Pattye Benson

Community Matters

Against outsourcing in TE School District – Join the White Ribbon Campaign to show your support

white ribbon

The TE School District is currently exploring outsourcing the jobs of all aides, paraeducators and substitute teachers in our School District.

It saddens me that vulnerable, dedicated employees have become the school district pawns, at the mercy of the School Board and the administration. ‘To outsource or not to outsource’ and the future of approximately 250 District employees (approx. total of aides, paras and substitute teachers) will be discussed at the June 10 Finance Committee meeting and then voted upon by the School Board at their June 17 meeting.

Without the benefit of a collective bargaining organization, there is little that this group can do to fight back against the outsourcing of their jobs. Although many TE School District employees in this group are also Tredyffrin or Easttown residents, they have virtually no say in the decision-making process. This community values the aides, paraeducators and substitute teachers for their dedication and caring support of the District’s children. As employees of the TE School District, this group of people deserves better treatment from the administration and the Board.

A lack of transparency and openness from the administration and Board has continued during this outsourcing process, to both the residents of the District and to those most affected — the aides, paraeducators and substitute teachers. Misinformation or lack of information remained following the outsourcing presentation at the May 13 school board meeting. Although some of us learned that the District’s preferred outsourcing vendor, STS, withdrew their proposal, there is no information on the District website or press releases from either the School Board or administration indicating the change. I only learned the details myself by speaking directly with the president of STS, Jay Godwin.

Bringing awareness of the proposed outsourcing to all residents of the school district is paramount. Parents need to know that the best interests of the District’s children are the priority of the Board and administration. District employees need to know that the Board, administration and the community value them.

Support keeping the jobs of TE School District aides, paraeducators and substitute teachers in our District. If you oppose the District’s proposed outsourcing of this important group of employees, show your support with a white ribbon. Tie a white ribbon on your tree, mailbox or light post. If you are District employee, wear a white ribbon in support of the aides, paraeducators and paraprofessionals. If you are a student in the District, maybe you can wear a white arm band or white ribbon to indicate support for the District employees whose jobs are threatened.

We only have a week until the Finance Committee on June 10 — let’s show our support for the aides, paraeducators and paraprofessionals!

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Just spotted this ‘Say NO to Outsourcing in T/E ” in the Great Valley section of the District!-

Say NO to outsourcing in TESD

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12 Comments

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  1. Thank you, Pattye, for all you are doing for all of the aides, paras,and subs in the district. Your efforts have been purposeful, valuable, and your observations have been spot on.
    I don’t live in the district but will put a ribbon around my tree/mailbox just the same.
    Looking forward to the finance meeting on 6/10.
    Thanks, again.

  2. Has anyone thought of what might happen to the Keystone test scores if this outsourcing happens? The aides that work in the support rooms, which is most of them, help the kids with the most potential to improve their grades and scores with the right kind of help. But they have to trust and feel comfortable with the person who is trying to motivate them to do the work, and this trust sometimes takes years to develop.

  3. So when does the maroon ribbon campaign start to show support of the need of a EIT or other revenue sources for the district? How about a aqua ribbon to support changes to PSERS?

    When the pressure of the white ribbon pushes the board to not outsource, and an educational program is then put on the chopping block to balance the budget, what color ribbon will be displayed to save that program?

    1. Wonder if a ribbon campaign would have saved Latin in the middle school or foreign languages in the elementary schools — those programs already hit the chopping block!

  4. The white ribbon campaign is a great idea! An educational program does not ever need to be put on the chopping block to balance the budget.

    That’s the point. If citizens were given full and easy access to information, perhaps they could come up with alternative solutions to budget problems, just like they came up with alternative solutions to the outsourcing problem in a matter of hours after the last meeting. And they’ll be willing to do it without salaries that exceed Governor Christy’s salary of $175,000.

    Patty is doing a great job and the community owes her a great debt of gratitude.

    1. “An educational program does not ever need to be put on the chopping block to balance the budget.”

      Not sure how you can say that with such certainty.

  5. We can’t let this happen people! I want to hear from the diversity committee!!! We can’t let this have a dramatic effect on this community! Help us in this cause!! This is crucial to our community. Question your Indifference to this matter!
    wake up!!!

  6. what about the Tenig employees, security, custodians and so on are they forgotten again pattye

  7. what about tenig employees, are they forgotten again, security, custodians, and other workers these are non instructional people who are also the backbone of the district, and bend over backward for everyone in the bldgs. and dont make hidden bonuses each year that are not published., in the budget does the board know about those increases? I bet not.

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