January 23, 2021 ~ Bow, NH

“Teacher unions.”  A phrase often heard in NH news this week.  Why?  Governor Sununu has come under strong criticism for omitting educators from the top tier categories for COVID vaccinations.  Forty-eight of the fifty states have put educators in the top tier, understanding that if they are vaccinated, then there will be fewer positives, fewer quarantines due to potential exposure, etc. Here in NH, there is a severe shortage of substitute teachers and para-educators to replace those required to quarantine.  If educators were vaccinated, the quarantine problem would begin to subside, the substitute shortage would be ameliorated, and more schools would begin returning to full-scale in-person learning.  Once that happens, parents can then return to work and a more normal life.  End result?  A quicker return to something resembling pre-COVID life in NH.  Now isn’t that something we are all waiting and hoping for this year? 

We congratulate perfusionist Ron Salonia, our 2020 Union Rep of the Year!

Our announcement is belated; normally we present this award at our annual business convention, but... you know how last year went.

Click here for this week's update!

Even Bernie reads the NTU Update!

In this issue:

1) Working Conditions 

2) A new day for education

3) NTU Executive Board Meeting

And Much more!

January 15, 2021

In response to new reporting showing that Jeffrey Yass funded efforts to overturn the 2020 election, AFT Pennsylvania President Arthur Steinberg, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan, and Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President Nina Esposito-Visgitis issued the following statement...

Click here for full article on the Eagle Tribune

Dear Superintendent Lewis and NOLA-PS Board Members,

Today we are writing to share our concerns about when and how we will resume in-person learning. We support the decision that NOLA-PS made to pivot to distance learning the week of January 4th. However, even in the short time of in-person learning (Jan. 4 - 5), Morris Jeff Community School experienced our first case of in-class, student-to-student COVID-19 transmission. Read the full letter here.

Every year we undertake the solemn task of honoring and remembering the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year feels like there’s an urgency to his words and memory. The spirit of national unity has been stretched thin by those seeking to support white supremacy.

Thankfully there are many more of us who heed and believe the words of Dr. King than there are of those who would divide us and promote racist, sexist fascism. The challenge for us is to not only remember Dr. King’s words, but to practice them. ...

READ MORE AT: http://md.aft.org/press/aft-maryland-statement-rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-day-2021

Every year we undertake the solemn task of honoring and remembering the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year feels like there’s an urgency to his words and memory. The spirit of national unity has been stretched thin by those seeking to support white supremacy.

Thankfully there are many more of us who heed and believe the words of Dr. King than there are of those who would divide us and promote racist, sexist fascism. The challenge for us is to not only remember Dr. King’s words, but to practice them. ...

CLICK TO READ 

January 17, 2021 ~ Bow, NH

Slowly but surely, the wheels are beginning to turn in the NH Legislature.  The Senate has already held a small number of online committee hearings, in essence testing out the system for remote access public testimony and working out any glitches.  The NH House is moving more slowly, with committees holding online orientation meetings for their members. 

The schedule for these meetings is in the House Calendar which can be found on the NH General Court website at http://gencourt.state.nh.us/house/caljourns/default.aspx).  If you seek to know when specific bills are scheduled for hearings you can check the Calendar which is published weekly or go to the bill search site if you know the bill number (for example, budget bill is always HB1).  The search page is http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_Status/.

New Orleans continues to experience the highest rates of COVID-19 we have seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Governor Edwards announced on January 16th that the new UK strain of COVID-19, which is easier to spread, has been identified in the New Orleans area.