There is no question in my mind that members of the Pulaski Association of Classroom
Teachers (PACT) are the strongest group of educators on the face of this earth. You are
true teachers in every sense of the word. You continue to work hard to educate your
students despite the intimidation, harassment, retaliation and fear tactics that you endure
from the District for which you work. I know of no other group who has stepped up to
the plate to make more concessions and/or sacrifices as you have and I am proud to be
your president.
Time and again, it is PACT members who demonstrate leadership and a willingness to
make the tough choices to keep our District viable. In the Pulaski County Special School
District (PCSSD), decisions are made by people who seem to know nothing about
education and know even less about the sacrifices that PACT members have made for the
District and the students. You spend so much money out of your own pockets to provide
your students with needed educational supplies and materials and, many times, to provide
them with lunch money; you voted to restructure your salary schedule and decrease
experience increments in order to decrease salary costs when the PCSSD was classified
as a District in fiscal distress; for years, you have agreed to have your planning time
before or after the student day (elementary) in order to decrease costs to the District; you
spend nights and weekends preparing lessons, grading papers, posting assignments and/or
grades to Ed-line because you have no computer at school or because there is no time
during the day to do everything that you are expected to do; you agreed to smaller
percentage pay raises for the previous three years than other groups received because
PACT members ratified an agreement and we abide by decisions we makes in good faith.
And those are just a few of the sacrifices you have made and continue to make for the
students you teach and the mean-spirited District in which you work.
There does come a point, however, when we all have to say “enough is enough.” We are
not going to stand by while a group of individuals driven by their own personal agendas
tries to destroy us and our right to collectively bargain for decent salaries, primary
benefits, meaningful professional development, more educational supplies and materials,
improved working conditions, etc. Many people fail to understand the connection
between teachers’ working conditions and students’ learning conditions – teachers’
working conditions are the conditions in which students learn and by fighting to improve
one we are fighting to improve both.
Incredibly, some people seem to think that teachers should not earn the salary of a
professional or be able to visit a doctor when we are sick or stand up for ourselves when
our rights have been violated. Everyone deserves these basics of life.
