#supportEAteachers
This page is in support of the teachers of the East Allegheny School District, who have been working without a contract. They are now entering Non-Binding Arbitration for East Allegheny Education Association and the East Allegheny School District.
Letters from the community can be sent to the Arbitrator below until October 25, 2014
Community members may use any of the talking points shared in addition to their own arguments.
William J. Miller, Jr., Esquire
Impartial Arbitrator
106 Rampart Lane
Ligonier, PA 15658
Letters from the community can be sent to the Arbitrator below until October 25, 2014
Community members may use any of the talking points shared in addition to their own arguments.
William J. Miller, Jr., Esquire
Impartial Arbitrator
106 Rampart Lane
Ligonier, PA 15658
October 21, 2014
To whom it may concern,
I write to you today in support of the teachers of the East Allegheny School District, who have played a very special part in my personal development and success. I was a student in the EASD from kindergarten through 12th grade. In 2001, I graduated as valedictorian of my class, and I am fully convinced that it was my experiences as a Wildcat that helped me survive and even thrive in the highly competitive (and occasionally chaotic) environment I now find myself in.
Full disclosure: I come from a family of educators. A family member of mine was hired at EA during my 10th grade year. I have always had a healthy respect for teachers and their responsibilities. That being said, I am also aware that they are not super human. These are real people, just like me. But unlike me, they have chosen to devote their careers to improving the lives of the next generation by opening doors and revealing opportunities otherwise hidden to their students. My parents exposed me to many things, but they did not cast me in my first play when I was the shyest girl in the class, teach me to play violin in an orchestra, convince me of the importance of my civic duty when voting seemed confusing and pointless, walk me (or drag me) through basic calculus, or give me “Catch-22” to read. My teachers did that. They recognized a curiosity in me and combined that with their own passion and knowledge to turn me down paths I wouldn’t have known were there and readily available to explore. They didn’t just teach me “stuff.” They taught me how to think. And they did this for me and my classmates in rooms full of children at various levels of social maturity. I didn’t think of this much as a student, but as an adult I have learned that when kids are involved, anything can and will happen. The passion, experience and patience of an excellent teacher are the most important tools a school needs to succeed, and must to be acquired before anything else in order to ensure success.
But a teacher’s job doesn’t end when the bell rings. Officially, they are paid for the hours they work while class is in session, but teachers have homework, too. There are papers and projects to read and grade, and teaching plans to develop. There are scheduled conferences and tutoring sessions and there are other times when teachers are called upon to delay dinner unexpectedly, because a student needs a little more time. When I was a senior, Mr. Kahl was my calculus instructor. I was pretty good at math, but found calculus frustrating. Mr. Kahl did a fine job teaching the class, but I just wasn’t getting it. Rather than letting me sink, he offered to stay after class a few nights a week to help me and a few other students get a grasp on this difficult concept. I’m sure he had better things to do, and I’m still not a great mathematician, but if I was willing to go the distance, he was too. I have a lot of stories like that. When trying to figure out what a teacher is worth on any level, I think such stories need to be considered.
Teachers work hard to create a sense of community. When you go to a public school, you are, in many cases, going to school with your neighbors, who can come from many different backgrounds. It is hard for adults to understand one another, let alone kids. Teachers are, in many ways, a common denominator. We expect, or at least hope, that our children will respect each other, and we count on a teacher to enforce that, if not teach it in the first place. Like many other workers in the civil service, we trust teachers to use their better judgment in uncertain times to protect and defend our children. Teachers spend their own time and money training to do this to the best of their ability, and it is important that we compensate them for that, not only with a proper salary, but with respect.
Which leads me to my final point: I was aware the East Allegheny teachers were on strike, but I had not looked at the website until recently. I am very disappointed with the lack of respect that has been shown to the educators by members of the administrative staff and school board during this period of time. It is one thing to negotiate salaries and to claim that some desires are out of the budget. It is quite another thing to list names and salaries for the public to see, in the style of public shaming. Further arguments based on beginning salary (is there really a need to point out young teachers could be making more than you?) and healthcare are about standards that were initially set and negotiated by the school board. Anyone who has ever worked knows, you do not get paid what you get paid unless someone else is willing to pay you that amount. When you offer someone a job at a higher salary, I assume it is because you want to attract and retain talent. The teachers at East Allegheny have not taken more than they have been offered, nor do they expect more than they deserve. If there is any fault here, it is in the hands of those doing the hiring.
It would be easy to say that my feelings about this are deeply personal, and they are, but not quite in the way one might expect. I am very proud of the community I grew up in, and as I mentioned before, I believe that our teachers serve as the foundation of that community. I find this current contract negotiation disturbing because in many ways, it feels as if the teachers are being thrown under the (school) bus. In damaging the reputation of the teachers, you damage the community, just as a crack in the foundation of a school would put the entire building at risk. It appears the argument has been made that the school district simply does not have the money for a salary increase, and this is, of course, a real problem, regardless of whether or not the money was spent wisely. However, the school board and administration had the opportunity to stand behind the teachers they hired, and convince the community that their experience and skills are a valuable and necessary asset. Instead they chose to point fingers and call names, refusing to take responsibility for their own budgetary mistakes. This causes problems for everyone. It can’t be easy for Billy’s parents to take Billy seriously when he comes home and says he loves his teacher Mrs. So-and-So after they’ve heard that Mrs. So-and-So is greedy, over-paid and drives a nicer car than them. Everyone who attended grade school knows what a bully is. They are loud and pushy. They spread rumors about you and reveal personal information. They cover up their own faults and insecurities by searching out weaknesses in others. They take your lunch money. On their webpage, the East Allegheny School Board seems quite pleased that they were able to bring a program on bullying into the school district. Perhaps they should have taken part in it themselves.
Thank you very much for reading this letter. I hope that you can find a way to persuade the administration and school board to seriously consider any steps they can take to modify their proposal in favor of the teachers, whose efforts have helped so many like me, as well as those who have and will follow, and in doing so, do their part to restore the image of the East Allegheny community that has suffered because of their actions and remarks.
Sincerely,
Ashley Rebecca King
East Allegheny Class of 2001
For reference, here is the website referred to in my letter
http://www.eawildcats.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=176