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Current and former Board members discuss budget on TV this morning
Mark Brentley and Randall Taylor on at 10:00, PCNC (on Fios that is channel 9).
10 comments:
Anonymous
said...
PPS central and PFT are liars and thieves!!!!!!!!!
I realize that I am preaching to the choir. Here is further documentation to validate the above statement.
First of all, I was coerced into resigning and, under duress, I signed the separation papers with a verbal agreement from J. Spolar and H Grant that I would have health coverage until the end of February.
It is the end of February, and I am now finding out that PPS dropped my coverage the first of February.
I am receiving February doctor bills that I cannot afford and, on top of that, I cannot get my prescriptions filled. How's that for humanitarianism!!!?
If I had known that I was not covered, then I would not have gone to any scheduled appointments.
I truly believe that this group of people are sadistic.
These people are incharge of the education of your children.
I too was forced to resign under duress from the Teacher Academy at King. I too was saddled with dental bills that were supposedly "paid forward" per a verbal comment from Ms Spolar.
I applied for unemployment and was granted benefits due to what PA unemployment calls "unsuitable work" (injured breaking up a student fight, teaching grades 4-6 science AND social studies, no science curriculum except incomplete experimental kits, etc). The day after I informed my principal I was in "despair", I was "informally" observed by her AND the VP.
However, PPS appealed and won. I received a determination letter from PA UE rep stating that I was not eligible because of a "discrepancy between whether the applicant resigned or was fired".
Liars... Unequilivantly.
Icing on the cake is that I STILL have not been reimbursed for accrued sick days (applied using the required form in early Oct and likely won't after this post w/o legal action thanks to Ms Castleburry in Benefits) from 3+ years in PPS.
That's right, I lasted about 4 weeks at "The Academy at King" and surely was "placed" there despite applying for and verbally accepting a position (on cell phone call iniated by David May Stein during the delivery of my first child) at another school. Thanks old friend.
I was voted Teacher of the Year by my colleagues at my former middle school in CA before coming to PPS. Now I'm retired from public education at age 30.
Think I will send my daughter to PPS when she is of age?
Good Luck PPS teachers and Central Office support people. Yes, in fact many central office folks regularly stick their necks out for the betterment of students. Hopefully they won't find themselves in a similar situation to mine.
I too have not been reimbursed for my sick days. Not only did Spolar and Grant lied about insurance, but they also lied about 1/3 of the sick days reimbursement.
Thieves and liars the lot of them at PPS and PFT!!!
It breaks my heart to read your posts. You are both innocent victims of an arbitrary system that operates on one rule only: if we want to destroy you, we will destroy you.
I've seen essentially identical teachers receive widely different ratings. I've seen excellent teachers get fired, and lackeys get promoted.
Careers - no, lives - of decent people are being destroyed.
I wish I could offer suggestions. But Pittsburgh is past the tipping point. It is beyond repair.
Best of luck to all you good people that are caught up in this sad travesty.
"Good Luck PPS teachers and Central Office support people. Yes, in fact many central office folks regularly stick their necks out for the betterment of students. Hopefully they won't find themselves in a similar situation to mine."
As the spouse of a former central office person who stuck their neck out, worked 70 hours a week, remained ethical and worried about the students she/he found a similar fate as you. The "good guys/gals" have pretty much been weeded out by design. There are still some, but I can only think of 1 at the board table.
My best of luck to you, teaching is such an important job.
Obviously the union doesn't negotiate to prevent dismissals and they must have signed off on the awful process that leads to a dismissal, but during the actual exit procedure is there a rep from the union present? Should someone be recording who says what and what agreements are made? As a lay person, I am flummoxed but how these things occur, apparently everything should be on paper because verbal agreements mean nothing.
Yes union rep was present at the exit meeting. His name was Harold Grant.
I've consulted union attorneys who basically do not want to argue your case. They pretty much write you off 'for the betterment of the membership,' as I was told by the union attorney.
The attorney is gutless or cannot argue well in the court room, because this district could face a huge class law suit.
PFT, AFT, AFL-CIO are partners in crime with PPS/Broad/Gates.
That program talked about 200 million in wasted money. That is serious money. We need to hear far more about this. They talked about CEP, the sale of Reizenstein, all the new construction. Now you know why these schools are hit so hard. But, what about the 2009 stimulus money.
10 comments:
PPS central and PFT are liars and thieves!!!!!!!!!
I realize that I am preaching to the choir. Here is further documentation to validate the above statement.
First of all, I was coerced into resigning and, under duress, I signed the separation papers with a verbal agreement from J. Spolar and H Grant that I would have health coverage until the end of February.
It is the end of February, and I am now finding out that PPS dropped my coverage the first of February.
I am receiving February doctor bills that I cannot afford and, on top of that, I cannot get my prescriptions filled. How's that for humanitarianism!!!?
If I had known that I was not covered, then I would not have gone to any scheduled appointments.
I truly believe that this group of people are sadistic.
These people are incharge of the education of your children.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
Did you receive a COBRA notice allowing you to elect to continue coverage (unfortunately you have to pay for the coverage).
Have you spoken with your Board rep?
Anon 2:24,
I too was forced to resign under duress from the Teacher Academy at King. I too was saddled with dental bills that were supposedly "paid forward" per a verbal comment from Ms Spolar.
I applied for unemployment and was granted benefits due to what PA unemployment calls "unsuitable work" (injured breaking up a student fight, teaching grades 4-6 science AND social studies, no science curriculum except incomplete experimental kits, etc). The day after I informed my principal I was in "despair", I was "informally" observed by her AND the VP.
However, PPS appealed and won. I received a determination letter from PA UE rep stating that I was not eligible because of a "discrepancy between whether the applicant resigned or was fired".
Liars... Unequilivantly.
Icing on the cake is that I STILL have not been reimbursed for accrued sick days (applied using the required form in early Oct and likely won't after this post w/o legal action thanks to Ms Castleburry in Benefits) from 3+ years in PPS.
That's right, I lasted about 4 weeks at "The Academy at King" and surely was "placed" there despite applying for and verbally accepting a position (on cell phone call iniated by David May Stein during the delivery of my first child) at another school. Thanks old friend.
I was voted Teacher of the Year by my colleagues at my former middle school in CA before coming to PPS. Now I'm retired from public education at age 30.
Think I will send my daughter to PPS when she is of age?
Good Luck PPS teachers and Central Office support people. Yes, in fact many central office folks regularly stick their necks out for the betterment of students. Hopefully they won't find themselves in a similar situation to mine.
Regards,
I too have not been reimbursed for my sick days. Not only did Spolar and Grant lied about insurance, but they also lied about 1/3 of the sick days reimbursement.
Thieves and liars the lot of them at PPS and PFT!!!
To anon 2:24 and Data Dude
It breaks my heart to read your posts. You are both innocent victims of an arbitrary system that operates on one rule only: if we want to destroy you, we will destroy you.
I've seen essentially identical teachers receive widely different ratings. I've seen excellent teachers get fired, and lackeys get promoted.
Careers - no, lives - of decent people are being destroyed.
I wish I could offer suggestions. But Pittsburgh is past the tipping point. It is beyond repair.
Best of luck to all you good people that are caught up in this sad travesty.
"Good Luck PPS teachers and Central Office support people. Yes, in fact many central office folks regularly stick their necks out for the betterment of students. Hopefully they won't find themselves in a similar situation to mine."
As the spouse of a former central office person who stuck their neck out, worked 70 hours a week, remained ethical and worried about the students she/he found a similar fate as you. The "good guys/gals" have pretty much been weeded out by design. There are still some, but I can only think of 1 at the board table.
My best of luck to you, teaching is such an important job.
Always get everything in writing. Never accept anything verbal.
Obviously the union doesn't negotiate to prevent dismissals and they must have signed off on the awful process that leads to a dismissal, but during the actual exit procedure is there a rep from the union present? Should someone be recording who says what and what agreements are made? As a lay person, I am flummoxed but how these things occur, apparently everything should be on paper because verbal agreements mean nothing.
Yes union rep was present at the exit meeting. His name was Harold Grant.
I've consulted union attorneys who basically do not want to argue your case. They pretty much write you off 'for the betterment of the membership,' as I was told by the union attorney.
The attorney is gutless or cannot argue well in the court room, because this district could face a huge class law suit.
PFT, AFT, AFL-CIO are partners in crime with PPS/Broad/Gates.
That program talked about 200 million in wasted money. That is serious money. We need to hear far more about this. They talked about CEP, the sale of Reizenstein, all the new construction. Now you know why these schools are hit so hard. But, what about the 2009 stimulus money.
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