UFT Leadership: Abusive Principals, Observations and Accountability for You, None for Us

 -- let's have UFT members observe the work of every special and district rep 4 times a year and write them up for public consumption.

Unity to we earthlings: Don't hold us accountable for our failure to reign in abusive principals running rampant -- we are working behind the scenes. But it's crucial that teachers be held accountable by these same slugs. So data proves the more observations the better off you are. The UFT leadership are like those baseball Sabermetrics people -- ignore the people and go with the stats.

A debate broke out at the Ex Bd meeting last night over teacher evaluations. And abusive principals. Let's try to tie that knot together because there is a connection, no matter how much the leadership wants to run away from it.


The debate was over the reso presented by MORE/NA calling for two observations like the rest of the state. It was a rich debate with Unity taking the same line as expected -- that MORE observations are better. When it was pointed out that so many principals are biased or abusive and threatening, the response was a so what --- this is bigger than that.

No it isn't --- if you guys can't make sure we have decent principals the house of cards falls. And when we call on your guys to be transparent in what you are doing to control these principals we got the equivalent of "we don't have to share that info." And when we name names of union people who do dumb things or screw people over they Unity leadership locks hands and defends even the worst of them.

One union leader told me -- we don't believe teachers should be left alone -- they need to be observed and counseled and supported. But there are so many principals who are clueless educators -- no matter.

I get it --- the UFT position is that teachers MUST be monitored and held accountable but union officials who shove bad policy or tell ATRs they are lucky to have a job do not have to be held accountable.

I have an idea -- let's have UFT members observe the work of every special and district rep 4 times a year and write them up for public consumption.

I never thought I'd say this but the UFT Ex Bd meetings are the most interesting thing going on in the union. That is due to the partnership between the 2 New Action and 4 MORE reps (the 5th has only shown up for 2 meetings -- that story another time). They hold an open meeting in the back of the lobby an hour before the meetings begin -- they coordinate with the rank and file who have called in for speaking time -- and then coordinate their questions and resolutions with them. That hour, which last night included 3 teachers working under an abusive principal at Tottenville HS in Staten Island, is the most productive and democratic hour you can spend in the UFT - and I include MORE meetings.

Arthur has a fascinating report on last night's Ex Bd meeting which I'm sure he will parse in a follow-up --- and I will do a follow-up on his follow-up in a day or two:

Exec. Board Oct. 30--Observations Now, Observations Forever, the More the Merrier. If You Have a Question for Leadership, Look Up the Answer in Chalkbeat.

James also has a report: MULGEW'S UNITY CAUCUS AGAIN VOTES DOWN RESOLUTION CALLING FOR TWO OBSERVATIONS PER YEAR FOR NYC TEACHERS

Here are the notes Arthur took on the over 3 year reign of terror of principal Joseph Scarmato --- we'll have more on this slug. When we called on UFT accountability they listed all the visits they made to the school but wouldn't share if there were positive outcomes. One UFT official told me -- there are 2 sides to every story-- which is astounding given the current chapter leader has been removed from the school and cannot even hold a union meeting. Translation -- we don't really like the chapter leader.

Penny Tuzio, retired, Tottenville HS—intolerable situation by principal JOSEPH SCARMATO. Have written multiple letters. Principal is vindictive. Used to be desirable school. Many teachers left, bullied persecuted. AP SS took mysterious leave for nervous breakdown. At least 5 lawsuits against him. People hired as personal favors do nothing. AP science out of building three days a week, has fake class as do others. Forces new teachers to email him messages of support. Forbids AP s to be friends with teachers. Most senior AP forbidden to observe without henchman of principal. Gives orders to teachers via email at all times. Abuses students. Parents afraid but can’t complain for vindictive nature. Impossible to fail students because test scores count only 25%. Said he admires Hitler for organization. Everyone scared to death. Made staff cry. I implore you investigate.

John McCabe, Tottenville HS—SS teacher, 19 years, never had to deal with principal so abusive. Wanted to change Tottenville. Has five year plan. Now year 4. Goes after teachers w 15 years or more. Observations done in pairs, w discussion. Discrepancies resolved by principal, even if not in class. Colleague observed, three days later went on Advance, all Effective. Four days later, official copy was completely different, replaced by Developing. Principal asked AP to do it. Teacher well respected. Many of us are outspoken and we are targeted. We are hit with trumped up 3020a charges. Numerous individuals retire or transfer, we think targeted at behest of principal. No HE ratings, even if teachers are. Recently in paper for plagiarism. He has to go, one way or another. How can union help us? Some of us have taken major brunt.

Jessica Peterson, Chapter Leader, Tottenville HS—Reassigned. Quotes Shakespeare about retaliation. Says prior to principal, few grievances were filed. Now, principal steadily declines in reviews. DOE refuses to hold him accountable. He slut shamed females, was in paper. Now targets seasoned vets over 40, mostly women. Has targeted other delegates and CL. I have been targeted and abused. I am wrongfully reassigned Paying for multiple lawyers. Filed PERB complaint. Waiting for right to sue letter.

Our school has been reported multiple times for failure to follow, have complained to various agencies, have not received assistance. My offense is being excellent CL and winning often. Principal was removed from last school and was rewarded. Plagiarism is academic dishonesty, a misdemeanor. Improper LIFs. Many arbitrations and settlements. Paperwork complaints, improper evaluations, many TIPS. Over 60 people have left. Teachers usually don’t leave. School used to be mirthful, now us v them, a war zone. Asks UFT helps get rid of disease.

Sheri Lederman's lawsuit Points the Way to a Class Action Suit for ALL UFT teachers---

...but it will never happen with a union leadership that defends APPR, as Arthur Goldstein points out today: Leadership Defense of APPR Is Total Nonsense . "UFT leadership sold us this bill of goods."

Maybe Sheri Lederman's lawyer will take on 65 thousand NYC teachers.

I'm not big on going to court since I believe they are stacked against us - lawsuits are often a distraction from real organizing - and they cost a ton.

I guess my question of the day is - can the UFT/NYSUT be embarrassed into going to court? My guess is if there is enough demand what they will do is do a faux court case to deflect people from real action - they will gather names, etc and then strangle the case from backstage.

Why? Because as Arthur points out the UFT is in favor of APPR. You can surmise why they are but maybe that is not the important issue, though many of us suspect the links to ed deformers might the issue, the seat at the table and even money changing hands.

Carol Burris covered the case at WAPO- The Answer Sheet

The exasperated New York Supreme Court judge, Roger McDonough, tried to get Assistant Attorney General Galligan to answer his questions. He was looking for clarity and instead got circuitous responses about bell curves, “outliers” and adjustments. Fourth-grade teacher Sheri Lederman’s VAM score of “ineffective” was on trial.
The more Ms. Galligan tried to defend the bell curve of growth scores as science, the more the judge pushed back with common sense. It was clear that he did his homework. He understood that the New York State Education Department’s VAM system artificially set the percentage of “ineffective” teachers at 7 percent. That arbitrary decision clearly troubled him. “Doesn’t the bell curve make it subjective? There has to be failures,” he asked.
The defender of the curve said that she did not like the “failure” word.
The judge quipped, “Ineffectives, how about that?” Those in attendance laughed.

I think the judge's reaction is a sign this case could be won. Which must scare the hell out of our union leaders.

NEW MORE VIDEO: MORE Teaching, Less Testing!

I am wowed by this film by the MORE Media committee.



Posted at:
http://morecaucusnyc.org/2013/09/02/more-teaching-less-testing/

Sign the petition here: MORE Petition for Moratorium on NYC Teacher Evaluation System « Movement of Rank and File Educators

 

Hard Questions from A Principal to Randi Weingarten and Richard Ianuzzi and a Teacher's Response

Randi's statement that New York's APPR was the best one negotiated in the whole country, should have been immediately challenged. Who wants to be the best when this system is the worst? As AFT leader, she should have led the fight to outlaw any APPR, anywhere! Richard's statement, downplaying the role of his union members whose voices he's supposed to represent, also should have been quickly challenged. Randi "begging" teachers to give APPR a chance, is a disgrace and she should be recalled - like Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin will be in June. Are all the stong union leaders, like Al Shanker and Sandra Feldman dead or are they just playing dead because they lack backbone and gumption?--- Janet Meyer

I mentioned how difficult it was for me to convince legislators to consider these amendments since the heads of the teachers' unions shook hands with Cuomo, and legislators believed it was a done deal. In her recent article in "Harvard Law and Public Policy" Weingarten states: "And yes, student test scores based on valid and reliable assessments that truly measure each student's growth in each teacher's classroom should be included in the mix--but not in a disproportionate way." How is this position reconcilable with the recently passed APPR where there is a possibility that a 40% ineffective score on exams can lead to a 100% overall rating? --- NYS principal

Are our union leaders Quislings? (see my next post for some interesting tidbits)
(Do you think it is time to challenge the UFT leaders? - State of the Union - UFT)

I got a call from an independent reporter the other day asking about the union. He said that every teacher he speaks to is unhappy at the lack of defense. But so are principals it seems. You should look at the video at vimeo I put up where principals seem to be defending us more than the union: Shael Channels Leo at HST 101 Event. 

Also see this post from yesterday from a chapter leader: UFT Buries Voices of Dissent on APPR.

Below are some comments from an upstate Principal and a response from retired Bronx teacher Janet Meyer posted on Mark Naison's listserve.

Janet Meyer responds to the principal:

I don't think that the principal really asked the HARD questions of Randi Weingarten or Richard Ianuzzi!

He should have asked, "How can both of you as leaders and spokespeople for so many teachers, in good conscience, EVER have endorsed evaluation of teachers using standardized test scores, knowing that these tests are not valid, not reliable and completely useless?"

Randi's statement that New York's APPR was the best one negotiated in the whole country, should have been immediately challenged. Who wants to be the best when this system is the worst? As AFT leader, she should have led the fight to outlaw any APPR, anywhere! Richard's statement, downplaying the role of his union members whose voices he's supposed to represent,also should have been quickly challenged.The unions speak for the teachers, with or without petitions!

For Ianuzzi to say that the Principals' petition "stiffened Cuomo's resolve," also is a statement that needs to be challenged.What would Cuomo do, raise the APPR to 50% or 100% of a teacher's evaluation? Maybe a stiffened response would have brought the house down on him. By his going too far, maybe all educators,all administrators,all all superintendents, all teachers, all unions, would have stood up and renounced APPR in its totality!

My belief is that While Ianuzzi may have been "rude" to question where the Principals were earlier in the process, I think he was right on target! From the very beginning, when evaluations of teachers by use of the dumbed down, fraudulent, manipulated state test scores were first suggested, all adminstrators, all teachers, all unions, should have been shouting from the rooftops that this system of evaluation is all wrong and totally unacceptable!..Is it good that the principals are fighting back now? Yes, yes, yes! But it is much harder to fight a system that is already being implemented than one that was just in the preliminary discussion stages. With the power of the AFT, the UFT, the NYSUT, even the NEA, this deceptive, harmful assessment of teachers shouldn't have gotten off the ground!

Randi "begging" teachers to give APPR a chance, is a disgrace and she should be recalled- like Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin will be in June. Are all the stong union leaders, like Al Shanker and Sandra Feldman dead or are they just playing dead because they lack backbone and gumption?

It is not too late to fight. THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE IS GREATER THAN THE PEOPLE IN POWER

Janet Mayer, 51 year NYC teacher and author of AS BAD AS THEY SAY? Three Decades of Teaching in the Bronx

To see more of my opinions, check my blog,

   http://asbadastheysay.info/

The principal:

I think I struck a raw nerve today.

This afternoon Randi Weingarten (AFT) and Richard Iannuzzi (NYSUT) came to visit Clarkstown. I had the opportunity to ask the first question in front of 550 teachers, 50 teaching assistants, and 25 school administrators. I identified myself as a 31-percenter who has signed on to the principals' petition and also to the petition by generated by the Lancaster's Teachers Association. I then asked Randi Weingarten the following question:

In her recent article in "Harvard Law and Public Policy" Weingarten states: "And yes, student test scores based on valid and reliable assessments that truly measure each student's growth in each teacher's classroom should be included in the mix--but not in a disproportionate way." How is this position reconcilable with the recently passed APPR where there is a possibility that a 40% ineffective score on exams can lead to a 100% overall rating? I also asked her to support our three amendments and identified each one of them. Additionally, I mentioned how difficult it was for me to convince legislators to consider these amendments since the heads of the teachers' unions shook hands with Cuomo, and legislators believed it was a done deal.

Randi Weingarten's response was that there is a very remote chance that a teacher will be found ineffective overall if there was a 40% ineffective rating on test scores. She also stated that if this was ever the case, the union would defend the teacher and ensure that the teacher had an opportunity to improve. She stated that New York's APPR was the best one negotiated in the entire U.S. Since 80% of the APPR is negotiated at the local level. She begged teachers to give this a chance.

Iannuzzi's response was more telling. He stated that the principals' movement had the "opposite effect" and "stiffened Cuomo's resolve" to get an APPR deal done and even one that was worse. He also stated that unions do not operate by petition. Instead, he told me, representatives of unions get deals done at the table and not by members petitioning. He also stated that the letter came after the fact and was too late and asked where the principals were all along in the process?

Some teachers told me later that they believed Iannuzzi's comments about the principals were rude. Although they were rude, I think we have touched a sore spot since we are stating what the rank and file teachers are not allowed to say by local union leadership that has followed the lead of their Albany heads. One teacher left the auditorium and made the following summative comment in response after listening to Weingarten and Iannuzzi for over one hour: "This is bullshit."

I recorded the entire presentation, including Iannuzzi's remarks about the

principals.

It seems that the principals' movement has made a difference even if we have invoked the ire of the collaborators. Let's keep on going!

Hope everyone has a good break!

Harry Leonardatos

Blog: http://nysocrates.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nysocrates

UFT Buries Voices of Dissent on APPR

I received this email to GEM awhile ago. More and more people are expressing their dissent while the UFT continues to sell the snake oil. The monthly district rep meetings are an outrage. It's all about what the UFT wants from the chapter leaders and never about their needs.

We are trying to get a chapter leader and delegate support group together to meet monthly, not only as a support mechanism but to function as a unit at the delegate assembly. If interested email me.

I have a follow-up on the same topic but am waiting for permission. Here is the Chapter Leader's email to GEM:

I am a NYC public school special educator, UFT chapter leader and a parent of a child in a public school.  I am also, currently, in a leadership for educational change program at Bank Street.  It came to my attention that the APPR legislation was passed a couple of weeks ago through my administrator.  It was also discussed in depth at Bank Street.  However, it was never mentioned by the UFT.

When I read under the subsection in the agreement (with our union leaders) "Rating System" that "Teachers or principals that are rated ineffective in the 40 points could not receive a developing score overall." http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/02162012teacherevaluations (which in effect leaves a teacher's evaluation hinging on test scores by 100%- not 40%)  I was ready to bring this up at a district chapter leader meeting.

Disappointingly, I was silenced by my district representative.  I was told to send her "proof" which I did, and never received a response.

I am wondering if, besides the change.org petition http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-public-shaming-and-unjust-firing-of-teachers, are teachers organizing to demand that our union leaders rescind their agreement to this measure?

What they are effectively doing is dangling the "New York City Expedited Appeals Process" as a big union victory, but not mentioning the fact that they agreed to a heavy value added measure for teacher evaluations.

Race to the Top funding comes with requirements to have such measures, but what, I wonder, has incentivized our union leaders to agree to a measure that could possibly lead to busting up our union.

I have helped start a parent advocacy group at the progressive public school I teach in, and I am informing my colleagues.  However, I am aware that public descent could lead to internal problems within our union that would make things very easy for private interests.  Please let me know if you are delving into this issue and if there is anything I can do to help.

Thank you, 

Afterburn
I published the same thoughts from 2 NYC parents about the UFT in this post:

REVEALING COMMENTS FROM 2 NYC PARENT ACTIVISTS

our District Leader insists that we do not have a new evaluation agreement- even with the information posted straight from Gov. Cuomo's office and NYSED.  

Here is Education Law §3012-c 

http://www.capregboces.org/LeaderToLeaderLinks/2010-2011/PDF/EdLaw3012.pdf 

If you wish, include the letter from Cuomo's office highlighting the "Rating System" subsection:  http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/02162012teacherevaluations

By the way, a new State testing securities director has been hired.  http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/SEDHiresTestSecurityDirector.html  

Not to mention the millions allocated to NCS Pearson to design new tests for lower grades. 

I am confused by our UFT once filing a lawsuit for the value added measure to now being in agreement. 

Read it all:

Why is the UFT Ignoring This? Thoughts on Turnaround

And this too:

APPR Update(?) from NYCDOENUTS

CLARIFICATION: I received a call from a chapter leader after this was posted saying that at his district meetings he could say anything he wanted. In the follow-up discussion we touched on the fact that it is possible to say stuff but the context of the District meetings are geared towards the needs of the union hierarchy and not towards the schools. Remember, at one time the chapter leaders elected the DRs so to some extent they were beholden to them (but always consider that Unity Caucus still controlled the process and other than the Manhattan HS district only Unity people were elected, often without opposition.)