September 13, 2006 - UTD Members ask School Board:    Why Should We Stay in Miami-Dade?
Keeping salaries competitive is the name of the game.  That’s the message UTD members brought to the School Board, as the cost of living continues to rise in the country’s 4^th largest district. MORE 

August 2, 2006 - Teachers Address School Board as “The Face of UTD” ”I am a proud member of the United Teachers of Dade!”  

Passionate, dedicated teachers shouted out loud and clear at the School Board Meeting on Wednesday.  MORE

• Remarks at April 18^th School Board Meeting
  By Karen Aronowitz, UTD President 
  Ms. Hantman spoke of the Democratic values as treasured by our Cuban-American community and in fact shared by all Americans.  Democratic values hold at their core respect for the vote.  MORE

• UTD Speaks Out on Behalf of Teachers Unjustly Caught Up in MOTET Scandal - “We must delay making a decision on this item to the end of the school year. How can we make a determination before looking at each individual case?” declared UTD President Karen Aronowitz at the School Board meeting on March 15, as the item to fire six teachers involved in the MOTET phoney courses credits investigation came up for a vote.  MORE

• First Vice-President Artie Leichner commented on the Leading Educational and Administrative Demonstration Schools (Leads) program. Leichner requested that Superintendent Crew explain his vision of teachers’ role in the school. MORE

• UTD President Karen Aronowitz and UTD First Vice-President Artie Leichner spoke on several items at the February 15 School Board Meeting

• UTD First Vice-President Artie Leichner Urges School Board to Provide Health Benefits Education for Employees 

• School Board Approves IRS Mileage Rate for Employee Mileage Reimbursement
  in 2006 -  MORE

• UTD President Karen Aronowitz  Speaks out at School Board Meeting
   
• UTD First Vice President Artie Leichner Speaks out at School Board Meeting

October 19, 2005 - UTD Addresses Important Issues at October School Board Meeting 

UTD President Karen Aronowitz and First Vice President Artie Leichner spoke to several important agenda items at the October Miami-Dade County Public Schools School Board meeting.   

DEFEND CLASS SIZE AMENDMENT - Speaking to the District’s Legislative Action Plan, Aronowitz addressed the need to support the Class Size Amendment as it was adopted by the voters of Florida.   She explained that studies show there is a reduction in violence when schools and classes are small, and pointed out the irony in the Commissioner of Education John Winn’s recent comments blaming the class size amendment for low teacher pay and teacher shortages.  “The real ‘irony,’” Aronowitz said, “is that our Commissioner of Education is willing to overcrowd our schools and underpay our teachers in order to continue under funding education.”

PACES - Aronowitz also addressed the recent PACES publicity, saying, “As any evaluation system, PACES has to be fair and equitable. It doesn’t matter what system we collect if it’s not properly implemented and reviewed.”   Aronowitz went on to say that “PACES had some good things  such as a program for teachers to improve and work with their colleagues to grow professionally, but there was no follow-up.” 

ADULT/VOCATIONAL COURSES - Aronowitz addressed the District’s adult/vocational courses, including the Miami Lakes Educational Center’s Community Vehicle Driving Class.  “We need to make sure that our own adult/vocational education courses are properly presented to our own students in alternative and drop-out prevention programs.  Secondary School Reform success will in large measure depend on many paths we offer our students to their futures.  Our own adult/vocational programs are largely overlooked. It would be a pity to starve this valuable District resource.” 

INSPECTOR GENERAL - On the issue of appointing a new Inspector General for the school district, First Vice President Artie Leichner said, “There should be a UTD staff representative appointed to the committee selecting the new Inspector General.  We have a staff member who works directly with the Office of Professional Standards and has also worked with the Inspector General.  The previous Inspector General did not follow the MDCPS/UTD Contract nor did he afford employees their Weingarten rights.”

Para-Pro Passing Score Revised at Urging of UTD! - At their September 7, 2005 School Board meeting, School Board members adopted a revised passing score of 456 on the Para-Pro Assessment.  MORE

Recess Plan Adopted with UTD Changes - With UTD members’ positive feedback and suggestions on the concept of recess, UTD President Karen Aronowitz made several recommendations for modification to the Superintendent’s Recess Implementation Proposal. MORE

Student Health Care Could Receive up to $40 Million! - A coalition of local government and non-profit agencies is trying to pull together $40 million to staff Miami-Dade schools with hundreds of nurse-practitioners... MORE

May 18, 2005 -

PUSH FOR FRINGE BENEFITS REVIEW - First Vice President Artie Leichner addressed the need for a full review of the current and proposed fringe benefits for employees.  He emphasized the need for the District to hold discussions with all union leaders to reach the best possible plan for our members. 

UNION ER& D COURSE ADOPTED TO HELP PARAS MEET NCLB REQUIREMENTS - Paraprofessionals will now have the opportunity to take and pass a 42-hour course in order to meet the "highly qualified" requirements of the No Child Left Behind law.  The Education and Research Dissemination (ER&D) course created by the American Federation of Teachers is being provided jointly by UTD and MDCPS.  Dates and locations for the course have not yet been set.  Details will be available on the UTD web site as soon as they are available. 

UNION STANDS UP FOR SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS - Karen Aronowitz spoke adamantly about the District's need to sit down with the union to negotiate ways to recruit and retain speech and language pathologists who are working in critical shortage area.   The professionals currently working in MDCPS must be fairly and adequately compensated. 

MERIT PAY PLAN BEING CLOSELY MONITORED - Merit pay for teachers is once again being discussed.  UTD is monitoring the situation closely.  It is imperative that any merit pay plan be negotiated through the collective bargaining process.

April 13, 2005 - Board Accepts UTD's Proposal to Pay Summer School Teachers Daily Rate and Other News from the School Board

UTD Prevails for Summer School Teachers
Summer school teachers will be paid their daily rate as a result of UTD’s efforts at the School Board on April 13. MDCPS had previously offered to pay a stipend to teachers teaching summer classes but the UTD leadership persevered and secured the daily rate. 

President Aronowitz Urges Board to Stay the Course on Class Size Amendment
UTD President Elect Karen Aronowitz also urged the Board not to waiver from Florida’s Constitutional commitment to reduced class sizes and the guaranteed revenue which would be realized from that guarantee. 

Leichner Urges Board to Tend to Health Concerns 
“Remain pro-active,” when dealing with the issue of sick schools, Artie Leichner, UTD First Vice President Elect, told the Board. He encouraged the construction of new schools but cautioned the Board that they needed to be guardians of students and
teachers in terms of health issues. 

Richards Bids Board Farewell
Outgoing AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard also addressed the School Board giving thanks to Board members for their cooperation and assistance during his temporary stay with the union. He praised the incoming UTD leadership and urged the School Board to stay on track in support of learning. Richard will remain associated with UTD as the union’s attorney. 

January 19, 2005 - Superintendent and School Board agree to UTD's Demands on "Time to Teach."

Carrying more than 1600 paperwork assessment surveys in hand, AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard called upon Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew to “elevate the assessment crisis to a four alarm fire.” The response was quick with Crew, MDCPS Curriculum head Sonia Diaz, and Chief of Staff Carolyn Spaht agreeing to a meeting on the issue within a week.

Fueled by an agenda item which calls for an overall analysis of the school system’s assessment process, Crew laid out a plan acknowledging that the current testing practice may require some items to be suspended or permanently scrapped. Top on the list may be the Quarterly Assessments.

UTD has been diligently working on the problem and within this past week had successfully gotten Fox in the Box temporarily suspended from use in the schools.

UTD President-Elect Karen Aronowitz presented several practical issues to the School Board on the issue calling for the establishment of calendars by elementary, middle and high school levels; recognition that other tests must be identified on the schedule such as PSAT and AP tests and proper designation of who should be hand-scoring the actual tests.

Aronowitz will be heading the team meeting with the Superintendent next week.

In one of the first items of business at the December School Board meeting, AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard introduced newly elected UTD officers to the School Board. Announcing that their anticipated start date will be April 30, 2005, Richard made it clear that the three top officers and executive board members will be in training and coordinating a variety of duties in the next several weeks and months.

Richard introduced 10-year Southridge Senior High Language Arts Teacher and UTD President-Elect Karen Aronowitz first, followed by First Vice President Elect Artie Leichner, a 23-year veteran who teaches at South Dade Senior High. The team was round out by Pam Sturrup a 16-year veteran and the newly elected Secretary-Treasurer who works as an FTE auditor in Region 3.

Very shortly after making the introductions, Richard announced that Aronowitz will be heading up the union’s initiative on Stellar Schools.

By a vote of 7284 (89.2%) to 879 (10.8%), bargaining unit members have ratified the tentative agreement on contract reopeners, which include salaries, health insurance, and School Improvement Zone initiatives.  Ratification of the agreement follows months of tense negotiations which included a declaration of impasse last Spring by UTD negotiators, the hiring of a new superintendent, and School Improvement Zone initiatives.  "We are pleased that the bargaining unit has confirmed this agreement, which will benefit both our members and our students, said UTD Administrator Mark Richard." 

The ratification of this contract marks a great victory for the unified efforts of our membership.  When bargaining began, the MDCPS indicated that we faced a $15 million budget deficit.  As a result of hard bargaining and a unified membership, the final package approved today represents $57 million additional monies for our members.  Also, we were able to hold the costs of health insurance as well as enhance HMO plan benefits.  The School Improvement Zone initiative represents a bold new partnership between UTD and the Superintendent as we strive to assure a first class education for every child in the district.

Even with this success, we have much more to accomplish.   The amount of money for the beginning steps is simply not enough to attract and retain a quality workforce.  We must also address the salaries of those at the top of the scale.  While all eligible members received three steps within the last 12 months with the passage of this contract, we must fight for truly respectable wages, while continuing to ensure that all our schools are great public schools.

The agreement now goes to the MDCPS School Board for their consideration at tomorrow's (Wednesday) board meeting.

UTD has successfully protected members by forcing a modification to Superintendent Crew's plan that could have resulted in nearly 200 layoffs of UTD bargaining unit positions.  UTD stood firm and demanded that the UTD/MDCPS contract be followed. Due to UTD's strong stand, any individuals affected will be afforded the negotiated surplus procedure prior to implementation of any layoffs.  UTD stood up for our Career Specialists and other affected positions while working to reach a compromise with the School Board on implementing Dr. Crew's proposal. Click here 

UTD has been saying “show us the money” for a very long time and finally, yesterday at the September School Board meeting, Dr. Rudy Crew did just that. For the first time in many years, MDCPS has set aside a $43 million collective bargaining reserve.

A familiar face was in the crowd at the meeting, was Dr. Richard Hinds rehired by the district to assist in the budget area. When asked how he could suddenly find the money now when he couldn’t before, Hinds responded, “As much as I don’t want to quote Mark Richard, clearly, there has been a paradigm shift-a change in philosophy from the top.”

Guiding force of facilities and strategic plan must be education

Calling Superintendent Rudy Crew’s facilities and strategic budgeting plan an “ambitious undertaking,”  AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard reinforced UTD’s long support for the overhaul of MDCPS capital program at Wednesday’s School Board meeting. Praising the strategic nature of the plan, Richard cautioned that the guiding force had to remain education. The plan needs to remain free of cronyism, be open to public examination, be delivered on time and within budget parameters. The interests of UTD members would also be protected through the presence of the union’s collective bargaining agreement, especially in the area of fighting any improper layoffs which may be projected.

August 18, 2004 - Board approval of The Zone is a defining moment 
Paves the way for negotiations with UTD on specifics

Calling the establishment of the of the School Improvement Zone as a “defining moment” for this school system, AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard, urged the Miami-Dade School Board to support UTD’s long standing goal for change and reform in this school district and to support Superintendent Dr. Rudy Crew’s first step toward changing the system. 

“Our charge that every child must be prepared and that we be part of that partnership is first,” Richard said. “We need to look at best practices. Second, we must address the budget, because if we don’t fund teachers, staff and The Zone, meaning that the money doesn’t match the mission, then you don’t have anything.” 

The Board’s passage of the School Improvement Zone now means that the District will enter into negotiations with UTD on the various aspects of The Zone that impacts on UTD Bargaining Unit members.   

You're not alone in the Zone.    

UTD  calls employees’ investigation process ‘single worst’ in the country 

A team of UTD professionals supported Dr Robert Ingram’s agenda item calling for a Forensic Audit of the MDCPS Office of Professional Standards.  

“As a labor lawyer and negotiator for multiple unions across this country, this is the single worst set up for investigations I have ever seen,” Richard told the Board. “There is a Star Chamber quality going on here. Police don’t know if they are police or investigators. Police fight with OPS; OPS fight with police. Teachers are presumed guilty first and many are pulled out of classrooms for six months or more at a time only to find out that the criminal allegations have been dropped but they were never notified.  This is a mission UTD and other unions are on. It has broken the hearts of too many employees for far too long.” 

Discussion on this issue lasted for more than two hours with UTD representatives detailing issues ranging from the labeling of cases to the treatment of employees during the process. Also discussed was the lack of common sense often exercised by site administrators prior to the investigative process. There was also detailed discussion of investigations undertaken by the Access Centers that may not follow procedure. 

The School Board approved the Audit and the Superintendent expressed a direct commitment to fixing the process.   

July 14, 2004 - UTD  supports seeking AG opinion on conflicting
national, state legislation and laws 

New Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Dr. Rudy Crew’s first School Board meeting flowed fairly smoothly and swiftly on Wednesday, July 14, ending it’s regular business at approximately 5:20 p.m. 

While not commenting too frequently during much of the meeting, Crew did focus on matters of educational concern, particularly those associated with low performing schools. 

“We simply cannot allow for D and F schools in Miami-Dade County,” Crew said. “They need some direct leadership from the district office. They need a dedicated line of administrative support.” 

Later in the meeting, speaking on behalf of the United Teachers of Dade, Merri Mann applauded School Board member Gus Barrera for seeking an opinion from the Florida Attorney General regarding conflicting mandates of the NCLB, FCAT and the class size amendment legislation. 

“We acknowledge that the emperor has no clothes,” Mann said. “The government at the state and national level through No Child Left Behind, FCAT, Annual Yearly Progress and other measures are behaving in a ludicrous manner. They took away money through the District Cost Differential. Now the Federal Government wants this School Board to transport kids because of Annual Yearly Progress results. 

“The question is whether or not people care about preserving public education.” 

Crew agreed with Mann’s concerns and in support of seeking the AG opinion stressed that it is not only important to seek direction on its face but in terms of an education strategy. 

“We cannot be passive recipients,” he said. “We must be aggressive. It needs to give this district a lift. I’m not convinced that all A schools are A schools in terms of educational delivery. There are so many anomalies built into this.” 

The School Board voted to seek the AG opinion.

Additionally, UTD is at impasse in bargaining with the School Board and no budget issue should be addressed, especially employees salaries, until our negotiations are satisfactorily resolved. 

The items were pulled from the agenda prior to the meeting. 

UTD Takes Stand Against Administrator Raises Before UTD Contract Settled.  Click here

April 14, 2004 - School Board Meeting


UTD is calling on the Miami-Dade School Board to look to the courts to save the District Cost Differential (DCD) and is already armed with research and data while the School Board continues to flounder. 

While the Miami-Dade School Board is just now looking for a creditable study to show why the District Cost Differential should be maintained, the United Teachers of Dade is already days ahead of them with fact-based research by economists from the American Federation of Teachers. 

AFT Economist F. Howard Nelson, Ph.D, did a full analysis of the now famous University of Florida study which unfriendly legislators are using to attempt to take millions of dollars away from the South Florida. Nelson debunks the UF study and maintains that the DCD is sound and should be maintained and in fact, expanded. Click here to read the study.

AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard also challenged the School Board to enjoin the legislature in a lawsuit over the DCD should they enact legislation to take money out of South Florida. 

“We feel this is a constitutional issue,” Richard said. “It violates equal education for students in South Florida. UTD wants to work with you [School Board] on the economics of this issue and on the lawsuit. We have to have a multi-pronged strategy, including a political agenda.” 

Richard and School Board member Marta Perez took school system administrators to task over not anticipating the legislative battle that would be taking place over the DCD and having a plan of attack in place. 

“Don’t we belong to a South Florida Consortium?” Perez said. “Isn’t the exclusive reason for our belonging to the Consortium to defend the existence of the DCD? Why haven’t we contacted them? Why hasn’t the Consortium acted in our behalf? Why aren’t they here?”   

• Click here to read a letter that was sent by Mark Richard, AFT 
  Administrator for UTD to Merrett Stierheim regarding this issue.
      

In other School Board action…. 

The School Board voted to keep, for the time being, UNICO, the private outside company hired to supervise maintenance, however it was with a 6 to 3 vote. School Board members Perla Hantman, Robert Ingram and Marta Perez voted no. Each of them cited major concerns over employee issues as to why they voted no. 

AFSCME President Sherman Henry zeroed in clearly on the problem: “I don’t think this concept is really workable or efficient. The advisory board set up is like a hammer over our heads. They aren’t partners. Prior to UNICO you had a hiring program but now you use OPAGA as an excuse not to hire people so the buildings aren’t being maintained properly. There is no cooperation with the unions. 

It was clear from the discussion that the issue remains unresolved despite the vote. 

Homestead Educational Facilities Benefit District – The School Board voted to defer any action until a later time in the future. The School Board has decided to establish a workshop on this issue and UTD is being invited to participate in this issue.

March 17, 2004 - School Board Meeting

UTD called on the Miami-Dade School Board to develop a sense of urgency when it comes to the issue of Sick Buildings, and the health and safety of the students and staffs in those buildings, at the March 17 School Board meeting. 

Whether it was simply good timing or because they were reacting to the initial groundwork of UTD’s Sick Building Committee, the Miami-Dade School Board took action to investigate why people are getting sick at Felix Varela Senior High School at their monthly meeting. 

“The people at Varela really need help,” he said. “It’s a threatening situation. When you have sick buildings, you have sick students and sick staff. It’s a menace. Next to paperwork, this issue is the one we are getting the most calls about at UTD. We’ve hired some lawyers who specialize in this area. We need for this School Board to adopt a sense of urgency over the situation. Our members simply aren’t seeing that from you yet.” 

In other School Board issues, Richard commented on implementation of the revisions in the DROP program stating that it offers relief to “our most experience teachers.” 

“It should have been done earlier, but this is a start.”  

Richard indicated that the union plans to explore the issue further in the future. 

On a separate but related issue, he addressed the complex issue of a career ladder and the legislative mandate. A new state law requires that the district submit a career ladder plan.  UTD opposes this issue because teachers were not truly involved in the legislation and because it has no independent funding associated with it.  

“In the best of worlds someone would ask educators about pedagogy,” he said, “rather than dictate it from Tallahassee.  No one would tell a doctor how to operate but everyone thinks they can tell teachers how to teach without including them.” 

UTD indicated that we will comply with the law while at the same time seek to get the law amended.  UTD reminded the School Board that all changes must be done through collective bargaining.

AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard before speaking to those issues offered his condolences to both the family of the victim and accuser at Southwood Middle School. Richard said that the tragedy at the school was a failure of society as a whole, not simply school security. He called for improved measures at all area schools.

The District Cost Differential study issued by the University of Florida, which suggests that Miami-Dade County may be shorted millions of dollars in revenue, was chastised by the union as a flawed report which needs to be carefully analyzed and reviewed. The same university issued a different report last year which indicated that Miami-Dade was receiving the proper dollars under the Differential formula.

UTD joined with other unions and members of the community to convince the School Board to table a measure regarding the reorganization of the maintenance department. At issue was a plan which did not take into account input and feedback of the affected unions. The School Board directed that all affected parties go back and redraw the plan to be more inclusive.

Richard also blasted the school board for high costs and questionable practices in school construction and in particular the lawsuit associated with Caribbean Elementary School. He indicated that this brought into question the entire school construction program and urged the School Board to be more open in its practices.

January 14, 2004 - School Board Meeting

Show us the money
MDCPS needs to upgrade financial computer technology

AFT Administrator for UTD Mark Richard challenged the Superintendent and School Board on Wednesday, January 14 to upgrade the school system's financial computer hardware and software because its antiquated system makes it impossible to know how much money the system actually has in place.

MDCPS Chief Financial Office Edward Marquez openly agreed with Richard, immediately soliciting the support of Superintendent Merrett Steirheim and School Board Chairman Dr. Mickey Krop to initiate an investigation in ways to improve the technology lapse in finding all of the school system's money.

Cutting off the paper trail

Calling the steady increase in paperwork a travesty, Richard at the January School Board meeting, called for the reestablishment of the Reports and Forms Control Joint Task Force which oversees paperwork reduction. Members of the union and administration sit on the task force and police the system to rollback the mounds of paperwork that have accumulated. Sunset provisions were established in the past by the group which need to be re-enacted. School Board members directed staff to work cooperatively with UTD in this endeavor.

UTD insists that teachers should make a difference for grads

Richard also protested the lack of teacher involvement on committees associated with graduation and drop out prevention initiatives. As a result of his comments at the School Board meeting, teachers will be appointed to represent each ACCESS Center.