On June 5, 2020, three Revere staff members at the A. C. Whelan school had their contracts non-renewed as retaliation for their union activity. They were punished for standing up for the rights of teachers and students in the 2019-2020 school year. We call on the Revere Public Schools to immediately reinstate these three educators.  

Katie Cochrane, a 5th grade ELA and Science & Social Studies teacher, has been with the district since 2016. She began her tenure in Revere working as a substitute in a number of buildings including the Lincoln, Garfield Elementary, and the Whelan. Katie was ecstatic to begin her career at the Whelan for the 2017-2018 school year. She is a beloved member of her 5th grade team, a hard worker, and constantly striving to do her best for her students.

Victoria DeVincent, a 4th grade ELA and Science & Social Studies teacher, has been with the district since 2014. She has always been in the Revere school system in some capacity, formerly as a student and now as a staff member. She spent her first 3 years in the district working as an Early Reading Intervention paraprofessional at Whelan. She was given the opportunity to move into a classroom teacher role for the 2017-2018 school year at the Whelan. In her role as a classroom teacher, she honors the opportunity to give back to her community and educate the youth of Revere. She has spent the last three school years being a devoted member of her 4th grade team, actively engaging to improve her practice, and building strong relationships with her students.

Heather Kantrowitz, a K-5 school adjustment counselor, has been with the district since 2016 when she covered for a maternity leave. She has worked at both Garfield Middle and Whelan as a strong advocate for her students and the improvement of their mental health and school success. Known to the kids as “Ms. K”, she is someone her students and staff look to for guidance and is always striving to do what’s best for them. She is consistent, fair, and sets clear expectations for her students, which is why she is a cherished member of the school community.  

Aside from being hard-working and dedicated staff members, all of them have one other thing in common: they took a stand against unfair practices and raised their voice as union members this year. They filed grievances, spoke at rallies, and all were outspoken in their concern. They protested against wrongful policies by their administrator which hurt student learning. They went above and beyond every day in their jobs and also took the risk of advocating for their working conditions, and for the learning conditions of their students.

This action from Revere is insulting, unacceptable, anti-union, and bad for teachers and students. These three non-renewals must be overturned. These three deserve their jobs back. Their students deserve their teachers.

Please join us in demanding fair treatment for these educators.