Christine Mulroney 20200606

Christine Mulroney 20200616

LETTER: Framingham Teachers Association Supports Black Lives Matter Movement June 16, 2020
Christine Mulroney Framingham Source
FRAMINGHAM - We are heartbroken to see so much pain and suffering in our communities caused by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and by the thousands of Black people killed throughout this country’s long history of racial injustice and police brutality.

The Framingham Teachers Association supports the Black Lives Matter movement and its call for an end to police violence and an end to the killing of Black men and women in the US. The lives of our Black students, their families and of our Black colleagues matter to us.

We defend the right to protest and believe that the responsibility to stand up against injustice is fundamental to our democracy. We condemn the violence besieging the very communities calling out for justice, as well as the incendiary shows of force against demonstrators by the police.

As educators, we can lift up our students and our communities. We can make space for all voices, not just the privileged ones. We can heal through teaching and provide our students with the critical thinking skills and knowledge necessary to create a more just and equitable society.

The FTA looks forward to working with the district leadership in reaching our goal of creating an anti-racist union and anti-racist schools, where students and educators discuss and address issues of race, diversity and equality in meaningful ways that lead to positive change.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the FTA Executive Committee and FTA Representative Council

Christine Mulroney, President
Framingham Teachers Association

Letter: School budget cuts will negatively affect students June 6, 2020
Christine Mulroney Metrowest Daily News
We understand that times are tough and that difficult decisions need to be made but keep this in mind; any additional cuts to the school budget will result in staff reductions. If you see this as a viable option, you have not been paying attention.

Last week at a finance subcommittee meeting, a member of the Stapleton staff spoke about the challenge of student behavior and need for added support, which they received. Further cuts would jeopardize these added supports, leaving student learning conditions negatively impacted.

This crisis has shown the challenges in reaching all and educating all. To help students reach their full potential, they need their educators as well as the tools to learn and grow. With the uncertainty of our return in September and with the need to provide students with added social emotional support as well as academic support, any additional cuts would significantly impact the work that needs to be done to help them reach that full potential.

If we stand for equity for all Framingham students, we must put forward a budget that expresses those values. This pandemic situation has highlighted even more the support that is needed for many of our families and students, in particular our English Language learners. Any additional cuts would impact the district's ability to improve services and provide equity for all students.

Our youngest citizens need you to support them in being the best scholars they can be. The school committee and Dr. Tremblay have made adjustments to the budget that will not impact any direct service to students. Any additional cuts you make WILL impact direct service to students. Now more than ever, our students need us to advocate for the schools they deserve.

Respectfully submitted,

Christine Mulroney

President, Framingham Teachers Association

Published 06/25/2020 in the MWDN:

In response to Christine Mulroney's letter:
"School budget cuts will negatively affect students", I have read your Framingham Teachers Association (Union) 96 page 56 article 3 page index contract with the Framingham schools. The contract serves only to get better pay and benefits for its members and says nothing about the academic welfare of students.

The FTA, as the largest voting block in Framingham, rakes in nearly $1,000,000 through its association fees (union dues) for itself, the MTA and the NEA. This money is then spent on the campaigns of our most left leaning state reps, city councillors and school committee members with aspirations to be re-elected.

The Framingham schools have nearly 2,000 full and part time employees, who apparently do not even need school buildings to receive their full salaries. It was bad enough when teachers worked 6 hours a day (plus commute time) for only 180 days, while most of have a 250 day work year. From my observations through the eyes of a McCarthy fifth grader, teachers have now dropped their commute and struggle to teach about 3 hours a week within those 180 days. Of course, the FTA still wants more money. Teachers now just give out assignments online and just note whether it was done or not. The concept of grading students (meritocracy) has disappeared.

Article 43, School Committee Rights (page 36,37) does authorize the school committee to relieve employees from duties because of lack of work. What do nurses, coaches, librarians, directors, principals, vice-principals, psychologists, psychiatrists, student counselors do without their buildings? Perhaps, we were wrong in passing that override for Fuller school.

In a recent article, Mrs. Mulroney stated that a four percent increase is a level funded budget. IN FTA arithmetic, 104 = 100. The four percent is called plunder, their piece of the action.

I am very confident that the FTA is quite willing to sacrifice grandmas and grandpas to Covid-19 in order to re-open the schools next year so they can continue their annual plunder from the Framingham taxpayers. I only wish Mrs. Mulroney was a resident of Framingham.

Send comments to: hjw2001@gmail.com