A letter announcing that Wednesday June 23 and Thursday June 24 will be half days and that Friday June 25 will be a "one hour day" was received by some elementary school parents in the Newburgh School District on Monday June 14. The letter says that "After consultation with the Newburgh Teachers Association and the New York State Education Department, the decision was made to provide professional development to the staff." The half day announcement was posted to the official Newburgh Schools website on Tuesday, June 16.
Noted in the Newburgh Teachers' Association Pendulum Vol. 40, No. 2, January 2010, p.1: "We heard the elementary teachers loud and clear, expressing their concern over the last week of school in June. We will try to rectify this inequity."
The hardship this last minute calendar change causes parents and guardians, and the rediculousness of students being bused to school for a couple of hours, and ultimately for one single hour, appears not to be a concern.
The Board of Education approved a different calendar than the one which will be implemented.
The school board and unions = no difference
The most apparant impression from reading the pro-teacher views regarding this topic is that the teachers feel empowered and entitled to have their way. Not one has apologized, been sympathetic or understanding of the stress this change has placed on working famalies. They did however, remind us how hard they work and how difficult it is for them to get this work done after school. (what happen to the arguement that they work more hours than just teach?) and how unappreciated those who object are of their blight.
They did negotiate a calandar back in September well aware of the needs in late June of all teachers, but still agreed to work through June 25. With the calandar in place everyone went about using it to plan their days - teachers, students and parents. But today they reneged on that agreement and got their way to send students home much earlier than what was agreed to. The official administration explanation was that the time was needed for professioinal development, but that does not appear to be the truth. According to teacher posts, the important reason for this time is to clean out and move their stuff.
SO why was this last minute, unilatteral change made? Look at the school board - there are three retired teachers on the board and several pro-teacher supporters. Beginning July 1st there will be 4 retired teachers on the school board - a majority. A result of what happens when most of the voters including parents stay uninformed, uninvolved and stay away from the meetings and voting.
Well, I guess it is my turn to be post blasted by the teacher patrol!
Two types of people
There are two types of people who post on this site.
1. Teachers defending thieir profession.
2. People who are jealous that they didn't become teachers.
Does Professional Development = Room Cleaning?
The district sends a letter home stating, "the decision was made to provide professional development to the staff"
The teachers clearly understand this to mean " I have to clean our my room"
More educational BS from NECSD!
Just clean out the desk, are you kidding?
Teachers would have not problem teaching full days until the very last day of school if it wasn't for the fact that they have to do loads of work in the classrooms which cannot be done when the children are there. Teachers have to completely pack up EVERYTHING in there room. Have you ever been in an elementary classroom? Do you realize the amount of materials, books and supplies that cannot simply be left as is until September? This is required by the principals. Especially in buildings where summer school is taking place. In addition, many teachers are being forced to move to different rooms on different floors of their building, making it manditory to box up, label and move tons of books and materials that the teacher has accumulated over their careers (much at their own expense, but that's another issue) and they get ony two afternoons to do this. I suppose most of the posters here suppose the teachers are sitting around drinking coffee when the children are not present. Again, because taxes are high, complain about teachers. Grow up.
I have to (sob, sob) Clean out my room; Please - No whinning
So you have to move to another room - many in this community have been let go and are without a job! Wanna trade places?
So you accumulated a lot of stuuff - many in this community are spending what savings they accumulated to pay the bills - wanna trade places?
You are being "forced" to move - no, you are not forced, you have no RIGHT to a particular room or building. You work for the BOE and the taxpayers - many employees in private businesses are "forced" to move across town or the country to keep their jobs - wanna trade palces?
Taxes are high because 70-80% of our school taxes go toward teachers amd others' salaries and benefits - many in this community once had good paying jobs and benefits until their companies cut back to reduce expences and costs - wanna trade palces?
Stop whinning and be a professional.
boy am i glad !!
I am sooooo glad that I can choose to click off and NOT have to listen to your rants., and yes I am a teacher and yes I do my job and work very hard and I am proud of what I do and I am proud of my colleagues and maybe you should stop blaming teachers for things that they have nothing to do about. THAT'S MY RANT.
YOU are whinning
YOU are whinning about people who once had good jobs and benefits. What do teachers have to do with private companies making cut backs? What do you mean trade places? This statement makes no sense. Who would want to trade places with someone who has no job? Just nonsense. Companies that hire people to work for them make cutbacks, expand, change their direction all the time. So people are layed off, this is the way the system of capitalism works. How can you link teachers work schedules to private sector employment practices is beyond reason.
I have to (sob, sob) pay my bills
Yes that's right, you are the victim, other people should have to pay you bills when you are low on cash.
The blame game
OK, now we get it. Because education is funded by the public, teachers are responsible for every single person in the country who is down and out, lost their job, or gets a tax increase. WTF? You complain because other people in the world have more than you, or currently have a better job or benefits? So no one should have a cent more than the next guy, live in a bigger house or drive a better car than their neighbor? Is a pic of Joe Stalin above your fireplace?
Just live up to your agreements
Yes, teachers are responsible to every single person in this community to live by the contract that each agreed to - as in the original calandar. And what's with the potty mouth!
And what's with the Stalin comment..this is a debate about the calandar!
So be a teacher then!
If you want to trade places, go ahead. Become a teacher. If it is so great, why don't or didn't you study to become an educator?
ONLY TWO AFTERNOONS
What you have absolutely no friends or relatives to watch your kids for two afternoons.
We have jobs too, including neighbors and family
What! you can't clean out your room after the kids go home at 3 PM? (aka NECSD's version of "professional development")
Actually, no we can't clean out the rooms when they go home..
What happens when the students come in the next day and you have piles and piles of boxes sitting in a corner that poses a SAFETY hazard? What happens when you pack the things away and the next day, students are sitting at their desks doing worksheet after worksheet because YOU PACKED IT ALL AWAY WHEN THEY LEFT THE PREVIOUS DAY?? Do you make them do the worksheets, or do you let them have free reign of the room? Good luck trying to make that happen in a classroom of 28 students with NOTHING TO DO. Don't you get it??
I'd like to see you clean your house and pack up all its contents in 6 hours with 30 kids running around, all while entertaining and teaching them!
You missed the point
This point is that teachers are not complaining about packing up a room full of stuff... THEY JUST CAN'T DO IT AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE TEACHING STUDENTS. That's the point. To expect them to do both at once, well THAT would be unprofessional. You're just ticked off cause you actually have to be a parent for a few extra hours.
The point is ...
You have an agreed to calander. The point is find the time after school to clean out or whatever that "professional development" means.
Nobody works for free in any profession
Again another nonsense statement. So now you want teachers to work extra hours after school for free? Yeah, thats gonna make your taxes go down.
Teahers Make demands and excuses, but provide no answers
What is the need to send students home early. Because teachers need to "clean out their rooms?" The teachers were aware of this in Sept. and what it takes to close out the year when the calander was agreed to as were parents when they planned their schedule. What right do these same teachers have to demand a change?
There was an negotiated school calander that everyone agreed to at the start of the school year and now the teachers demand to have it changed. What did the students and parents and taxpayer get in return?
So many times I hear teachers argue they WORK MORE THAN JUST THE 185 DAYS. You now argue that you have to get out before the end of the school year. So which is it? Do you work for or more than 185 days for a "yearly" salary.
If all of this sounds hash it is because teachers and other civil service / govt employees dismiss so often the questions and concerns of the taxpayer. You all may say you understand, but you pretty much dismiss the public except to say how "hard you work." If these same people had to work in the private corporation or work for themselves they would realize how petty and unprofessional their arguements are especially in this economy. This disapppointed goes all the way to the top including the superintendant and BOE.
Actually, the Teacher Union agreed to the calander
That doesn't mean that the rank and file of teachers agreed to it, just the Union Reps. The teachers have been talking about this issue and trying to get it fixed for the entire year, since last September. And who gets out before the end of the school year? What are you talking about? Just crying about stuff that not true. Teachers don't get to go home early like the students. They have to stay full days and do stuff that the DISTRICT requires. 100 percent of teachers would love to teach everyday until summer break and be free of all the non-teaching BS they do at the end of the school year.
This is just plain wrong
The BOE is wrong to change the schedule. They are insensitive to the parents and their schedules. How do teachers expect to gain respect if they will not respect an agreed to schedule? As other posts have said ...this is just plain wrong!
Teachers dish it out, but can't intelligently debate
Maybe teachers have been isolated in their classrooms, maybe they have had too much of a cozy relationship with retired teachers and supporting parents on the BOE, maybe they are too use to dishing out their demands to students and parents with being challanged...Maybe they are enabled by supporters who are also sensitive to such criticism as well?
But explain why when the taxpaying/voting public and even members of their own union share an opposing view or are critical of their actions and that of the "publicly elected BOE" teachers and BOE members, adninistrators and staff are so quick to dismiss criticism and whine some more that they are being picked on for their "dedicated" service? Such child-like behavior is so unprofessional and rude. Makes us wonder what the current teachers' contract negotiations are like and what it will cost taxpayers? PS, we count at least 4 retired teachers now on the BOE...who is really watching the taxpayer's wallet?
Not
Supporting parents in NECSD. Yeah right.
"inequity"
So this will be the new thing people will complain about. Will it ever end?
What End?
Will it ever end with the constant teacher demands? Demand for raises. Demand for time off! Demand for nearly fully paid benefits! Demand, demand and when has the teachers ever listen to taxpayers and reduced spending and reduced taxes. You are PUBLIC EMPLOYEES not the other way around. Think of the taxayer for once, about the parents for once and act like professionals and not like demanding children.
What end ?
Do you realize how silly you sound ?
You want the taxpayer to just pay the taxes and shut up
Now that you have your "new deal" from a the BOE you are once again enabled to do what you want. Exactly what did the BOE, the taxpayers and the students get in return for this ?negotiated? settlement. Keep in mind negotiations demand that each party gets spomething in return. Otherwise it is not negotiated, simply a demand that one side caved into...like a spoiled child. Please spell it out?
Negotiation
Here is the Negotiation. One party (the teachers) gets time to do required non-teaching end of the school year work. And the other party (the community) gets the buildings ready for summer school to begin and other uses of the classrooms during the summer.
I agree
People are complaining and commenting on things they have no idea about. It is so tedious.
So why not explain "your point of view"
Instead of taking pot shots of the child-like nature, why not spell out the rationale for changing the agreed upon calander at the last minute or is whining the best arguement you have?
Instead of ranting on about
Instead of ranting on about "spelling out the rationale..." spell calendar right and thank your teachers for teaching you spelling....
Some one did that already
One of the posters above already explained their point of view. The response was that they were whinning. Isn't that a pot shot?
When is an agreement not an agreement?
Once again the needs of children and families are shunted aside because teachers whine about the "inequality" of having to with students the last three days; despite approving and adopting a school calendar a year ago and despite the fact that each teacher will still collect their full salary. Imagine if the public would say that despite a contract the teachers need to take a salary freeze or cutback because of inequaties in the econony; the fact that taxpayers have lost wages and savings would necessitate lower salaries so that families could pay their bills.
And exactly what will teachers do for "professional development?" clean out their desks and pack their bags? These last three days have never been educational for students. Typically, students are held in their seats with endless videos or allowed to romp around as if at day camp. But now the teachers want more - more time off because some of their collleagues at the upper grades have a different schedule...what babies...what unprofessionals.
Remember folks... the BOE and the NTA are taking care of each other while sticking it to us along with the bill! Stay tune...the teachers contract expires at the end of this month and this same group is "negotiating" new terms and salaries...what will the BOE stick to us this time?
PURE LIES
No one asked for any time off. Teachers are not going home early on the half days. This is just a lie plain and simple. And by the way, any teacher would rather teach than do all the other nonsense required at the end of the school year.
You contradict yourself
You complain that children are being held in their seats and allowed to romp at the same time. What? Which is it? Is it wrong to asks students to sit while you teach them, or do you prefer to have all students stand up during instruction? As a poster mentioned above, the last days of school are less educational because of all the extra non-teaching duties during the last days of school.