Dear Board of Education members and Acting Superintendent Monique Jackson,
TAAAC members understand our district’s crisis with the nationwide educator shortage. The services we provide our students can only be successfully implemented if our buildings, primarily Title I schools, are fully staffed.
This is why our negotiations team has put forth an alternative proposal on the one remaining disputed item contained within the mediator’s report, which you are considering today. Specifically, TAAAC has proposed a 1-year MOU to increase time spent on non-professional duties to 120 minutes per week. This is a temporary solution to what we believe is a temporary staffing problem.
As we welcome a new superintendent, we look forward to expanding our collaborative relationship with you to recruit and retain the high-quality educators our students deserve. We know the best way to do this is to treat our educators with the respect of a fair contract, fair pay, and fair working conditions, including respect for time dedicated to learning and preparation. With your agreement to this MOU and acceptance of all other provisions of the mediator’s report, we hope to quickly ratify the contract and encourage new educators to find a home with AACPS.
Since we shared this MOU with you, TAAAC members, AACPS employees, and community supporters have signed a petition in support. So far, over 800 people have signed and counting.
Arbitrating before the PSLRB to end these negotiations is neither a preferred outcome nor conducive to embarking on what we hope will be a collaborative relationship to effectively implement the programs and provisions of the Blueprint. We submit this petition as an outreach to you and as a partner in supporting the entire AACPS family.
Russell Leone
TAAAC President
TAAAC Board of Directors
Kate Snyder, Mary Moss @ J. Albert Adams
Maureen Liakos, North County High
Betsy Brininger, Pershing Hill Elementary
Jorge Cordoba, Meade High
Dyana Cronin, Chesapeake High
Jill Grimm, Crofton Middle
Heather Kerlavage, Brooklyn Park Middle
Kristina Korona, Meade High
Elizabeth Ruddy, Severna Park Middle
Adria Watt, Arundel High
