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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NESHAMINY SCHOOL COMMUNITY

NESHAMINY SCHOOL BOARD: STOP FAILING OUR STUDENTS

For nearly three years, the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers (NFT) hascontinuously pressed the Neshaminy School Board to negotiate a fair andequitable contract. As all the stakeholders in this grueling process know, it hasnot been pretty. In fact, at times it has been downright nasty. This pastDecember, the NFT publicly called on the District for a return to civility among all

those concerned about students and learning in Neshaminys public schools regardless of the ongoing contract negotiations between the NFT and the schooldistrict.

At that point in time, NFT President Louise Boyd stated that, despite the fact thecertified staff of the NFT has worked three years without a contract, they weresubjected to nasty rhetoric on a daily basis. Most of it came from boardmembers and a small faction of anti-union zealots.

Fortunately, Boyds words did not fall entirely on deaf ears. Since then, some ofthe Districts rhetoric has toned down. So has some of the divisive publicrhetoric, save for a few self-serving members of the public who remain bent oncontinuing their personal attacks and character assassinations as opposed tooffering constructive dialog and workable solutions. Remarkably, the BucksCounty Courier Times, who we believe fomented much of the past rhetoric, tooka close look at its editorial stance and called for a new era of civility andcompromise from ALL stakeholders in this dispute. We applaud that effort andwe hope it continues. All of which brings us to the most critical element in thisequation the students of Neshaminy. The failure of the Neshaminy SchoolBoard to resolve these contract issues through collective bargaining means theeducational process continues to suffer.

The NFT has continuously advocated for educational collaboration. InDecember, Boyd challenged the school board directors and administrators tofocus on finding common ground with teachers across the bargaining table. Shechallenged school officials to recommit themselves to working together withclassroom educators to set policies and priorities that will guarantee studentscontinue to receive the quality education they and their parents have come toexpect from the Neshaminy School District.

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For those who will point to our recent Work To Contract action as an example ofour not caring about our students, I submit the exact opposite is true, Boyd said.Work To Contract was absolutely necessary for us to clearly and effectivelydemonstrate that we do far more than work just a few hours a day, as ourdetractors falsely accuse. Work To Contract demonstrated that we work

tirelessly for our students and this school district. You will never hear an NFTmember gloat or brag about taking such a harsh stance against this district. Butunderstand this, our Work To Contract effort demonstrated our solidarity andproved that we do far more good for our students than a handful of anti-union,anti-teacher dissenters would have the public believe.

Unfortunately, the District failed to collaborate on educational priorities. TheNeshaminy School District Cabinet recently completed a long-awaited planconcerning its educational priorities. The plan, which did NOT include recentinput from certified staff, despite the NFTs repeated requests to do so, waspresented to the Board on January 24, 2011. Not surprisingly, the plan was void

of details and specifics surrounding the educational process. Why? Becausethis board cant establish educational priorities without critical input from thecertified staff.

In the past, the NFT was a welcome part of this process. Today, because of theboard and administrations bitterness towards unsettled contract issues, they areplaying a game of educational chicken with Neshaminy students. In the past,the NFT worked closely with the District to develop highly detailed plans plansthat served as a roadmap to making our district one of the most effective schooldistricts in the Commonwealth - outlining specific educational priorities for thestudents of Neshaminy. By freezing teachers out of this process, the District hasonce again failed our students. In January, Cabinet members outlined theirvision of educational priorities. After almost three months of developing saidplan, it is still nearly void of specifics. It lacks clarity. It lacks measurable goalsand objectives. Worst of all, it lacks vision and understanding that educationalpriorities are a shared responsibility between the district and the certified staff.Its tragic theyve wasted so much time by freezing the NFT out of the process.Unfortunately, its the students who will suffer thanks to the Districts punitiveapproach to developing educational priorities.

As Boyd has stated in the past, A recent Rutgers University study concludedschool districts hoping to achieve improvement must develop strong cultures ofcollaboration that inform approaches to planning and decision making. Suchcollaborations, Saul A. Rubenstine and John E. McCarthy wrote, must cross awide spectrum of areas, including curriculum, teacher development andevaluation, instructional methods, as well as hiring decisions by school boardsand superintendents.

What we saw in the District plan is anything but comprehensive, Boyd said.The District needs to understand they cant go at it alone. We need to work

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together. The way to make it happen is at the bargaining table. We againchallenge the District to put our children first and negotiate a fair contract.