I want you to know that your Union Leadership has listened carefully to all that you have said to us and we have been trying to accomplish as much as we can in helping you cope with the anxiety and fear you have felt since returning to your classrooms. We know that everyone is in a different place in the recovery process. As a membership we are all trying to cope with the reality that our school and district will never be the same. Everyone has lost their sense of security and control. This makes our job even more difficult and presents us with challenges that we never anticipated when we became educators. We know that many of you are frustrated and angry about the lack of progress you see within the district in many areas and on many levels. We must not lose sight of the importance of continuing to work together as we try to heal and get ourselves back to being among the best educators in the state. I thought it would be reassuring to know that we have made progress and are continuing to move in a positive direction in meeting the needs of our membership. We have accomplished goals on the local, state and national level. We will not stop in our efforts to create the best teaching and learning environment in all of your classrooms. Your NFT leadership will continue to be there to listen and to help. We will try our best to provide you with the resources you need to help you get back to where you need to be in your personal and professional life.
NFT Goals met/Goals pending:
All staff returned to work after the events of 12/14 on Monday 12/17 instead of the originally proposed return date of Sunday 12/16. Sandy Hook staff returned to work on Wednesday 1/3 instead of the originally proposed return date of Tuesday 12/18.
We asked for and received a Waiver in Public Act 12-1 passed 12/19 to exempt the entire Newtown School District, upon request of the BOE, for the state mandated 180-day minimum school year for School Year 2012-2013.
We requested and received district representation on Governor Malloy’s Sandy Hook Advisory Commission. The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission is a 16-member panel of experts created by Governor Malloy to review current policy and make specific recommendations in the areas of public safety, with particular attention paid to school safety, mental health, and gun violence prevention. State AFT 2nd Vice-President Ron Chivinski (NMS Social Studies Teacher) will be our representative. The first meeting will be this Thursday 1/24.
We asked for and received a ½ day on Friday 12/21 after the first week back in our schools with our students.
The following Memorandum of Understanding will add 2 personal days to our contracted amount of 5. It has been submitted to the BOE to be signed. This was offered to all district employees by the BOE.
In an effort to provide additional time for teachers to heal after the tragedy at Sandy Hook, the Board has offered, and the Federation agrees, that all members will be allowed two additional personal days in addition to the existing contracted days. Such days will be without reason and not subject to the conditions of Article 35 Personal Days, except the required notice.
The effective date for usage of the additional personal days shall be January 17, 2013. This agreement is for one time and is only effective from the effective date to the end of the 2012-13 work year.
This agreement is without precedent and shall not create a past practice.
Signed this 16th day of January, 2013
NFT Concerns Committee met with Janet Robinson and Debbie Liedlein (BOE Chair) on Tuesday 1/15 and presented teacher concerns. Debbie Liedlein wanted to present these to the BOE and agreed to contact us on Tuesday 1/22 with a response to these concerns.
I attended an emergency meeting with Congressional leaders on Thursday 1/17 to discuss how to create legislation that would provide union membership with a special type of workman’s compensation. An expected emergency certified bill to be considered and passed on January 23, 2013 that would create a mechanism for the state to pay for treatment and lost wages for all employees involved in the Sandy Hook shooting and response who are suffering from stress/crisis/PTSD related issues. Employees would be eligible for expenses retroactively from December 14, 2012. I will be receiving the language when it has been finalized and before it has been passed.
I asked the congressional leaders to find a way to access funding that would allow the district to hire certified educators, crisis counselors or educational assistants to work with Sandy Hook teachers in their classrooms.
I will be participating in a forum on school safety hosted by the School Safety Subcommittee of the General Assembly's Task Force on Gun Violence. This will take place at 9:30 AM on Friday, January 25 and gives the Newtown Federation of Teachers an opportunity to share their thoughts, concerns and recommendations with regard to school safety needs.
We are working with the legislative delegation from Newtown and legislative leadership to encourage Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor to request a waiver from the US Department of Education for all standardized testing in the entire Newtown school district, not just for Sandy Hook Elementary School. We have received support from the State Senate in our pursuit of this initiative.
We have asked for Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) be changed to Professional Healing Communities (PHC’s) for those groups that need it for the remainder of the year. We have asked for additional weekly ½ days for Sandy Hook teachers so that they can spend time with their colleagues to help accelerate their healing.
We have established The Newtown Peer Support Line for teachers to call and receive confidential counseling with the Ohio Crisis Response Team. 860-436-4112. We will continue to make sure we have counselors available to teachers now and in the foreseeable future.
We have asked for February 20-22 to be added to the winter break for the Sandy Hook Teachers.
We have asked for and received permission from Janet Robinson to have teacher representation on the District School Safety Committee. I will be attending the first meeting on Thursday 1/24.
We have asked for and received confirmation that air quality testing will be done at Sandy Hook Elementary this week.
We will continue to be in regular contact with leaders from the State and National AFT as we work together toward meeting the needs of the NFT membership now and in the future.
In closing, I would like to say that the Local, State and National AFT have been focused on helping our membership since the events of 12/14/2012 and will continue to work together in making sure that the needs of the teachers are being taken care of. I want you to know that your voices are being heard.
Unfortunately the results of our efforts are not happening in the timely fashion we all expected and hoped for. I can only pray that this will change as we look to a brighter future. On a personal note I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to my brothers and sisters for the wonderful gift. My wife Beth and I will enjoy some much needed time away. Thank you for all that you do. You are AMAZING!
In Solidarity
Tom Kuroski
President – Newtown Federation of Teachers