Dennis Walcott to Head Queens Libraries - Burn Your Card

At City Council hearings about 6-7 years ago a student testified that, when she asked then-Chancellor Walcott why the library in her school was being shut down, he told her the students didn't need a library. I hope he doesn't feel the same way about the citizens of Queens..... a NYC Parent

This is one of those "How dare they" moments.

Queens residents burn library cards to protest Walcott appointment

Former NYC chancellor Dennis Walcott, who vociferously defended the appointment of Cathy Black who preceded him, had another gig. Running the library system I use on a regular basis. Walcott is your standard apparatchik, a man who will defend any policy no matter how harmful it is.

For 12 years he was Bloomberg's valet (there are other terms I could use but this is a family blog).

Yes, Bloomberg who savaged the library systems in this city with massive budget cuts that forced libraries to cancel Saturday hours, something which the Queens library system has been able to re-institute due to funding by Di Blasio.

I saw Walcott in action at school closings, PEP meetings and other events too many times and the very idea that this guy has anything to do with a service I use regularly will make me want to take a shower every time I take a book out of the library. But then again my wife says that is a good outcome of Walcott's appointment.

UPDATE:
Dennis Walcott, the former chancellor of New York City schools and a Queens native, is the new president and chief executive officer of the Queens Library. New York Times, NY1, DNAinfo

CONTACT
Sharon Lee, press@queensbp.orgpress@queensbp.org
> | 718.286.2640

BOROUGH PRESIDENT KATZ ON SELECTION OF NEW QUEENS LIBRARY PRESIDENT AND CEO

QUEENS, NY – Borough President Melinda Katz stated the following in response to questions about the Queens Library Board of Trustees’ selection of former NYC Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott as the new President and CEO of the Queens Library:

“At its core, the Queens Library exists to serve its educational purpose as a community hub of learning, literacy and culture for millions of families. Queens is grateful to the Board of Trustees for their dedication in convening an extensive search and selection process for the new President and CEO. I have full faith in the direction and future of the Library, and look forward to the great things to come under Dennis’ leadership.”

Whining Walcott in Blatant Misuse of Position Subjects 2000 Administrators to Political Harangue

Mr. Walcott’s speech seemed intended to be a rallying cry before a  friendly crowd, but the response was muted. While his calls for  preserving the authority of principals and eradicating nepotism were met  with applause, some principals seemed uninterested in his message... 
NY Times on Walcott speech at May 18 principal conference 

Many principals despise the Tweedies with a passion and are not unhappy to see them go. Do you think principals of NYC public schools are actually happy to see their space given away to charters which get favored treatment? Every principal I know speaks of Tweed with disdain so I am not surprised Walcott didn't receive a rousing response even from these hostages for the day. Word is that Bloomberg relaxed city gun laws to get them there.

Mr. DeVale, an opponent of mayoral control, said he thought Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Walcott were too authoritarian in their approach. “I sat and listened to a political lecture from an administration I have no interest in,” Mr. DeVale, who is a union representative, said after the speech. ...
NY Times on Walcott speech at May 18 principal conference 

Renel Piton, the principal of Brooklyn Lab School, said he shared Mr. Walcott’s concern about the candidates for mayor and did not want them to “gut reform for the sake of gutting.” Still, he said he was surprised the chancellor chose to use a speech at an academic conference to weigh in on a political battle. “We need to focus on what’s going on in schools,” Mr. Piton said. “I don’t come on a Saturday to listen to their views on the candidates.” ...... NY Times on Walcott speech at May 18 principal conference 

What a load of BS ... the entire day had become a political indoctrination exercise not an educational nor learning event and I was there to learn.....an attendee

Whining Walcott used what was billed as an educational event to hector administrators of NYC schools, many of whom were forced to attend while others were offered a  summer compensation day in exchange for attendance, a blatant and possible illegal misuse of educational funds. (Imagine if a teacher called in parents and then used the occasion to proselytize for personal politics. Oh, they already do that at the Eva Moskowitz schools.)

The political agenda was primary as Walcott hosted what some say was an anti-UFT union bashing-Fest disguised as principal conference. There's some irony in that while most principals, especially Leadership Academy types, agree with the anti-union agenda, many principals also despise the Tweedies with a passion and are not unhappy to see them go. Do you think principals of NYC public schools are actually happy to see their space given away to charters which get favored treatment?

One attendee said:

The chancellor made a big political speech about why the next mayor can not be allowed to do anything against the reform agenda and how the UFT can not rule education and teachers should not be protected. Some of the newbie knuckleheads laughed, not realizing the very same system will be used to fire them.

The Times article reported:

Even the Department of Education’s chief academic officer, Shael Polakow-Suransky, waded into the political fray, urging principals to support efforts to overhaul the school system. Mr. Polakow-Suransky said he was so distraught by the attacks on the campaign trail that he called the chancellor of the Washington school system, Kaya Henderson, for advice.

The despicable Shael was so upset at attacks on Tweed policies by mayoral candidates that he asked for advice from DC Chancellor Kaya Henderson who was Michelle Rhee's assistant eraserhead and is now covering up the cheating scandal?  Kaya Henderson will send Shael an emergency supply of erasers. Or maybe a shredder to erase all the malfeasance and misfeasance that the new occupants at Tweed might discover.

Apparently Walcott brought in Mike Johnston, Colorado State Senator,  "another dirtbag to bring up Memphis spirituality and quotes the bible in rationalizing education reform," said one attendee. "He wrapped these policies around Martin Luther King and the bible story of the good Samaritan," outraging one principal who challenged Johnston by saying King was in Memphis to support union workers for a contract not education reform and Jesus was a carpenter so would be a union man.

Johnston also talked about firing the weakest teachers using basketball as an analogy.  One questioner reminded him that we can accurately assess how mny baskets players score while tests are always full of errors so we don't this need junk science..

A veteran principal said he has "fired teachers and doesn't need 10000 rubrics and data to get rid of bad teachers."

While Walcott tries to stave off total irrelevancy, what is going on is the fast and furious fall of ed deform. Think of the Mad Men opening of the guy falling out of a building. Ed deform is being dashed on the rocks below and they are getting very nervous.

So of course this is not just about NYC but team it with the Chicago union election where 80% of the teachers in an election where 60% voted for a militant anti ed deform leadership the signs are there. Front groups like e4e  and their supporters try to claim that teachers really support ed deform but are held back by their union. Chicago with a lot of younger teachers proves that wrong.

Leonie Haimson had some choice comments on Whining Walcott's speech:

So among the absurdities of Walcott’s speech is that schools will get their budgets on Friday Before the city budget is passed?

He claims that the candidates’ positions are geared towards “appeasing” the union, endless proposals that would benefit the teachers’ union, but not our students and these candidates would have us consign the students who attend them to an awful status quo, and send their students into the world without the benefit of a good education.

Right. No mention of how unpopular Bloomberg’s policies among voters, with only 22% trusting him more than the union to do right for the kids, compared to 69% trusting the union more.  Boy, that must gall him!  But he and Bloomberg deserve every ounce of disrespect and distrust they now receive, considering their lies, their distoritions, and the way they have run roughshod over parents and communities for the past 11 years.

“We cannot return to the days before college and career readiness was part of every lesson plan, every coaching session and every parent’s demand for their son or daughter. This is something no administration before us ever took on, and it’s a cornerstone of our reform policy.”
What? No previous administration ever cared about making kids prepared for college?  What incredible nerve.

Try telling the parent coordinators hired by you— with about $75 - $80 million in central funding—that we’re not serious about parent involvement.“ Sure, ask the parent coordinators or anyone who works in our schools and they will agree that the DOE isn’t serious about parent involvement!

Can’t wait for the NYT coverage of this, their article today (as well as a few days ago) transcribed  Walcott’s absurd claims without analyzing them was just retweeted by none other than Michelle Rhee.

80Michelle Rhee ‏@MichelleRhee 52m

W/ @MikeBloomberg, NYC has been a leader on #edreform. To turn back those reforms would be a mistake that hurts kids http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/18/nyregion/schools-chancellor-to-strike-back-at-candidates-critical-of-mayors-policies.html?ref=nyregion …

Well below the fold is the entire NY Times report WITHOUT much analysis. It's good that Hernandez spoke to some principals who are willing to speak out but there is much to dig out here given the fact the CSA has lined up with the UFT on many issues.

Change the Stakes Open Letter to Walcott

Change the Stakes – an organization of parents and educators committed to replacing such tests with more meaningful forms of assessment – urges you to publicly pledge that scores from this year’s state English Language Arts (ELA) and math tests will not be used to penalize students, teachers or schools. The upcoming testing cycle represents an unprecedented grand experiment: the exams, and the standards on which they are based, are new and untested.  --- Letter to Walcott from CTS

----how excited I was to hear that NYC parents are mobilizing to take action against the testing-madness.... we don't want classrooms or schools to be "data-driven," we want them to be child-driven, learning-driven and data-informed. Good luck and let us know in Chicago how we can be supportive..... 
In cahoots, Bill (Ayers)

When people ask where is GEM at now I respond there are 2 branches: one is involved with MORE and the other has morphed into Change the Stakes, which is a true parent/educator/statistician (Fred Smith) grassroots partnership organization here in NYC, including elementary through college teachers and even principals. CTS works with other testing groups like Parent Voices and Time Out From Testing (TOFT), all of which were involved in organizing the great Pearson pineapple protest last May. Look for more action especially around the opt-out movement coming up. Imagine the day when thousands of parents refuse to have their kids take the tests being used to strangle public education?

One of the wonderful things for me to witness has been the excitement of the parents who formerly felt isolated and unempowered feeling the power of being part of an organized group like CTS with people with amazing talents.

The parents in CTS have taken the lead and put together this letter to Walcott. As a member of the listserve I was a non-participant in the process but able to watch it come together as a listserve lurker of the remarkable group of people involved. While GEM can take credit for doing an amazing number of things in the 2 years it was most active, the work of Change the Stakes is as high on the list as producing The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman.

Here is Diane Ravitch's post followed by the letter itself followed by an email received from Bill Ayers in Chicago.

Parents in NYC called on Chancellor Dennis Walcott to pledge not to use this year’s tests to punish students, teachers, or schools. 

Change the Stakes (www.changethestakes.org), an activist group comprised of parents, teachers and teacher educators – argues that this year’s tests are so fundamentally flawed that the scores should not be used. Here’s our letter to the Chancellor:

OPEN LETTER TO CHANCELLOR WALCOTT
By Change the Stakes
March 20, 2013

Dear Chancellor Walcott,

In four weeks, public school children across New York City will begin two weeks of intensive, high-stakes standardized testing. Change the Stakes – an organization of parents and educators committed to replacing such tests with more meaningful forms of assessment – urges you to publicly pledge that scores from this year’s state English Language Arts (ELA) and math tests will not be used to penalize students, teachers or schools. The upcoming testing cycle represents an unprecedented grand experiment: the exams, and the standards on which they are based, are new and untested.

Educators, parents and students alike are painfully aware that this is a “transitional year” in the state testing program. Two years ago, New York State adopted its own version of the new national education standards known as the “Common Core” and this year’s tests are the first to be aligned with them. Not only are the standards new and unproven, the heart of the program – the curriculum – is still being developed. Teachers haven’t been given sufficient time to transition students to the new learning standards, yet children are being tested on them next month anyway.

You yourself acknowledge the serious challenges inherent in using scores from the looming April 2013 exams to assess student performance – and presumably, by extension, the performance of teachers and schools. In a recent letter to parents, you state:

“In past years, decisions about summer school were made based on estimates of each student’s performance level on the State tests: 1, 2, 3, or 4. This year, because the tests are new, we cannot predict how the State will determine performance levels.”

If the purpose of your letter was to reassure parents, you did not succeed. As far as we can tell, the letter has had the opposite effect by setting off alarms among parents who weren’t already focused on the sweeping changes taking place. Another Department of Education (DOE) document developed for parents, Tips for Talking with Your Elementary School Child about the Common Core Standards & Changing State Tests, is even more disturbing: it says that young children should be told to expect school work and tests to be more difficult this year and that feelings of struggle, anxiety and nervousness are common reactions. These new pressures are likely to be particularly onerous for English Language Learners.

In short, the DOE has acknowledged the harmful nature of the abrupt transition to the Common Core – in a year when schools and families also endured a devastating hurricane, a bus strike and a mass elementary school shooting in a nearby community – and yet offers only platitudes about how to help children, parents and educators cope.

Given the poorly managed phase-in of the Common Core and the experimental nature of this year’s assessments, we call for you to immediately and publicly announce that:

§ All student promotion decisions will be made on the basis of a range of indicators, including a review of a substantive portfolio of work representative of a child’s academic progress throughout the year. 

§ Teachers will not be evaluated on the results of this year’s tests as the scores are not comparable to last year’s.

§ School Progress Reports, which are almost entirely based on student test scores, will be either suspended or significantly changed to incorporate additional evidence of student achievement. No schools will be closed using this year’s test scores.

§ Parents have a right to opt their children out of the tests, as Deputy Chancellor Shael Polakow-Suransky has publicly stated, and the DOE will put in writing procedures about how to do so. 

It is unacceptable for city students, teachers and schools to be judged by the results of these new exams, which are unpredictable by your own admission, especially when other means of assessment already exist. 

The time has come for the DOE to finally acknowledge and respond to the growing concerns among public school parents about high-stakes testing. The current direction of policies and practices MUST change.

Sincerely,
The Members of Change the Stakes
http://www.changethestakes.org

Ayers' email:

You may know that Chicago Public Schools will announce any minute the schools they plan to close--it will be the largest school closing plan in history, and it represents an all-out assault on public education following a long and systematic pattern of abandonment and Jim Crow education. There will be a lot of talk of budgets and deficits to cover  this draconian and entirely unjustified move, but none of it the least bit convincing once you look at the evidence. Stay tuned and stay close.

We've also been in crazy-land over at Lane Tech H.S. The CPS chief banned the graphic memoir of the Iranian revolution, Persepolis, on the grounds that it was too graphic...and student demonstrations and parental outrage continue apace. A call to the Lab School, where our mayor sends his kids, turned up several copies in the library, a couple of them in French, and the book listed on one syllabus as required reading. Jim Crow curriculum at work---the mayor's kids get real literature, the "masses" get test-prep.

All of this is prelude to telling you how excited I was to hear that NYC parents are mobilizing to take action against the testing-madness. Reading about the dazzling boycott being organized is encouraging---another important indication that we are not alone and that a coherent resistance to the destruction of public education is coming together. Your boycott is such a clear and morally justified response to the education malpractice our children face in New York and Chicago and throughout the country. I hope parents can organize large numbers of families to participate in every school, and that you seize this moment to change the framework of the conversation---we don't want classrooms or schools to be "data-driven," we want them to be child-driven, learning-driven and data-informed.

Good luck and let us know in Chicago how we can be supportive. 
In cahoots, Bill
 

Remarkable Video From Railroaded Rubber Room Teacher Exposes Bloomberg Claim on Quality Teachers

Let's not discount the role, or lack of, that UFT/Unity Caucus played at IS 49 SI where one of their own, Richard Candia, not only sold out to the principal Linda Hill, but worked with her to go after Portelos supporters. That Portelos is in a supposedly defunct rubber room for almost 2 months on unspecified charges should be a major embarrassment for both the UFT and DOE.

Has the DOE picked the wrong victim or not?

Here is a wonderful video Francesco Portelos made of his work. The DOE will probably make this video one of the charges against him. Can't wait to peruse all the other videos of schools and kids at work. So take a look and see what the children of IS 49 SI are being denied by the DOE, Mayor Bloomberg, Dennis Walcott and all Tweedies who claim they want quality teachers.

Just a few clips of my accomplishments before I asked about the school's finances. That question began a 5 month saga filled with hostility, harassment, betrayal, investigations, defamation of character, slander and more retaliation that eventually caused me to be removed from school. What am I charged with? That is a good question, but it has been over 45 days since I was sent to a small Rubber Room (that doesn't exist) and I still have no clue as to why I was removed. The only clue lies in some documentation I obtained that shows financial misconduct by the administration. Good call on removing me as I seem to be the biggest threat to uncovering who has their hand in the student's cookie jar. Can you hear me now?

See Portelos lessons for students and teachers:

Francesco Portelos is awaiting unspecified charges and if you read his blog you will see just how trumped up there are whatever they may be. He is luckily tenured and entitled to a hearing before being fired. Otherwise he would be long gone.

Time clock at Network HQ in Ozone Pk

Does anyone in the press think that paying a qualified teacher to sit in a rubber room while getting full pay while there is a long-drawn out investigation --- possibly to be followed by charges and a 3020a dismissal hearing that will cost the DOE hundreds of thousands of dollars --- all because Portelos exposed one of "theirs" -- a principal - and we know they are sacrosanct.

The fact that Portelos won the chapter leadership from the isolation of the rubber room -- and not just a rubber room in Staten Island, but in Ozone Park at the corrupt Network
See: Winning the Union Chapter Leader position from the Rubber Room.

See story of photo at left: “Stay away from him….he’s a “Blogger”!


While in the rubber room in Ozone Park he has begun to expose the farce of the network that supports Linda Hill -- another set of high paid rats.

Let's not discount the role, or lack of, that UFT/Unity Caucus played at IS 49 SI where one of their own, Richard Candia, not only sold out to the principal Linda Hill, but worked with her to go after Portelos supporters. (See Portelos Story). Until Portelos blew the story wide open, the UFT will allow a principal to get away with murder. A lone teacher fighting back and paying the consequences did more than the entire union to open up this can or worms.

UFT borough leaders urged Portelos not to run for chapter leader. Worried he was too independent? He insisted they follow the rules in running the chapter election and he won. I'm sure they also urged  him not to go public, but he did and is getting results. If the DOE dares to file 3020A charges in an attempt to fire him he will open the hearings to the public and press and we will see the trial of the century which will expose the DOE.

Where is the press on this story of railroading? Would the public be supportive of attempts to fire tenured teachers if stories like this were actually made the press?

When Portelos requested the right to go back to school to collect his personal items he was denied and told to make a list. Instead of demanding he be allowed into the school -- even after school --- after all, he is such a danger --- the UFT told him to just make a list despite this has never happened before. So he did:

I checked and have not found any reassigned educator ever being prevented from getting their personal belongings. I totally forgot that I was a threat to national security. They continue to break the mold with me and I’m flattered yet again. I was told “this is the first time I have seen DOE prevent a reassigned employee from making arrangements to pick up personal belongings in person.” Am I a threat to national security OR a threat to the security of some skeletons in the closet (A closet I might have a key to).
Here it goes….

Mr. Portelos’ Incomplete List of things he brought to the lab in 5 years

1. 1 Set of silver magnetic pens from Brookstone
2. Painting of a frog splashing into water in suspended animation
3. Painting from Salvadore Dali “The Persistence of Memory”
4. 2 white battery chargers
5. 1 White PVC trajectory air pump prototype I was designing to teach trajectory (priceless)
6. 1 microwave
7. 1 refrigerator
8. 1 tuppeware with red lid of 1/4 full of Nescafe
9. 1 tupperware with red lid with some sugar in it
10. 1 Staples “That was easy!” Button
11. 1 Rii wireless mini keyboard
12. 1 larger wireless keyboard with string
13. About 6 chips of Ram DDR 512 and 1GB
14. 1 Hammer with gray and yellow handle
15. 1 Ratchet screwdriver (black)
16. 2 screw drivers Phillips and Flathead
17. 1 Logitech webcam blue not black
18. 2 robotics team shirts
19. 1 IS 49 white polo
20. 1 set of eyeglasses in black case
21. 4 AA rechargeable batteries
22. 2 AA rechargeable batteries
23. 1 Philadendron plant..alive!
24. 2 Boxes of straws ( about 300)
25. 2 boxes of pipe cleaners
26. About 15 styrofoam pipe insulation covers
27. 1 blue sign on door with quote from  Portelos
28. 1 broken digital camera
29. 1 broken Roomba
30. 1 broken xbox
31. 1 large paper airplane that says Aerodynamics on it.
32. 1 hydro car that runs on water
33. 1 large gray collapsable laundry mesh basket
34. 3 cable covers
35. 1 white mirror
36. 1 Gray foam nerf USB missile launcher
37. One Desktop PC with sticker that says MV on it. No DOE parts in it.
38. 2 DigiPort to HDMI connectors
39. 2-3 finger LED flash lights (experiment I was working on with infrared sensors)
40. One bag of Green felt pieces (about 30)
41. 4 Renuzit deodorizers
42. 1 approx 7″ diameter tupperware with blue lid. May still have food in it, but my mother in law has been asking for it.
43. 2 Water bottles
44. One black stapler. Swingline I believe
45. My son Alexander’s Birth Announcement
46. An old AOL 56K Turbo CD (funny right? 56K was called Turbo) I show it to the kids and compare to the 50Megabits/sec connection… a staggering 892.85% increase in residential download speed.
47. A box of 100 nerf darts (don’t ask, but science and engineering were involved)

Portelos has done the following since he was placed in the rubber room:

…since April 26, 2012:

1. I had an article published in the NY Teacher paper
2. I brought to light that rubber rooms (the process) still exist
3. I filed for a US Patent on our website faceshop.me
4. I refused to bend to pressure from additional harassment from DOE employees
5. Found hard evidence showing heavy financial misconduct at my school
6. Registered for additional courses for my Leadership in Education program.
7. Continued revamping and testing my educational social media site fridgework.com
8. Made some really good contacts. I mean really, really good contacts.
9. Made some really bad enemies. I mean really, really bad enemies. (not really an accomplishment)
10. Filed for Whistle Blower Protection and gave a 2 hr testimony to SCI on my saga
11. Put in a run for UFT Chapter Leader in my school.

If you need to catch up on this story, check the Portelos blog. http://protectportelos.wordpress.com/

Also here are the previous Ed Notes posts on the case:

Portelos Wins Chapter Leader Election from ...

Jun 14, 2012

Portelos Wins Chapter Leader Election from Rubber Room. What could be more embarrassing for a principal who railroaded a teacher into the rubber room than to put up a candidate to oppose him and lose? The old sell-out ...

Catching Up: ATRs, Portelos Story, GEM Film ...

May 17, 2012

Lurking behind all this is the perfidious behavior of IS 49 Chapter leader Richard Candia who, his cozy relationship with principal Linda Hill and the threat posed by Portelos' run for chapter leader, conspired to undermine ...

Francesco Portelos: Teacher Under Assault by ...

Mar 20, 2012

Sunday at the robotics tournament at the Javits Convention Center I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Staten Island teacher and coach Francesco Portelos of the IS 49 SI team. He is the father of a 10 month old with ...

IT'S TIME TO OCCUPY THE PEP THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 5:30PM

Just off a conference call. Activity around this has been intense. I'm not sure what I can write about but there's lots to say at some point. What has emerged are 3 strands: The UFT, CEJ and ODOE and some coalition-building going on between them --- things have still not been hammered out but post Feb. 9, depending on what the UFT decides to do (lots of mixed signals) I will have a few things to say.

Tweed has a backup plan in case of disruption where the meeting cannot continue. They will retire to a reserve room in Brooklyn Tech and hold the meeting there we have learned. Maybe invite a few slugs to join them to make it "public." Does that violate the Open Meeting Law? Hmmmm.

If I say more I will have to kill you. This came from ODOE which has been drawing 50 people to every Sunday meeting.

IT'S TIME TO OCCUPY THE PEP 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 5:30PM

Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Pl (between Fulton and Dekalb) in Brooklyn

Near the Nevins 2/3/4/5 or the Dekalb B/D/N/Q/R 

https://www.facebook.com/events/104521729674642/ 

Background
On Thursday, February 9th, the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) will hold an open meeting and then a vote to close down dozens more schools. The PEP is an un-elected 13-member body (the majority of whom are appointed by Mayor 1% Bloomberg) whose decisions dramatically affect the lives of the 99%. Every time a vote for school closings has come before the panel, they have voted on behalf of their puppeteer, Mayor Bloomberg. No matter what impassioned students, parents, educators or elected officials have said in the past, the PEP has ALWAYS voted against the people. PEP meetings are open to the public. 

We, students, parents and educators from the 99%, invite you to join us in having our OUR OWN VOTE on the fate of our schools. 

If you don't believe Mayor 1%'s puppet board should be empowered to make decisions about our schools, come help us OPEN THE MEETING UP! In October, the panel walked out of their meeting and we held our own meeting. Click here to see how it went down. Now, let's do it with thousands!

Ways YOU can Occupy the PEP:

 Option A: Are you a student, parent, educator or elected official from a school that the PEP has targeted for closure? Members of your school community should plan to use THE PEOPLE'S MIC to speak out about the mayor's policies and about your school! To see how the people's mic works, click here.

EXAMPLE: I am here because the panel shouldn't be voting without the community's consent to close down schools. In my school...

EXAMPLE: I am here because the mayor has it all wrong, and because he wants to take over space in our public schools to hand it over to charter schools. Our school is an amazing community...

EXAMPLE: I am here because what is happening here is wrong! Because the people have spoken and they say enough is enough!...

Or you can plan a song, performance, or skit. Every school that the PEP plans to vote on will have a chance to speak out and use the people's mic. Please practice! The people's mic can be tricky and you have to speak in short phrases of three to seven words and wait for people to respond. But it's a powerful tool that can change the balance of power in the room! Let's use it!

Then the PEOPLE (not the puppet panel) will vote on the state of your school!

Option B: Not from a closing school? Well then we need your help to support the occupation of this undemocratic meeting! There are definitely ways you can participate. We need your voice to help amplify the voices of those speaking on behalf of their schools. We also need folks to sit near the aisle to protect the people's mic. And we're asking folks to wear shirts or stickers that identify who the occupiers are and what we stand for. For example, you might consider wearing a shirt or sticker that says "Student Against School Closings" or "Parent for Community Control of Schools", etc. There will be speeches, performances, skits, signs to hold, and more! Join us.

Please contact occupythedoe@gmail.com with any questions. Let's open up the PEP and put the decision making power where it belongs—with the people!

Walcott Visits District 6: A Parent Report

I used to praise Joel Klein for his ability to alienate people - he really was our best organizer. At the very least I thought Walcott would have the ability to deflect people. But it is turning out he has that old Klein magic touch.

UPDATED Friday, 11/11, 6PM
Leonie posted Tory's email on the NYCParent blog with links, etc.

Dennis Walcott infuriates parents once again, this time in District 6

On Thursday November 10, the Community Education Council in Northern Manhattan hosted a Town Hall meeting with Chancellor Dennis Walcott.  The CEC prepared an excellent power point containing key data about the district, along with specific questions for the Chancellor.  It was a contentious meeting, according to all reports; see the Gotham Schools story.  Unfortunately, despite lots of PR spin about "partnering with parents," there is no evidence that Walcott is willing to listen to parents and shift away from the wrong-headed and damaging policies of his predecessor, Joel Klein, including repeated budget cuts, class size increases, worsening overcrowding, preferential treatment of charter schools with continued co-locations , and incessant testing. Here is the account of the meeting from Victoria Frye, CEC 6 member and public school parent:  

We described the issues facing our schools: too little resources to provide a quality education; overcrowded schools; disgraceful school conditions; budget cuts; co-locations; THE LIST GOES ON!

Tonight the District 6 CEC hosted a Town Hall with Chancellor Dennis Walcott.
We described the issues facing our schools: too little resources to provide a quality education; overcrowded schools; disgraceful school conditions; budget cuts; co-locations; THE LIST GOES ON! 

With each, Dennis Walcott got up and...spouted the party line:

• "The reality is that in this economy there will be mid-year budget cuts."
• "With shrinking budgets, leaders must be creative."
• "By creating school choice we are allowing the market place to drive the issues."
• "I respect Joel Klein tremendously. I think the world of Joel Klein."
• "There are no plans in our capital budget for a new facility for Mott Hall*."
• And then something along the lines of: "your D6 schools are so bad that we will not replicate or grow them; we will simply bring in [charters that really know how to educate your D6 children."

What to say?
OCCUPY. IT IS THE ONLY WAY.
* The only program for gifted D6 IS students and a national model. 

Victoria (Tory) Frye, member CEC6

Patrick Sullivan Warns on DOE/PEP Violations on Contracts as Walcott openly Flouts Law

UPDATE: Daily News on Verizon $60 million contract

Verizon Scam and DOE $60 Million Contract

This letter to parents from Manhattan PEP member Patrick Sullivan outlines many of the issues which are sparking a rally/protest at Bergtraum HS this Weds. at 5pm preceding the PEP meeting. If you missed the background briefs we posted read these firs in reverse order:

• UFT Officially Joins PEP/Verizon Aug. 17 Protest
• A Midsummer Night's Scream - Picket PEP Over Veriz...
• Verizon: Corporations Are People Too - Mitt Romney...
• Support Verizon Strikers: NYC Teachers From GEM an...

Read the report detailing Verizon's theft of money that should have gone to our children.http://www.nycsci.org/reports/​04-11%20Lanham%20Rpt.pdf www.nycsci.org

How is Patrick's insistence that law be followed under Walcott the snake regime? Where is the press on outright violations of the law? A teacher sneezes on a kid and it makes the front page of the NY Post.

I was on the Contracts Committee when we started with the new law.   I fought to get access to the actual contracts.   It was only with sustained pressure from Stringer and a letter from AMs Nolan and O'Donnell that they relented. 

Under Walcott we've lost all that ground and then some.  The contracts are not drafted until after the PEP approves them.

When I complain loudly they say I am "inappropriate" and ask Stringer to remove me.

Monica -yes, they have the votes so they figure nothing matters.

Dear Parents,

I have received many emails with inquiries or concerns about the contracts agenda for the Panel for Educational Policy meeting on Wednesday the 17th.  I'd like to update everyone on my understanding of these issues based on my discussions with DOE:

First, one comment on process.   When the PEP was first granted approval authority over contracts we established a committee to review the contracts in detail.  The Contracts Committee met publicly to question DOE staff and discuss contract specifics.   Recently, Dear Parents,

I have received many emails with inquiries or concerns about the contracts agenda for the Panel for Educational Policy meeting on Wednesday the 17th.  I'd like to update everyone on my understanding of these issues based on my discussions with DOE:

First, one comment on process.   When the PEP was first granted approval authority over contracts we established a committee to review the contracts in detail.  The Contracts Committee met publicly to question DOE staff and discuss contract specifics.   Recently, the chairs of the Contracts Committee, mayoral appointees selected by the PEP chair, have refused to hold the public meeting.  The Committee has not met at all under Chancellor Walcott.   The DOE has also begun asking for PEP approval before contracts are drafted.  In effect, rather than ask for approval of a contract, we are asked for blanket pre-approval of a potential contract based upon an outline of what's envisioned.  This reduction in transparency has hampered the PEP's ability to assess the contracts and carry out our responsibilities under state law.

Verizon Contract

The DOE has explained that rather than conduct a procurement for a provider of fixed line and data telecom services, they've decided to piggyback on an existing city contract with Verizon.  My concerns with this contract are two-fold:

First, there has been no resolution of the overbilling issue stemming from the alleged fraud perpetrated by a DOE consultant.  The Special Commissioner for Investigation's report explained that Verizon, through it's silence facilitated the fraud.  Verizon has agreed to return any inappropriate profit but has not yet done so.   I don't believe we should enter into a new agreement with Verizon until they resolve this issue to our satisfaction.  The sums involved are considerable, especially compared to the significant budget cuts to the classroom.

Second, Verizon and the unionized workforce of the landlines divisions that would deliver services to our classrooms are engaged in a protracted labor dispute.   I have concerns about whether Verizon can actually provide the services we need given this dispute.  I am skeptical that with limited staff to maintain landlines and data services that our schools would get appropriate priority compared to Verizon's commercial customers.   A failure of telecom services would present a considerable risk not only to the smooth functioning of our schools but a safety risk to our children.

Given these issues, I have asked DOE to defer consideration of this contract and instead initiate an procurement exercise to identify the best provider of the needed services in the present circumstances.

EPO Contracts

The Chancellor has announced his intention to outsource management of a limited number of schools to Educational Partnership Organizations.  The Chancellor has this ability under Ed Law 211-e.   That law requires the relationship with an outside entity to be strictly delineated in a contract.  DOE procurement staff have asked the PEP to vote on these contracts without actually seeing them.  Citing a lack of time, they have told us no contacts will be available before Wednesday's vote.   This excuse is not acceptable.  The DOE needs to draft the contracts, come to terms with the EPOs and then provide them to the PEP for approval.  I will not allow our children and staff to be placed under the leadership of outside management without the DOE and their partners demonstrating absolute adherence to the terms of the law.


Borough President Stringer's office and I will continue to engage the DOE on these issues and I hope to have a more encouraging update in the near future.

Patrick J. Sullivan
Manhattan Member,
Panel for Educational Policy / NYC Board of Education 

Teacher Confronts Walcott On Class Size and Charters at CEC Meeting: Walcott Doesn't Know Class Size Limits

Dennis Walcott wasn't laughing after Yelena's questions

Here is a perfect case for seniority rules and tenure. Yelena Siwinski, a teacher, chapter leader and member of the Independent Community of Educators (ICE) feels free to challenge Dennis Walcott, her ultimate boss at a public meeting over class size and charter schools. And boy does she challenge him. (Funny how I've met so many tenured, "safe" teachers over the years who were afraid to stand up for even the simplest things.) Isn't it time for more teachers like Yelena to go the public events that Walcott and other Tweedies go to and challenge them? Now I know that every attempt is made to keep this from happening - like the E4E tactic of handing out index cards for questions so they get to choose. I believe when the people running events try to protect public officials from having to face the music, more aggressive actions are necessary. By the way, where is the UFT in making these challenges? 


Here is Yelena's report she wrote up last night after the meeting.

I walked into a moderately attended CEC 22 meeting where Walcott spoke for a few minutes with the usual rhetoric which I couldn't even write down because it was so meaningless.  Then came time for questions and answers.  The first woman asked about charter schools and how could we give public schools equal money.  Walcott said that he was trying to calm down the divisiveness between charter schools and public schools and that he believed parents should have a choice and charter could be  more flexible since many of them weren't unionized, etc. etc.  He said that the UFT law suit just brought all that up again. 

Walcott talks bupkis

He also mentioned that charters shared the building equitably and that they used the BUP (Building Utilization Plan) to decide where the charters could go. There was another person before me and then it was my turn.  First I mentioned that I had been to the CDEC meeting last week and had shown a portion of the film "The Inconvenient..." and that I would be back in September to show the film in its entirety.  I said that it was produced by the Grassroots Education Movement and that it would be good for the chancellor to view it because he wasn't telling all the facts such as the BUP doesn't take into account all the services the children are mandated and that kids were receiving them in hallways, closets, and stairwells.  Also equity might seem like 50-50 between the charter and the public school but there might be 300 kids in the charter and 600 kids in the public school.  I told the audience to find out the facts that went beyond the smooth rhetoric they were being told.

Then I mentioned that I had 2 college educated daughters and that the chancellor had mentioned that we need to get our kids "college ready".  I said that one of the main questions that are asked when looking at college was how big the class sizes were.  At a good college it is usually 1:16 or 1:18 but definitely less than 1:20.  By now I was really addressing the audience.  Then I stressed that this was for an 18, 19 20 year old and that we have 5 year olds with bigger class sizes!  Then I mentioned that Walcott was recently asked the class size limits and that he didn't know them.  I asked if he could tell them to us now.  He proceeded to harp on when he had been asked the question. I actually forgot but knew that I had read it recently and that the point was what was his answer today. 

He refused to answer saying that if I was going to make a statement I should be able to tell him when. I looked at the audience and pointed out that he was not answering my question.  Since he kept going on I said that I might as well sit down since I wasn't going to get an answer.  I sat down and he called me up again saying that we should finish.  I came up again and he struggled to answer and asked me if I knew the limits.  I said  of course I did since I was a chapter leader.  He wanted me to tell him and I said that he leads our school system and that he should know them and that if he couldn't even tell us that then how could we trust him.  He then struggled and said that the class size limit for kindergarten was 23.  I told him he was wrong and sat down.

Great work Yelena! This is after TWO city council hearings when Walcott was asked what the class size limits were and he could not answer the question. What a travesty!

Leonie Haimson

Walcott then, Walcott now.

 

When he was head of the NYC Urban League, he sued over disparate racial impact of MTA fare increases -- Years later, when he was Deputy Mayor for Bloomberg, and the UFT sued over disparate racial impact of laying off paraprofessionals in the schools, he said it was divisive to bring race into the matter.

 

When he was head of the Urban League, he AND the NAACP pushed Chancellor Rudy Crew to use the Discovery Program to help kids who just missed the cut-off on the test for admission to Stuyvesant and Bronx Science to get another chance at passing, in order to increase diversity at those schools.  Now that the schools stopped using the program, and, as reported in a recent 3-part newspaper joint series by the Amsterdam News and the Manhattan Media weeklies, Black and Latino enrollment has declined at the schools, and he is the Chancellor working for Bloomberg, he responded to the series by saying that bringing back the program would do absolutely nothing to increase diversity of enrollment.

 

And now, he says,  his one-time ally in pushing for change in the schools, the NAACP, is divisive because they are suing over separate-but-unequal co-locations and closing of schools serving high-minority populations.  I bet he would have been part of the lawsuit if he were operating the way he used to.

More oped trash in the Daily news re the NAACP trying to tear them down, this from Walcott.  Separate and unequal indeed. 

-------------------
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

A Jamaica HS Student's Outrage Puts Dennis Walcott's Hypocrisy to Shame

Updated: Sunday, May 22, 8AM

I wrote on Friday night, on the eve of a supposed panel where Dennis Walcott would have to be face to face with teacher Julie Cavanagh and parent Mona Davids

The idea of Walcott actually having to face a classroom teacher whose school has suffered a charter invasion by the son of a billionaire contributor to Bloomberg is less likely than the end of all time.

Well I was correct in my assumption as Walcott didn't show after the event was widely advertized.

The back story is that we heard there were attempts to have Julie and Mona removed from the panel. When that failed, attempts were made to divide into 2 panels, thus insulating Walcott. When that failed, he just didn't show.

Not that NY Charter Center shill James Merriman and SUNY's Pedro Noguerra did an better. Both left for "other" engagements before Julie or Mona got to speak.

Walcott has the nerve to attack the union law suit on closing schools as being all about adults and not students? Walcott's slap in the face of Community Board 12 by not showing up at their conference yesterday was all about an adult - Walcott - who clearly feared facing a teacher (Julie Cavanagh) and a charter school parent (Mona Davids) who would have punched a thousand holes in his claim to be about children first. Ditto the other Tweed slugs like Shael Polokaw-Suransky who made sure I couldn't tape his "debate" with Leonie Haimson where she kicked his ass all over the place. These Tweedies won't face anyone with a brain and a vocal chord. If they saw Diane Ravitch walking down the street they would run the other way.

Listen to this Jamaica HS student defend her school in a video I shot on Jan. 20, 2011. This child was so powerful in her presentation, we wanted to use a lot more in our film but just couldn't manage to get it in. She is such a force that we put her into the first 30 seconds of the movie.

Walcott and ed deformers talk about choice. What choice is this child being given?




http://youtu.be/e1exxUtQZDQ

Links to Saturday's blogs from Community Board 12 meeting

• CB12 Blog
• Blogging from Comm Bd 12
• Gutless Walcott Chickens Out
• Spending the Rapture with Dennis Walcott and Leo C...

LIFO Math

Last Update: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 9:30am
 
I remember Joel Klein's first words in his attack on seniority: the schools in the poorest neighborhoods can't attract the same level of experienced teachers that schools in wealthier neighborhoods do. As a matter of fact that was a standard of the Ed deform early attacks on teacher seniority rules. Now of course this line has ceased and been replaced by "we need the young blood in the poorest schools."

Before I go on, I must remind you of something Leonie Haimson and Julie Cavanagh say at every presentation: teacher experience and class size are the only two in class factors that have been proven by research to impact on students in a positive way.

There was another article in the NY Times the other day about how some schools will lose piles of newer teachers who will be replaced by senior teachers forced to transfer to fill their vacant positions if LIFO rules are followed. We can expect these articles daily with sad interviews about how much these teachers love teaching and their kids. Expect the NY Post to devote entire editions to these stories.

So let's do some math on the pro LIFO vs. the whiny "we need to keep excellent teachers" argument. I'm going to use the 5-year benchmark based on the idea that 50% of all teachers leave after 5 years. I picked the 5-year number because the layoffs will probably not go that deep and pretty much anyone in this category will have a job (other than license areas like art and music that can be chopped completely).

So assume Bloomberg's extortion attempt works and there is no LIFO and they go after ATRs, the higher salaried, the U-rated and people who wear spotted ties. All the Teach for America people stay because they are, well, TFAs. Now we know that the attrition rates of TFAs are even higher than the normal rate of 50% over 5 years. Much higher. So even if these "excellent teachers" stay while 25 year horrible and ugly teachers go, the reality is that more than half won't stay past three years and over 5 years the number will be more like 70-80% who leave. No one seems to be crying over losing these "superb" teachers whether there are or are not layoffs.

So if we end LIFO we will still lose half of all the teachers spared in WalBloom fantasyland anyway. And many more who stay may well gravitate out of the classroom anyway. What kind of investment even in a business sense it that?

But if we still have LIFO and the layoffs (meaning Bloomberg's game of chicken didn't work) let's look at those over 5 year slugs that are ruining the lives of children and munching at the public teat. They are the 50% who did not leave after 5 years. And they are not among the people who were denied tenure (an increasing number over the last few years). So this group has undergone a double weeding out process. In the worst case scenario, many may have to move to schools where newer teachers were laid off (to be recalled under LIFO in an orderly fashion - and as we know with 1500-2000 teachers leaving every year through retirement or that 50% who leave anyway they are pretty much guaranteed to be recalled at worst within a year or two, negating the argument that they are lost to the system.)

So what's so bad about replacing a 3 year or under - even if a good teacher – with a 5 year or over teacher? In some cases there might be a loss in talent but if we just take the experience factor into account over the long run doing layoffs under LIFO is a win for the schools that lost people. The replacement group will not leave in anywhere the same numbers as the people they replaced. And they bring vastly more experience to the table than the people who were laid off. Plus by staying, they have already proven they are more likely to be career teachers.

Taken as a whole, which group should we invest in when considering building an effective and consistent, well-trained teaching force? We know WalBloom's answer. But why expect rationality from that source? Lucky for us they are not using their concept to staff nuclear reactors.
--------------
AFTERBURN
 

 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/uft_vows_wisconsin_protest_over_13KLdJlXJIZvCcefLdSbGK

UFT vows 'Wisconsin' protest over teacher cuts

Donna Nevel: The Slow Death of Khalil Gibran International Academy

"What does the story of Debbie Almontaser and KGIA tell us? The story is about Islamophobia and racism. But the story is also about a public education system that is accountable to nobody it should be accountable to–not to its students and families, nor to its educators." 

..........

The story of KGIA is yet one more example of the danger of a school system controlled by a mayor with little input from, or respect for, community members, educators, parents, and students. It is yet one more example of a school system that has little regard for the cultures, languages, and histories of the families that make up our schools. It is yet one more example of a school system that makes decisions based on outside interests that don’t grow out of the needs of, or what is in the best interest of, our children, schools, and communities. - Donna Nevel at Gotham Schools

Beyond the specifics of how the DOE killed KGIA, Donna lays out a powerful case for why mayoral control must end. (Donna doesn't go there but Randi Weingarten also played a negative role in calling for Debbie Almontaser's removal.) And then there is our new weaselly chancellor Dennis Walcott:

In August 2007, New York City’s then Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott called Debbie Almontaser, then the acting principal of KGIA, into his office to tell her that Mayor Michael Bloomberg had lost confidence in her and wanted her to resign from her post. But that wasn’t all. Walcott also told her that the mayor wanted the resignation immediately because he intended to announce it on his radio show the next day. She was told that if she did not resign, KGIA would be closed. Knowing how much the school meant to the Arab community and to so many others, Almontaser submitted her resignation.

She brought suit soon after, charging that the city and the DOE had discriminated against her by bowing to anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bigotry in demanding her resignation. In March 2010, the federal Equal Employment Opportunities Commission upheld Almontaser’s charge of discrimination. It ruled that, in demanding her resignation, the DOE “succumbed to the very bias that the creation of the school was intended to dispel, and a small segment of the public succeeded in imposing its prejudices on the DOE as an employer.”

 Nice work Dennis as you demonstrate your major qualification for the job of Chancellor in the Bloomberg administration: the art of using threats, intimidation, discrimination, bullying tactics. A perfect hit man - albeit with a smile - for the times.

If Bloomberg Appointed the Ghost of John Dewey I Would Still Be Opposed

LAST REVISION: Friday, April 8, 12:30PM

What a shabby start for the Walcott administration. Pulling a bunch of kids out of school for blatant political use. But as we've been saying all along, ed deform is not about education. 

At about 8 a.m. Thursday, an aide to Mr. Walcott called Laura Scott, the principal of Public School 10 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and asked her to arrange for a group of fifth graders to attend a press conference at City Hall, where they would serve as the backdrop for an announcement. The aide did not tell Ms. Scott the topic of the event — Ms. Black’s resignation.

"Dennis Walcott has been a 'Yes' man for the mayor."- Pamella Wheaton on Brian Lehrer.

Where's Opra and Whoopie who praised the Black appointment, now? 

Any assessment of the move by Bloomberg to replace Black has to be weighed against the question: Does it increase the democratization of schools?

The answer so far is “no”. The culprit is mayoral control. Our only hope is that Walcott can convince the mayor to put his ego aside and accept the fact that his educational policies are a failure. We want more stakeholder control, we want smaller class sizes, real curricular choices, assessments that are multifaceted and fair, and fixing schools to strengthen communities rather than breaking them up.

However, with mayoral control all we can do is hope our actions can convince an arrogant ego, who bought a third term, to change his mind.

Therefore, Walcott is probably only a change in style, but not substance.

John Elfrank-Dana, CL of Murry Bergtraum HS

People just don't seem to get it. The problem is not with who is the chancellor but in how the chancellor is chosen. So even though Dennis Walcott seems to be a thousand times more able than Cathleen Black, he will still be implementing a corporate reform agenda that is doomed to fail. Walcott will bring a slick and savvy look to the table and in fact if Bloomberg had any sense he would have appointed Walcott as Chancellor in 2002. Same results, but at least Walcott would have modified some of the voices of dissent increasingly emerging from the Black and Hispanic communities.

The very idea of the Black appointment, which some thought was akin to Caligula appointing his horse to the Roman Senate (HorseBlack Riding), was Bloomberg's way of dissing just about anyone who had any validity as an educator. Someone suggested on a listserve that he might as well appoint daughter Georgina's horse as chancellor. So even though Walcott has much more gravitas than Black, given Walcott's absolute and total support for the ed deform agenda, you might as well replace Black's face with Walcott's. (Get going photoshoppers.)

Former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern had "One piece of advice for Mr. Walcott: Call Diane Ravitch and Sol Stern. You don't have to do everything they say, but you should listen to them carefully. They can tell you a lot about the system for which you are now responsible. They are not bound by the mistakes of the past, and neither should you be. There are over a million children out there for whom you should be a great hope. Do everything you can not to let them down."

Sure, Henry. Hasn't Walcott been part of the process of shutting out voices like Stern and Ravitch? By the way, no matter how much I admire and like Diane and Sol, these are not the people I would urge Walcott to listen too. How about actual parents and teachers who do the work with kids? The feeling that somehow policy people know more than people on the ground is what has ailed education for far longer than the time mayoral control came into effect.

Last night, News 4 NY reported from Nutley, NJ on Dennis Walcott's appointment as Cathie Black's replacement. Why Nutley? Because that town's school board, unlike NYC's one-man school dictatorship, has been conducting a formal public search for a new superintendent of schools.

I have incorporated this small fact into my latest blog posting, "Be Like Nutley?" on the NYC Public School Parents blog. Please check it out for more at http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2011/04/be-like-nutley.html .

Steve Koss

_____________
On another topic, check out this article. Praise and condemnation for Joel Klein.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/magazine/mag-10School-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on right for news bits.

Commentary on out with the old and in with the new chancellor- Hey Cathie, I didn't get my good-bye hug

UPDATED 5:30PM- Posting commentary and links as they come in.

Mike Bloomberg in his just-completed press conference stated that he only discussed resignation with Cathie Black this morning, implying that in the last few hours he had a conversation with Ms. Black, did a "search" for a replacement, decided on Dennis Walcott, approached him about the job, and received his acceptance.

Another snap decision about who will be overseeing the education of 1.1 million children?

Despite repeated questioning from reporters, the mayor is refusing to say much about Ms. Black -- hardly surprising. He wants everyone to "look forward," not backward. Message: "Please, everyone, please forget that I made this decision to hire Cathie Black.

A reporter on NY1 just stated that Dennis Black has spent virtually his entire life in public education. I guess that's already being sold as the conventional wisdom, when I believe it is rather far from true. A masters in education, two years as a kindergarten teacher, some time spent on the old Board of Education, never an education administrator -- hardly an entire life devoted to education.

I can't say I was enamored of Wolcott's first decision: to drag a group of Brooklyn grade school kids into City Hall and away from their classrooms to serve as nothing more than background props for a press conference. Sorry, Dennis -- kids are more than props to pretty up your image.

Steve Koss

It is nice to read your thoughtful posts, again, Steve- we've missed your insights!

The mayor and his Deputy's unabashed use a group of kids as cover, to distract away from the adults' mistakes, is so emblematic of the 'Children First'  phonies.

 It is ALL about the adults- just look at the one's jumping ship, either to get further up the privatization pipeline ( can't you just hear the loud sucking sound?)or to propagate the politics and policies imposed on NYC in other cities across the nation.

Let's hope that the media continue to carry the real stories, connecting the dots and digging for facts, and never go back to reporting by press release as they did for the first 9 years of this disastrous dictatorship.

Lisa

State Ed Commiss Steiner is going too - rats deserting: David Steiner Out as State Education Commissioner - DNAinfo.com

Check out this link for the Cathie Black video in dist 14 on Feb 28:
http://vimeo.com/21717003

South African Mona Davids:

Hmm, interesting...
Shael Polakow-Suransky is officially ACTING CHANCELLOR. It's history, the first (South) African acting chancellor.

I guess 17% rating finished Black off. All I can say is that some poor magazine will end up getting stuck with her. Can she give back the 3 million and get back on the IBM Board so she can sell ARIS versions 2 through 10 back to the DOE?

Bloomberg finally pulled the race card in desperation.

Time to start a "Deny Walcott Waiver" movement? Yes he taught kindergarten and has a masters in education, but he has been a major architect of the dismantling of public ed. See Michael's comment below - but I feel it could have been worse - a sell-out educator with real creds and a P.H.d.

Watch the UFT try to claim credit for this, along with the earth spinning on its axis. It was those whistles they blew at the Feb. 3 PEP.

Sam Anderson comments:

With Dennis, the privatization plot thickens.

Connecting dots...
(a)  Al Sharpton becomes publicly closer to Obama as Obama launches re-election. Both Obama and Arne Duncan come to NYC to speak before Al's National Action Network.

(b)  Al's been chummy with Bloomberg and Walcott for years. Hence, Al's in the key position to "sell" Walcott to the negro loyal opposition forces in the electoral, business and religious sectors as a true promoter of Black Education. Meanwhile, Walcott is a proven "good negro" to white folks by his Urban League "street creds" and his 9-year proximity to Billionaire Bloomberg.

(c)  Walcott can become Bloomberg's and his class allies' blackface to their national privatizing of public education policies.

(d)   With a potential $2billion re-election war chest, Prez Obama will need a few "acceptable" Blackfolk to -once again- convince US educators to gather their collective strength and campaign and vote for this version of EVIL. Sir Walcott will make a great surrogate for Obama and the Dems.

(e)  The last dot is that if the republicans have the upper hand on the national scale, Dennis is their man also. He would have about 18 months to work with them on their national education policies.

In Struggle,

Sam Anderson

Michael Fiorillo:

Hello All,
This is not a good development. Every day that Black was Chancellor, she further undermined Bloomberg and revealed his contempt for students, parents and teachers. Walcott will follow the same smash-and-grab agenda, but will be far more adept at it, and his being black will provide a partial shield from criticism.
After all, if people are motivated by power and greed, better for the rest of us if they are incompetent and the butt of jokes. Black was a gift from the Gods of Absurdity, which they have sadly taken back from us.
Let's all hope that this comes too late to revive people's view of Bloomberg, but it makes our job harder, not easier.
Best,
Michael Fiorillo

 Lisa Donlan on Nadelstern blames press for CB's failure! (These no excuses guys sure have a lot of excuses)

Clearly the failure was not about the lousy results of the neo-liberal union-bashing, autocratic, privatizing educational experiments, re-orgs , complete 360's and other kick-the-anthill management tricks passed off by this administration for the last 10 years as reforms.

 No,  w/o the necessary pandering by the press and the inflated edubudgets spent on the vendors, bells and whistles,  the very system is destabilized since it can stand no scrutiny and obviously hangs by a thread of PR gloss and spin. Good riddance to all the rats fleeing this sinking ship. Too bad we and our kids are going to be stuck w/ the remaining wreck for years to come.

DENY WAIVER COALITION .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, April 7, 2011 CONTACT: Mona Davids                                                    917-340-8987 Lupe Todd (for Assemblyman Jeffries)          917-202-0116 Chris Owens                                                     718-514-4874  Deny Waiver Coalition Statement on the resignation of Unqualified Chancellor Cathie Black "Mayor Bloomberg's political treatment of education is leading to disaster for our children."  Today's resignation of Schools Chancellor Cathleen P. Black closes another sad chapter in the history of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's manipulation of public education in the City of New York.  Ms. Black's departure is a clear victory for parents and all those who care about the quality of public education. After disregarding the concerns of many, Mayor Bloomberg pushed ahead with the nomination and defense of a candidate unqualified to lead the largest public school system in the United States of America.  Cathie Black's departure confirms for parents, teachers and administrators their fear that the Bloomberg administration's education track record is strong on rhetoric, hype and titles, yet weak on substance.  The Mayor has provided a textbook lesson in the dangers of unfettered Mayoral control of our education system.  In sum, Mayor Bloomberg's political treatment of education is leading to disaster for our children.  The Deny Waiver Coalition is proud to have continuously highlighted the fact that the Mayor "had no clothes" when it came to this appointment.  The Deny Waiver Coalition has never wavered in its demand that an appropriate individual serve as Chancellor -- an individual whose experience in education substantially exceeds the minimum criteria for the position.  There remains cause for concern.  The Deny Waiver Coalition called for a national search to find the best Chancellor candidate.  That has not happened.  The Coalition demanded a Chancellor with proven experience at leading public schools or school systems.  New York City still does not have that.  The Coalition advocated for transparency in the Chancellor selection process.  That has yet to happen. Accordingly, the Deny Waiver Coalition members support the immediate adoption of legislation amending the New York State education law to strengthen the minimum requirements for service as Chancellor of New York City's public schools, and to minimize the discretion allowed with regard to waivers on the part of the Mayor and the State Education Commissioner. The Deny Waiver Coalition includes individual petitioners who challenged the appointment of Cathie Black in court.  Parent Petitioners from the five boroughs are New York State Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries (Brooklyn), Democratic State Committeeman and District Leader Chris Owens (Brooklyn), Ms. Mona Davids (Bronx), Mr. Noah E. Gotbaum (Manhattan), Ms. Khem Irby (Brooklyn), Ms. Lydia Bellahcene (Brooklyn), Ms. Patricia Connelly (Brooklyn), Ms. Monica Ayuso (Queens), Ms. Mariama Sanoh (Brooklyn), Mr. John Battis (Brooklyn), Ms. Latrina Miley (Manhattan), Ms. Shino Tanikawa-Oglesby (Manhattan) and Ms. Maria Farano-Rodriguez (Staten Island).  The teacher Petitioner is Ms. Julie Cavanagh (Brooklyn).

A blast from the past, thanks to Jeff Kaufman. Check out Walcott's subcontractor pals.

November 3, 1999, Wednesday


URBAN LEAGUE GETTING $9M CONTRACT FROM BOARD OF ED.




BYLINE: SUSAN EDELMAN


The Board of Education is set to award a massive $9 million contract today to the New York Urban League in a deal aimed at getting parents to join "school leadership teams" to help run the city's 1,100 schools.


The unprecedented contract - $3 million a year for three years - is earmarked for a citywide campaign and media blitz to drum up interest in the teams and to train parents who sign up.




"This will cover five boroughs and reach parents of different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds," said league president Dennis Walcott.


The money will pay for staff, educational forums, training sessions, an Internet site, public relations and advertising such as bus posters.


School leadership teams spring from the 1996 Governance Law, which gives Chancellor Rudy Crew broad powers over school boards and superintendents, and were supposed to be in place by Oct. 1.


Each team is to have 10 members - half parents and half school administrators and teachers. They will have input in educational plans, budgets and issues such as school uniforms and safety.


The Urban League has subcontracted with three groups for its Parent Leadership Program: the United Federation of Teachers; Aspira of New York, a Latino community organization; and the United Parent Associations.


Ernest Clayton, UPA president, said the $9 million to be spent by the board isn't enough.


"When it comes to teacher and principal development, they spend money like crazy," he said. "It's about time they try to make an attempt to treat parents well."




ORGANIZATION: UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (55%); UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (55%);


COUNTRY: UNITED STATES (90%);


STATE: NEW YORK, USA (90%);


COMPANY: UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (55%); UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (55%);


SUBJECT: EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION EMPLOYEES (90%); TEACHING & TEACHERS (90%); EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION (90%); SCHOOL BOARDS (90%); CITY GOVERNMENT (78%); SCHOOL PRINCIPALS (78%); SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS (73%); MARKETING & ADVERTISING (71%); TEACHER UNIONS (67%); RELIGION (55%); PUBLIC RELATIONS (54%);


LOAD-DATE: November 3, 1999