Dear Educated Patriot,
When is an email not an email, when it portends to be from a resident yet it is a fraud. I received the message below from a Kate Connerway on Saturday. I regard constituent letters/email as being most important, after all they took the time to write me a message; they deserve a timely and complete response. So when I received "Kate's" email I immediately crafted a response.
Having crafted the below response I sent it back to Kate - returned undeliverable. I tried again, looked at the attached meta-data and tried a deviation - returned undeliverable. I looked in the phone book - nothing! So, Kate being a voting resident, I called the Canvasser's Office - no Kate Connerway. I should leave well enough alone, but maybe not...
I spend an inordinate amount of time analyzing data and studying facts to ensure an educated vote. I feel it insults me and the public process when someone hides behind an email address - but this is the age of Facebook!
So, if An Educated Patriot could help me reach Kate, I would appreciate you listing this on your blog. My number (in response) is open for all to call me!
Dave
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Tuesday's vote - abolishing teacher seniority
From: Kate Connerway
Date: Fri, January 21, 2011 10:27 am
To: david.croston@iamtech.com
Dear School Committee member Croston-
As a Portsmouth resident and voting member of this community, I ask you to please reconsider your previous affirmative vote to abolish the seniority system of the Portsmouth School Department. This should be something that is discussed with the teacher's union before a blind policy change occurs, which is a move in poor faith against the collective bargaining agreement that has served to facilitate fair discussion between our town and our teachers for a long time. I hope you will look into this issue a little closer before this Tuesday's upcoming vote. The children of our community deserve a positive relationship between our town and our teachers, which will undoubtedly benefit them in the long run.
Sincerely,
Kate Connerway
Dear Kate,
I appreciate your email and I believe no one on the School Committee wants to support the teachers more than I, but this issue is one of regulation by the Board of Regents. Back in October of 2009 the Board of Regents voted to adhere to a new Basic Education Plan or BEP.
According to the new regulations, districts must select and train only the most highly effective staff; and, teacher assignments must be based on student need. The BEP requires that each district "shall maintain control of its ability to recruit, hire, manage, evaluate and assign its personnel."
Districts had until July 1, 2010 to negotiate the new policy into contracts, and Commissioner Gist in a letter to superintendents stated, "any contract law that conflicts with existing state law may be unenforceable." The Rhode Island Department of Education later clarified that Gist letter said nothing relative to school committees re-opening contracts to deal with the issue of seniority. So nothing was done here in Portsmouth, and it was left to the new contract. While I can not speak to the present contract discussions, we are presently without contract. Yet, we clearly need to bring Portsmouth in line with State law and regulation.
There is one clear reference to seniority in Rhode Island General Law, RIGL 16.13.6, which we have maintained in our Policy 4111. That reference specifically speaks to suspensions of staff due to a decrease in school population. I believe our Policy 4111 embodies the regulatory and statutory elements required. As such, and bound to represent Portsmouth resident's on the School Committee within the law, Policy 4111 is a step forward to assuring compliance. Further, I do believe this assures that the best teachers are in front of our children on a daily basis.
Kate, these next few months are going to be exceedingly difficult for any of us who support Portsmouth education. I can clearly stand before you stating I told the community this summer the state of our schools. But, the referendum was voted down and the election spoke volumes as to the direction the residents of Portsmouth wanted to go. The steps I take now are in the best interest of our kids and programs with consideration of impact across our employees and community. We are in a new era of public education, I honestly believe we are fighting not for seniority of teachers but the very survival of an independent Portsmouth School District.
I would appreciate your thoughts throughout these undoubtedly difficult next few months. And, please feel free to share this with other interested residents.
Sincerely,
David Croston
617-460-9173 (cell)
david.croston@iamtech.com
Commissioner Gist's letter can be found here.
Commissioner's press release can be found here.
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