MEMORANDUM
Memo To: All Buffalo Teachers
From: Philip Rumore, President, BTF
Date: December 1, 2020
Subject: Changing Marks, Legal and Other Updates
Principals Changing Marks
We have been informed that principals are again changing students’/teachers’ grades. If this is being done at your school, please advise your LRS (Click Here) and advise the principal, in writing (email), that you would like the reasons for said change(s) in writing. If you wish, you can advise the administrator that you have been advised by BTF to do so.
Grading Policy
We have sent another correspondence to the Superintendent and Board regarding the grading policy (Click Here). We have heard that some changes were made in answer to our November 24, 2020 correspondence (Click Here).
Perhaps there will be real teacher input from all teachers and responses before they impose a new grading policy. Oops... Forgot where we are!
Legal/Grievance Updates
We are still awaiting a decision from the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) regarding the District’s refusal to agree to ground rules and its delaying entering into negotiations.
We have filed an improper practice (IP) with PERB regarding the District’s lack of adherence to our grievance process.
We will also be back before PERB regarding “regressive bargaining” (reducing the cost of a package of offers).
We have filed court documents regarding forcing teachers to enter buildings and not giving teachers school safety information.
We will be in court regarding Art/Music cuts.
Grievances have been filed regarding:
- APPR’s – We have not agreed to virtual observations.
- Refusal to provide teachers with the equipment and “hot spots” they need to provide instruction.
- The use of multiple “gradebooks”, attendance reports, lesson plans, etc.
Notification of COVID-19 Issues in Schools/Sites
While some teachers have reported that they were notified within a day or two of a COVID-19 issue in their school/site, others have not.
Please advise us if you have not been so notified (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
New COVID-19 Testing in Schools/Sites
We will send the most recent testing guidelines when they are received. Remember, they sometimes change daily.
Even at testing 20%/month, how Buffalo will accomplish this is still unknown.
Teachers, students, parents, staff and community well-being have to remain our number one concern as we work to ensure that our students are provided with the finest education possible.
Note: The District has apparently ordered 2 “walkthrough” temperature monitors per school.
They apparently read temperatures as people walk by them.
According to some NYSUT teachers from two Districts in which they are being used, they, according to their nurses, work as well as the handheld ones.
We will see.
Parents Raising Issues Relating to Teachers with Principals
We have heard that some administrators are confronting teachers with complaints from parents relating to what they have observed during virtual instruction. If this has or does happen, advise your LRS.
Concerns
Once again, please include your name and school on all correspondence so we can contact you.
The Labor Relations Specialists working with each school/site is attached (Click Here).
Please stay well. Take no chances.
PR:su
MEMORANDUM
Memo To: All Buffalo Teachers
From: Philip Rumore, President, BTF
Date: December 7, 2020
Subject: BTF/Teacher Building Representatives / APPR
BTF/Teacher Building Representatives
The most important teacher representative are your Delegates, Alternates and Building Committee members. We can’t thank them enough for all they must shoulder, in volunteering to represent and support you.
The input that they provide to us at BTF headquarters is invaluable.
Thank you to all that have and will be serving.
As you know, the current conditions did not and do not allow for elections to be held as they have been.
A By-law change has been approved to facilitate the elections of these important positions (Click Here).
Any assistance you can provide to the Elections Chairperson and others will, I am sure, be appreciated.
We hope you will consider running or re-running to represent and support not only the teachers in your building/site, but all teachers at our Council of Delegates meetings.
Enclosed, (Click Here) please find a copy of the correspondence is being sent to your current Delegate Chairperson.
It is being sent so that you also have an understanding of the process we are trying for the first (and hopefully last) time.
As always, thank you for your solidarity and support.
APPR
As you know, we have not approved and will take legal action against virtual observations and evaluations.
Believing that a virtual observation of a lesson is a valid measure of a teacher is not only absurd and insulting, but demonstrates ignorance of what teaching is.
States may not have waived APPR’s out of fear that, under the current person in the White House and the current Secretary of Education, vital Federal funding will be withheld.
One would hope someone would stand up and fight this; however, we can look forward to a new President and Secretary of Education, who care about what is really important to ensure that teachers can teach and students can learn.
We will however, fight.
Attached (Click Here) is a document that we have cleared with NYSUT, that should teachers wish, when informed that they will be observed/evaluated, can present to their administrator(s) and provide a copy to them.
If they refuse to sign it, you should complete the administrator’s section and present them with a copy.
Make a copy for yourself. We will be using this information in our litigation and will survey teachers prior to said litigation.
We will continue to fight this attack on our dedication, integrity and competence… now and whenever it occurs.
Latest State Guidance
Here is a copy of the latest information relating to COVID-19. (Click Here)
Please stay safe. Take no chances.
MEMORANDUM
Memo To: All Buffalo Teachers
From: Philip Rumore, President, BTF
Date: December 17, 2020
Subject: Submission to The Buffalo News
Attached (Click Here), please find a copy of a submission to The Buffalo News.
Thank you.
PR:su
MEMORANDUM
Memo To: All Buffalo Teachers
From: Philip Rumore, President, BTF
Date: December 9, 2020
Subject: Christopher Scanlon - December 3, 2020 Correspondence to Dr. Cash
Attached (Click Here), please find a copy of a response to Buffalo Common Council Member, Christopher Scanlon regarding his December 3, 2020 correspondence to Dr. Kriner Cash.
Thank you.
PR:su
MEMORANDUM
Memo To: All Buffalo Teachers
From: Philip Rumore, President, BTF
Date: December 17, 2020
Subject: Superintendent Letter Dated (Incorrectly) December 22, 2020
We are in receipt of the December 22, 2020 correspondence from Superintendent Cash that was sent out today (attached).
We will be seeking clarification(s).
- All teachers report to their school/site on February 1, 2020 even though not all students are in attendance?
- What is the delineated plan with timelines for each site and the District?
- Were the Reopening Plans for each school/site approved by that school’s/site’s Site Based Decision Making Team (SBMT)?
We will be sending the attached (click here) survey to the Delegate Chairpersons and Building Committee at each school/site for them to complete.
The responses will be used in litigation.
PR:su