A Message from Your President

Welcome back.  I hope you all had a great summer and are well rested.  You know, if I close my eyes I can really imagine that I am speaking to a room full of “Energizer Bunnies” since you hear so much talk about teachers needing to “recharge their batteries” over the summer.  But it’s true, we really do. I hope your batteries are fully charged and you are ready for a challenging and gratifying year ahead. I feel excited and eager to move us forward as an association.

But before I talk a little about what this year may look like, I first want to welcome our newest members. It is overwhelming to see how we have grown from 770 to 857 members since other communities are facing lay-offs and a multitude of financial issues. Our new staff would appreciate all the help, guidance and support that their experienced colleagues can give them.  A kind word, directions to the supply room, advice on how to deal with a difficult student – this kind of mentoring can and should happen in both formal and informal ways. Let’s help one another out as much as possible.  Welcome to the Methuen Public Schools.

You may already have been assigned a “mentor” by the district – a person who will help you figure out how to be a good teacher.  Your mentor is there to help you with your teaching and learning challenges, but may not be able to help you with bread-and-butter employment-related issues.  If you have questions or concerns about anything to do with your job status or working conditions, the Methuen Education Association is here to help. You should first talk to your building representative.  They will be introducing themselves to you this week.  A list of new building representatives in each building will be sent out in this year’s Quick Reference guide next week.  I also want to introduce our officers of the Methuen Education Association. Please stand as I introduce you: first vice president Beth Shevlin-Willis from the high school, second vice-president from the Tenney, secretary Anne Marie Erler from the Tenney, Jean D’Orsi from the high school, and I am based at the Marsh. 

Our officers and representatives cannot do the job of the Association without your help.  For the Association to run smoothly and effectively, we need support from many members at varying levels.  We are always looking for people to volunteer for committees or run for elected offices, both here in our local and at the state and national levels.  Would everyone who has ever served on a MEA, an MTA or an NEA committee, or who has served as a delegate or as an elected officer, please stand up.  Many thanks for all your help.  To our new members, once you get your feet on the ground you should seriously consider becoming involved in the association because it is a great way to get to know colleagues in other buildings, learn about the issues, and support your profession.  There is a handout on the table as you entered the auditorium that lists the committees we need to fill. On the back of the form, there are descriptions regarding the duties of each. We will need between three to five members on each committee. Please seriously consider volunteering your time to serve on at least one committee.  There is also a need for those who do not commit to being on a committee to help out committee members in some small way. Every little bit of help goes a long way. Morning refreshments will be available in your buildings on Sept. 12 as an appreciation for all you do everyday for the students, each other, and for the profession.

So what is in store for us this year?  That’s always something of a mystery – a mystery that gives many of us butterflies in our stomachs every fall, no matter how many years we have been teaching.  There are many great aspects to our jobs, and one of them is that no two years are alike, no two classes are alike – in fact no two days are just alike.  Every year, we get a fresh batch of kids to teach.  They have different personalities, learning styles, backgrounds, and quirks.  That student you barely know because she is so quiet may dazzle you with her poetry half way through the year.  That boy who is a cut-up may just have a superabundance of energy and your challenge is to figure out how to channel it into something besides falling off his chair for laughs.  That kid who is having so much trouble in French could surprise you by being a computer whiz.  Students like that are golden, by the way, because you will almost certainly need them to help you solve computer problems during the year.  If anyone ever told you teaching isn’t rocket science, tell them you agree.  It’s harder than rocket science! In rocket science, there are right and wrong answers.  Teaching is an art form and no matter how much you think you know, there is always something more to learn. You not only have to know your material, but you have to know how to deliver it in a way that your students will relate to.  The author Gail Godwin put it very well:  “Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theater.”  The challenges and joys of teaching may feel overwhelming sometimes, you can be sure we all have felt overwhelmed from time to time.  Personally, however, I think it beats working in a cubicle.

We are in one of the noblest professions, but we all sometimes face some very real obstacles that keep us from doing the very best we can.  Don’t just ignore the obstacles – be a part of the solution to make the system work better. It is important that you express your opinions and share your experiences with others about what works and doesn’t work well in your classrooms and your schools. Think of your association as your megaphone – an instrument that members can speak into and have their voices amplified. That’s true at the local level and also at the state level.

The MTA is constantly looking for member input and advice about important policy matters.  That input is used in developing positions for or against certain regulations and proposed laws.  We need you to be active and engaged, and good communicators.  If you are asked to complete a survey, please take the time to fill it out.  If you are asked to attend a building meeting or a district-wide general membership meeting, please attend.  If you are asked to contact your school committee members or legislators, please pick up the phone – or the computer mouse – and make that contact.  Your views really do matter.  The MTA had an old slogan:  Ask a Teacher How to Make Schools Work Better. A related slogan targeted to members might be:  And When You Are Asked, Please Answer.

This year will be a very busy one for the MEA.  We will be slightly modifying the structure of our Association by adding the role of lead building representative who will coordinate 10 minute meetings, elections in each building, updating the MEA board and binders, and distributing information.  In an effort to assist the building reps, there will be what we will call “point people”. The point people will disseminate information to only about 5-7 people, those within their immediate circle of daily contact.  This shall serve to expedite the flow of information more efficiently. Since this is our Unit A contract year, I would like to prevent miscommunication and rumors from spreading as we advance through the negotiation process.

While I am on the subject of negotiations, there is a notice on the table outside this auditorium for you to submit self-nominations for the negotiation team for Unit A which will be due by Sept. 12. If there are more than nine nominees there will be an election on Sept. 26.  I will then assemble a bargaining team from the negotiation team.  Unit A will be responding to an MTA online survey that the MEA officers will draft on what changes you would like to see in the contract. Once we review the collated data, we will share the results with the members at a general meeting and gather input through the members’ discussions.  From there, we will put together a proposal and begin the negotiation process with administration. 

In addition, we are still working on the Unit C negotiations and hope to have their final contract issues resolved. The newsletter has the details explaining what those issues are. Also, last year there was a change in our by-laws that allows for a co-chair for Unit C, our program assistants. The timeline for the nominations for co-chair will be announced early next week. It is our goal to hold elections for co-chair at the same time as the negotiations election. Only Unit C members will be voting for the co-chair officer.

Medical insurance is another concern to us as we continue to experience the rising cost of health care and push for employers to cut services or raise co-pays and the like.  Recently Massachusetts legislators passed a bill that allows cities and town employees to join the GIC (Group Insurance Commission).  This is the vehicle that state employees and elected officials subscribe to.  This year the Methuen Insurance Coalition shall be investigating the feasibility of joining the GIC.  Only those cities and town under Chapter 19 like Methuen who have a coalition in place will be eligible to join.  Since Methuen is self-insured, the town pays for the administrative costs of our medical plans which is approximately 50% of the cost to insure each individual and their families. The GIC has the potential to save both us and the city money, but we would lose control of the plan design. As we go through the process, we will keep you apprised as information becomes available.  Please read for more details in the newsletter.

The 403b is another concern on the recent proposed changes.  This action is illegal because we have a right to collective bargain the 403b plan.  It is my understanding that there are new regulations that are going into effect as of January 2009 which requires all cities and towns to submit one 403b plan to the state. Twenty-seven carriers were dropped from our school system’s plan without our associations’ knowledge last year.  Affected members were notified that they had to switch carriers. There are now only 6 carriers left. We are being told that we must go to the one carrier offered to us by the school system.  Some of us stand to lose large amounts of money or a significant reduction in interest savings if we are forced to switch.  My advice to you is to check out your 403bs and see if you are getting the best deal. There are hidden costs and charges that may be eating up your savings but do not simply make a quick decision as to whether to change your carrier.  Our goal is to negotiate the 403b plan this year and work to maintain our choices.  The state’s timeline is January 2009 not 2008 and the members need time to evaluate their plans. This is our money and we should have a say in what happens to it.

Another area of concern is our by-laws.  As situations arose on various issues, it became clear that the by-laws needed a full review to reflect the changes in education reform, evolutionary changes in our MEA practices and needs not to mention to improve clarity using specific language to reduce wide interpretation in the by-law intent.  Times have changed and our by-laws need to reflect those changes.  Again, once we have the language of those proposed changes, the MEA Executive Board will vote on those changes.  When the changes are ratified, a copy will be made available to all members on our MEA web site.  

Lastly, there are some legal issues you all must be reminded about. One is your Weingarten Rights. When you have a meeting with administration which you feel could result in any disciplinary action or that you are uncomfortable with the direction that a meeting is going, respectfully request for your building rep before you go into the meeting or reschedule the current meeting until such time that you can have a rep with you.

Secondly, management has the right to issue reasonable orders and directions so long as they conform to the contract and are not injurious to health, are clear and unambiguous, applied uniformly, and justly administered. If you think that an administrator has violated some rule, contract, or law, the best advice is to carry out the order to the extent possible and necessary and we will grieve it later. Not following orders is insubordination which is one of the easiest charges to prove against an employee. However, you do not have to carry out an order that could reasonably result in physical harm or safety.

Thirdly, DO NOT put ANYTHING in writing without first having your building rep or an MEA officer review the content. This includes email at school or at home as well as handwritten notes to a fellow employee or administration. Once something is in writing it becomes public knowledge. In addition, your personal notes are only for your eyes and showing them to even one person can be viewed as public record.  We will be providing you with a web site link from MTA that will fully explain how to protect yourself from legal action. You should also be very careful what you say, write or when dealing with parents and students. Stick to provable facts and deal with the issues. Oftentimes, the best intentions can get us into trouble when others misconstrue communications.

Along these same lines, this is very important. IF you are ever accused of criminal action of any kind whether you are guilty or not, DO NOT TELL ANYONE the specifics of the case, not your colleague, administrator, rep, me town lawyer, or even the MTA rep! Anything you say can be held against you and we can become witnesses. Under stressful conditions, we have a tendency to say things that we regret or that are not exactly what we mean. Save your testimony for the MTA lawyer.  You can only reveal the following: what you are accused of and what disciplinary action was taken.

Finally, the use of sick and essential days is going to be monitored very closely.  IStaff is being implemented this year and it will be very easy to track attendance patterns.  Please be particularly careful to make sure you do not request days before and after a long weekend or school vacation. You WILL be denied. Do not plan your wedding during regular school days. You have control of when you set the date. Even unpaid days may not be granted. Do not take this advice lightly because you could be docked. See your representative before requesting your essential days to ensure that the form is appropriately filled out and to improve the likelihood that it will be approved.

In closing, I want to leave you with a few thoughts to get you through the hectic opening days of school.  When we’re caught up in the day-to-day struggles, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, which is just how important our jobs are.  Tom Brokaw once said: “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”  At least he was half right. If you’re an educator, you may not be convinced it’s really that easy to make a buck, but you do know it is tough to make a difference.  That is what we do for a living – make a difference. I hope you feel great pride in your work in the coming year, and have some fun and a few laughs while you are at it.