PJSTA Live- Episode I- The 2016 Election

Check out our very first episode of PJSTA Live where I had the opportunity to discuss the 2016 election and it’s implications on public education with Jeanette Deturmann, Alexandra Gordon, and Merrie Najimy.  Jeanette is the founder of Long Island Opt-Out and a member of the New York State Allies for Public Education steering committee.  Alexandra is a trustee on the Comsewogue School Board and has been a long time advocate for public education.  Merrie is a member of the Educators for a Democratic Union caucus in Massachusetts and the President of the Concord Teachers Association.

We had a great, wide ranging discussion where we covered the following…

  • What the Trump presidency means for public education.
  • What does school choice, Trump’s big education talking point, actually mean for students and schools?
  • The impact of the down ballot state legislative elections on public schools in New York State.
  • The resounding victory that the Massachusetts Teachers Association had over a ballot initiative that would have raised the charter cap in their state and decimated public schools.
  • How teachers can organize statewide to fight back against reform groups and politicians who are backed by school privatizers.

Watch the episode whenever you get a chance… on the couch, on the treadmill, in your faculty rooms at lunch time, or even listen to it in the car.  Please share far and wide within your circles, and be sure to make suggestions for our future episodes.

Episode 1 of PJSTA Live Coming This Week

Yesterday we shared with you about PJSTA Live, a new initiative of ours to engage members of the PJSTA and broader public education and labor communities on the issues that are pertinent to the work that we do.  Today I am excited to announce details of the broadcast’s first episode.

On Wednesday night we will be recording our first broadcast with the title being “Impact of the 2016 Election on Public Education”.  After the recording is complete we will add it to our site here, so be sure to look for it.  We will be discussing how the election of both Donald Trump and the down ballot state legislators will potentially impact our schools.  We’ll also take a look at the major victory that Massachusetts public school teachers and advocates achieved and discuss what lessons those of us in New York State can take away from that situation.

For this initial broadcast I will be joined by three guests…

  • Jeanette Deutermann- Long Island Opt-Out, NYSAPE
  • Ali Gordon- Comsewogue School District Board of Education
  • Merrie Najimy- President- Concord Teachers Association and member of the Educators for a Democratic Union Caucus- Massachusetts Teachers Association

If you have a question you’d like to see addressed during our broadcast, please fill out the embedded form on the PJSTA Live page.  You can also tweet at us using the hashtag #PJSTAlive.

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Introducing PJSTA Live!

I am excited today to announce the launch of a project that I am pretty excited about… PJSTA Live!  PJSTA Live will be a regularly broadcast show on YouTube where we cover different angles of the public education and union landscape.  Our goal is to further engage our members, teachers outside of our local, and the broader public education and labor communities on the issues that impact us deeply.  We are hopeful that our viewers will not just use these shows as an opportunity to listen and learn, but also as discussion topics to raise within their own schools and education communities.

Episodes will typically feature one or more guests who will be participating in a discussion on a given topic.  Additionally, we will try to take questions from our millions  many viewers for our guests to answer.  Once the episode is recorded we will post it, along with any pertinent show notes, right here on our blog.  We will also link to all of our shows on our PJSTA Live page that can be accessed via the menu at the top of this page…

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If you have questions for our guests you can ask them by filling out the embedded form on the PJSTA Live page.  You can also tweet at us using the hashtag #PJSTAlive.

Be sure to check back here at thepjsta.org later this week for news on our first broadcast!

Donald J. Trump’s *Vision* for Education

deutsch29's avatardeutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

The American public knows little about President-elect Donald J. Trump’s plans for education. However, Trump has posted some information in cyberspace.

The info below comes from his donaldjtrump.com website:

DONALD J. TRUMP’S VISION

  • Immediately add an additional federal investment of $20 billion towards school choice. This will be done by reprioritizing existing federal dollars.
  • Give states the option to allow these funds to follow the student to the public or private school they attend. Distribution of this grant will favor states that have private school choice, magnet schools and charter laws, encouraging them to participate.
  • Establish the national goal of providing school choice to every one of the 11 million school aged children living in poverty.
  • If the states collectively contribute another $110 billion of their own education budgets toward school choice, on top of the $20 billion in federal dollars, that could provide $12,000 in school choice funds to…

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PJSTA to Host Meet and Greet with Peter Magistrale

**UPDATE: This event has been postponed.**

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The PJSTA is excited to host a meet and greet session with Peter Magistrale on the evening of October 28th at the residence of one of our members in Stony Brook.  The session will begin at 7:00 pm.

Magistrale is running in opposition to incumbent John Flanagan for New York State Senate in District 2.  The district is made up of portions of the northwestern part of Suffolk County, with it’s eastern edge being in the Comsewogue School District.  John Flanagan has a long history of opposing quality public education in New York State as he has been at the forefront of support for Common Core, high stakes testing, and privatization reforms that benefit his big money donors.  He famously has been quoted as saying that charter school parents are the best… even though there are no charter schools in his district.

Magistrale has worked closely with public education activists throughout his campaign and has a deep understanding of the issues that face our schools.  He recently earned this glowing report from none other than Diane Ravitch…

The biggest obstacle to political, social, and educational reform in New York State is Senator John Flanagan from Suffolk County on Long Island. Flanagan succeeded Dean Skelos as Republican majority leader of the State Senate after Skelos was convicted on various counts. Flanagan is a major supporter of corporate reform, especially charter schools and vouchers. He is no friend of public education.

This fall he faces a challenge from a highly qualified Democrat in his district: Peter Magistrale. Peter is working closely with parent leaders on Long Island who understand the problems and needs of the public schools. He will fight for us and with us.

Please reach out and help him! His election would not only change the leadership of the State Senate, but return control to the Democratic party. Governor Cuomo has already said that he will do nothing to help Democratic candidates for the State Senate. The governor prefers to work with the Republicans. The Senate is currently divided with 32 Democrats and 31 Republicans, but five renegade Democrats caucus with the Republicans to exercise greater leverage for themselves and their districts.

Please click here to RSVP for the meet and greet with Mr. Magistrale.  For more information you can email us at pjsta1vp@gmail.com.

CTU Reaches Tentative Settlement

As per the CTU’s website…

Tentative Agreement Reached

10/11/2016

As the midnight hour approached, the Chicago Teachers Union and the Board of Education achieved a tentative agreement. The tentative agreement will be made available on the CTU website as soon as the wording is available electronically.

A tentative agreement is not a final contract. Every active member of the Chicago Teachers Union will have an opportunity to review and vote on the agreement before a contract is ratified.

Text of their agreement can be found here.

Congratulations to the CTU membership on flexing their collective power and on their tentative agreement!

Reminder to PJSTA Members: Wear Red Tomorrow!

Just a reminder to all PJSTA members to wear red tomorrow as a show of solidarity and support for our brothers and sisters in the CTU who will be on strike in the morning, barring a last minute settlement.  Last week we shared several other ways that you can show support.

Sister Michelle Gunderson on the need for a #FairContractNow …

For updates on the CTU strike be sure to follow them on Twitter.

 

Ways to Support the CTU

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This morning we shared the PJSTA’s resolution in support of the Chicago Teachers Union, who are set to strike on Tuesday as they fight for the schools Chicago’s students deserve.

Next Tuesday, October 11th, we are asking all PJSTA members to wear RED as a show of solidarity and support for our brothers and sisters in the CTU.  Building reps will be coming around to take individual and group photos of our members in red.  You are welcome to make signs of support as well.  We will be sharing those pictures with members of the CTU via social media.

Here are a few more ways that you can support the CTU…

  • When information regarding a solidarity fund is available, be sure to contribute to it, while urging your colleagues to do so as well.  We will pass solidarity fund information along on this site once we get it.
  • Be sure to talk to your fellow teachers about the strike.  Draw parallels between the situation in Chicago and the similar situations that can be found across New York State.  Help all of our NYSUT brothers and sisters to see that the CTU’s fight is our fight too!

To learn more details…

Go to the CTU site.

Check out this article from Labor Notes.

PJSTA Resolution in Support of the CTU

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Passed unanimously by the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association’s executive board…

 

WHEREAS the Chicago Teachers Union has been negotiating since 2014 for a just contract, and

WHEREAS Chicago students and teachers have faced attacks on public education that mirror those in New York State and around the country, and

WHEREAS Mayor Rahm Emanuel has threatened to eliminate city pension contributions for CTU members, which would effectively cut their pay by 7 percent, and

WHEREAS the CTU engaged in a successful strike in 2012, joining with parents, students, and communities to fight for educational justice and the schools Chicago’s students deserve, and

WHEREAS on September 28th, 95.6% of Chicago teachers voted to authorize a strike, and

WHEREAS, CTU has released a report, titled “A Just Chicago: Fighting for the City Our Students Deserve”, which, as the union puts it “demonstrates that challenges in housing, employment, justice and health care relate directly to education; solutions require a narrowing of the opportunity gap brought on by poverty, racism and segregation,” making CTU’s fight for a contract a touchstone for a wider struggle against austerity and for economic and racial justice, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association supports the CTU in its fight to negotiate a contract that meets the needs of its members, their students, and their communities, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA will launch a solidarity campaign, to be shared via social media, in its schools and encourage all of its members to participate in the campaign as a show of support and solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Chicago, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA will urge its entire membership to wear red on Tuesday, October 11th in a show of solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the CTU, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA contribute to the CTU’s solidarity fund when information for such fund becomes available, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA share information with its general membership on how to contribute to the solidarity fund and urge each of its members to contribute individually as well, and be it further

RESOLVED that the PJSTA executive board engage the general membership in discussions on the strike, informing them of the issues involved and drawing parallels to the similar situations that impact educators in New York, and be it further

RESOLVED that the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association urges NYSUT and its affiliates to adopt a similar resolution.