Good morning.
Last week we negotiated all day Monday, a half day on Tuesday, and all day Saturday. We continue to negotiate this week and next with many more all-day sessions scheduled. We have made some progress to be sure, but a number of financial issues separate us. Chief among them is the school district’s insistence that we work an extended day without compensation. We already work an extended day, and a new survey by Scholastic and the Gates Foundation reaffirms what we already know: Our school day extends well beyond the daily bell-to-bell schedule–in fact our work day typically extends more than three hours beyond the school day. See a report here by Washington blogger Valerie Strauss.
The school department understands our position: We are professionals and our time and expertise should be compensated as in other fields.
Our events on Thursday of last week received widespread coverage in the Globe, the Herald, and many other media outlets. Our goal is to obtain a contract that is good for students, affordable to the city, and fair to our members. We thank you for your help and assistance and we will keep you posted as to developments.
We congratulate the girls’ basketball team from the Fenway and the boys’ from Brighton, each of whom made it to the state finals. Fenway girls are the Division 4 State Champs. Congratulations to the team, their coach, and the school. Brighton lost the state final in Division 2, but had a wonderful year winning five post-season games. Congratulations to the team, their coach, and the school. We are all proud of our city’s sports teams!