Bob Braun: Why the Newark student sit-in really matters

From Bob Braun's Ledger

High School principal of the year Carol Burris calls for civil disobedience (Principal: ‘There comes a time when rules must be broken…. That time is now’) over testing and Newark students actually engage in civil disobedience and slam Cami Anderson in her own office. The fed-up factor with ed deform grows.

Bob Braun tells the Newark story:

Stories about the sit-in were published in France and by Al-Jazeera. Even The Star-Ledger, which often ignores what’s happening  to the children attending Newark schools, was forced to provide daily coverage—because, well, a sit-in is a sit-in and the DNA of a mainstream newspaper doesn’t allow a sit-in to be ignored just in case the authorities go crazy and heads are busted.

Newark: Why the student sit-in really matters

Live Streamed - Students Occupy Newark Supt Cami Anderson's Office

From NEW Caucus: Newark Students Union Occupies Cami's Office on the 8th Floor of 2 Cedar

Live Stream Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPws_9OfEDo&list=LLhrmfG34i8emrv50TUNnBmQ&index=1

Newark: Is Cami A Crook?

Sources within the union leadership said Anderson’s contract–up at the end of June–would not be renewed and she would leave in a way that suggested her departure was voluntary.  Those same sources indicated leadership could be passed over to a cooperative arrangement between a state official and a current high-ranking officer within the Newark Public Schools, with the most obvious candidate Roger Leon, currently an assistant schools superintendent.... Bob Braun's Ledger

The Newark story continues to fascinate. Yesterday we reported and posted a video of the student sit-in ( to our last post: Newark Student Union Conducts a Sit-in at The Newark Public Schools Board's Budget Meeting and Cami Walks Out Again!). Today the union leader is saying Supt Cami Anderson will be gone (Is Cami Anderson Out in Newark? ). Today mayor elect Ras Baraka met with Christie..... Hmmmm!

Our pal in Newark pawed through the report of Cami malfeasance (I'm hoping for a perp walk.) and sent in this dispatch:

Kristin Towkanuik President of the Newark Student Union led a sit in at 2  Cedar Street administrative home of the Newark Public Schools. The students demanded to meet with State District Superintendent Cami Anderson and Acting Education Commissioner David Hespe. In less than twenty-four hours, both luminaries have agreed to the demands. What is going on here? The secret is Mayor-elect Ras Baraka spreading his magic dust over the city. Cami and David decided to meet with the students before their chutzpah gets out of hand.

State Senator Ronald Rice sent a letter to Hespe on behalf of the Joint Committee on the Public Schools respectfully requesting an investigation of Anderson's "handling of the administrative and fiscal affairs of the Newark Public Schools." I have been studying this document for hours and I will try to give you a cheat sheet on the information I have gleaned.

The projected deficit for the Newark Public Schools is $53 million. Where did all that money go? Cami gave out generous raises to her BFFs also known as assistant superintendents. They are all making $175,000 per annum. The Chief Talent Officer is only earning $173,975, but the School Business Administrator brings home $189,817. It seems like a lot of dough for shuffling e-mails, but they may have other hidden responsibilities.

Another significant concern is the potential for conflicts of interest in the awarding of contracts and the hiring of consultants. The crux of the matter is the sale of 18th Avenue School to the TEAM Charter Schools operated by KIPP Schools. Sir Walter Scott must have had a look at Cami's machinations when he penned, "Oh what a tangled web we weave."

Let it suffice for me to introduce a few key players. Former Education Commissioner Chris Cerf had previous professional business associations with Tim Carden who resurfaced as the President of Friends of TEAM Schools. The Friends are a 501(c)(3) that conveniently holds all the loans and leases for TEAM. Hannah Richman is the Director and Secretary for the Friends. In this capacity, she directs real estate, finance, acquisition and renovation for TEAM. The question as to Cami's previous professional relationships with this cast of characters is at the heart of the matter. To make matters worse, it is alleged that 18th Avenue School was sold at a below market price with an abbreviated bidding process.

If you guys have any further interest in the details of Cami's entanglements, I am prepared to spend a few more hours studying this document tomorrow night. I presume that it will take Hespe a substantial amount of time to sort through the data. Cami earned $247,500 and a bonus of $32,992 for this year so it is my guess she isn't going anywhere soon. Chris Christie and Tom Moran of The Star Ledger still love her even though she has managed to infuriate nearly everyone else.

A Newark Teacher

Is Cami Anderson Out in Newark?

Cami Anderson will be leaving.  It is your efforts on Fight Back Fridays, our Mayoral Election efforts, Advisory Board meetings, and other initiatives that have made this possible.  I am very proud of all of our members....
.....Joseph Del Grosso, NTU President

Don't believe it 'till the fat lady sings. Because Del Grosso also says:

It is my strong belief that based on the discussions I have had to this point, Cami Anderson will not be continuing as Superintendent of the Newark Public Schools. I have many other meetings to attend with other stakeholders who are interested in making her departure a reality.  

 I hope this is not magical thinking. But here's hoping Cami Anderson has to do a perp walk.

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past months, there have been numerous rumors of layoffs, school closings, and drastic cuts to the Newark Public Schools budget.  

In preparation for these events, the Newark Teachers Union requested a meeting with Acting Commissioner David Hespe, some six weeks ago.  The meeting took place last Monday afternoon in Trenton.  We went there prepared
with information regarding the misdeeds and mismanagement of funds by Superintendent Cami Anderson.  Acting Commissioner Hespe was very interested in the information that we provided, and says he intends to act on the information expeditiously.  I have been made aware that he or his designees are already in Newark today. 

We also requested meetings with various Assemblymen and Senators, especially those on the Educational Legislative Committees.  Senator Ronald Rice, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Public Schools, sent a detailed letter to
Commissioner Hespe regarding what he perceives as the illegalities and malfeasance that have been taking place at the Newark Public Schools.
 

Attached is a copy of that letter which is also going to the Attorney General and other law enforcement agencies.  

It is my strong belief that based on the discussions I have had to this point, Cami Anderson will not be continuing as Superintendent of the Newark Public Schools. I have many other meetings to attend with other stakeholders who are interested in making her departure a reality.  

I intend to fight for each and every member to retain their jobs and to restore positions such as attendance counselors, parent liaisons, teacher aides and clerks, as well as teachers to the positions that Newark so desperately needs.  We will continue to engage and support likeminded community, parent, and student organizations in this battle to not only end the layoffs and school closings, but to restore Newark to full local control.

Acting Commissioner Hespe has informed me that he intends to make a strong recommendation to the state board of education to return fiscal control to Newark's Board of Education by July 1st.  We must remain diligent in our fight to take back our schools and to restore order and a sense of learning to the educational community of Newark.  I will keep you informed of any new information that develops from my meetings with the Commissioner and
legislators as they transpire.

Cami Anderson will be leaving.  It is your efforts on Fight Back Fridays, our Mayoral Election efforts, Advisory Board meetings, and other initiatives that have made this possible.  I am very proud of all of our members.


In solidarity,

Joe                                     

Joseph Del Grosso                                        

President                                                         

Newark Teachers Union                               

Local 481, AFT/AFL-CIO

P: (973) 643-8430                                             

F: (973) 643-8435                                             

E: ntupres@ntuaft.com                               

Video: Newark Student Union Conducts a Sit-in at The Newark Public Schools Board's Budget Meeting and Cami Walks Out Again!

Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Cami Anderson has got to go.

I hope some of you have been following events in Newark. Students are playing a role. Good thing since no one listens to teachers. How nice to see Cami Anderson walk out again. I think she walks out twice.

UPDATES, May 21, Media Links

Bob Braun's Ledger

Cami wanted disruption–and, last night, she got it - Newark’s school superintendent belongs to that tribe of self-proclaimed and irresponsible school reformers who contend public schools must be “disrupted” b... 

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/05/student_protest_forces_school_board_meeting_to_end_early.html 

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/05/20/high-school-students-disrupt-newark-school-advisory-board-meeting/ 

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Newark-Public-Schools-Sit-In-One-Newark-Promise-Cami-Anderson-260068351.html%23 

http://newjersey.news12.com/news/newark-community-rallies-against-superintendent-cami-anderson-and-one-newark-plan-1.8110194

VIDEO:
http://youtu.be/rBCi21i5tjs





Remember, Anderson tried to get a tenure waiver so she can fire any teacher whose shirt she doesn't like but was rebuffed.

The state union - which is NEA while Newark is AFT is going to court over Christie's putting up traffic cones around teacher pensions.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/05/njea_says_it_will_sue_to_block_christie_

from_cutting_pension_payments.html

Ravitch and Weingarten Misdiagnose Pearson Issue --- by A Newark Teacher

Note - This article is written by a teacher in Newark who often writes for Ed Notes, not by me. I take a more nuanced view of where Ravitch stands on Randi and the teacher unions but I won't get into that here.

By shrouding the test in secrecy, Pearson denies information to teachers to help diagnose student needs. The tests become useless by having no diagnostic value. ...teachers will be fired and students will be failed and schools will be closed without seeing the validity of the instruments of punishment.  This is wrong.

Diane Ravitch

These gag orders and the lack of transparency are fueling the growing distrust and backlash among parents, students and educators in the United States about whether the current testing protocols and testing fixation is in the best interests of children.

Randi Weingarten

Diane and Randi have the Pearson issue ass backwards.  High stakes tests were never intended to assist in the diagnosis of student academic needs.  In my district in Newark, scores are not reported to teachers until the following school year when most teachers are no longer responsible for instructing those particular students.  The purpose of the tests is to impose the consequences of closing "failing" schools and firing the teachers employed in those schools.  Gag orders on exposing test questions are not fueling backlash against standardized testing.  Common Core tied to high stakes testing tied to punitive consequences are the bedrocks of the marriage of the federal government to the school privatization industry.

Alan Singer reported in the Huffington Post that Pearson may be in serious financial trouble. According to Investopedia.com, Pearson underperformed the SandP Index by 23%. Singer suggested that Pearson may be over-extended in its ambitious push to expand its education, digital services and testing programs. The company is concerned that the United States market might shrink due to resistance to Common Core and testing. Will Pearson losing market share bring good tidings to Randi? Randi would be dismayed to discover any chinks in the armor of the federal privatization movement. Henry Mance of Media reported a 6 percent decline in Pearson sales in the first quarter of 2014. Randi shrewdly calculated that she might bolster Pearson sales in the United States by pressuring them to be more transparent in releasing test questions to the public. Randi miscalculated the depth and the breadth of the anger amongst students, parents, teachers and administrators over Common Core inextricably linked to endless testing. As a teacher, I am  fully competent to assess and plan appropriate instruction for my students. I could not care less about ludicrous test questions devised by Pearson and others.

Here is the problem folks. Randi is beholden to Bill Gates for his financial contributions to the AFT. Randi loves Bill's Common Core experiment. She enjoys hobnobbing with the financial elites of our society. Diane seeks to portray BFF Randi in the best possible light. Randi was "deeply disturbed" to read in The New York Times about issues teachers, principals, parents and students were raising about Pearson tests. Randi is handsomely compensated to represent the interests of teachers in this country. She has to read The New York Times to familiarize herself with teacher opposition to Pearson testing? 

She could talk to any teacher in my school for five minutes to get a run down on the quagmire of standardized testing. Those teachers would patiently explain the correlation between low standardized test scores and high poverty neighborhoods. Unlike the teachers in schools in more prosperous neighborhoods across town, who are for the most part rated effective or better, the hard working, highly qualified teachers in schools in our neighborhoods are more likely to be caught in the partially effective and ineffective traps. Randi's strategy is to minimize the onslaught on public education by pinpointing gag orders one time and VAM on another occasion thereby avoiding both a big picture analysis and an action plan.

In Newark, State Superintendent Cami Anderson's One Newark Plan has encountered some glitches in the past week.  The administration was unable to meet its self-imposed deadline for informing families which schools their children will attend in September. They are having difficulties working out the transportation details.  If the goal is to move children all over the city to purportedly advance equity, transportation would appear to be a key component of the plan.  So Randi when you get done writing BS letters to Pearson about marginal issues, you could hop on Amtrak from DC to Newark and help Cami and her pals figure out transportation routes.  If you have any spare time, there is a long line of teachers who would benefit from real union leadership.

A Newark Teacher

CamiGate: Get Rid of Black Teachers and Replace them with white TFA in Newark in the Name of Civil Rights

• There is a historical context of racial discrimination against black teachers in the United States, and “choice” systems of education have previously been found to disproportionately affect the employment of these teachers. One Newark appears to continue this tradition.
• There are significant differences in race, gender, and experience in the characteristics of NPS staff and the staff of Newark’s charter schools.
• NPS’s black teachers are far more likely to teach black students; consequently, these black teachers are more likely to face an employment consequence as black students are more likely to attend schools sanctioned under One Newark.
• Black and Hispanic teachers are more likely to teach at schools targeted by NJDOE for interventions – the “tougher” school assignments... Weber.Baker.Oluwole.Staffing.Report_3_10_2014_FINAL

Ahhh, the essence of ed deform. The 3 C's (Christie, Cerf, Cami) plan to destroy public ed in Newark. Thanks to the Ed Notes Newark correspondent bull dog - who I met for the first time at the MORE happy hour- for sending this.

Teachers at Newark Public Schools (NPS) largely reflect the racially and ethnically segregated student populations of their respective schools. Mark Weber also known as Jersey Jazzman, Bruce Baker and Joseph Oluwote have released a new report entitled "One Newark's" Racially Disparate Impact on Teachers. The previous report focused on how Cami Anderson's One Newark Plan disproportionately affected black and low income students in the district. In the new report, the authors contend, "NPS's black teachers are far more likely to teach black students; consequently, these black teachers are far more likely to face an employment consequence as black students are more likely to attend schools sanctioned under One Newark." In layman's terms, black teachers are more likely to teach in schools that are closing or being renewed. To make matters worse, charter school demographics differ from NPS by employing teachers more likely to be white and less experienced. We find ourselves in a fine kettle of fish here in Newark!

A Newark Teacher

Disparate Impact on Teachers

PDF of Policy Brief: Weber.Baker.Oluwole.Staffing.Report_3_10_2014_FINAL
As with our previous One Newark policy brief, this one is too long and complex to post in full as a blog. Below are the executive summary and conclusions and policy recommendations. We encourage you to read the full report at the link above.

Executive Summary

In December of 2013, State Superintendent Cami Anderson introduced a district-wide restructuring plan for the Newark Public Schools (NPS). In our last brief on “One Newark,” we analyzed the consequences for students; we found that, when controlling for student population characteristics, academic performance was not a significant predictor of the classifications assigned to schools by NPS. This results in consequences for schools and their students that are arbitrary and capricious; in addition, we found those consequences disproportionately affected black and low-income students. We also found little evidence that the interventions planned under One Newark – including takeovers of schools by charter management organizations – would lead to better student outcomes.
In this brief, we continue our examination of One Newark by analyzing its impact on NPS’s teaching staff. We find the following:

• There is a historical context of racial discrimination against black teachers in the United States, and “choice” systems of education have previously been found to disproportionately affect the employment of these teachers. One Newark appears to continue this tradition.
• There are significant differences in race, gender, and experience in the characteristics of NPS staff and the staff of Newark’s charter schools.
• NPS’s black teachers are far more likely to teach black students; consequently, these black teachers are more likely to face an employment consequence as black students are more likely to attend schools sanctioned under One Newark.
• Black and Hispanic teachers are more likely to teach at schools targeted by NJDOE for interventions – the “tougher” school assignments.
• The schools NPS’s black and Hispanic teachers are assigned to lag behind white teachers’ schools in proficiency measures on average; however, these schools show more comparable results in “growth,” the state’s preferred measure for school and teacher accountability.
• Because the demographics of teachers in Newark’s charter sector differ from NPS teacher demographics, turning over schools to charter management operators may result in an overall Newark teacher corps that is more white and less experienced.

These findings are a cause for concern: to the extent that the One Newark plan disproportionately affects teachers of one race versus another, the plan may be vulnerable to legal challenge under civil rights laws.

Conclusions and Policy Implications

In our previous brief, we found that the One Newark plan imposed consequences on schools and their students that were arbitrary and capricious. We found little evidence to support the claim of NPS that One Newark would improve student outcomes, and we found that the students who would see their schools closed, turned over to CMOs, or “renewed” were more likely to be black and/or suffering from economic disadvantage.
In this brief, we turn our attention to the effects of One Newark on NPS staff. We find patterns of racial bias in the consequences to staff similar to those we found in the consequences to students, largely because the racial profiles of students and staff within the NPS schools are correlated. In other words: Newark’s black teachers tend to teach the district’s black students; therefore, because One Newark disproportionately affects those black students, black teachers are more likely to face an employment consequence.

NPS’s black teachers are also more likely to have positions in the schools that are designated by the state as needing interventions – the more challenging school assignments. The schools of NPS black teachers consequently lag in proficiency rates, but not in student growth. We do not know the dynamics that lead to more black teachers being assigned to these schools; qualitative research on this question is likely needed to understand this phenomenon.
One Newark will turn management of more NPS schools over to charter management organizations. In our previous brief, we questioned the logic of this strategy, as these CMOs currently run schools that do not teach students with similar characteristics to NPS’s neighborhood schools. Evidence suggests these charters would not achieve any better outcomes with this different student population.
This brief adds a new consideration to the shift from traditional public schools to charters: if the CMOs maintain their current teaching corps’ profile in an expansion, Newark’s teachers are likely to become more white and less experienced overall. Given the importance of teacher experience, particular in the first few years of work, Newark’s students would likely face a decline in teacher quality as more students enroll in charters.
The potential change in the racial composition of the Newark teaching corps under One Newark – to a staff that has a smaller proportion of teachers of color – would occur within a historical context of established patterns of discrimination against black teachers. “Choice” plans in education have previously been found to disproportionately impact the employment of black teachers; One Newark continues in this tradition. NPS may be vulnerable to a disparate impact legal challenge on the grounds that black teachers will disproportionately face employment consequences under a plan that arbitrarily targets their schools.

Newark's Crooks: Cami Goes After ATRs - Wants Tenure Abolished - Asks Cerf for Ruling

Will this be CamiGate3 or 4? I'm losing count. The Three C's -- Cami, Cerf and Cristie -- are aiming a missile at Newark teachers. Hey [NTU leader] Joe Del Grosso and [AFT Pres] Randi Weingarten, how has that contract you raved about not even a year and a half ago worked out?

Bob Braun's Ledger has the gory story:

He [Del Grosso] said he believed Anderson, a former executive director of Teach for America (TFA), is invoking the rule to protect the jobs of many TFA graduates hired by the Newark schools. Under the program, recent college graduates with six weeks of training can be hired to teach, usually in inner-city schools. Although many drop out after an initial two-year term, they do provide schools with cheap, if untrained, labor.....

Cami asks state approval to ignore seniority in teacher layoff 

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Gee, I'm shocked, just shocked, gambling?

Well, let's not pile on over the horrendous policy pushed by our own unions that lead to them going over the cliff. Randi is not an idiot -- she knows full well what the results will be -- she may actually think they can buy time by giving up some rights.

One of my sources has indicated that senior teachers are already being pushed with inordinate demands in an effort to "find something" on them.

Chief among Anderson’s targets apparently are the so-called “employees without placement”—or hundreds of school employees who, for a variety of reasons, have not been assigned to specific schools. Many were caught up in so-called “renew” schools where employees must reapply and be rehired–or not–every year.

Here in NYC we saw how the UFT's signing on to allowing schools to close without placing the teachers has led to the ATR situation. The goal all along was to bring in TFA as replacements and then engage in a public relations and extralegal battle to protect them if layoffs should hit.

“She is totally ignoring not just the idea of tenure but the changes made in the tenure law just enacted. It’s an end run around the new law and frustrates its provisions.”
The new tenure law, pushed through at the height of Gov. Chris Christie’s anti-teacher and anti-union initiatives, gives teachers time to try to overcome poor evaluations in order to avoid the elimination of their tenure.
Not only does the “waiver or equivalency” provision ignore the new tenure law but it also trashes decades-old seniority rules that would allow teachers with seniority to “bump” more junior teachers in the face of what schools call “RIFS”—or reductions in force.

You know those millions the UFT has spent on those commercials? Did you see one word explaining tenure and defending ATRs? Maybe this explains the Revise (Rebury NYSUT) fear of Cuomo -- maybe the thug threatened them that he will go this route too.

Maybe there is some hope.

The plan has provoked stiff opposition from many community members and their cause has been picked by Ras Baraka, a mayoral candidate. His rival, Shavar Jeffries, has supported Anderson.
The controversy has become heated, especially after Anderson suspended five school principals after they criticized her plan and banned a parent leader from his children’s school for posting notices of a meeting that was viewed as critical of “One Newark.”
Earlier this week, a special legislative inquiry began into the way Anderson has handled “One Newark.” State Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Esssex), the co-chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Schools, has said he would ask for subpoena power to conduct a full investigation of the plan.
Del Gross said he expected opposition to the plan when the Newark school board meets Feb. 25 and the state Board of Education  meets March 5.
He also said the union would seek a court injunction against the planned layoffs.

The mayoral race will be a key and it I were a Newark teacher I would get my ass onto any Raz Baraka unburned campaign bus I could. 

 Full story here.

New Jersey Teachers Challenge Tom Moran/Newark Star-Ledger Integrity

Mr. Moran: You repeatedly parrot [Cami]  Anderson's talking points, which is shoddy journalism at its best... Newark teacher.

The Star-Ledger’s passionate, public love affair with Cami Anderson is now sliding into political porn. .. Bob Braun

CamiGate heats up.

My Dear Mr. Moran,

I admire your unwavering support for State Superintendent Anderson. However, as a journalist, it would behoove you to examine the issues in Newark from different vantage points. How many Newark Public School students, parents, teachers, administrators have you interviewed? You repeatedly parrot Anderson's talking points, which is shoddy journalism at its best. Anderson and her crew are targeting veteran teachers with extensive academic backgrounds and years of service to the community. They are being replaced with Teach for America novices, most of whom are well intentioned. They are experimenting with teaching at the expense of Newark Public School students. Few of them are committed to a teaching career. Children in Newark like their counterparts elsewhere need the support of adults who serve as constants in their lives. Anderson and other "reformers" across the country are attempting to turn teachers into minimum wage Walmart workers. Mr. Moran, I implore you to visit Newark Public Schools and engage community stakeholders in discourse. I for one am tired of reading your shallow diatribes in The Star-Ledger.

A Newark Teacher

Jersey Jazzman

No Credibility Left For Tom Moran and the Star-Ledger Editorial Board - *UPDATE BELOW* Many of you will be surprised to hear this, but I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Tom Moran, Editorial Page Editor of the *Star-Ledger... 

Bob Braun's Ledger

Star-Ledger to Cami Anderson: Be mine, Valentine! - The Star-Ledger’s passionate, public love affair with Cami Anderson is now sliding into political porn. The newspaper’s latest editorial is a gushing, em... 

AndersonGate - Cami Anderson Uses Chris Christie Lane Closure Tactics in Snow Day Late School Closures

Newark Supt. Cami Anderson, who helped destroy the District 79 program here in NYC when she was Joel Klein's agent of destruction, is quickly turning into Michelle Rhee junior. Diane Ravitch points out today (Is Chris Christie’s Newark Superintendent Shaping the Mayoral Race?)
as to how Anderson is affecting the race for Newark Mayor just as Rhee was responsible for the loss of her patron in Wash. DC. Note that both are Teach for America alum and indicative of the destructive and insidious role that organization has played in national education politics.

Yesterday we reported that Cami "botched" the closing of Newark schools. Now new information is coming in that there was some intention behind the "blotching." Signs point to Cami Anderson following the Chris Christie retaliation script.

Here are facts from a teacher viewpoint:

• All schools in Essex county were deemed closed and early notification was implemented: except for Newark.
• State run school districts were closed and early notification was implemented:  except Newark.
• Charters in Newark, which are districts within the district and receive 90% of school funding per student capita, were closed and early notification was implemented.
• Sub finder was down so teachers could not call in absent. If a teacher was absent they would be written up because sub finder could not be utilized.
• Many teachers live far and were on the road by 5 or 6. State, County and city roads were unsafe, not attended to.
• Many were in schools by 8AM and many teachers still did not receive a call even as late as 8AM. Most got their call AFTER we clocked in and signed in.
• Some teachers got dropped off only to find out that they had no ride home.
• Teachers were told to head back home because the building was closing.
• Truthfully, these are very serious administrative errors.

This teacher is being kind. Administrative "error" or intentionally aimed at teachers despite co-lateral damage to children and parents?

Anyone for lane closure comparisons?

-------------------
See Bob Braun: Cami Anderson must resign!
See Jersey Jazzman:  Jersey Jazzman:

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again -

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

tate-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

Afterburn: Another teacher comments.

I was lucky enough not to be injured, but was I upset. I risked my safety for my job just to find out minutes before arriving at my school that the district was closed. As upset as I was (and still am) at her total disregard for student and staff safety, I cannot say I am surprised. This is from a vindictive woman with no conscience whose total purpose is to profit corporations with public school money who send the more challenging students back to the public schools beginning after the October 15th count.
Cami filed a waver to of employees who have some because she may have to pay them more than a beginning salary (If a teacher is of poor quality, he/she can be gotten rid of by poor evaluations, so don't let her fool you into thinking this is about keeping the good ones). Cami does not care about poor minority children at all. It is about lining the pockets of the corporations just like her good buddy Christie.

Below the break is the Ravitch blog post.

AndersonGate: Cami Anderson Last Minute Newark Schools Closing Endangers Children and Staff

Add Andersongate to Christie's list of misfortunes. Some students were already on the buses. What happens if the parents are not home when the children many of whom have special needs are dropped off? Some teachers traveled over an hour on slippery roads. Security guards were at their posts. Custodians were outside clearing walks. The crossing guard was in position. None of them knew school was closed. Anderson is endangering the lives of the children and staff placed in her charge.

 ... Newark teacher

UPDATEs: Great Post from Jersey Jazzman on this issue taking accusations of political motivation even further:

State-Run Newark Schools Blow Snow Closings Again

And Bob Braun: Cami Anderson must resign!

I can’t read her mind or her heart. I can’t know what her motivation is. But mounting external evidence points to this: She is trying to destroy Newark’s public school system in favor of creating a  free-trade zone for charter schools. - See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/#sthash.qCQhYeXq.dpuf

I can’t read her mind or her heart. I can’t know what her motivation is. But mounting external evidence points to this: She is trying to destroy confidence in Newark’s public school system in favor of creating support for a  free-trade zone for charter schools.

Gov. Chris Christie appointee Cami Anderson, who is running a troubled school system further into the ground following up on her horrific time running down District 79 in NYC, decided to close the schools today - when kids were already on buses and parents had gone to work and most teachers were already in the buildings.

This report on NBC was posted an hour later:
Newark Public Schools CANCELED 02/03/2014 08:55:46
AM

Was the delay Jersey-political spite? Cami Anderson knew full well teachers would be on the roads and in schools before they found out. Retaliation? The same mentality that led us to GWBridgeGate? Did she screw up by waiting just a tad late? Or was she out to get parents too who challenged her at last week's hearing? (See: Newark: Cami Anderson Storms Out of Meeting.)  Or did Cami just oversleep? By the way, she is one of those Teach for America vampires feeding on the blood of children.

Here's hoping the fawning Jersey press holds her accountable.

Here is a report from a teacher, dubbing this AndersonGate:

An Unidentified Newark Teacher's Tale of Woe
I awoke at 5:00 my usual time. I checked the  Newark Public Schools website and there was nothing. I turned on the television and my district was not among the lucky winners in the snow lottery. I dressed down and drove slowly to work. My favorite custodian was outside clearing the walks with the snowblower. The crossing guard and the security guard were on their posts. I punched in and climbed two flights of stairs. I logged on to the computer. On the website was a notice that schools were closed  February 3 so I said to myself, "What day is today?" Others received text messages at 7:50. Some kids were already on buses. What happens if the parents are not home when the children many of whom have special needs are dropped off?
Yes, I am sitting in a closed school entering report card grades. Some of my colleagues traveled over an hour on slippery roads to get to work. Cami Anderson has got to go. This goes way beyond the issue of lack of consideration. Anderson is endangering the lives of the children and staff placed in her charge. Add Andersongate to Christie's list of misfortunes.

Related:

Jersey Jazzman

David Wildstein: Before Bridgegate, Christie's Best 

Super Bowl Fans Show Affection For New Jersey

Wonder if Christie will get blamed for this too:

A record 27,000 people passed though the Secaucus Junction train station today, turning it into a virtual sauna and prompting shouts of “Jersey sucks” as football fans waited impatiently for trains to MetLife Stadium.


Teacher Basher -

Klein Klone Kami Gets Pushback Over Attack on Public Education in Newark

Cami Anderson, the new Michelle Rhee, is trying to pull off massive destruction of Newark public school system. Is Anderson real or just a marionette whose strings are being pulled by ed deformers behind a curtain?

From NEW Caucus:

ESS CONFERENCE AND RALLY AT WEEQUAHIC HIGH SCHOOL!

-  Fight School Closings/Renews/Charters

-  11am, Weequahic High School, 279 Chancellor Ave., Newark, 07112.

We know most of you will be in school working hard, but if not, please join the education workers and community to defend historic Weequahic High.

In Solidarity,

Newark Education Workers Caucus

(NEW Caucus)

And the Star Ledger:

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2013/12/baraka_community_leaders_to_rally_in_protest_of_newark_school_closings.html

Baraka, community leaders to rally in protest of Newark school closings

By David Giambusso/The Star-Ledger

on December 19, 2013 at 2:20 PM, updated December 19, 2013 at 4:19 PM

Newark Mayoral Candidate Ras Baraka is organizing a rally to protest changes to Newark schools announced this week.Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger 

NEWRK — Newark mayoral candidate and South Ward Councilman Ras Baraka is heading up a rally Friday morning to protest a major overhaul of Newark public schools announced this week by Superintendent Cami Anderson.

The plan, which met with a raucous reception at a school board meeting this week, would increase the presence of charter schools by expanding them into district-owned buildings.

Anderson plans to convert three elementary schools into early childhood centers, relocate five schools to under-utilized facilities and transform three comprehensive high schools into smaller academies. The goal, Anderson said, is to improve local options for all residents.

"You should have options for great schools in your neighborhood or ward," Anderson said this week. "How do we get to that day faster and in every ward? We're jump-starting change."
But community members in the state-run district routinely accuse Anderson of shuttering neighborhood schools in order to expand charters.
"Baraka will discuss how the plan will further damage Newark’s public and charter schools with an onslaught of unproven “reforms” that violate charter school guidelines and practices, close traditional public schools, and virtually eliminate parental involvement," read a statement from the Baraka campaign.

The rally will be held in front of Weequahic High School — one of the schools set to be eliminated and remade as two single-sex academies — Friday at 11 a.m.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Newark school restructuring includes plans to put charters in district buildings

Newark Schools for Sale: Cami Anderson, Cerf Keep Turnaround Board Member Campbell Brown Under the Sheets

Turnaround has refused to provide information about its failed foray into Orange schools. Now, Turnaround For Children is interviewing schools in Newark for September. What is Turnaround and what is its proposed role in Newark? The best source for information would be Turnaround, right? Wrong. ...Newark Schools for Sale

Ted Cohen sent this follow-up report after his last post here (Newark Confidential - Turnaround Children Inc. Tr...) on secrecy laden Turnaround Schools move into the Newark schools as a "reward" for failing. Slimebucket Campbell Brown is on their board.

He posted at http://newarkschoolsforsale.wordpress.com/

Turnaround Children, Campbell Brown: kissin’ cousins?

Posted on July 20, 2013 by newarkschool

 

By Ted Cohen

The top school official in a major American city as part of an education-reform initiative is bringing in yet another nonprofit foundation, yet as little is known about Turnaround for Children Inc. as is known about how it fits into Supt. Cami Anderson’s plan to modernize Newark, New Jersey’s schools.

Anderson refuses to respond to open requests for information, and Turnaround officials  - where the secretive ex-newsie Campbell Brown sleeps on the board (http://gawker.com/5936190/campbell-brown-is-incapable-of-understanding-the-concept-of-disclosure) – are equally evasive.

Brown’s lackings also caught the sharp eye of Karoli Kuns. (http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/campbell-brown-crawls-out-under-her-rock-sl)

Attempts to contact New Jersey Education Commissioner Chris Cerf have been met with similar silence.

As a longtime newspaper reporter, I find transparency hard to come by. Nonprofits should make transparency their middle name.

In fact, Guidestar.org is helping promote transparency, announcing recently its intent to “encourage nonprofit transparency on a national scale.”

A bit of history: Anderson arrived in New Jersey’s largest school district  in 2011. She brought with her an education-reform movement. The city’s public schools are among the lowest-performing in the state, even after the state government took over their management in 1995.

Although the school district continues to struggle with low high school-graduation rates and low standardized-test scores, the mayor of Newark, Cory Booker, insists, “Newark, New Jersey can become one of the first American cities to solve the crisis in public education.”This vision for better school district is also shared by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who made a $100 million donation to Newark Public Schools in 2010.

HuffPost’s Joy Resmovits called Newark  “a national test case for the fixing of troubled urban schools and the use of major philanthropic dollars in an educational system.”

Now, Turnaround For Children is interviewing schools in Newark for September. What is Turnaround and what is its proposed role in Newark? The best source for information would be Turnaround, right?

Wrong.

Turnaround has refused to provide information about its failed foray into Orange schools and whether that experience foretells problems in Newark. That’s not the way to run a nonprofit. Obfuscation begets journalistic cynicism – and scrutiny.

Turnaround’s entry into the reform movement began with Orange, N.J., as well as New York City and Washington, D.C. But as soon as the Orange effort began, it failed, according to Turnaround’s nonprofit filing with the Internal Revenue Service.

Tax documents filed with the IRS by Turnaround – accessible through Guidestar.org – disclose the program’s unexpected suspension. The documents, a public record, also reveal that Turnaround was forced to return the remaining part of the grant that funded the program.

“Management decided to terminate its three-school program earlier than planned,” Turnaround officials told the IRS. In their IRS filing, Turnaround officials blamed the short-lived program’s demise on what they vaguely described as a “shift in organizational priorities.”

But officials failed to disclose what they meant by the change or who instigated it.

Turnaround officials say they suspended their request for the remaining funding they were to receive for the Orange project, but they made no mention of the amount of funding they had already received and the amount they were still due.

Turnaround officials issued a prepared statement defending their Orange pullout. “Our hope was to expand the partnership, to deliver a significant amount of professional development to teachers and to increase our engagement district-wide,” said Kate Felsen, vice president of communications. “Unfortunately, Orange Public Schools did not have the capacity to take on the professional development we had to offer during the 2011-12 year. For this reason, we ended our partnership amicably.”

Though Turnaround proudly announced the Orange project in its September 2010 newsletter, there is no evidence on the organization’s web site that Turnaround officials ever notified the public of the program’s suspension.
If Orange school officials are to blame for Turnaround’s failure in their schools, then they are apparently taking the accusations in stride. Orange Supt. Ronald Lee refused to respond to questions. He submitted a statement finally after receiving a formal open-records request.

He said, “Turnaround proposed to expand its program to a transformational model that encompassed academic, foundational and behavioral elements in the 2011-2012 school year. At the same time, the district was continuing or launching a number of significant initiatives to improve instruction and student outcomes. We mutually concluded that the district’s initiatives would require and deserved the full focus of the district staff, principals and teachers. Therefore, we discontinued the program in Orange at that time to allow these innovations to take hold.”

Felsen, too, will not go beyond her prepared statement. When asked who funded the Orange effort and who will be funding the Newark plan, Felsen replied, “You have my statement.”

More to the point, attempts by journalists to procure information from this so-called “transparent” group – as described by GuideStar.org – have been met with silence, stalling and arrogance.

To garner and cultivate pubic support, i.e., more dollars, nonprofits need to be open, accessible. Not hiding. What language do they understand – “lawsuit?”

Ted Cohen of Maine is a veteran newspaper and radio reporter who follows trending national issues. He can be reached at tedcohen@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Tedcohen1.

Cami Anderson Supported Charter Calls Off Public Hearing - ICE's Jeff Kaufman Led Opposition to School

 A Joint Hearing scheduled for Thursday evening for the colocation of a new charter school for just released incarcerated students and other "disconnected youth" was abruptly cancelled by the proposed school. A Charter School Association representative stated that the failure of the new proposed charter to obtain a principal caused the sudden withdrawal for the application while others understood that the pressure by local civic leaders and Aspirations High School staff brought to bear was too much for the DOE and the proposed Charter.- 

MORE at ICE blog: UFT Chapter at Aspirations HS Stops Charter School in Its Tracks

Hit the Road Cami- with new best friend, or sibling,  Chris Christie

New Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson was involved in this school. Are they pulling back because she left as Supe of Dist. 79? (In case you're not following, her bio is the usual ed deform suspect: Teach for America official plus other hazzerai.)

Or was it the strong opposition from the UFT chapter and community as intimated in the ICE post?

UPDATE:  COMMENT FROM JEFF:

Could be. But I think this model is dead. Privatizing this segment of public education may have gone too far. When I spoke to the SUNY Charter rep yesterday she understood that the proposal was fast tracked because of political considerations and little thought was given to how the school would actually function. While I’d like to feel it was our pressure that stopped them I believe they knew it would fail.

Jeff

How nice to cancel the hearing about an hour before. Jeff Kaufman was going to lay it on them. I posted previous stuff from Jeff, who is chapter leader of Aspirations - Jeff Kaufman on Joint Hearing for Charter School

An interesting sidelight is that Aspirations seemed at one time to be a hotbed for E4E - they held a mixer that Jeff attended: Up Close and Personal With An Opposition

Here is the cancellation notice:

Good afternoon all,

The Department of Education just received notice from the ROADS Charter School Board that it will be requesting a planning year and will not be ready to open its new school, ROADS Charter School I, until the 2012-2013 school year.  As a result, the DOE is considering revising the proposal to co-locate ROADS Charter School I in Building K894 beginning in September 2011. 

In addition, the hearing that is to be held tonight on the proposal will be cancelled.  A DOE representative will be coming to the school to discuss this and to answer any questions from the community.  We apologize for the inconvenience this late notice may have caused. 

The DOE is currently discussing the matter with the ROADS Charter School Board, as well as other stakeholders in Building K894 and the community.  If the DOE decides to revise this proposal (i.e., to propose that ROADS Charter School I open in Building K894 beginning in the 2012-2013 school year), a revised Educational Impact Statement will be issued and a new joint public hearing will be held. 

Thank you again for your cooperation and apologies for any inconvenience.

Have a good night.

Best,

Izaak

Izaak Orlansky

Portfolio Engagement Specialist

New York City Department of Education

212-374-6811

AFTERBURN
I might have some more stuff soon on some backdoor stuff between Jeff and some key UFT officialdom. Really an interesting and developing story which we are monitoring.