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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Regent Choice of MaryEllen Elia - EVILia - as State Ed Comm Sends FU Message to Ed Deform Resistance

I'm a bit late to the party slamming our new NY State Ed Commissioner, MaryEllen Elia in a UNANIMOUS vote by the Regents. I can get that it might have been a majority of these slugs -- but UNANIMOUS? Where was Cathy Kashin, who has been active up front and behind the scenes in
What NY State has to look forward to
voicing some opposition to the policies? We're betting she wants to replace Tisch and I'm thinking she may have felt that a dissident vote at this time might hurt her chances. While some people are rooting for her, frankly, I don't trust her intentions. But back to MaryEllen Elia, the very worst of the worst person that could have been chosen.

Some people on the Change the Stakes listserve are putting her in the Cathie Black category - I wouldn't since this horror story has an education resume and doesn't need any waivers.

EVILia has been chosen to reign in the opt out movement and other resistance - since she has a heavy foot I don't think it will be by offering olive branches but by using threats.

While some people lament this choice, I don't. We would never see a choice of a progressive like Bill Cala and I would rather deal with an accident waiting to happen than with some slick dude. From what I'm reading, EVILia may not be capable of turning on the charm so I predict great days ahead for we bloggers as she gives us material.

Here are some thoughts from RBE and James Eterno at ICE:


Perdido Street School
NY Board Of Regents To Parents And Teachers: Screw You! - In naming MaryEllen Elia, a former superintendent of Hillsborough, Florida schools to be NYSED commissioner today, the New York State Board of Regents sent... "Reign Of Chaos" For Ten Years At A Hillsborough Middle School Under MaryEllen Elia's District Leadership
We'll be looking at the track record of the new NYSED Commissioner, MaryEllen Elia, nicknamed EVILia by some Florida parents, over the next few posts.
Here's the first piece - the Tampa Bay paper on one troubled school in the Hillsborough district that the paper claims was exacerbated by district busing and magnet school policies under Elia: 
 
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4 comments:

  1. UnknownWednesday, May 27, 2015 at 10:10:00 PM EDT

    Norm, counting on you to make sense of this. She is like Cathy Black in the degree of FU to the public she represents. But the closed-door, unanimous pick of a Gates/CCSS toady after this huge opt-out spring -- this is playing out like a script too implausible for TV. I mean, are the regents really a wholly owned subsidiary of the billionaires boys club? And don't those same billionaires have less self-defeating ways of going about their business? How can this not inflame the resistance? Is doing that part of their game? I mean, John King had lost all credibility; by the end it didn't matter what he did, everyone who was paying attention had come rely dismissed him for having betrayed parents. The new appointment had to involve the public go overcome that legacy. This one reinforces it. She comes in exactly where King left off: with no credibility and worse, no capacity to earn it. I don't see how she can survive a month. Help, Norm! What's going on here ???

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    1. ed notes onlineWednesday, May 27, 2015 at 10:32:00 PM EDT

      Jeff
      Of course she will survive - they will come at people from every single direction. She is bad cop. Farina will be good cop. And don't forget our wonderful state and city unions which came out for her -- she and Randi and Gates have long-time relationship - if the union doesn't oppose then everyone goes along. Her job is to threaten financial penalties for opting out and actually undertaking them. hardball to kill the beast. I'm more cynical than you and generally expect the worst.

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    2. UnknownWednesday, May 27, 2015 at 11:40:00 PM EDT

      Unfortunately your cynicism has proven -- well, justified. But so has my naive Midwestern optimism! Three years ago, when the term "opt out" hadn't even been agreed on by the trickle of us who were doing it, it might have seemed impossible to have company already in the hundreds of thousands -- and a mainstream media that hardly has any bright reporters but has at long last acknowledged our existence. I'm going to make you a bet: beers on me if Elia lasts through next testing season. Also if she doesn't--I'll want to celebrate! Seriously, I think if I -- apolitical most of my adult life -- have been jarred into consciousness -- those who are counting on compliance by the parents of NY State are going to have a rude awakening themselves. In any case, I know where to tune in to get the most astute analysis of our reality now and in the future.

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    3. ed notes onlineThursday, May 28, 2015 at 12:05:00 AM EDT

      A few beers sound great. I think she will last but it is up to us to make her ineffective -- go after her at every public appearance -- force her into hiding.
      Growing opt out is our way out -- let's watch what they do to subvert it - for us we must make inroads in NYC to make opt out powerful. That is the task of CTS over the next 10 months.

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