First UFT Ex Bd Meeting of Year - A Stephen King Horror Movie

NYC Principal in uniform

I felt I had walked into "It", the new Stephen King horror movie, where we hear of principals in clown suits knifing teachers in the back.... and when the Executive Board, controlled by Unity Caucus, is asked to remove the knives, the Unity Caucus votes it down by saying a knife in the back with the fingerprint of the principal is not enough data. Isn't it possible the teacher tripped backwards and fell on the knife?

Monday night was the first UFT Ex Bd meeting in almost three months.

Read NYC Educator on the Ex Bd meeting:

NYC Educator

• Executive Board Takeaway, September 11, 2017 -analysis

• UFT Executive Board September 11, 2017--UFT Defends DACA and Dreamers - Notes

Noted in Arthur's report is this comment from a teacher to the Board:

—School founded six years ago to teach construction trades, was happy place. Were productive. Sent students into trades making more than college grads. Principal was removed. Don’t know why. Joyce Polfis new principal. 21 of his colleagues left willingly, out of 30. It’s like a different school. We look the same, but we aren’t. If everyone who wanted to leave did, there might be only 6 left. I returned to support students. This was done by design. Principal encouraged open market. his shows disregard for well-being of our students and community in S. Bronx. We had the attention of the mayor, teachers looked forward to coming to work, and kids would stay late. Clear we have crisis of leadership.

[Read about this principal at: http://dtoe.org/pulphus/]

What do you have to say when a teacher reports 80% turnover after a new principal comes in and when the UFT leadership is asked to publicize a list of such schools, it turns it down?

A summer of freedom from hearing rank and file teachers showing up to tell their horror stories can make one forget. Before the meeting officially begins any UFT member who signs up in
advance can speak for 2 minutes. After hearing the numerous stories as Arthur chronicled below, I felt I had walked into "It", the new Stephen King horror movie. In the version we saw at the EB meeting, principals dressed up as clowns stab teachers in the back and when the Executive Board, controlled by Unity Caucus, is asked to remove the knives, the Unity Caucus votes it down by saying a knife in the back with the fingerprint of the principal is not enough data. Isn't it possible the teacher tripped backwards and fell on the knife?

I excerpted a few comments by Arthur:

Bronx School founded six years ago to teach construction trades, was happy place. Were productive. Sent students into trades making more than college grads. Principal was removed. Don’t know why. Joyce Polfis new principal. 21 of his colleagues left willingly, out of 30. It’s like a different school. We look the same, but we aren’t. If everyone who wanted to leave did, there might be only 6 left. I returned to support students. This was done by design. Principal encouraged open market. his shows disregard for well-being of our students and community in S. Bronx. We had the attention of the mayor, teachers looked forward to coming to work, and kids would stay late. Clear we have crisis of leadership.... Notes from .... NYC Educator
UFT Executive Board September 11, 2017--

Rose-marie Mills

Villains to note: Rosemary Mills, Supt of Adult ed whom the NY Post excoriated in this Sue Edelman piece:

Many blame Superintendent Rose-Marie Mills, who has led OACE for three years. They charge she has squandered funds, hired friends without adult-ed experience as administrators and failed to give teachers the curriculum they need to help students. “There’s no feedback, no support, no curriculum. We’re left to our own devices,” said a veteran teacher.

Joyce Pulphus

and  
Principal Joyce Pulphus - Bronx Design And Construction Academy --

More from Arthur's report:

Roberta Pikser—Adult Ed.—In June dismissed with no reason after 16 years. Never got U rating before. Got 2 U observations last year. Year end U rating. Dismissed via email. Teaching adults very different. Many uncertified teachers working. Many U ratings this year by new principals. All appointed by Rosemarie Mills.

Had meeting of 20 teachers, most of whom never had U ratings before. She’s waiting on grievance. Mismanagement destroying program. Asks EB for support. Asks for info on how many teachers let go, and how many U ratings. Asks for resolution against harassment. If they can mistreat us, will mistreat you.

Dianne Jenkins—Adult Ed.—Number of students who vitally need adult ed.—those who don’t have HS, English skills, tech skills. 40,000 per year. Rosemarie Mills, from day one, put us on notice they are in a battle and she planned to win. She had no experience in adult ed. Nor do those she hired. Staff rude, walks into classrooms, stop lessons and harass in front of students.  Teachers walking on eggshells expecting U ratings and discontinuance. They serve parents of K-12 schools. Need able help. Asks for help.

Fran Myers—Adult Ed.—Mills knows what’s going on in chapter more than we do. We need info on discontinuance and percentages to strategize. Demand transparency.

Peter Romani—Adult Ed—Has Action committee—has been under attack for 5 years. Numbers shrinking each year, not by accident. Has intimidated every CL. Discipline hearings increased, CLs rated ineffective. 20-30 annual U ratings, and also discontinuances. Observations used to meet quotas of hostility. Mills breaks or bends every rule. We feel let down by union and betrayed by DOE. Vacuum in chapter leadership. Mills will install candidate of her choosing. Need to reconfigure and expand CL position, provide mechanism for AE committee to meet, asks for own DR. No one should suffer so long with supe with unchecked power and entrenched backing of DOE.

Also see: ICEUFT Blog
EXECUTIVE BOARD REPORT -