Despite voting against the termination of all the teachers at Central Falls High, Trustee BK Nordan spoke powerfully at the board meeting. According to the Journal, Nordan, who is also a teacher at the Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program in Providence, said:
I don’t believe this is a worker’s rights issue. I believe it’s a children’s rights issue…By every statistical measure I’ve seen, we are not doing a good enough job for our students … The rhetoric that these are poor students, ESL students, you can imagine the home lives … this is exactly why we need you to step up, regardless of the pay, regardless of the time involved. This city needs it more than anybody. I demand of you that you demand more of yourself and those around you.
Yes! The teachers must understand that the union leaders are not doing them any favors. They need to act in the best interest of students. Their jobs depend on it.
