Good morning SHTA! Please read the attached letter from President Callahan. Be well.
The Question of the New York State Constitutional Convention
Background
On November 7th, New York State voters will be asked to weigh in on a ballot question asking to convene a State Constitutional Convention. By law, this question must come before the voters eve-
ry 20 years. The last time the question was raised was 1997, therefore it will appear on the 2017 ballot.
Why should I vote no?
1- You could lose your pension.
All New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) pensions are currently protected by the
State Constitution. Opening the constitution allows Albany lawmakers to limit/reduce/eliminate
your pension (even for those already retired). The NYSTRS system is extremely healthy due to good
fiscal management. There are some lawmakers that wish to raid those funds in order to finance
other projects.
2- The Convention would waste money.
Albany lawmakers that already earn a salary, would earn a second salary by serving as convention delegates. In addition, these delegates would earn a second year’s credit towards their own pen-
sions. This process would be repeated if the Convention stretched beyond one year. Some esti-
mates put the Convention cost at $350 million dollars.
3- The Convention is unnecessary.
The State Constitution can be amended at any time through the normal legislative process without
holding a convention. The Convention allows for a total rewrite which is simply not needed.
Fact
The ballot question will appear on the rear of the ballot. You must turn the ballot over in order to
vote on the proposal.
Myth
Not voting counts as a “no” vote. This myth has been circulated on social media but is false.
“If a voter leaves the question of convening a ConCon blank on their ballot, whether because they
miss the proposal or by design, it will simply be counted as a blank vote. End of story. In other
words, only those individuals who voted ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on whether to hold a ConCon are
counted.” (Rockerfeller Institute)
In Solidarity,
Dennis
The SHTA supports a parent’s right to opt their children out of harmful state tests.Do not be fooled by misleading advertisement. Little has changed. We have seen only minor tweaks proposed by the Common Core Task Force and enacted by the Board of Regents and NYSED. We recognize that tweaks will not fix the major structural damage that exists in this system.
As parents and teachers, we ask you to strongly consider opting your own children out of all third through eighth grade NYS assessments. It is our belief that the tests are developmentally inappropriate for students and not a fair evaluation of student or teacher achievement. As an association we find the use of standardized test scores to evaluate teachers deeply troubling and grossly ineffective.
State Tests begin Tuesday March 28th.
Welcome back. I hope that everyone has had a restful summer and a smooth start to the school year. This is a unique year for the SHTA in that for the first time in recent memory we are not currently in negotiations of any kind. We have a settled contract as well as a settled APPR. This will hopefully give me more opportunities to visit the various buildings and have one on one conversations with members in order to hear directly what issues and topics are on your mind.
One item that seems to be on nearly everyone’s mind at this time is that of politics. The national election has raised very strong feelings and passions for most Americans. I definitely have my personal political leanings but all that I will say in regards to the election is that it is my hope that every SHTA member exercises his or her right to vote on November 8. Voting is the foundation of our democracy and a right that many around the world do not enjoy.
On the political front there is a state issue that you will soon begin to hear discussed more and more frequently, that of a possible New York State Constitutional Convention. This item will be on next year’s ballot and is especially important to us as teachers. In the interior of our newsletter you will find a strong and detailed case for casting a “no” vote on this important question. I will not waste your time by repeating the reasons but will summarize with one issue… our retirement system.
At the present time our NYSTRS pensions are guaranteed by the NYS Constitution. NYS teachers currently have one of the strongest pension systems in the country. A constitutional convention jeopardizes your future pension earnings. A constitutional convention has the potential to change, reduce or eliminate teacher pensions for those that have already retired as well as those that hope to retire comfortably in the future. I urge you to begin the conversation now and to start the process of lobbying your friends and relatives to vote “no” on this important ballot issue.
In solidarity,
Dennis
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