Dear Members,

We have not yet been able to schedule a general meeting of the MEA and are hoping that members would be available on Thursday, February 4th.  A 75-minute meeting will be held to give general information and updates, as well as to address the concerns and questions of  members.  The meeting will begin with updates and general information and then address pre-submitted questions taken from this survey.  Due to everyone’s busy and hectic schedules, please limit your question to one so we can limit any repetition and be able to address as many members’ questions as possible.  The meeting will conclude with the chat being open for new questions.  Your survey responses will help to set the agenda and know who should be invited to present at the meeting. This survey is open until Thursday, January 28th at 5pm.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CPHJFWJ

An agenda and meeting link will be sent out the week of February 1st.

Thank you and take care!

Best,
​
​Eileen Barry and Brendan St. George

Dear Members,

Many of you have asked if Marlborough is taking part in this surveillance testing.  Marlborough has requested to be part of it.  When more details are available they will be shared.

Thank you,
Eileen

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From MTA President Merrie Najimy and Vice President Max Page

Greetings,
 
What does the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines mean for students and staff in our public schools and colleges? Join infectious disease experts, public health professionals, community leaders and educators for a Facebook Live forum on the latest pandemic information, with a deep dive into the topic of vaccines. This forum will screen at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14. Come with questions for the experts and share your experiences. 

In addition, we informed you last week that the free weekly surveillance testing that you won through your ongoing emails, calls and petitions will soon be implemented in districts that request it.

The initial deadline for districts to make the request is Jan. 15. Make sure your local association lets your administration know that your members want surveillance testing as soon as possible and that the local has a role in figuring out how to make this work. The MTA will be meeting with the commissioner of education this week to iron out details of the COVID-19 testing program.

In solidarity,
Merrie & Max

Dear Members,

We are in need of filling a few positions.  The Parliamentarian and Webmaster positions are open.  Both positions have a stipend.  The Webmaster position is $550 for the year and the Parliamentarian is $550.

The city wide Insurance Advisory Committee is in need of two school representatives.  One representative needs to come from the early childhood/elementary level and the other needs to be from the middle/high school level.  There is no stipend for this position.  I have attached the formal explanation of what the IAC does.  This is a VERY IMPORTANT committee as it advises the mayor as to what to do with our insurance.  This committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 10am-12pm.  The meetings are held virtually at the present time.  Please read the attached information about the committee and let me know if you are interested in joining the group.  If the two positions are not filled by us by February 9th then they will be filled by other city units.  It is important that we have teachers on the IAC so that we have some say in what happens with our insurance.

Please contact myself or your building rep if you are interested in any of these open positions.

Thank you and take care!

Best,
Eileen