Feb 1, 2009

14 07 2012

Teacher Centers need your help!! Please click on Letter to my Legislator, click on select this letter and follow the prompts to send a letter in favor of restoring teacher center funding to your legislator. You will only need to choose your home zip code – NYSUT will do the rest.

I went to Albany this past Tuesday for my first Committee of 100. Unfortunately, the senators had been called to conference so I was only able to meet with aides. Senator Skelos did make arrangements for us to meet with his senior aide as well as a finance representative. I explained that teacher centers have been funded for the past 25 years and provide quality professional development to teachers and teacher assistants. If teacher centers are no longer funded, teachers with professional certificates will be forced to find classes once provided by teacher centers in order to fulfill their 175 hour PD requirements.

Additionally, I explained the partnerships teacher centers have forged with Intel, Verizon Thinkfinity, Dell, and higher education institutions. Partnerships with Stonybrook, Dowling, Post, Molloy and St. Johns have allowed us to bring graduate courses at discounted prices to our local locations that accommodate teacher schedules.

We are really in danger of losing our funding. The government needs to understand how vital teacher centers are to all of us. Thanks so much for your help!





Jan 31, 2009

14 07 2012
 A few months ago, Governor Patterson decided that teaching centers should take a 37.5% cut for the current year and a 50% cut next year. An uproar ensued as many teaching centers had already spent the money for the current year and didn’t have it to give back. Governor Patterson’s response was that teaching centers are non-essential and will receive no funding next year.
What does that mean for you? If teaching centers are eliminated from the budget, it means there will be no more in-service classes offered at a minimal tuition and there will no longer be a location for colleges to offer courses at reduced tuition off-campus. In addition, teachers will lose their voice as to what classes will benefit them.They say that something good always comes from something bad. Perhaps public awareness for the value of teaching centers is one of those benefits