STAND WITH APS EDUCATORS! APPROVE OUR CONTRACT NOW!
SIGN OUR PETITION!
Please sign on to this letter to the APS Board, by clicking above. Here’s Why:
Every APS educator – teachers, social workers, nurses, coaches, diagnosticians, therapists, counselors, and so many more – arrives at work each day with the singular focus of educating and supporting our students to the best of our abilities.
We care deeply about our students, our neighborhoods, and our shared community.
Unfortunately, the actions by a few members of the APS Board of Education have jeopardized our ability to best serve our students and provide the individualized educational supports they need and deserve.
Union and District negotiating teams worked in good faith for 5 months, agreeing on changes and additions to our contract that are in the best interest of students and staff. Almost 3,500 educators voted in the ratification election with 98.6% voting YES!
In fact, on page 6 of our contract it states that, “We believe that a collaborative partnership between the District and the Federation embodies the notion that an educational system based on the involvement of educators in the decision-making process will lead to the highest quality of education, enhance the practice of teaching, and foster human dignity for all at the school site. Furthermore, the parties believe that by working together, an atmosphere which promotes professional growth will be established.”
This committed partnership has been successful for over 20 years. We jointly envisioned an APS that strengthened and personalized education for all students and prioritized filling our classrooms with strong, high-quality educators.
Despite this, four of the seven members of the APS Board voted to table a vote to ratify our Negotiated Agreement, jeopardizing the positive advances this contract would bring for our students and every educator in APS.
Here’s the text of the letter you’ll be sending to the Board. Once you click the link, feel free to edit the letter to make it your own:
Dear APS Board Members,
We are students, parents, educators, and community members who stand united in calling for the immediate settlement of the Negotiated Agreement between APS and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation.
We believe:
- Educators want what students need.
- Educators’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions!
- APS educators are highly educated professionals whose decisions on how to educate each student deserves respect.
- Educational professionals must have the time, trust, and tools to do our work and that includes respect for our professional decisions. Attracting and retaining educators to fully staff our schools and best serve our students depends on this.
The APS Board of Education must act now to support every APS educator and the students they serve every day in our schools. Any further delay only jeopardizes the learning conditions of our children enrolled in APS.
