate funding, suffi cient supplies, and fi rst rate professional development among others.

I also suspect that comprehensive study would reveal the economic

status of the family is a decisive factor. Certainly national study after national study has revealed that the income of a family plays a pivotal role in student achievement. Some maintain that poverty is used as an excuse for students’ failure to achieve because some students from a poor background do achieve. Of course, poverty is not an excuse, but it is an explanation. Girls and boys without good nutrition, without suffi cient medical and dental care, without adequate housing, and without safety and security in their communities are coming to school with serious disadvantages.

During the past two decades Massachusetts has provided more resources for public schools, but a couple of economic downturns, particularly the current one, has made life in our schools much more diffi cult.

Until society realizes that wrap around services are essential for many of our students, many of these students will continue to have diffi culty in our schools.

While poverty has a profound impact wherever it is present, it is hardly the only issue. Perhaps we can leave important lessons about education from other places. Let’s look at Finland, a country whose students achieve very well.

Finland, while not homogenous, is certainly far less diverse than our country. However, it is worth noting a few things about Finnish education.

The teaching force is completely unionized. Attacks on teachers and their unions are virtually non-existent. Teachers are highly esteemed, and are considered valuable contributions to the nation’s future. Would that those who engage in such attacks in the USA would realize how they hurt public education and lead to an incredible production of negative energy.

Collaboration among teachers and between management and teachers is a prime value. Both realize that they are professionals and that by working together they will enhance the education of their students. In this state and nation collaboration is not valued. We talk abut it, but we don’t practice it. One would think that in a profession where everyone is so highly educated that we would prize collaboration.

Finnish teachers have superior professional development. Most

Massachusetts teachers say that the professional development to which they are exposed is weak or irrelevant or boring or disconnected from their daily experience. Any professional in any profession in a world of constant change must have professional development that is relevant to his daily experience.

Is it any wonder that even during an economic recession that almost fi fty percent of teachers leave the profession within fi ve years of employment? On the one hand critics say that good teachers are essential for the establishment and maintenance of quality public education, but on the other hand their relentless attacks demean the teachers and their profession.

The United States of America was the fi rst major nation to advocate education for all, Massachusetts was the fi rst state to establish schools for all, and Boston is home to the oldest public school.

Certainly our schools can do better. They can always do better. However, whatever their fl aws, our public schools have contributed mightily to this nation. Those who carp without end threaten to undermine these continuing achievements.

If you have any questions or comments on this column, you can email me at tgosnell@aftma.net. ▪Is it any wonder

that even during an economic recession that almost fi fty percent of teachers leave the profession within fi ve years of employment?

AFT Massachusetts is pleased to welcome two new staff members

aboard. Eileen Carney joins the staff as the new full-time secretary. She takes over for Mary Ann Dority, who retired last month. Also joining us is a new part-time receptionist, Carmella Dyette.

Eileen is a Dorchester native and currently lives in Winchester. Her two children are products of Massachusetts public school systems and are currently pursuing public higher education here in the Commonwealth.

She completed her bachelor of arts degree at Boston College and has a master’s in TESOL from UMass Boston, having lived in France, Mexico and Italy. A past member of the US-China People’s Friendship Association, Eileen now studies Mandarin in her spare time. Eileen says that she is committed to excellence in public schools and fairness for public employees, and very proud to join the staff at AFT Massachusetts.

Carmella grew up in Boston and attended a number of public schools here before graduating from Madison Park High School. She is now studying architectural technology at the Wentworth Institute of Technology and hopes to complete her degree next year. Carmella says that her passion is interior design, and when she’s not studying or working at her new job she’s building a portfolio to showcase her unique style.

Please join us in giving Eileen and Carmella a warm welcome —and be sure to say hello when you call the AFT MA offi ce. ▪

February 20123

Pittsfi eld Turns a Corner

Lesley University School of Education

CHIEF CHEFS Linda Connors (left), chapter chair of the cafeteria workers with Sara Aserr, who serves as president of the Pittsfi eld Federation of School Employees (PFSE).

Continued from cover

“It’s a great place to raise a family—now we just need more good paying jobs,” says Pyrzanowski. “We need the kind of jobs that will allow our kids to stay here and raise their families,” says Pyrzanowski, who notes that her own children have left Pittsfi eld for New York and Colorado in search of just those kinds of jobs.

A family feelingOn a recent winter day, the

Pittsfi eld bus barn, from which 60 school buses depart in two shifts on each school day, felt like a family gathering. The predominantly female employees—most of the bus drivers and all of the monitors are women—often bring their own small children to work. “We’ve got car seats in the buses,” says Christine Bossana, who is the chapter chair of the bus drivers and monitors unit and also served on the negotiating committee.

But it’s more than just the presence of children that lends the bus barn its family air. The drivers and monitors regard themselves as something of a family. Says Bossana: “We can be dysfunctional—but we all stick together.” And stick together they have. In recent years, as Pittsfi eld has been battered by the recessionary economic tide, these support workers have had to hang tough merely to hold on to the wages and benefi ts they have.

Picking the city upFour years ago, Pittsfi eld’s public

employees joined the Group Insurance Commission, becoming one of the fi rst municipalities to do so and saving the city millions of dollars in the process. While their new contract did not include a signifi cant boost in

compensation, members of the PFSE say that the city’s willingness to enter into a multi-year deal feels like a confi rmation that the work they do is appreciated. Brian LaPierre, the AFT Massachusetts fi eld representatives who assisted the fi ve chapters of the PFSE in their negotiations, says the members have made plenty of sacrifi ces over the years. “These are the people who live in Pittsfi eld, they’re raising their families here. They’re trying to pick the city up,” says LaPierre. “I think that everyone in Pittsfi eld appreciates the services they provide. These folks are really the backbone of this city.”

Behind the scenes For the bus drivers and monitors

that behind-the-scenes work starts not long after sunrise, with the fi rst shift of the day. Carol Francesconi has been a driver for the past 10 years and transports children to Pittsfi eld’s alternative school. While the route is regarded as among the most diffi cult—many of the students have behavioral issues—Francesconi notes that it’s a run she selected. “These kids are real and I like being able to give them the attention they need,” says Francesconi.

And while the drivers and monitors remain responsible for making sure that their young charges get to and from the correct destination, the job doesn’t stop there. These positions now require medical training to deal with the growing number of students who suffer from life-threatening allergies. Says Pyrzanowski: “We’re trained to use EPI pens, to give CPR, to deal with asthma attacks—we’re really on the front lines.”

Member to memberThe 500 members of the PFSE

enjoy another distinction that sets them apart from many of their public employee colleagues in other cities and towns. Because their contracts lack something called a “fair-share” provision, employees must choose to be part of the union. That means that every time a new employee is hired to drive a bus, prepare a meal in one of the Pittsfi eld school cafeterias or perform clerical or custodial work, members of one of the fi ve union chapters must recruit their new colleagues. When a new bus driver arrives at the bus barn on this winter day, she is quickly surrounded by members of the driver and monitor unit who extol the importance of joining up and paying union dues. “We explain that one of the things that we have going for us is that we’re part of a union,” says Bossana. In the cafeteria at Taconic High School, virtually all of the employees who prep more than 800 lunches per day—the most in the school district—belong to the union. Says Connors: “I think they understand that we’re stronger together.”

Eye on the future While there was plenty of relief

after members of all fi ve of the PFSE chapters ratifi ed the new contract, union leader Sara Aserr says that she’s focused on the future of her members—particularly those who earn the least. She notes, for example, that cafeteria workers who’ve worked for the school district for three decades still earn less than a decent wage. “In the past the people who earn the least haven’t had enough of a voice,” says Aserr, who took over as president of the PFSE two years ago. Cafeteria workers here are paid from the proceeds of the revenue they generate; even their health

insurance is paid for by the sale of meals. While the arrangement means that the cafeteria is self-suffi cient, the need to keep costs low for students—lunch tops out at $1.80—has meant low pay for cafeteria workers. “We’re still having to fi ght for a decent wage,” says Aserr. Sandy Rawson has worked at the Taconic High cafeteria for nearly three decades. As the lunch hour nears, and Rawson prepares quesadillas with super-human speed, she refl ects that this year will probably be her last. As for her plans in retirement, Rawson knows exactly what she wants to do. “I’m going to relax and work on my crafts,” says Rawson. “Anything but prepare meals.”

AFT MA congratulates the members of the Piffsfi eld Federation of School Employees on their successful contract negotiations! ▪

The AFT Massachusetts Advocate4

Diaryof a New Teacher

By Matt RobinsonELA, journalism and boxing teacher

Jeremiah E. Burke High SchoolDorchester, MA

Meet the 2011-2012 New Teacher Diarists

Bill Madden-FuocoA humanities teacher at the Urban Science Academy in West Roxbury, Bill was also a semi-fi nalist in the state’s 2012 Teacher of the Year contest.

Robert TobioRobert teaches math and special education at the Mary Lyon Pilot School in Brighton and previously taught at Monument High in South Boston, which closed last spring.

Melissa McDonaldA fi fth grade teacher at the Parthum Elementary School in Lawrence, Melissa is returning to teaching after a year of maternity leave.

Joyce MelkerA paraprofessional at the Watson Elemen-tary School in Fall River, Joyce is a student in the JET teacher training program at UMass Dartmouth.

Matthew RobinsonMatthew is beginning his second year teaching English and journalism at the Burke High School in Dorchester.

Riana GoodWhile Riana is technically no longer a new teacher, this Spanish teacher at the Boston Teachers Union School in Jamaica Plain says that she still feels like a ‘newby.’

TURNAROUND TIME Matt Robinson, an ELA and journalism teacher at the Burke High School in Boston, says that he is learning to juggle the needs of his students, the demands of a “turnaround” school and the requirements of his graduate studies. Pictured here: Burke juniors Cherokee Brown and Prince Papa Collins.

Being at one of Boston’s “turnaround” schools is a challenge and an education. As

we have been charged with lowering dropout rates and raising attendance, grades, and MCAS scores, we have to be extra determined, extra committed--and extra patient.

As I had taught every age and grade from pre-K to adult at public, private, and parochial schools, I thought I was ready for whatever might come along. Teaching at one of Boston’s famed exam schools while working towards my second master’s degree in education added to my confi dence. When I got to the Burke, however, I was still thrown for a loop. Many of my new students had just recently arrived in the United States or came from homes where there was little parental or familial support. Some of them, in fact, lived on their own and even supported siblings and other family members. It was an environment and an educational scenario for which I was not fully prepared.

Fortunately, the Burke has plenty of support systems in place for both the students and the staff. In its effort to create an academy system that starts with the freshmen I was teaching and follows them up through their eventual graduation, we have all sorts of experts and consultants coming through the building, offering a bevy of professional development courses and other programs that are intended to help us clarify our mission and focus on our goals. We even have City Year corps members in our classrooms to help us deal with our often challenging and challenged students.

At fi rst though, the near constant meetings felt trying, and the information garnered from was both confusing and often overwhelming—especially during the early weeks when I was also trying to get to know my

students, colleagues and the many other people who were constantly coming in and out of the building). Soon the process began to sort itself out and the truer, deeper lessons began to be revealed. Among these was the lesson that, despite my training and past experience, I would have to take on this task as a completely new venture with no preconceived notions whatsoever. I even heard someone describe working at a turnaround school as teaching in an institution that was “not school as you might think of it.” I had dealt with a wide array of ages and abilities before, but never all in the same building. The range of skills and needs was impressive, to say the least, and in order to be successful here, I knew I would have to be open minded and open to the many ideas that were presented to me.

Unfortunately, I went a bit overboard in those early months, signing up for additional trainings in an effort to maintain and improve my licensure status and to learn even more about the educational theories that had so intrigued me in my master’s coursework.

It seemed like I was reading a new treatise or attending another

seminar every week and coming into my classroom each Monday with a completely new plan and way of seeing things. Posters went up and then came down. Student work went into folders, then binders, then back to folders. I lectured more, then less, then more again. All the while, I began to notice that I was not the only one who was becoming confused. Even if they were having diffi culty keeping up with the workload of the “new “ Burke, many students began to make it clear to me that they were having trouble keeping up with me!

It was time to go back to basics.After a number of extended and

engaged discussions with my amazing mentor, Frank Pantano, I returned from a long weekend with one last new plan: follow the students. In order to turn a student and a school around, I realized that I had to stop spinning and go back to what I knew to be true. It was the same lesson I had learned nearly 10 years ago when I fi rst began my teacher training. Despite the myriad new theories that have come and gone, gained and lost credence and come into and fallen out of vogue since then, that lesson—follow the students—feels just as true today as it did back then. ▪

Survey Lets Teachers TELL AllWhat are the teaching and learning

conditions like at your school? Next month, educators from all 404 school districts in Massachusetts will be asked to participate in an anonymous survey about the state of their schools. The survey, known as Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning in Massachusetts, or TELL MASS, will be conducted online starting March 12 through April 6th.

The survey, which takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete, is voluntary and completely anonymous. Starting March 5th, every school-based educator in the state will be provided with a confi dential access code that can be used to access the survey from any Internet location. Participants will be asked for their views on a wide range of issues, including whether educators have meaningful involvement in decision making at their schools, whether they have enough time to teach the required curriculum and what external factors most infl uence student achievement at their schools.

When the survey was last administered in 2008, 40,000 educators, roughly half of the state’s teaching force, completed it. This

year, survey administrators are hoping for a signifi cantly higher rate of participation. The New Teacher Center at the University of California-Santa Cruz is conducting the survey, which is sponsored by AFT Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Teachers Association as part of a coalition of policy organizations, civic groups and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Mike Regan participated in the survey last time around as a teacher at Medway High School. Now he’s encouraging teachers to use the survey to amplify their voices. “Teachers’ voices have really been limited on education issues,” says Regan, who is now a fi eld representative for AFT Massachusetts. “This is our chance to weigh in and have an impact.”

Staff in any school in which at least 50 percent or more of educators take the anonymous survey will be able to access their individual school results by the end of May 2012. For more information about the TELL survey visit www.tellmass.org. ▪

GEEO is a non-profit organization that runs travel programs for educators. Detailed information including itineraries, costs, travel dates, and more can be found at www.geeo.org or call toll free 1-877-600-0105.

Would you like to travel abroad on an inexpensive trip designed

specifically for educators?

February 20125

BEHINDTHE SCENES

The Teaching Pulse

www.theteachingpulse.org

LOGGED ON James Liou, a peer assistant in the Boston Public Schools, at work on his website, The Teaching Pulse. Liou wants to create a forum in which educators can share ideas about what’s working in the city’s public schools. Says Liou: “I want us to have a real dialogue.”

State Names Receiver for Lawrence Public SchoolsThe former principal of a Boston

middle school where union members and administrators worked together to improve student performance will oversee the school system in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Jeffrey Riley, who was formerly the principal at Edwards Middle School in Charlestown and currently serves as the chief innovations offi cer for the Boston Public Schools, was named as the state-appointed receiver by Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester.

In the coming weeks Riley will lay out a plan to turn around the Lawrence schools, based on the input of teachers, community organizations, parents and other stakeholders in that city. The state took over the Lawrence schools late last year, citing continued low levels of achievement among the city’s largely immigrant student population.

Lawrence Teachers Union president Frank McLaughlin says that teachers are eager to begin working with Mr. Riley. “Jeff Riley is a well-respected innovator with a reputation for fairness and hard work,” McLaughlin said. “The teachers of Lawrence welcome him to our troubled schools. We know that many changes are ahead for students and teachers, but the entire school community is ready to work with Jeff to build a better future for the children

of this great city.” The Edwards Middle School, where

Riley served as principal from 2007 to 2009, is often featured as a model of collaboration between teacher union members and administrators. Faculty and staff at that school. Once slated for closure, the Edwards is now

one of the top performing schools in Boston. Teachers and administrators there worked together to implement an extension of the school day. Teachers who elect to participate in the program, which includes tutoring as well as music, drama and arts-related electives, are compensated for the extra time they work.

Last spring AFT president Randi Weingarten visited the Edwards and praised the culture of shared leadership and accountability that has allowed students at the school to thrive.

McLaughlin says that the city’s education professionals are encouraged that collaboration may fi nally take root in Lawrence, where division and an absence of leadership have so long been the norm. Says McLaughlin: “The Receiver faces great challenges and wields enormous power. The Lawrence Teachers Union looks forward to building a successful partnership with Jeff in the months ahead.” ▪

A former principal once helped to turn a school around by making the teachers union a partner.

By James LiouPeer Assistant, Boston Public SchoolLast year I created a website called the Teaching Pulse—a teacher voice project that emphasizes teacher collaboration through a focus on teacher leadership, education policy and classroom practice. It is my hope that The Teaching Pulse becomes a forum for teachers in the same way that the YMCA serves as a gathering place for exercisers.

Please bear with me as I explain this analogy.

There are a lot of reasons why I like the YMCA, which my then fi ancée and I joined nearly a year ago on an inspired, mid-December winter day. Reason #1: Regular people of all ages and levels of fi tness go there. Reason #2: We like the group classes—ones where we’ve been able to meet neighbors, fellow exercisers and invite friends. Sarah has been taking a swimming class and I’ve had a seemingly self-fl agellating interest in doing the ‘bootcamp’ classes, which are led by an effectively

intimidating (I mean motivating) instructor named W. Reason #3: The orientation of the YMCA is all about overall health and wellness. Learning, asking questions, trying out classes and experimenting with machines are encouraged. I’ve learned from more experienced gym-goers as well as oriented other less-experienced exercisers. Reason #4: True, it starts out feeling bad. But then it starts feeling good. And going to the gym has now become an integrated part of the weekly routine.

So how do my hopes for The Teaching Pulse connect to the lessons learned from the YMCA? Is it reasonable to connect the fl exing and development of physical muscles with our intellectual ‘teacher muscles’ as thinkers, collaborators and practitioners? Let me give this parallel reasoning a try.

Reason #1. As the YMCA is used by regular folks, our teacher corp in the Boston Public Schools is composed of thousands of ‘regular folks’ as well—and there is less reason to feel self-conscious if there are people of all different levels around. I believe our collective, untapped voices are an undeveloped strength. There are too few opportunities for the thousands of teachers in our schools—from newer to veteran teachers and from a huge range of teaching and learning experiences—to participate and share their opinions in centralized places. We need to have environments where we can feel safe and be in the company of other educators and their diverse

experiences. Reason #2. Just as organized

groups of exercisers benefi t from each other and individual learned experiences, teachers can do the same. Whether a formal professional learning community or an informal opportunity to discuss issues, opportunities or concerns, there is something powerful about gathering around a common topic or theme. Let’s talk about teacher leadership and collaboration in our union and district. Let’s talk about the education policies that affect our work. Let’s talk about and share our best classroom practices.

Reason #3. Similar to exercisers learning from each other, we as teachers can do the same. I’ve benefi ted tremendously from meeting, collaborating and learning from other teachers and I’ve had the opportunity to offer that same value to other teacher friends in Boston and beyond. I am a fi rm believer in the idea that this kind of teacher-to-teacher networking and learning can have transformative value in our profession.

Reason #4. And fi nally, just as there is a physical and psychological learning curve in getting to a regular exercise routine, I believe there is a similar curve in developing a public opinion and voice regarding our

individual classroom practices and professional lives. There are risks in doing so. But there are also rewards. There is a risk to publically sharing an idea and asking a question, but also the reward of getting responses from others who may have that exact same thought or other opinions; we can feel less isolated and more connected. And if we are able to get through the initial rough patch of commitment, imagine the good there is to gain.

As I mention on The Teaching Pulse website, my hope is that it becomes an avenue to not only connect with other educators across the city, but to also learn, be challenged and be actively involved in aiding and elevating our profession—and our professional organizations—for the benefi t of our work and our students. My hope is that it helps to tap the latent voices of the many dedicated, and at times invisible, educators throughout the city and becomes another avenue to be more effective at our work–both individually and collectively.

Please do join the conversation at www.theteachingpulse.org. Do invite your friends. And believe me—unlike my bootcamp class experiences at the YMCA (which I truly do like), I promise not to yell at you. ▪

Talk to Teachers was the message as 1,000 Boston teachers,

paraprofessionals and their supporters rallied outside of Boston School Department headquarters last month. The educators were out in force on a cold January night to urge school offi cials to get serious about negotiating a new contract.

Negotiations have dragged on for nearly two years and substantive issues, including a demand by the Boston Public Schools that teachers work a longer school day with no additional compensation, remain unresolved. Meanwhile, educators say

that the city’s increasingly antagonistic tone towards the men and women who teach the city’s children is taking a toll on them.

Negotiations were scheduled to resume in late January and continue in early February. Boston Teachers Union president Richard Stutman says that while some limited progress has been made in recent sessions, the union’s goal remains unchanged. “We want a contract that is good for students, affordable to the city and fair to our members,” says Stutman. “We can’t get there on our own. The city needs to talk to teachers.” ▪

ON A ROLL A travelling billboard sponsored by the Boston Teachers Union has been making its way through the city of Boston in recent weeks, en route to City Hall. The message: “Talk to Teachers.”

6The AFT Massachusetts Advocate

With Economic Nonsense, Costs are High“The dogma of evil government fails to consider the basic differences between good and bad gov-ernment spending, debt, employment, and taxes.”

On CampusDan Georgianna, Political DirectorUMass Faculty Federation, Local 1895

VISIBLE CUTSReduced government spend-ing eliminates jobs. As state revenues have fallen, states have been forced to make painful cuts. Nearly 700,000 jobs at the state and local level have been eliminated since 2008.

Peoples’ blank expressions when I say I’m an economist should stop me from foisting

the dismal science on anyone. But there is simply too much nonsense about economics and the U.S. economy circulating these days as common wisdom.

The problem with the U.S. economy is quite simple. There are about seven million fewer jobs in the U.S. than there were in 2008. Accounting for the increase in the population of working age Americans, ten million additional jobs would be needed to equal the percentage of such Americans four years ago. Digging deeper into employment statistics reveals worse problems. An additional 10 million people are working part-time who would prefer full-time work; the number of people out of work for at least 6 months is the highest on record, and more recent college graduates can’t fi nd jobs than ever before.

Unemployment is the simple human measure that most people understand. Most of what we see in the media, however, especially from Republican Presidential candidates, paints a rosy picture of jobs in the future if only we reduce the “evils” of government spending, government debt, government employment and high taxes.

The dogma of evil government fails to consider the basic differences between good and bad government spending, debt, employment, and taxes.

Good government spending supplies services that people need and investment that lead to improvements in the future. Government spending to maintain and improve education, police and fi re protection, transportation infrastructure, communication systems, basic science, health, and overall quality of life is good government spending.

Good government spending creates jobs during economic recessions. President Obama’s 2009 stimulus plan that spent $800 billion on education, health, other social investments, and infrastructure created or saved

between 1.5 million and 3 million jobs. His current $300 billion stimulus package to create additional jobs has been stalled for months in Congress by Republican leadership.

The $2-$4 trillion spent on the war in Iraq, which includes future obligations incurred from the war, was bad government spending, used to kill hundreds of thousands, including 5,000 U.S. soldiers with 30,000 wounded, without any economic or political improvement in Iraq or improved security in the U.S. I have yet to hear plausible reasons for the war in Iraq or positive gains from the war.

The $1 trillion bailout of the banks was bad government spending. It was supposed to restore banks fi nances so that they would lend more to businesses leading to more jobs. Some of the funds went into bonuses for managers, some went into bank vaults but very little went into business loans, causing little or no job growth.

Good government debt is funding for useful investments for future benefi ts and bridges the gap between good government spending and taxes during recessions. Investment in schools, science, technology, roads, and bridges are examples of good government debt used to fi nance productive investments, especially now when the Federal government can borrow at 1% or less.

About $2 trillion of the $3 trillion that the Federal Reserve Bank (the US government bank) lent to commercial banks since 2008 was bad government debt. Some of this debt was needed to increase the supply of funds to the economy

but much of this money found its way into the stock exchange, raising stock prices but cause little employment.

Reduced government spending eliminates jobs. As Joseph Stiglitz, Economic Nobel Laureate, wrote in the magazine Vanity Fair, almost 700,000 state and local government jobs have been eliminated since 2008. The total number of teachers, including college faculty, has remained about constant but the number of students in kindergarten through college has increased by about 3 million over the same period. This was supposed to increase employment in the private sector through lower taxes.

But it didn’t. State revenues have fallen because income and sales tax revenues have fallen. Most states have prohibitions against long term borrowing to fund current expenses, causing state and local governments to lay off employees. Tax cuts can only increase spending at the federal level

during a recession.As with government spending

and debt, there are good tax cuts and bad tax cuts. Good tax cuts, such as tax cuts on low and middle income households, lead to increased spending by those households, causing an increase in jobs. Tax cuts on high income households buy fi nancial assets, such as stocks, bonds, and fi nancial derivatives.

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney does not pay a low tax rate because he was a productive entrepreneur. He pays a lower tax rate because taxes on the top one percent have been reduced steadily since President Reagan was in offi ce.

The policy choices before us are increasingly clear. Reduce government spending on human services, such as education and infrastructure or as Stiglitz suggests, “embark on a massive investment program that will increase our productivity for years to come, and will also increase employment now.” ▪

Dan Georgianna is the Chancellor Professor of Economics at UMass Dartmouth. His column appears monthly in the Advocate. Share comments with him at dgeorgianna@umassd.edu

7

Marie Ardito, Co-founderMassachusetts Retirees Unitedwww.retireesunited.org

Retiree Corner

7

SENIOR SEMINARSProtecting Your Nest Egg Two hour seminar, presented by Elder Law Attorney Mary Howie

When: Saturday March 10, 10 - NoonWhere: Presidential Park, Unit 105, 214 Main Street (Rt. 38), Wilmington, MA

Move or Stay Put?A comprehensive 2 hour seminar on retiree housing choices.

When: Saturday March 24,10 - Noon Where: Presidential Park, Unit 105, 214 Main Street (Rt. 38), Wilmington.

Preparing for RetirementA comprehensive 2 hour seminar for those within 5 years of retiring. Note: seminar is offered on multiple dates.

When: Thursday, February 2,4:30-6:30 PMWhere: South Shore Collaborative (cafeteria), 40 Pond Park. Hingham, MA

When: Saturday, March 3,10 AM-Noon Where: Presidential Park, Unit 105, 214 Main Street (Route 38), Wilmington, MA

When: Tuesday, March 20, 3:30-5:30 PMWhere: Robert Adams Middle School, 323 Woodland St. Holliston MA

When: Thursday, March 22, 2:15-4:15 PM and 3:45-5:45 PM Where: Methuen Educational Associa-tion Union Offi ce, 184 Pleasant Valley St. Suite 1-204, Methuen, MA

To register, contact Marie Ardito for details at 1-617-482-1568 or e-mail mardito@retireesunited.org.

TheGolden Apple

February 2012

Get Smart about Medicare SurchargesIn a previous column I wrote about

the Medicare B surcharge. It is based on your adjusted gross income and your tax-exempt income (MAGI) during the two years previous. Now there is also a Medicare D surcharge (for prescriptions) that made its appearance in 2011.

Whether you will be surcharged or not in 2012 will be determined by Social Security and will be based on your 2010 tax form. If your MAGI income on your 2010 tax form as a single individual is $85,001 or higher, which is doubled if married, you will be surcharged. You do not notify the Social Security Administration; Social Security notifi es you as to what your additional premium per month will be in 2012. The normal Medicare B payment for 2012 is $99.90 per individual. Remember there is no family plan in Medicare so each spouse pays the same. The Medicare D premium varies per plan.

The Medicare B surcharge ranges from $139.60 for those earning between $85,001-$107,000 up to $319 for those earning more than $214,000. (Note: this surcharge is doubled for married couples).

The Medicare D surcharge ranges from $11 to $66 based on your earnings. Both surcharges will be based on your 2010 tax return. If you have seen a signifi cant decline in income since 2010 there is a way to dispute the surcharge. The following represent some reasons Medicare will accept for the decrease in income are:

• You married, divorced, or became widowed;

• You or your spouse stopped working or reduced your work hours;

• You or your spouse lost income-producing property due to a disaster or other event beyond your control;

• You or your spouse experienced a scheduled cessation, termination, or reorganization of an employer’s pension plan; or

• You or your spouse received a settlement from an employer or former employer because of the employer’s closure, bankruptcy, or reorganization.

Currently, only 4% of all benefi ciaries pay the surcharges.

Would it pay for a married couple, when one is still working and the other is on Medicare to fi le separate taxes? If you are on the working individual;s health insurance and you fi le for Medicare three months before your 65th birthday, you will be covered by Medicare A. With respect to Medicare B, you are not required to take it until the month your spouse retires. You may want to consult with an accountant about the advisability of fi ling separately.The increased taxes you pay the IRS may make the increase in the Medicare surcharges minor in comparison.

Remember, Medicare B is an option. Unless your community has adopted MA Law Section 18 of 32B you

are not required to take Medicare B. If you opt not to take B and take it later you will receive a 10% penalty per year above your 65th year. Once the penalty is on you pay it for life. However, if your community adopts 32B after you have already decided against the Medicare B, by law the community must pay the penalty.

As for Medicare D, if the pharmaceutical plan you are on prior to reaching 65 is as good as or better than Medicare D, all you need to do is get a letter from the plan stating you are on a “creditable plan.” (These words must be in the letter.) And be sure to save the letter for your records. If your plan later states that you must go on Medicare D, you may avoid the penalty by producing the letter.

If you have 40 units in Social Security, are married to someone who has 40 units in Social Security, were married for ten years and are now divorced from someone with 40 units, you are eligible for Medicare and must sign up for it 3 months prior to your 65th birthday. If at that time you do not have the 40 units but are working toward them go to a Social Security offi ce and have them tell you that you are not eligible. Also ask that they put that response on your computer record so that when you become eligible later you avoid the penalty.

Medicare is complicated and ignorance of the penalties and surcharges is not going to excuse you, so keep informed. ▪

Attention retirees: Towards the end of February a letter and ap-plication will be sent out to all women who retired prior to Sept. 1, 2000 at less than 80% to deter-mine eligibility for maternity leave service. Keep an eye out for this important document as you may be eligible for benefi ts.

As a high school student in the 1960’s, Pat Berlandi knew exactly

what she wanted to do when she grew up. “I wanted to be a meteorologist for NASA but I was talked out of it because I was a girl,” recalls Berlandi. Instead she trained to become a teacher and spent 35 years teaching music and geography in the Boston Public Schools.

These days Berlandi is retired and living in Holliston—and she’s fi nally realizing that long-ago dream of a life in the stars. Twice a week she heads to the Christa McAuliffe Challenger Learning Center at Framingham State University where she leads groups of middle school students on simulated space fl ights to Mars—in the year 2076. She even dresses the part, says Berlandi. “I get all dressed up in a real blue NASA jumpsuit.”

Berlandi’s offi cial title is fl ight director—a sort of teacher/facilitator—and she presides over two “missions” per day. The students are assigned either to Mars control, which takes place in a full-size mock up of

NASA’s Mission Control Center, or onboard the “space craft,” a space station interior. During the two-hour mission, students apply the principles of physical science to the real-time challenges of a simulated space fl ight. They learn plenty about space but the exercise also affords them the opportunity to work on such land-based skills as decision making,

communication and teamwork. Midway through the exercise the students swap missions.

“They read books and collect samples, take essential measurements—the kids get very into it,” says Berlandi, who notes that the center attracts students from all over Massachusetts. In addition to simulated space fl ights, students may also visit Framingham State’s newly renovated planetarium. Berlandi says that she has a soft-spot for eighth graders who come through the program—more than 10,000 students visit the Challenger Learning Center each year. “The older kids

come in thinking that they’re too cool for this. Seeing them get so excited about learning and science is a real pleasure,” says Berlandi.

Berlandi’s connection to the McAuliffe Center goes beyond a life-long interest in space and science. In 1970 she graduated from Framingham State with Christa McAuliffe, the Concord, NH teacher who traveled aboard the Challenger space shuttle and died in the explosion that occurred just after take off. Berlandi’s involvement with the center named in McAuliffe’s honor began soon after she attended the 35th reunion of FSU’s graduating class. “I ran into the center director, Mary Liscombe, and told her that I was retiring. She said something like ‘I might have a mission for you,’” recalls Berlandi. Her own response was instantaneous. “I said ‘sign me up!”

Five years and countless missions to Mars later, Berlandi is as enthralled with the stars as ever. “This is what I always wanted to do. I feel like I’ve kind of come full circle.” ▪For more information about the McAuliffe Center, visit www.christa.org

Pat BerlandiFlight directorChrista McAuliffe Challenger Learning Center, Framingham State University

A retired teacher realizes a life-long dream—space exploration.

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Master of EducationLearning and Instruction Concentration

The Year Ahead: Changes, ChallengesA new year means plenty of changes and challenges ahead. Top on the list: a ballot initiative that would effectively end tenure for the state’s public school teachers.

Continued from cover

Gearing up for evaluation changes

As reported earlier in the Advocate, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education passed new statewide regulations in June 2011 pertaining to teacher evaluation. Through collective bargaining, all school districts must now develop new teacher evaluation systems and procedures that comply with the new regulations. The timeline is as follows: So-called “underperforming” schools must implement a new evaluation system this year; districts participating in Race to the Top by the start of the 2012-13 school year; and all other districts by 2013-14.

In anticipation of the changes districts will have to make, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released in January 2012 its “model” system for educator evaluation. The system includes a teacher performance rubric tied to the new standards; sample procedures

for conducting evaluations; sample forms; and other guidance for districts and schools. It should be stressed, however, that no part of DESE’s model system is required. Through bargaining, districts and unions may choose to adopt or adapt elements of the model, or they may develop their own system altogether, as long as it is consistent with the new regulations. All components of DESE’s system can be downloaded at http://www.doe.mass.edu/edeval/model/.

AFT Massachusetts has been supporting and will continue to support its locals in the design and bargaining of high-quality evaluation systems that emphasize support and feedback, not “gotcha.” To stay on top of the latest developments, visit our teacher evaluation website at http://aftma.net/educator-resources/teacher-evaluation/.

Municipal health insurance 101

After lawmakers on Beacon Hill passed a measure last summer giving municipalities the option of transferring employees to the state’s Group Insurance Commission or GIC, many cities and towns rushed to adopt the legislation. But adopting such major changes has proved far more complicated than the lawmakers likely anticipated, explains Andrew Powell, an AFT Massachusetts fi eld representative and an expert on municipal health insurance. “What we’re fi nding is that the legislation’s one-size fi ts all approach to the problem of health care costs isn’t working,” says Powell. “Every city and town turns out to have it’s own

unique set of issues—and that’s not a bad thing.” Powell, who has worked with public employees in Wakefi eld, Chelsea and Chelmsford, notes that the legislation has spurred collaboration among members of public employee unions who haven’t always worked together. What’s more, even in communities that are starting with the goal of transferring their employees into the GIC, negotiations can take a creative, even innovative turn. “In many places we’re having conversations about health care that we’ve never had before—and we’re fi nding more creative and innovative ways to deal with the cost issue.”

The new health insurance law has also proven to have plenty of unintended consequences. Among them: a provision that requires employees to be part of a municipal retirement system in order to qualify for membership in the GIC. The contradiction between state law and GIC regulations has caused some part-time employees, including librarians, to lose their health insurance. Look for more coverage of this issue in forthcoming editions of the Advocate.

Major Changes in LawrenceLate last year the state placed

the Lawrence Public Schools into receivership, the fi rst time that the state has ever taken over a district. In the coming weeks, a state-appointed receiver, working with the Lawrence Teachers Union, will begin the process of trying to turn the district around. The receiver, who formerly served as the chief innovation offi cer for the Boston Public Schools and as a principal at the Edwards Middle

School in Charlestown, has a history of partnering with the teachers union to boost student achievement. (See page fi ve).

State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester has already signaled that Lawrence is unlikely to see the sorts of mass fi rings that have accompanied state takeovers in places like Central Falls, RI. Still, for the educators of Lawrence, many of whom were forced to reapply for their jobs after the state classifi ed two schools as “Level 4” in 2010, the uncertainty accompanying the takeover has been wrenching. “This is an incredibly challenging time for us,” says Frank McLaughlin, president of the Lawrence Teachers Union and a history teacher at Lawrence High School. “But we also have the opportunity here to transform our schools—and our city—for the better.”

Election season Massachusetts may not be a

Republican primary battleground state but don’t think the election hasn’t started here. The contest between GOP freshman Senator Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren promises to be one of the hottest races in the country. The two candidates have already raised millions of dollars and, with the election fewer than nine months away, the race promises to dominate headlines for the rest of the year. One good news item: at press time Brown and Warren had tentatively agreed on a so-called super PAC-pact that would limit outside groups from airing ads on their behalf. What does that mean for Massachusetts voters? A few less negative campaign ads. ▪