Oct 23, 2008

WTU Board Meeting Gets Cancelled Again !


"That nothing is ever solved, or created, by standing still. Movement is the process of the Universe. So move. Do something. Anything. But do not stand still. Do not remain"on the horns of a dilemma." Do not fence sit. Put your foot down on one side or the other, swing the opposite leg over and start walking. You'll know before you take ten steps if you're going in the right direction. Not to decide is to decide. Try to not make choices by default." Neale Donald Walsch

The WTU Executive Board meeting has been cancelled today by WTU President Mr. Parker. This is the third board meeting which has been canceled by our union president without input from WTU Executive Board members. I have posted a copy of the email that I sent to Mr. Parker, Mr. Bordenave, AFT National Representative and all members of the WTU Executive Board and Board of Trustees about my concerns about cancelling our meetings.

October 23, 2008

Dear Mr. Parker (Copied to WTU Executive Board members/Board of Trustees)

I am writing to express my concern that the WTU Board meeting has been canceled again at your sole direction without input from WTU Executive Board members. This is the 3rd Executive Board meeting that has been cancelled by you this year. I am also concerned that we have not yet held a WTU Representative Assembly meeting in either September or October. By continuing to cancel regularly scheduled business meetings signals to our union members that the business of the Washington Teachers' Union is unimportant. Too often, your plans to reschedule meetings never come to fruition.

I would like to suggest that our WTU Executive Board members rather than wait for your direction- in a show of leadership reschedule the WTU Executive Board meeting next week . Given that Attorney Lee Jackson was suppose to present at Thursday's WTU Board meeting, arrangements should be made to have him attend the rescheduled board meeting to discuss the WTU next steps as it relates to our pending tentative agreement.

Our members are quite concerned that we still do not have any more information about the status of our tentative agreement. Certainly our complicity with this type of inaction suggests that our WTU Executive Board members are part of the problem versus actively involved in developing solutions. I await to hear from my WTU Executive Board members who have been elected to represent us as union members.

As an advocate for teachers and providers- I intend to make our union members aware of this ongoing lack of action. Thanks for your attention and I await the prompt response of the WTU Executive Board as well as our AFT National Representative, Mr. Bordenave. I remain

Sincerely,

Candi Peterson
WTU Board of Trustee member/WTU Building Representative (Posted by The Washington Teacher).

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

He's on that crisis bargaining and looking for an impartial third party but that's just a fair guess !Tell him if he can't find the constitutional attorney's, we'll send some in free of charge and change needed with fair proceedures ! Get up and get on the scene !Grievance arbitration is getting mean !ALL ABOARD THE NIGHT TRAIN....James Brown ! To much homework !Labor Management Relations ? Lions and tigers and bears,oh my ! US Office of Personal Management !Where's the Wiz in this deal ? Sick em Toto ! We're looking for the Constitution of the United States of America in all this DC Rhee reform confusion ! NCLB 10% and unfunded!Look out for technicals and stay as calm as you can and don't foul out !Does Rhee have a private investment with public education in her reform efforts? Don't step on the constitution and re-write our educational law books !The three R's and justice !Yeild to the speaker of the house !Find Capital Hill !

Anonymous said...

EXTRA ! EXTRA ! READ ALL ABOUT IT ! ALL ABOARD THE NIGHT TRAIN !JAMES BROWM ! IT'S A RALLY FOR OUR STUDENTS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION WITH 10% AND NCLB ! DON'T MISS THE TRAIN TO DC AS WE ALL GATHER TOGETHER !MEET ALL OPERATIONAL NEEDS AND STEP UP TO BAT FOR THE RESOURCES WE NEED IN OUR AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL BUILDINGS !THANK-YOU !IDENTIFY WITH A NEW GENERATION AND NATIONAL SECURITY AND ENERGY INDEPENDENCE IS COUNTING ON YOU ! CALL GUSKEY AND MARZANO AND THEY NEED TO GET TO CONGRESS AND THE SENATE !" GET READY FOR THE BIG PAY BACK..." GET UP !MAY WE PLEASE BLAST MUSIC VIA A FIRE TRUCK ?

Anonymous said...

Candi ! That was James Brown !

Anonymous said...

Will Federal Labor Relations be called in to determine provisions the parties are to have in their agreement ? What has the loss of teacher's and student transfer's out of the DC system done to the WTU's budget ? 11 days and counting until a new president is selected and wonder if this has anything to do with delays. The crisis bargaining is involved and hang in there ! Will Mr. Parker consult with the the Federal Labor Relations Authority? It's unreal these radical extreme conditions per Rhee would be considered viewing NCLB and 10% as well as resources in school buildings not met of which causes failure operationally.The national conversation will change viewing public education with the next president.Maybe they'll restructure for private investors and meet the needs in the school buildings with support needed for the children.Firing all the teacher's and principle's isn't the answer to sucessful reform. The special needs children haven't recieved the support needed and now view the issues with the Shadd Center. Teacher's and principle's need resources and support to be sucessful for children in school buildings with an operationally solid building and positive environment for instruction.

Anonymous said...

If the federal levels are not supporting in public education it leads to private investment. Not crazy about socialism are you ? We need to make a decision ! Do you want public education and if so then fund it !Leave the radical reform blame game out of it until resources and public school buildings are supported !Increased accountability takes money !Shocked at the Shadd Center's executive response to the judge!Save the queen and fire the worker's and blame it all on them ?What kind of reasonable,fair understanding is that ? Evaluate at the top why your workers are failing and get in there and out of your office to help !They need man power and a budget to get their jobs done !Get the teacher's and principle's to report to Congress and respect democracy in the United States of America and our First Amendment !The 14th Amendment looks like it's been lost in Rhee's reform efforts !

Anonymous said...

Maybe he's trying to rectify anomalies under Title IX ? Has the OCR been called for an investigation of DC schools ? Sandoval ? Cannon ? 34 CFR 106.3 168a and 100.7(e) Not sure retaliation is allowed or should principles be fired for no reason and or teacher's.Also there is the interpretation of Title 7! There doesn't seem to be much administrative remedy in the real world ? NCLB and 10% hasn't supported much of a cure for funding.Opposed to radical reform and placing the blame until resources and needed operational provisions are provided.

Anonymous said...

US Dept.of Education=OCR 1-800-421-3481 ? OCR@ed.gov Customer Service Team/ 400 Maryland Avenue,Washington,DC 20202-1100 Administrative Remedy !

DC Teacher Chic said...

Every one of these previous comments was left by the same person. Just look at the peculiar habit of putting a space before the ending punctuation mark. I'm just glad this person left my blog, actually, so I should stop calling them out.

Oh, and Candi, in your second paragraph on your letter to Parker, you should have put "supposed to" instead of "suppose to." It's fine (actually it's not fine, but understandable) to drop the "ed" in speaking, but in writing, we really should include our proper endings.

Anonymous said...

What are the other WTU Executive Board members doing? It looks like nothing but rolling over and playing dead. What a pity there aren't more activist types like you Candi !

Anonymous said...

DC teacher chic should worry about correcting all the mistakes on her blog first. I am glad you wrote GP and I hope others will step up.

DC Teacher Chic said...

Lindsey,

I would be happy for you to point out "all the mistakes" on my blog. I have made typos, and I appreciate the times people have pointed them out.