Dear Colleagues,
Sorry for the short update this week. I was unable to get to the NTU Office today, and I had to use an older computer to do this week’s update and I didn’t have access to my usual programs and templates. We will be back to our usual format next week.
Mike Maillaro, Director of Research and Communication
Please use every resource available to get registered for the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available in your area.
Over the last few months, JFT has been working with our state affiliate, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, to broaden vaccine eligibility to include teachers and school employees. Today, the Governor announced that he would do just that: On Monday, all teachers and school employees will be able to start receiving the vaccine.
Today, Governor Edwards announced that K-12 teachers and school employees will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, February 22nd. As most of you know, LFT members have urged the Governor’s office to grant educators priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine since the State first began assembling its vaccination rollout plan.
Below you will find the link to the negotiation summary for 2-17-21. Reminder this information should not be posted and is for Unit 47 members only
http://unit47.ct.aft.org/sites/default/files/article_pdf_files/2021-02/negotiation2-17memsum.pdf
JFT members have asked excellent questions about how the school district is supposed to handle certain situations involving COVID-19. This is the second of a series of articles responding to the questions. If you have additional questions, email: info@jft.org.
February 17, 2021
"The School District made the right decision to delay the reopening of school buildings, as far too many questions regarding safety of buildings for reoccupancy remain unanswered. The Federation's position that we are unable to verify the safety of buildings for reoccupancy--and in fact we know that many buildings are unsafe for reoccupancy--remains unchanged. We continue to work through many of these issues specifically regarding ventilation with the neutral third party. Our goal of returning to school buildings when it is safe to do so also remains unchanged."
On February 12, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released two resources for schools: Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through Phased Mitigation and The Science Brief: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in K-12 Schools that add to CDC’s existing guidance for K-12 schools in opening for in-person instruction and remaining open.
Heidi Przybyla joined us in Philly to take an in depth look at how to safely reopen school buildings.
Click for more videos from MSNBC and CBS and behind the scenes photos.
February 14, 2021 ~ Bow, NH
Another week has passed and the NH Legislature continues to churn through committee hearings on proposed legislation. House bills that need to go to a second committee (usually Finance) must be reported out of the initial policy committee by Thursday, Feb. 18, and will be considered by the entire House during its scheduled session on Feb. 24 and 25. This in-person session will be held at the Sportsplex in Bedford NH, providing a large space for social distancing. Specific rules and seating arrangements, however, have not been announced by Republican leadership, which continues pandering to the strong faction in the Republican caucus who refuse to wear masks and decry any regulations regarding COVID-19. As for those members with significant health issues or immuno-compromised challenges, Republican leaders have as yet failed to devise any sort of remote-access method of attendance. Businesses, schools, and public meetings across NH are all utilizing remote-access but apparently House Republican leaders remain baffled. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that many of the House members unable to risk personal health by attending in-person are Democrats? Hmmm.
School vouchers. The House Education committee concluded its public hearing on HB 20, school vouchers, this past Thursday, taking in another 4 ½ hours of public testimony. Once again, the majority of witnesses opposed HB 20, and in the final tally of those registering their position on HB 20, 1100 citizens registered in support and over 5200 registered in opposition, a nearly 5:1 margin against the bill. Over the course of Thursday’s continued hearing, many parents testified to the benefits of home-schooling, though virtually none acknowledged their interest in garnering public funds (i. e. your tax dollars) from the State. The committee appeared to obtain little new insight from the line of witnesses, and questions regarding accountability (fiscal or academic), eligibility, discrimination, conflicts of interest, or costs to the State and localities remain unanswered. HB 20 continues to be the broadest and most unregulated voucher program proposed or implemented in the United States, and will immediately drain anywhere from $70 to $100 million from the NH education fund just to pay out to current private school and home-schooled students. It was interesting that Governor Sununu, in his budget address delivered on Thursday, made no mention of this major hole in his proposed budget, the budget that promises to spend more but lower taxes. Quick translation: be prepared for more downshifting of costs to counties and localities.
