Vote Mooney for BTU President - Entrepreneur Generations

I come from a union family and a union state, but have always been disappointed in the Baltimore Teachers Union. Looking through this blog archives, you'll note that I've been disappointed with the union's handling of our contract and its scare tactics during the negotiations.

Ironically, the BTU contract has helped me earn a lot of money as a teacher. However, what I really want is a contract that makes my students' and my life better. This year, I taught an astonishing ~160 students at once, every day. I don't have common planning time with my course team. My lunch is from 12:44-1:05 most days, barely enough time to go to the bathroom, then to wait in line for the microwave and eat. The grind is real.

Of course, no one said that teaching should be easy. It's a tough and wonderful job that constantly inspires and challenges me. I wouldn't trade it for the world. But would I like better working conditions? Absolutely. Would I like my contract negotiations to include class load and class size language? Absolutely. Do I want my union to help fend off the onslaught of standardized tests as best they can? Yes. Most importantly, would the kids be better off with these focuses? Of course they would. Do I feel like my union represents my concerns? That answer should be clear.

Maybe it's a communication problem. But the BTU website is terrible and this article by Sun Education reporter is typical: BTU President Marietta English didn't respond to calls for comment.

I and every other teacher in the district spends around $1200 a year on my union dues, but there is very little transparency in what happens with that money.

In my 15 years in BCPSS, the BTU has felt impenetrable.

It's time for a change. Just as in our mayoral election and our new city council, the time is ripe. Marietta English has been BTU President for 16 years.

On Wednesday, please vote Kimberly Mooney (an 11-year Baltimore teaching vet) for BTU President. She's committed to transparency, and working to fix many of the problems that I see with the current union.

Read about her platform below, and please vote. The list of polling places is here.

Restore transparency and democracy to the Union by:

• Conducting frequent online surveys to gauge members’ concerns, publicizing the Union’s “asks” during negotiations so that everyone knows what’s on the table, and communicating with members throughout my entire term
• Increasing the frequency of General Membership meetings to at least four annually
• Setting aside time on every BTU Building Rep. meeting agenda to allow Reps to express concerns

Push back against district and state policies that hurt teachers and students, such as requiring excessive standardized testing by:

• Publicly decrying policies that endanger our schools via news media
• Lobbying legislators on behalf of our Union and organizing the membership to come together and make decisions about education, our area of expertise, rather than allowing lawmakers to do this without our input

Fix the broken teacher evaluation system by:

• Advocating for a contract that protects teachers from being punished for working in difficult schools
• Demanding fair observation rubrics and a contract that outlines what effectiveness looks like for staff that play various roles (counselor, etc.)

Attract and retain great educators by:

• Blocking attempts to cut health insurance benefits and pay
• Restoring the ability to receive pay increases for furthering one’s education
• Insisting that measures to make schools safer are incorporated into the new contract, such as updates to the Code of Conduct

from Epiphany in Baltimore http://ift.tt/24YzxmW Vote Mooney for BTU President - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet