Dear MEA Members,
We hope we find you in good health and good spirits during this unprecedented time. There are still many unknowns and questions to be answered. Unfortunately, the nature of the school closures in the Commonwealth means that some cannot yet be answered.
By now, you have all received the plan for Phase II of the extended school closure. The MEA Negotiations Committee and leadership provided feedback to the Superintendent and his team to create a plan from the Commissioner’s Guidance Document that works for the faculty and students of Marlborough. The plan calls for flexibility for both the students and faculty. We made it clear that many of our members have children of their own who are learning remotely and schedules need to be flexible to ensure the needs of our members and their families. Planning for phase II instruction has already begun with your building administrators and supervisors.
Phase II will begin on April 8 and end on May 4. April 20 – April 24 will remain as April break and not be an instructional week.
As we plan for the next steps, we would like you to remember the Superintendent’s words, we cannot replicate a school day. We all wonder, are we doing enough? We are not in the classroom and cannot control the situation beyond the phone calls, online classes and letters we send out. We care about our students and their learning. By providing our students remote lessons and learning everyday, we are doing what we can within the confines of social distancing and health and safety.
The Joint Evaluation Committee met virtually today to begin discussions about the Evaluation process for this school year. It is our hope to forward an agreement to the MEA Negotiations Committee to review by early next week and a Memorandum of Understanding to be drafted very soon after.
Lastly, the MEA EBoard met this week. Due to the extenuating circumstances, the EBoard has voted to extend the date for those members interested in running form MEA Officer positions to April 15, 2020 from April 1. If you are interested in running for any of the Officer positions for the 2020/2021 school year, please email Jess Hey at jessheymea@gmail.com no later than April 15. In addition, at this time, Eboard is looking into voting procedures other than voting in person.
The MTA Annual Meeting of Delegates will be held virtually on Saturday, May 2nd. If you are interested in representing the MEA as a delegate, please email Rupal Patel at rupalmea@gmail.com no later than April 14. April 15 is the deadline for registration of delegates by the President.
COVID 19 and the situation it has presented was not something any of us saw as we started the new school year last fall. The MEA would like to thank the membership for their commitment to the students of Marlborough and their patience as we move forward in this most unusual school year.
Be safe, be well and take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
Rupal, Eileen and the MEA EBoard
