New Haven Teachers Union Sells Out - Again - With Old Joel Klein Buddy Garth Harries

"Ciararella, who won reelection unopposed after the last contract..."? Seriously? Are we seriously at the level of discussion where these changes can occur in a New Haven and leadership doesn't even get challenged at the very next election?.... JG Posted to MORE-News

Harries said Cicarella’s list is “an accurate description of a negotiation position.” But it was a negotiation tactic, he said: “It was no one’s expectation of where we should land.” 

New Haven teachers will vote Thursday night on a second landmark labor contract that would begin to tie pay raises to job evaluations and add incentives for teachers who work in difficult schools..... For the first time, the contract would end the practice of automatically promoting every teacher to a higher pay grade at the end of each year... Those who score on the bottom two levels of the five-point scale, “needs improvement” or “developing,” would be denied automatic raises unless they take extra training sessions in May or June. Those who score “effective” or higher are being offered leadership positions as teacher “facilitators.”... http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/teachers_union_strikes_tentative_deal/

Randi's footprints on this one are invisible but there all the same given her role in past New Haven contracts. Note the presence of our old pal Garth Harries, one in the long line of Klein Klones like Marc Sternberg, Shael, John White, etc. Funny but when Harries was being considered for the job guess who one of the recruiters called cause he read about him on ed notes? That was a fun interview.

The end of the article may be the best part as union leader Cicarella used the outrageous demands from the BOE to browbeat the teachers into this.

Christmas Threat Was A Bluff

As a preamble to the proposed contract, Cicarella wrote out a list of the Board of Education’s initial offers—offers that would have slashed teachers’ contractual rights.
Proposed changes include:
• “Eliminate all class size limits”
• Increase school day to 8 hours
• “Eliminate all holidays presently in contract (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Columbus Day, all Jewish Holidays, etc)”
• No personal days in June
• “Eliminate the ability of a teacher to grieve an established policy or practice.”


Harries said Cicarella’s list is “an accurate description of a negotiation position.” But it was a negotiation tactic, he said: “It was no one’s expectation of where we should land.”

Right from the UFT playbook.
Read the entire article from the New Haven Independent http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/teachers_union_strikes_tentative_deal/