Ed Notes Online: Unity Caucus AFT Convention Candidates L-Z: Note One Rhonda Weingarten and Alan Lubin

Monday, May 9, 2016

Unity Caucus AFT Convention Candidates L-Z: Note One Rhonda Weingarten and Alan Lubin

I began posting the Unity Caucus candidates Sunday night with A List of 222 School Level Chapter Leaders Running and then we turned out attention to 500+ non-classroom names which include many blasts from the past. The UFT gravy train never seem to end for many people.

This post finalizes the list of 750 or 800 - look at your ballot's inside pages to see all the names.

Unity Caucus is the gift that just keeps giving. Not only are most of the UFT top level staff on the lists - district, boro reps, special reps, other hangers on.

You may have thought they were long gone but we go on paying for their junkets. AFT President Randi is our delegate? NYSUT's Alan Lubin who has been gone from the UFT for 25 years?

My guess is this summer's convention is going to cost us $2 million bucks to make Randi feel like a queen. Assume Hillary will make an appearance. I wonder if any Bernie delegates will boo at some point.

I see many names of long-gone Unity caucus members who will "represent" you at AFT and NYSUT conventions in the next 2 years.

Jai-Lin	Lambert
Shirley	Laney
Eliu	Lara	DR
Sheila	Laval
Anthony	Lavecchio
Anne	Lee
Lester	Lehon
Jason	Leibowitz
Kristine	Leonardi
Mae	Leung-Tokar
Josephine	Levine
Robert	Levine
Katherine	Lewis
Rick	Lewis
Nancy	Lieber
Jessica	Lisowski
Janet	Lo
Charles	Lobello
Yolanda	Loder
Rosemarie	Lomonaco
James	Losey Jr
Dolores	Louzupone
Alan	Lubin
Laurie	Lubman
Cleo	Lucas
Gregory	Lundahl
Thomas	Madigan
David	Mahl
Ronald	Mailman
Jadzia	Malinowski
Angela	Maloney
Diane	Mammolito
Alphonse	Mancuso
Armando	Mandes
Donna	Manganello
Marilyn	Manley
Richard	Mantell	Off
Ledia	Mara Drita
Sandra	March
Todd	Marks
Maggie	Martin
Marva	Martin
Robert	Martinez
John	Marvul
Nancy	Mazzella
Diane	Mazzola
Michael	McCourt
Belinda	McCrea
Cynthia	McDaniel
Leslie	McDonnell
Kathryn	McGrath
Luke	Meginsky
Lisa	Mendel
Michael	Mendel
Teresa	Mercado
Alain	Metellus
Fran	Miller	PTRet
Tammie	Miller
Danielle	Minor
Brenna	Mintz
Jorge	Mitey
John	Monteforte	FT
Cynthia	Monteleone
Elsa	Moquete
Maria	Moreno
James	Morris
Paula	Morrison
Jennifer Jo	Moyer
Michael	Mulgrew	off
Iradies	Munet
Marilyn	Munet
Thomas	Murphy
Phyllis	Murray
Toni Ann	Murray
Millicent	Myers
Barbara	Mylite
Evelyn	Negron
Charisse	Nelson
Deborah	Nesmith
Thomas	Nimmo
Jason	Norman
Nicholas	Norman
Jeannie	O'Conner
Renee	O'Conner
Adriana	O'Hagan
Kathleen	O'Hagan
Alice	O'Neill	DR
Patricia	O'Reilly
Maura	O'Sullivan
Regina	Olff
Carlos	Olivieri
Darnese	Olivieri
Norma	Ortega
Justin	Osterman
Jennifer	Pakulniewicz
Andrew	Pallotta	x
Denise	Palmeri
Frank	Panebianco	FT
Rosemary	Parker
Christine	Paul
Linda	Pearson
Marisol	Pena
Debra	Penny	FT
Arthur	Pepper	FT
Candido	Perez
Elizabeth	Perez
Susan	Perez-Gonzalez	FT
Jacquelyn	Peters
Jeffrey	Piekarsky
John	Pierce
Rebecca	Pietromonaco
Vincent	Pilato
Jaclyn	Pitula
Alice	Platt
Carol	Plotkin
Martin	Plotkin
Jamie	Polzin	FT
Suzy	Poon Huie
Darlene	Post
Debra	Poulos	FT
Jeffrey	Povalitis	FT
Margaret	Premus
Vanessa	Pressley
Eudelia	Price
Nicole	Puglia
Doreen	Raftery
Natalie	Ramsey Dexter
Melissa	Reed
Rose	Reid
Brigit	Rein	FT
Marvin	Reiskin	Ret
Parniece	Richardson
Suzette	Robbins
Sterling	Roberson	Off
Elba	Rodriguez
Irma	Rodriguez
Ivonne	Rodriguez
Naomi	Rodriguez
Rita	Rodriguez
Sean	Rokowitz
Carmen	Roldan
Lorine	Romero
Nanette	Rosario-Sanchez	FT
Ann	Rosen	Ret
Martin	Rosenblum
Patricia	Ross-Spiller
Sharine	Rowe
Hector	Ruiz Jr	FT

Laurence	Sachs
Meredith	Saladis
Joycelyn	Sampson
Washington	Sanchez	FT
Howard	Sandau
Ruth	Santiago
Michael	Santos
Mayra	Santos Torres
Claire	Scesney-Lundahl
Doreen	Schafer
Tinamarie	Schneider
Howard	Schoor	Off
Michael	Schoor
Diane	Schreibman-Duberstein
Alicia	Schwartz
Joyce	Schwartz
Bernard	Schwimmer
Karen	Schyboll
Denise	Scott
Albania	Sepulveda
Pedro	Serrano
Penny	Setoute
John	Settle
Kathleen	Sharko
Chantel	Shealy
Barbara	Shiller
Joel	Shiller
Cora	Shillingford
Kris	Sieminski
Michael	Sill
Servia	Silva
Winston	Silvera
Barry	Smith
Celeste	Smith
Marla	Smith
Ualin	Smith
Dermot	Smyth
Gloria	Solla
Angela	Solomon
Howard	Solomon
Yvette	Solomon
Geofrey	Sorkin	FT
Stanley	Sorongon
Jory	Stark
Rita	Stein-Grollman
Penina	Steinberg
Ari	Steinfeld
Erica	Stewart
Lourdes	Suarez
Joseph	Surpris
Danita	Susi
Veronica	Sutton
Edward	Sweeney
Stephen	Swieceiki
Bruce	Swinton
Janice	Sydney Smith
Laura	Tamburo
Corey	Taylor
Marian	Thom
Ron	Thomas
Winnie	Thompson	FT
Juan	Tineo
Richard	Tokar
Nina	Tribble	Ret
Charles	Turner	Ret
Lourdes	Urbaez
Mary	Vaccaro	DR 26
Vincent	Vaccaro
Evelyn	Vargas
Jose	Vargas	FT
James	Vasquez
Wilma	Velazquez
Denise	Verde
Christopher	Verdone
Patti	Vitucci
Dawn Ann	Vitulli
Frank	Volpicella	ret
Mary	Wade	DR 13
Phyllis	Walker
Paula	Washington
Diana	Watson
Monique	Watts-Harouna
Raquel	Webb Geddes
Greg	Weber
Ilene	Weinerman
Rhonda	Weingarten	x
Allan	Weinstein	DR 19
Anna	White
Veronica	Wilensky
Peter	Wilhelm
Abdul-Akeel	Williams	FT
Andre	Williams
Charlayne	Williams
Heather	Williams
Lisa	Wilson
Vanecia	Wilson
Barbara	Wisdom
William	Woodruff	DR
Diane	Yodice
Mavis	Yon
Betsy	Youman
Gail	Zahler
Jeffrey	Zahler
Bruce	Zihal
Anita	Zuckerberg
Joshua	Zuckerberg
Robert	Zuckerberg

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: James Vasquez is HS DR in Queens; Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 6:39:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...: Isn't Zihal a rep in Queens?; Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 6:42:00 AM EDT

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-clear-and-present-threat-public-education

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

This chapter looks interesting:

Class struggles: The UFT story, part 3

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Of course for another view, check out the review at New Politics of the Kahlenberg Bio on Shanker by Vera Pavone and me: Albert Shanker: Ruthless Neocon

Effective Union Organizing

A video series put together by Jason Mann from the British Columbia Federation of Teachers about social media and how to use it for effective union organizing.

The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:
http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/
I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

You can sign up for this free series at :
http://act.bcfed.ca/online-campaigning-for-union-activists/

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

Ex-HSA Teacher has left a new comment on your post "Fear and Loathing at Evil's Harlem Success Empire ...":

I am a former Harlem Success teacher. Not many people who work/worked for her like her very much. I once made the comment that she is very nice when I first was hired. Two of her closest colleague responded immediately almost in unison, "Eve is not nice!" Over time I realized that there was a lot of political games going on. Another colleague once said to me that he was tired of "being part of a political campaign." Sending out 15,000 applications for only 400 seats in a school is reprehensible. The money that paid for those mass mailings could have paid the yearly salary of another teacher not to mention the heartache of all those parents who applied but did not get a spot. She does good work trying to give disadvantaged students a quality public school education but at a great cost to staff AND the school's educational budget! school budget.

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy Tyson
Professor of African American Studies and History
Duke University

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

Even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and others around the nation are arguing for experienced teachers to be laid off regardless of seniority, every single study shows teaching experience matters. In fact, the only two observable factors that have been found consistently to lead to higher student achievement are class size and teacher experience, so that it’s ironic that these same individuals are trying to undermine both.
- Leonie Haimson on Parents Across America web site

Full article with charts here.

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

More at Substance

The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

On standardized testing in our schools

A must read article about the standardized test industry.
Written by an insider who has worked as a test scorer, the article outlines a multinational industry based on an army of temporary workers paid by the piece at $0.30 to $0.70 per test, translated in the need to grade 40 tests per hour to make a $12 salary. The article goes on to show how the companies gauge the grading "results" based on the need to ensure new contracts to continue profiting off of our youth. The original article is from Monthly Review. Here it is on Schools Matter blog.

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/12/on-growing-use-of-corporate-test.html

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

The US Is Facing a Weimar Moment

Published on Sunday, March 15, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings — though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.

Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

SEE MY VIDEO ON HARLEM SUCCESS RALLY 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI

Angel Gonzalez and I attended that rally and used the footage to promote our conference on Mar. 28, 2009, which is where the concept of a group like GEM emerged. Until then we had basically been a committee of ICE working with the NYCORE high stakes testing group. The actions of Eva and crew helped spawn GEM. Mommie Dearest!!

I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Ed Notes Extended

Monday, May 9, 2016

Unity Caucus AFT Convention Candidates L-Z: Note One Rhonda Weingarten and Alan Lubin

2 comments: