MEMORANDUM

Memo To:   All Buffalo Teachers

From:         Philip Rumore, President, BTF

Date:          September 23, 2020

Subject:     Updates

As per the BTF Constitution and By-Laws, the following change was approved by the Executive Committee. It will be forwarded to the BTF Council of Delegates and by this email is being posted (Click Here). It does not change any other sections and procedures contained in the Constitution and By-Laws.

We have scheduled a virtual Council of Delegates meeting for Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 7:00 pm at which time we will vote on it, discuss the many other issues confronting us, as well as actions we are taking to address them.

A separate correspondence with instructions will be sent to members of the Council of Delegates.

Multiple Lesson Plans
The BTF contract states, XI, P., “Teachers shall not be required to make two different sets of lesson plans for the same preparation to be submitted regularly to members of the administration” (pg. 23).

If you believe you are being required to do so, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the details.

We will be grieving this.

Student Attendance
The BTF contract states, X, P., “Teachers shall only be required to maintain one attendance form, as per present practice” (pg. 19).

If you are being required to maintain attendance in a way different from what you had been prior to the implementation of virtual instruction, please email, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the details.

We will be grieving this.

Overages
The Overage Claim for the 2020-2021 school year is now available on our website, www.btfny.org (Click Here). It can be found under Member Information. Be sure to print and keep your Attendance Register from Infinite Campus. Claims may be submitted after the first semester ends. Please contact you LRS for assistance in submitting the claim (Click Here).

Please stay well. Take no Chances.

PR:su

MEMORANDUM

Memo To:   All Buffalo Teachers

From:         Philip Rumore, President, BTF

Date:          September 24, 2020

Subject:     Judge's Decision

As, unfortunately anticipated, Judge Sedita ruled against our motion to prevent the District from forcing teachers now and students in the future from risking their lives in unsafe and unhealthy conditions in our schools. The District stated that no one in the schools has come down with the virus as proof of their position. We will not wait until someone dies to prove our schools are unsafe.

We will proceed with the grievance to arbitration and of course appeal his decision.

We will be filing legal papers on another issue next week.

Stay Tuned.

We will continue to fight and never give up until our schools are safe for you and our students.

Please stay well. Take no chances.

PR:su

MEMORANDUM

Memo To:   All Buffalo Teachers

From:         Philip Rumore, President, BTF

Date:          September 29, 2020

Subject:     Updates

BTF School /Site Health and Safety Assessment – Please Update
You have no doubt read and heard via the media that, according to the District, the schools/sites are all being sanitized and that all the school safety issues have been corrected.

We are hearing otherwise.

While I know that you are under tremendous pressure and being buried by much meaningless documentation, we would appreciate you taking the time to update the BTF School/Site Health and Safety Assessment. If you can complete it by Monday, October 5, 2020, that would be great. Any time after that will be fine. (Click Here)

We will, as we have, be using the information in our appeal, arbitration and other legal actions.

The photos and other information you have been sending will continue to be used. Thank you for taking the time to send it.

We will also be fighting the District’s directive to principals to not cooperate with teachers seeking information relating to the safe and healthful conditions in their buildings.

Many principals have been cooperative with their staff with this and other issues. That is real leadership. Unfortunately, many are not working cooperatively with their staff and are causing additional stress and problems.

Hiding COVID-19?
We continue to hear from schools/sites that they have not been informed of COVID cases related to their school/site.

Recently, a teacher working in a school was identified as having COVID-19.

Whether the teacher contracted it at school or not is not the issue.

Even if the teacher had contracted it or did not believe they had contracted it at the school, the staff and parents (when students return) should, within privacy guidelines, be notified that a person at the school/site has been identified with the virus.

The District, to avoid being accused of hiding the occurrence and instilling distrust, should notify staff and parents (especially when students are back) of the occurrence and that all precautions and procedures have been taken to ensure safety. Transparency breeds trust and confidence. Withholding information breeds anger and distrust.

Please notify us of any similar incidents by emailing, lThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Please stay well. Take no chances.

PR:su

MEMORANDUM

Memo To:   All Buffalo Teachers

From:         Philip Rumore, President, BTF
                   Mike Deely, Regional Staff Director
                   Paul Aroune, Learning Academy Coordinator

Date:          October 8, 2020

Subject:     Learning Academy: October 2020 Course Schedule 

NYSUT Member,

As your Statewide union, NYSUT has placed a strong emphasis on professional learning. We know you are continually looking for training opportunities relevant to your professional needs. With that in mind, we have created the NYSUT Western New York Learning Academy to provide our teacher and school-related professional members with high-quality seminars that will enhance your knowledge, give you the tools necessary to become the best that you can be within your profession and that satisfy the Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) hours requirement for teachers and Level III teaching assistants. These seminars offer a wonderful and valuable benefit for NYSUT members.

WE wish we could offer this professional learning in-person but until it is deemed “safe” we will be offering it through video conference.

The NYSUT Western New York Learning Academy has scheduled 1- hour, 2-hour and 3-hour seminars each month. Seminars from October to December will begin at 4:30 PM (except for the 10/7 and 10/27 seminars). The seminars were selected because of their broad appeal and their focus on the identified needs of teachers and school-related professionals in this area.

While the number of participants are limited for some offerings, you are welcome to attend as many seminars as you can fit into your schedule. NYSUT is absorbing the cost for the seminars as long as there are at least 10 participants. Seminars will not run with less than 10 registrants. Therefore, please consider your registration as your commitment to attend.

The NYSUT Western New York Learning Academy will be all on-line for the FALL of 2020. The Education & Learning Trust (ELT) will provide the instructors for the high-quality professional learning experience.

Registration for the seminars will be completed through Frontline Education. The hyperlink below will take you to the NYSUT WNY Learning Center seminar offerings.

https://elt.nysut.org/learning-centers/western-new-york

Participation will be on a first come/first serve basis. At the completion of the seminar, participants will be asked to complete an online evaluation. Once the evaluation is completed and paperwork is processed by ELT, you can then print out a CTLE certificate about two weeks after the training. Because these classes meet SED requirements for CTLE hours, the registration asks for a social security number.

We encourage you to take advantage of this great program.

In solidarity,

Michael Deely, Regional Staff Director (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Paul Aroune, Labor Relations Specialist (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Bernice Rivera, Education & Learning Trust (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

MEMORANDUM

Memo To:   All Buffalo Teachers; BTF School/Site Delegate Chairperson/Building Committee

From:         Philip Rumore, President, BTF

Date:          October 1, 2020

Subject:     BTF School/Site Health and Safety Assessment

As you know, we recently sent the link to our BTF School/Site Health and Safety Assessment to all teachers.

Unfortunately, some of the teachers from the same school had different information and submitted different responses based on the information they received.

Therefore, we request that no further BTF School/Site Health and Safety Assessments be submitted by individual teachers and that the survey be submitted by the Delegate Chairperson/Building Committee. If you are in a school/site in which you have no representatives, you can of course submit one and note that it is the situation.

We realize that with the District’s directive to principals telling them to refuse to provide teachers with information, it is difficult to obtain the information. Having the Building Delegate/Building Committee send one document will assure there is more accurate reporting.

The information will be used in our legal proceedings.

Please try to have your response to us by October 13, 2020.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

PR:su

MEMORANDUM

Memo To:   All Buffalo Teachers

From:         Philip Rumore, President, BTF

Date:          October 16, 2020

Subject:     District Teacher Survey

The District is apparently surveying teachers asking:

“As we prepare for a possible reopening scenario, if it is determined that we bring back our special education students first, would you be willing to work in the building 5 days per week?

Yes
No”

We advise teachers to leave this blank as it provides no information relating to the safety and health sanitization conditions and procedures that will be in effect, number of students, expectations, etc.

If ordered to answer, indicate you are doing so under protest as you have been ordered to do so and advise BTF, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and your LRS.

You can advise your administrators that you have been so advised by the BTF.

We all want to be back with our students; however, as outlined in our October 2nd and 9th correspondence to the Superintendent and Board, under conditions all agree are safe for our students, parents, staff and community.

PR:su