UFT Consultation Meeting Minutes/Draft Wednesday, April 12, 2006

C.S. 57 U.F.T.
Consultation Committee
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
 In attendance:
Gary Litt, Edsel Philip, Larry Sachs, Theresa Ocasio, Paul Keane, David Saphra, Christine Calabrese,  Aja Davis, Denise Cortes, Sarah Tierney
Agenda
 
1.     Article 7: Role of the Consultation Committee in the school wide decision making process.
 Litt: [Review of teacher’s contract, responsibilities & rights on school level.] Some of my responsibilities are to speak on behalf of staff at large. Want to be sure that my own views are reflective of the staff I was elected to represent. Want to be on the same page. Cluster positions etc. need to be developed through collaborative process, meetings  mith the principal.
Philip: Meetings are already taking place through School Leadership meetings. Anyone is free to attend.
Litt: [Reading straight from contract]. I want to be able to justify why I signed off on various items.
Philip: Leadership meetings are open. In the past we have been free to discuss these matters at that time. Sometimes you (Litt) have been there and some times you haven’t been there so you may not be aware of all that is already taking place. Everything of this sort has been going through the Leadership meetings and is published and made available.
a.      OTP positions / per session activities
Moving on…
b.	Budget concerns
Litt.: In light of cancellations to Sports and Literacy program could you address these issues?
Philip: Budget will be out May 13. My feeling is that they are not going to put any more money into us. But you never know – their may be some sort of last-minute trick, they may pull some more money out of their hat. ETS may be held up as a glowing example but my own guess is that ETS will not be returning any time in the near future. Otherwise the only way ETS could come back would be through Professional Development. How can we implement it in that event?
c.     Professional activities options
Litt: Some time in the near future we will try to arrange for a second Consultation Meeting to discuss this as a team. Unless the staff could come to a consensus about a seven period day – if there is enough of a feeling to get rid of it.
Philip: Sometimes agree to meet during lunch period. There are many reasons why schools do go to 7 periods.
Tierney: Could PD be an option for that period?
Philip: One of the biggest problems is the PD. I don’t see how that could happen.
Litt: If enough teachers could agree that we would like to do PD then this would be an option. Let’s see what they would like to see on the menu.
Philip: I am very troubled about the fact that we will be losing ETS. We’re on target w/Balanced Literacy & Math. But Interventions and Data Analysis are not being adequately addressed at this time. What are the implications for a given child in a given class that is bordering on a Level 1 or Level 2? How can we emulate what is being done in the classes that are enjoying success?
Keane: We need to build a system together with Mr. Wescott where information where information like that can be reported and conveyed on a regular basis.
Litt: This is also something that can be addressed through the Professional Menu. Let’s say that we decided that three weeks out of the month can be spent in this way, like at a PD meeting.
Philip: Data Analysis, PD, it all interlocks and becomes one. You may be going by the Maps, but what good does it do? You can’t give a child Great Leaps for an entire year.
Calabrese: Ms. Curtis for example has been reporting back but we still see that there a children that are functioning on many different levels. We need the right children to be getting the right interventions.
Philip: We need to look at the impact of all this. Getting back to AIS/PPT we need to see whether that can be structured in to one period a week.
Tierney: I just heard on NPR (radio) that next year the chancellor will be giving tests every six to eight weeks. We need to try and see how we can use this to our benefit rather than have it merely be a disruption.
d.     Feed back from teachers i.e. Professional development and teacher support
 Litt: There is some discussion among teachers, positive and negative about PD, what’s being done, and what’s not being done. We’d like to develop a Needs Assessment, some sort of survey.  We’d like to try and come up with a menu where teachers can select what they need.
Philip: We always do this sort of thing this time of year. Last year we only got back a total of seven surveys. If you (Litt) would like to give it another try this year set it up with Maureen Howard. Getting back to the idea of unifying AIS/PPT - how do we get to repeat these successes to repeat themselves, the sorts of things we hear about in other schools?
Litt: :When people come to me I don’t always have the hind/foresight to ask what have you done in the past? I will speak to Maureen and try this again to see if we can get a more thorough response.
Tierney: I thought the Math Needs Assessment this year was to specific.
Litt: I want to try emailing out surveys.
Saphra: Make sure that you back up with the emailing with P.A. as well as posted announcements because not everyone checks their email.  
2.     Professional period (6r): Teachers again report that they are being supervised and or directed while performing their 6r common planning activities.
 Teachers are still reporting problems, that they feel is if they are being directed Teachers feel uncomfortable, mistrustful that someone will be reporting back. How can we address this problem?
 Philip: We are supposed to be approaching these matters in a collegial manner. My cabinet and support staff are there to help and assist. The best way to get any sort of answer from me is to have a member of my staff there when I myself can’t get there in time in person. We are supposed to be a collaborative team. I myself should know everything that’s going on in the building so that I can be of assistance.
Tierney: I have had the impression from past years that this is a general atmosphere of mistrust in these areas.
Philip: That’s not at all the sort of atmosphere I want here. I would like to have this seen as a talent base that is available. 
Litt: Maybe this is something that we just need to work out and get over. We discussed this at our last meeting. If we know what we’re doing in advance, know how to plan, we should be able to set up some sort of request form …
Philip: I don’t see that as an option. My supervisors need to be able to walk into any meeting. I find it unacceptable that teachers are unable to deal with this.
Litt: I agree with you that your cabinet members are doing an exemplary job in many respects but we need to look at why there is still resentment about their being in the room. 
Philip: It is important to keep in mind that this is a business and we need to be able to leave personalities out and simply derive benefit from what is being made available. The solution is simple. The teachers simply need to be more welcoming and be aware that there is considerable value to what is being offered, which is extremely supportive in nature.
3.     School changes for 2006-2007.
 Aleady discussed.
a.      Anticipated impact of FDA expansion.
Philip: Four rooms are being taken. May 3rd the parking lot is being shut down. It’s  a disaster about to happen. I knew it was coming to this. FDA has already been notified.
b.     Loss of E.T.S. status
 Aleady discussed.
Meeting adjourned 12:50 pm