UTL495 Straight Talk Podcast

We are delighted to post this, our latest podcast, as our opener for Season 3 of the United Teachers of Lowell’s Straight Talk podcasts.

In this episode, Mickie and Amy, AKA the Podcast Twins, sat down to chat with one of Lowell Public School’s exemplary educators, Nancy Chakarian. Nancy, a second grade teacher from the Shaughnessy Elementary School in Lowell, retired this past June after a 50 year career in Lowell. As one of Lowell’s most accomplished and respected educators, we were delighted to talk about Nancy’s teaching career and about the importance of being not only an active and highly-respected member of the United Teachers of Lowell, but a Building Representative for an incredible 25 years.

We are grateful to Nancy for her willingness to share her perspectives on education and activism and the changes she has observed and experienced over the course of her career. Education has changed drastically over the last 50 years, and the knowledge of our education history helps everyone to know and appreciate the gains we’ve made and to determine whether the changes made to our profession have benefitted our students.

Nancy’s dedication to her students, family, colleagues, the Lowell Public School, and the United Teachers of Lowell is going to be sorely missed, and we are counting on Nancy’s continued advocacy for all of us continuing into retirement with our Lowell Retirees Group. 

As listeners can tell, we are remotely chatting with Nancy, so we apologize in advance for any choppiness in the recording. As we are all learning in this world of teleconferencing, technology does have a few drawbacks!

We once again thank you for tuning in to this episode. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you will subscribe to our podcast using Apple iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast aggregator. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of UTL members who might be willing to share experiences and expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

Our podcast has been on a hiatus for a number of reasons over the last weeks; however, today we were able to sit down albeit remotely, with Tom Raiche, AFL-CIO Community Services Liaison, Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council.  Tom, as our regular listeners will remember spoke with us about the United Way’s commitment in the Merrimack Valley in particular on our Season 2, Episode 12 podcast.

As we negotiate our new version of normal throughout the outbreak of Corona Virus, it is comforting to know that United Way almost immediately geared up to address some very critical needs of workers and families in our area. We spoke with Tom about some of these efforts and how you can help via remote. Let’s hear more specifics from Tom.

We hope this information is helpful to you. Again, if you have questions about the United Way’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, be sure to check the links on our podcast website OR visit the United Way’s webpage devoted to their response to this crisis.

Thanks to Tom for gamely tapping in to our remote recording to share this important update.  Again, if you are in need of any assistance, the number to call is two-one-one. It’s that simple! The person on the other end of the line will put you in touch with agencies that can help.

For those wishing to make an individual donation to United Way, the most efficient way of doing so is to navigate to https://unitedwaymassbay.org/get-involved/covid-19-family-fund/. We’ll also post these links on our podcast website, utl495-straighttalk.com and you can also navigate to our podcasts via our United Teachers of Lowell website, unitedteacherslowell.org. 

We once again thank you for tuning in to this episode. We too are learning to negotiate new realities as we continue to record podcasts remotely. We promise we’ll keep working on sound quality.

We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you will subscribe to our podcast using Apple iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast aggregator. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of UTL members who might be willing to share experiences and expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

In our advocacy role, we’ve met some tremendous public school advocates from, across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Working together in collaboration is essential to raising awareness of the issues that impact our public schools, our students and our families. Clearly the success of the Fund Our Future campaign which ultimately resulted in the passage of the Student Opportunity Act, relied upon a broad coalition of partners from every corner of Massachusetts. One of those partners is Citizens for Public Schools, or CPS.

Today we have the privilege of speaking with CPS’s Executive Director, Lisa Guisbond who is one of the strongest advocates and supporters of public schools here in the Commonwealth. Whenever there is an opportunity to speak in a Legislative Hearing or to educate citizens about issues that affect of public schools, you can count upon Lisa and Citizens for Public Schools to be there.

We asked Lisa to speak in particular about the need for all of us who care about public education to keep speaking up as plans for spending Student Opportunity Act funding are being developed in each Massachusetts community. CPS has some suggestions for how we all can do that so that these hard-fought-for funds are directed toward our public school students and our schools themselves.

We also asked Lisa to speak today about an event CPS is sponsoring this coming Wednesday, February 26th: CPS is sponsoring a book talk by nationally known education historian Diane Ravitch and a discussion that will include former MTA President Barbara Madeloni and Education blogger and advocate, Dr. Maurice Cunningham. You won’t want to miss this opportunity! The event will take place at 7 pm at the First Parish Church in Cambridge (3 Church Street, Harvard Square) on February 26. Tickets ($12) are available for the even through CPS’s Facebook Page and CPS event webpage detailing the event and ticket information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• For general information about becoming involved with Citizens for Public Schools, visit CPS’s website at citizensforpublicschools.org.

• The two-page summary of the new Student Opportunity Act law that we spoke about with Lisa is downloadable on the CPS website.

• Many of our schools have already begun to develop their school-based funding plans with School Site Councils. Even if you are not a member of your school’s council, you can attend meetings and voice opinions. Check the Lowell Public Schools website for a listing of each Lowell Public School and then click on the School Site Council link for an individual school in order to view meeting schedules and agendas.

• If you have a suggestion for use of Student Opportunity Act funding, you can email Dr. Boyd, Lowell’s Superintendent of Schools with your suggestions. You may also wish to copy the School Committee with your suggestions as well. School Committee Members and contact information is listed on the LPS School Committee webpage.

Thank you to Lisa for bravely chatting with us via a remote connection! It’s always a pleasure to speak with Lisa about public education and the work Citizens for Public Schools has advocated for in the past and will continue to advocate for in the future. We hope that many of our listeners will attend the CPS Book Talk and Discussion on February 26th. Be sure to reserve those tickets in advance so you are not disappointed!

Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this episode. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you will subscribe to our podcast using Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or one of your favorite podcast aggregators. As always we welcome your comments and feedback and, should you have a suggestion for a future podcast topic or know of a UTL Member who might be willing to share experiences or expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

We had the pleasure of speaking with Lowell’s Chief Equity and Engagement Officer, Latifah Phillips, about School Site Councils. The Councils, which are required by Massachusetts Education Law, are experiencing something of a rebirth as their responsibilities and decision-making are an essential part of the Student Opportunity Act.

The School Site Councils are not only governed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts law, there are policies in place through the Lowell Public Schools policy manual. Latifah Phillips, in her role as the Chief Equity and Engagement Officer, is working to ensure that Lowell’s School Site Councils not only comply with state and local policies, but are also opportunities for collaboration, engagement, and empowerment by all stakeholders in the Lowell Public Schools.

For More Information:

• The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on School Site Councils

• The Lowell Public School Policy Manual can be found on the Lowell Public Schools website. Click on “Our District” in the light gray banner and selection Policy Manual in the drop down.

• Lowell Public Schools Office of Educational Equity and Community Empowerment’s website has many valuable resources for interested family and community members.

• Lowell Public Schools Website has a complete list of Lowell Schools and their websites. Click on the drop down “Our Schools” menuin the top banner to locate individual school websites.

• Latifah Phillips also graciously shared this slideshow which was shared with Leadership in January. Click here to download the presentation.

Lowell’s School Site Councils will be quite busy over the next several weeks and months as they begin to meet to begin their work. As the Councils become more active, be sure to check individual school website’s for news of the Council’s meetings and upcoming agenda items.

We once again thank Latifah Phillips for speaking with us on today’s podcast and for her collaboration with the UTL on this important effort to engage school stakeholders in a meaningful way. We hope that this conversation helps to clear any misconceptions about the roles and formation of School Site Councils across the Lowell Public Schools.

We once again thank you for tuning in to this episode. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you will subscribe to our podcast using Apple iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast aggregator. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of UTL members who might be willing to share experiences and expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

Lowell High School has a great academic program, but the school also has outstanding opportunities for students to excel in extra-curricular interests. Our spotlight today is on Lowell High’s Indoor Track program. 

The Girls’ and Boys’ track teams have been successful and that is a testament to the excellent coaching by Boys’ Head Coach Scott Ouellette and Girls’ Head Coach Nate Kraft and their coaching staff. However, the most impressive aspect of the LHS Track program, regardless of the season, is the commitment and dedication of the student athletes themselves. The team members support each other and they draw on their inner strength to train hard and do their best.

Today we had the privilege of speaking to four outstanding track athletes: Asailiah Mirambeaux , Sarah Ames, Richmond Kwaateng , and Samuel Mutiso who represent Lowell High School well in their exemplary dedication, persistence, and academic achievement. Listen to our conversation with these four student athletes and their dedication not only to their individual achievements, but to their team as well.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Lowell High’s Indoor Track Team has two more meets this season. You can catch them at the MVC Championships this FRIDAY, February 7 at the Reggie Lewis Center (NEU) in Boston. or at the MIAA Division 1 State Championship also at the Reggie Lewis Center. February 12.

• Lowell High School’s Athletics

We are grateful to LHS’s Scott Ouellette, who helped us to connect with these great kids and to the students themselves: Asaliah, Sarah, Richmond and Sam. Listening to you speak about the hard work that goes into your success at track, your persistence in continuing to improve - and the resilience needed to keep going when things don’t go as planned is inspirational. We know you will go far in your future pursuits and wish you and your team mates the best.

We once again thank you for tuning in to this episode. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you will subscribe to our podcast using Apple iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast aggregator. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of UTL members who might be willing to share experiences and expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

Until next time, the Podcast Twins wish you a great week!

With the passage of the Student Opportunity Act last November, state funding, or Chapter 70 monies, will be increasing for Lowell Public Schools. That is good news, and of course, we are thrilled, but this infusion of restored funding over the next seven years requires all of us to think in a different way. We need to shirt our mindsets away from what is lost when a school district is underfunded, and instead focus on what is possible. As Paul says, we need an abundance mentality.

In the next weeks public school districts like Lowell will begin the process of prioritizing what programs and expenditures should be restored, and begin the process of rebuilding what has been cut from our public school budgets. 

In an effort to ensure that our Members’ voices are heard, the UTL created a survey challenging Members to begin “imagineering” or thinking about what our schools, our classrooms, and our students need. We’ve asked our UTL President Paul Georges to talk with us today about the importance of this survey and how your participation in the survey will help the UTL to advocate for you during budget discussions and upcoming contract negotiations.

Thanks to Paul for speaking with us today. We also thank our members who have, to date, responded to our survey. If you have not yet completed the survey, we encourage you to do so before the end of January, and, if you need the Survey Link (Members only), please email us at [email protected]. Be sure to include your full name, school in which you work, and the UTL Unit you belong to along with a valid home email address. Please do not use a school email address.

Thank you for tuning in to this Episode of Straight Talk. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you’ll consider subscribing to our podcast using Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of a UTL495 member who might be willing to share experiences or expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

The Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Inc. (MVFB) has been transporting, storing and distributing food to disadvantaged members of the community since 1991. Founded as a program of the Middlesex Shelter in Lowell, MA (now known as Lowell Transitional Living Center), the food bank continues to respond to the increased need for emergency food in greater Lowell. 

Today we’re speaking to MVFB’s Executive Director, Amy Pessia, about an essential and critical program addressing food insecurity for our students in the Lowell Public Schools: Operation Nourish. At the end of this program, we will provide contact information for anyone wishing to support the program financially or through volunteering or donations. 

This statement from MVFB resonates - and we are sure it will with our listeners as well.

We are delighted to spotlight and feature the work of the Merrimack Valley Food Bank here on UTL’s StraightTalk podcast.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Visit the Merrimack Valley Food Bank’s website, mvfb.org, to learn how you can support the work of this organization. For those wishing assist, the MVFB website details how one can do so.

• For more information on Operation Nourish, visit their page here.

• The list of Member Agencies partnering with MVFB can be found throughout the Merrimack Valley. Click on this link to locate Member Agencies.

Special thanks to Amy Pessia, Executive Director of MFVB, and to her team for the tour of the Merrimack Valley Food Bank facility. The phenomenal work being done by this fine organization in ensuring that students and families across the Merrimack Valley have food insecurity needs met is inspiring. The MVFB is welcoming to those who may be looking for ways to give back by volunteering. Please reach out to them by calling 978-454-7272 or by emailing.

Thank you for tuning in to this Episode of Straight Talk. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you’ll consider subscribing to our podcast using Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of a UTL495 member who might be willing to share experiences or expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

We’ll be off celebrating with our families during the upcoming holiday break and wish all of you a wonderful holiday and a healthy, prosperous 2020.

We love the opportunity to learn more about Members working at every level in the Lowell Public Schools, and so, when we spotted a shout-out to Lowell High School AP Teacher, Patrick Smulligan, we reached out to learn more! Each and every day extraordinary educators like Pat ensure that students’ are being challenged.

Recently Pat was recognized by Mass Insight Education and Research for a Partner in Excellence Teacher Award for his work in LHS’s STEM and English program. Pat is one of only 25 Massachusetts Advanced Placement Teachers to be recognized for outstanding contributions to student success during the 2018-2019 academic year.

What does this mean for Pat and for his students? We we curious, too - listen in to our conversation with Lowell High School’s Patrick Smulligan.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Learn more about the Mass Insight Education and Research organization by clicking this link. More information about Mass Insight’s work with Advanced Academics can be found here.

• Partners in Excellence

• To learn more about the programs at Lowell High School website, click here.

Thanks to Pat for coming in to chat with us. Recognizing the excellence and exemplary work of our colleagues is one of the joys of working on this podcast. Well done, Pat!

Thank you for tuning in to this Episode of Straight Talk. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you’ll consider subscribing to our podcast using Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of a UTL495 member who might be willing to share experiences or expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

We had a chance to sit down with AFTMA Secretary-Treasurer Brant Duncan this past week to learn about the upcoming Member Benefits Workshop for members living and working on the 495-North beltway. We were amazed by some of the programs afforded to Union members and we know you will be as well.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Members - and their partners - are invited to the Member Benefits Workshop to be held on DECEMBER 17 from 6 pm to 8 pm at the “Establishment”, 75 Princeton Blvd in North Chelmsford. Come learn about some benefits available to us - and network with your colleagues!

• Registration for the December 17, 2019 Member Benefits Workshop is ongoing. Please visit bit.ly/bennymtg121719 to let us know you are attending!

• Be sure to explore other benefits available to you simply by belonging to our Union! Check out both American Federation of Teachers benefit and American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. Discover more about nationally offered program for AFT members through AFT-Plus Member Benefits. To learn more about AFTMA offerings, click on the “Membership” link at the top of the page.

Thanks to Brant Duncan for alerting us to this great no-pressure opportunity to learn more about yet another benefit to Union Membership. We hope to see many of you at the Member Benefits Workshop on December 17th. Remember, let us know you plan to attend by registering at bit.ly/bennymtg121719.

Thank you for tuning in to this Episode of Straight Talk. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you’ll consider subscribing to our podcast using Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of a UTL495 member who might be willing to share experiences or expertise, send us an email at [email protected].

Recently, we were with United Teachers of Lowell colleagues when President Paul Georges was speaking to the group about the Health Insurance Mitigation and Trust funds, and the history behind how using those funds provides our Members with some relief from the spiraling cost of health care.  It’s a fascinating aspect of our Union history, and one that might be a surprise to most active members. The UTL has been working for ways to lessen the effect of changes to GIC from our previous health insurance plan.

A unique benefits offered UTL members as well as other City of Lowell employees has been access to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement or HRA. At the end of this podcast, we’ll link to the City of Lowell’s Human Relations Department website which houses the forms and information needed to file claims with the HRA provider, Ultrabenefits.  We’ll also link to last year’s podcast Episode 15 with Ultrabenefit’s Marybeth Casey explaining how this benefit works.

As you will hear, our Union has been advocating for all of us - active and retired members - so that the switch from our former health insurance plan to Group Insurance Commission offerings did not leave members and their families vulnerable to catastrophic health care costs. There may be changes in our future, but one thing remains constant: our Union leaders advocate for all of us!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The City of Lowell’s Human Relations Department has an extensive webpage dedicated not only to the Health Reimbursement Arrangement, but many other benefits afforded to City of Lowell employees. Visit them at https://www.lowellma.gov/168/Human-Relations.

Ultrabenefits is the administrator of the City’s Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). Information about this plan can also be access here.

Last year, we spoke with Ultrabenefits Mary Beth Casey about the HRA. You can listen to Mary Beth’s podcast recording, Season 1 Episode 15, here.

Thanks to Paul for explaining how advocacy of our City Unions led not only to the creation of a Health Insurance Trust Fund, but also the Mitigation Fund that benefits all members and retirees today.

Thank you for tuning in to this Episode of Straight Talk. We hope that if you enjoy what you hear, you’ll consider subscribing to our podcast using Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. As always, we welcome your general comments and feedback. If you have suggestions for future podcast topics or if you are aware of a UTL495 member who might be willing to share experiences or expertise, send us an email at [email protected].