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SANDWICH

EDUCATORS

586

Days Without

A Contract.

Voice your support for educators at:

schoolcommittee@sandwich.k12.ma.us

or (508)888-1054

Member Alert

THINK BEFORE YOU INK!

DON’T SIGN PETITIONS PROMOTING

THE STAND FOR CHILDREN BALLOT INITIATIVE

Dear MTA Member:

We are writing to make you aware of petitions being circulated throughout Massachusetts by an advocacy group called Stand for Children and to urge you to decline to sign if you are approached. The petitions call for a 2012 ballot initiative that would mandate limits on local collective bargaining about educator evaluations and place restrictions on the granting of Professional Teacher Status.

This initiative is an outside effort to impose impractical rules on our schools instead of working on reform with educators. While Stand for Children bills itself as a grassroots organization, a recent article by the State House News Service notes that its board “includes officials from Bain Capital, Fidelity Investments, Fisher Lynch Capital, and other major businesses.” We believe that the ballot initiative is a distraction from the real problems in public education and will divert time, energy and resources from far more pressing issues – including funding and state revenues – that directly affect the quality of education for our students.

We are also concerned about the integrity of the ballot process, and we are asking MTA members to be alert for the potential of paid signature gatherers – many of whom are expected to come from outside of Massachusetts – to use deceptive measures. As a result, we are asking members to call our Fraud Watch Hotline at 888-824-9243when they see circulators of the Stand for Children petitions.

It is important to recognize that the ballot initiative does not serve the interests of students and public education. Please do not sign a Stand for Children petition if you are asked – and urge your family members, friends and neighbors to decline to sign as well.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Paul Toner

MTA President

Tim Sullivan

MTA Vice President

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