Chicago Chats/UFT Giving Up Co-Location of Charter - With a Little Help From Friends

Weds., July 6

We just woke up to the news that the UFT made a deal with Christine Quinn to move its charter out of a public school in East NY Brooklyn into a new building - with the help of $2 million. At least that is the way the NY Post is framing it. But watch the UFT try to spin this one to teachers after they lost teachers choice - my 3 roomies are already screaming about it. The argument that other charters are already getting money for new buildings is a lame excuse. "This is our union" they are saying and we have been screaming about not only the co-loco issue but the fact that charters are destroying the fabric of the public school system. (See the Post article below.)

"This is capital fund money that should NOT be going to charters, it should be going to building more public schools," said GEM's Julie Cavanagh (one of the directors of the critically acclaimed film "The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman", who has been battling the invasion of her school, PS 15, while also being critical of the vast amounts of public money being funneled to charter schools to the detriment of public schools.

Note how this is revealed when school is out - not a word at the Delegate Assembly - note how "council aides said the grant was being discussed months before negotiations with the Mayor."

This cements the idea that the UFT will endorse Quinn for Mayor and also continue to support mayoral control. I may just bet my Tier 1 pension on it.

Chicago news
We were up late last night at a dinner hosted by Chicago Teachers Union caucus CORE - Caucus of Rank and File Educators. For those not aware, CORE is sort of the Unity Caucus of Chicago in the sense that they are in power. CORE people are proud to show their colors as opposed to Unity which tries to hide the fact they they even exist from the members - except during elections.

People were coming in last night from all over the nation and conversation flowed around many issues, but the NEA endorsement of Obama was causing quite a stir. I'm sure that will come up again today at the conference. It is interesting that the NEA convention just left town and remnants will be at the conference today.

Oh, in case you haven't been following,  I wrote about it yesterday:

In Chicago for National Educators' Conference to Fight Back for Public Education

My 3 wives are dragging me down to breakfast. More tonight. Maybe some video.

Here is the NY Post piece:

$weet deal on UFT charter

By SALLY GOLDENBERG

Last Updated: 3:46 AM, July 6, 2011

The City Council awarded $2 million to the politically powerful United Federation of Teachers for its Brooklyn charter school amid intense negotiations with the union to avoid teacher layoffs.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Brooklyn Councilman Erik Dilan sponsored the allocation, to be distributed in Fiscal Year 2013.

The funds -- part of a $375 million capital-projects budget -- will be used to plan "a potential new building that would incorporate the UFT charter schools with a community center and health clinic" in East New York, union spokesman Peter Kadushin said.

The union's charter school shares space with traditional schools, and the money would help the school relocate to an independent location.

Council aides said the grant was being discussed months before negotiations with the UFT to avert Mayor Bloomberg's threatened 4,100 teacher layoffs.

The UFT and the council signed off on a deal to avoid layoffs by giving up a year of teacher sabbaticals, making both the union and Quinn look like victors in the budget battle.

-------
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.