Ed Notes Uncovers Draft of Mulgrew Letter to DOE Never Sent

We regret having tried to fool you into believing we were going to dupe our members into an evaluation system that could not be fair when we endorsed the new evaluation framework which became law. Our internal union elections are coming and we have come to the conclusion that forcing the evaluation system based on bogus student scores and unreliable data will hurt our chances to get re-elected. We are willing to take the heat from the local media as long as we can stay in union office and pull down our salaries and double dipped pensions.

Ed Notes has uncovered the real letter Mulgrew wrote to the DOE but never sent. Eterno at ICE posted what he did send, apparently the wrong version found its way into the envelope:
ICEUFT Blog: MULGREW LETTER ON EVALUATION

		The letter below was sent to the Department of Education by UFT President Michael Mulgrew. It describes the conditions necessary for there to be any future meetings between the UFT and DOE regarding development and implementation for a new evaluation system. Dear Chancellor Walcott, The Department of Education’s demonstrated inability to manage the school system correctly has led us to have serious concerns about getting anything constructive done with you. Two and half years ago the state decided to change this year’s standardized tests to the Common Core standards and since then you have done nothing to create a curriculum based on the Common Core. You have now left teachers in a horrendous situation where they are scrambling to try to get material appropriate for these new tests to teach their children. Additionally we realize we have made an egregious error in ever believing that you would seriously evaluate our teachers in a fair manner. We regret having tried to fool you into believing we were going to dupe our members into an evaluation system that could not be fair when we endorsed the new evaluation framework which became law. Our internal union elections are coming and we have come to the conclusion that forcing the evaluation system based on bogus student scores and unreliable data will hurt our chances to get re-elected. We are willing to take the heat from the local media as long as we can stay in union office and pull down our salaries and double dipped pensions. Given this history, at this time we will only meet with you to discuss a planning and roll-out process for the new evaluation system — in case we ever get to such an agreement. We understand that an evaluation system that will create a constructive practice in each school that will enhance instruction and benefit our over 1.1 million students is a critical opportunity. An evaluation system that will change the culture of our schools is something that the UFT has been working on for over three years. We hope that you will not be party to wasting such an important opportunity. We await your communication to set up such a meeting on the planning and roll-out process for the benefit of our children and our schools. Sincerely, Michael Mulgrew UFT President
		United Federation of Teachers • A Union of Professionals 52 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 • 212.777.7500 • www.uft.org

Also read:

Perdido Street School: On Mulgrew's Evaluation Letter

NYC Educator: DOE and UFT Agree on Apocalypse Plan

Reality Comment:
The election might be playing a role here and we may see some sort of reprieve/stall, etc until sometime in April. Unless there's money on the table. That would give Mulgrew time to let the wounds fade. I do think there is some genuine outrage on the part of the UFT leadership given the way the DOE rolled out - and rolled over people - with that new program on Danielson -- the screams coning out of the school were real and there is still that MORE petition that has now topped 1000 signatures. (You can sign here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/new-uft-evaluation/