as to how Anderson is affecting the race for Newark Mayor just as Rhee was responsible for the loss of her patron in Wash. DC. Note that both are Teach for America alum and indicative of the destructive and insidious role that organization has played in national education politics.
Yesterday we reported that Cami "botched" the closing of Newark schools. Now new information is coming in that there was some intention behind the "blotching." Signs point to Cami Anderson following the Chris Christie retaliation script.
Here are facts from a teacher viewpoint:
This teacher is being kind. Administrative "error" or intentionally aimed at teachers despite co-lateral damage to children and parents?
- All schools in Essex county were deemed closed and early notification was implemented: except for Newark.
- State run school districts were closed and early notification was implemented: except Newark.
- Charters in Newark, which are districts within the district and receive 90% of school funding per student capita, were closed and early notification was implemented.
- Sub finder was down so teachers could not call in absent. If a teacher was absent they would be written up because sub finder could not be utilized.
- Many teachers live far and were on the road by 5 or 6. State, County and city roads were unsafe, not attended to.
- Many were in schools by 8AM and many teachers still did not receive a call even as late as 8AM. Most got their call AFTER we clocked in and signed in.
- Some teachers got dropped off only to find out that they had no ride home.
- Teachers were told to head back home because the building was closing.
- Truthfully, these are very serious administrative errors.
Anyone for lane closure comparisons?
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See Bob Braun: Cami Anderson must resign!
See Jersey Jazzman: Jersey Jazzman:
State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again
State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again
State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again
tate-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again
State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again
State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again
Afterburn: Another teacher comments.
I was lucky enough not to be injured, but was I upset. I risked my safety for my job just to find out minutes before arriving at my school that the district was closed. As upset as I was (and still am) at her total disregard for student and staff safety, I cannot say I am surprised. This is from a vindictive woman with no conscience whose total purpose is to profit corporations with public school money who send the more challenging students back to the public schools beginning after the October 15th count.Below the break is the Ravitch blog post.
Cami filed a waver to of employees who have some because she may have to pay them more than a beginning salary (If a teacher is of poor quality, he/she can be gotten rid of by poor evaluations, so don't let her fool you into thinking this is about keeping the good ones). Cami does not care about poor minority children at all. It is about lining the pockets of the corporations just like her good buddy Christie.
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Is Chris Christie’s Newark Superintendent Shaping the Mayoral Race?by dianeravitch |
Cami Anderson, appointed by the Chris Christie administration, has lit a fire in Newark.
Newark public schools have been under state control since 1995.
The outrage that Anderson ignited is now influencing the mayoral race.
Newark residents are angry about Anderson's plan (ironically called "One Newark") to privatize or close many public schools.
The candidates who are most outspoken against Anderson have an edge.
The one who seems likeliest to benefit is Councilman Ras Baraka, a high school principal on leave, who said:
"How
could you say that you want education, but depreciate democracy?"
Baraka said to applause from the crowd, referring to the recent
suspensions and before calling for Anderson's removal. "We want full and
unfettered democracy. Everybody that disagrees with the reform strategy
that's going on is being painted as folks that don't want reform. We
all want reform. We just don't want this reform."
Christie is in hot water on his own, but he said this about Anderson last fall, before things heated up in Newark:
Anderson
was appointed to run the state-run Newark school district, the state's
largest, by Christie in 2011. The governor publicly stated in September
2013 that he plans to reappoint her, and that he did not care about
community criticism.
Vintage Chris Christie.
Read more at http://www.politickernj.com/
Many NPS employees need to report to school by 7:00 a.m. Most of these individuals are custodians, cafeteria workers, some clerical and even some teachers for the few wrap-around programs that are in schools.
ReplyDeleteMany teachers and support staff need to leave their homes prior to 7:00 a.m. in order to arrive to school on time, especially as students in schools begin to arrive around 7:30 a.m.
On Monday morning, February 3rd, when I awoke schools around the state were closed. In fact, the night before I heard of a number of schools that were already closed. I checked and NPS was not one of these schools. I even went to the official NPS website and there was nothing to indicate school was or would be closed. I am a dedicated teacher and instead of calling out, I got ready and left my house before 7:00 a.m., again checking the NPS website, to make sure I arrived on time and was ready for the students.
I arrived at school at 7:30 a.m. There were other staff members inside and others that arrived after me. At 7:45 a.m. I received a text message that school was closed. I truly thought it was a joke. At 7:55 a..m. the official phone call came in stating the decision had been made at 7:30 a.m. (Blackboard connect) to close the NPS schools. I checked the NPS website and NOW there was the announcement that school was closed for the day due to inclement weather.
This is a total disgrace and total disregard for our students, the employees and the community.
The weather clearly indicated this was not a day for our students to be in school. The announcement needed to be made prior to 6:00 a.m. at the latest. People were getting ready to leave. Families had to wake their children up, get them ready and leave in this weather to arrive to a school where they were told it was closed, or left their children, and now there are staff members still trying to get a hold of families to let them know that the school is closed. Families needed to be notified so they could make arrangements for their children, as did employees with their own children.
Families and staff were put in harm’s way. Many of our families walk to school with their children on unplowed and unshoveled roads and sidewalks. Many families (and staff) take public transportation to get to school on time.
To add insult to injury many families are afraid to keep their children at home because they have received attendance letters. I’m not saying that their child’s attendance is not important, but for various reasons their child may have been absent, but on a day like today the families will make every effort to get their child to school so they do not get taken to court. During the last snowstorm, the one with the 10:00 a.m. delayed opening, out of 23 students I had 5 students show up in my class. All of these students came because their family was afraid to keep them home. (The families personally shared this information with me.) Out of 156 students, we had 30 students show up that day, with many families saying they were afraid to keep their child at home because of the attendance policy.
Staff members are also afraid to call out because the attendance policy is being abused. Staff members are being evaluated one level below their actual evaluation based on attendance as low as five days absent. I realize that attendance is important, but so is safety. If a teacher is hurt coming to school on a day that school should have been closed, then everyone suffers.
To make it even more appalling, those of us that made it into school had to turn around and drive back home. Our students and their families had to walk back home or back to the public transportation they used to get to school.
Where was the safety of all of us taken into consideration? The students, families, staff members, community all deserve more respect than we are getting from the leaders of NPS.