UFT Exec Bd Report: Leroy Barr Tables, Howie Schoor Reveals Reason for Union Reluctance to go after principals

"Principals have a union, the CSA. The have rights. There's a yin-yang in how we respond." ... Howie Schoor, UFT Secretary closing statement at UFT Ex Bd meeting

Is the UFT a subsidiary of the CSA?
We've known that the alliance between the UFT and CSA was a key issue in the lack of response on the part of our union since the late UFT president Sandy Feldman told me as much back in 1997 when I made a reso at the DA calling for supervisors to not have tenure. So it was nice to hear Howie Schoor, who I've known for 35 years, pretty much say that openly. A principal union can in no way be compared to a union of their employees, especially since they've been given unfettered power and control over UFT members with barely a peep out of the UFT.

My response would be to call out the CSA to get their rabid dogs in line or lose any future alliance with the UFT.

Yesterday I reported on the upcoming UFT Ex Bd meeting - MORE Members Elected to UFT Exec Board attend first meeting

Arthur Goldstein has a blow by blow account: NYC Educator: UFT Executive Board September 19th

As does James Eterno at ICE: WELCOME BACK NON-UNITY ENDORSED REPS ON THE UFT EXECUTIVE BOARD (updated)

The theme of the evening were calls on the UFT to do something about abusive principals. MORE used the 10-minute speaking time before the meeting for non Exec Bd members to put up speakers who raised the issue as a warm-up. Originally I called in on my own but when Dermot Myrie and Rema Margi stopped by the MORE/NA pre-meeting we urged them to call in for time to tell their stories of principal abuse. Then when we got upstairs we ran into old pal Sam Lazarus, retired CL of Bryant HS and Georgia Allignu who was running for CL because the old CL was forced to transfer due to attacks by Horror Principal Dwarka (which takes guts to put your head in the noose). Georgia was there to speak to ask for nominations to be re-opened so she could run - which was done.

Arthur- NYC Educator -  has good summaries of all our statements.

Mulgrew, unlike Randi, drops in to make his report at some point - really, why should he have to listen to questions or regular members who get up to speak during the 10 minutes? He said it will soon be June. Oh these meetings are such a chore.

Mike Schirtzer presented the MORE/NA resolution on abusive principals (see below) and Leroy Barr urged tabling so they could take a closer look at it. MORE's Marcus McArthur followed up with his own story of principal abuse. I'm copying and pasting here:

Mike Schirtzer MORE—Speakers told stories of abuse. Abusive administrators are big problem. Bloomberg years remain as 2-year teachers became principals. They really do have blueprints on how to make people miserable, run them out of schools. In fact, schools have budget issues. Ours does because of veteran staff. This causes bad admin to run people out.
We must do something as a union. Teachers, counselors, social workers ought not to feel threatened and harassed. We are a union of 200K and we must take action using any means available to us. Admin with two unfavorable ratings from staff should be removed. If this happens to teachers, why shouldn’t it happen to them?
We need a check and balance, and we need to be the check and balance.
Leroy Barr—Rises to table. We have been engaged with trying to get APs either checked or removed. We had a program principals in need of improvement. Some items here are the same as we’ve pushed. We know they are there, we are engaged in those fights every day, we have no problem bringing entire weight of union against them.
Can’t be scatter gun. Depends on nuances of individual schools. Agree with essence. We want to make sure we are creating a great environment and ensure it for our kids. Want’s to raise title of District Rep tonight. You will never know all the work they do to save the jobs of our members. They do the work every day and you don’t know what they do. Some are behind closed doors. Some members want to leave. There is a variety of answers. We need to talk about how we solve and create good environment for both teachers and students. Asks we table this tonight.
Secretary—Invites voice of support
Marcus McArthur MORE—I walked into a building 6 years ago, my first job, and CLs classroom had been defiled, garbage everywhere. Principal was responsible. Still in power, in that school. Was a lot of fighting and conflict. Was traumatic.
While union has tried, it has been a catastrophe for those who had to work under these conditions. For me, as new teacher, I was completely at mercy of that principal. Didn’t get a classroom, placed with another teacher to retaliate against that teacher. Was a big threat to me remaining as African American male, as special ed. teacher. Without support of staff, I’d have left system like half of special ed. teachers.
Asks reconsideration of resolution. We must take all action in our power. Cannot tolerate such abuse.

Before we get to the reso itself I want raise a point from Jeff Kaufman on the ICE blog who thinks it was correct for Leroy to table this because surveys are a weak tool.

Jeff Kaufman said...
While it is rare that I actually agree with Unity, tabling this motion was the right thing to do. In fact it should never have been raised. Allowing a survey to determine placement of a principal or supervisor is as misguided for principals as it would be for teachers (which would become a reality in the next contract). Our Union should be forced to take seriously members concerns about abusive principals and take affirmative steps to reassign them by showing they are abusive. The survey tactic is proposed out of weakness. Let's argue for a contract provision which shows how a principal is being abusive and allows our Union to submit to arbitration. While both provisions are probably violative of the Taylor Law let's not support a tactic which not only could be used against us but is not supported by evidence.

James Eterno said...

We have that already Jeff in Chancellor's Regulation C-33 which can be used in arbitration via Article 20. Point is a strong union would make reigning in abusive supervisors a priority. I think a vote of no confidence should trigger the process.

My comment:

ed notes online said...

Jeff has a point on the surveys which are often tainted by principal involvement who tells the staff bad results will lead to punishing the school. I think turnover rates are a clue but also chapters should be given a hearing at the UFT to lodge their complaints and trigger a UFT investigation. I think the reso must go further. There must be a significant portion of a staff willing to take action even if behind the scenes to protect themselves. The very act of a UFT investigation would cause principals to get nervous esp if publicized.

I think MORE and New Action need to think take Jeff's comments into account - and mine too. Let's not give Unity a convenient out on this issue. Leroy's argument that they do a lot must be attacked with example after example. In reports from the districts we heard nothing about what they do to protect UFT members but a hell of a lot about the charity work - good they do that but that is not their main job. I was struck by the Dist 4 DR report on her charity work but no update on the battle at Central Park East 1 where within a few months the principal had 10 teachers under investigation.

Here is the MORE Post:

UFT Leadership Tables Resolution Against Abusive Adminsitrators

Voted  to table by Executive Board. All Unity members voted to table. All MORE/NA voted against tabling resolution.
Notes (minutes) from meeting to follow tomorrow.

Resolution to Use School Survey to Identify and Remove Abusive Administrators
Whereas, UFT members in many chapters are working in fear because of abusive administrators; and

Whereas, too many UFT members are being given unfair adverse ratings by autocratic supervisors; and

Whereas, many administrators have very little experience in the classroom and are provided with a blue-print by superintendents and Department of Education lawyers to remove veteran and new teachers; and

Whereas, our working conditions are our students’ learning conditions so when a UFT member is being unfairly treated it has a direct negative impact on students’ learning environment; and

Whereas teachers have a limited opportunity to anonymously express their concerns about principals through the New York City School Survey Report, including whether “I feel respected by the principal at this school” and “I trust the principal/school leader at his/her word” and “The principal at this school is an effective manager”;

Resolved, that the UFT will publish the name of any school administrator in email updates, social media, the print and online versions of the New York Teacher and a press release the names of any administrator who receive less than a 50% favorable rating on the NYC School Survey Report from UFT members or when there is a chapter vote of no confidence in that administrator; and be it further

Resolved, that the UFT will use any means available to pressure the Department of Education to remove from a school any administrator who receives two years of unfavorable ratings from their staff.

Today: MORE Members Elected to UFT Exec Board attend first meeting

The 5 members of MORE who were elected by the high schools to the UFT Executive Board will have their first opportunity to attend a meeting as voting members later tonight at 6 PM. They will be joining the 2 New Action members who were elected, one of whom, Jonathan Halabi, has already been a member of the board.

At this point a general working consensus between MORE and New Action is expected to be in operation though each caucus is free to operate independently, as are the individuals in MORE. To get a resolution on the agenda it must be signed by 5 EB members.

I'm going to be watching to see if MORE people become incrementalists like New Action has been -- where you trumpet a big victory because you get Unity to change a few words or support elements of a resolution you are bringing up. That is acting like the union leadership which will brag that class sizes didn't go up.

And yes I will be as critical of MORE as I will be of New Action -- that is if I actually go to some of these meetings.

Looking forward to Peter Luger catered meal

A few members of MORE will be attending to support their colleagues (all UFT Ex Bd meetings are open.) If I go I will report on anything significant but I'm sure Arthur Goldstein will do a comprehensive report on his blog. I hope he includes food ratings.

Education Notes Publishes Again - Addressing Fair Student Funding, Abusive Principals and MORE

• “Fair” Student Funding Unfair to Students AND Teachers

• The Hit Job: Farina’s Crew Found the Right Bitch for the Job

• Unity-UFT Leaflet Attacking MORE on Opt-Out Could Have Been written by Cuomo, King, Gates. Slammed by Parent Group

• MORE captures almost 1/3 active teacher vote and majority of high school votes but has NO AFT/NYSUT delegates 

 Ed Notes Returns to Publishing

 Last week, for the first time in a decade, I put together and distributed an edition of Education Notes for the September 14 UFT Chapter Leader meeting. The pdf is available - download if you feel it worth sharing. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8qnFCTQLOqoSVNneHdZRGtTQjA/view?ths=true

I know, I know -- so many of the people at these meetings are in Unity and basically talking to most of them is like spitting in the ocean. I don't even bother giving it to many of them - why waste copies?

I published an edition for almost every Delegate Assembly from 1997-2004. I was a chapter leader and was frustrated at the fact that getting the floor at the DA was totally dependent on getting called on - so Ed Notes was my proactive response -- I would hand out my point of view in advance of the meeting to try to influence the debate. In the early years Ed Notes was geared to trying to use logic to appeal to Unity and the UFT leadership. This was the point where Randi Weingarten replaced Sandy Feldman - and she and her minions reached out to me, telling me Randi was ushering in a new day for the UFT, promising reforms. I was critical but not on the attack. The state of the opposition consisted of 3 caucuses and I found none of them satisfactory all of of them narrow in their vision. I raised issues that none of them had any interest in - mayoral control, testing, abusive principals, protection of chapter leaders. Ed Notes was critical not only of Unity but also the other opposition groups. At one point it seemed everyone at the DA was reading Ed Notes. I began to meet like-minded people.

I guess it was when it became clear that Randi was making changes that made the UFT less democratic while also aiding and abetting ed deform that made it clear that Unity would never change -- that holding and consolidating power was the mantra, with the blatant briber offered to New Action, the leading opposition, being a final straw in 2003-4. Old and new Ed Notes supporters felt it was time for an opposition caucus that tackled issues in depth, thus leading to the birth of ICE (Independent Community of Educators), followed by the spin-off GEM (Grassroots Education Movement), not an opposition caucus but a joint effort of teachers and parents, and finally the realization in 2011-12 that an attempt must be made to bring together the various stands of activists in the UFT into one organization - MORE. I moved Ed Notes to a blog in 2006 and devoted time to the various groups I worked with. While I had some influence I was also no longer using UFT meetings to put out  my own point of view using my style of writing -- group leaflets and newsletters often get neutered in the group process. So I decided that this year I will occasionally bring Ed Notes back to union meeting when I feel I have something to say that goes beyond the blog. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8qnFCTQLOqoSVNneHdZRGtTQjA/view?ths=true

#AFT100, #AFT16 Takeaway Part 1 - Randi's Brain - Co-opting Social Justice Wing of the AFT: Did LATU and CTU Fall in Line?

All of AFT President Randi Weingarten's political skills were on display over the 4 days of the AFT convention in Minneapolis (July 18-21). My immediate takeaway is that Randi is in tighter control of the AFT than ever.

Did Randi surround and subsume potential future opposition in the AFT that might have come from social justice groups like BATS, UCORE or a basically absent NYSUT Caucus, Stronger Together (how interesting that Hillary has used that exact term in her campaign)?

Or did the social justice groups force Randi to be inclusive of their agenda?

One thing was clear: social justice was front and center at the AFT, led by Randi and other Unity people like Leroy Barr. On the surface she outflanked the social justice caucuses tied to UCORE. And coming home on a plane full of Unity, most of them black, got me to start thinking more deeply about MORE's claims to be THE Social Justice Caucus of the UFT. Well we do believe the essence of a SJ caucus is a democratic, bottom up union which Unity certainly isn't. And based on some conversations with rank and filers from Chicago there were igns that the CTU may be drifting away from bottom up.

Has Randi NACed UCORE, Stronger Together and the BATS?

James Eterno and I have a joke - we call it being NACed or NAC-a-Sized - what Randi did with and to New Action beginning after the 2001 elections by offering them a seat at the table in exchange for their not running against her for UFT president. This was Randi at her most cynical -- buy off the leading opposition party with guaranteed Ex Bd positions and jobs.

Randi broke new ground when she took over the UFT

The old Shanker/Feldman leadership viewed the opposition as left wing enemies and openly mocked or ignored them. Randi takes the opposite approach - she invites potential critics into the tent. And it works.

I know personally -- when I began Ed Notes in 1997 I was invited into the tent -- and even though I didn't take the offer I also was careful not to be too critical of Randi because she led me to believe I had her ear and possible support on some of my ideas, thus muting my voice on certain levels for 4 years. Randi was so good at this I saw it happen to so many others -- a phone call or an email and even money from Randi gave them hope there could be change and it took years of bearing her duplicity before the light came on.

Recently I was at a dinner where a parent leader who had been associated with Randi over the years publicly stated, "Norm always told me not to trust Randi. He was right."

Mulgrew has no skill or seeming interest in doing the same as Randi, which I sort of like him for - he's not as phony, but is a major chink in Randi's modus operendi and why I believe he will never be AFT president (Mary Cathryn Ricker is a Randi clone). If Randi were still running the UFT (which she is in many ways) she would have done whatever it took to keep New Action from leaving the cover of Unity and running with MORE and MORE would still be shut out of the high schools. Mulgrew didn't even try. (The plan we originally laid out was to try to win the high schools even without New Action - a 2500-3000 HS vote or bust campaign which if MORE had executed a deeper penetration of the high schools would have worked.)

We saw at the AFT convention signs of Randi's NAC-a-size strategy in operation as she wooed Chicago and LA leadership and gave BATS support - even Mulgrew joined in in wooing Chicago leadership by leading the convention in signing happy birthday to Karen Lewis - while using duplicity on Stronger Together on an opt-out reso.

Why didn't Chicago and LA push for a strong opt-out reso or bring anything to the floor or committee meetings?

In Part 2 I'll get into details on Randi's NAC-a-sizing moves in Philly, Chicago, LA and in NYSUT - and I also believe she would try to do the same to MORE if she could - and maybe behind the scenes we will begin to see that happen -- and I also believe there is a core in MORE that might be susceptible.

In the meantime, one person who will not be subsumed into Randi's orbit or become NAC-a-sized is Jia Lee.

Jia, at MORE blog, points to Randi's manipulation during the convention on a number of issues:

AFT July 2016- Observations of a Rank and File Member

https://morecaucusnyc.org/2016/07/27/aft-july-2016-observations-of-a-rank-and-file-member/#comments

In this excerpt Jia nails Randi/Unity and crew showing how they subvert voices by obfuscation, parliamentary maneuvers and co-optation.

At this year’s AFT convention, at the convening of the Educational Issues Committee, something disturbing occurred. Almost everyone knows that NYSUT (our state union) passed Stronger Together’s (ST caucus)  proposed resolution on opt out called I-Refuse at last year’s state-wide convention. A version of this was prepared by a committee within NYSUT for the AFT convention. It was printed in the resolutions packet on the first day of the AFT.

Just moments before raising the resolution, Karen Magee, our NYSUT president pulled out a substitute resolution that was entirely different from the original. Even the title was changed from “Support the I-Refuse Movement to Oppose High Stakes Testing” to “End the Misuse of Testing and Support Teacher and Parent Rights.” In effect, all of the strong and actionable resolves of the former resolution were removed and in its place was a much diluted version that upheld standardized tests as useful when not misused and supported the rights of parents to opt their children out of the tests and for teachers to explain these rights without fear of penalty. It did not support teachers as agents of change as the I-Refuse resolution did. Jilted, fellow NYSUT members of the ST caucus objected to the substitution which was overruled. The Unity stronghold had prepared for this, keeping the ST members in the dark. The substitute resolution passed.

MORE, Aug. 3, 3-6PM - Developing a Blueprint to Address the Power Imbalance Between UFT members and School Principals

The DOE gives principals a blueprint, what does the Unity/UFT give you?

Everyone knows that principal academy grads and other principals are prepped on how to take control of a school and they have access to DOE legal on a regular basis. How does the UFT equip our members to stand up to these onslaughts?

Hearing silence, I will continue. In fact UFT middle management either stands with the principals and superintendents or at best urges "find a way to get along."

MORE's summer series of 3 events (July 6, Aug 3, Aug 31) are focused on gut-level problems teachers are facing in their schools, mostly from abusive principals. I have been part of the crew at MORE pushing for some kind of chapter leader support group since the Unity Caucus led UFT has left so many of them hanging, especially since its cozy relationship to Farina, de Blasio and the CSA (supervisor union).

I envision this event as a sort of workshop where experienced people can advise others.

So even if experienced come on down to the Dark Horse this Wed at 3PM and lend a hand.

Look, MORE can only do so much -- analyze the situation and then help people formulate a plan to organize their school to fight a principal. Sometimes when I analyze a situation the best advice I can give is it is a losing battle so get out. But if there is a staff ready to fight - like our friends at Central Park East, then let's figure out how. It takes a lot of resources from a small group like MORE to support people in the schools --

MORE's new HS Exec Bd member Mike Schirtzer has taken charge of this event and that is a good thing since Mike gets it. I look forward to seeing him on the board.

Here is the MORE announcement:

Questions, problems, lack of support from the UFT leadership?

Your principal and APs have a plan developed with the DOE. You need a plan too!

Attend this MORE workshop on August 3 (3-6PM at the Dark Horse, 17 Murray Street NYC – downstairs).

Bring your colleagues and friends too!

Long-time MORE/New Action chapter leaders will analyze your situation and help you develop a strategy to fight back.

We will do case studies of various schools since each school is different.

How can you navigate the UFT/DOE structures by working with your members, staff, parents, local politicians and using the press.

How MORE can assist in not allowing the UFT to get away with ignoring the problems in your schools.

Holding the district rep and other union officials accountable.

Cataloguing and publishing the pattern of lack of responses from the union and the DOE.

https://www.facebook.com/events/570940976401102/

Principals come in with a plan – a blueprint – whether from the Leadership Academy – or advice from DOE Legal or from reading Machiavelli’s 16th century The Prince. Or maybe they are trained in the Art of War, an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the 5th century BC. They are often more interested in playing the power game, not education.

Teachers, especially chapter leaders who resist and become a major target – must deal with a UFT/Unity Caucus leadership that provides few if any tools or blueprints on how to counter these assaults.

While MORE has limited resources, we must jump into the breach and do what we can. At the very least people under attack should not feel they have to battle alone.

#AFT100, #AFT16 - the Social Justice Convention - Some Reflections

At the AFT convention, as usual, I learned a lot about a lot of different things and a lot about different people.  In my follow-up I will address the 4 days of social justice mixed with a lot of defense of teacher rights -- so there was some real balance. But more of that later.

The convention was over by noon and we all scattered. I haven't done a very good job of following the details. Look to Jonathan Halabi and Arthur Goldstein for better reporting. I posted links to all their reports so far below in the Afterburn.

I'm not sure I can cover all my thoughts in one post without putting every reader to sleep but I am going to try and expand on some items in the future. I'll touch on some things in no particular order. As usual I am more interested in social interactions than what actually went on at the convention.
My problem is within a few days most of what I learned will be gone -- so I better get what I can down even if I have to free associate.

Friday Morning - July 22, 2016 - Home at last

Got home close to 1AM last night - thanks to wonderful wife who picked me up at airport. Plane was loaded with Unity people and - most of whom were black - which is of no little consequence when we talk local and national social justice -- Leroy Barr's amazing speech is still reverberating - I never ran into him to congratulate him. (Halabi also writes about the speech).

Arthur and I got to hang out with other MOREs -- Lisa North, Gloria Brandman -- my usual travel mates to AFT - and Gladys Sotomayer - a 4-year ATR - so we got a lot of that point of view this week. This has been the 4th AFT convention for us. One Unity upper echelon person who hung with us one afternoon asked my what I got out of shlepping to these events at my own expense. Gloria and Lisa are 2 of the major reasons. In 2 years it's Pittsburg and Arthur and I are already thinking of a caravan of cars. So here are some thoughts, in no particular logical order.

Jia Lee, rock star 

#AFT100, #AFT16 Day 3 Post 2: Palace Intrigues - Does the Rise of Ricker Mean the Fall of Mulgrew? Not Yet

Mulgrew wears cloaking device... until now

It's 4:30 and Mulgrew gets his big moment - he was just introduced to speak about organizing. Organizing?
Mulgrew calls for us to sing Happy Birthday to Karen Lewis and then finds she is not in the house -- embarrassing. That was his speech on organizing.

Now they are introducing Marla Kilfoyle and Jaime of The BATS and Randi is taking a photo op -- Marla is one of our great allies so Randi even tries to subsume them. BATS weren't happy about that Unity leaflet.

We've been having a lot of fun using that June DA Unity Caucus leaflet attacking MORE and Jia Lee for supporting opt-out and a bogus charge we were irresponsible for causing schools to lose money.

Our MORE leaflet has resonated with some people who don't know how Unity operates in New York - some ask how that relates to the Progressive Caucus at the AFT - the only viable caucus - there is really no opposition caucus at this level.

Randi has subsumed any potential opposition.

#AFT100, #AFT16 - Day 2 - First Posting of the Day

I ran into some Chicago people yesterday who told me there will be no floor or committee fights with Unity this year for the first time since 2010. All issues were settled behind the scenes in negotiations, in particularly on an ESSA reso.

So no real action from the top but I know some Chicago teachers will take individual action - no heavy loyalty oaths.

I'll be posting multiple times today if I have decent wifi - including updates on what I am picking up about the Debbie Poulos story I reported on the other day, a story that got over 4000 views.

If looking for good summaries of Day 1 check out my fellow bloggers who are much younger and have better memories:

Jonathan Halabi at JD2718

AFT Convention 2016 – Day 1

Arthur Goldstein at NYC Educator 

Clinton at AFT--Let's Learn from Public Charter Schools
Who'd have expected Hillary could push "public charter schools" without a whimper from the AFT crowd?

Arthur and Jonathan are tweeting all day so follow them at teacherarthurg and jd2718x.

My more rambling Day 1 comments are here: #AFT100, #AFT16: Waiting for Hillary, Waiting, Waiting, Waiting... and finally she's here

MORE Going to AFT Convention Taxed but not represented - Joining 12,000 Non-Unity Voters

UFT members pay a big chunk of change out of their UFT dues to the AFT so they can spend loads of money working for Hillary and playing in Bill Gates' and Eli Broad's sandboxes while we don't get a say in those decisions.

"But wait," your friendly Unity Caucus slug will say. "The UFT just elected 750 delegates to go to Minneapolis to represent you. And isn't it nice they all will be told how to vote and all vote the same way. Don't you feel better now?"

Look at John Halabi's vote totals in his analysis: Certified UFT Election Results – Part I
Division

	Unity	MORE/NAC	Indiv.*
Elementary	73.6%	24.1%	2.3%
Middle	60.9%	32.5%	6.6%
High School	46.5%	51.0%	2.5%
Teacher Total	64.4%	32.6%	3.1%
Functional	74.8%	22.1%	3.2%
InService Total	68.3%	28.6%	3.1%
Retirees	86.7%	12.5%	0.8%
Grand Total	76.3%	20.9%	2.8%

Look at the teacher vote - 32%. When you add in the functional (22%) totals where Unity gets a much higher vote total (due to total control of the functional chapters, which are as undemocratic as any in the UFT we get 29% of the inservice people who get no delegates to the AFT (and NYSUT) conventions.
Even with the retirees added in where we got only 13% of the vote -- that comes to 20% of voters who get no representation - and if you add in the Solidarity anti-Unity votes we get over 12,000 people who get taxed by UFT dues to AFT and NYSUT but are not represented.

Not only are you being taxed by AFT/NYSUT dues but you are also paying the expenses of closer to 800 Unity Caucus people who are going - hotels, airfare, meal vouchers. Do that math - let's say $2000 a person - the next few days are costing us a pretty chunk of change and you might think of that as our 750 champions rise as one to cheer Hillary when she speaks on Monday.

If MORE/New Action received delegates based on even 20% we would be sending 150 people. Instead we have about 7 people spending their own money.

I actually believe there might be a potential class action suit on this but would like to hear a labor lawyer comment.

James Eterno has a piece on this same issue but focused on the actuality that the high school teachers actually elected MORE to the 7 exec bd seats but none of them can be a delegate to the AFT - Arthur Goldstein is the only new Ex Bd member going.

James points out that the almost 20,000 high school teachers are larger than most local teacher unions in this country. If we divided those 750 delegates by divisions the high schools would get a pretty good share - and in a winner take all situation MORE/NA would get quite a chunk. But the high school election was almost 50-50 I would say Unity and MORE/NA could pretty much split the HS share down the middle -- wait - I must leave this fantasy -- and start packing for tomorrow when my wonderful wife will get up at 4AM to drive me to the airport.

ICEUFT Blog

MARGINALIZED UFT HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WOULD BE VERY LARGE AFT LOCAL - As the July 18 Minneapolis AFT Convention approaches, it is worthwhile to point out just how disenfranchised high school teachers in New York City are. In ... 

 

Whither MORE: Can We Talk About So Many Things? ICE Meeting Will Do Just That

There has been so much to comment on that I have been paralyzed in just making a decision.

I do want to celebrate the last day of school for all of you after what I am sure is a tough year. This day was always the happiest day - and in some ways the saddest day (when I was teaching my own class for 18 years) of the year. We would party and then I would wake up the next morning in the most relaxed state of the year - until I realized there was now only 67 days left before we had to go back.

ICE often meets on June 30 to tie up the year and discuss issues that don't get discussed in depth at the crowded MORE meetings.

There is an interesting discussion going on around the way forward for MORE. Some people think MORE should focus in social justice issues. Others think the primary role of a caucus is to focus on issues of concern to the rank and file while not neglecting social justice issues. I believe there are very few people in MORE who think MORE should not worry about SJ issues at all, but there are some. Related to these issues is who is the target audience?

Depends on the extent you think you can really contend for power. Do you want to win over the right wing anti-Unity people by diluting your politics?

Some people in MORE are concerned about dilution. I am not. What concerns me is the use of naked rhetoric about some issues without explanation. I try to put myself in the position of a rank and file person in the schools.

I believe, as the discussion below demonstrates, that as long as MORE takes care of day to day school issues it can also take strong SJ positions. Some anti-Unity people will never vote for MORE as being too left wing. To them I say - go form your own caucus and do the work. MORE has proven itself as a viable alternative to Unity. If you are an ATR and don't think MORE is doing enough MORE is perfectly open to anyone coming in and making that an important issue. You can't do it from an anon comment on blogs.

There are certainly points of intersection where some of these issues clash -- I would say school discipline is a potential dividing point. If MORE takes a strong position on discipline for the kids it must also address the very real issues facing teachers and other school staff. It is easy to call for more resources and a viable (not bullshit) restorative justice program. But when you have an awful principal and a school out of control MORE must address that issue.

Sometimes I see some people in MORE salivate over issues like supporting the teachers in Mexico but get a dull glaze in their eyes when it comes to supporting the teachers in NYC. I get it. Going to a rally for Mexican teachers or raising money is easy. Figuring out how to fight an abusive principal is hard if not impossible. But enough people in MORE are trying - see my upcoming videos of the PEP meeting last week were we stood up and supported people.

Some of my recent posts about Brexit have raised the issue of Trump voters and MORE with some snarky Unity comments about Roseanne's support for MORE and Trump. Actually Roseanne and other Trump people do not actually support Trump - they just despise the Democrats, Randi and Hillary and the ed deformers. But still a vote for Trump in essence endorses and gets counted as a vote for white supremacy and therein lies my attempt to convince these people to vote 3rd party. I do believe that Trump will take away people's rights and get away with it.

So in that context I present the upcoming ICE meeting on Thursday with the email I sent out to ICE and MORE members.

ICE meeting Thurs June 30 3:30 - whenever the rice pudding is served

Reminder for those interested - RSVP as space is limited.

Another open-ended ICE meeting to talk about whatever is on your mind.

For those new to MORE, ICE, founded in late 2003 and with TJC another founding group, won the high school exec bd seats in the 2004 election,  was one of the founding groups and still meets a few times a year to discuss issues in depth and maintain a blog run by James Eterno.

Send agenda items - indicating we may go till midnight.

1. Further analysis of the vote in the election. Where did those 11000 votes come from?

Make your best guess. How many due to SJ politics of MORE, how many due to knowing someone in MORE they trust, How many due to MORE support for teacher rights? Consider the 1400 votes for Solidarity in the equation.

2. ATRs - updates and proposals for solutions. Getting ATRS involved in their own battle.

3. Fair Student Funding discussion - won't be discussed until 4:30 since some people can't make it until then. Understanding Fair School Funding - the complexities of calling for an end.

4. Prep for MORE July 6 summer event -- supporting chapters, training etc.

5. MORE and New Action and other caucuses.
New Action has proposed MORE and they sit down and talk. In that context ----
History of UFT Caucus discussion - Election coalitions and the big tent caucus
   History shows that over time mere election coalitions don't work out and eventually lead to merger -- ie TAC and New Directions took 20 years to come together in 1995 into NAC and ICE and TJC took 10 years to morph into MORE.
What do we learn from those experiences? How can a big tent caucus operate with a wide disparity of views?

A MORE retiree committee - what would it do? -- can it work with New Action retirees?

6. MORE as a caucus -- has it shown it can compete for power in the UFT? Does MORE have to compromise fundamental principals to do so? Can people who support Trump also support MORE?

What exactly is a caucus in the UFT? Must you run in an election to be a caucus? Is ICE a caucus or a sub-group within MORE? Can a caucus be a lobby group in the UFT only? What is the future of the relationship between New Action and MORE? How is ICE different from New Action? Is there room in a left-leaning caucus for center right including Trump voters?

Is there is a non-left anti-Unity sentiment in the UFT and how does a left-caucus relate to it? Unity caucus comments on this issue - for 50 years they have branded the opposition as left wing fundamentalists - does Unity see the fact that non-leftists can support MORE as a threat?

Roseanne McCosh who signed up 30 MORE members in her school may vote for Trump out of her outrage at Hillary, Randi and the Democratic party - so are other teachers who are not right wing I meet. I think they are wrong and should vote 3rd party.

Unity people have jumped onto the comment section to chide  MORE for allowing people who are not left fundamentalists - as the Unity hack put it. I guess they want MORE to have loyalty oaths like they do.
(You can follow the debate in the comments: http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2016/06/does-brexit-shock-and-awe-forecast.html#comment-form

Roseanne response:

Let's take a look at what MORE is against. MORE is against teacher evaluations being tied to test scores. Against high class size. Against the persecution of teachers in the opt out movement. Against the 2nd tier status of ATR union members. Against a bullshit contract and delay in retro. Against abusive administrators who torment members. And---OMG! Against racism...how dare they? If knowing I support MORE gives you a chuckle then I guess you'll split your sides knowing I also send them a monthly donation. People like me support MORE because MORE supports working teachers---a foreign concept to you Unity shills.

 

Roseanne McCosh

Silent Unity Caucus Members, Deserving Scorn, Want Perks But No Accountability

Careful not to show how you really feel.. Attacking the entire Unity caucus is really a show of how unhinged More is becoming at the seams.... Unity Caucus slug commenting on Ed Notes post: Unity-UFT Caucus Members MUST Be Called to Account - In their own schools

I and other bloggers have been posting about that Unity Caucus leaflet attacking MORE for supporting opt out.

• Unity Caucus Attack on Opt Out and MORE - It's Ran...
• Unity-UFT Attack on MORE and Opt-Out Ghost written...

You see, Unity Caucus people want immunity from having to face consequences for their support for their leadership's disastrous decision making on issues such as mayoral control or opt out or common core or supporting a crippling evaluation committee or being silent on abusive principals or ---- fill in the blanks.

Another Unity slug excused their post DA meeting with this:

The meeting after DA was for new convention delegates. While they are UNITY caucus members, the meeting is a UFT meeting, not a caucus meeting.

Causing Michael Fiorillo to comment: Oh, I get it: L'etat c'est moi...

Michael is right - the members of Unity Caucus think they are the UFT. Right. Maybe the caucus meeting to tell them all how to vote will take place another time.

As to my call for Unity Caucus enablers of bad policy to be attacked as being a sign that MORE is becoming unhinged --- well I don't view myself as representing MORE policy. In fact if more people in MORE listened to me, there would not be tame little district rep meetings or Delegate Assemblies or even upcoming executive board meetings. I would declare war on Unity. But I and some other ICEers in MORE, who have a lot of experience with the Unity machine are in a minority.

As an elder statesman in MORE, I have realized the the newer MOREs must go through years of frustration at dealing with Unity leaders who often play word games to misdirect the members from their real policies. Right now many MORE people think they can work with Unity to create change in the union. They are dreaming. I think they should go for the jugular and treat Unity people politically the way Vichy-like collaborators should be treated.

Hey, I like many Unity people too but we have to separate the work some of them do for the union - which can be good work -- and their political support for the bad policies of the caucus. Make each and every Unity caucus member defend mayoral control - and if they tell you they don't agree with the leadership tell them they are full of bullshit until they have the guts to stand up publicly and say so,

I'll leave the final comment to the gutsy Roseanne McCosh, one of the few Unity Caucus member who would not take the bullshit anymore

Anonymous: You're confusing unhinged with unbound. Unbound to Mulgrew/Randi and every other sell out piece of shit in a union leadership position who is promoting Cuomo's agenda. I guess since Cuomo's cronies are busy readying for prison or an indictment someone has to pick up the slack and do the governor's dirty work for him. Andrew Cuomo thanks you and Mulgrew and Randi for your service and commitment to the destruction of public schools and teachers. Roseanne McCosh

Unity-UFT Attack on MORE and Opt-Out Ghost written by Cuomo, John King, Bill Gates

MORE urged students to opt out of the state exams as a means of protecting the professional autonomy of educators and fighting against a corporate education system. ... Unity-UFT Caucus leaflet, June 2016

Guilty, proudly guilty as charged. Someone has to protect the professional autonomy of educators and fight against the corporate education system. Unity certainly isn't. In fact, they consistently prove time and again, they aid and abet and are allies of the corporate ed deformers. Any of the people mentioned in the headline could have written that leaflet since we've seen the same threats against teachers and parents almost word for word.

They are, in fact, attacking MORE as though we invented opt-out, and as though we are the sole participants. Can you imagine how much power they've attributed to us right there? Of course they ignore people like Leonie Haimson, Carol Burris, Jeanette Deutermann, Diane Ravitch and Beth Dimino, among many others.... NYCEducator

Does anyone doubt the fact that it was the 225,000 opt outers that got Cuomo to back down? Unity thinks it was really Mulgrew bluster or back door negotiating tactics.

Unity'-UFT has teemed up with the ed deform gang to try to kill opt out.

I actually laughed out loud when I looked at the Unity Caucus leaflet at yesterday's Delegate Assembly that attacked MORE and the opt out movement, terming us "reckless and feckless" - a Walt Whitman they are not. "This is a gift from Unity to us," I told our MORE colleagues "and will come back to haunt them."

Maybe Mulgrew can threaten to punch parents who opt out in the face at the AFT convention in a few weeks and the 800 Unity slugs where there can rise up and cheer his words. The big joke is the "threat" of losing money for schools whose parents opt out in big numbers.

The biggest joke of all is the phrase at the bottom of the leaflet. We know that there is no courage or vision but there is certainly persistence - persistence in supporting the ed deformers by hook or crook.

Bloggers James Eterno

UNITY'S BIZARRE DA LEAFLET

and Arthur Goldstein expose that farce.

 UFT Unity Fears Us

They say these "reward schools" will now lose as much as $75,000 in reward money. Whenever I see "as much as" I'm always skeptical. There's certainly something unsaid. And brilliant blogger Jersey Jazzman has already considered that, along with much more.

Last year, 143 city schools were selected as Reward Schools, according to the state, but only eight of them met the eligibility requirements...

That leaves them with a six percent shot at being eligible for "as much as" $75,000. And if you're thinking, which I can only assume the target audience of Unity faithful is not, you know that when someone uses a phrase like "as much as," you must always question what, exactly "as little as" is, because it could be zero, for all we know.  And in case you it isn't wholly apparent, being "eligible" for something, well, that doesn't mean you get it either. How do you become part of this lucky 6% that may or may not get you as much as $75,000? According to Jazzman, and please read his full column.

Afterburn
Outrage burns on social media.
Beth Dimino:

That moment when Michael Mulgrew and the rest of ‪#‎UNITY‬ dissolve in a puddle of bile attacking NYC's most dedicated student, educator, and parent activists for resisting high stakes testing, and double down on the attempt to silence and intimidate the opt out movement. Your true constituents in the ed. deformer community salute you! ‪#‎OPTOUTNYC‬ ‪#‎REFUSETHETEST‬

Defend the UFT Contract, Build Chapters, Stand Up Against Abusive Supervisors - MORE Summer Series Begins July 6

With the UFT/Unity deficient, Who Ya Gonna Call? MORE's Annual Summer Series:  Wednesdays: July 6, August 3 and August 31st

The DOE has given principals a blueprint on how to remove senior and troublesome staff and they can call DOE legal for advise.

The Unity/UFT leadership has no plan and has left our membership defenseless. The other day at the theater a teacher in our show - a very happy teacher by the way whose admin loves her - told me

there is some upset in her school because a few teachers have become targets - teachers others in the school respect. She knows that the admin can turn on her on a dime or if another principal comes in with his or her own favorites, she can end up on the doodoo list too. This is the sword of Damocles people work under.

See: Pissed Off Incompetence - Thirty two year old APs who know nothing about teaching and everything about harassing those who do and incompetent Principals who appoint and support them...

One of the roles MORE must play, even with limited resources, is assuming the role the UFT leadership has vacated. Though I must say there are sketchy reports that in our assuming this role, the leadership may be feeling pressure to be more supportive -- sketchy depending on the district. If we get the leadership to do a better job that is not a bad thing but MORE will continue to push.

This summer we will escalate with 3 sessions on the fundamentals - and I hope we can continue into the fall.

MORE's Annual Summer Series! Open to UFT Chapter Leaders and All Members.

Wednesdays: July 6, August 3 and August 31st
3:00-6:00pm Happy Hour Drink Specials

Veteran Chapter Leaders Will Lead Workshops On:

Learning The Contract, Coordinating School-wide Grievances, Dealing with Difficult Supervisors, Communicating with Your Staff, Building New Leadership, Intro to the UFT Structure, The Delegate Assembly: How it Works, Fighting Charters and Privatization, Building Power with Parents and Students, How to Organize an Opt Out Campaign in Your School

After burn: Is there a  better chapter leader than Kevin Prosen? The perfect combo of social justice and hard core unionism
Kevin Prosen became chapter leader of his middle school 4 years ago. It took guts because his principal was a noted abuser. I remember we had a meeting of new chapter leaders after he was elected and he said openly he knew nothing. Within a year he was already becoming an expert and has continued to grow to the point where he can lead workshops.

Kevin is also a hard core social justice advocate and an organizer and his views have enabled him to understand how to gain support in his school. Kevin did amazing work in the election, gathering over 80 signatures on petitions in his school and has worked with people in neighboring schools.

We try to tell people that fighting an abusive supervisor is not an individual battle but takes organizing skills.

After Kevin's first year as CL his principal announced her retirement.

Fifty Attend #MORE16 Wrap-up Meeting: Ovation for Ending Fair Student Funding

Dear Fellow MORE Members:

While we welcome a variety of gifts and insights, there is a need for prioritization. This is where we need an overarching analysis of what has hit teachers and other workers, namely neoliberalism, the purposeful destabilization of workers and workplaces in favor of ever cheaper labor. In the case of teachers, this translates into the attack on veteran teachers in favor of cheaper replacements.

TOP PRIORITY--JOB SECURITY: stopping the high turnover of teachers through Discontinuances, Bad Reviews (by whatever method) and Tenure Delays.We must end Fair Student Funding, where teacher salaries no longer come out of a common pot, but each school is a cost center. Fair Student Funding policy favors the cheapest teachers against the high paid veterans, forcing many tenured veterans into endless ATR and Provisional status. An insecure, migrant teacher is alienated from school community and is thereby hamstrung from being politically engaged.

Job Quality Issues are also important; lengthening of work week, paperwork increase, the high states tests are very important. However, a teacher must first have a job at all, before being able to focus on everything else. 

In sum, job stability has been fundamentally undermined. It must be squarely fought.

In solidarity, an attendee at the MORE meeting

Don't let good ideas fall into a black hole.

At the final MORE meeting of the school year, a retired teacher made a passionate statement about how the root of so much evil which has led to higher salaried teachers being pit against younger teachers has been the fair student funding formula when it relates to how teachers are paid out of school budgets instead of centrally and that it was incumbent for MORE address that issue.  He received a big ovation from the nearly 50 people present as he pointed out that the UFT/Unity caucus with access to the de Blasio/Farinia admin has not even brought the subject up. He pointed out it was incumbent for the MORE/NA high school exec bd reps to put this issue on the table ASAP. By the end of the meeting there were so many things for them to address.

I arrived 15 minutes early and the room was empty so I figured we might have 20 people at most. When meeting organizers Julie Cavanagh (with an almost 4 year old Jack in tow) and Peter Lamphere arrived a few minutes later, we began putting chairs around the tables. Within 20 minutes we were inundated by so many people we had to pull back into a giant circle that just kept growing as people arrived.

We spent an hour doing UFT election analysis where we heard the good, the bad and the ugly - I did the bad and ugly parts as I don't want people to dislocate their shoulders from excessive patting themselves on the back by focusing only on the positive. MORE needs to do a lot more organizing before it can be more than a glimmer of a threat to Unity.

Then we got into some meat of a discussion about the relationships between social justice unionism and what is termed bread and butter unionism - the idea that a union can't only be about fundamental service and defense of the contract - which of course the UFT/Unity doesn't even do well, if at all. So some fusion of the SJ and service concepts -- in fact the very idea of a union is social justice -- but a broader view of SJ is not just a moral issue but also a fundamental way of supporting the delivery of the service.

MORE's slogan that working conditions are student learning conditions and the converse - that learning conditions affect working conditions - is not a theoretical concept. As one person after another talked about abusive working conditions and abusive principals I pointed out that if there are hundreds of schools with toxic working conditions then those schools also have toxic learning conditions. There is the fusion of SJ issues. MORE can't just talk about student justice and people on the other side of the fence can''t just talk about teacher justice because the way to go after an abusive principal effectively is with a fusion because we know full well that the DOE and public will ignore teachers complaining but might listen when students, parents garner some political support and get press coverage.

The fair student funding formula helps create toxic working conditions which creates toxic learning conditions. The funding formula is not fair in any way.

There were suggestions that MORE and New Action use their exec bd seats to aggressively confront the leadership on its passivity when it comes to toxic work environments and that it put some serious pressure on Farina.

For people in the schools who don't go to Exec Bd meetings there are some thoughts of encouraging rank and file people (such as readers of the blogs) to attend some of the meetings during the year when some of these issues might come up. The EB can't just be a place where resolutions are brought up, debated, turned down ore watered down by Unity and then disappear into a black hole. MORE has to choose a few issues rather than throw everything up against the wall and see what sticks. Organizationally, one person needs to take charge and manage the campaign.

The problem often is that a great idea is floated and then disappears. It takes people power to form and execute a plan. There are people in MORE who teach in international schools with lots of immigrants. Some of them have teamed up with people in NYCORE to move on a plan. That is their passion and interest.

Back to fair student funding - if people want to get serious they need to form a FSF committee to plan a campaign. Otherwise a great idea falls into a black hole and never emerges again.

#MORE2016 Post Election: Jia and Julie on the Case - Two Giants - though they are short

MORE first post-election meeting June 11
I was on a conference call the other night to plan MORE's first post election meeting on June 11 (anyone can attend MORE meetings). And what a pleasure to hear words of wisdom from the only two MORE presidential candidates has had - Julie Cavanagh (2013) and Jia Lee (2016), 2 amazing ladies.

As Ed Notes readers know, Julie Cavanagh has focused on her work in her school and on raising her almost 3-year old son, who was about 3 weeks old when we came a-calling to ask her to run for UFT President in 2013.  So after the 2013 election Julie has been active only in the background. In that time Jia Lee has risen to play a major role in MORE.

So seeing Jia and Julie working together to help MORE figure out the next steps speaks well for the immediate future of MORE. Both have had a big influence on my thinking - and many others too - about a lot of issues. Both are superb leaders in a way that does not intrude on people.

The MORE June 11 meeting will spend the first hour analyzing the election results.

If we should happen to win the high school seats on the UFT Exec Board there will be a discussion on how to make use of those seats to work in the interests of all UFT members. I have mixed feelings about winning these seats since having some of our key people spending time in a sea of Unity slugs every 2 weeks just may not be very productive. If I had the chance I certainly would not have done it.

In fact many of our people just did not want to spend time doing that work and finding the 5 MORE people (New Action has 2) involved some deep discussions. That we came up with such a top-level list of people is what makes winning these seats an interesting proposition.

MORE analyzes election outcomes at June 11 meeting
MORE will also do some analysis of the election campaign itself. What seemed to work, what didn't. (Ie - how effective is it to stuff mail boxes with tens of thousands of leaflets?) Dan Lupkin will report on the outcomes of the social media campaign he ran - which I think was fantastic - and it will be interesting to see if that moved the needle. You know my feelings are that it takes face to face to move people -- even yesterday I met a guy at the mailboxes of a middle school who voted Unity because his chapter leader said they were the lesser of 2 evils - I guess MORE is more evil than Unity. We spoke for 10 minutes and I knew I moved his needle enough so that he would have considered MORE if we had met before he voted.

The June 11 meeting will also focus on the way forward for MORE - long-term and immediate. Coming up will be an exciting MORE summer series with some new twists - some book clubs and also some usual things dealing with contract and chapter leader training and also some UFT history.

In other news:
Monitoring the vote count

I and Jia and Ellen Fox and maybe a few others will be spending the day at the AAA on Thursday to monitor the count. I will ask why we can't get access to the same data Unity has in terms of who voted.

ICE meets May 27 to analyze election
ICE - yes we are still around - will be doing a longer and deeper election analysis on the day after the election - Friday May 27 - at 4PM in midtown Manhattan. We expect a small group of people, all of whom bring decades of experience to UFT politics. We will produce a report for the June 11 meeting. (If any ed notes readers are interested in joining us email me.)

Using DOE Email for Campaign Material
One unnamed caucus (not Unity or MORE) used the DOE email system to send out campaign material, a violation of DOE internet policy. Probably nothing will come of it - but if the DOE has people targeted it could be a weapon for DOE Legal to use if it wanted. Unity already has access to most teachers so in this situation MORE is more disadvantaged.


MORE/New Action Election Party  - all invited
And the best news of all is the MORE post-election party on Thursday May 26 starting even before all the results are in. I will hang out at the vote count until the bitter end so save a beer for me. But if it gets to 8PM - and we got pretty close last time -- I am out of there. Actually I expect more votes this time and also more booklets being sent in which means they have to take them apart and scan the entire booklet - which takes hours. I am only interested in the slate votes so I hope they do that last so I can leave.

MORE and New Action are co-hosting an election night party. We are getting together to share some drinks, food, laughs, and find

out who won. This is our time to celebrate! Bring your friends too! 

Please RSVP 

https://www.facebook.com/events/592069184283434/

Thursday 5/26

6:00-9:00pm

Dark Horse Pub

17 Murray St, Downtown NYC near City Hall

Petitioning, get out the vote, organizing, all our hard work-now it is time to have some much needed FUN! 

Please do your very best to come out-the MORE the merrier.

We have rented the bottom floor, it will be a cash bar and order your own food. Dinner and appetizers there are great!

#WhatMOREdoes: Supports Opt-Out Which Defends Teachers Against Ed Deform Onslaught

MORE was far ahead of the curve in linking the battle over high stakes, connecting opt-out to the assault on teachers while Unity Caucus plays footsie with Farina, Elia and a host of ed deformers.

One MORE reason to VOTE MORE:

One of the keys to building a powerful union is building strong alliances. Even pre-MORE, some founders, as members of ICE and GEM, helped start the opt-out movement through organizing with other teachers about the impact of testing and that began to attract parents who quickly took over the testing information program that then morphed into the opt-out movement through Change the Stakes, an offshoot of GEM. MORE teachers who are also parents played a dual role by opting their own children out of tests.

The film we made through GEM, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman,  is considered one of the first shots fired back against the ed deform movement.

Thus MORE which emerged out of GEM has its basic roots in the battle against high stakes testing and the formation of the opt-out movement.

MORE teachers realized was that high stakes testing was the major weapon of ed deform to attack teachers and close down their schools in favor of charters which leads to loss of jobs and the creation of the ATR crisis.

If you don't believe it just see the reactions of the ed deform supporting press and the astro-turf organizations like Students First which actually got an appearance yesterday on the Brian Lehrer show posing as a grassroots group of parents supporting the tests. Brian barely challenged her claims.

The link of test scores to teacher performance was a big wake-up call to the rank and file - and Unity Caucus is still selling that link as a better way to fight unfettered principal power which causes everyone to scratch their heads since Unity Caucus played a big role in handing over this power to principals in the first place.

Thus, the reality is that MORE was far ahead of the curve in linking the battle over high stakes, supporting opt-out to the assault on teachers while Unity Caucus plays footsie with Farina, Elia and a host of ed deformers.

Below is the MORE statement released this morning - and when asked "what does MORE do?" this is just one item in a list of many to come.

morecaucusnyc

MORE Supports Opt-Out

The members of the Movement and Rank and File Educators (MORE-UFT) stand in solidarity with and support the students, parents and fellow educators who are taking a stand against the tools being used to destroy public education.

By standing together against the interests of corporate driven education reforms, whose sole purpose is for profit, we are creating a vision for the kinds of schools our students deserve. The opt out movement is speaking loud and clear against the systematic ranking and sorting of our students, teachers and schools.

By denying the data, communities are standing up for educators to be able to teach to the whole child, to respect and attend to the rich diversity of student interests and ways of learning and to teach in culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate ways.
We are grateful to the principled actions of so many who are organizing and working to protect the professional autonomy of educators so that our students can thrive.

“To educate as the practice of freedom is a way of teaching that anyone can learn. That learning process comes easiest to those of us who teach who also believe that there is an aspect of our vocation that is sacred; who believe that our work is not merely to share information but to share in the intellectual and spiritual growth of our students. To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin” (Bell Hooks 1994)

We are keenly aware of how our teaching conditions are inextricably linked to our students’ learning conditions. We will continue to work alongside our school communities to fight for the schools our children deserve.

On May 5th ballots for UFT officers will be sent to your house. MORE has supported educators who speak out against testing, refuse to administer these tests, and those that opt-out their own children. We have opposed Common Core from the moment it was forced upon teachers without our consent. UFT President Michael Mulgrew and his Unity caucus have not offered any support to educators and parents opting out of testing, refused to endorse resolutions calling for an end to high stakes testing, and have been staunch defenders of Common Core.

Our Presidential candidate Jia Lee, Chapter Leader of The Earth School was quoted in this article in the NY Post
‘Opt out:’ Teachers email parents to boycott Common Core tests

The Unity Caucus Propaganda Machine, PART 2: Oh, Democracy - How MORE Chooses Its Steering Committee

If you opposed the 65 year tenure of the Unity Caucus machine in the UFT, you have to work very hard on democratic procedures to make sure you

don't one day catch the Unity authoritarian virus and become like Unity. Oh, yes, Unity people will tell you how the UFT is a democratic organization - we've had 4 presidents in 50 years.

One of the reasons I'm still involved in MORE is that it is a chance to explore the very difficult idea of bottom-up democracy in new ways. Yes, there have been and will be ups and downs.

In Part 1 The Unity Caucus Propaganda Machine: Are Most NYC Teachers Clueless? How Dim is the Future? Part 1 I explored the Unity Propaganda machine and what it might take to challenge its dominance. In part 3 I'll get into the roots - you can't kill the head without going after the roots at the school and district levels.

Here, in Part 2 I use the current MORE steering committee elections to drill down into some of the good, bad and ugly aspects of trying to be an Un-Unity bottom-up democratic organization.

Nominations for MORE Steering Committee Election

It's that time again for the twice yearly MORE 9 person steering committee elections at a somewhat inconvenient time -- just as the UFT elections will be heating up. This will be the 6th election since MORE's went to this process in 2013. Before that when MORE was smaller, there was an informal voluntary committee - whoever showed up for a planning meeting was able to vote. When that structure became unwieldy due to growth, MORE moved to an elected steering committee and if that current structure stops working if MORE gets bigger, things will evolve into something else.

There was a proposal last summer to not hold this steering election and change MORE leadership at this time due to the UFT elections. It was voted down. I voted NO and was a voice for continuing the 6 month elections which one leader in CORE in Chicago, which holds elections every 2 years for steering, termed "crazy", wondering how an organization can run efficiently if it changes leadership every 6 months.

I don't see things that way. I like a rotating leadership and also opening up steering to new people. I also like the idea that if you somehow end up with a bad egg and a destructive force on Steering - like someone who passes on private information to Unity or makes private discussions public - you only have to live with that person for 6 months.

MORE also has a 2 consecutive term limit rule -- one can only serve for  one year before having to take at least 6 months off steering. This helps lead to some churn on steering - a good thing.

So far in the 5 steering committee elections in MORE's history, I believe over 30 different people have served. Some are serving for the 3rd time so there is some consistency in leadership.

I defended the MORE choice to go through a messy process twice a year for a bunch of reasons. We so much don't want to be top-down Unity-like. If we ever win power in the UFT we don't want to win as a caucus that functions like Unity because any such caucus would bring that same culture to running the UFT and we would be back to "new boss, same as the old boss."

There is a cost in doing things this way.

Decision making is slow and often laborious since Steering meets by phone or in person only every 2 weeks. (People are very busy as every classroom teacher knows, which MORE people are, and if you want a diverse group of people doing this work there has to be some leeway.)

No clear formal leadership emerges as power is defused. A MORE supporter stopped by at a DA to complain to me about this. "There is no sense of leadership," he said. "One day it is Julie Cavanagh and the next it is Jia Lee." I get it.  And I like it that way. I wouldn't want to see one voice become so dominant as to drown out others - that leads to dangerous territory. I view the MORE by-laws as in some ways as being obstructionist to being able to make decisions efficiently but I still opt for that at this time because I've seen too many groups split in pieces when people take rigid positions. Better no decision at this point than a wrong-headed one. At least until MORE matures into a smoothly working organization. OK, I am getting conservative in my dotage.

I think diffusing leadership is a good thing. Three years ago Julie Cavanagh was viewed as the leader of MORE. Now Jia Lee is perceived  as the MORE leader but even that is not true. Jia is a leader among many.

Term limits: I recommend it for the UFT/AFT
Taking time off from managing MORE opens opportunity to engage in broader issues. Jia was not on steering for well over a year and put efforts into building the opt-out movement, which of course has been the single most effective movement that has kept the Cuomo hounds off the backs of teachers - certainly more effective than the UFT.

Mindy Rosier put her amazing energy into MORE for a year and now she has time to put that energy into the Bernie Sanders campaign. She is running as a delegate for Bernie in NY.

Here is the MORE announcement for Steering. One of the great things is that if you are a member for even a short time, you are welcome to run. One day I hope people in New Action will feel comfortable running for a position on MORE steering while keeping their organization alive like ICE has done.

Hello MORE-UFT members:

It is time to elect a new Steering Committee for MORE-UFT!
To nominate yourself or someone else as a candidate to run in the election for the new MORE-UFT Steering Committee, please send an email to steering@morecaucusnyc.org.

The nomination period will runs through Saturday January 30th, so we can have elections and put our new Steering Committee in place by February 14th. Only dues paying members can serve on steering or make nominations.

Some of the responsibilities of steering members include: 

• attending once monthly meetings and participating in a conference call once a month
• chairing one or two of these meetings and taking notes for one or two (chairs responsible for soliciting and preparing agendas, notetakers responsible for publishing summary).
• responding to email on a regular basis (the steering listserve averages about 300 messages monthly)
• attending and helping to plan MORE meetings and other activities
• Terms are 6 months long. The next Steering committee will serve from March 1 until Sept 1.