PFT Election 2016
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I am voting for WE because...(Part 2)
Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators
A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!
Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4.
Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!
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WE Are Making National Headlines!
Did you catch the coverage of Working Educators in national publications Salon and Labor Notes this week? Make sure every one of your colleagues and fellow PFT members have seen these articles!
Salon.com: “11,000 smart, committed teachers can change the world”: A group of working Philadelphia teachers is looking to upset the status quo of the teachers union
Labor Notes: Philly Teachers Go For It
Working Educators members were also all over the city for radio interviews last week:
-Listen to WE Presidential Candidate Amy Roat on The Rick Smith Show
-Listen to WE Slate Members on GTown Radio's Morning Feed
Want to hear from both candidates for PFT President in the same setting? Then check out Jerry Jordan on the Rick Smith Show too-- and then check out the full analysis here.
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I am voting for WE because...(Part 1)
Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators
A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!
Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4.
Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!
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Pledge Your Vote for WE
The Caucus of Working Educators believes in the power of the rank and file members of the PFT. The most important way you can exercise that power in 2016 is to vote in the upcoming leadership election. Pledge your vote for WE today by filling out the electronic pledge card below!
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WE can make a difference (Part 2)
Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators
A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!
Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4.
Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!
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WE can make a difference (Part 1)
Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators
A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!
Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4.
Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!
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What I love about my job
Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators
A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!
Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4.
Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!
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Our Executive Officers and Executive Board
It's official -- we have our slate of candidates.
That equals nine executive officers and twenty-six executive board members -- who make up a part of the one hundred delegates to the AFT state and national conventions!
We'll be introducing all of them to you over the coming days, but we wanted to put the names out to you now so you could see the many rank and file PFT members who are stepping up to say that WE are the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
Ready to pledge your vote? You can do so here.
Want to meet the slate? Get in touch at [email protected]. We'll arrange to come visit your building before or after school!
Executive Officers
President
AMY NICOLE
ROAT
Teacher
Feltonville Arts & Sciences
General VP
YAASIYN
MUHAMMAD
Teacher
Central High School
Special VP - High Schools
ISMAEL
JIMENEZ
Teacher
Kensington CAPA
Special VP - Middle Schools
KELLEY
COLLINGS
Teacher
Feltonville Arts & Sciences
Special VP - Elementary Schools
PEGGY
SAVAGE
Teacher
Richmond School
Recording Secretary
EILEEN
DUFFEY BERNT
School Nurse
Academy at Palumbo
Treasurer
PAMELA
ROY
Teacher
Thomas Mifflin School
Legislative Representative
GEORGE
BEZANIS
Teacher
Central High School
Associate Secretary
TASHA
RUSSELL
Teacher
Wagner MIddle School
Executive Board
Senior HIgh School ADAM BLYWEISS Teacher Martin Luther King HIgh School Senior HIgh School KRISTIN COMBS Teacher Penn Treaty High School Senior HIgh School JULIE STEINER Teacher Saul High School Middle Years Position CARLOS FREDERICK Teacher Wilson Middle School Middle Years Position KRISTIN LUEBBERT Teacher Bache-Martin School Middle Years Position RAYMOND PORRECA Teacher, Special Education Feltonville Arts & Sciences Elementary School Position MICHAEL BERSTEIN Teacher Southwark School Elementary School Position LISA ANN HANTMAN Teacher McCall School Elementary School Position TAMIKO MITCHELL Teacher Potter-Thomas School Special Education Teacher ELIZABETH MENASION Teacher, Special Education Science Leadership Academy Paraprofessional BREANNA MITCHELL Classroom Assistant Feltonville Arts & Sciences Secretarial Position LISETTE RIVERA Secretary I The U School NTA Bargaining Unit GEORGE RUVARAC Farmer Saul High School Reading Assistants/SSA MARGARET ROLON Supportive Services Assistant Feltonville Arts & Sciences Professional Technical PATRICIA ECKERT Budget Tech Assistant Office of Management & Budget Head Start ALICE CAVALLI Teacher Taggart Head Start Per Diem Substitute CHRISTINE MARTIN Retired Nurse / Per Diem Sub Per Diem Food Services Manager SHARON HANDZUS Food Services Manager I Saul High School Professional Supportive Services (consisting of nurses, therapists, psychologists) TATIANA OLMEDO School Counselor Central High School At Large JOE ALBERTI Teacher Powel School At Large MARGARET DEVINE School Nurse Lincoln High School At Large HERMAN DOUGLAS Teacher Bethune School At Large DAVID HENSEL Teacher Taggart School At Large CHARLES MCGEEHAN Teacher The U School At Large DANIEL SYMONDS Teacher Munoz-Marin School At Large JESSICA WAY Teacher Franklin Learning Center AFT Delegates - in addition to the candidates listed above
MICHAEL ADELSON Teacher FELTONVILLE ARTS & SCIENCES CHRISTOPHER ANGELINI Teacher CROSSROADS ACCELERATED ACADEMY TREVOR ANGELUCCI Teacher KENSINGTON URBAN EDUCATION SARAH ATKINS Teacher JACKSON, ANDREW SCHOOL DELILAH BAINES WASHINGTON Teacher KEY, FRANCIS SCOTT SCHOOL NATHANIEL BARTELS Teacher POTTER-THOMAS SCHOOL DAVID BIANDO Teacher ROBESON, PAUL HIGH SCHOOL JOSHUA BLOCK Teacher SCIENCE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY JENNIFER BRACE Teacher, Special Education WILSON, WOODROW MIDDLE SCHOOL LYNETTE BROWN Teacher AMY 5 AT JAMES MARTIN KARINA BUSTAMANTE Teacher MOFFET, JOHN SCHOOL KENNETH CARMICHAEL Teacher FELTONVILLE ARTS & SCIENCES KATRINA CLARK Teacher THE WORKSHOP SCHOOL ANA COBANI Teacher FRANKLIN LEARNING CENTER SYDNEY COFFIN Teacher EDISON, THOMAS A. HIGH SCHOOL KATHERINE COHEN Teacher GREENBERG, JOSEPH SCHOOL ERICA DARKEN Curriculum Development Specialist MULTILINGUAL PROGRAMS CHRISTINE DEL ROSSI Teacher WILLARD, FRANCES E. SCHOOL JENNIFER DISQUE Teacher, Special Education SAUL, WALTER B. HIGH SCHOOL LIZA DOLMETSCH Teacher DICK, WILLIAM SCHOOL ADAM DURANT Teacher MEREDITH, WILLIAM M. SCHOOL ROBERT FOURNIER Teacher OVERBROOK HIGH SCHOOL LYNDA FOXWORTH Teacher WILSON, WOODROW MIDDLE SCHOOL DONNA GORDON Teacher WILSON, WOODROW MIDDLE SCHOOL JESSE GOTTSCHALK Teacher CRAMP, WILLIAM SCHOOL PAUL GROW Teacher CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL JAMES HARDY Teacher KENSINGTON HEALTH SCIENCES JANENE HASAN Teacher SOUTHWARK SCHOOL REGINA HASTINGS Teacher FRANKLIN LEARNING CENTER BRIAN HUSSEY Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER MARINA ISAKOWITZ Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER BRENDON JOBS Teacher GIRARD ACADEMIC MUSIC PROGRAM ANNA KATES Teacher ARTS ACADEMY AT BENJAMIN RUSH MARY CATHERINE KHELLA Teacher FRANKLIN LEARNING CENTER CHRISTINE KOLENUT Teacher COOKE, JAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GAIL KOSKELA Teacher SAUL, WALTER B. HIGH SCHOOL KATHRYN LEADER Teacher HOPKINSON, FRANCIS SCHOOL JONATHAN LEIBOVIC Teacher KELLEY, WILLIAM D. SCHOOL MICHAEL LEIBOWITZ Teacher TAGGART, JOHN H. SCHOOL ROBIN LOWRY Teacher WISTER, JOHN SCHOOL CLARE LUEBBERT Teacher MEADE, GEN. GEORGE G. SCHOOL NORMAN MACQUEEN Teacher MITCHELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KAITLIN MCCANN Teacher, Special Education MC CALL, GEN. GEORGE A. SCHOOL GLENN MCCARTHY Teacher KENSINGTON CAPA LAUREN OVERTON Teacher MEREDITH, WILLIAM M. SCHOOL LARISSA PAHOMOV Teacher SCIENCE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY MICHELE PERLOFF School Nurse DISSTON, HAMILTON SCHOOL JENNIFER POUR Teacher SOUTHWARK SCHOOL THOMAS QUINN Teacher CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL SAMUEL REED Teacher THE U SCHOOL MAXWELL ROSEN-LONG Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER ANDREW SALTZ Teacher ROBESON, PAUL HIGH SCHOOL KELLY SCHAAF Teacher MEREDITH, WILLIAM M. SCHOOL DONNA SHARER Curriculum Development Specialist MULTILINGUAL PROGRAMS VICTORIA SMITH Teacher FELTONVILLE ARTS & SCIENCES MELISSA SOFFER Teacher WOODROW WILSON MIDDLE SCHOOL MARY JO SOLDACKI Teacher MUNOZ-MARIN, HON LUIS SCHOOL PATRICK SOMMER Teacher, Special Education GREENFIELD, ALBERT M. SCHOOL AMIRA STRONG-NOR Teacher BETHUNE, MARY MCLEOD SCHOOL ELIZABETH TAYLOR Teacher MASTERMAN,JULIA R. HIGH SCHOOL AURA TOWNSEND Teacher ENGINEERING & SCIENCE HIGH ELIZABETH WALLS-ASTO Teacher MC CALL, GEN. GEORGE A. SCHOOL LISA WASSERMAN Teacher PENN TREATY HIGH SCHOOL ANISSA WEINRAUB Teacher ACADEMY AT PALUMBO LUKE ZELLER Teacher SCIENCE LDSHP ACADEMY @ BEEBER A note about our slate: We have left one executive candidate slot unfilled -- that of the long-term substitute position. As all long term subs were laid off at the end of the 2015 school year due to the outsourcing of their jobs, many of them also left the PFT at that time. As a result, virtually no current PFT members have experience working for this bargaining unit, which is a requirement for holding this position.
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Favorite WE Moments (Part 4)
Part of the #WEarePFT video series from the Caucus of Working Educators
A new video released every day in Jan 2016 leading up to the PFT elections in Feb!
Ballots are mailed home on Feb.4.
Mail your completed ballot to AAA by Feb.19 to make sure your vote is counted!
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What WE Want to See: Rank-and-File Communications and Empowerment
Part 3 of a 9-part series of position papers on the substantive steps Working Educators would like to take strengthen the PFT and fight for the schools we deserve. Parts 1 and 2 covered negotiating the next PFT contract and building political alliances. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected]. And don't forget to vote on Feb 4th!
Many PFT members feel disconnected from each other, and especially from PFT leadership. The PFT is the largest union in the city of Philadelphia, yet the true power of our 11,000 members has been locked away for too long. Why is this? Our Caucus has heard too many stories of PFT members misinformed or uninformed about campaigns, policies, and their own leaders; of poorly-attended events; of statements to membership with unclear calls to action (or none at all); and, of long periods of radio silence on topics important to teachers and the communities we serve.
The Caucus believes that member education and empowerment must be restored as core principles of our union’s leadership. The Executive Board works at the pleasure of, and for the benefit of, the rank and file. If members don’t feel they are adequately informed, then it is not membership’s fault that they are disengaged from the union’s actions—it is leadership’s responsibility to provide a better, more engaging system.
What WE propose:
• Make sure that members are educated about important PFT issues, and invited to help plan actions and activities based on them.
• Create venues for PFT members to quickly and easily understand, decide on, and participate in union affairs. This includes expanded use of digital and social media communications, as well as new and more inclusive PFT organizational structures.
• Revamp the PFT website to make it more useful and user-friendly, including more frequent content updates, elimination of errors and bugs, and improved information architecture.
• Update PFT policies to make our operations more modern, transparent, and responsive, Such changes may address union meetings and their content, elected leaders’ teaching responsibilities, consistent election procedures, and training opportunities for future leaders.
Click here to download a printable PDF version-- and make sure to share it with your colleagues!