DOVER TEACHERS UNION
INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE "A DISTRICT IN CRISIS"
Welcome to the Dover Educators' special
website for
the parents of Dover students. The purpose of this site is to give you
information as to what is happening in the city of Dover regarding the
dismantling of the public schools by the City Council. The city council
members have approved
several cuts in programs, materials, teacher positions and have
unanimously voted not to renew the teacher contract for next year.
Unless resolved, the result will be a weakening of the Dover school
system, which is currently held in very high regard. We need everyone's
support to stop this demantling of our schools. We implore you to
contact your council members and persuade them to stop endangering the
education of your children (see link at bottom of page).
The following
facts are undisputed and can be verified by any one of the school board
members or councilmen. You may not be aware of what is happening in
your community. Also, many facts that have been published in local
newspapers are inaccurate and exaggerated.
* The Dover Teachers Union contract
expires August 31, 2006.
* In
their most recent
budget session, the City Council voted unanimously NOT to renew the
contract (9-0).
* The
City Council is
approving cuts in teacher positions, school supplies, library
subscriptions and materials, and sports funding for the 2006-2007
school year.
* The rate of
inflation as
of December 2005 was 3.4%.
* The DTU
proposed
contract asked for a 2% increase in salary for 2005-2006 and agreed to
pay an increase in health care
co-pay, virtually nullifying the
salary increase.
* The Dover teacher
salary scale
currently remains 11% (more than $5,000) behind other seacoast school
districts.
* Dover High School
was recognized by the State of New Hampshire as the 2005 NH School of Excellence.
* The city council
vote has prompted numerous teachers to seek employment elsewhere.
* The DTU
represents
nearly 330 professional educators and employees.
We believe that education is the first and
foremost priority of any community. When moving to a new a community,
the first question generally remains, "How are the schools?" Right now,
the answer in Dover is "First-rate!". However, the conservative
attitude of the city council wants to put its fiscal burden on the
school system. We feel that this is an outrage and we need your help.
Please contact your local council member via phone or email and express
your concerns about what they are doing to Dover schools. Join us in
our future peaceful demonstrations in opposition to these decisions.
You can contact your city council members via the links below and you
can contact the DTU for further information. Let's keep Dover First!
Stay tuned for updates and thank you for caring about your children's
education!
