CAT President De De O'Shea received a new "missive" from Cairo Superintendent Leotis D. Swopes in school mail today...casting doubt on the (finally advertised) "Study Skills" position and whether the District will honor requests for voluntary transfer.

In short, another legal battle may loom...

Why is it never easy?

Superintendent Swopes went on and on, employing his "enhanced vocabulary", to denigrate the professionalism of union members who resign jobs on short notice. He further slammed CAT for abdicating its responsibility...apparently for allowing teachers to leave Cairo???

Superintendent Swopes closed by indicating that the position of "Social Skills Teacher" was some kind of a test for the Association...a challenge to its professionalism...a challenge to its control over the teachers of Cairo School District Number One.

Whatever...

CAT's position is simple...represent teachers during contract negotiations and to monitor the enforcement of the agreed upon language, representing members when the need arises.

In this particular instance, that translates to...

• Encouraging the administration to advertise the position that they had created to replace health for junior high school students - i.e. study skills.

• Reminding tenured teachers of their right of voluntary transfer under Section 3.4 of the CBA.

• Monitor the District's actions in filling the position.

• Investigate any complaint by a tenured teacher who feels that his/her rights under the CBA have been violated.

• And, in the event the facts of the investigation warrant, assist the member in filing a legal challenge - i.e. grievance.

It is NOT CAT's responsibly to hog-tie teachers and force them to remain in Cairo.

Maybe the District should give pause and reflect...on why teachers are leaving Cairo. Maybe the District should stop berating teachers. Maybe the District should stop pleading broke when it comes to teacher requests for raises, while turning around and increasing administrative positions.

Bottom line...Cairo teachers are NOT treated as professionals. To attack CAT when individual teachers leave the District for their own personal reasons (to which CAT is not privy) is hypocritical indeed.