Showing posts with label PEP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PEP. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Poison PEP - Chancellor Banks - Not Even a Competent Bullshitter, Rally Against Budget cuts - If You can call it that

I watched the recent PEP last week for hours - on and off - the Panel for Educational Policy -- PEP - which I am renaming PECS - Panel for Educational Charter Schools. They want to starve the beast to prove public schools except for a few don't work.

Goal to starve the beast - the public scbool system -- to drive the move for vouchers and other options. And it will work. Imagine a totally fragmentized and Balcanized non-union system. Once those pesky UFT salaries are out of the way, the charters won't have to compete on salary -- or even on competentce of teachers --- just drag them off the street for the schools in poor neighborhoods.

Banks made a few appearances and they were almost embarassing. He can't even lie effectively and uses phony charm to try to get over.

MORE came up big at the PEP --maybe 30 people spoke -- no one from the UFT leadership - I repeat - totally absent from a major meeting dealing with massive cuts. 

I posted the Ronnie Almonte speech and newsletter -- Ronnie gets what the political agenda is about: Starve the beast -- and show how government doesn't work.  There was a rally of sorts where MORE had more people showed than Unity. I mean this is a union of 197,000 people. Getting a few hundred out makes the union look weak. Sometimes its better to stay home.

Leonie is on the case on the budget cuts.  (And on Class size -- big event for Skinny Awards Monday night.)

$1.1 billion in unspent funds by DOE for FY 2020 and FY 2021 – making cuts to schools even more outrageous - See below; a budget presentation by the DOE dated June 21, showing unspent allocations to schools and districts of $1.1 billion from FY 2020 and FY 2021, w... 
 
BTW - UFT endorsed Hochul -- who obviously won big -- has not yet signed the class size bill --- And her buddy Adams doesn't want her to. 


Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Join the June 23 People’s Panel for Educational Policy!- Make your voices heard

Shades of the Bloomberg era - it's time to go back to the PEP - except they got an emergency reprieve from having to face the public in person through the July meeting -- so this is zoom only. 

I have little doubt that Adams etc are privatizers of public schools. Cut the budget deeply and create demand for the charter school cap to be lifted. The class size law? Hochul hasn't signed it yet. Adams doesn't want it. Watch the primary outcome to get a clue to see if she signs it.
Norm Scott
 

Calling all Parents, Students, Educators, and School Staff

Make your voices heard – In Unity There is Strength!

Join the June 23 People’s Panel for Educational Policy!

Budget Cuts? Layoffs? School Closings? Class size? Charter School Takeovers? High Stakes Testing?  Homeless Families?

Defend Our NYC Public School Communities

Whose Schools?  Our Schools!

Hosted by the Coalition to End Mayoral Control https://www.nycmayoralcontrolnot.org/

Thursday June 23, 2022.  6:00 -7:30 PM

Register for the zoom call below.   If you wish to speak sign up  when the meeting begins

You are invited to a Zoom meeting. 

When: Jun 23, 2022 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/register/upIpdumrrjwpGtRwUNpm6YT8jecxeg06wVfS


After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.


 

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Video and Commentary: PEP April 25, 2018 Students Protest Closing Their School, PEP closes it anyway

Students at Crotona Academy: If you close our school we will drop out.
PEP closed the school anyway.

The April 25 PEP was another doozy - Lisa North got home at 2AM. I couldn't stand it anymore and left at around 10:30. Earlier today I posted a piece about speaking to a class at Leon Goldstein about our 2011 film, The Inconvenient Truth About Waiting for Superman. The film opened with students singing: DOE Don't Care About Us.

Clearly. Whether under Bloomberg or de Blasio.

I made this short segment for that class to see that 7 years later nothing has changed. I have 2 and a half hours of video and this is just 5 minutes - only a slice of what happened.

Below the video is a great account of the meeting from the always awesome Leonie Haimson.

https://vimeo.com/267416001






 

Failure of Mayoral control: De Blasio starts yesterday by slandering teachers and the day ends with the closure of yet more schools by his hand-picked panel, despite heartbreaking student pleas 

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Tell the New Chancellor Your Thoughts at the PEP, Wed. April 25-- sign upto speak at 5:30

Here's you chance to talk to the chancellor. Or sing to him.

I am going with a few people and will tape. There are a bunch of charter co-locos on the agenda. Anyone can get 2 minutes which is more than you get elsewhere.

Murry Bergtraum HS. 5:30 sign-up to speak, meeting starts at 6 but often starts about 6:15-6:30. They must stay there till everyone who wants to gets to speak. They should do that at a DA. 

This came in from Leonie:

Subject: PEP meeting w. new Chancellor tomorrow night re PS 25


Thanks to all who have helped with the lawsuit to save PS 25. 
 
Please if you can, come and speak at the PEP meeting tomorrow night – the first time that the Chancellor Carranza will be presiding.  Sebastian and I plan to speak as well – but we also have to address our class size lawsuit and school overcrowding.
 
 
Panel Meeting
April 25, 2018 - 6:00 P.M.
Murry Bergtraum High School
411 Pearl St.
New York, NY 10007
 
 
All Chancellor Carranza has to do is say no, and the school will not close. It’s certainly worth trying to make our case directly to him.
 
Come at 5:30 PM to sign up to speak; it’s a convenient location right behind City Hall and  near many subway stops. More info below:
 
If you want some talking points there are many available here:
 
Thanks,
 
Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters


Friday, January 26, 2018

Video: Voices of Community Education Council District 3 (Upper West Side) Address Total Lack of Community Engagement and DOE Complicity at PEP

Lack of professionalism and common courtesy on part of the DOE.
Everything was done to minimize community input and family engagement.
DOE hasn't earned our trust.
Going to a PEP where parents, teachers, students and community people show up to talk about being ignored, being ignored by yet another arrogant Farina superintendent, being lied to repeatedly and being used as a prop to give the impression the DOE admin is concerned about them is like watching a horror show in an endless loop.

See the video of 4 CEC 3 members at the Jan. PEP calling out the DOE and Farina administration under de Blasio and if you want to dig further read their astounding letter - all 11 pages detailing the ills of the DOE that will never be fixed even though these parents honestly offer their services. Ending mayoral control is the only answer. At least at the local school boards we knew who to yell at.

CEC 3 letter to DOE -- see full pdf: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a806f4_f9d8950a31e947cea7c12df1d888da84.pdf



https://vimeo.com/252994409January 22, 2018

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Video: Where We Speak at the December PEP - and Farina Responds

You might classify this as an example of "if a tree fell in the forest and no one was there." But the 13 members of the PEP, Farina and her hangers on at the DOE were there so let them hear a dose of reality every once in a while.

A bunch of MOREs and friends spoke to the Dec. 20 Panel for Educational Policy --Here they are in order: Aixa, Lisa, Norm,
Gloria, Jane. Others from MORE were there too but didn't speak.
Other than some parents from the Harbor school at Governor's Island who have been fighting for space promised to them when the school moved there years ago, we were pretty much the only ones there.

We met as a committee of MORE that is addressing the closing of schools issue at Panera before the meeting --- we feel at least try to raise certain issues even if the effort proves fruitless. We also think the PEP is a good space to get in some public speaking practice -- learn to try to say something cogent in a 2 minute slot. It also allows you to test out a way to present your ideas. It is a leaning experience.

I went over my time - I had so much to say and boiling it all down can be tough. I dealt with the ways principals and teachers at closing schools are dealt with - I bet they are given jobs while ATRs are tossed into the pool. Aixa put the ATR issue on the table in her own unique manner -- that Farina responded means she hit a chord. Note who relaxed Aixa is - how she doesn't make a speech but just sort of chats. Very effective even to an empty auditorium.
https://vimeo.com/249951542




Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Video: UPDATED - MORE and Teacher Diversity Committee at Panel for Educational Policy Nov 25, 2014

Teaching has often been a way for poor people from the city to join the ranks of the middle class. I'm an example of this.... Pearson, King, Tisch and Cuomo have been dismantling this tradition.... It is the gentrification of the teaching force....As someone who has been a dean, chapter leader and mentor, I see the difference between the way gentrifiers deal with NYC kids and native NYers deal with NYC kids. In short, we need many many more native NYers in the classroom, especially New Yorkers of color.
.....Assailed Teacher, blogger
Last night a batch of MOREistas were at the PEP to argue a number of points. Eterno covered ATRs. I touched on bully principals and a discontinued guidance counselor from Staten Island made a powerful statement (videos to follow). Sean Ahern and Megan Moskop joined others from the Teacher Diversity Committee to press for a more diverse and balanced teaching staff. Video below and at the MORE you tube site: http://youtu.be/g1_RDCkWLUM

Sean has been fighting this battle for a decade and is finally getting noticed by the DOE and the UFT - but outcomes do count.
I was going to speak about the lack of balance in terms of the racial composition of teaching staffs around the city. We find a lot of teachers of color in the poorest areas of the city - Harlem, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy - the overwhelming majority in some schools and overwhelmingly white staffs in other areas.

This is often unfair to the teachers of color who are more likely to be teaching in the tougher schools.

Bloomberg got rid of a provision that allowed teachers of color to transfer based on race in 2005. You know the drill - principals should not be forced to take a teacher they don't want - even if the real issue is the decision might be based on racial bias - which by the way, can also work both ways - a white teacher had a tough time getting a job in the 70s in certain schools. But the racial bias is way more likely to work the other way. All power to the principals must be curbed and maybe this is the way to begin. It is time for the DOE to take a look at the racial imbalance in schools around the city.

I included an excerpt from Assailed Teacher in the video. Read the entire quote in my post yesterday: Impact on Teacher Diversity: Teacher Certifications Decline As NYS Uses Tougher Exams




Wednesday, March 19, 2014

A PEP Lovefest; I Compare Eva Moskowitz to Global Warming

Last night I attended my first PEP meeting under the new administration and it was quite a lovefest directed at Carmen Farina, even from critics. Even my usually sour presentation was tempered. The meeting was sparsely attended and there were critics there, but even they thanked Farina for at the very least, the stand to defend the autistic and other special ed kids at the Mickey Mantle school from Eva's outrageous demands they be kicked out for her 194 "scholars." That the De Blasio administration couldn't make this point clearer - even with their own ads, is sad. At the very least the UFT should have done some ads, but then they would be subject to attacks over their own co-located charter that was resisted by parents and teachers they displaced.

Throughout the evening Carmen brought such charm and humor to the table for the first time in 13 years people felt good about the administration even when they disagreed on all the other co-locos Farina allowed. People from Mickey Mantle school made some wonderful speeches that should be put in an ad attacking the shit out of Eva.

I have a batch of videos, including one from Francesco Portelos. However, the event was for the first time livestreamed and will be available for viewing in a day or 2. I will try to save you the trouble of parsing through it by highlighting.

Naturally, I'll start with my speech where I compare Eva to global warming. When I ask what might have happened if Carmen closed the schools like Eva did, she said, laughing, "I did close them. For a snow day."I stayed within my 2 minutes - though they were very liberal in allowing more time - and had a lot more to say. Like if the millions spend on Eva ads were used to buy them a building. Or their phony stats. Maybe I'll do a follow-up in April. My belief is even though we are a spec, getting the info on the web serves as some minor counter to the Moskowitz machine. And one of my Wave columns this week also deals with the issue.




Busy day today with the DA and the District 14 forum. I'll add more videos to this post as I get to them and then repost this with the updates.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Advice for de Blasio: ASAP - Make Patrick Sullivan Your First PEP Appointment

...here is a chance for Patrick Sullivan to bring his considerable talents in service of NYC parents, students and teachers by working with the majority at long last. What a shame to deny Patrick this opportunity. ... EdNotesOnline
Scott Stringer also deserves a lot of thanks for sticking by Patrick and letting him vote his conscience even after being pressured by Bloomberg’s minions to fire him.... Leonie Haimson
Stringer's support for Patrick is why I voted for him. If you attended any PEP meetings the only member to consistently get applause from the audience was Patrick. W

When people took over the August 2010 PEP meeting, Patrick came off the stage to stand with the people while the rest of the PEPs scurried for cover. Here is a video with Patrick speaking from the floor at around 4:30.




Also See: The anti-chancellor: Scott Stringer’s education-board appointee objects to Dennis Walcott, again and again

Patrick was an immense supporter of our film (see tab at the top of the blog) and we used some important footage of him.

Patrick Sullivan resigned from the PEP once Scott Stringer's term of Manhattan Borough President expired. That does not mean he is not interested in the PEP. Under BloomKleinBlackCott Patrick had to play the role of obstructionist to try to stop the destruction and undermining of the public school system.

But here is a chance for Patrick to bring his considerable talents in the service of NYC parents, students and teachers by working with the majority at long last. What a shame to deny Patrick this opportunity.

However, I do not think Patrick should have to go begging to new Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. Let's see where she stands on education as revealed by her PEP appointee. de Blasio should show support for the work Patrick did by appointing him to one of the 8 positions (out of 13) he controls.

Here is the link to the ednotes piece when Patrick announced his resignation: Patrick Sullivan resigns from NYC Board of Educati...

And here's Leonie Haimson's supportive piece and call for people to leave comments on the blog she and Patrick run supporting Patrick.

Happy New Year to all.

I just returned from a trip last night, but if you’d like to add your thanks and appreciation to Patrick for an incredible job on the PEP for the last 6 ½ yrs please put your thanks on the blog here, where he posted his resignation letter to Stringer:

http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2013/12/sullivan-thanks-scott-stringer-for.html

Scott Stringer also deserves a lot of thanks for sticking by Patrick and letting him vote his conscience even after being pressured by Bloomberg’s minions to fire him.

As I commented on the blog, if Patrick’s advice had been listened to, we would have been spared hundreds of damaging co-locations and school closures, and millions of dollars down the drain in wasteful and sometimes outright corrupt contracts.

Also, you might mention if you think de Blasio should appoint him to the new and hopefully independent NYC Board of Ed to be a voice for parents.

Thanks,

Leonie Haimson
NOTE- Another thing de Blasio should do immediately is to get rid of Bloomberg's PEP nomenclature -- really should have been PERPS---  and replace it with______ - let's have a contest.

See these links on Patrick:
  1. Ed Notes Online: Why Scott Stringer? Patrick Sullivan on the PEP ...

    ednotesonline.blogspot.com/.../why-scott-stringer-patrick-sullivan-on.ht...
    Aug 30, 2013 - Patrick Sullivan on the PEP and Beat Evil Eva Mosowitz. It was not small feat for Scott Stringer to give us the gift of Patrick Sullivan on the PEP...

  2. Patrick Sullivan commands the stage at the PEP | NYC Public ...

    thediariesofalawstudent.blogspot.com › ... › Patrick Sullivan
    Check out this video of Manhattan member of the Panel for Educational Policy Patrick Sullivan, fearless and brilliant, at the PEP December 20 meeting in the ...

  3. Patrick Sullivan/James Liebman Joust at the PEP - YouTube

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=11q3uZtePCE
    Nov 23, 2007 - Uploaded by norscot2
    PEP Manhatan appointee Patrick Sullivan and Tweed Chief Accountability Officer James Liebman joust at ...

  4. Patrick Sullivan at the PEP Dec 09.mov - YouTube

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn_UnhQ0ALc
    Dec 21, 2009 - Uploaded by norscot2
    The NYC so-called rubber stamp Board of Education is known as the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP). Most ...

  5. Patrick Sullivan commands the stage at the PEP - NYC Public ...

    nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/.../patrick-sullivan-commands-stag...
    Dec 22, 2009 - Check out this video of Manhattan member of the Panel for Educational Policy Patrick Sullivan, fearless and brilliant, at the PEP December 20 ...

  6. Manhattan Borough Pres Scott Stringer and PEP Rep Patrick ...

    iceuftblog.blogspot.com/.../manhattan-borough-pres-scott-stringer.html
    Aug 31, 2011 - Manhattan Borough Pres Scott Stringer and PEP Rep Patrick Sullivan at Tuesday's Press Conference on Verizon Contract.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Pre-PEP Funeral for Closing Schools Pics


Our own Evil Eva dressed appropriately for Halloween with old nemesis Noah Gotbaum. Thanks to Pat Dobosz for the pics. A roll-call was read listing each of the over 160 schools that have been murdered by Bloomberg's hench-people at Tweed. After this people at the PEP buried the pathetic puppets of the PEP -- only 2 months left. Not that I trust de Blasio to do much given the charter lobby has such access to people who have access.

MOREistas gather






Evil and Fred Smith





















My costume? Dressed as a bald guy.

Tish James @ the PEP: We Want Our Schools Back

Not up to the impact of James' galvanizing speech at the Oct. 15 PEP where she laid bare the DOE policy of inequality. Here she does some posturing and I hated her use of the charter standard use of "scholars" -- is she coopting them? But she rises to the occasion at the end with her call of "We want our schools back."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYwb_mCehTY

>

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Oct. 30 PEP: Parents, Teachers, Clergy and Students to Rally for End To School Closures and Co-Locations


Gotta switch mind-sets after the last post and focus on the PEP at Prospect Hts HS. I will be there to get what footage I can. First a rally, then let's go in a sign up for 2 minutes of speaking time and support the schools under assault.

From MORE:
Attached is the final flier for Wednesday's PEP in Brooklyn at Prospect Heights HS. Print some copies and bring them at 5:30 for the Funeral Procession of Schools that have been closed! Then come into the PEP horror show. Wear your MORE T-shirt. Wear a costume. Wear a Mask. Bring instruments. Be there. 



From Save Our Schools:


Parents, Teachers, Clergy and Students to Rally for End To School Closures and Co-Locations

Will hold Funeral of Schools before NYCDOE Panel for Education Policy meeting to remember 168 schools closed under Bloomberg and look forward to a new era of equitable public education policy

New York, NY - On Wed., Oct. 30th at 5:15 community supporters of public education will gather outside of the Prospect Heights Campus at 883 Classon Ave in Brooklyn to hold a funeral for all the schools shuttered under the Bloomberg administration. Fathers Michael Sniffen and Chris Ballard of the Church of St. Luke & St. Matthew will officiate the festive Dia de Los Muertos-style ceremony.  

Participants include the Movement of Rank-and-File Educators (MORE) Caucus of the UFT, Change the Stakes, Class Size Matters, the Paul Robeson Freedom School, and allied groups. 

###

Monday, October 21, 2013

PEP Video: Community Says "No MORE Charters"

Panel for Educational Policy October 15, 2013:
NYCDOE votes to cram 23 co-locations and charters into existing schools despite large protests, mostly unreported by the press which gave extensive coverage when charters closed schools for half a day and told parents they had to attend.
Members of MORE help lead protest at PEP as parents, students, teachers and entire communities around the city say NO to privately run charter schools that invade public school space. The NYC ed press of course ignores community outrage while promoting every vestige of charter promotion. Included in this video is me speaking on the issue. I handed the camera to someone I won't name who got a good shot of the ceiling as I began to speak but then did a superb job.

My major point was that charters were allowed to close for a politically driven protest while public schools being invaded by these charters had to hold their protests/rallies at their schools after school. Their numbers were way above the charter numbers, with over a thousand people attending the Roy Mann rally, another event the NYC ed press ignored. Yes Virginia, the press was not reporting those numbers of anti-charter people. In fact the press did not report this outpouring of
anti-charter co-loco feelings from a packed house at this PEP. They assume that the UFT was behind the chants when nothing can be further from the truth. Does this person on the right, who you can see in the video while the chant was going on look happy?

I also pointed to the Moskowitz hired camera and sound people who she pays to attend every meeting at a reputed cost of over 75K a year. And she object so paying rent? Again, the press ignores the enormous expenditures by Success. Eva manipulated other charters into taking action to try to protect her revenue stream. We all know di Blasio's arrow is aimed directly at her. And she does too.

Lots of videos to come from that Oct 15 PEP -- hope I can get them done before the next one on Oct. 30. And today I'm heading over to the PS 196 rally and hearing to tape.

http://youtu.be/wX5-I1U-G0I



Thursday, October 17, 2013

Video: PEP Oct 15 2013 - I Am Bergtraum

Some of the strongest voices at the PEP came from the Murry Bergtraum HS community in lower Manhattan as they fought the blatant handing over of this prime real estate to Eva Moskowitz who will now have bases in big high school buildings in every part of Manhattan (Brandeis, Graphic Arts, Washington Irving). One irony: Murry Bergtraum's daughter was appointed to the PEP by Bloomberg. I didn't stay around to watch her vote but she seemed to spend a good part of the presentation by Bergtraum students with her hand over her mouth. If she voted to install Success in the school named for her father --- well, I don't have the words.

I did a quick editing job on this to get as many people in -- led off by our pal and MOREista John Elfrank-Dana, chapter leader.

PEP Oct 15 2013 - I Am Bergtraum
https://vimeo.com/77126813
"Voices of Students, Teachers, Parents defending their lower Manhattan HS from the Co-location of Success Charter wearing tee-shirts proudly proclaiming "I am Bergtraum.""



Wednesday, October 16, 2013

PEP Notes - Tish James Rocks the House

You have 77 days and the count-down has begun.... When you treat special needs children differently and when you discipline them and expel them that's separate and unequal... I urge you in anticipation of litigation to save all your emails (especially related to communication with Eva Moskowitz)... That is why I was elected (along with Bill de Blasio) ... that is our mandate... we gotta get back 12 years of this administration failing our children.... Tish James
While the fawning ed press gushes over charters, the PEP was packed with the real choice of the people: no charter co-locations,  anti Success Charter and Eva Moskowitz and schools representing thousands of people. But a more comprehensive report later.

I have over 2 hours of footage and will be putting pieces up. First up is Tish James who put a line in the sand about the end of the Bloomberg administration.

There were a lot of politicians who spoke - this was strong and emotional. Not the full speech but edited to make it more concise.

http://youtu.be/17qXw6E7ZnU



A few stills













Thursday, February 9, 2012

Occupy and Stay! Don't Walk Away as UFT Changes Plans (Again)

The skinny on what's happening today (info coming in all day). This is last call: 3:30 PM


The overall agenda inside the PEP:

-          Set up the People’s Mic (ignoring the DOE’s electronic ones and
speaker set up)

-          Introductions and explanation of the People’s Pep and process;

-          Roll call of affected schools and communities;

-          Vote of No Confidence;

-          Public Comments via the People’s Mic – school by school,
initially led by a few speakers from each - including elected and other
officials should they so choose;

-          People’s Pep roll call vote on each of the school closings and
charter co-locations;

-          Additional public comments

-          Adjourn


UFT Foments Pissing Contest by not going in
FROM LEO BARR around 2:45PM
Everyone,

Michael Mulgrew will do a press conference at 5:30pm outside of Brooklyn Tech on DeKalb Ave. WE ARE NOT GOING IN TO THE PEP AT BROOKLYN TECH! We will gather on the park side of DeKalb Ave. and begin to march at 6pm, led by Mulgrew, politicians and community people. Look for the UFT feather (vertical banner).

Leo Casey will go inside with 10 people from each borough to pass out a letter from Michael Mulgrew inviting people to come over to PS 20K.

DR’s, we need you to reach out to your people and let them know of the change in plans so that we have a large crowd marching with Michael Mulgrew. Thanks everyone!

LeRoy Barr
Director of Staff

In or out? The UFT plays a divisive game that benefits Bloomberg by walking out and not disrupting.
  •  
  •  Live steam http://goo.gl/wZJFb
  •  Media Advisory: Occupy the Department of Education Will Occupy The Panel for Educational Policy to Stop the Vote on School Closures and Co-Locations
  • DOE plans for tonight: vote behind stage in gym or hold meeting Feb. 13.
  • UFT will not go in en masse but send 10 reps from each borough in to urge people to leave
  • Our chapter leader is passing out UFT neck straps and big bright laminated badges that say "People's PEP" and the name of our school. He says the plan is to enter the auditorium after the rally & then walk out & assemble at the other location (with a small auditorium).
  • Coalition of groups: We are not leaving but will use the people's mic to vote to keep all schools open. Each school will be able to send reps to speak their piece not to the PEP but the real public. 
  • There will be no storming of the stage, no blocking of the aisles, no chaos. Just a well-organized demonstration of the People’s will and voice and, we hope, a mass movement toward demanding systemic change.
  • Coalition does education campaign to public: what PEP is, how decisions are made in advance no matter how you pour your heart out, etc. (http://youtu.be/NYjRRNCMuBM and http://youtu.be/rbDdfAEnJ34).
  • Ultimate goal it to build support to shut down mayoral control.
  • Following to be distributed today to all schools urging them not leave the PEP. 
Tweed has a plan: hold vote in gym
Given the expected disruption and use of people's mic tonight to hold an alternate meeting within a meeting, the DOE has a few choices. One is to come down with a heavy hand and threaten people. How this would play out in front of the press and public may not be very good for the massive PR team at Tweed to manage. More likely to happen is this:

We have heard that the DOE has made contingency plans on how to hold the vote to close 23 schools at the PEP at Brooklyn Tech. One source says an alternate space is being set up behind the stage in the gym behind the auditorium. Another that they have reserved Brooklyn Tech for February 13 to redo the meeting if necessary. One would expect very heightened security no matter what but if they decide to redo look for them to restrict access in some manner to prevent a repeat. One of Tweed's strategies may be to let the disruption play out tonight and then use the attack dogs in the Murdoch controlled press to blame the UFT and justify heavy police presence on Feb. 13. All this is still speculation.

Walcott blames UFT for Occupy, further proof he doesn't have a clue

Gotham Schools reports:
But Walcott said he would not let tonight’s meeting be driven off course by protesters and accused the union of masterminding the Occupy protest in addition to its own.
“There are important proposals up for discussion tonight and my hope is that we will have a respectful process where people can be heard,” Walcott said in a statement. “But if all the UFT wants to do is bus in Occupy Wall Street to disrupt public meetings — which provides absolutely no benefit to students — then we will just have to work around that.  We are prepared to move forward even if there are disruptions.”
UFT was not sure what to do - stay or go--but decision to walk will lead to blowback.
Like Walcott, the press attack dogs will blame the UFT for whatever happens tonight. That is far from what has really been going on. Given all the activist groups the opportunity for the UFT to play Big Dog is not as operative as it has been in the past. In fact the UFT has resisted the push from ODOE to stay and hold a meeting within the meeting. They are still sending out mixed signals, telling different schools different things.

The UFT will not send people into the meeting other than 50 reps urging people to leave and head over to nearby PS 20 where the auditorium holds 600 people. The UFT's original plan for tonight was to pack the PEP with people from all the closing schools after a pre-PEP rally, disrupt the PEP for a time and then stage an elaborate walkout and march to the alternate space at PS 20 where political allies would be waiting for s series of speeches. Mulgrew will go in and try to lead the walkout by using a megaphone, which he will sneak in by hiding it in his pants. (OK, skip the last part.)

They tried mighty hard to get all the other groups on board so the Tech auditorium would be an empty shell when the PEP votes. They expected a chunk of the press to be at PS 20. But the push back from the organized groups and the schools themselves has caused the UFT some problems, though we can assume that the UFT muscle may prevail, as the email just sent out indicates.

There is an uprising in the making and many are staying.
Will the UFT get an empty auditorium, which would make the PEP very happy --- see Afterburn below on what happened last year when the UFT walked and Tweed heaved a sigh of relief.

Gotbaum sets up coalition
Over a month ago, Noah Gotbaum (son of famous labor leader Victor and step-son of former Public Advocate Betsy) is an active parent on the CEC in District 3 and a passionate defender of public schools called all parties together to formulate a united plan for tonight and beyond. I attended the first meeting with about 50 people, including 2 major players, the UFT and CEJ (Coalition for Educational Justice) -- an Annenberg Inst. backed parent/student organizing organization that has focused on targeted schools and has demonstrated an ability to bring people out --- they have been the only group to actually shut down a PEP (Aug. 16, 2010 --- the first day we shot footage for the ITBWFS at that event.) Noah has been tireless in racing from group to group to try to hammer out something everyone can agree on. Believe me, it has not always been easy and even at this late date there are still negotiations going on. I'm still not sure if CEJ is going in --- they are marching to Tech for a 5PM rally. UFT press conf is at 5:30.

The rise of ODOE as a force
About a month after OWS began, came ODOE, an amalgam of activists from many teaching groups (GEM, ICE, NYCORE, Teachers Unite, TJC) along with individuals from parent/community groups (CPE, ICOPE) came together informally as Occupy DOE which has in its brief life since October shown an amazing ability to organize and mobilize people for action --- the first time a group outside the UFT has developed the muscle to actually put a stop to a PEP. (ODOE meets every Sunday in an open and democratic forum

The UFT tried to sway this coalition --- towards the walk-out or not go in. But there was pushback, with ODOE taking a strong stand that "we won't leave but use the people's mic to allow the schools to make their statements, not to the PEP puppets by pleading, but to the public, which will vote to keep the schools open.

The UFT has been very reluctant to actually try to stop the PEP tonight --- or really at any time in the past for a number of reasons--- - see Sam Anderson below. They will get hammered in the press and probably in polls no matter what they do, though the latest shows that more people trust the UFT than Bloomberg --- yes, even me.

The UFT has been sending out mixed messages. We reported (Walcott Turns Tail at Town Hall in Bronx A..) .that the UFT has been concerned about the new game in town -- Occupy DOE, which insiders say concerns the UFT leadership because so many opposition to Unity people are involved, with a bunch being behind Saturday's State of the Union Conference.

Here is a missive about tonight's plans from Noah. There is amazing organizing going on, a lot of it by some amazing new gen teachers that would warm the cockles of your hearts.
Noah issues call to activists

Things are falling into place, thanks to the hard work of so many –
especially the folks at Occupy the DOE (ODOE), the New York Communities for
Change (NYCC), and the Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ).  The plan
for a well-organized, law abiding, democratic and community-based People’s
PEP inside of Brooklyn Tech has taken hold.

Programs explaining the People’s Mic process and People’s Pep agenda - as
well as voting cards and seating arrangements by school - are being prepared
for distribution.  Please arrive by 5:30 – or earlier if you are helping out
- and look for these being handed out by ODOE and other members as you enter
the Brooklyn Tech Auditorium.

Support for our People’s Pep is increasing by the hour. There is unity in
the view that our efforts should not be a public venting of anger, but
rather a clear and sustained call for systemic change.  It is also a strong
sign that despite Wadleigh’s middle school having been given a last minute
executioner’s reprieve by Lord Chancellor Walcott, the Wadleigh community
will be attending the People’s Pep en masse to protest the Success Charter
invasion which is still slated for their school, and to demand real changes
from one-man rule and supports for our public schools.

In answer to legitimate concerns of some regarding the risk of intervention
by DOE security officers, we can securely say that we have done, and are
doing, everything possible to minimize that risk.  There will be no storming
of the stage, no blocking of the aisles, no chaos.  Just a well-organized
demonstration of the People’s will and voice and, we hope, a mass movement
toward demanding the systemic change noted above.  Such change should ensure
that our communities play a key decision-making role in the most important
decisions affecting OUR schools, OUR communities, OUR classrooms, and OUR
children including, at minimum, a change to the Mayoral Control law
requiring Parental/Community sign off on any contemplated school closings,
“truncations”, and charter co-locations.
As regards the UFT, we are grateful that they will be bringing many of us
and our fellow community members to the meeting from all corners of the
City.

As a reminder our overall plan/agenda is as follows:
Sam Anderson from Coalition for Public Education (who plays a strong role in our film) comments has a take on the UFT's refusal to participate in a people's mic at the PEP, choosing instead to try to rebrand it for their use --- in a school blocks away from the action:
Folks,
Unfortunately the Union leadership would rather find the mythical middle ground so as to maintain ties with Billionaire Bloomberg and his cohorts. Their move will draw a significant number of educators and parents out of Brooklyn Tech tonight. 

This reality means that we need a Plan B in place. May I suggest that we have a flyer that says some variation of  "The People's PEP Is POWER from the 99%!" "The People's PEP is the foundation for a People's Board of Education!" "Education Warriors don't walk away from a Fight They Can Win!"

In addition, there should be at least 10 ODOE folk at their meeting vocally raising the demand for a People's Board of Education instead of trying to find a way to negotiate the nonnegotiables... trying to find the middle ground when there is no middle ground.

I am confident that the vast majority of the parents and students will stay at Brooklyn Tech and will participate in a seriously historical moment of democracy-in-action. But, we should not let the UFT labor aristocracy seize the media moment and obscure what happens at Brooklyn Tech!

in Struggle,

Sam Anderson
Janine Sopp on Using the People's mic



http://youtu.be/rbDdfAEnJ34


Afterburn

In the past the UFT held disruptions and then walked out. They did that at the January meeting after a Leo Casey shout-out "you walked out on us on the evaluation issue, now we walk out on you."
Many of us were quite perturbed with their actions at the closing schools PEP in Feb. 2011 when they held a great rally before the meeting and then stopped the meeting dead in its tracks and could have actually prevented a public vote but took the entire crowd out to walk once around Brooklyn Tech before letting it dissipate (we used footage from that in our film). To see the energy in that room --- and the concern on the faces of the DOE and PEP puppets, followed by enormous relief after the UFT pulled almost everyone out --- like Tweed had managed to complete a tough bowel movement.

All it turned into was a demonstration of what the UFT could do --- maybe a threat for the future. Fine. But if you have a gun how many closed schools will it take to make you use it?

So this year, we have a new element --- the Occupy movement, in particular the ODOE that has been meeting every Sunday at 60 Wall St and attracting 50 people to each meeting. ODOE led a takeover at a Walcott event on common core standards, forcing him to scurry upstairs (PEP Meeting OCCUPIED! A NEW DAY DAWNS!)  followed by actions at the PEP in December
Video:  The PEP is trash- at Los Sures Feb. 7, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYjRRNCMuBM




Leonie's blog:

For some other headlines on the blog, see below:

·         Lawsuit filed today vs. Cobble Hill Success Academy charter school

·         Joel Rose of the School of One returns...with a ruling that ignores the city's conflict of interest rules

·         High school students tell Mayor Bloomberg why he should not close their schools

·         A teacher's story: Why the DC Impact system Bloomberg wants NYC schools to adopt caused me to leave teaching

·         Regents agree to give NY student data to limited corporation run by Gates and operated by Murdoch's Wireless Gen
Lindsey Christ NY1 report:
It's usually the largest and most contentious education meeting of the year anyway, but when the Panel for Education Policy meets on Thursday to vote on closing dozens of schools, the protests may be the most combative yet. NY1's Education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report.
When it comes to protesting school closures, there is a new kid in town this year. For months, an Occupy Wall Street spin-off called "Occupy the DOE" has been organizing against the Department of Education policy of closing struggling schools. While there have been major protests against school closures in the past, the Occupiers say they hope to stop the closure votes from happening at all.
It's the third year that state law has required the Panel for Educational Policy to hold a public meeting and a public vote on plans to close schools. Each meeting has stretched into the early morning hours, with thousands of protestors attending.
But since the panel is controlled by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, when it comes time to vote, it has always approved the proposals.
"Occupy" Protesters May Disrupt Major Vote For Public School Closures
Many of the protestors are teachers, organized and bused in by their union. Education advocates rally the parents and students, and this year they will be joined by the Occupy group. "The mayor continues to try to impose his failing agenda and shut down schools and we intend to shut down the panel," says Justin Wedes of Occupy the DOE.
Only 23 schools are on the chopping block Thursday, after the DOE took two off the list Wednesday afternoon. Another 33 schools are to be voted on later this spring.
The Occupy group plans to interrupt the meeting and then let each of the schools do its own presentation. They are asking for volunteer to sit near the aisles to, in their words, "protect" the protesters. They say they hope it will be peaceful but some are prepared to be arrested if it comes to that.
"We are ready to do what needs to be done," says Wedes.
In October, Occupy the DOE forced Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott to move a parent meeting, but this is the first time it is trying to stop an official vote from taking place.
Meanwhile, the teachers' union has reserved space for 600 people to gather at P.S. 20, a school down the street. Sources tell NY1 at some point, the union crowd may just march out of Tech to hold an alternative meeting at P.S. 20, celebrating the 23 schools.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

What do do about new Bloomberg PEP Puppet Judy Bergtraum


How sad. With that family history.
Has Bloomberg closed Murray Bergtraum yet?
How will Judy vote when he decides to close Edith Bergtraum?
Wait, wait, don't tell me.

...Diane Ravitch
She was at the last meeting and voted the Bloomberg party line. She did not speak. No questions or comments. I can't see how she was well informed enough to even vote. With the current governance model it doesn't really matter what qualifications his appointees have.  ---Non-Puppet Patrick Sullivan
And if the school boards become extinct?
"I’ll find some other way to get involved," Bergtraum promised.
NOTE: Not that she thinks it bad for school boards to become extinct.

Background: Bloomberg Puppet (and possible crook) Joe Chan Resigns from PEP

How to treat new Bloomberg PEP appointee Judy Bergtraum, a former teacher (now a lawyer) and the daughter of Murray and Edith, both teachers who had schools named after them? Some people are calling on escalated personal attacks (including home and business demos) to hold the puppets who vote whatever Bloomberg wants accountable.

Not that all reports on Judy Bergtraum are bad. Here is Leonie's report.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012


News flash! The mayor appoints someone qualified to sit on the Panel for Educational Policy!


I am surprised that the DOE has not yet released any biographical information for Judy Bergtraum, the new member of the Panel for Educational Policy, whose appointment was announced several weeks ago.  She is from a well-known and educationally prominent Queens family, and until recently, was a Community Education Council member and president from District 25. 
Her mother was Edith Bergtrauma teacher at Public School 143 in Corona for 25 years, who was also member of Community School Board District 25 in 1974 for 19 years. After her death, an elementary school in Queens (PS 165 in District 25) was renamed in Edith's memory.
Her father was Murry Bergtraum, who was a member of the NYC Board of Education from 1969-1973, first as its VP and then its president until his death in 1973.  He also has a school named after him: Murry Bergtraum HS for Business Careers in lower Manhattan, site of several loud and contentious PEP meetings.
Judy is a former teacher who became a lawyer, has worked in city government, was a school board member and then CEC member & president, and now is Deputy to the Vice Chancellor of the Office of Facilities Planning, Construction and Management at CUNY.
Unlike most of the mayoral appointees to the PEP, she has a long-standing interest and experience in public education. She appears to be the most qualified mayoral appointee to the PEP since it was established.  
A short interview with her in the Queens Tribune from several years ago is here; her professional resume is here. Her email is Judy.bergtraum@mail.cuny.edu
And this from someone who has worked with her:


What I can say about Judy Bergtraum is she is devoted to helping schools and education. As President of the Community School Board and the the appointee to the CEC she was effective and objective for the most part. I hope that on the PEP she considers things the same way as if it were D25. we worked very well together as she knew the parent factor was key to success. She is organized and is not afraid to go outside the box. Hopefully things have not changed that much.
Jane

Maybe there are miracles but if I get a chance at a PEP I think I will ask Judy directly if she has any idea what Bloomberg's minions have done to destroy the fabric of education at the school named in her dad's memory. She ought to have a chat with Chapter Leader John Elfrank. When the day comes as Diane Ravitch says above, will she vote Murry Bergtraum as a school out of existence like so many of the other large schools?

 Queens Tribune: http://www.queenstribune.com/archives/featurearchive/feature99/20/index.html
Judy on-Duty



Judy Bergtraum had very little choice but to get involved with education. It’s in her blood. "Both of my parents have had schools named after them. PS 165 in Flushing (Bergtraum’s alma mater) is called the Edith K. Bergtraum school, and there’s a high school in Manhattan named after my father," Bergtraum said.

After graduating from Forest Hills High School, Bergtraum (naturally) pursued a teaching career, instructing both regular and special education. But educators, she soon realized, were not the people making important educational decisions. Administrators were.
"I was once told by a prominent political figure that as a female, if I wanted to work in government, one way I could do it was to become an attorney. What he meant was that women, who don’t really have a leg up in government, can gain equal footing with an attorney’s title."
Now a law school graduate, Bergtraum says she has "the best of both worlds." She got that government job, serving as Deputy Commissioner for Deputy Citywide Administrative Services for the City of New York, and continues to work for children as a member of School Board District 25, for which she ran again as an incumbent on May 18.
And if the school boards become extinct?
"I’ll find some other way to get involved," Bergtraum promised. 
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