From MTEA President Bob Peterson's Desk

July 28, 2011

Dear MTEA members,

I want to personally thank the many members who responded to the concessions/layoff survey. As President, I believe in genuine membership input and hope the survey strengthens the democratic culture of our union.

The survey showed that 52.4% of the membership opposed additional concessions and 47.5% favored them. Based on the results and the many thoughtful comments, the Executive Board decided to not pursue any additional concessions.

The comments – both those in favor and against concessions – show how passionately our members feel about the children and youth that we teach.

• A number of people expressed concerns about our laid-off colleagues, and believe we should do whatever possible to save teachers’ jobs.

• Others worried about the impact of the layoffs on teaching and learning conditions.

• Some pointed out that making further concessions hurts the district’s ability to attract and retain quality teachers for the difficult job of teaching in MPS.

• The comments also reflected the strong distrust people have for Governor Walker and the Republican-dominated Legislature.

• Many people noted how the district continues to hire high-paid administrators and to create positions that are not directly serving children.

Undoubtedly, some critics of public education will use the survey to continue their scapegoating of teachers and our union. We know we did not create the financial crisis in the state. We did not cut over $80 million from MPS. We did not create the unfair state funding system that has underfunded MPS for decades. Nor did we create the private voucher program that takes $50 million from MPS annually.

What we did do was save the district tens of millions of dollars in the next two years through our concessionary contract negotiated last fall.

In these difficult times, we need to renew our commitment to do what we do best: teach our students well and help ensure the best possible future for our children. We understand that quality education is essential to a vibrant community. We will deepen our work with parent and community groups to build a stronger movement to fight for adequately funded, quality public education. In turn, we must also strengthen our involvement in broader community issues such as restrictions on the right to vote and cuts in social services.

We also need to recognize that the new conditions in our state require us to do things very differently. Contracts for MPS substitutes, bookkeepers and educational assistants end next June. The teacher contract ends in June 2013. New voucher and charter schools will draw additional students out of MPS.

We must substantially improve our union’s structures – to increase both union democracy and our political effectiveness. I encourage you to get involved in your union: engage in political action, build ties with parents and community, and speak out on curricular and professional issues.

I hope the energy of the protests this past spring in Madison and the enthusiastic involvement of MTEA members in the upcoming recall elections will continue to inspire us in the work ahead.

As your President, I will do everything I can to protect and lead our union in these difficult times, and I ask for your help and your involvement.

Sincerely,

Bob Peterson

MTEA President

petersonr@weac.org