blogs.nysut.org

Under a restructuring plan, services and jobs at SUNY Downstate Medical Center will be drastically cut. Like, to the bone. Not because Downstate Medical Center is not highly utilized (it is) or highly qualified (it’s internationally recognized for its excellence inpatient care and research.) Thousands of Brooklynites use the center for both inpatient and outpatient [...]

Today is the chance for most of us across the state to vote on local school budgets. Many of these budgets cut academic and athletic programs, increase class sizes and include a number of sacrifices from teachers and staffs. So yes, many employee unions are holding their noses as they urge people to vote “yes” [...]

Still energized from Friday’s rally in Syracuse. Click here for Channel 9′s news coverage. Perfect weather, 65 degrees, sunny with just enough of a breeze to cool things off as speakers got heated. There are a few issues getting the photos up. (The first starts with my laptop dying en route to the convention. My [...]

This post was written by Viri Pettersen, president of the Rockville Centre Teachers Association: The First Amendment to the US Constitution addresses our right to freedom of speech. As such, I was happy last summer to see a letter generated by a colleague, South Side High School Principal Carol Burris, on the topic of Principal [...]

Laurence P. Custodero, president of the Utica Teachers Association, wrote this commentary published May 10 in the Utica Observer-Dispatch School districts across New York state are focusing on closing the achievement gap between different socioeconomic and ethnic groups, and the Utica City School District is no different. As we cope with an ever increasing wealth [...]

Hundreds of parents, teachers, students and labor activists rally today in downtown Syracuse. They’ll be wearing their union t-shirts, celebrating the success of schools and reminding folks to vote on school budgets Tuesday. If you are in central New York, look for me in the fire-engine red of my union colors. Don’t have a sign [...]

This week is also National Nurses week, the time to show appreciation for the work they do. Unless you are one of the very fortunate few, in the time it’s taken you to open up this blog post, a nurse in a clinic, hospital, school, nursing home or a visiting nurse in any number of [...]

That’s right – in CANandaigua, it’s all about what they can do. And this Saturday, they are doing their own version of the can-can to get people out in support of the May 15 school board budget vote. In a community park called The Commons on Main St. (Rt. 332) students, coaches and teachers will [...]

It’s less than one week before most school districts submit their annual budgets to voters. On six pages, the Monroe County Education Coalition explains why quality education is an investment worth making. You can link to that presentation here. That presentation also answers the question: If you have the time and energy to do one [...]

Consider this a teaser for Fight Back Friday this week. Here’s advance notice of a pro-education rally starting at 5 p.m. May 11 at 333 East Washington St. in Syracuse. You can go to the Facebook event page to learn more and share with friends and colleagues. The rally will call for more state funding [...]