http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_news.php?id=846
New York City Expects Revenue Windfall from New Teacher Evaluation System
News Item:At a news conference held at the four-star Eleven Madison Park, new schools chancellor-in-waiting Cathie Black rolled out a new teacher evaluation plan, "One with teeth," says Ms Black, former head of Hearst Magazines.
New York City restaurant owners say they are racking up thousands of dollars in fines because the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is conducting more frequent inspections. The city is projecting that it will collect $36.3 million in fines from food establishments in the fiscal year ending June 30; as of Nov. 17, it had collected $12.1 million. Last year, the city collected $32.9 million, up from $27.8 million in the previous year and $17.3 million in fiscal year 2006. The figures don't include fines levied against food vendors.
--"Restaurant Owners Feeling Taxed by Grading "
Wall Street Journal, Dec. 18, 2010
Black announced, "It is my pledge that schools will learn from business. My new plan for teacher evaluation will keep teachers on their toes and develop a positive flow revenue stream."
Black said she was inspired by the city's restaurant inspection program, pointing out that the New York City Public Health Sanitarians conduct unannounced inspections of food service establishments to evaluate food workers' practices, including the manner in which they receive and store foods, how they process foods and the temperatures at which they cook, cool, hold and reheat food. "How can we do less with the daily practices of our child workers?" said Black, announcing an inspection system on the delivery of classroom lessons, including a system of fines to be collected for infractions.
Black announced that a team of classroom inspectors is being trained "at this minute" by a $63 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Mayor Bloomberg, standing at Ms Black's side during her presentation, enthusiastically endorsed the plan. "I told you she was a superstar manager who succeeded spectacularly in the private sector! There's no one who knows more about the skills our children will need to succeed in the 21st century economy!"
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, standing three feet behind Bloomberg and Black, affirmed, "We support transparency."
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1 comment:
Fines for teachers not performing at the "top level" are not so far fetched. Rubber Room teachers are often returned to classrooms after agreeing to paying a fine. People consider $5,000 and $6,000 "small" fines. I have heard of fines that exceed $20,000. Nobody has been able to satisfactorily answer the question "Where exactly does the fine money go?" Presumably, it goes to the DOE, but does it become part of the budget? Is it used to give principals a bonus for reassigning teachers? Even these large fines are considered preferable to a suspension without pay, because that also means a loose of health insurance. In both cases, people are usually also required to take courses. These courses are expensive and only those given by the DOE are approved. Although these classes are to be completed before being returned to the classroom, in reality, many teachers are retuned to schools as soon as the fine payment schedule is worked out, and they are allowed to take the courses during the next summer.
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