Oklahoma City American Federation 

of Teachers

First Friend, Best Friend

2010-2011 School Calendar

2010 -2011 Continuous School Calendar

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Dear Colleagues:

Message from the President

As I write this some of our colleagues are already in the classroom.  Horace Mann, Sequoyah and Westwood have been on a continuous learning calendar (aka year round school) for a good number of years.  Joining these three schools this year are Douglass, Moon, Rogers and Webster.  I would not be surprised to see more schools changing their calendars in the upcoming years.

The Union negotiates the number of workdays and the length of the day, but not when the school year starts.  These issues and others have come up during our restructuring discussions with the District regarding Douglass, Moon and Grant.  Our negotiations have been ongoing for months, and most items have been resolved, however two big issues remain: 1) Funding for consulting teachers who will provide peer assistance and review; and 2) How do we blend operations of Douglass Middle School, which must be restructured to receive State school improvement money with Douglass High School, which was not required to restructure and did not receive school improvement money for incentives and additional workdays.

These are not easy issues to resolve, mainly due to district budget problems, along with Title I and Title II restrictions on how federal dollars can be spent.  When an agreement is reached, we will share this information with you.

Education laws, rules and regulations are changing fast at the state and national level.  In the coming years teachers in this state and others will experience some of the changes now taking place at Douglass, Moon and Grant.

This summer I heard Randi Weingarten, National AFT President, say our union should “lead and propose, not wait and oppose.”  That is exactly what we are doing in Oklahoma City as we actively work to be out in front of reform.  Randi outlined the AFT “foundation” for school reform: 

1. A systemic focus on good teaching, including better induction and evaluation procedures.
2. Great curriculum and conditions that promote learning and provide kids the opportunity to learn.
3. Shared responsibility and mutual accountability.

We have worked closely with the national AFT to bring reform that works into the district.  Our local negotiations touch on all three foundations.

Sincerely,

Ed

Ed Allen

President