May is here and with it comes the very important School Budget Vote and Board of Education Elections. Tuesday, May 18th is the big day, and it is approaching quickly. MITA's endorsed candidates are Penni Blizzard-McGrath and Victoria Molloy; each has established a consistent record of advocacy for teachers. It's funny how long-term incumbents, or prior BOE members seeking re-election, suddenly express their "outrage" over certain issues, and the need to treat the bargaining units "respectfully" when it is election time, while their records indicate an entirely different demeanor.
Please get out and vote on Tues May 18th if you live in the district, and encourage your family members, friends, and neighbors to do the same. Click here for the endorsement list from surrounding districts across Suffolk County. These are the candidates being supported by their local unions, so please take note if you live in any of these districts.
On Thursday May 20, NYSUT is presenting a Civil And Human Rights Meeting, open to ALL members. It will be hosted by Wayne White (Bellport TA President) and Cordelia Anthony (President of Farmingdale Federation of Teachers). Wayne hosted a similar program for us through the Long Island Presidents Council back in April and it was a high-quality presentation, really worthwhile, so I encourage you to attend if you can. I work with Cordelia on the LIPC PR Committee and I know she is very invested in this work. It is sure to be a great and thought-provoking presentation. Click here for the Zoom link if you wish to attend.
Lastly, the decision not to have our annual MITA Dinner Dance for the 2nd consecutive year was very difficult and not the outcome we had hoped for. The restrictions placed upon the event would have been significant, and our survey of honorees expressed a very low level of interest in terms of attending. We understand that with the required restrictions, it would not be the kind of event we would want it to be, so once again, we will be looking forward to next year and plan to invite honorees from 2020 and 2021 to attend.
