They approved the contract because they are getting the money NOW, right before the holidays! I can't wait to see what happens when some teachers get fired! They'll all change their tune.

When voting began there was no date for when monies were to be disbursed, And believe me $1500 is nothing to rave about-especially when you have a mortgage, car and a family to take care of.

The Union initially said that the pay raise and stipend would be given out tomorrow (12/10). Guess that is another promise not fulfilled.

And there are all the teacher level people who are finding out that they are not receiving the bribe after all. Wonder how they would vote now!?

Roxane,

Please tell me which part of the contract will lead to teachers getting fired. I really want to know. I read through the documents, and I could not find the section.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if the new evaluation system that is coming down the pipeline could lead to an increase in teacher firings. But that evaluation was coming with or without the new contract. And without the new contract, you could say goodbye to pay raises (both COLA and step), sick leave conversion, and tuition reimbursement.

Roxane,

You have some curious logic and a penchant for overstating your point.

There are those who approved the contract for other reasons. It's unhelpful to say "they" since unless you actually intend to generalize and stereotype everyone who voted yes.

I too am excited to see teachers get fired. There are too many incompetent teachers.

By saying "all" again you are overstating the case. I'm sure that several teachers will be delighted to see some of the lazy, the dim witted, and the rabble-rousers get washed out.

It's is startling to see how many teachers cannot speak correct English, write poorly, and were probably weak students themselves. Sure, there's more to teaching a basic knowledge of English and a basic aptitude, but it sets a pretty poor tone to students. I read a statistic that elementary teachers averaged the 23rd percentile on the SAT test for college graduates. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, unless there's some compelling reason why so many teachers can't seem to test as well as other college graduates.

Exactly 1,189.53 more than usual after being taxed. The 1500 should have been given as a check, not included with everything else.

I'm really confused about the "unfulfilled promise." Teachers received the stipend, retroactive raise, and sick leave conversion on 12/10, as promised.

A reminder to all the teachers posting - you are a reflection of your profession. Parents and students read this blog, as well as non-educators. I agree with Correction to Roxanne - there are too many posts with disturbing grammar and sentence structure problems. It's becoming an embarrassment.

I read that more than 90% of teachers (in the country) receive the top rating on their evaluations. If you're truly worried about being fired and not excited about the opportunities provided in the contract, perhaps it's time to leave the profession. Or, try teaching in easier circumstances. (My SAT scores were in the 95th percentile, thank you.)

Basically, every teacher that voted "yes" for this contract is in favor of:

1. Basing their pair increase on how well they can "teach" to the MSA/HSA. How else will our evaluations be calculated?

2. Increased competition for already scarce resources in their schools.

3. Short-term economic gain over long- term economic security.

If you think lazy, incompetent teachers are our only problem, then you must be a suck-up or sycophant. The larger issue is about the privatization of education. By the way, SAT scores have no correlation to political and economic awareness. Quite the contrary. They are designed to stifle critical-thinking and imagination- the true hallmarks of intelligence.

"exactly 1189.53" what sad statement. You should be happy with your bribe and move on. all the non teaching staff got zilch, zero, zip. I'm sure none of us would complain about an extra 1k for the holidays. well the joke is on you. Just yesterday the AU was tossed out as the "stipend" for upcoming PD. Everyone in the room was looking at each other in shock.

@Serious-please clarify your comment about the AU's being the stipend for your PD. Were you previously promised other compensation? Is the City already issuing AU's? Where is the explanation/information about AU's?

When I recently reviewed my page on Employee Self Serve, I found numerous errors. I still want to know how all these AU records will be kept when the city can't even get my personal information correct.

@Serious-please clarify your comment about the AU's being the stipend for your PD. Were you previously promised other compensation? Is the City already issuing AU's? Where is the explanation/information about AU's?

When I recently reviewed my page on Employee Self Serve, I found numerous errors. I still want to know how all these AU records will be kept when the city can't even get my personal information correct.

Personally, I'm excited and skeptical at the same time about this contract. It is exciting to see a large urban district being willing to acknowledge the problems they are encountering and be willing to work with all parties to totally shift the paradigm of accountability toward student achievement. My trepidation, though, is that this puts all the burden upon the teachers when there are also social values and issues at play which are beyond the school district's control. In addition, I am anxious to see how exactly those teachers are going to be evaluated and by whom with what exact credentials.

Turning around the Titanic takes time and extreme effort. This is only one piece of a much larger revolution that needs to happen in order to bring Baltimore City school students the quality education that they need and deserve.