October 2019 Newsletter- The recent passage of the Student Opportunity Act by the House is a huge victory for our students. For Worcester, this means roughly an additional $17 million a year for the next 7 years! There is still work to be done to improve the bill. The Senate language on accountability promotes greater input from parents and educators — the real experts of what students need. The MTA supported a House amendment which promotes this local control. When the bill goes to a conference committee, we will keep the pressure on to support the Senate’s language.
Member Spotlight-May 2019-Paul Kirrane-This month we are pleased to highlight Paul Kirrane a Math teacher at Burncoat Middle School. Paul has been an EAW member since 2010. Paul began his career as a long term sub in 2008 and in 2011 became a building delegate. Since then he has served as the chairperson of the bylaws committee, team leader for the contract action team and worked on the bylaws and evaluation negotiation team.
Member Spotlight-April 2019-Rebecca Jaber- This month we are pleased to highlight Rebecca Jaber an Instructional Assistant at Clark Street School who has served as her building delegate for the last two years. Rebecca is a proud EAW member who attends the monthly house meetings and is very active in volunteering.
Member Spotlight-February 2019-Starting with this newsletter we are re-introducing our “Member Spotlight” series showcasing our members. We are starting this month with Jocelyn Coughlin (pictured above right), a teacher and Department Chair at Worcester Technical High School.
Happy New Year to Everyone-January 2019-As an important reminder, please activate and check your WPS email account for relevant information each week.
Happy Holidays to All – December 2018-Did you know that the EAW Executive Board, House of Delegates and the Worcester School Committee have passed resolutions supporting fully funding our schools? A bipartisan commission determined that Massachusetts public schools are underfunded by $1 billion annually because the formula used to calculate state aid to schools has not been properly revised or updated. Worcester would receive an additional $69,634,434 PER YEAR if the Foundation Budget was fully funded.
Know Your Weingarten Rights – November 2018-If you are asked to meet with your supervisor, ask if the meeting could in any way lead to discipline. If the answer is yes, request union representation at the meeting. Remember, you have to request representation they do not have to offer!
Keep Your SchoolSpring Account Updated- October 2018-Keep your SchoolSpring account updated. It is critical that information be accurate and current in your account. This process will enable you to apply for after-school positions and summer school positions more efficiently. The Human Resource office uses SchoolSpring for determining eligibility for interviews, etc.
Lesson Plans- September 2018-Lesson Plans: Class Action grievance filed last year and denied at Superintendent and School Committee levels. We filed for arbitration. The arbitration was put in abeyance since the major issues at the time were around secondary (Math) lesson plans. The district resolved the secondary (Math) issue, and now the issues are with the elementary lesson plan(s) and changes.
Bus Drivers and Monitors- June 2018-Bus Drivers and Monitors are at the bargaining table now. Please watch for updates in case the team needs you to turn out over the summer!
10 Minute Meetings-May 2018-I would like to encourage members to continue to practice the use of “Ten-Minute Meetings”. These informational meetings can be held before or after the school day. Topics are generally informational in nature.
MTA Summer Member Organizer Positions- April 2018-The Affiliate Services Division is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Summer Member Organizer
who will carry out the MTA summer organizing plan.
