Detroit Federation of Teachers

monique baker mccormick addresses DFT members

Wayne County Commissioner Addresses Members

DPS alumna, Monique Baker McCormick, representing northwest Detroit and Redford Township, district 6, spoke to members about her role as the chair of the Wayne County Commission Youth Council.

March 4 Action: Wear Red for Ed

One of the actions for March 4 Education/Protect Our Kids was to wear red. Keidan Special Education Center is just one of many work locations across the district which put on their "red for ed".

March 4 Action: Clap In

Priest Elementary Middle School greeted students this morning with a clap-in. The students thought it was great and the staff wore Red for Ed. Many schools clapped in students at the entrance bell, while others did it at dismissal.

March 4 Action: Signs and Literature Drop

Literature and buttons were on hand for the parents at the Jerry L. White Center, while Gardner Elementary provided #ProtectOurKids signs along with pączk for its Day of Action.

School Gun Bills Are Bad Policy

The Michigan Senate has hastily approved a set of bills that will further place children at risk, whether they reside in Detroit or DeTour Village in the Upper Peninsula. Our President Ivy Bailey has penned an op-ed that has been published in the Michigan Chronicle and The Detroit News.

Click here to read: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2017/11/22/school-fun-bills-bad-policy/107948098/?link_id=0&can_id=74ee541f20f3b9f59526c6c9334d538f&source=email-e-newsletter-for-december-1&email_referrer=&email_subject=e-newsletter-for-december-1

Three committed Black male educators about the need for more men to enter the field of teaching. Each is a DFT member:

· Terrence Martin, Detroit Federation of Teachers, executive vice president

· Quan Neloms, Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, teacher

· Ben Dirden, Communication & Media Arts High School, teacher

Click the following link to watch: http://www.dptv.org/blogs/american-black-journal/112617-hope-starts-here-black-male-teachers/

Update on 3% case before Supreme Court

This week’s 3% hearing before the state Supreme Court has not come to a conclusion. We are tracking developments and will report them ASAP. Here is a great opinion piece on the subject penned by AFT Michigan President David Hecker and MEA President Paula Herbert.

"If returned to the educators who earned it, the half-billion-plus dollars the state has illegally taken would have a tremendous positive impact for individual families and the state’s economy," they write.

Click the following Web link to read the Hecker and Herbert piece. http://www.freep.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/11/07

Congratulations to our own Cande Tellez-Uzarek of Western High School. She's 2017 Michigan Association of School Social Workers School Social Worker of the Year. Tellez-Uzarek is a social worker at Western High School and a 25-year veteran of the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

She was presented with her honor on November 2, 2017 at the Lansing Center.

WHAT'S NEW: Financial Review Commission Approves DFT-DPSCD contract

In a unanimous vote, the state Financial Review Commission on August 28 approved DFT's three-year contract with the Detroit Public Schools Community District.

The pact is now official and takes effect immediately.

WHAT'S NEW: DPSCD leaders prepare for new school year

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Students return to school on Tuesday, September 5 and DPSCD leaders discuss the 2017-2018 school year on Fox 2 Detroit’s “Let It Rip Sunday” on August 27. President Ivy Bailey was joined by General Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti and Detroit Board of Education President Dr. Iris Taylor. http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/let-it-rip/276556015-story