Valley Stream teachers uniting for education

Valley Stream teachers will be coming together next week to share their disapproval of some of the changes that have occurred in education in recent years, as well as to show support for public schools on Long Island.

Members of the Valley Stream Teachers Association will be participating in A Day of Action on Dec. 9, a national initiative supported by New York State United Teachers. Faculty in Valley Stream’s 14 public schools, as well as across the state and country, are being asked to wear blue to show their unity.

Patrick Naglieri, president of VSTA, said there are several concerns that teachers want addressed. They want a moratorium on the high-stakes testing, and more thought put into the roll-out of the new Common Core Learning Standards. “The focus should be on teaching and learning, not just testing,” he said.

Additionally, he said that teachers in Valley Stream will be calling on the state to provide its fair share of aid to Long Island schools. He said that the region educates 17 percent of New York’s students, but receives only about 12 percent of total state aid. “In essence, our taxpayers are subsidizing the rest of the state,” he said, “and historically they have been.”

Naglieri said that Monday’s Day of Action is not a protest against any of the Valley Stream school districts or local boards of education. In fact, he said he is hopeful that local school leaders share these beliefs.

In addition to wearing blue, teachers at each school are being asked to come up with ways to express themselves and rally public support. At Central High School, Naglieri said teachers will be outside before school with signs. He explained that he wants to teachers to come up with visible and active ways to express their concerns about the current state of education.

Noelle Villa, VSTA’s representative from District 13, said teachers there will be supporting the cause, and will be out in front of each of the four elementary schools for a few minutes in the morning. They will be holding signs with messages such as “Pride in Public Education,” “More teaching, less testing,” and “Keep our tax dollars on L.I.”

“We have a lot of pride in our profession,” said Villa, a teacher at Howell Road School, “and all of the changes that have been coming are really taking away from what’s important, which is our students.”

Among the national organizations supporting A Day of Action are the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, Alliance for Educational Justice and Dignity in Schools Coalition, among others.

The purpose of the day is to educate community members about these issues. Naglieri said that the level of state testing is having a negative impact on education. He also called Common Core an “experiment” and a “work in progress” that has been hastily implemented in schools.

He said it is time for state education leaders and elected officials to begin listening to the cries of students, parents and educators. “Everyone wants a good education for their kids,” he said, “but this was rolled out in such a haphazard and reckless manner. It’s time for the state to stop and take a look at it.”