AFT Massachusetts

38 Chauncy Street Suite 402 B

oston, MA 02111

Summer 2012

Continued on page 8

Award-Winning Film Gets the Story Straight

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The Community Challenge

COMMUNITY VOICE Ana Victoria Morales speaks at a community forum in Lawrence, part of an ambitious plan to strengthen ties between teachers and the larger Lawrence community. Said Morales, a recent graduate of the Lawrence Public Schools: “I’m here because I want to help lift my city up.”

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RED CARPET TEACH, a film about public education by local filmmakers and Boston teachers Bob and Yvonne Lamothe (at right), at its Boston debut.

In This Issue

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2 President’s Column

Meet the Distinguished Service Winners of 2012

Diary of a New Teacher: A teacher learns that there is no quick fix for confronting inequality and segregation

5 The Editor of the Advocate Signs Off

7 Retiree CornerGolden Apple: A father’s day tribute

6 On Campus: For-Profit Higher Education Works for Business, Not so Well for Students

Writers wantedAre you a new teacher who would like to write about your experiences? You’ll get $300 per column and the exposure of appearing in a statewide publication that reaches 25,000 readers. In-terested? Write to:advocate@aftma.net

By Matt RobinsonFrom “Blackboard Jungle” to “Rock n’ Roll High School” to “Stand and Deliver,” Hollywood has done what it can to portray what is allegedly going on within the walls of our schools and amongst our students. Try as they might, however, few of these films ever quite measure up to reality. From Race to the Top to high-stakes testing, to data, data, and more data (Editorial note: Ugh!), schools today are far too complex and complicated to tie up with a happy ending and a pleasant soundtrack. No film could ever do our public schools and their teachers real justice. Or could it?

Created by public school teachers (who also happen to be married), “TEACH, Teachers are Talking, Is the Nation Listening?” tells the story of today’s teachers by involving and featuring today’s teachers. In addition to their own ideas, filmmakers Robert and Yvonne Lamothe drew on the insights and opinions of more than 40 of their colleagues from Boston to Brooklyn to as far west as Madison, WI,

and as far south as Key West, FL. “The teachers were all around us,”

Mr. Lamothe says, noting that it took many of them time to overcome fears—both of the camera and of potential reprisals. “Those who came forward did so with so much commitment that their statements resonate.” Lamothe says that the teachers who participated in “Teach” were particularly concerned about the direction education is taking, how little input they have, a “joylessness”

that has been brought on by obsessive testing, as well as what they see as the “dismantling” of public schools.

By combining these interviews with segments taken from union debates, legislative hearings and teacher rallies, and speeches by actor Bradley Whitford and education historian and analyst Diane Ravitch, the Lamothes take viewers deeper into the education debate than perhaps any other film.

On a recent week night in Lawrence, teachers, students, parents and local leaders packed the public library for a first-of-its-kind community forum. On the agenda was an ambitious plan to strengthen ties between the Lawrence Teachers Unions, its members, and the larger Lawrence community. The concept is simple: whatever divisions may exist within this community with its rich immigrant history are insignificant when compared to what binds Lawrentians together. “We all love this city, and we all want the best for our children,” Frank McLaughlin, president of the Lawrence Teachers Union, told the crowd.

The Lawrence community engagement project began months ago, just days after the state moved to take over the Lawrence Public Schools. (At press time, the state-appointed receiver was expected to announce an ambitious plan to turnaround the district’s lowest-performing schools, including inviting charter schools to manage several of the city’s schools.) Jasiela Chaves, a public education organizer for Jobs with Justice, which is spearheading the project, says that the state takeover provided an opportunity for Lawrence residents to have a real conversation about its schools. “If we want to make our community, our city stronger, we have to make our schools stronger too,” says Chaves, who is a recent graduate of Lawrence High School.

One by one, teachers, parents and leaders of community organizations took to the floor to talk about their concerns and their hopes for the future. “Lawrence has a history of leading the way to social change,” said Jineyda Tapia, a teacher at the high school who grew up in Lawrence. “Education is the true way of making change—that’s why teacher have to be involved.”

The effort to build a partnership between teachers and the communities in which they live and work is not unique to Lawrence. Similar efforts are under way across the state, including in Lynn, Lowell, Worcester, Boston, and New Bedford. In most

of these cities, the teachers union is the largest organized group, yet the unions rarely have much of a public presence. “Given the number of people we represent, we have the potential to play a much more significant role in the community,” says Brant Duncan, president of the Lynn Teachers Union. He has begun recruiting volunteers from within his membership to serve as community ambassadors—teachers and paraprofessionals who are already active in church groups or local organizations and are willing to talk about what’s needed to make Lynn’s schools work for the children they serve.

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BOLDPRINT

Outward BoundTwo teachers from Lowell’s Wang Middle School will be joining an Earthwatch expedition this summer. Reading teacher Patricia Robinson and science teacher Dawn Theberge will join 10 other teachers on the trip to the Jackson Hole, Wyoming region to study songbird population trends in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Theberge says that she and Robinson were thrilled to be chosen to participate, and will report on their adventure in a future issue of the Advocate. Earthwatch seeks to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.

Planet ChallengeCongratulations to Lynn teacher Donna Whalen and her fifth graders at the Brickett School. Whalen’s students are the winners of Disney’s Planet Challenge, an environmental contest for middle and elementary school students across the US. Students must pick a local environmental issue and design a solution. Whalen’s students chose to study the effects of car emissions and idling vehicles on people and the environment. Their prize? A trip to Disney World, all expenses paid, for 19 students and 5 chaperones. In addition to visiting the theme park, the students will also be meeting famed primatologist Jane Goodall.

Appreciation CallAmy Piacitelli, a history teacher at Charlestown High School, received asurprise call from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan during national Teacher Appreciation Week. Duncan called four teachers across the country to thank them for their work. Piacitelli, a history teacher at CHS and the history team’s content leader, expressed surprise at the call and said that all of her co-workers deserve to be thanked for their work. “This school is full of wonderful teachers and I don’t know that I should be singled out, but I do feel honored,” Piacitelli told the Boston Globe.

Top of the PopsFive Boston high school students will showcase their talent with the Boston Pops as winners of the annual Fidelity FutureStage Young Artists Competition. Boston Latin School students Phuong Nghi Pham and John, Grace and Robert Carney comprise four of the five talented winners of the 2012 Fidelity FutureStage Young Artists Competition. Olivia Harris of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, will also be featured. A panel of judges selected the winners from among many contestants from the Boston and Cambridge area. The winners performed on May 29, 2012, with the Boston Pops, under the direction of Keith Lockhart.

Got good news to share? Send it to advocate@aftma.net

The official publication of AFT Massachusetts, AFL-CIO

Thomas J. Gosnell, PresidentMark Allred, Sr., Secretary-Treasurer

VICE PRESIDENTSPatricia Armstrong

Deborah Blinder Sean Bowker

Kathryn ChamberlainBrenda ChaneyKathy Delaney

Catherine DeveneyPatricia Driscoll

Marianne DumontJ. Michael EarleMargaret Farrell

Mary FerriterJenna FitzgeraldRichard Flaherty

Paul GeorgesAlice M. GunningDaniel Haacker

Joyce HarringtonSusan Leahy

Francis McLaughlinBruce Nelson

Catherine PattenJames Philip

Bruce SparfvenRichard Stutman

Gale Thomas

Jennifer C. Berkshire, Editor38 Chauncy St., Suite 402

Boston, Mass. 02111Tel. 617-423-3342 /800-279-2523

Fax: 617-423-0174www.aftma.net

advocate@aftma.net

Poverty, School Funding and the Achievement Gap

Thomas J. GosnellPresident, AFT Massachusetts

Thad Ackerman, math teacher, Amesbury High School.

Six educators received this year’s AFT Massachusetts Distinguished

Service Award. The awards, which were announced at the state convention in Quincy last month, are presented annually to AFT MA members who have demonstrated an outstanding level of service and dedication to their union locals. This year’s recipients included Amesbury High School teacher Thad Ackerman; Lowell High School teacher William Donaghey; Wayne LeBlanc, a professional technician at UMass Dartmouth; Lynn paraprofessional Catherine Deveney, Barbara Bemis, a paraprofessional at Carney Academy in New Bedford; and retired Lowell Alice Gunning, the long-time president of the Lynn Teachers Union.

AFT MA president Tom Gosnell praised this year’s award winners, noting that they set a high standard for the union’s future leaders. “These individuals really embody what AFT Massachusetts is about. They inspire their colleagues, their students and all of us in the union movement.”

Service countsWhen Barbara Leary, director of

mathematics at AFT Amesbury, offered her support for the nomination of her colleague, Thad Ackerman, her recommendation could hardly have been stronger. “The world would be a better place if there were more Thad

Ackermans,” said Leary, who teaches with Ackerman at Amesbury High School.

His colleagues and fellow union members seem to agree. Ackerman, who gave up a career in engineering to become a teacher, currently serves as treasurer of AFT Amesbury. Local president Cindy Yetman praises him for his consummate professionalism, and for using his love of numbers to help the teachers and paraprofessionals of Amesbury. Says Yetman: “He can always be counted on to explain financial issues to our members in a clear and meaningful fashion. He is well deserving of this award and recognition.

Honoring Distinguished Service in 2012

Continued on page 5

Governor Patrick’s task force on education presented a

report which stated that poverty is pernicious. Indeed it is. The numbers of children living in poverty throughout the nation is a national disgrace. Even in Massachusetts, one of the more affluent states, the level of childhood poverty is horrifying. Such a child is more likely to have inadequate medical and dental care, to live in substandard housing, to have poor nutrition, and to be exposed to community violence. A child brings these conditions of life to school where a stimulating and caring atmosphere can alleviate but not eliminate them without massive support from society at large. This means a commitment to fund much more generously education in low income communities.

Governor Patrick’s task force recommended that schools provide surround care services so that students will participate in programs that will enable them to get all the medical and dental services they need, a healthy diet, and a full range of emotional supports. Even though current staff provides such services, their numbers are insufficient.

Without substantial additional funding the schools will never be able to hire the number of professionals needed to provide a comprehensive surround care program.

In addition, the academic program can be quite deficient. Of course, MCAS requires that the tested subjects receive the greatest attention, but even if MCAS did not exist, a robust and expansive curriculum requires significant funding. In poor neighborhoods schools undertake heroic efforts to offer rigorous and expansive curriculum which include at least some of the following: social studies, art, foreign languages, English, music, physical education, mathematics, and the sciences. Despite the superb efforts of committed staff, overcrowded classes and inadequate resources limit what can be done.

Of course, it is indeed possible that there may be schools which offer all these subjects but schools, to have a rigorous and expansive curriculum, must offer the subjects in a way that will give students the opportunity to explore all the subjects in depth. That

day will only come when the funding of schools reaches a level far beyond the current one.

Over and over the claim is made that Massachusetts has an achievement gap, meaning that white students achieve at a higher level than minority students. In fact, the education bill is entitled “An Act To Reduce The Achievement Gap.” Statistics do show that a gap exists. Statistics do show that the lowest student achievement is in high poverty areas. Statistics do show that since the passage of the Act, the level of funding for education is still far below what is needed to fulfill the Act’s goals.

The economic times remain tough. No doubt about it. Poverty is still at a high level. No doubt about it. The income gap gets wider. No doubt about it. Funding for schools remains inadequate. No doubt about it. The political atmosphere remains discouraging. No doubt about it.

AFT MA belongs to a coalition which is advocating for more revenue. This coalition is working to change the political atmosphere so that support for more revenue will increase. Without increased revenues poverty will continue to be widespread, funding for schools will still be inadequate, and the achievement gap will continue to exist.

Public schools have contributed mightily to American society, which expects schools to continue to do so. However, schools by themselves will not reduce poverty and close the achievement gap. This must be a community effort, all segments of society. It does take a village to raise a child.

Summer 20123

A Film with Real Class Continued from cover

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No wonder, then, that the documentary was recently honored with the Indie Spec Best Cinematography Award from the Boston International Film Festival and has been accepted into the Manhattan Film Festival, one of the top festivals in the country.

While there has been a spate of recent documentaries on the topic of public education, Lamothe suggests that at least some have been inappropriately labeled. “Many education movies that distort the truth and promote a business view of education have millions of dollars to promote their misinformation about education,” he says, mentioning one ‘heroic’ film in particular.

Lamothe explains that it was the real-life situations of real-life teachers that inspired him and his wife to make the film. “Observing what was going on in our schools, seeing what was happening to our teacher friends, hearing untruths about what teachers do or don’t do in the media, the sound bites that the general public freely mimic without really thinking or knowing. These injustices, these falsehoods needed to be addressed and stories needed to be told by teachers who we know to be wise and soulful.” Adds Lamothe: “Every day in the media we hear from the businesses, think-tankers, politicians, and administrators. This movie is about those who don’t usually get heard.”

As the Lamothes have both taught for many years, they have a deep familiarity with education issues and connections to educators in the Boston area and far beyond. “We teachers who have dedicated 20, 30, even 40 years of their lives to teaching the children

in their classes,” Lamothe says, “whose great experience should be celebrated and honored instead of branded as old, incompetent, and burned out.” With connections to the AFT, the Boston Teachers Union, Citizens for Public Schools, The Coalition for Equal Quality Education, and even the Boston School Bus Drivers Union, they were able to get multiple perspectives form a wide array of sources and sides, thereby enriching their story.

Lamothe explains that the film emerged from a concern that teachers have been excluded from the national debate about public education. “We felt we couldn’t sit back and let education policy be determined by people who aren’t teachers. We also felt we had to challenge the extremely harmful drive toward more and more testing and obsession with data that is turning our schools into testing factories. In addition, we wanted to draw attentions to the vast inequality of resources that dominates our schools and communities. We especially felt we had to bring a voice to all those teachers who are fighting to provide an education that is dynamic, creative, exciting, and joyful.”

Lamothe asserts that the teachers he and Yvonne interviewed are the ones that know and care deeply about children and their education, and who take home, not just lesson plans and papers to grade, but concerns about their students’ lives. “The many different needs each student brings and the challenges teachers have in meeting each student where they are to bring them along in their learning process is so important and yet undervalued,” Lamothe says.

Though they met before becoming teachers, the Lamothes clearly share their passion for effective education and have come to share a love for sharing stories through documentary. In fact, Lamothe says, “the connection between filmmaking and documenting creative work, artistic process was at the heart of our initial connection.”

That initial connection has since grown to become a means of, as Lamothe puts it, “organizing around injustice.” “Millions of dollars are being made by the testing companies and by the for profit charter schools,” Lamothe points out. “Filmmaking is a way to get that message to people. “

As technology and video-based engagement become more prevalent in the classroom, Lamothe suggests that it can also be used more effectively to engage others outside of the classroom as well. “Filmmaking is becoming more and more an important element of teaching awareness of what is really happening in our society,” Lamothe suggests. “Filmmaking is a means to provide an alternative source of information to the huge media conglomerates that report a very limited perspective and often distort and exclude important viewpoints, [including] those of actual teachers.”

In collecting and analyzing these diverse and experienced viewpoints, Lamothe learned a great deal about the world of education that they have both inhabited for many years. They also learned even more about how smart their colleagues are and how important

their perspectives and suggestions are to the future of education. “They have valuable and essential ideas and approaches to contribute to the direction that education policy should take,” he says.

By considering who is in charge of education and who should be, Lamothe hopes that viewers of his film will come to see that teachers are allies who are able and eager to support not only their students, but their communities as well. “Teachers are not the enemy of society,” he emphasizes. “Teachers are not stupid, but this is the message we are hearing.”

Lamothe also hopes that the film inspires more teachers to become more involved in education activism and to challenge those who are trying to “privatize…and profitize” our education system.

“People are becoming aware that a broad-based unified effort is needed to challenge the coordinated attacks that are being waged,” Lamothe suggests. “We are hoping that the important messages of Teach…will be heard all across the nation.” ▪Matt Robinson is an ELA teacher at Burke High School in Boston and a regular contributor to the Advocate.

The AFT Massachusetts Advocate4

Diaryof a New Teacher

EYES WIDE OPENBill Madden-Fuoco says that his experiences working in urban districts have opened his eyes to the devastating consequences of inequality and segregation. Says Madden-Fuoco: “When schools themselves are grossly unequal, education is the great sorting mechanism. “

Writers wantedAre you a new teacher who would like to write about your experiences? You’ll get $300 per column and the exposure of appearing in a statewide publication that reaches 25,000 readers. In-terested? Write to:advocate@aftma.net

By Bill Madden-Fuoco, Humanities teacher,

Urban Science Academy, West Roxbury, MA

Meet the 2011-2012 New Teacher Diarists

The following new teachers contributed to the New Teacher Diary during the past school year. The Advocate thanks all of these fine teachers for sharing their experience and looks forward to welcoming a new class of contributors next fall.

Riana GoodSpanish teacher, Boston Teachers Union School, Jamaica Plain.

Lorena GermanELA teacher, Lawrence High School, Lawrence.

Bill Madden-FuocoHumanities teacher, Urban Science Academy , West Roxbury,

Melissa McDonaldFifth grade teacher, Parthum Elementary School, Lawrence.

Joyce MelkerParaprofessional, Henry Lord Middle School, Fall River,

Amanda PerezMiddle school teacher, Sarah Greenwood School, Dorchester.

Matthew RobinsonELA and journalism teacher, Burke High School, Dorchester.

Robert TobioMath and special education teacher, Mary Lyon Pilot School, Brighton.

On a recent Sunday morning, I staked out a spot about 200 meters from the finish line of the

Providence Marathon. After a while, in the distance I spotted Ben, one of my students. Well over six feet tall and from Uganda, Ben wore a bright orange tank top signifying his participation in Dream Far, a marathon training program for “at-risk” students in the greater Boston area.

Soon after Ben ran by, his face frozen in a state of exhaustion, Darcel Hunt, a physics teacher and the Dream Far coordinator at my school, breezed by, smiling.

Darcel logged hundreds of miles this year – in the rain, the sun, the snow – with our school’s three Dream Far runners and other teacher volunteers.

Everyone who works and learns in an urban school has no choice but to wring out the best possible results from what we have. Pursuit of higher MCAS scores and budget constraints have left enrichments for most Boston teenagers threadbare, and Darcel’s efforts to create opportunities where few exist is a model of what it means to be an effective urban educator now.

Days before the marathon, I worked with Ben after school. Students in my 10th grade Humanities classes recently developed their own research questions to pursue as their final projects. The criterion is that the question can lead to a reasonable debate. Here’s Ben’s: “Should one person get a better education just because of where he or she lives?” I hesitated at first. On its face, the question seems incapable of sparking debate. But then I came to my senses and approved it.

Ben lives in a small condominium complex through which the borders of Newton, Brookline, and Boston – imperceptibly, yet with great consequence – slice through red brick walls and piece out educational opportunity. Ben goes to school in Boston where the four-year graduation rate is 62%. If he lived in the apartment a few doors down, he would catch the school bus that stops at the end of his street and takes kids to Newton, where the student population is 74% white, and the graduation rate is 96%.

Ben is often whimsical. When I checked in on him, his computer screen was checkered with pictures of snake meat, culled from a Google images search. “Ben, why are you searching for pictures of snake meat?” I asked. “It’s because I eat a lot of fish, and fish and snakes have almost the same kind of skin,” he explained. “I wanted to see what their meat looks like.”

When it comes to the differences between the schools of Boston and its neighbors, however, Ben is serious. He can fluently navigate the DESE and Education Week websites to show that students in Newton are more likely to have classes taught by highly qualified teachers. He is well versed in the deep catalog of classes and activities that Newton and Brookline boast. Despite its seemingly comparable per-pupil spending, Boston has a far greater percentage of students with low-socioeconomic status and students with limited English proficiency, and its attendance rates are abysmal.

Two weeks after the marathon, Ben asked me to drive him to Newton’s central office so that he could attempt

to transfer for the upcoming year. His father had signed all the papers. On the “Out-of-Assigned-District Placement” form, in the “reason for request” space, he had written: “Better educational programs, more activities, higher success rates, and closer to where we live.” After a long talk with Ben, I agreed to take him.

Later that week we drove to the central office. A nice woman told us we had to go to Newton South High School. On the way there we passed Newton North High School, which opened two years ago and cost almost $200 million to build. Kids played lacrosse on its emerald lawn and its sprawling modern façade seemed like a mirage. At Newton South, an administrator was one of the few souls left in the main office. She informed Ben that he would have to call the next day to make an appointment when the office was better staffed. The next day Ben borrowed my phone to make the call. A woman on the other end kept repeating “You have to live in Newton in order to go here.”

The conversations we have about teacher evaluation, turnarounds, and charters matter. Gotta have them. But they skirt a larger issue. I predict that performance based evaluations will reveal that in urban districts, even the most effective teachers – say the top 5% – do not produce acceptable learning gains. I say this as someone who believes that when it comes to learning, teacher quality trumps everything, including out-of-school factors.

We need to change conditions to make effective teaching more possible: smaller rosters, fewer preps, more time to plan and collaborate, more teachers. Such a paradigm shift could begin to level the playing field, but the investment required is far beyond anything currently being discussed.

Left unchecked, inequality festers. Always. The dream of desegregation – our best-ever check against educational inequality – has been all but killed by the Supreme Court. And zoning laws that prohibit the construction of affordable housing in areas with high performing schools effectively act as gates to keep out other people’s children. Dewey called education “the great equalizer.” But when schools themselves are grossly unequal, education is the great sorting mechanism.

I often wonder: How is it that we are not out in the streets over what Jonathan Kozol calls “apartheid education”? What will it take to dismantle our fealty to the principle of local control and the premise that

privilege-conferring education is a birthright that comes with living in the right zip code? An equity index that measures state-by-state educational fairness and determines federal funding would be a good start. Even a move as modest as this, however, won’t come voluntarily. But with the right kind of pressure, it might.

CongratulationsThe Advocate congratulates New Teacher Diarist Bill Madden-Fuoco. Hiis col-umn in the September 2011 edition of the paper, on the difference between teaching and ensuring that students learn, took second place in the annual journalism competition sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers. Also receiving recognition this year: cartoonist Joseph Quigley for his draw-ing of “The New Atlas” that appeared in the November 2011 Advocate. Quigley received a second-place prize for best original drawing. Congratulations to both!

In great companyWhen the New Bedford Federation

of Paraprofessionals were considering whom to nominate for the distinguished service award, Barbara Bemis quickly came to mind. Explains Connie Motta, president of the local: “Barbara is a dedicated paraprofessional who has worked diligently for the betterment of the union, its members, and the students of the New Bedford Public Schools.” But what may be most impressive about Bemis, notes Motta, is the duration of her dedication. “She’s been a para for 41 and a half years.”

Bemis’ colleagues at the John B. DeValles School, where she has served as a building rep for the past 10 years, praise her leadership and devotion to the children with whom she works.

Bemis is also a role model, adds Motta. “She has been a strong leader and role model in tough times and is unafraid to stand up for what’s right. Her actions exemplify what a true union leader should be.”

A force of natureWhile it is unusual for two

paraprofessionals to receive the Distinguished Service Award in the same year, Lynn para Cathi Deveney was an obvious choice, says Brant Duncan, president of the Lynn Teachers Union. “She’s worked tireless on behalf of the paras of Lynn, and she is a real leader in our union, both at the local and the state level,” says Duncan. “How she finds time for all of her activities is a mystery.”

In addition to serving as 2nd vice president of the local, and a member of the AFT Massachusetts Executive Board, Deveney is leading an effort to provide paras in Lynn with high quality professional development. Working with Northeastern University and Northshore Community College, Deveney facilitated courses for paras in Lynn, then worked with the Lynn

Public Schools to make sure that paras who took the courses received salary increases.

Recently Deveney had the opportunity to impress her colleagues anew when the team that she captained took top honors at the first ever Lynn Teachers Union Trivia Night. “I don’t know how she does it,” says Diane Dawe, the LTU’s recording secretary. “Cathi is a force of nature.”

Continued serviceEvery year AFT Massachusetts

honors a retired union member whose career has exemplified dedication and service. The 2012 award goes to Judy Robinson, a beloved kindergarten teacher who spent more than 30 years educating the children of Lowell. But while Robinson may no longer be in the classroom, the members of the United Teachers of Lowell continue to benefit from her vast educational and union-related expertise. “She’s been incredibly generous with her time and is always willing to offer her time to help out,” says UTL office manager Nancy Giblin.

Robinson currently serves as recording secretary for the local and is famous for using her scrapbooking skills to keep a running record of union history. She has also played a key role in helping the UTL to develop surveys of educators in the city, the results of which would lead to the focus on collaboration between the union and the Lowell Public Schools. Says Giblin: “We’re so fortunate to have someone as dedicated as Judy. Her voice and expertise have been a real asset to the teachers of Lowell.”

Dedication in actionWhen James Griffith, president of

the UMass Faculty Federation at UMass Dartmouth, was considering whom to nominate for this year’s Distinguished Service award, he had to look no further than among his own colleagues.

June 20125

Judith Robinson, retired teacher, Lowell Public Schools

Barbara Bemis, paraprofessional, New Bedford Public Schools.

Cathi Deveney, paraprofessional, Lynn Public Schools.

William Donaghey, Spanish teacher, Lowell High School

Wayne LeBlanc, professional technician, UMass Dartmouth

Honoring Distinguished Service in 2012 Continued from cover Wayne LeBlanc, this year’s winner in

the category of higher education, is a professional technician in Griffith’s department, Medical Laboratory Science. Says Griffith: “There is no more admired professional technician at UMass. His ability is so significant that he has become the go to guy for all professional technicians on campus.”

But LeBlanc, who has been a member of the Faculty Federation for 28 years, is also a leader within the union. Griffith points out that because of LeBlanc’s role as a mentor to his coworkers, union membership among professional technicians on campus is 100%. LeBlanc’s dedication to mentoring extends to the union’s newest members, the research associates and technical associates. “They were all mentored by Wayne in ‘how to survive and thrive here,’” says Griffith, noting that LeBlanc helped the new members write their first contract.

Griffith sums up the qualities of his coworker this way: “In short, Wayne is one of those people that all unions need—bright, inexhaustible and incorruptible—and which too few of us have in sufficient quantity. We admire him, respect him and love him.”

Collegiality awardWhen Bill Donaghey joined the

faculty at Lowell High School as a Spanish teacher nearly 30 years ago, Jack O’Brien, then a house master at LHS, noticed something special about his new colleague. “He had an immediate rapport with almost

It’s hard for me to believe that six years have gone by since I took over

as editor of the Advocate. During that time I’ve visited countless schools, met an unbelievable number of amazing educators and seen for myself the challenges that you face everyday. The experience has been a privilege, and I’m grateful to all of you for being will-ing to share your stories.

When I started at AFT Massachu-setts, I knew very little about public education, save for having attended public schools from first grade all the way through graduate school. Just how much did I have to learn? As a non-Massachusetts native, I didn’t even know enough to put “The” in front of every school name! Fortunately, I’m a quick learner and after 54 issues (or 456 pages for any math teachers out there), I finally know the difference between a PLC and an IEP. I can talk DIBELS with the best of them, and know enough about the new evaluation system to test the patience of even my closest loved ones.

Along the way there have been highlights (winning national recogni-tion for my story on charter school teachers who organized a union) as well as some low points (misspelling ‘judgment’ in a headline on the front cover).

Now I’m moving on. This fall I’ll be starting my own business to help unions and nonprofit groups do a better job of communicating with their members. I’m also looking forward to doing some in-depth reporting on education issues. Last but not least,

everyone he encountered: students, staff, administrators,” says O’Brien, who now serves as a part-time staff representative for the United Teachers of Lowell. Over the years, that gift of collegiality has made Donaghey a beloved figure among his students, his colleagues, as well as among his fellow union members. “He has tremendous integrity and an incredibly warm personality,” says O’Brien. Among his students and fellow teachers Donaghey is known as an outstanding teacher who helps to create a “college-bound” culture among his students and their families.

O’Brien notes that Donaghey has also served as a union leader for many years, including as an LHS building rep, as the secondary vice president and as the high school representative on the Education Development Committee, which meets monthly with the superintendent. “Bill is the true reflection of what every teacher aspires to be,” says O’Brien.

AFT MA congratulates all of this year’s Distinguished Service Award winners. ▪

The Editor of the Advocate Signs Off

SPEED RACER After six years at the helm of the Advocate, editor Jennifer Berkshire is riding into the future.I’m creating a website to keep an eye on the corporate education agenda in Massachusetts and the elected officials who enable it. Stay tuned...

While I won’t miss the monthly deadlines and having to hound my writers to get their columns in on time (you know who you are!), living with-out the stories of the teachers, para-professionals, librarians and higher education faculty who make up AFT Massachusetts will take some serious getting used to.

Thanks to all of you for making the last six years so rewarding. It’s been an incredible ride and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. ▪

—Jennifer Berkshirejenniferberkshire@gmail.com

6The AFT Massachusetts Advocate

For Profit Education Best—at Bilking Public

On CampusDan Georgianna, Political DirectorUMass Faculty Federation, Local 1895

Students at for-profit schools end up with higher unemployment and lower earnings than do comparable students from other schools. They also end up with higher debt.

Higher Education News in Brief

UMass Lowell Adjuncts Sign First ContractAdjunct faculty at UMass Low-ell. whose fight for a first con-tract lasted more than a year, finally have an agreement with the university. The instructors voted overwhelmingly to ap-prove the deal last month. The new deal includes a significant salary increase, grants year-long appointments to senior adjuncts and bars the dismissal of adjuncts without just cause. The agreement came after a series of rallies and headlines, calling attention to the school’s decision to pay its outgoing president, Jack Wilson, more than half a million dollars. After a year-long sabbatical Wilson will return to UMass Lowell to teach for more than $200,000.

Student Strike in Quebec ContinuesA massive strike by college students in Quebec is now in its fifth month and shows no signs of ending. Students in the province went on strike in February to protest a pro-posal by government officials to raise tuition from $2,168 to $3,793 between 2012 and 2017. While the amount of money may seem trivial by US standards, the striking students say that that’s just the point. While the International Cov-enant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which Canada enacted in 1976, guarantees free higher education, students in the province say that signs of creeping ‘Americanization’ can be seen throughout the Ca-nadian university system. “The government wants to say that loans and debt are the solu-tion,” says Concordia student Richard Hinton, while on a visit to Boston this spring. “That’s unacceptable to us. Tuition in-creases make higher education accessible to fewer students. Saddling them with debt is not the answer.”

For more information on the strike visit www.freeeducation-montreal.org

The first bullet in former Governor Romney recently released

educational policy (A Chance for Every Child: Mitt Romney’s Plan for Restoring the Promise of American Education) is to “allow low income and special needs students to choose which school to attend.“ For Governor Romney, school choice for low income students combines market-based policy with concern for the poor, a sleigh of hand that George Orwell predicted in 1984.

The proposed benefits of school choice can easily be tested with data because choice rules higher education, with the clearest choice between for-profit schools, where the business model is supposed to promote good education at low cost, and not-for-profit schools, where entrenched faculty supposedly thwart education.

As the choice model predicts, for-profit schools are the fastest growing segment in higher education. According to a 2011 Harvard University study, enrollment in for-profit post-secondary schools increased by more than 100 fold to almost 2 million students over the past 4 decades. For-profit institutions now enroll over 9% of students in higher education.

In another study, this research group from Harvard also found that the schools with funding from Federal student loan programs charge higher tuition than similar schools without access to Federal student loans. Tuition at for-profit schools is more than double the tuition and fees at state colleges and universities. Almost all costs at for-profit schools is paid from government grants and loans.

Loan default rates at for-profit schools is also high, more than the double default rates at not-for-profit schools. According to the Pew Charitable Trust, for-profit schools receive about 25% of all Federal Pell Grants and Loans and account for almost ½ of student loan defaults.

Grants, loans and loan defaults would be much higher if not for Federal law requiring that at least 10% of total student revenue comes from private sources. Even 90% coverage by grants and loans underestimates the federal dollars that go to for-profit schools because they are allowed to count tuition assistance for service veterans and the G.I. Bill as private funds towards the 10% minimum.

For-profit schools target service veterans because they can leverage G.I. funds to get more Federal funding for other students. According to a NY Times report (NYT, “For-Profit Colleges, Vulnerable G.I.’s” 9/21/2011), “between 2006 and 2010, the money received in military education benefits by just 20 for-profit companies soared to an estimated $521.2 million from $66.6 million.”

The business model clearly works for the businesses in for-profit education, but it does not work very well for their students.

The previously cited Harvard study of for-profit schools concluded that, “for-profit students end up with higher unemployment and “idleness” rates and lower earnings six years after entering programs than do comparable students from other schools.”

MA Attorney General, Martha Coakley, and officials in other states are investigating claims of false promises and other recruiting violations. Many for-profit schools budget as much for recruiting as they do for instruction.

The abuses of for-profit schools have attracted the attention of the Federal government as well. President

Obama signed an Executive Order to stop recruiting abuses at for-profit schools that aim at veterans. The U.S. Department of Education has instituted sanctions at for-profit schools with high default rates, including suspending them from the student loans program. Similar to new banking regulations, several bills have been proposed in Congress to force for-profits to provide some share of student aid from their own funds.

Contrary to Mr. Romney’s claim that school choice will lead to efficiency in education, market based incentives based on school choice led the for-profits in higher education to the easiest way to make a buck: collecting government funds from bilking the public.

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7

Marie Ardito, Co-founderMassachusetts Retirees Unitedwww.retireesunited.org

Retiree Corner

7

SENIOR SEMINARS

Protecting Your Nest Egg Two hour free seminar, presented by Elder Law Attorney Mary Howie deals with should you have a will or a trust. Trusts (irrevocable and revocable) gifting, Medicare Qualifying Trusts, probate, joint tenancy, direct transfers upon death, aid and attendance, and much more.

When: Saturday June 23, 10 - NoonWhere: Presidential Park, Unit 105, 214 Main Street (Rt. 38), Wilmington

To register email Marie at mardito@retireesunited.org or call 1-617-482-1568 and leave your name (please spell last name) a phone # and the number who will be attending. You are registered unless you hear differently. No return phone call will be made unless you have a question or need directions.

Important Information for Active Employees

If you have creditable service that you have not purchased and that you are eligible to receive it is imperative that you begin the process at once. On April 2, 2013 the interest rate will increase to 8.25% making the cost of buying back this service substantially more.

If you need aren’t sure whether or not you are eligible to buy back ser-vice, Visit www.mass.gov/mtrs/.

June 2012

Retirement Questions—Answered

TheGolden AppleShannon ReillySpecial education teacher, Vining Elementary School, Billerica, MA

SPECIAL BOND Shannon Reilly with her father—and inspiration—Joe, a chef and instructor at the Merrimack Special Education Collaborative.

This month’s column is on a couple of issues important to those still

working and those retired. As you know MRU was responsible for the passage of a bill that increased by $15,000 the amount a person may make in a public service job when retired. The law states one has to be retired one year to make use of the increase. It should not be necessary to clarify what constitutes a year. However recently the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) provided guidance to the 106 retirement systems in the Commonwealth.

Here is a chart explaining PERAC’s guidelines:

Date of Retirement Date Eligible to EarnAdditional $15,000Retired before or on 4/1/2011 Eligible to earn: 4/2/2012Retired between 4/2/2011 & 12/31/2011 Eligible to earn: 1/1/2013Retired between 1/1/2012 & 12/31/2012 Eligible to earn: 1/1/2014Retired between 1/1/2013 & 12/31/2013 Eligible to earn: 1/1/2015Retired between 1/1/2014 & 12/31/2014 Eligible to earn:1/1/2016

If you look at some of these dates. some people would have almost a two-year wait until they can exercise what the law states they need only a year to use. You calculate what you can earn on a calendar year not a contract year. It is obvious that PERAC feels you should skip one complete calendar year in order to be eligible for the benefit. That is not what the law stated; it said retired for one year. If this will adversely affect you, contact your local Representative and Senator and ask them why PERAC can impose a longer waiting period than the law states. Ask them to do what they can to see that the law is implemented as written not as PERAC interprets it should be implemented.

The next issue is that any teacher still working, who has any creditable service they wish to purchase (buy back), go to the MTRS website www.mass.gov/mtrs/ and read about the various forms of creditable service. If you qualify for any, download the appropriate form and start the buy-back process immediately. Some ask me what I mean by buy-back? Up until the time you retire you are the only one contributing to your retirement. Neither the community

you work for, nor the Commonwealth, contributes anything to your fund. If your salary this year was $70,000 and you are under retirement plus, you paid $7,700 to get credit for this year of service. If you have any of the forms of creditable service listed, or you have regular service that you rendered in the past but took the money out for it, you have to buy it back or make an initial purchase. It is imperative that you begin the process ASAP as the interest rates on such purchases is over doubling on April 2, 2013 to 8.25%. To avoid the increase you must have your paper work into the MTRS by that date. This summer is the perfect time to begin the process.

Another question I am often asked is does it pay to buy back service? The service you would be buying back for the most part will be less expensive than what you just paid for this present year of service and it is still a year of service. The only ones who should not buy-back are those who never want to retire or are at 80% without the service. You do not buy-back what you will never use. Contact me at mardito@retireesunited.org with any questions you may have.

What my dad did for me is something very hard for me to

write about. My dad has done many things for me throughout my life, but one of the most important things he did for me was to introduce me to an amazing group of individuals that I ended up falling in love with and making a career out of working with them.

My dad works very hard to provide for and support his family and is amazing at it. If my brother and I ever asked for anything when we were younger, he would try his best to get it for us. He basically did what most parents try to do for their children, and show them an endless amount of love.

My dad is a chef instructor at Merrimack Special Education Collaborative in Billerica and has been for many years. My dad used to always share stories about events that would happen at his work and at times I would go and visit while he was working. I always had a strong relationship with my dad growing up, but it got stronger when I began to volunteer with children with special needs.

I never knew why my dad would get up at 4:45 in the morning and drive 45 minutes to work every day but then I got it, I got the education bug! People have always said that I remind them of my dad or that we look similar—little do they know we have more in common than meets the eye. My dad has always inspired me to

follow my dreams and that is exactly what I did

I never understood what my dad did everyday and why he loved his job as much as he did until I worked at a summer camp after my junior year of high school. The students that I worked with were individuals with a variety of special needs. The first day of camp changed my life forever. From that day on, with my dad’s support, I began to look at colleges with special education programs.

Throughout my four years of college in Maine, my dad was always just a phone call away if I had any questions about a situation I had been in or a lesson I wanted to teach a group of students. My dad is the reason I am the person—and the

teacher I am today.My dad is an amazing man. He

gives individuals the opportunity to learn skills in the kitchen that they might not otherwise be taught. He is patient, kind and celebrates the small successes in life with his students. I remember growing up and visiting my dad’s work and thinking maybe I could do this someday. My dad has shown me many things growing up but the most important thing he showed me was how to be patient and caring. I am a special education teacher because I have had one of the best teachers guiding me my whole life. My dad is the reason I am a special education teacher and loving what I do every day.

Getting Started with Community Engagement

Map your communityIdentify leaders and organizations—church, advocacy and community groups—that are active in your city and town.

Recruit ambassadorsNo doubt, members of your local are already active in the community. Recruit some volunteers to serve as ambassadors and talk about the role that teachers and their union can play in strengthening the community.

ListenThe organizations and community leaders you reach out to will have plenty to say about their goals. Listening to what they have to say will help you identify key areas of potential partnership.

Show your supportConsider sponsoring or contributing to events organized by community groups. This is an easy way to raise the union’s visibility and begin to form relationships with local organizations.

Broaden your visionToo often, teachers unions are invisible in their communities except at contract time. By demonstrating your support for issues that the community cares about, you can begin to build a powerful alliance.

Be patientForming relationships takes time and ef-fort, especially where there may be linger-ing mistrust. Don’t get discouraged and keep the lines of communication open. Your efforts will pay off in the long run.

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“The perception has been that the teachers union comes around when it’s time for a contract—otherwise we’re invisible,” says Duncan. “We have to change that.”

Healing a rift Outside groups that advocate for

corporate-style education reform certainly understand the importance the unions’ relationship with the communities in which they are based. Groups like Stand for Children, the force behind a controversial ballot question that would eliminate most workplace protections for teachers, make a point of exploiting divisions between the unions and community organizations, particularly in urban areas.

Ruth Harrington, a teacher at Lowell High School, observes that groups Stand try to spread the perception that teachers don’t advocate for anyone but themselves. “The real truth of the matter is, though, that we’re all on the same team. Teachers, parents, businesses, immigrant groups, churches—we’re all on Team Lowell when it comes to advocating for our children,” says Harrington. She chalks at least some of the misperception up to a communications challenge. “Some of our members don’t know about the innovative programs that are offered in the schools here.”

Signing onIn Lawrence, Lynn and beyond,

teachers who’ve begun reaching out to parents and community leaders, are finding that the initial

The Community ChallengeContinued on page 8

effort is well worth it. “Wherever we go, we get the same reaction,” says Ada Fuentes, who is part of the public education organizing project led by Massachusetts Jobs with Justice. “Particularly in immigrant communities, people really admire and respect teachers, and they’re excited that the teachers union wants to work with them to make the schools better and the community stronger. Fuentes adds that they also understand that the corporate-led effort to privatize the public schools is not to their benefit. “Charter schools don’t want English Language Learners because they’re too expensive and they drag down the all important test scores. People get that,” says Fuentes, who attended public schools in Chelsea and East Boston. A growing number of immigrant groups appear willing to state their opposition to the corporate education agenda publicly. An open-letter urging Stand for Children to withdraw its ballot question attracted signers from the largest, most prominent immigrant organizations in the state, including the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

“The perception has been that the teachers union comes around when it’s time for a con-tract—otherwise we’re invisible. We have to change that.”Brant Duncan, president, Lynn Teachers Union

Challenge ahead In Lawrence, the recent

community forum produced nearly a dozen concrete ideas about how best to build a partnership between teachers, parents and the city that they love. Among the most intriguing of these is Teach Lawrence, a teacher development program that will encourage students to become teachers, providing them with tutoring and mentoring from the time they enter the Lawrence Public Schools through their careers as teachers.

Teacher Jineyda Tapia proposed a union-sponsored training for parents to help them understand how the school system works. “It would really empower the parents,” said Tapia, recounting her own experience as a translator for her mother at official school meetings. “She was more than willing to go and speak but she had no idea how to communicate with the school system.”

Despite the air of enthusiasm at the gathering, all of the participants—teachers, parents, students and local community leaders—were under no illusion about the difficulty of the task before them. “Some of this process is going to have to be uncomfortable,” teacher Eliana Martinez told the crowd. “But the only way we’re going to move mountains is if we’re all pushing the same mountain.” She urged other teachers in the audience to make community engagement their new part-time job. “Start talking to your friends and neighbors.