Real representation for teachers

I asked the governor for a temporary appointment just to show teachers and voters that we still have a governor who prefers his personal brand of politics over “doing the right thing,” as he claims. I already knew he wouldn’t appoint me because the governor truly doesn’t want the problem solved. I discovered the lack of compliance with the Constitution in 1998 and I also have the solution. I don’t want the job and I just wanted to make sure teachers don’t lose this opportunity that I fought for since 1998. But I’m sure everyone can now see the governor would rather see teachers, the Board and the system in disarray over this before allowing me to get the credit for resolving the matter. This is the brand of politics the stakeholders in the “antonymous” education system are forced to suffer under, even though we are not supposed to be subjected to politics. It should also be clear that teachers need to take advantage of the opportunity created by the governor if teachers truly want to have some control and input regarding their employment livelihood. ACT has complained about me, about PRAXIS and about the governor but has yet to accomplish anything.

The big accountability question that the Governor and Mr. Reyes failed to answer was, why not appoint me? They can’t answer it because there is no good reason and it is obvious to me and a lot of people that the governor has allowed our difference over federalization to govern his decision instead of doing what is “proper and necessary” to resolve the Teacher Rep. issue. But I’m sure common sense had already dictated to most people that the governor would rather see teachers fail to gain their rights and the Board without a Teacher Rep before he would do the right thing and appoint me with the power to fix this problem. Teachers don’t have the necessary leadership and the governor won’t lift a finger to help teachers, yet he is the one who started this with his proclamation but he can’t finish it like we have witnessed with many of the activities of his administration.

I will organize the teachers at my school and we will select a School Rep and if all the schools will do the same thing, teachers can claim our rights. It will take only one teacher from each school who is willing to speak up for the teachers at their school. We teachers really need some teachers with “civic virtue” and if we can’t get one teacher from each school to commit to this personal, employee and civic responsibility to claim our rights, then we don’t deserve the rights granted to teachers in the Constitution. Please fax your School’s Rep name to me at Kagman High and a copy to ACT at SVE. Once there is a collective of all schools the list will be submitted to the Board for recognition as the exclusive bargaining representative of teachers within the Public School System. Once recognized, these teachers can conduct an election to select the new Teacher Rep who will have the power to be the lead bargaining agent for teachers. Teachers need the power and not a powerless Teacher Rep as I was forced to be.

I am not going to campaign for teachers to do this as teachers must want their rights and I fully intend to work with ACT if they truly want a solution for all teachers and not just their president. I tried to help teachers with PRAXIS and they didn’t listen and ACT even attacked me. I can only pray for their own sake that teachers will take this for the serious matter it is and do what is necessary and proper to claim our rights to improve our working relationship and working conditions as PSS employees. I’m thankful the governor made the decision and I’m disappointed he failed to offer help but at least the veil has been lifted from teachers’ eyes and if teachers don’t seize the moment now, then there is no hope for teachers to have real representation at this point and time.
[B] Ambrose M. Bennett[/B] [I]Former BOE Teacher Rep[/I]