last week the ssc budget and site plan committees were provided and
introduction to possible funding from the avid and gear up programs. at
those two meetings the principal stated before we would move forward on
these programs , we would need total buy in from faculty and staff and
the school community. questions regarding specifics and requirements
for our site and faculty/staff were never spelled out with requested
specifics. the areA of the coordinators were questioned to insure they
would not become another layer of teacher requirements, meetings and
additional management oversight into what we all believe our students
need to be successful learners.
at our current ongoing ssc site plan committee meetings students,
parents, faculty and staff have been writing a site plan , which we
believe more effectively empowers parents and students ,and through the
shared decision making process provides teachers through grade level
and department teams to address the immediate needs and abilities of
our students to meet the rigorous academic requirements they now must
meet. at this time we have had no conversation through the ubc/adm
about these principal proposed programs and the policies, staffing and
timeline requirements within our contract, nor has the ssc been
provided with the specifics of these programs that would warrant our
needlessly approving them without knowing the full facts and what this
will entail for our students, faculty and staff. the ssc has not even
been provided information about this program at a regularly scheduled
ssc meeting to even consider whether it is appropriate or meets the
needs of our school site to meet our academic goals.
as those veteran teachers who remain at this site remember, over seven
years ago our site was volunteered to be apart of a reading program
that would supposedly bring in approximately 100,000 to our site. the
result was the carbo reading program which was poorly instituted,
funded and for which faculty never received the training nor supplies
to make it successful. the result was our reading scores dropped and
our site came under state sanction which lead to three years of daily
meetings and painful paperwork requirements which took four years to
turn around. therefore we must beware of "greeks bearing gifts" and be
very careful what we agree to sign on to. this is not to say these
programs will not help our site, but we should not be rushed into
accepting these programs without fully knowing the specifics and
requirements of each.
until we receive the full information regarding these programs please
be careful and cautious about what is being offered or what you are
being asked to sign on to do. the future of our school site and the
safety and well being of our student population deserves a more
thoughtful review and investigation into each of these programs before
we make our decision as faculty and staff , as ubc/adm and as school
site community through the school site council. anything else may
possibly lead to a future we may soon regrat.
please request to see all the information and requirements and through
grade level, department level teams, through the ubc and through the
ubc/adm and finally the school site council after all facts are known
then and only then make a decision.
sincerely,
james a. galgano
uesf local 61 building representative
