South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Lindbergh teachers not getting respect they deserve, L-MSTA president says

To the editor:

I am a Lindbergh High School science teacher and current president of the Lindbergh Missouri State Teachers Association, or L-MSTA, and was unable to attend the Lindbergh Board of Education on June 14.

In my absence from that meeting, however, a representative from the L-MSTA read the following statement on behalf of the over 100 Lindbergh Schools teachers who belong to MSTA:

“Lindbergh MSTA would like to make it clear that the current efforts to bring attention to the environment and situation at Lindbergh on the part of the LNEA (Lindbergh National Education Association) is indeed not an independent venture. L-MSTA stands united with LNEA in our opposition to the devaluing of teacher pay scales and the consistent message that teachers are expendable.

“This movement is not a minority of disgruntled teachers, as the district has tried to portray us as in the past. We do not see ourselves as NEA or MSTA. We are ‘Flyers United’ and we — teachers, alumni, parents, voters and taxpayers — stand together across the district in a united voice declaring, ‘We truly value teachers and the current situation has to change.'”

In the June 23 issue of the Call, Super-intendent Jim Simpson said that he considered the June 14 meeting to have been scripted by the LNEA and its supporters.

“What was in play Tuesday night was a production of the opposition. In this case, it was the teachers’ union,” Simpson said. “They gave the scripts. It was a very scripted event. They chose the speakers — or certainly a majority of them — and this was their production …”

The statement read at the board meeting and repeated above, is evidence that the current situation in Lindbergh is of great concern to teachers in the LNEA, L-MSTA and other organizations.

Although L-MSTA has not been part of the negotiations committee, we are still an integral part of the Lindbergh family and feel as if we are not getting the respect we deserve as a top school district in the state of Missouri.

Currently, Lindbergh Schools is ranked 13th in the St. Louis region alone in terms of salary, meaning there are 12 districts who pay better in this part of Missouri alone; yet, we have been a top-performing district in the state over the past several years.

As president of the L-MSTA, I call on the district to take these concerns seriously and work towards solutions that benefit all stakeholders.

Jim Denner

Marthasville

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