APS and new healthcare provider

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s struggling. Have some grace.

When isn’t he?

As a parent, I appreciate him. I think he says a lot of the things that staff want to say but most don't feel comfortable. He fills that role, and it's needed. Without him I probably would not even have known about this big issue and many others.

What's important to staff should be important to parents.

He speaks as a singular voice on things that all staff does not agree upon. If you dare challenge him one of his groupies will attack you. It’s really toxic IMO

Who is the "he"? Not everybody is watching sb mtgs, on facebook, aem, etc. I want to steer clear of this person.

Let’s bring this discussion back to the health care issue. And APS’s handling of it. Please??

[Anonymous]

It was handled poorly and employees can’t do anything about it. We got an apology. That’s it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s struggling. Have some grace.

When isn’t he?

As a parent, I appreciate him. I think he says a lot of the things that staff want to say but most don't feel comfortable. He fills that role, and it's needed. Without him I probably would not even have known about this big issue and many others.

What's important to staff should be important to parents.

Not every aspect of teachers' employment is the community's business. It's not my role to advocate about health plans. General compensation and good benefits with quality health insurance? Sure,ok. But being outraged on their behalf because their insurance plan is changing with the typical 90 day notice? Not my role.

He may be an important voice; but even his arguments that APS is the most poorly compensated teacher workforce can be debated. It's more nuanced than he portrays.

Ok. So don’t do anything and skip his posts in the future. No one is forcing you to read them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s struggling. Have some grace.

When isn’t he?

As a parent, I appreciate him. I think he says a lot of the things that staff want to say but most don't feel comfortable. He fills that role, and it's needed. Without him I probably would not even have known about this big issue and many others.

What's important to staff should be important to parents.

He speaks as a singular voice on things that all staff does not agree upon. If you dare challenge him one of his groupies will attack you. It’s really toxic IMO

Who is the "he"? Not everybody is watching sb mtgs, on facebook, aem, etc. I want to steer clear of this person.

Let’s bring this discussion back to the health care issue. And APS’s handling of it. Please??

I don’t really think it was handled poorly. They gave us notice in advance of open enrollment. What were they supposed to do?

[Anonymous]

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO PREPARE FOR VLP, AUGUST 2024! 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s struggling. Have some grace.

When isn’t he?

As a parent, I appreciate him. I think he says a lot of the things that staff want to say but most don't feel comfortable. He fills that role, and it's needed. Without him I probably would not even have known about this big issue and many others.

What's important to staff should be important to parents.

He speaks as a singular voice on things that all staff does not agree upon. If you dare challenge him one of his groupies will attack you. It’s really toxic IMO

He's also up in arms about a different issue every 2 weeks at the school board meetings. The sky is falling, constantly, about everything. He'd be much more credible with some focus.

This behavior would give me pause were I a parent of one of his students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s struggling. Have some grace.

When isn’t he?

As a parent, I appreciate him. I think he says a lot of the things that staff want to say but most don't feel comfortable. He fills that role, and it's needed. Without him I probably would not even have known about this big issue and many others.

What's important to staff should be important to parents.

He speaks as a singular voice on things that all staff does not agree upon. If you dare challenge him one of his groupies will attack you. It’s really toxic IMO

He's also up in arms about a different issue every 2 weeks at the school board meetings. The sky is falling, constantly, about everything. He'd be much more credible with some focus.

This behavior would give me pause were I a parent of one of his students.

There is a small group that reacts that way all the time. They organize writing emails to syphax and the school board. I wonder how much time the higher ups spend responding to them. I bet it’s not insignificant.

[Anonymous]

Isn't he the union rep? Why are folks shocked when he fights for his members? That is kind of his job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't he the union rep? Why are folks shocked when he fights for his members? That is kind of his job.

He’s on the compensation committee. If you’re fighting on behalf of the union is it common to mention it? I don’t really know.

[Anonymous]

In principle provider changes are probably inevitable and not something to get worked up over. This situation is different because it suggests an attitude of malicious incompetence by the admins towards teachers. Whoever is responsible for this stuff somehow can’t write an rfp without accidentally excluding the biggest current provider? Oopsies! Just don’t tell anyone until it’s too late. Then apologize but suggest that everyone’s overreacting. These things happen after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In principle provider changes are probably inevitable and not something to get worked up over. This situation is different because it suggests an attitude of malicious incompetence by the admins towards teachers. Whoever is responsible for this stuff somehow can’t write an rfp without accidentally excluding the biggest current provider? Oopsies! Just don’t tell anyone until it’s too late. Then apologize but suggest that everyone’s overreacting. These things happen after all.

How did it exclude Kaiser?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't he the union rep? Why are folks shocked when he fights for his members? That is kind of his job.

He’s on the compensation committee. If you’re fighting on behalf of the union is it common to mention it? I don’t really know.

Hmm. Maybe he isn't anymore. I found an article from 2021 where he was a union rep, but maybe that term expired. But I am guessing even if his term expired that is the head space he is coming from. Anyway, I don't mind his fight or anyone's fight. Workers have a right (or should have a right) to fight against what they consider unfair work practices. So I don't really understand why people are complaining about that. I get that some people think it is no big deal, but it is a big deal to some folks. And I get that some folks think this kind of thing is common practice (but just because something is common practice doesn't mean it doesn't suck or folks shouldn't speak out against it).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In principle provider changes are probably inevitable and not something to get worked up over. This situation is different because it suggests an attitude of malicious incompetence by the admins towards teachers. Whoever is responsible for this stuff somehow can’t write an rfp without accidentally excluding the biggest current provider? Oopsies! Just don’t tell anyone until it’s too late. Then apologize but suggest that everyone’s overreacting. These things happen after all.

No, it doesn’t suggest that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was handled poorly and employees can’t do anything about it. We got an apology. That’s it.

Or, APS handled it as any employer would and employees are just mad.
Or, something in the middle. Maybe APS made some sort of deliberate or unintended mistake to exclude Kaiser, maybe they didn't. But the teacher's representative group AEA should have been aware contract was expiring and there's always a chance of changes.
I will agree that holding all the sessions about the insurance/whatever it is the teachers need to do during the school day is ludicrous, thoughtless, and serves Syphax employees' schedules rather than teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s struggling. Have some grace.

When isn’t he?

As a parent, I appreciate him. I think he says a lot of the things that staff want to say but most don't feel comfortable. He fills that role, and it's needed. Without him I probably would not even have known about this big issue and many others.

What's important to staff should be important to parents.

He speaks as a singular voice on things that all staff does not agree upon. If you dare challenge him one of his groupies will attack you. It’s really toxic IMO

He's also up in arms about a different issue every 2 weeks at the school board meetings. The sky is falling, constantly, about everything. He'd be much more credible with some focus.

This behavior would give me pause were I a parent of one of his students.

He is very focused. Extremely persistent in his gripes about salaries and not reinstating the Virtual Learning Program for the 5 students who still want it. He just adds other issues as they come along without letting any opportunity to go by without mentioning the other two.