News | Herricks Teachers' Association

Opt Out Concerns

Many members' have voiced concerns about whether to have their own children Opt Out of State Tests. This is a topic that many parents, educators and community leaders are now discussing and considering. The movement is growing and very active in an increasing number of communities on Long Island. At Herricks, Opting Out was minimal last year. We have worked hard to educate our members and as a result are now getting many questions from them about what to do with their own children. This is great news as it indicates that our members are becoming more enlightened on these matters, active and

Defensive Driving Course

The Herricks Teacher Center is pleased to offer the Empire Safety Council’s Defensive Driving course. Course content includes defensive methods for safe driving and avoiding collisions. The course will also teach what to do in various types of driving emergencies.

Please click this link to see the flyer for more details.

We Are At War!

We Are At War!

The Issues:

Proposed Reforms in Cuomo's Budget:

$1.1 BIllion for education IF...

50% of teacher evaluation is based on test scores
State given control over APPR, not union negotiated (50-35-15)
Classroom observations done by outside state employees
A 5-year probationary period for tenure (Must score within effective range all 5 years or no tenure)
Changes to due process
Any teacher ineffective 2 years consecutively - automatic dismissal
Eliminate teacher center funds
Merit pay (Incentivize high scoring teachers with $20,000 bonuses)
Education Tax Credit allows corporation and

The Harlem Wizards are coming to Herricks!

Come to Herricks on Saturday, February 28 at 1 pm to see the Harlem Wizards vs. the Herricks Staff! Raffles, prizes and more! Tickets are $15 each, available through the www.HarlemWizards.com website. See you

Click Here for the Amazing Harlem Wizards at Herricks Promo Video!

The Governor Has Declared War on Public Schools

Please read the email below from Andy Pallotta, NYSUT Executive Vice President. You can easily take action by clicking on the red circle and sending a message to lawmakers and educational leaders.

Governor Cuomo has declared war on public schools. Join us in fighting back.

New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE), a coalition of 50 groups statewide, has sent a letter to the governor responding to the offensive, outrageous education questions he circulated in December.

Now we need to support NYSAPE and let lawmakers and education leaders know that the governor's education agenda

Jan. 8, 2015 BOE Meeting

At the BOE meeting on Thurs., Jan 8th:

It was announced that the Language Immersion program will begin in kindergarten in Sept. 2015. Meetings will be held for parents interested in enrolling children into the program.
Gina Horton, M.S. Guidance Chair, gave a presentation on the new SAT Exam. These exams will be effective in the Spring of 2016. The new scale score will be 1600. The three sections include: Evidence Based Reading & Writing, Math and an optional Essay. The focus will be on deep thinking and problem solving. The Math portion will focus heavily on Algebra.
The BOE approved a contract

Take Action- Advocate For Public Education - Part 2

ACTION ALERT - Part 2!

Dear Colleagues,

In December, we invited you to join Take Action, Long Island (TALI) and other supporters of education in a campaign to support funding for public education.

Thanks to your support, thousands of letters have been sent to our state legislators, congratulating them on their election and asking for their support on issues surrounding public education. We have timed those letters to appear in Albany over the next couple of days, welcoming our legislators to the important work of supporting public education.

Tonight, we are asking you to join TALI once

Tisch's Future APPR Plan

Happy New Year! Hope you are enjoying the break and holidays with family and friends.

I wanted to update you on some information regarding teacher evaluations. Governor Cuomo has rejected legislation that for two years would have discounted Common Core-aligned student test scores in state-mandated teacher evaluations. Cuomo called the measure unnecessary and said he will propose reforms to the evaluation system next year.

It appears that Regent Tisch is planning to set up an APPR that will double down on the state assessment, takes local observation out of the hands of local school districts

NYSUT Board Alert from Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta -- Open Invitation to the Governor

A chance for our voices to be heard has been announced.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is inviting New Yorkers to an open house at the Executive Mansion on the afternoon of New Year's Eve -- Wednesday, December 31, 2014. I encourage you to register on the following link, and if selected to attend, use this opportunity to personally invite the Governor to come to your public school for an unfiltered open forum to hear feedback from parents, educators and students on Common Core, standardized testing and school funding.

www.governor.ny.gov/news/meet-governor-andrew-cuomo-executive-mansion

TALI Funding Campaign Announcement

On Wednesday, January 7th, the newly elected members of the NYS Assembly and Senate will convene to open their 2015 legislative session. In anticipation of that, the Take Action Long Island (TALI) members would like to send a positive message to our representatives, asking for their support for public education and outlining areas that are important to educators.

You are asked to join unions from across the county, the island and the state in sending this positive, proactive message to Albany. Please consider signing this letter (TALI template) and returning it to your HTA representatives