LETTER: Teachers Union President: 'For Any Misunderstanding ... I Apologize'

The recent communication that has become controversial has been blown out of proportion – our focus has been on making connections.

For any misunderstanding about the intent, I apologize.

We are teachers – we put kids first every single day in our classrooms and schools. We are not out to hurt anyone – and we are certainly not going to involve children. EVER. Period.

We have been in lengthy negotiations for a contract and we are looking for ways to ensure the committee, as elected officials, is as invested in and feeling the same levels of urgency that our membership has felt.

The opportunity for members to converse with the school committee outside of the school setting is beneficial to our cause. Finding out if a school committee member is in the same circle as several Framingham teachers allows our members to discuss educational issues with them.

For months now, we have been urging the school committee and the superintendent to sit down with us and work together to make a positive difference for the school system.

While they have sat down with us, we have made very little progress.

We are not asking for unreasonable requests – we are asking for limits on class sizes which have been proven over and over again to benefit students. That’s our main goal.

Once again, we ask the school committee members to work with us to make a positive difference for our students.

Sam Miskin

Framingham Teachers Association President