Had Enough (Part Deux)? IMPORTANT GEA UNION UPDATE



Dear Colleagues:


It has come to the GEA’s attention that this Friday March 22, 2024 the superintendent and her leadership team intend to inform dozens of members of involuntary transfers between classrooms and grade levels next year, across the district. We not only find this arbitrary and radical decision by management troubling, we also find it incredibly harmful to our students. For an administration which claims to be data driven, Dr. Ferrick has clearly not read up on the literature on this subject or ignored it. (See links and attachments provided)


According to the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), “While most teachers generally improve from one year to the next, switching grades hinders their own growth as a teacher. For example, teachers going from their second to third year of teaching generally improve quite a bit, but a recent study found that the typical rate of improvement drops by 20 percent if they’re asked to take on a new grade. That same drop in teachers’ effectiveness was seen even in more experienced teachers, and cut across all grades.”


The GEA has been told by HR Director Mike Cassidy that as many as 22 teachers in Penn Brook alone may be moved next year via involuntary transfers. We were also told that "They feel that these moves are what is in the best interest of the students." What reason does the superintendent have to offer to justify this extreme action? How can this possibly be good for us or our students!? The genesis of this answer always comes back to the "Restructuring" plan that is directly connected to the budget.


If you receive an invite by any administrator to meet this Friday, March 22nd, it is within your right to ask for union representation at that meeting, if you desire. If you so desire representation at any meeting:


GMHS members may contact:


Building Representatives: Chris DiFranco or Cassie Murray


PB or Perley members may contact:


Building Representatives: Monica McGinnis or Brian Fanning or


Treasurer: Corey Chenette


Vice President: Meg Johnson or


President: Joe Pittella


We would also like to remind our superintendent that NCTQ points to research showing devastating outcomes for students with teacher movement. NCTQ explained in 2018 that “One study found that second graders assigned to a teacher from another grade experienced the equivalent of about 42 to 50 days less learning (that’s more than two months!) compared with students who were taught by an experienced second grade teacher. When those students moved onto third grade, they were still losing about 22 days of learning.”


This unnecessary and painful decision by the administration in Georgetown must be reconsidered. It is bad for teachers. It is bad for students. It is bad for GPS.


https://www.nctq.org/dmsView/17-000834_Can_Moving_Teachers_v2_02-01-18



https://www.nctq.org/dmsView/17-000834_Can_Moving_Teachers_v2_02-01-18

 Brummet, Q., Gershenson, S., & Hayes, M. S. (2017). Teachers’ grade-level reassignments: evidence from Michigan. Educational Policy, 31(2), 249-271.

Atteberry, A., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2017). Teacher churning: Reassignment rates and implications for student achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(1), 3-30.


If you are wondering what can be done, the GEA urges you to consider the following options:


  1. Join us for our first Action Team meeting Thursday march 21st at 330PM at the MTA office (35 village road Middleton, MA)


  1. Join us as a silent representative at bargaining on March 25th at 4:30PM


  1. You can also review our Bargaining HQ document here to learn more about bargaining, being a silent rep, and important dates.


Through both our platform in bargaining as well as our newly formed Action Team the GEA is determined to develop a plan to fight back against this belligerent administration. Not only are the transfers troubling, but the recent budget championed by Dr. Ferrick would cut teacher positions so that she can hire more administrators and other non-student-facing positions. This on top of the need for a fair contract leaves the GEA with no choice but to begin to take collective action.


Please be on the look for more updates and calls to action.


A teacher's working conditions are a student's learning conditions.


In Solidarity,


The GEA Executive Board

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