Mike is exactly correct in predicting what will occur next year, except
that then, there will also be the added complication of all of the excessed
teachers from the schools that will be closed by then. The union is not the
only one to be strident; the administration could have chosen not to
realign teachers based on a determination by administration that to do so
would be unreasonable and not in the best interest of students. They chose,
however, to adopt a very narrow reading of the applicable laws and
decisions. Had the district taken the initiative to declare realignment
unreasonable, the union would then have had the choice to pursue realignment
based on the more narrow reading of the laws and decisions. It is not
likely that the union would have done so- historically they have pursued
realignment only on a one, two or three teacher basis. The union is in an
even more legally tight spot than was the district . It is becoming quite
clear that the administration was forcing the unions' hand and putting them
in a no win situation.
As I said a month ago, score one for Jennings and the union busters,
take off about a 190 points or more for teachers, students and families.
Dan McGuire
Ericsson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Hess" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 4:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Mpls] MPS Update on Teacher Realignment Process
>
> Both my childrens teachers were re-aligned out of their positions this
year
> into Special Ed, for which they have no real aptitude or energy.
>
> If I understood one of the scenarios correctly, many of these teachers
will
> drop their special licences this year. Thus next year they will no longer
> be qualified to hold their special ed etc... spots and based on their
tenure
> the district will be forced to put them back in regular classrooms -
> displacing, who else - but less senior teachers, some of whom got those
> spots this year because of realignment. The district will then need to go
> get new specialist teachers to fill the vacancies caused by the next
> reassignment.
>
> It's particularly frustrating how strident the union has been on this
issue.
> They seem to be putting blind adherence to strict tenure interpretation
> ahead of teacher and student interest. And as parents get disillusioned
and
> pull their kids out of what is obviously a broken system, they accelerate
> the very decline in enrollments that is the fundamental problem in the
> system.
>
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