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| In the spotlight New York's expertise shines at national conference 
May 5, 2004 From right, Joanne Caldwell of Scarsdale, Kathy Trozzi of New Hartford and Maureen McKenzie of Scarsdale share a light moment during a training session. Trozzi is among dozens of support staffers trained by NYSUT to provide workshops through the union's Education and Learning Trust. Maureen McKenzie knows her statewide union does a lot for her local, the Scarsdale Association of Educational Secretaries, and others across New York state. After New York State United Teachers was honored by its national affiliate for its excellence in professional development, “now the rest of the nation knows it too,” McKenzie said. The 27th annual American Federation of Teachers conference for School-Related Professionals marked a rare occasion: a professional development award was given to a state federation. NYSUT specifically won the award for its Professional Development Program, which recently expanded to help members meet the new state teaching assistant certification requirements. Usually the award goes to local unions for their efforts at training members. McKenzie attended one of the PDP workshops, School Secretaries: First Contact, First Impression, offered by NYSUT at the national conference. “It was great,” she said. “Besides making you realize how much we do, it really gave me what I need to deal with people who come to school all upset and angry.” Besides the First Contact workshop, NYSUT-trained members also provided sessions on dealing with difficult students in the classroom and on the bus. NYSUT started the program after surveys found that support staff were not getting the on-the-job training they needed and that school staff are receptive to staffer-led professional development. NYSUT also provided a workshop on how local unions have responded to the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Over the three-day conference, political action was a constant drumbeat as participants cited the damage federal policies are inflicting on schools and working conditions. “After I heard from our brothers and sisters in states like Florida , Montana and Texas , where members have to work at least two jobs to make a living wage, I realized how far we've come in New York ,” said Glenn Lucas, a member of the New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees. The Wappingers Federation of Transportation, Custodial and Maintenance Workers, led by Debra Cassidy, was honored by the AFT for its political action. - Betsy Sandberg |
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