Ed Notes Online: Mulgrew Promises Action to CPE1 Parents (some with children) Who Flood UFT Ex Bd Meeting

Mike Schirtzer—MORE--Resolves to remove resolution on CPE 1 from table.
No debate.
Voted down on party lines [Unity Party voted it down, only MORE in favor]..... NYC Educator, UFT Executive Board April 24th, 2017 CPE 1 in the House -

CPE1 Parents in shock at Apr 24 UFT Ex Bd as Unity refuses to take reso of support off the table.

In his brief report, Michael Mulgrew promised action on CPE1. We'll wait and see -- the UFT refuses to publicly call for Garg's removal despite the massive accumulation of evidence. Even her own CSA seems to be raising issues -- a rep asked Farina to publicly defend Garg with reasons and all she said was that there was another side. (Some of the real reasons for resisting were laid out in my post last night that personal pique may be playing a role -- Deb Meier, Jane Andrias, Two Former CPE1 Principals Question Farina/DOE on Intentional Destruction.

The UFT Exec Bd meetings, moribund for so many years, have turned into high drama at times this year as MORE/New Action have teamed with various groups to bring their grievances directly to the UFT Ex Bd meetings, often using a combo of the pre-meeting speaking time for non-EB members and the question and motion period by the MORE/NA high school reps.

Last night was another remarkable event, made so by the largest group of parents yet to show up --- as Arthur wrote after the MORE meeting on Saturday - "I have sat with some of the most intelligent and persuasive people I've ever met, and I'm persuaded that this school was created with a mission that's being perverted by its current leadership." Amen.

As a skeptic about the worth of winning these EB seats - after all, you are speaking to Unity Caucus - I must say that the MORE/New Action reps have made these meetings worth attending again. Real debate has taken place, which you don't see at Delegate Assemblies. And the leadership has been responding, sometimes in positive ways. Our crew pre-meeting an hour before the EB meeting gets everyone ready - these pre-meetings are open to anyone and there is lots of back and forth.

A key has been Arthur Goldstein's blogging full minutes of the meetings, often within hours, the first time where an open airing is taking place. (This is tedious work and kudoos to Arthur -- I once tried to do it and gave up.)

Another aspect has been doing what ICE began to do a decade ago -- bring various constituencies to these meetings -- sign up for speaking time and have our people ask pertinent questions or bring up resos -- all turned down, severely modified or tabled by the leadership --- see Arthur's great blog post: Contrary where he points out that our people have supported almost all Unity resos while they automatically turn down ours -- sort of like the Republicans saying they won't give Obama any victories.

But nothing has galvanized these recent meetings until large numbers of CPE 1 parents began to show up, some with very young children. Now let's say right out that they have been treated with the utmost respect and courtesy by union leaders. The other angle has been bringing current and former CPE1 teachers to sign up for the 10 minute pre-meeting speaking time (parents as non-UFT members don't get to speak). In fact, UFT Secretary Howie Schoor who chairs the meeting gave people 18 minutes to speak yesterday. Howie has shown a lot of sensitivity and flexibility. EB meetings have (mostly) remained civil.

I believe the fact that Mulgrew only shows up to give his report and then leaves has made these meetings more civil. But in response to the CPE1 parents and teachers yesterday, Mulgrew spent some time chatting with them before and after his report. Whether he will take action is up in the air but they were very happy to have some conversations with him. After the meeting Leroy Barr remained to talk to them for some time.

A group of current and former CPE1 parents spoke before the meeting last night and were very effective.

But one of the most unusual was a speech by a teacher from another school who worked under Garg when she was an assistant principal at Pan American HS and repeated a list of admin atrocities. She told me she has proof of every one and I hope to publish some of them. She told me she never speaks in public but once she heard stories about Garg as principal of CPE1 she felt she had to speak out. She had never expected Garg would rise to the level of principal. Before reading what Garg has been doing, she assumed Garg's actions were based on following orders by the horrible Pan American HS principal Minerva Zanca, who by the way is still working in the DOE as a guidance counselor. She said she had to speak out to stop people like Garg.

By the way, at the SLT meeting, Garg said she worked for great Principals and learned a lot -- from Zanca she sure learned how to play the race card and divide people.

Check out Garg's mentor:

Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Extended

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Mulgrew Promises Action to CPE1 Parents (some with children) Who Flood UFT Ex Bd Meeting

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