Why i will vote NO on the New York City Teachers Contract

I oppose this contract vehemently–as do MANY other teachers in my building and in this city. This contract doesn’t really hurt me, in fact it is pretty good for me. Yet , i will still VOTE NO!


1. I have been teaching for 7 years, since I have been 21. The 55/25 rule means nothing to me. I will be 46 when i have reached 25 years of service. Since there will never be a 46/25 rule-this is moot. And since this is not a guarenteed thing, who cares? I am also tenured and i do not worry about unfair letters in my file. My principal is fair.

2. I teach English in a Bronx high school. My 37 1/2 minutes will be spent grading papers, making phone calls, surfing the net, reading, whatever i want, really. Our kids just will not come to after school tutoring.

3. I used to live in the Bronx. My husband and i bought a BIG house over an hour away. We were willing to sacrifice (commuting time) for a house with property and lots of closets. He works for the District, his hours will not change. We drive in together anyway. Even with the extra time, I will still wait for him to finish his day.

4. We have no kids, so child care is not an issue.

See, the contract is okay for me. But this contract is NOT about just me. It is about 80,000 plus teachers. How DARE i vote yes on something that will hurt tens of thousands of teachers, just because it is good for me. I am just not that selfish. This is why i will vote no and encourage others to do so.

PLEASE VOTE NO AND PLEASE ENCOURAGE OTHER TEACHERS IN NEW YORK CITY TO VOTE NO!!!