At last night’s board meeting, the Board of Education did not approve Dr. Arlotto’s three proposed early dismissal days that were supposed to help alleviate our workloads and mitigate stress. Instead, the Board voted to change December 23 to an early dismissal day and convene a “work-study group” to determine how to help educators deal with workload issues.
We’re unsure about the full impact of their decision at this time. What we are sure about is one extra early-dismissal day will not go far enough to relieve our stress or workloads. To that end, we are meeting this Monday with Board negotiators in a bargaining session focused on moderating workload and paying us for classroom coverage, and what form that may take is yet to be determined.
It’s time for Dr. Arlotto, and all the decision-makers in Anne Arundel County Schools to understand that we are united with one voice. Any conversation about working conditions or the health and welfare of AACPS educators needs to be held with this union, not individually and not behind our backs. We need collaboration, not edicts. It’s time for them to stop trying to drive a wedge between all of us, and to stop driving a wedge between us and our fellow unions.
We have earned better treatment. We deserve respect.
