Teachers Need A Single Voice In Consultation

Since the 1980’s I have been the chairman of the Houston Federation of Teacher’s Consultation Committee and have represented HFT in consultation with HISD since then. When I began doing consultation, HFT had one seat in the consultation meetings, the Congress of Houston Teachers had two, and the local TSTA affiliate had four. At that early time, HFT was already advocating a consultation process where the employees had the right to chose an exclusive representative. Just a few years earlier TSTA had been the exclusive representative until HFT and CHT were able to win their seats in a proportional election. In 1995, the last time an election was held, HFT won three seats and the CHT and TSTA each won one seat. Other organizations, while on the ballot, failed to win enough votes to earn a seat in consultation. Since the 1995 election HFT has almost doubled in size to nearly 7000 employees, the large majority being teachers, while the other organizations have seen a decline in membership. I’d be very surprised if one of those organizations had even 300 members. The way the current system works, it makes no difference how many seats an organization has, in practice each group is given an equal voice, equal opportunity to prepare an agenda, and an equal opportunity to be “the voice” of teachers. It is time to end the consultation system that gives an equal voice to all employee organizations. A system that allows a large unified voice to be undermined and fragmented by smaller, less diverse, and less representative groups. HISD employees need a single voice speaking on their behalf.

HFT asked the administration to present to the HISD Board of Trustees a proposal that would allow HISD employees to decide by ballot what type of consultation system they wished to have. The ballot would have contained two questions. First: Do you wish to have an exclusive consultation voice or continue with the current proportional system? Second: Which organization would you elect to be that exclusive voice? Each interested organization would appear on the ballot including a “no voice” choice. Obviously if the employees said no to exclusive consultation the results of the second vote would be moot. The Federation fully expected to win both of those votes. Organizing teachers to turn out and vote in elections is one of the things we do best. Despite our confidence in the eventual outcome, we are always seeking to increase employee unity. Last month the HFT Executive Council approved a proposal to the Congress of Houston Teachers, which would have ensured CHT a direct voice in consultation regardless of the outcome of the vote. Under this proposal CHT would have been given an advisory seat on the HFT Executive Council, a permanent place on the HFT Consultation Committee, and a permanent seat on the HFT consultation team in the monthly meetings with HISD administration. For reasons known only to them, the CHT governing board turned this proposal down allowing HISD to continue to play organized teachers against each other. Divide and conquer has been an effective strategy of the strong against the weak since the beginning of time.

It is sad that HISD Board President Larry Marshall has decided to pull this policy proposal from the agenda. He along with the other eight trustees owe their positions to the concerned citizens who have taken the time to go out and vote. All the Federation has asked HISD to do is to allow their employees to vote. Unfortunately Mr. Marshall and the majority of the board are unwilling to believe that their employees can responsibly exercise that most basic of all American privileges.

Andrew Dewey

Executive Vice-President

Houston Federation of Teachers

March 5, 2009 Consultation (addendum)

HOUSTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

Please add this to our previous agenda. We would like this item discussed first.

Buyout of reconstituted teachers.

Yesterday reconstituted teachers were told to take a buyout or be fired. Their last day of work will be March 31. HFT has about 25 impacted members. This is so illegal.

March 5, 2009 Consultation

HOUSTON FEDERATION OF TEACHERS

Please include the following to the March 5, 2009 Instructional Consultation agenda:

1. Summer School Pay/hours

During summer school, the special education department is only paying their employees for six hours of work (8:00 – 2:00) and expecting seven hours of work (7:30 – 2:30). Employees are required to be on duty when the buses arrive before 8:00 with the students and the buses do not arrive until well after 2:00 to take the students home. At the summer school orientation meeting last summer in the North Region, the person conducting the meeting stated that employees would just have to take turns staying with the children for the extra time. It was also stated that if anyone had a problem with it or “caused trouble”, they would be released to go home. We have to assume that this is the case with all regions, not just the North Region. It has also been suggested that the special education department should pay their employees their hourly wages as their duties have not changed from what is expected of them during the school year.

2. Health Screenings/School Nurses

The Federation applauds the Benefits Department’s efforts to improve employee health with the health screenings currently being conducted. We wonder however, why school nurses are expected to be part of the process? The nurses have absolutely nothing to do with the screenings as they are being conducted by an outside agency, yet nurses are expected to be the campus contact person to coordinate the screenings. We brought this very issue into consultation last year and had a commitment from the district that nurses would not be required to perform this function. On January 5, 2009 the benefits department sent a memo to principals where it was “recommended that school nurses be considered as campus administrators for this project.” When we protested, a new memo was issued stating that it was not required that nurses be the contact person but if they are “they can recruit others to help with the registration desk and other activities”. This actually gives the nurse the additional duty to line up other people.

Why is the Benefits Department recommending the assigning of extra duty to nurses? They already have full time jobs. Some principals are requiring nurses to be on duty early to assist in the setup of the screenings and then taking nurses from their regular duties to oversee registration. The regular duties don’t go away, they just get postponed until the nurse can get to them, usually on her own personal time. We request that nurses not be treated as a spare employee that can be thrown into any duty that may arise.

3. Nurses teaching ancillary classes.

Last month we were promised a letter would be sent to principals clarifying the number of ancillary classes that can be taught by a school nurse. Has the letter been sent

4. Terminations/Non-renewals

The Federation staff reports an unusual number of terminations and non-renewals this year? Is there some new Human Resource policy requiring principals to get rid of a certain percentage of teachers. What role do EVAS scores play in theses terminations/non-renewals? Are reconstituted teachers being targeted?

5. Ancillary Positions

What is the future of Art, Music, and P.E. in the elementary schools? We are getting reports that these positions are being closed in order to hire more TAKS tutors. Does the district still value these subjects?

6. Librarians

Recently one of or Librarian members had her position closed for the fifth time in six years. She was told the school needs to spend money on TAKS resources. What is the future of librarians in the schools? Do these employees need to find another line of work?

7. End of year packing

We have brought this into consultation before. Why are teachers required to pack up their classrooms at the end of the year only to unpack at the beginning of the next year? This is time consuming and physically demanding.