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Veterans: Speak Out for Veterans’ Issues! Join the Union Veterans Council.

Are you, or is one of your colleagues, a veteran? Become an advocate for all veterans, military families, and working men and women by signing up for Union Veterans Council action alerts. These alerts will keep you informed about important issues and events and let you know when your voice is needed to make a difference.

The Union Veterans Council brings together union leaders and union members who are veterans to speak out on veterans’ issues and influence public policy to improve the quality of life for U.S. veterans and their families. The two primary areas of focus for veterans are access to good jobs and access to quality healthcare.

While union veterans are encouraged to sign up, you don’t have to be a veteran to join the Union Veterans Council.  Anyone can show their support by joining the Union Veterans Council today.

This Veterans Day, honor the men and women who served our country by joining us and passing this message along to others who may be interested.

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School Board Meeting Update: 11/5/13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujK9OrCd21E&feature=c4-overview&list=UUhOyHPx3_l84v0k9zj-HTog

 

View the entire press conference here.

At the November 5, 2013 Caddo Parish School Board meeting, the Recovery School District revealed its Partnership Agreement with the Caddo Parish School Board. This “agreement,” among other things, essentially forces the Caddo Parish School board to close down Newton Smith 6th Grade Center and Linear Leadership Academy, and gives the Caddo Parish School Board the option to choose between contracting a management or charter corporation to have complete control of curriculum, hiring, and daily operations of Atkins, Midway, Fair Park, and Woodlawn, or having a service provider provide these services under the control of a CPSB appointed principal. If the Caddo Parish School Board chooses to do neither, the Recovery School District can take over, and do with these schools as they please.

The plan also encourages Caddo Parish to partner with “alternative certification teacher pipeline programs” (their words, not ours), and school board members explicitly mentioned Teach for America. Teach for America recruits recent college graduates to teach in classrooms for 2-3 year periods. Over 50% of all Teach for America teachers nationwide leave teaching after 2 years, and more than 80% leave teaching after 3 years. These teachers enter the classroom with only five weeks of teacher training, and absolutely no live classroom experience. School districts also pick up some of the costs of training these teachers, who replace qualified, certified, and experienced teachers in the nation’s toughest classrooms. That this plan wants to bring TFA into Caddo Parish is a slap in the face of Caddo Parish teachers. Instead of supporting Caddo’s excellent teachers, this new plan wants to PAY to train college graduates with no education experience to take the place of a certified, experienced teacher.

Red River United believes that students are best served by community controlled schools, and that the Caddo Parish School System is best equipped to raise academic standards. Red River United does not believe turning our students over to the RSD, a management corporation, a service provider, or a charter school corporation meets the promise of providing a quality public education to our students. This is a question of civil rights. All children deserve a stable, quality education. The RSD does not have a proven track record of turning around AU schools. Parents and students are demonstrating a lack of confidence in the RSD through participation in community actions and petitions.

Sign our community petition asking the RSDs to leave our public schools alone. Like our Reclaim Caddo Parish Facebook cause page, and check out links to articles about the RSD on the page. Remember, the threat of an RSD takeover is still lurking on the sidelines.

This is how Red River United proposes to improve Caddo Schools:

• Caddo should focus on creating K-8 models. They are stabilizing for students and have provided academic success in our district.

• Caddo should focus on choice. One area proven successful has been our programmatic magnet schools. These schools should be standalone, and not part of any existing school.

• Caddo should concentrate the focus on where we can be the most effective in overall student achievement – we should provide Pre-k for every student in our district, with wraparound services for at-risk youngsters.

• Caddo should focus on strong professional development for all of our teachers. TAP, for example, has proven successful in other districts and in Caddo Parish where it has been implemented in several schools.

• Caddo should focus on academic standards and disciplinary codes of conduct in all of our schools. Teachers cannot teach, and students cannot learn in an atmosphere full of disruption and discord.

• Caddo should be willing to reach out to the community, the public for their help and input. After all, it is the Public’s Education.

Red River United believes in the promise of a public education, which needs to be safeguarded against moves to undermine by outside corporations seeking to make a profit. What is the promise of public education? Public schools provide transportation to and from school, provide healthy breakfasts and lunches for our children, a clean and safe environment to learn, a certified classroom teacher, and a promise to provide services to ALL children, even those with special needs. These are all promises of public education. Will we be able to keep these promises once we have torn apart our Caddo Parish Schools, relinquished community control of our schools, and parsed control of our schools to private- monied and political interests?

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November 9 New Teacher Academy CANCELLED

The Saturday, November 9 New Teacher Academy has been CANCELLED. 

We will be broadcasting the class as a live webinar soon, so keep posted for updates.

 Red River United also offers after-hours tutoring on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays by appointment only. Call 318-424-4579 to schedule an appointment!

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

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PSRP Conference November 16: RSVP Now!

RSVP

(Click to RSVP)

Red River United’s local PSRP committee is hosting its local PSRP conference on November 16, 2013 from 9am – 2pm. All PSRPs in Caddo and Bossier Parishes, member or non- member, are invited to come!

 

We will have people from the Louisiana State Retirement systems, TSRL and LSERs, talk about and answer questions about retiring as a school employee. We will have people from our national affiliate talk to you about dealing with workplace bullying and workplace stress. We will have our RRU lawyer discuss and answer questions about your rights in the workplace and as a member of a union. Jackie Lansdale, the President of Red River United, will speak on what we are working on locally for PSRPs and answer questions that you might have, and Red River United staff will teach you about the resources and ways in which Red River United can help you advocate for yourself at your worksite. We have a fun and informative event, and want to fill our office.

If you want to RSVP or have any questions, please contact Summer Lollie via cell phone (318-453-1671) or email (slollie@redriverunited.org) or fill out this quick and simple form.

Red River United welcomes members to showcase and sell their products at this conference. Email redriverunited@redriverunited.org or call the office at 318-424-4579 if you are interested.

Don’t forget to attend our regularly scheduled PSRP committee meetings.  All PSRP committee meetings are scheduled the second Saturday of each month at 11 am at our office on 1726 Line Ave, Shreveport, LA 71105.

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Press Release for 11/5/13: Reclaiming the Promise of Caddo Parish

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jackie Lansdale – 318-424-4579

WHERE: Caddo Parish School Board Office – 1961 Midway Ave., Shreveport, LA 71130

WHEN: 4:00 PM Tuesday, November 5, 2013

WHO: Jackie Lansdale, President, Red River United

WHAT: RECLAIMING THE PROMISE OF CADDO PARISH – DOING WHAT WORKS – REJECTING WHAT DOESN’T – RED RIVER UNITED’S PLAN FOR CADDO PARISH.

On November 5, 2013 at 4:00 PM at the Caddo Parish School Board office on Midway Avenue, Red River United will be holding a press conference encouraging the Caddo Parish School Board to look beyond the Recovery School District (RSD) as a solution. Red River United believes that students are best served by community controlled schools, and that the Caddo Parish School System is best equipped to raise academic standards. Here is how we can improve our Caddo Schools:

  • Caddo should focus on creating K-8 models. They are stabilizing for students and have provided academic success in our district.
  • Caddo should focus on choice. One area proven successful has been our programmatic magnet schools. These schools should be standalone, and not part of any existing school.
  • Caddo should concentrate the focus on where we can be the most effective in overall student achievement – we should provide Pre-k for every student in our district, with wraparound services for at-risk youngsters.
  • Caddo should focus on strong professional development for all of our teachers. TAP, for example, has proven successful in other districts and in Caddo Parish where it has been implemented in several schools.
  • Caddo should focus on academic standards and disciplinary codes of conduct in all of our schools. Teachers cannot teach, and students cannot learn in an atmosphere full of disruption and discord.
  • Caddo should be willing to reach out to the community, the public for their help and input.  After all, it is the Public’s Education.

Red River United does not believe turning our students over to the RSD meets the promise of providing a quality public education to our students. This is a question of civil rights. All children deserve a stable, quality education. The RSD does not have a proven track record of turning around AU schools. Parents and students are demonstrating a lack of confidence in the RSD through participation in community actions and petitions.

What is the promise of public education? Public schools provide transportation to and from school, provide healthy breakfasts and lunches for our children, a clean and safe environment to learn, a certified classroom teacher, and a promise to provide services to ALL children, even those with special needs. These are all promises of public education. Will we be able to keep these promises once we have torn apart our Caddo Parish Schools, relinquished community control of our schools, and parsed control of our schools to private- monied and political interests?

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Local Member Discounts

paulaslogo

Paula’s Educational Supplies

http://shop.paulased.com/

302 Ockley Drive
Shreveport, LA 71105

Paula’s Educational Supplies is offering 15% discount for all Red River United

 

Across the Pond and Beyond – Tours to Ireland

This business was founded by a former teacher and RRU member. 

$100 off tours to Ireland for all Caddo and Bossier school employees. 

Information Brochure

Contact  318-658-3738 or brianonounain@hotmail.com for more information. 

More will be coming shortly!

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AFT Statement on NCTQ’s 2013 Teacher Evaluation Report

AFT Statement on NCTQ’s 2013 Teacher Evaluation Report

AFT’s Weingarten: “Policy must address what is actually happening on the ground, in classrooms.” WASHINGTON—Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the National Council on Teacher Quality’s report, “State of the States 2013—Connect the Dots: Using Evaluations of Teacher Effectiveness to Inform Policy and Practice.”

“Like the AFT, the National Council on Teacher Quality believes that for the Common Core State Standards to succeed, they need to be implemented properly, with alignment throughout the system, including teacher evaluations. But the AFT also believes that high-stakes consequences of student assessments should wait until the rollout of the standards is complete and successful.  We agree with NCTQ that special education teachers need special attention in their evaluations to ensure that all relevant measures are considered.

“There’s a real disconnect between what the ‘powers that be’ want to dictate or proclaim as success, and what classroom teachers and students actually need to be successful. This dissonance is surreal, and it’s why teachers and parents don’t trust policymakers. To really connect the dots between teaching quality and student performance, we must provide teachers with the support and resources they need to improve their instruction and meet the needs of all kids. Policy must address what is actually happening on the ground, in classrooms.

“This report shows that teacher evaluation systems in 35 states and the District of Columbia are driven by tests, requiring that student achievement results be a significant, or even the most significant, factor in teacher evaluations. Yet only 20 states and the District of Columbia require that teacher evaluation results be used to inform and shape professional development for all teachers. We have to stop test-centric evaluations and build systems that will actually improve teaching and learning.”

Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten: http://twitter.com/rweingarten

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Teachers, not formula, deserve praise, LFT says

Teachers, not formula, deserve praise, LFT says

(Baton Rouge – October 24, 2013) Today’s release of so-called school report cards by the State Department of Education affirmed what should have never been in question: Louisiana students reap the benefits provided by teachers dedicated to the education of children.

On the other hand, as to the value and validity of this political gimmick initiated by Jeb Bush, the report card evokes a quote from Shakespeare. The report card itself is “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” That is the verdict issued by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.

“These school letter grades won’t and will never tell us what we need to know about our schools,” said LFT President Steve Monaghan. “When Superintendent White said in his press release that changes in the formula used to compute the grades ‘have led to real increases in student achievement,’ he spoke the simple truth. He who controls the formula controls the fate of our public schools.”

In the past, Monaghan said, low-graded school report cards were used to justify seizure of schools by the Recovery School District and to make more children eligible for vouchers at private and religious schools.

“This adjustment to the formula to grade our schools is just the latest in a series of tweaks to the so-called education reforms of the last several years. It’s a cliché, but it’s true; this airplane is being built while fully loaded and in flight.”

Monaghan said that the imposition of a single letter grade on schools ignores the vast differences in school missions, populations and priorities.

“We use the same measuring stick for all schools, whether they are selective admission magnet schools rated among the best in the nation, or alternative schools for our most challenged students,” he said. “Note that these letter grades don’t distinguish among schools that are technology-oriented, language immersion, college prep or career-readiness.”

Just as student report cards reflect achievement in a variety of subjects, school report cards should tell the whole story of an institution’s standing by multiple measures, Monaghan said.

“A child comes home from school with grades in English, math, science, social studies and other subjects,” he said. “That gives parents an idea of where the student is doing well and where improvements are needed. This single grade stamped on a school tells the public very little.”

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has pushed for the creation of a learning environment index for each school. The index would not simply reflect test scores, but would assess and inform the public of the condition of school facilities, whether the school is safe and orderly, the health and economic vitality of the surrounding community, the availability of instructional materials in the school, teacher and staff retention, and the physical and emotional health of the student population.

“Stamping a label on a school does nothing to improve education,” Monaghan said. “Schools with a high letter grade learn nothing about their achievement. In those labeled F, children are stigmatized, teachers are frustrated and communities are defamed.”

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Know Your Rights! Your Weingarten Rights!

YOU HAVE RIGHTS ON THE JOB.

WHAT ARE WEINGARTEN RIGHTS? 

Weingarten rights guarantee an employee the right to Union representation during an investigatory interview. These rights, established by the Supreme Court, in 1975 in the case of J’. Weingarten Inc,, must be claimed by the employee. The supervisor has no obligation to inform an employee that s/he is entitled to Union representation.

If called to a meeting with a supervisor, repeat the following to administration when the meeting begins: “If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my union representative or worksite leader be present at this meeting. 

Without representation, I choose not to answer any questions.” 

 

What is an Investigatory Interview?

An investigatory interview is one in which a Supervisor questions an employee to obtain information which could be used as a basis for discipline or asks an employee to defend his/her conduct. If an employee has a reasonable belief that discipline or discharge may result from what s/he says, the employee has the right to request Union representation.

Examples of such an interview are:

  1. The interview is part of the employer’s disciplinary procedure or is a component of the employer’s procedure for determining whether discipline will be imposed.
  2. The purpose of the interview is to investigate an employee’s performance where discipline, demotion or other adverse consequences to the employee’s job status or working conditions are a possible result.
  3. The purpose of the interview is to elicit facts from the employee to support disciplinary action that is probable or that is being considered, or to obtain admissions of misconduct or other evidence to support a disciplinary decision already made.
  4. The employee is required to explain his/her conduct, or defend it during the interview, or is compelled to answer questions or give evidence.

An employee must state to the employer that he/she wants a Union representative present; the employer has no obligation to ask  the employee if she/he wants a representative.

 

Weingarten Rules

When an investigatory interview occurs, the following rules apply:

Rule 1 – The employee must make a clear request for Union representation before or during the interview. The employee can’t be punished for making this request.

Rule 2 – After the employee makes the request, the supervisor has 3 options. S/he must either:

 

  1. Grant the request and delay the interview until the Union representative arrives and has a chance to consult privately with the employee: or
  2. Deny the request and end the interview immediately; or
  3. Give the employee a Choice of: 1)having the interview without representation or 2) ending the interview

Rule 3 – If the supervisor denies the request and continues to ask questions, this is an unfair labor practice and the employee has a right to refuse to answer. The employee cannot be disciplined for such refusal but is required to sit there until the supervisor terminates the interview. Leaving before this happens may constitute punishable insubordination.

 

An employee has NO right to the presence of a Union representative where:

 

  1. The meeting is merely for the purpose of conveying work instructions, training, or communicating needed corrections in the employee’s work techniques.
  2. The employee is assured by the employer prior to the interview that no discipline or employment consequences can result from the interview.
  3. The employer has reached a final decision to impose certain discipline on the employee prior to the interview, and the purpose of the interview is to inform the employee of the discipline or to impose it.
  4. Any conversation or discussion about the previously determined discipline which is initiated by the employee and without employer encouragement or instigation after the employee is informed of the action.

Even in the above four (4) circumstances, the employee can still ask for representation. Most employers will permit a representative to attend even when not required to.

 

Source: UMass

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October BESE Meeting an Endurance Trial

Long meeting, disappointing results

At a marathon BESE meeting, members punted the Common Core controversy to local school boards and teachers, ignored educators’ requests for help with curricula and resources, and promised little relief from a flawed and unaccountable Value Added evaluation model.

October BESE meeting an endurance trial

The October meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was an endurance trial. Ever since BESE reduced its monthly meetings from two days of committee hearings to one, the agenda has been very crowded. The board’s current practice is to hold committee meetings on a Tuesday, during which all testimony is heard on agenda items. A full board meeting is then held on a Wednesday, when the full board votes on recommendations made by committees. The full board meetings generally conclude within a couple of hours, while committee meetings have been stretching late into the night. The October committee meetings strained everyone’s patience. A meeting on the controversial Common Core State Standards that was supposed to begin at 2:30 P.M. was three hours late getting started. Citizens who came expecting to speak were not allowed to begin their testimony until about 6: 30 P.M., and were limited to two minutes apiece. Even so, the meeting did not end until nearly 11 P.M. Parents who had traveled from as far away as Shreveport and spent the night in Baton Rouge waiting to speak were disappointed to learn that they would only be allowed to make brief comments. BESE President Chas Roemer said that board members travel the state and hold public meetings on issues, and voiced no support for a meeting schedule that is more convenient for the public.

Heated debate, little change on Value Added evaluation model

Several hours of sometimes heated discussion, the board decided to seek a new opinion on the validity of the Value Added Model formula and to increase training offered to educators about the model, but took no action on a request to investigate changes apparently made to some teachers’ value added scores. On the agenda was a request from BESE Member Lottie Beebe to create a panel of statisticians and mathematicians to determine if Louisiana’s Value Added formula is reliable and credible. LFT President Steve Monaghan asked, “Is the Value Added Model a valid instrument for measuring teacher effectiveness? Some respected mathematicians believe that Value Added formulae have margins of error better than 30 percent. If that is true, then it is simply wrong to judge our teachers, our schools and our students by such a shaky instrument.” The formula has been frequently criticized, and there have apparently been several behind the scenes adjustments made to the formula and to individual teacher’s scores. While Dr. Beebe recommended three qualified individuals to look into the formula, the board approved Roemer‘s substitute motion to instead seek a “third party” review of the formula. Dr. Beebe’s motion would have incurred no additional expense by BESE; it is unclear whether Roemer’s substitute will require a contract, or how much the review will cost. The board declined to act on Dr. Beebe’s request for a look into waivers of VAM scores that may have been granted to some teachers. Monaghan said that no written policies have been developed by the Department of Education to guide the issuance of waivers by anyone on either the state or local level. “Teachers evaluated under VAM have no way to legally challenge the scores imposed on them, and yet an unknown number of scores have apparently been either waived or otherwise adjusted,” Monaghan said. Even after LFT Legislative Director Mary-Patricia Wray pointed out that alterations to Teacher Effectiveness Ratings made by the state superintendent of education may violate the law, the board took no further action on the matter. On the agenda’s final Value Added item, Superintendent of Education John White conceded that more stakeholder training is needed. The board unanimously approved a motion to conduct more training in the future.

BESE shifts Common Core responsibility to local school boards

Turning a deaf ear to complaints that controversial Common Core State Standards are not being properly implemented in Louisiana, the state education board tried to deflect criticism by shifting responsibility for the standards to local school systems. The BESE action was contained in a hastily contrived agenda item that was not properly advertised, and will probably have to be reconsidered in order to be legally adopted. The board’s tweaks to Common Core rules were aimed at angry parents who fear that a national curriculum is being imposed. BESE members reaffirmed their commitment to Common Core, but did nothing to satisfy educators who said the state has been derelict in its duty to prepare teachers and students for more demanding curricula. “We believe that the ideas behind Common Core have merit,” LFT President Steve Monaghan said, “but like so many other education reforms that have been imposed recently, there has been a failure to prepare and provision our teachers, our children, and communities for the changes.” At a committee meeting Tuesday, BESE members listened to hours of testimony. Much of it came from parents who fear federal intrusion into schools. Comments favoring Common Core were given by corporate sponsors and some teachers who were asked leading questions by pro-CCSS board members. At Wednesday’s meeting of the full board, a new agenda item was introduced in response to the parental concerns. Part of that resolution says no curriculum can be forced on a local school system, “including any that may be recommended, endorsed or supported by any federal or state program or agency.” Instead, BESE intends to give local districts and teachers more autonomy in choosing textbooks and learning materials. That did not sit well with educators like Monaghan, who said from the start that BESE and the department of education have shirked their duty to prepare for more demanding course work. The LFT president pointed out that the state had promised to provide curriculum information as part of an agreement to waive some sections of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. BESE, he said, is “passing the burden on to teachers and schools.” The motion also guaranteed the public the right to review textbooks and other materials, and promised that student social security numbers won’t be used as test identification numbers. When audience members objected to a new agenda item being adopted without proper notification or a committee hearing, BESE President Chas Roemer said he believed the item was “germane” to the issues under discussion.

Charters approved over parental objections

Two charter school organizations that currently operate in Louisiana were given permission to open schools in Lafayette, East Jefferson and East Baton Rouge Parishes, despite parental and school board opposition. Lafayette parents and concerned citizens voiced opposition to decision, after the parish school board voted 8-2 to reject the charter applications at the local level. Lafayette Superintendent of Schools Pat Cooper spoke against his board’s decision. Cooper said the need for new facilities in Lafayette convinced him to support the charter expansion. Some Lafayette parents, however, said that voters are ready to pass a tax to cover the cost of new construction. The charter schools, they argued, will exclude the most needy children because of their geographic location and their “first come, first serve” enrollment style.

New rule favors private voucher schools

A new rule approved by BESE will allow non-public tuition organizations to advertise in ways that promote particular private schools. If the change goes into effect, it will overturn a current regulation prohibiting the promotion of a particular school over other qualified schools. The tuition organizations allow Louisiana taxpayers to get a 95% rebate on donations, which are sent to non-public schools on behalf of parents and students. The rebate has been controversial because of its cost to the state, and because the governor vetoed a similar measure that would have allowed rebates for donations to public schools. The new rule must still be published in the Louisiana Register and opened for public comment before it can go into effect.