PCT PLEDGE

THE PCT PLEDGE IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF

THE PLAINVIEW-OLD BETHPAGE CONGRESS OF TEACHERS 

Volume XXXX, No. 2 October 9, 2002

MAKING THE ATTENDANCE POLICY WORK

By PCT President Morty Rosenfeld

    One of the eternal verities of working with children is never make a rule that you are not prepared to stand behind and enforce. If young people perceive that our actions don’t parallel our words, we don’t simply lose their desired compliance with the rule, we lose our credibility with them, subtly communicating to them that we don’t care enough about them to do as we said it was important to do. With all of the fanfare given to the newly promulgated attendance policy, particularly at the high school, it is essential that all constituent groups pull together to make it work. Yet, unless we become resolute in our determination to have the policy succeed, there are already some unhappy signs.

   I don’t know what it is about this community, but while they seem to have a voracious appetite for more and more school buses, providing some students with literally door-to-door service, many of these same people don’t put their kids on the bus, preferring to drive them to school. While I suppose in one sense they have a perfect right to squander their money, they don’t have the right to endanger the safety of students and staff while at the same time making students who got to their buses on time late for class. At our high school, however, that is precisely what is happening.

    So many parents are driving to our high school in the morning that our buses are often backed up onto Washington Avenue as the bell for class is ringing. Because the roadways of the school and parking lots were never designed to handle this kind of traffic, there is insufficient space for parents to discharge their passengers and exit the grounds in an expedient and safe manner, even assuming careful and courteous driving on their part. On many mornings, I am faced with aggressive drivers attempting to leave the property coming at me seemingly from all directions. On quite a few occasions, they have caused me to begin my day with what I can only describe as roadrage. And, I tend to arrive early, before the crush really begins. It is simply just a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt.

    The answer is really quite simple, but politically difficult for those responsible for running the district. In the interest of the health and safety of our students and staff and in the interest of seeing that our instructional program begins on-time each morning, parents must be prevented from dropping their kids off on school grounds. To be sure, some of them will not like such a policy, and some will resist it tenaciously. That doesn’t change the fact that it remains our responsibility to remove a significant barrier to students getting to class on-time and an equally significant threat to the safety of all on school property.

EX BD GIVES McCALL NOD

    At their meeting of October 8, 2002, the PCT Executive Board, acting upon the recommendation of the PCT Political Action Committee, endorsed the candidacy of H. Carl McCall for Governor of New York. PCT President Morty Rosenfeld spoke for the committee, praising McCall as a long-standing friend of education and particularly NEA/New York, the PCT’s state organization. Rosenfeld drew particular attention to the recent work of McCall on obtaining a permanent cost of living adjustment for the public employees of New York State.

    The PCT Executive Board also endorsed Eliot Spitzer for Attorney General and Alan Hevesi for Comptroller. The Board additionally endorsed David Sidikman for the New York State Assembly from Plainview-Old Bethpage’s thirteenth assembly district. Finally, the Board gave the nod to Adam Moser, son of PCT Retiree Chapter member Zelda Moser, for a seat on the family court of Nassau County.

DATA CORRECTION FORMS

    By now, each PCT member has received a Data Correction Form. On it is all of the information in the database maintained at the PCT and Welfare Fund Office. It is essential that this information be accurate.

    Members are asked to review their data carefully, making any necessary corrections in red and returning corrected sheets to the PCT Office. If all of the information is correct, there is no need to return the form.

WHO’S MAKING McCALL SPOTS NOW

   Seen the latest commercial for Carl McCall’s gubernatorial campaign? If you look closely at his latest spot featuring his support for public education, you can see PCT officers Cindy Feldman and Tracey Gonzalez along with members Karen Smith, Justin Carey, Jack Canfora and Lauren Harple. These PCT members were recruited to work for McCall by NEA/New York, our state organization which has formally taken a position in support of his candidacy.

PCT/TRACT KINDERGARTEN BOOKS A BIG HIT

Each year, NASSAU TRACT, our teacher center, and the PCT distribute childrens’ books to the students in our Kindergarten Center. The books are sent home with the students with a letter from PCT officers Judi Alexanderson and Vicki Ahlsen, also members of the TRACT Policy Board, encouraging parents to read the books with their children. As we can see from the picture of SRC Rep Caroline Tepperman distributing the books to the children, the event is very well received. In a letter of thanks, Principal Paulette Miller observed, "Our students and their parents were excited when their new books were taken home. I am certain that the books will encourage parents to read with their children."

 

 

POB SATELLITE TEACHER CENTER UP AND RUNNING

    POB’s satellite teacher center has opened its doors for this school year. Housed in Room 168 of Kennedy High School, the center is a wonderful resource for teachers . Staffed by facilitator Frank Saladino, a person with the knack to make or fix almost anything, the center has many computers, digital cameras, a button maker and an assortment of computer software that can be previewed or used to do a project.

    Need help with a technology related problem, call Frank during the day at 937-6436 for an appointment during the school day. After school, the center is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:30 to 4:30 PM.

PARENT COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE FORMING

    Upon a recommendation from the PCT Officers, the PCT Executive Board has decided to form a committee to develop a policy recommendation for our union on how and to what extent we should support efforts to provide parents with information about their children electronically. The officers raised this discussion with the board because of their awareness that some of our members are already posting student grades on the internet and some other districts have purchased elaborate systems to facilitate parent/teacher communications electronically. This suggested to them the need for a PCT policy to guide our leaders in any discussions they may have on the subject with the district.

    Members wishing to serve on this committee, should notify an SRC Rep.

PCT PARTY COMING SOON

   On Wednesday, October 30, 2002, PCT members will gather at the Woodbury Country Club for our annual gala cocktail party. In addition to serving the very joyous purpose of getting together with colleagues for some plain old fun, the party also affords us an opportunity to get together with those who retired last June to tell them how much we appreciated the opportunity of working with them. It is also our yearly opportunity to welcome our newest members to our organization.

    If you have never attended our annual gala, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. Come and party with generations of PCT members who made the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District what it is. Retiree members, clerical, teacher, substitute and librarian members - they will all be there on this very important day in the life of our union.

    For ten dollars, you will get all the wine, beer or soda you want plus a dazzling assortment of appetizers to give you the energy to dance. More importantly, it is a chance to see yet another side of this thing we call our union.

FULBRIGHT MEMORIAL FUND TEACHER PROGRAM

    The PCT has been informed that the 2003 Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program (FMF) competition is underway. The FMF program is a unique opportunity for United States primary and secondary school teachers and administrators to participate in a fully-funded three-week study visit to Japan.

    In addition to overall professional qualifications, a primary factor in selecting award recipients is the teachers’s ability to share his or experiences with students and colleagues upon returning to the U.S.

    This year’s application deadline is December 10, 2002. Teachers may write for an application at Institute of International Education, 1400 K Street, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20005. The application process can also be completed on-line at www.iie.org/pgms/fmf

return to pct homepage