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Issue: 18
Mary Masterson, Editor
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January 26 2017
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Dear Activist,
It's working. You've sent more than 800,000 emails to senators, and called their offices more than 32,000 times, demanding that they reject Betsy DeVos' nomination to be secretary of education.
Now the Senate Education Committee has delayed their vote. Senators are being inundated with your emails and calls, and they're looking more closely at DeVos' clear and demonstrated lack of knowledge of public education, and at her concerning ethics disclosures.
If you haven't taken action yet, now is the time. If you've already contacted your senators, it's time to contact them again. Here's the plan:
- Step 1: Email your senators. Keep up the drumbeat that DeVos is completely unqualified to be put in charge of our nation's schools.
- Step 2: Call your senators at 1-855-882-6229. Make sure they feel the pressure in Washington and in their district offices.
- Step 3: Share this post on Facebook. Spread the word that you don't want DeVos to be confirmed, and ask your friends to contact their senators, too.
Thanks for stepping up. Your voices are being heard, and you are making a huge difference.
Mary Kusler
Senior Director, NEA Center for Advocacy
The Senate confirmation vote is set for
Tuesday January 31st.
Keep up the pressure!
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HCT Members Speak Out Against DeVos
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The March on Washington
by Justina Ketyer
Last Saturday before dawn, dozens of educators from Nassau and Suffolk Counties boarded a NYSUT-sponsored bus headed for the Women's March on Washington in DC. HCT President Tom Glenn and I were among them.
While the mission of the march was far-reaching--to protect women's rights, safety, health, and families--my purpose was more focused. I went to voice my opposition to the appointment of Betsy DeVos as United States Secretary of Education.
Michigan billionaire and charter school advocate DeVos drew attention during her confirmation hearings recently for her alarming lack of qualifications for the position. She is a staunch proponent of school vouchers and contributed to the largely unregulated growth of charter schools in Michigan. Charters draw funds away from public schools and have not been proven more effective than traditional public schools.
The march was an eye-opening experience for me due to its scope and size. The crowd represented groups supporting a wide range of issues including environmental protection, gender and income equality, freedom of speech, public education, immigration, labor unions, LGBTQ rights, health care, and women's reproductive rights. Despite the dizzying crowds (experts estimate about 470,000 people attended) the atmosphere there was overwhelmingly peaceful and positive.
I'm thankful to NYSUT for organizing the trip and allowing me to be part of history. I am proud to have spoken up for our profession and the future of public education and unions in this country. At this time, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand have stated they will vote against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos. Schumer said, "She would decimate our public education system if she were confirmed." Unfortunately, only a simple majority is needed to confirm her. The Senate votes on January 31st without the second round of questioning requested by some Democratic senators.
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HCT Standing United
by Tricia Wilson-Lord
"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided."
- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
As I joined the 2.6 million women, men, and children from all over the world who had gathered peacefully to march this past Saturday, I was filled with the hope that we will one day become a UNITED States again. We gathered for different reasons reflecting our individuality. Although our country's history may not extend as far back as that of some other nations, the improvements we have made for each of our citizens to live in freedom has been more progressive and readily accepted than in most other areas of the world. Let's hope our predecessors who fought so boldly for women's rights, civil rights, racial equality, religious freedom, and the right of all citizens to have a free public education, would have been proud of our generation as we strive to preserve these hard-fought human rights.
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HCT Negotiations Update
The
Negotiating Team, comprised of
Amanda Mayr (1st VP, HHS),
Chad Wyman (HHS),
Rob Morris (Woodland, building rep),
Sara Smith (HMS, building rep), and
Tom Glenn (President) conducted several productive meetings to date. Included in those meetings was NYSUT Labor Relations Specialist Peter Lanzo, who has been and will continue to be an integral part of the process. Peter will be included in all stages of negotiations and works continually as a liaison between the HCT and NYSUT. He and the staff at NYSUT provide an invaluable service in the form of interpreting the documents and information the district is lawfully required to provide for us prior to sitting down formally.
At the latest meeting held at the HCT office on the evening of Wednesday January 18th, 2017, the Negotiating Team addressed its initial proposal items. The priorities were derived as a result of the diligence of the Contract Planning Team 's compilation of the negotiations surveys.
The team worked diligently with Peter Lanzo, NYSUT Labor Relations Specialist, to develop and draft the initial proposal which will be used to open formal negotiations with the district. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday January 31, 2017 where the team will formalize initial proposals.
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THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
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THE "CON-CON COUNTDOWN"
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HCT Family Movie Day
The Lego Batman Movie
Saturday, February 11, 2017
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Support a Hickville Colleague!
Vote in KJOY's "Teacher of the Month" Contest
Every day from now
until January 31, 2017
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Will Preparation Day
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
A representative of
NYSUT Legal Services will be in the HCT office to assist HCT members in the completion of a
Legal Security Package. There are
limited spots available. If you would like to schedule an appointment, please email the office at
hicksville_teachers@verizon.net.
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