AFT ACTS is a community of charter school employees organized by the American Federation of Teachers. The alliance works to mobilize charter school employees around issues of common concern, such as strengthening our profession, expanding professional development, improving the conditions of teaching and learning, and bolstering our voice in school-level decision making. As a community of educators, we also share best practices and professional resources and speak out on public policy issues that affect public education.
Read More >
AFT Alliance of Charter Teachers & Staff
Charter News
- Evergreen Charter School teachers join NYSUT
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. Jan. 23, 2012 — Teachers at the Evergreen Charter School have won the right to organize and affiliate with New York State United Teachers, but only after a bitter fight that led to the illegal firing of an 8 ½-month pregnant special education teacher for her work organizing the union.
Evergreen’s Board of Education was forced to voluntarily recognize their teachers’ desire to organize and affiliate with NYSUT in late December, after 16 of 20 teachers at the school signed cards October 4 expressing support for forming a union. In addition, more than 65 parents signed a petition supporting formation of what is now being called the Evergreen Charter School Staff Association.
Despite the successful organizing campaign, NYSUT said the union’s work is not yet done.
NYSUT said Evergreen Charter School administrators illegally fired special education teacher Jill Haag — then 8 ½ months pregnant – on December 2 for her work organizing the union. Haag regularly wore a lanyard stating, “Unions and Charters Working Together” and engaged parents in signing the petition in support of the teachers’ union.
Read More - Khepera Charter School ratifies its first union contract
PHILADELPHIA – The Alliance of Charter School Employees, Local 6056, representing the faculty and staff at Khepera Charter School, and the Khepera Charter School Board of Directors have ratified their first union contract. Khepera is an African-centered academy that hosts grades K-8 in Philadelphia’s Mount Airy neighborhood.“We’re excited to have achieved a contract that will allow us to continue to work collaboratively with our administration to strengthen our school community and realize Khepera’s mission,” said eighth-grade teacher Mama Omotayo Johnson. “We initially organized in order to bring more of the teachers’ voices into decision-making at the school, so that we can most effectively advocate for both our students’ needs, and our professional needs.”
Read More - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay ContestUnited Educators of San FransiscoJanuary 3, 2012
Children 8-17 are invited to write a 100-150 word paper explaining what the Poor People's Campaign was, how it is like the Occupy Wall Street movement, and how Dr. King's dream can be kept alive.
Read More
