Freshmen Orientation, Aug. 26

Another summer gone, another school year beginning.

Personally, I don't mind school beginning, but I hate the feeling that you get when school's just about to start, but you're still living your summer lifestyle.

Change is tough.

That change was especially tough for the new freshmen in Nashua South, the class of 2012. With the new assistant principal, Ms. Marianne Busteed, organizing the entire Freshmen Orientation Day with the help of the Principal's Leadership Team (PLT) and other volunteers from school organizations, the day was, though somewhat chaotic at times, a success. The tours were jam-packed with information, classes were (hopefully) not too stressful, and the pep rally was both short and sweet.

Despite all the first-day jitters that are expected when entering one of the biggest schools in New Hampshire, having random kids with neon-green shirts shuttle you around hundreds of other people in the hallways, and not knowing where exactly Upper E was (to name one of many, many problematic areas), it seemed as though the freshmen left with a gratifying sense that, as Ms. Seusing constantly reminded them, they were no longer Fairgrounds Falcons, Elm Street Eagles, or whatever odd mascot name with which they chose to adorn themselves.

They were panthers.

And, odd mascot name or not, that's not a bad thing to be.

South Headed to New Orleans

Twenty-one Nashua students will spend their Spring Break in New Orleans, La., building houses with Habitat for Humanity.
"We have a wonderful group of students going on the trip," said Jennifer Seusing, principal of Nashua High School South (NHSS). "They are giving up their spring breaks to pitch in and give homeless families a place to call their own."
Seusing also will serve as a chaperone on the trip.
The trip to New Orleans is Nashua South's third such "alternative spring break" in wake of the hurricane Katrina disaster. In past years South students have helped out with hurricane cleanup in Biloxi. Miss., and built houses in Baton Rouge, La.
The students involved applied to take part in the trip and are responsible for raising the funds needed—about $660 per student for transportation and housing. Fund-raising activities include bake sales, tagging, silent auctions and donation solicitation.
Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in August 2005, was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. It caused devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast of the United States. At least 1,836 people lost their lives in the storm and subsequent floods, making it one of the deadliest U.S. Hurricanes on record. The storm is estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Thousands of families were made homeless by the hurricane and many of these are still living in temporary housing. To date, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 700 new homes for families displaced by the storm.

Nashua teachers contract approved 13-1

Last night, the board of aldermen approved the teachers contract with a 13-1 vote. Only Alderman Dick Flynn voted against the contract, and Alderman Dick LaRose was absent from the meeting.

The vote to approve $600,000 in additional funding for the contract passed 14-0.

Mayor Lozeau has been supportive of the contract and is expected to sign it by the end of the week.

Iraq War Battles

General David H. Petraeus met with members of congress today to discuss progress in Iraq. The decorated army general was resistant to persistent questioning by Senate Democrats regarding troop withdrawals. Gen. Petraeus came armed with a barrage of charts and statistics defending his position that progress is being made in Iraq. He stressed that the progress was "fragile and reversible." He stood by his recommendation that troop levels remain as they have been since the surge was implemented.

A History:
March 19, 2003- President George W. Bush launches invasion of Iraq
April 9, 2003- Statue of dictator Saddam Huissein is toppled


Image courtesy of Think-Progress.org


May 1, 2003- Pres. Bush announces "Mission Accomplished"
December 14, 2003- U.S. captures Saddam- "Ladies and gentlemen: We got him!"
April 19, 2004- Bob Woodward says that CIA Director George Tenet said he had a "slam-dunk case" against Iraq. The phrase makes headlines across the country.
June 28, 2004- U.S. transfers sovereignty to Iraq
Nov. 2, 2004- Pres. George W. Bush wins re-election
Nov. 2004- Deadliest month in Iraq- 137 troops died
Jan 12, 2005- Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) search ends. No WMD's were ever found.
Sept. 30, 2005- Army misses recruiting goals by widest margin since 1979. Troops stretched thin across Iraq.
Oct. 25, 2005- American casualties reach 2,000 according to MSNBC
Nov. 18, 2005- Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) voices demands for troop withdrawal from Iraq
Nov. 30, 2005- White House releases plan for victory in Iraq
Dec. 15, 2005- Iraqis vote in members of Iraqi Assembly
Dec. 18, 2005- Pres. Bush admits that much of the intelligence received turned out to be wrong
March 21, 2006- Pres. Bush announces that troops will remain stationed in Iraw until at least 2009
May 25, 2006- Iraqi Prime Minister Malaki announces Iraqi troops will be able to take over security by 2007
June 20, 2006- Japan tells the world that it will begin withdrawing troops from Iraq
Aug 7, 2006- Gen. George Casey says that civil war in Iraq is likely.
Aug 21, 2006- Pres. George W. Bush announces that war had nothing to do with 9/11 and that troops will remain in Iraq "as long as I am the president" (CNN and FOX News)
Sept. 20, 2006- Iraq becomes deadliest place for reporters to work.
Oct. 14, 2006- Three in four Americans support troop withdrawals from Iraq. (FOX News)
Nov 5, 2006- Saddam Huisein is sentenced to death by hanging
Dec. 30, 2006- Saddam executed.
Jan 3, 2007- 3000 American military deaths recorded in war (CNN)
Feb 10, 2007- General David Petraeus takes control of Unites States forces stationed in Iraq
Feb 21, 2007- Tony Blair announces a time-table for U.K. troop withdrawals from Iraq
March 2, 2007- Pentagon announces plan to increase U.S. presence in Iraq
June 30, 2007- 77% of Americans believe that war is going badly.
Sept. 11, 2007- Gen. Petraeus visits Congress to discuss Iraqi progress.
Oct. 22, 2007- Reuters report states that violence in Iraq dropped 70% since June
Nov. 26, 2007- Iraqi government prepares to grant U.S. a long-term presence
Jan. 15, 2008- Iraqi defense minister announces that Iraqi forces will be unable to take control of security until 2012
March 16, 2008- Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain visits Iraq
April 8, 2008 (Today)- Gen. Petraeus updates congress on progress in Iraq.

Nashua High Students to Webcast April 8th Aldermanic Debate on Teacher Contract

Video production students and founders of we-the-students.org, which received over 1,000 hits the day of the launch, will employ their live production skills to cover the Alderman's meeting at City Hall April 8th.

It is widely expected that this fourth Teachers contract, ratified by the Nashua Teacher's Union and accepted by the Board of Education, will be taken up by Nashua Aldermen tomorrow night. The financial analysis is complete, and Mayor Lozeau has expressed support for the deal.

The coverage will differ from the government channel's "documentation" coverage (CH 16) by including remote reports from City hall by NHS South Senior Tania Mendes. Mendes will interview speakers and others attending the meeting and report from a Nashua High student's point of view. Other elements such as live interviews from the Nashua High South TV Studio are planned.

Both the City of Nashua and the school district have been supportive. The city's information technology department has provided a high speed computer link to the TV Studio for the students and the district has agreed to broadcast the feed live on CH 99. The webcast will allow anyone in the world with a high-speed connection to see the program.

In the week leading up to this meeting, Nashua High students interviewed Alderman Teeboom, MacLaughlin, and NTU President Sherman regarding the negotiation process and the nature of the agreement. Mayor Lozeau will be interviewed today. Those interviews are available on the student website.

The student broadcast on Channel 99 will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m. The webcast will continue as events dictate.


Contact: Korey O'Brien, producer

Two Votes Down, One More to Go

Teachers passed their fourth tentative contract proposal at a union meeting held in South's auditorium this afternoon.

Bob Sherman, president of the NTU, said a voice vote was requested by the membership, and the contract passed, with a small number of teachers voting against it.

The school board has also approved the new teacher's contract with a vote of 7-0. The details of the contract have been released. The contract will now move on to the board of aldermen.

The contract is slated to go before the Board of Aldermen on April 8.

-- Nashua Telegraph

Strike Averted!

The NTU has called off the strike. School will proceed as normal tomorrow.

From the NTU Website:

The NTU and Board of Education have reached a tentative agreement. Teachers will be meeting tomorrow to ratify at 4:00p.m. at Nashua High School South.

The Board of Education is meeting tomorrow night to ratify.

The Mayor and Board of Alderman will be meeting next week to vote on the agreement. The Mayor has expressed support for the agreement.

"Crunch Time," Says Lobel

The mediator between the Nashua Teachers' Union and the Board of Education, Ira Lobel, just recently informed the press camped outside the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua that the negotiations are at "a delicate stage" and that "some serious things" still remain to be resolved.

Although both sides are well aware of the impending strike date, Lobel said that he couldn't promise that a resolution would come later on tonight.

The NTU has just posted an announcement asking all NTU Board of Directors members to call in immediately. Further details are not yet known.

No School, if Strike Occurs

Teacher Contract Negotiations are continuing today, Sunday, March 30. They may last throughout the day and night. At this time, we are continuing to hope for a settlement. Please continue to check our website and to access local media for updates.

IF, AND ONLY IF, the strike does take place, ALL Nashua Public Schools, Preschool and K‐12, will be closed on Monday, March 31, 2008. In this case, the Superintendent will make use of the Parent Link system and other media to notify parents that there is no school. This will be done in the same way in which school closings are announced for inclement weather.

• The 21st Century Program and Nashua Adult Learning Center Adventure Club will not be in session during the strike.
• All buildings will be staffed by building administrators.
• Buses will be available at the regularly scheduled times to transport students to Alvirne for CTE classes. Pick‐ups at NHS‐South and North will occur at 7:15 AM and 12:00 PM. Transportation back to each school will also be provided at the regular times.
• Students will have to provide their own transportation to and from their high school parking lots. Parking will be available for Nashua students who wish to drive to Alvirne during the strike.
• Special Education students currently transported to out-of-district schools will be transported as usual.
• Athletic practices, events, and all extracurricular activities will occur at the discretion of the coaches and advisors. Coaches and advisors are responsible for conveying information to the students, parents, principals, and in the case of athletics the Athletic Director.
• Field trips scheduled at the elementary and middle school level will not occur.
• The Nashua School District’s Adult Education, Drivers Education, and Community Enrichment Programs will continue to run on their regular schedule. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact 603‐589‐6416.
• Private schools in Nashua will operate as normal. These include: BG, Nashua Catholic, Clearway, Infant Jesus, St. Christopher’s, Nashua Christian, and the Nashua Children’s Home.

Christopher Hottel
Superintendent of Schools
Nashua School District

Boards, Mayor meeting ends without decision.

The Mayor, aldermen, and school board members have ended their closed-door meeting without coming to a decision, despite a "full and frank" discussion.

Negotiations continue as school board members return to their separate negotiation room. Some aldermen also remain.

Neither side has expressed a prediction for an agreement to be reached tonight. However, the NTU has asked its Board of Directors to stay available for an emergency meeting. For the rest of the union, strike preparations are now underway.

Sunday Negotiations

Right now:

The BOA deemed that the meeting constitutes a "strategy or negotiations with respect to collective bargaining," which can be closed to the public under state law.

City counsel asserts that aldermen do not retain a "negotiation role" in this process, and should keep the meeting public.

The BOA has now closed the meeting to the public. The Mayor and over a dozen aldermen are present, as negotiations continue.

A moment ago:

The Board of Aldermen wants to meet in private to discuss any new contract proposals, but a city attorney has suggested that because this may violate the state's Freedom of Information law, any meeting would be required to be open to the public.

The teachers' union and the Board of Education's attorney disagree with this.

Students Voice Their Opinions About the Contract Situation

Last week, I wrote an article on what kids at South think of an impending strike. It was published in the Sunday Telegraph today with some suspiciously awkward typos. (FYI for anyone unfortunate enough to read it there: I don't know who "Steve Phyllis" is, but I do know Stevie Phillis is not a guy.)

Lately, it seems as though a different kind of March Madness has been on the minds of many students in Nashua — and it definitely has nothing to do with brackets.

As the situation between the teacher’s union and the city of Nashua continues to unfold, from vetoed contract proposals to negotiations and the date set for a teachers’ strike, students are as worried about what might happen as all of the parents, business owners, politicians, and taxpayers in our city.

To get a better idea of what exactly kids were thinking, I posed the following question to my friends and classmates: If the city doesn’t come to an agreement with the teachers, how do you think it’ll affect you?

The answers I received were all very different.

“I don’t think the Nashua community understands how much the students will be affected by a strike,” said senior Peter Shao. “A lot of parents are already thinking about transferring their kids to BG or other schools.”

Some students were outraged at the fact that substitutes may come in to teach if a settlement is not reached before March 31.

“There’s no point of my coming to school during a strike even if other people come to teach us,” said senior Korie Kilgore. “What am I going to learn from a substitute who may not be qualified to teach?”

Another problem that students reported is the question of AP exams in May.

“If the union and the city can’t come to an agreement fast enough, it’ll put a big strain on AP students, because most of us still need to learn material to get ready for the exams,” said junior Krista Spiedel.

“You can’t just expect kids to sit at home and prepare for AP exams on their own without the teachers,” said junior Sarah Swidler. “There’s no motivation.”

Students are also quick to point out how a failure in negotiations would affect school activities outside of the classroom, such as spring sports.

“Our lacrosse coach won’t coach us if the union and the city can’t reach an agreement,” said junior Liane Lippert. “Without her, we’ll most likely have to forfeit any games during the strike.”

For others, it would mean much more than just missing out on extracurricular activities.

“If we don’t have school for a prolonged period of time, Health Occupation students like me won’t get enough clinical hours to get their LNA,” said senior Ashley Wheeler. “For a lot of us, that’s how we plan to get through college.”

It’s no doubt that students are frustrated that the problem has been drawn out for so long, but most are willing to understand the situation from both points of view.

“I try not to look at this as something that’s ruining my high school experience,” said junior Stevie Phillis. “In the end, this is the teachers’ last resort.”

Seniors Teresa Scalzi, Jackie Teller, Megan Crooker and Joanne Dube came up with the idea to wear blue shirts to school to show support for the teachers on March 21. Since then, they've rescheduled another "Blue T-shirt Day" for March 31, after selling blue t-shirts on March 27 at all lunches for three dollars. (There's no profit, either – that's exactly how much the shirts cost at AC Moore.)

No matter what happens tomorrow or in the days that follow, all of the students I talked to are clearly unanimous about one thing; the situation needs to be resolved, and the sooner, the better.

Stay tuned to the blog for more updates as negotiations continue at the Crowne Plaza Hotel today.

--Mayesha

No Agreement, Talks Resume Sunday

After 10 hours of negotiations, school board members and union representatives are ending the day without a contract agreement.

Ira Lobel, a professional mediator from New York, said that he is asking the full board of education to meet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 9 a.m., and for representatives from the board of aldermen and Mayor Donnalee Lozeau to meet at 1 p.m. also at the hotel.

Lobel said that some "significant issues" still need to be resolved, but added that the hope remains that the a contract agreement can reached one day before teachers will go on strike.

"Hopefully we will have all the players here that will help us to that end," he said.
Lobel came into the negotiations Saturday having had no prior experience with the situation. He said that there remains issues that need to resolved.

"We are still talking," he said. "It's a difficult situation."
--From the Nashua Telegraph

Saturday Negotiations

Right now:

Negotiations have been going on since 11 a.m. this morning, with the NTU, the BOE, and mutually-agreed-upon conciliator Ira Lobel of New York.

A moment ago:

The NTU filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Superintendent Hottel and Mayor Lozeau, both of whom sent direct messages to teachers regarding contract matters, specifically the threat of dismissal and the use of an online salary calculator, respectively, thereby influencing negotiations without dealing directly through the union. This could be considered a violation of NH labor law.

A clarification:

The strike will be called off only if 1) the NTU and BOE negotiate successfully on a contract, AND 2) the BOA and Mayor indicate their willingness to sign off on it. More definitive action is impossible considering the closeness of the imposed deadline.

Weather Update:
With a forecast of Monday snow, NH is less than a foot of snow away from the snowiest winter on record.

'We the Students' take a stand!

NHSS senior Korey O'Brien of South's morning show "It's Too Early!" has come through with an idea similar to Panther Prints' Community Coverage, except in video-form.

He has organized North and South HS video production students and set up "We the Students," which will be doing a thorough Strike Coverage with as much media footage, video interviews, updates, and student opinions as possible.

Panther Prints and We the Students want you to be heard, so be sure to share your thoughts on the latest news in Nashua.

Sports in Jeopardy

If a strike occurs, Nashua coaches are expected to comply with any actions of the NTU; the NTU contract applies to them as well.

Non-contract (assistant) coaches and other volunteers may help keep teams running, especially since games missed due to a strike will most likely be forfeit, not re-scheduled.

This will affect 30 Spring coaches.

Super Says School Monday

Many of you have expressed concerns about a potential interruption of Nashua’s school system next week. As you are aware, the Nashua Board of Education and the Nashua Teachers’ Union are continuing to negotiate a contract for our teachers and school nurses. In fact, a negotiating session is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, March 29. There is uncertainty for you and for us because of the strike announced by the Nashua Teachers Union for Monday, March 31, 2008.

As Superintendent of Schools, I believe in the dedication of our teachers in Nashua. I believe that they want to be with their students. At this time, therefore, we are planning on our schools being open on Monday.

But I need to tell you that I will not place our students in a situation of conflict or danger, and therefore I may need to notify you on Monday that schools are closed. If that is the case, I will be utilizing Parent Link, the District's web site, www.nashua.edu, and media outlets early Monday morning to let you know if school is cancelled, just as I normally do when school is cancelled because of inclement weather.

I remain hopeful that a fair contract between the Nashua Board of Education and the Nashua Teachers Union can be negotiated this weekend to avoid the announced strike.

This is an ongoing situation and I want to thank you for your patience.

Christopher Hottel
Superintendent of Schools
Nashua School District

Strike News: No more School o' Substitutes

The Latest:

• Hottel has announced that schools will not try to run on substitute staff.
• At last count, under 400 substitutes, college students, admin, and parents had been recruited to act as substitutes.
• There may be an attempt to keep schools open for high school seniors, who need 175 days of school to graduate. With snow days adding up, additional no-school days could push back scheduled graduations.
• After two unsuccessful meetings this week, both sides will return to the negotiating table tomorrow with a conciliator.
  

In other news:

• Today is the District's fifth snow day of '07-'08, along with numerous delayed openings and early dismissals.
  

The Likelihood of a Strike

Current Issue: Nashua Teachers Union (NTU) Strike.

The Basics:

• Nashua Teachers have been working without an updated contract since Sept. 2006.
• A contract must be agreed upon by the Union, then passed by the Board of Education (BOE), Board of Aldermen (BOA), and Mayor Lozeau.
• Three previous contracts have been passed by the BOE then rejected either by the BOA or the Mayor. The third hinged on a $3 million, or 1%, monetary difference, and was vetoed.
• Major issues revolve around retroactive pay of raises and city budget concerns.
• Striking is illegal for NH public employees. Planning a strike is not.

The Latest:

• If no contract is agreed upon, picket lines are expected to appear all around the Nashua District starting Monday, March 31.
• The NH Labor Relations Board has denied Hottel's requested cease-and-desist order against the planned strike.
• Hottel is pursuing further legal action against a strike, including fines & restraining orders.
• Job fairs for substitutes to keep schools running in the event of a strike have been held.
• If parents deem school unsafe without teachers, students can be kept at home as excused absences.

Fun facts:

• Nashua Superintendent Chris Hottel is the highest paid in the state. Nashua teacher starting salaries rank 68th in the state.
• The NTU has 950 members, led by NTU president Bob Sherman.

Contract Details from the NTU: click here

Panther Prints Knows No Limits...

In addition to the near-monthly Nashua High South newspaper, Panther Prints will be covering local news, particularly concerning Nashua students, on a regularly updated Community Coverage Blog.