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Thread: Parents urge contract changes on BTF

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    Member steven's Avatar
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    Parents urge contract changes on BTF

    The bitter sniping that has been brewing between some parents and the Buffalo Teachers Federation turned uglier Thursday as parents demanded the union concede to some changes in its contract that are more than cosmetic.


    About 30 protesters stationed themselves outside BTF headquarters at Niagara Street and Porter Avenue to insist the union surrender a rider in its contract that provides free cosmetic surgery for Buffalo teachers. The more than $9 million in taxpayer funds used to pay for those surgeries over the past two years could be applied, instead, to the cost of covering sorely needed after-school programs in the district, parents contended.


    "With $9 million, we can fund an after-school program in every failing school in the district," said Samuel Radford III, who led Thursday's rally.

    Radford, the president of the District Parent Coordinating Council, and BTF President Philip Rumore have been trading barbs over whether teachers or parents are largely to blame for high drop-out rates and low student performance in the district. Radford has expressed frustration both with the union and the School Board over the state's suspension of $5.6 million in funds targeted for persistently low achieving schools in the district because both parties have been unable to settle on a teacher-evaluation plan that is acceptable to the state.

    Meanwhile, Radford distributed copies of a memorandum of understanding that he said the District Parent Coordinating Council is requesting the School Board formally negotiate with the teachers union.

    The proposed agreement would allow for a change in the contract that currently requires the district to select coaches from within the ranks of the teachers union. The change would expand the candidate pool to include those who are not certified teachers but who possess other training and experience in specific coaching areas.

    "Right now ... you have to be a certified teacher to be a coach. You don't have to know anything about the sport. You don't have to be a certified coach to be a coach in [the school district]," Radford said.

    "Sometimes, the difference between whether a child succeeds in school or not is not [due to] the teachers; it's the coach."

    He added that if the coach is somebody who doesn't know anything about the sport, have any expertise i the sport and "really may be doing it [only] for some extra money," then the pool of candidates should be opened to someone who knows the sport.

    Barry Davis was among a few prospective coaches in various sports and extracurricular activities who attended Thursday's protest. Davis, a chess coach, said he is an assistant to the coach-in-standing at Bishop Timon-St. Jude Catholic High School and performs coaching duties for the University at Buffalo Chess Club on the UB North Campus.

    "I teach a nice, large group of children at School 74 in Hamlin Park and I'm trying to go through the process of peeling the layers back so that, perhaps, [we can] do this thing throughout the inner city, because our children really need this kind of instruction and mentorship from people who are qualified," Davis said.

    Asked his opinion of the BTF certified coaches currently working in the Buffalo Public Schools, Davis replied: "They're artful administrators, great organizers but in this particular area, there are few that have the expertise to do it, and I'm one of the few."

    Rumore said coaches are welcome to apply for positions, as long as they're district-certified. "If they want to get a job with the [Buffalo] Board of Education, they should get certified and apply for a job," he said.

    Radford maintained that the union would consider signing the memorandum of understanding proposed by the District Parent Coordinating Council, if the union genuinely cared about students instead of being concerned about their own interests.
    http://www.buffalonews.com/city/comm...icle798201.ece
    People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.

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    Repeatedly, over and over, the teacher's union has maintained that this is an item for negotiation. We are more than willing to sit down and negotiate a contract. When will the board agree? I don't know, ask them. They were elected after all.

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    Member Frank Broughton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Genoobie View Post
    Repeatedly, over and over, the teacher's union has maintained that this is an item for negotiation. We are more than willing to sit down and negotiate a contract. When will the board agree? I don't know, ask them. They were elected after all.
    Negotiate, you are criminals for having it!
    The above is opinion & commentary, I am exercising my 1st Amendment rights as a US citizen. Posts are NOT made with any malicious intent.

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    BTW, did you read the article? There are very few employees that take advantage of this. Perhaps the criminals are the doctors offering the procedures. Why don't you go after them? I personally have never had plastic surgery or used the cosmetic rider. How does one run up $4.5M per year? Which doctors are permitting this? We should go after them. But hey, that's private enterprise, can't touch that right Frank?

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    Member Bannister's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Broughton View Post
    Negotiate, you are criminals for having it!
    Good grief (insert eye rolling smiley here).
    1 Corinthians 13:1 "If I speak in the languages of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

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    Quote Originally Posted by Genoobie View Post
    Perhaps the criminals are the doctors offering the procedures. Why don't you go after them? I personally have never had plastic surgery or used the cosmetic rider. How does one run up $4.5M per year? Which doctors are permitting this? We should go after them. But hey, that's private enterprise, can't touch that right Frank?
    If a fat kid eats to much sweets we should go after the ice cream man?
    People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.

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    Missed the point. Let me give you an example. I left engineering to work as a teacher. This year, after working for the district for 8 years, I will be making the salary I was making in 2001 (and don't give me the BS about "vacation" because by this point I would have earned 4 weeks plus holidays). I agreed to leave engineering because there was this thing called a contract that I agreed to. Now that contract was broken and our wages were frozen from 2004-2007. So the contract was broken. A new contract hasn't been negotiated in nearly 10 years. There is a court battle that is still being fought to restore the steps from the wage freeze. If that court battle were to go in our favor I would concede that the cosmetic rider should simply be eliminated. But until the results of that battle are known, I won't "give up" a darn thing. You want me to give something up? Every year I give up $5K that was agreed to when I entered this field! So I am giving...EVERY YEAR.

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    Member Frank Broughton's Avatar
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    Contract? If you love something and are good at it and do it for a cause, why do you need a contract?
    The above is opinion & commentary, I am exercising my 1st Amendment rights as a US citizen. Posts are NOT made with any malicious intent.

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    Member Frank Broughton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bannister View Post
    Good grief (insert eye rolling smiley here).
    Dizzy today.... get hit in the head?
    The above is opinion & commentary, I am exercising my 1st Amendment rights as a US citizen. Posts are NOT made with any malicious intent.

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    I believe the Buffalo Teachers work in an enviroment that is the most difficult when comparing suburban to the urban system educationally. The dynamics are polar opposite. It is my understanding that truly the teachers voices are not being heard because the UNIONS are the ones who are doing all of the talking and the negotiating. I believe that if the unions listened to the teachers, it would be a different outcome. Using the cosmetics rider for negotiating purposes is disingenuous. Rumour & Hernandez should remove themselves from their positions and get someone else to speak for the teachers and the children. Their perspectives are out of touch.

    The contracts should be settled, to continue this battle only costs the taxpayers and as this battle continues, the district is losing wonderful teachers.

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    I believe the Buffalo Teachers work in an enviroment that is the most difficult when comparing suburban to the urban system educationally. The dynamics are polar opposite.
    I agree. How do you teach kids when the parent don't push them to attend in the first place? That is why when the teachers didn't want the absent students factored into their reviews I wouldn't blame them.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Broughton View Post
    Contract? If you love something and are good at it and do it for a cause, why do you need a contract?
    Good, so I'll tell my bank that I don't have to pay the mortgage. They have lots of money and are good at doing that so I don't really have to honor my agreement. Are you really that simple? I am excellent at what I do. My numbers are among the best in state. I teach because I am passionate about sharing my understanding of my content. However, we live in this thing called a "society" Frank. Last I checked, just loving something wasn't enough to participate in this society. You are beginning to sound a bit like a hippy...

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    Quote Originally Posted by shortstuff View Post
    I believe the Buffalo Teachers work in an enviroment that is the most difficult when comparing suburban to the urban system educationally. The dynamics are polar opposite. It is my understanding that truly the teachers voices are not being heard because the UNIONS are the ones who are doing all of the talking and the negotiating. I believe that if the unions listened to the teachers, it would be a different outcome. Using the cosmetics rider for negotiating purposes is disingenuous. Rumour & Hernandez should remove themselves from their positions and get someone else to speak for the teachers and the children. Their perspectives are out of touch.

    The contracts should be settled, to continue this battle only costs the taxpayers and as this battle continues, the district is losing wonderful teachers.
    I have been on the fence regarding my position in the district as I have other skills and could readily find gainful employment elsewhere. In fact, I was offered a job but it was 40 minutes away and at the time I didn't feel like relocating. If there were no wage freeze, I would give up the rider in a minute. At this point with the wage freeze and the constant harping on the district, I have no problem using the rider as a bargaining tool. This opinion is shared by many teachers. Many teachers are willing to negotiate and the union is listening to the teachers (as the voting for the APPR went to the building level and was voted on by all the staff).

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    Quote Originally Posted by Genoobie View Post
    I have been on the fence regarding my position in the district as I have other skills and could readily find gainful employment elsewhere. In fact, I was offered a job but it was 40 minutes away and at the time I didn't feel like relocating. If there were no wage freeze, I would give up the rider in a minute. At this point with the wage freeze and the constant harping on the district, I have no problem using the rider as a bargaining tool. This opinion is shared by many teachers. Many teachers are willing to negotiate and the union is listening to the teachers (as the voting for the APPR went to the building level and was voted on by all the staff).
    I don't mean to sound out of line but by what you just stated is the very reason then that you are in the position you are in. To actually admit that it is the teachers who are using this as a negotiating tool is inappropriate at best. Therefore, I would take that job offer if I were you.

    Frank does seem to have a better handle on the mood swing actually after what you just posted.

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    Member Frank Broughton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Genoobie View Post
    Good, so I'll tell my bank that I don't have to pay the mortgage. They have lots of money and are good at doing that so I don't really have to honor my agreement. Are you really that simple? I am excellent at what I do. My numbers are among the best in state. I teach because I am passionate about sharing my understanding of my content. However, we live in this thing called a "society" Frank. Last I checked, just loving something wasn't enough to participate in this society. You are beginning to sound a bit like a hippy...
    haha hippy eh? I do not think I have enough hair anymore to qualify. I still stand on my words. You need a contract to do what you do, why? Why you need that criminal Union at all?
    The above is opinion & commentary, I am exercising my 1st Amendment rights as a US citizen. Posts are NOT made with any malicious intent.

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