Holyoke Teachers Association president responds to state report critiques
HOLYOKE -- The president of the city teacher's union responded to critiques made by state education officials with a simple message: "We all want the same thing, we want success for Holyoke."
Agustin Morales, the president of the Holyoke Teachers Association, addressed the recentreview of city schools by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at a Holyoke School Committee meeting on Monday.
The concerns, documented in the 65-pagereview of city schools, range from testing in the district to the relationship between the Holyoke Teachers Association and the superintendent's office.
The report said city schools need the district and HTA to develop and maintain a "more productive and appropriately collaborative partnership."
Morales said he received emails from teachers who read the report and felt it presented the union and teachers as separate entities.
"There is no separation between the teachers and their union, they're one and the same," he said. "The teachers are the ones that make up the union, I'm just the president. To delineate or to intend to do so in that report somehow that the teacher's leadership and the teachers themselves are two different organizations is just wrong."
Morales said while he and Superintendent of Schools Sergio Paez disagree on many things - most notably state testing - they're both on the same team when it comes to maintaining local control of Holyoke Public Schools.
More than 100 people were in attendance at the Holyoke School Committee meeting on Monday. Morales criticized some local education officials for not attending, specifically those from Project GRAD USA.
"I didn't see anybody from Project Grad here," he said. "I find it very troubling that this organization that could potentially be a part of the receivership - who knows, we don't know much - but they're not even present to talk to the state, to talk to the school committee, to talk to me, to talk to Dr. Paez. They're not here to talk to anybody. It's almost like they're above the law and I find that to be so reprehensible in this stage that we find ourselves in with the possibility of a state takeover."
Dean Vocational Technical High School, a Level 4 school, was ordered in 2010 by the state to be put under control of a manager. The control was shifted to Project GRAD more than a year ago. The non-profit was also given control of Morgan School last year Holyoke Teachers Association president responds to state report critiques | masslive.com: