Delay the BTU Contract Vote Until We Know What We're Signing!

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

Dear Marietta English and the Baltimore Teachers Union,

We, the undersigned teachers, demand a delayed vote on the contract you negotiated with the Baltimore City School System. We also demand a series of teach-ins and discussions before we hold a vote so that all teachers can understand the specific contract details, as well as their practical implications and ramifications. We demand that the contract be made available publicly online for at least one month prior to a vote. Our reasons are as follows:

1. We need to know how student achievement will be measured, and how this measurement will be specifically linked to our pay.

2. We need to know exactly how teachers will be evaluated in order to qualify for jobs and pay raises.

3. We need to know who will be participating in the evaluations, and how.

4. We need to know the rubrics by which each teacher, in all contents and grade-levels, will be evaluated.

5. We need to know how our new salaries will be funded once the Race to the Top money runs out.

We are under the understanding that these details will be worked out AFTER the vote on October 14^th. However, we would like to point out that these details and their implementation are precisely what determine whether this is a good contract.

This contract could be very good for the teachers, students, and schools of Baltimore, and we thank you for eight months of hard and difficult negotiations.

However, we believe that asking us to sign such a radical contract after only two information sessions and without a chance for teachers to provide feedback or ask questions is an abuse of your role as our representative. To prevent this abuse, we ask that you release the full contract and respond fully and clearly to the points above for all teachers, and that you host several discussion groups to answer questions before holding the vote.

Sincerely Yours,

View Signatures without signing