Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Turn Out for Domestic Partner Benefits

The School Board's committee on Finance & Personnel meets tonight. Some ho-hum stuff on the agenda, but a couple items worth our attention and action. (See the entire agenda here.)

The committee will be taking public testimony on the Resolution introduced by Director Jennifer Morales last November to offer benefits to the domestic partners of unrepresented MPS employees.

Of course, unrepresented employees do not include MTEA members, but if the Resolution were passed, we will have a better shot at bargaining the benefit for our members in the next round of negotiations.

Read MTEA President Dennis Oulahan's statement on why MTEA supports this Resolution.

If you feel strongly about the issue, it's a great opportunity to speak your mind. 6:30 p.m. at the Central Services Auditorium, 5225 W. Vliet St.

Other items of note:
  • There is an agenda item about providing services under ESEA ("No Child Left Behind") to non-public school students and teachers, including those in religious schools. So, hmm, let me get this straight -- MPS has to pay to the tune of more than $11 million to provide services to students and teachers in schools that aren't required to meet all the punitive accountability measures under this hair-brained federal education law - AYP and the like. They get to actually benefit from the law, while public schools get some serious spanking. Nice. You gotta give the establishment credit for thinking up this one.
  • 4 teachers who are resigning from MPS listed "residency" as the reason for their resignation. MTEA members are divided on this issue, even though MTEA included repeal of residency on their legislative agenda

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We all knew about residency when we signed the contract. As a home owner in Milwaukee, I will be VERY upset if residency goes away. There are very few teachers who now live out of the city (many have retired), so we are (almost) all on the same page now. I know some people see this as a freedom issue; I think that freedom includes the freedom to leave the city if a person wants to live outside of Milwaukee.

stephanie said...

In regards to the item of providing services to non-public schools, President Blewett asked Administration what the cost was to use third party providers to do such work instead of MPS teachers and the response included, "Our teachers cost more than third party providers." I couldn't help but cringe at this as it sounds like a line directly from the privatization play book (they can do it cheaper and leaner) I think this sets a scary precedent.

Sarah said...

Stephanie, who answered Peter Blewett's question?

Sarah said...

Stephanie, who answered Peter Blewett's question?

stephanie said...

when this item was being discussed I was actually listening to the board meeting on the radio at home. It was someone from Administration but I couldn't be sure who it was.