Carolyn's Corner

December 10, 2004

Can you believe that the first semester is coming to a close? Although this was probably the most stressful, exhausting new year in memory for most staff, it's hard to believe that the Winter Break is just around the corner. Needless to say, this vacation is well earned by all, and you will all, hopefully, use the time off to do fun things, rejuvenate your spirit and health, and recharge for the second half of the year. I would advise one and all to leave all of your school stuff at school and take the break you so rightly deserve.

This year has been full of interesting and memorable events. The November election, both nationally and locally, captured much of the interest and energy of many for the first few months of this year. Locally, we were very successful in our efforts. PVFT endorsed three candidates for the School Board, all of whom were elected. We also endorsed two candidates for Watsonville City Council through the Central Labor Council who were also elected, both beating incumbents. How these candidates will work with us and listen to our needs and ideas is still to be determined, but we at least hope that they will sit down and listen to our concerns. Nationally, the outcome of the presidential election is a matter of personal belief and political philosophy. Whether you are pleased or horrified by the results, there are some truths that are a result of the outcome. One of those is of course the “no child left behind” regulations and their impact on classroom teachers and the rest of staff.

The very nature of the federal regs makes NCLB hard to swallow. There are no rewards for growth and improvement, only sanctions and punitive measures for not meeting the AYP requirements. As I have said before, a school can have improved their API scores by 70 points, a major miracle of great teaching, and still be condemned as “failing” because the Johnny Come Lately AYP says so. It's hard to understand, harder to explain, but still the law of the land with no hope in sight for reform for the next four years.

PVFT is not sitting back just letting this happen to you. We sit on Curriculum Cabinet, meet on a continuing basis with the Superintendent and Human Resources, and update the Board of Trustees on a regular basis regarding the rules and advocating for the AFT model for school reform that is research based, teacher driven, and acknowledges what has already been put into practice. Many of your sites have already implemented reform of one type or another and we are actively trying to protect your efforts. In February, a team of teachers and administrators will be receiving the initial training from AFT to begin investigating this restructuring model. You will be receiving much more information next semester about this program and how it might help you and your site with your efforts.

As this year comes to its end, I want to thank each of you for your hard work, your dedication, and your resilience. Yours is the toughest of all jobs and you meet that challenge every day with professionalism and dignity. I also want to thank you for your support and trust of PVFT leadership and our negotiation team. We, as a group in solidarity, can weather any storm and overcome any obstacle through our determination and cooperation. I wish each of you the best of holidays and hope that the new year brings health and happiness to you and your families. See you all in 2005!

Carolyn Savino