Worcester Public Schools administration joint statement with the EAW

This was sent out last night to all WPS staff; note that this is a joint statement, which is the forerunner of the actual joint agreement, which will be voted by the EAW membership and the Worcester School Committee. (The union has 10 days to ratify, then it comes to the Committee.)

April 4, 2020

Dear Colleagues: 

We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as the district and the EAW have worked to create a reflective and responsible way to deal with the ongoing Pandemic. We have been forced to take a break from our normal lives and this pause gives us a time to connect, reconnect and reach out in new ways to families and friends. This includes our students and their families as we are all under the umbrella of the Worcester Public Schools. We are grateful to those in our community who have demonstrated their unwavering support and compassion for our WPS community as we navigate our way forward. 

We recognize that these unprecedented times around the Coronavirus Disease/COVID-19 pandemic are unsettling to all in our school community. We also recognize that there exist many questions around next steps for students and staff. The Governor’s Extended Mandatory Closure resulting from his Order, dated March 25, 2020, extended his Initial Mandatory Closure and presently precludes the reopening of schools before Monday, May 4, 2020. At this point it is difficult to determine whether the Extended Mandatory Closure will be further extended. 

Since the closing of school, the District Administrative Team and the Educational Association of Worcester have engaged in many hours of negotiations with regard to changes to terms and conditions of employment for the EAW’s various employee bargaining units, including teachers and assistant principals; bus drivers and bus monitors; and those in positions collectively regarded as educational support personnel, such as instructional assistants; parent liaisons; therapy assistants; and tutors. These negotiations occurred over the span of multiple days, and occurred both after the Governor’s Extended Mandatory Closure order on March 25, 2020 and prior thereto. These formal negotiations were in addition to the many informal conversations between the District Administration and the EAW President since the closing of school on March 13, 2020. 

Through these efforts, the District and the EAW have arrived at Memoranda of Agreements for the various employee groups in an effort to memorialize the changes in the terms and conditions of employment for these employees as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and the need to modify the manner in which we educate all of our District’s students. These changes will also help to ensure that all of the Worcester Public Schools families receive outreach and support from the Worcester Public Schools during these very difficult times.Based on the discussions this week, we have reached a number of fundamental agreements and understandings around what the expectations are for educators and administration during the period of the Governor’s Extended Mandatory Closure. 

The collective work of the educators and the administrative team has already produced many examples of alternative learning opportunities for students. These have been the result of creative thinking by all involved and have helped to keep our students engaged and poised to return to school when that is possible. In accordance with guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, we will now turn our attention to providing remote learning to all of our students through various means of communication. 

At a time such as this, we consider that among our most important roles is to maintain regular contact with our students and their parents or guardians. These times are extremely stressful to the students and their families. Educators have already taken it upon themselves to reach out to their students. Your school leader will be coordinating a system to ensure at least one adult in your school connects with every student. For our students, we are an integral part of their support network and we provide, as a District, many social and emotional supports over and above what we provide by way of educational services. Again, this commitment of our educators and Administrative Teams to ensuring the well-being of our students is both admirable and appreciated. The provision of remote learning opportunities for students will be another means by which family and student contact will be provided. 

We also share the belief that in order to provide for the meaningful remote learning opportunities for all of our students, we must have opportunities for collaboration among educators and administrators. These opportunities will be part of the regular activities expected of educators at this time. Building principals will collaborate with staff in their buildings to make this time as productive and meaningful as possible.We also see this time as one which presents the opportunity for more professional development, although virtually of course, for our educators. These opportunities will be available through the recently launched Worcester Public Schools Enhanced Learning Website for its employees and other scheduled professional development events. 

Included in these three fundamental areas of concentration, educators will be expected to continue to meet their other customary professional obligations. Educators will continue to work on report cards for the third quarter, with that work ultimately needing to be completed by April 13, 2020 at noon. Educators will also continue to work on the completion of special education progress reports which must be completed by April 13, 2020. Guidance Counselors will continue to work on individual student schedules as we look towards a promising 2020/2021 school year. Turnaround work will continue; early college work will continue; and AP work will continue. Educators will not be expected to be present in their buildings, but will be expected to check their District e-mail at least twice per day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, as this will continue to be the most commonly utilized communication tool with staff. 

With regard to wages, the District has committed to provide compensation and benefits to its educators and other employees during the period of the current Governor’s Extended Mandatory Closure. We hope that knowing this will assuage any fears you may have about compensation. We recognize that clear and consistent communication is essential at this time. All district directives will come from the superintendent or her designees, including principals, but shall be consistent with the agreements reached through negotiations or the already existing terms of the Parties’ collective bargaining agreements. Every effort is being made to ensure that principals, assistant principals, coaches and department heads are sending the same clear, consistent message subject of course to unique needs and circumstances at different schools and grade levels. 

The Memoranda of Agreements reached will be presented to the School Committee and the EAW for ratification votes. However, in light of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s expectation that the remote learning will be ready in early April, the Parties have agreed to implement the new terms and conditions of employment as a show of good faith pending the ratification votes. 

With our collective gratitude, 

Maureen Binienda, Superintendent of Schools and Roger Nugent, President, EAW