Leonie Haimson/Valerie Strauss - Why 30,000 Los Angeles teachers are ready to strike over huge class sizes - WAPO

The main issue under contention is not salary, where the two sides are close together; Superintendent Austin Beutner has offered a 6 percent increase, with the union demanding 6.5 percent.

Even more contentious now is the excessive class sizes suffered by too many Los Angeles public school students and teachers. The district claims it cannot afford to reduce class size, while the union says there is a budget surplus of over $1.8 billion. 

... Leonie Haimson

In our wildest imagination, could we see the UFT here in NYC strike over class size? Leonie is on the case.

Answer Sheet Analysis

Why 30,000 Los Angeles teachers are ready to strike over huge class sizes

Class Size Resolution and Video: Workshop on Class Size Lawsuit at Parent Conference

Two items for you in this post. A video of Leonie Haimson and crew - an update on the status of the class size lawsuit. The UFT should back this full-tilt. No one from the UFT was in the room. Or really gives a shit about class size.

Wendy Lecker, Education Law Center

Followed by a proposed class size reso authored mainly by Arthur Goldstein (NYC Educator) with input from James Eterno, myself and we ran it by Leonie Haimson. We were rushed and never put it before MORE steering committee so for now it is being handled by the 4 of us from Another View DA newsletter which is being published for the DA this week.


https://vimeo.com/253376916  



Resolution on Class Size Reduction

By Arthur Goldstein, James Eterno, Norm Scott

• Whereas, the UFT contract has not changed class size limits in fifty years;
• Whereas reducing class size has proven to be one of the best ways to improve student learning, lower teacher attrition rates and disciplinary problems, and narrow achievement and opportunity gaps between racial and economic groups;
• Whereas NYC schools continue to have the largest average class sizes in the state, and NY’s highest court said that our class sizes were too large in our schools to provide students with their constitutional right to a sound basic education;
• Whereas, UFT contractual class size limits continue to be ignored by the DOE;
• Whereas, the DOE uses outlandish “action plans” to address these limits;
• Whereas, the NYC DOE recently reported class sizes have continued to increase this year;
• Whereas, Article 8L in the 2005 Contract called in part for a labor-management committee to discuss lowering class size if Campaign for Fiscal Equity Settlement funding was available;
• Whereas, the 2007 Contracts for Excellence (C4E) law, which settled the CFE case, required NYC to reduce class size in all grades;
• Whereas, the goals for class size in the city’s original C4E plan, approved by the state in the fall of 2007, are for an average of no more than 20 students per class in K-3, 23 in grades 4-8 and 25 in high school core classes;
• Whereas, the Department of Education has flouted this law flagrantly since 2007;
• Whereas, the DOE gets C4E funding that is often not used to reduce class size; be it therefore

• Resolved, that the UFT will make lowering class sizes to the C4E limits of 20 students in a class K-3, 23 in Grades 4-8 and 25 in high school core classes a major collective bargaining goal for the next contract; and be it further
• Resolved, that funding for this class size reduction should not in any way affect monies for contractual raises for UFT members as the DOE is already receiving C4E money to reduce class sizes from the state.

For decades the DOE has ignored class size, especially Carmen Farina who has disparaged the issue, claiming extensive Professional Development was more important. (How much does PD cost?) Unfortunately the leadership has gone along and removed class size from the negotiating table, claiming doing so will cost us raises. In fact every expense on schools other than salary can be viewed as coming out of potential salary. Even the parental leave issue. Yet the salary pattern is seemingly set outside negotiations. It is time to stop letting the leadership use excuses not to address the growing class size issue in contract negotiations.

See the Class Size Matters Workshop video on the C4E case at https:/vimeo.com/253376916

Video: Jamaal Bowman at KidsPac/Class Size Matters Parent Conference, Jan. 27, 2018

Jamaal Bowman is always worth listening to. It is rare to find school leaders with vision and understanding of the damage high stakes testing has done and is doing. He even races against the kids in his school - he won a race in the gym wearing his suit and dress shoes. It's a shlep to the Bronx for me but I may take a shot at going up there Monday night, Feb. 5 at 6PM for his BLM week event -  if my old bones can make it. But I am not racing Jamaal.

vimeo.com/253187266

Leonie Haimson on Loss of Thousands of Classrooms: What Role Did Charter Influx Play? Where is UFT, Chalkbeat?

Leonie Haimson:  Unfortunately, very few news outlets carried stories about the report, including those that repeatedly report on the non-newsworthy complaints from the charter lobby every time they hold a press conference or send out a press release.  The Walton Foundation and hedge-funder backed charter including Families for Excellent Schools, Students First, and other astroturf organizations, constantly and erroneously repeat the refrain that charters are unfairly deprived of their fair share of space. Why this lack of interest on the part of NYC reporters?  I could speculate but choose not to.... Leonie Haimson

Leonie doesn't name names and reporters but we know she is talking about astro-turf journalism from Chalkbeat which given its other reporting leaves this one alone.

I dare anyone from the press to show this chart

Astute observers of the NYC ed scene know that Leonie Haimson through Class Size Matters has often done the work the UFT should be doing. Here is another example of the wonderful work Leonie has been doing for the past 15 years. Did Bloomberg et al funnel most available seats to charters? Hell yes - don't need no stinkn data to tell us that.

NYC Public School Parents  
How many thousands of school seats were lost during the past decade, how did this contribute to overcrowding and how many went to charter school students? - 

Last  week Class Size Matters released a new report entitled Seats Gained and Lost in NYC Schools: The Untold Story.  For the first time, this study documented that more than 50,000 NYC public school seats were eliminated during the decade of 2004 to 2013.

These seat losses, mostly because of lapsed leases, the removal of trailers and the elimination of annexes, were identified using data from the annual DOE School Capacity and Utilization Reports, known more familiarly as the Blue Books.

Rather than creating net 100,000 seats during this period, as former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Mayor's Management Report claimed, the real figure was less than half that number — only about 45,000, when seat loss is taken into account.

Moreover, of these net seats, the vast majority were filled by charter school students in public school buildings, with only 2,357 net seats filled by district public school students during this decade.

 

These findings help explain the worsening overcrowding that has plagued New York City schools, especially in the elementary grades, with the number of overcrowded elementary school buildings increasing by 17 percent and the number of students in these buildings increasing by 29 percent between 2004 and 2012. 

Meanwhile, the total number of students last year in overcrowded school buildings of all kinds was more than 575,000 --- according to the DOE's own "target" methodology.
In fully half of all districts, elementary school buildings lost net capacity during this period.  Of the 19 districts that experience growth in elementary school enrollment, in only three districts did the net new capacity exceed growth: in districts 2, 11, and 22.  If you'd like to see how many seats your district lost during this period, check out the report here or below.
The report also points out several factors that may make seat loss an even more important concern in the future.  This includes the DOE’s plan to accelerate the planned removal of TCUs or trailers, and the fact that there are no funds allocated in the five-year capital plan towards replacing their classrooms.  Moreover, the amount of funding in the capital plan dedicated to replacing lost leases has sharply declined since 2009.
We suggested some  proposals that the DOE could use to stem the loss of seats and to make the process of school planning more transparent and efficient, so that the problem of overcrowding doesn't worsen,  given the boom in residential development throughout the city and the Mayor's focus on increasing the number of affordable and market-rate housing units.
We also urged an end to any further co-locations, which exacerbate overcrowding; and our figures showing that the vast majority of net new seats went to charter school students over this decade provides an important factual counterbalance to the constant demand from the charter school lobby for more space within our already overcrowded school buildings, and the claim that they have been deprived of their fair share of classrooms. 
Unfortunately, very few news outlets carried stories about the report, including those that repeatedly report on the non-newsworthy complaints from the charter lobby every time they hold a press conference or send out a press release.  The Walton Foundation and hedge-funder backed charter including Families for Excellent Schools, Students First, and other astroturf organizations, constantly and erroneously repeat the refrain that charters are unfairly deprived of their fair share of space. Why this lack of interest on the part of NYC reporters?  I could speculate but choose not to.
Instead, please take a look at the report yourselves, and please let me know what you think in the comments below.  thanks!

See the report at Leonie's blog:

https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2017/09/how-many-thousands-of-school-seats-were.html

 

Grading UFT Leadership on Class Size: When Ed Notes Called for Zero Tolerance on over-sized classes - Oct. 2000

The class size issue has gotten buried in all the ed reformy crap over the past 20 years. Arthur Goldstein, CL of Francis Lewis HS had a recent experience in his school with the UFT class size provisions of the contract and is bringing the issue back on the agenda. I revisit a reso I brought to the DA in Oct. 2000 which passed unanimously. Shows how meaningless it can be to get stuff passed and then ignored. Arthur raised the issue at Monday's Ex bd meeting.

Arthur Goldstein--MORE-- at Dec. 5 UFT Ex Bd meeting:

At this juncture it’s vitally important that we support our members, our students and our community.

Last week I learned that Deborah M. Gaines, an arbitrator who gets paid $1600 a day, found it reasonable that Francis Lewis High School teachers with oversized classes be released from one C6 assignment per week. She also found it reasonable that Forest Hills High School teachers be released from on C6 assignment per week per oversized class. Thus, if I have two oversized classes, I’m relieved from one C6 assignment. If a Forest Hills teacher has two oversized classes, she’s relieved from two C6 assignments.

First, it’s ridiculous to think it’s easier to teach two oversized classes at 214% capacity Lewis than at Forest Hills. Second, it’s ridiculous to contend the DOE-sponsored “action plan” of releasing teachers from C6 assignments makes up in any way for oversized classes. Teachers don’t need a period off from tutoring when they have oversized classes. Students in oversized classes don’t need less tutoring either. The DOE, which claims to place “Children first, always,” clearly doesn’t give a golly gosh darn about our working conditions, which are student learning conditions.

More importantly, this remedy tells principals everywhere they can make as many oversized classes as they wish with no consequence. Why should they care if teachers give one fewer day of tutoring when they can create fewer classes with impunity and save thousands of dollars by cramming students in like sardines? Today I went and counted, found 33 oversized classes, filed five grievances and got eight corrected. That is eight more than the arbitrator managed to fix and I’m on day one.

An action plan needs to address and discourage oversized classes. This does neither, and in fact tells principals they can abuse the Contract, us, and our students with impunity. Let's let members know with absolute clarity that we don’t play this game.

I ask that the UFT let both members and the DOE know we absolutely oppose oversized classes and will not tolerate nonsense like this. I ask the United Federation of Teachers to make sure Deborah M. Gaines never get another contract as arbitrator.

Also how many oversized classes are there in the city as we speak, and what’s our plan moving forward?

Schoor—We will get an answer. Grievance department not here.

Janella Hinds—Grievance department is reviewing this situation. We are evaluating this plan for Lewis. 

Arthur Goldstein at NYC Educator has been writing about the class size travails at his school, Francis Lewis HS, one of the largest and more overcrowded schools in the city. Here is his most recent report: Class Size in the UFT Contract which details some of the faults in the UFT contract class size provisions.

As a member of various opposition parties in the UFT since 1970, we always had to battle the leadership on the class size issue. At the very least we wanted to see the loopholes closed. But they seemed perfectly happy with the status quo and nothing will change until the contract changes. But the leadership has not fought for contract changes since the late 60s.

In between caucuses when I did Ed Notes as an independent, I made class size a major issue -- which was how I came into contact with Leonie Haimson after a delegate asked me if I was associated with her - and we should all donate to

Class Size Matters - Please give to Class Size Matters.

At the October, 2000 Del Ass - if memory is correct - Hillary appeared to get our support for her run for the Senate - and Randi was in a great mood after Hillary left and the meeting began.

She called on me in the new motion period and as I began to speak she told me to come up to the podium and use her mic --- unprecedented before and since I believe -- I would say that was the height of our relationship -- within months it began to deteriorate as Randi grew more undemocratic and began to push ed deform policies.

With Randi signaling support, Unity people voted to support my reso and it passed unanimously. (Of course they voted as told.) The NY Teacher printed the list around January 2001 and also the next year but that may have been it.

Here is the reso - and I think the NY Teacher should continue to print oversized class lists every year -- Dec/January is not a bad time to do it because all adjustments have been made.

Here is a reprint from my proposal in the October 2000 Ed Notes. The reason I called for the 4th grade reduction was because the city council had passed limits for grades 1-3 and I felt I was being reasonable by pushing for gradualism - at the very least let's do a grade a year - and remember, the city was flush with money at that time. I think Arthur may revisit the reso below with some modifications. Forcing the leadership to be accountable for publishing over class size lists will bring more attention to the issue.

My Oct. 2000 reso calling for the NY Teacher to print a list of every over-class size in the city

Class Size Matters
I know of a class that started the year with 39 children It is time for our union to take a position of Zero Tolerance for such high class sizes. It is just not acceptable for us to allow any teacher to work under such conditions. 

It is clear to anyone who has been a classroom teacher that class size is the single most important working condition. But if low class size is important to teachers, it is even more important to children. Despite its weaknesses, our contract does more to protect children that any educational directive from the board of education (a fact our union should be stressing.) When is the last time a board official said to a teacher: We just can’t allow so many children in a class. I will look for any available personnel currently not in the classroom to relieve that burden? It’s funny how the arrow of accountability only runs in one direction. 

Beyond our contract, early childhood teach- ers are protected by class size caps (passed by the city council) in early grades. These caps end at grade 3. Thus, class size rises dramatically in grade 4 (one of the crucial testing grades.) This causes all sorts of problems. If there are 3 classes in the 3rd grade, they get squeezed into 2. Children who are used to a certain level of attention no longer get it. Because of the testing pressure and the change in class size, many teachers try to avoid teaching 4th grade.
For years we assumed that attempts would be made to extend these caps grade by grade. But momentum seems to have faded. Now would be an appropriate time to renew calls for the extension of capping

Here is a proposal to deal with these issues: Resolved: The union will compile a list from every school and district listing all classes with more than 32 children and the reason why the class size limit is exceeded (space, class size loophole, grievance not properly filed, etc.) A report will be issued and a discussion held at the December Delegate Assembly. The New York Teacher will print the list as a way to focus attention on this issue.

And be it further resolved that the UFT will call on the city council to place caps on the 4th grade. 

Get Skinny With Leonie Thursday June 9 - I'm Going, Are You?

Please come to the annual Class Size Matters Skinny award dinner honoring Juan Gonzalez and Robert Powell on June 9 --just a few days away -- it's always one of the most joyful events. For more information or to buy tickets see https://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=9085

Is there anyone who has done more in the service battling ed deform than Leonie Haimson, especially in the fight to keep the concept (abandoned by the UFT) of low class sizes? Support her work and have a party at the same time.

I'm going to have to miss a performance of Follies at the RTC but they won't miss me. And I haven't missed one of the Skinny (as opposed to the Broad) Award events since Leonie first started them 7 or 8 years ago.

Often Acting in Place of the UFT, Class Size Matters Deserves Our Support

Hey, if Friedrichs comes in against the unions, even though I advocate staying in the undemocratic UFT and paying dues, maybe people should shoot a share over to Leonie Haimson who tirelessly runs Class Size Matters (CSM) to advocate for the children, parents and teachers of this city. She consistently stood up to the BloomKlein admin and continues to stand up to the De Blasina admin, especially on its horrendous record on class size, which Carmen Farina, who ran a school on the upper east side, doesn't think is very important.

Leonie in Oz

But why wait to send CSM money when you can get a tax deductions right now? Leonie does what the UFT should be doing - exposing the gaps in ed policy in the DOE and State Ed Dept.

I view Leonie as our Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. sq

Or Super Girl.

(Any photoshoppers out there?)

I loved her latest post on her blog she writes about how the DOE insisted on giving a contract to the crooks at Custom Computer Specialists, 
who apparently have dirty pictures of the entire de Blasio and Farina administration. 

How Class Size Matters helped the city save $727 million, and our plea to the Mayor how to use these funds to give an early Xmas present to NYC kids

This is a priceless account of either outright stupidity by the Farina administration or if not that, and even worse, outright duplicity.

 Then there's this account of her intern's attempt to speak at a hearing.

Miho's Attempt to Speak Before the City Planning Commission about the need to build schools along with more housing

The following was written by Miho Watabe, Class Size Matters' research and outreach consultant.  The testimony she would have given on this issue follows her account of  how she was prevented from testifying in person. If you'd like to submit comments to the City Planning Commission, you can do so by emailing them at AHOUSING@planning.nyc.gov ; please copy Carl Weisbrod, chair of the Commission at cweisbrod@planning.nyc.gov as well as the Mayor at bdeblasio@cityhall.nyc.gov
And here is the call for putting your 2 cents - or more - into the pot to keep CSM and Leonie going strong. She has even offered to work on a new movie with the Real Reform Studio Team exposing the charter school scam. Does this woman ever sleep?

2015 year in review: Please give to Class Size Matters to keep us going strong! 

 

Leonie Haimson Ties Class Size to Receivership Schools? Where is/was the UFT?

Several teachers noted that as the school lost enrollment, it had also lost funding leading to increased class sizes. ....

A Queens UFT representative thanked the Chancellor and the Mayor for taking a “different approach” than the previous administration, and addressing students’ “social and emotional needs.” ... testimony at Grover Cleveland HS Receivership hearing

There you have it- the stark difference between where the UFT/Unity Caucus leadership is coming from and the teachers in the school.

The report below is from Leonie Haimson. It says so much.
We all love Leonie for the amazing work she does to defend public education - and us. What a shame she, a parent,  is on the front lines while our union leaders twiddle and twaddle with rules that will force the teachers at these schools to reapply for their jobs - and we know how that will end - ATRdom.

Here is Leonie's complete posting on her blog from Sept. 27 about her testimony at the Grover Cleveland receivership hearing.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Notes from Grover Cleveland HS receivership hearing; can the Chancellor's "Framework for Great Schools" be achieved with class sizes as large as 55?

There were about fifty people in the audience at the Grover Cleveland High School receivership hearings yesterday -- not great for a school that enrolls nearly 2,000 students, but not terrible considering it was a beautiful Saturday morning and the hearing announcement was made just a few days before.

I entered the auditorium at about 10:20 AM, as someone from the DOE whose name I didn’t catch was wrapping up a brief presentation about Receivership schools, saying that the administration was still considering whether “receivership schools will get Renewal [school] type supports and funding.”

Principal Denise Vittor followed with a power point presentation showing how the school was improving its graduation rate and attendance – the two data points that apparently had placed it on the state list of “struggling schools” for possible Receivership. 

The four-year June graduation rate last year rose to 60.7% compared to 53% in 2012-13; the August four-year rate is 62.5% compared to 60.2% two years before.  If only those students eligible for a regular diploma were counted, its four year rate was up to 63.9%.   Apparently 2.2% of the students are severely disabled, and according to the principal, only “eligible” for the alternate credentials of the SACC (Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential) or the CDOS (Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential.) The six year graduation rate increased to 69.5%, and attendance at 82.5% last year, compared to 78% in 2012-13.

She then went on to describe various programs the schools had instituted, including “Common Core aligned curriculum units,” AP courses, a Saturday academy, Afterschool Expanded Learning Time, blended learning and CTE programs. The one new program for this year is “schoolwide implementation of PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports) , which are alternative ways of dealing with school discipline.

Then two DOE representatives and the Principal answered questions that had been written on index cards by members of the audience:

·         What resources has the school received under the Renewal program?  Answer: Extended learning time and more professional development.

·         Is there a plan to reduce class size, especially considering that last year there were classes as large as 54 in math, 37 in English and 38 in Social Studies?  Answer: Most of our classes last year met  the legal limit ( meaning the UFT contractual limit of 34 students per class).

·         What funding is there for electronic resources?  Answer: We receive $22,000 from NYSTL (New York State Textbook Law) funds, and Reso A funds from the City Council for smartboards.

·         Can CTE programs for the health professions be added?  Answer: Unfortunately not; nursing CTE programs require class sizes of nine, and we don’t have the funds.

·         Why is the school receiving only 82% of its Fair Student Funding (FSF)?  Answer:  FSF was developed as an “ideal” funding level; while all Renewal schools are receiving 100% FSF, it is uncertain if the school will receive a higher share of its FSF until a team at DOE looks into the “comprehensive needs” of the school.  At that time new resources may be allocated.

·         How can a school boost its enrollment when letters were sent out saying the school may be closing?  Answer:  The Chancellor is committed to not closing schools, though we’re obligated to send letters about struggling and persistently struggling schools (to whom?).  The principal added that community members and parents should help “re-brand” the school, and let people know that we’re on a fast track to coming off the struggling list.

·         How can I participate as a parent towards helping the school?  Answer: Come to our monthly PA meetings; we also have workshops you can attend.

Members of the audience were invited to speak.  Several teachers noted that as the school lost enrollment, it had also lost funding leading to increased class sizes.  Parents suggested that the school could provide more information to them about class assignments, etc. by sending messages to their cell phones; these messages should also be translated into their native languages.  Students proposed that more clubs and activities like cheerleading and fencing would help create more spirit in the school.   

One neighborhood resident announced she was a graduate of the high school, as was her mother.  She hoped that the school would not be closed, to be converted into a specialized or selective school instead, as she wanted her daughter who had an IEP to be able to attend the school.  She then asked, what has happened in the past when the state took over schools?  Have they improved? (Her question went unanswered, but a truthful response would be no.)

A Queens UFT representative thanked the Chancellor and the Mayor for taking a “different approach” than the previous administration, and addressing students’ “social and emotional needs.”  David Aglialoro, Communications Director from Cathy Nolan’s office, read a statement from the Assemblymember.  As a 1976 graduate, AM Nolan stands behind the school, recognizes that is getting back on track, and believes that with the right support and resources it can be “the best version of itself.”  Among other things, she recommended that the school be transformed into a Community school, and that its swimming pool be opened on the weekends to neighborhood residents.  

Evelyn Cruz, Chief of Staff of Congresswoman Velázquez observed that it was "unconstitutional" that the school still is burdened with such large class sizes, especially given how many students are linguistically diverse and are struggling to learn a new language.  The school requires more resources to hire additional teachers; with smaller classes, she pointed out, the students would be less likely to walk out of class because they don’t comprehend the material.  The school also needs dedicated funding for more guidance counselors.

I followed by saying that I was glad to hear of some of the promising ways the school was improving its results, but none of these measures have the rigorous research behind them that class size reduction does.  The fact that “most” of the classes met the legal limit of 34 last year is not good enough, especially as in 2007, NYC promised the state as part of the Contracts for Excellence law to reduce class size to an average of 25 in high schools citywide.  In all struggling high schools like Grover Cleveland, class sizes should immediately be capped at 25 or less.  

I briefly went through the Chancellor’s “Framework for Great Schools,” a copy of which with space for feedback had been handed out to the audience, and explained how each of its six elements would be difficult to achieve without reducing class size:

“Rigorous instruction” is nearly impossible to attain when there are thirty or more students in a class, many of them English Language Learners, unable to get enough feedback or practice speaking  to be “actively engaged in in ambitious intellectual activity” or “develop critical thinking skills,” as the Framework demands.

How can there be a truly “Supportive Environment” for students with classes this large, with too little individualized attention to feel “safe, supported, and challenged by their teachers and peers”? As for “Collaborative Teachers,” do teachers really have “a culture of respect and continuous improvement” when burdened with excessive class sizes and a teaching load of a 150 or more students?

Can “Effective School Leadership” be maintained, affording“the instructional and social-emotional support that drives student achievement” when students are crammed into classes of thirty or more?  

It would also be far easier to create “Strong Family and Community Ties” if each teacher had fewer students, with the time to reach out to parents when their children are succeeding as well as when they are falling behind.  Finally, it is difficult to see how real “Trust” can be attained, when the administration is ignoring what is the top priority of parents citywide for school improvement – class size reduction. 

After the hearing was over, I spoke to several teachers at the school.  They all confirmed that this fall, class sizes remain at about the contractual maximum of 34 students per class or more; and that even English Language Learners are not provided with smaller classes.  This is clearly unacceptable.  While the graduation and attendance rates at the school may continue to inch upwards, the quality of education at this school and others like it will not fundamentally improve without a concerted effort  to provide more targeted resources so that class sizes can be capped at 25 or less. 

The list of schools faced with receivership along with hearing dates is here;  comments
also can be submitted here,  no later than 5:00 p.m. on the second business day after each school's hearing date. Translated versions of the School Receivership Public Feedback form can be found here for submission as well.

SUPPORT LEONIE HAIMSON CLASS SIZE MATTERS BY ATTENDING SKINNY AWARDS DINNER

Time out from contract vote reporting for a word for a worthy cause.

OK. It's time to ante up for Leonie and the great work she does in all our interests. And to support the awardees - the great Patrick Sullivan who  single-handedly fought the evil forces in all his years on the PEP. And to honor great principals everyone wishes they could work for - Carol Burris and Liz Phillips.

If you are going stop by and say hello - I'll be sitting with Change the Stakers and any MOREistas who show.

Six days from now, on Monday, June 9 we will be holding our annual “Skinny” award dinner, to honor three extraordinary individuals who have given us the real “skinny” about our public schools. 

Our honorees this year are Liz Phillips, principal of PS 321 in Brooklyn, Carol Burris, principal of South Side HS on Long Island, and Patrick Sullivan, former Manhattan representative to the Panel for Education Policy. 

Liz and Carol are leaders in one of the most exciting developments of this or any year  --principals who are speaking out against the high-stakes and low quality of the NY State exams.

Patrick stood up for NYC parents and consistently challenged the DOE to justify their damaging policies during the Bloomberg years.   Diane Ravitch will be there as well, our Superwoman, fighting to protect and strengthen public education and against the forces of corporate reform. 

Please buy your tickets now, to reserve your seat for a four course dinner with wine at Bocca Di Bacco at 191 7^th Ave (at 21^st St).

If you cannot attend, please donate to our organization if you would like to support our work on student privacy, parent rights, and class size, or simply to honor these three heroes who have courageously spoken out,  when others remained silent.

Our annual dinner is always one of the most enjoyable evenings of the year, and one that you will not want to miss. And this year,  with the demise of inBloom, we have something special to celebrate.

Thanks,

  Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
124 Waverly Pl.
New York, NY 10011
212-674-7320
 

Leonie Haimson/Class Size Matters: Skinny Awards Dinner, June 9

I've been to every one of these events and for those fighting ed deform there is no better place to be on a June evening with a gaggle of like-minded folks. I've been to every one and am going again this year. The Skinny Award (a slam at the Broad award) is a major fundraiser for the amazing work Leonie does. She is honoring principals Carol Burris and Liz Phillips. And the great Patrick Sullivan. Past winners include MOREistas James Eterno and Julie Cavanagh. Arthur Goldstein and Gary Rubinstein were honored last year.

Dear friends,

Our annual Skinny Award Dinner is only three weeks away.  This year Class Size Matters will be honoring three terrific leaders in the fight to preserve and strengthen our public schools:  Liz Phillips, principal of PS 321 in Brooklyn, and Carol Burris, principal of South Side HS on Long Island, both of whom have spoken out publicly against the high-stakes and low quality of the NY State exams.  

We are also honoring our Board chair, Patrick Sullivan, former Manhattan representative to the Panel on Education Policy, who stood up for parents and challenged the DOE to justify their irrational policies during the Bloomberg years.

The dinner will be held on Monday, June 9 at 6:30 PM, at Bocca Di Bacco, 191 7th Ave (21st St).

Please join us for a rare opportunity to enjoy a four course dinner with wine and celebrate three heroes who have given us the real "skinny" on NYC schools.
We have a lot to celebrate this year, including our successful challenge of inBloom’s plans to collect and disclose the personal student information of millions of students to for-profit vendors, without parental notification or consent.  We led the battle for student privacy  here in NY, where last month legislation was passed to  prevent the State from participating in this project.  inBloom was funded with $100 million of Gates Foundation money, and had an operating system built by Rupert Murdoch’s Wireless/Amplify, run by Joel Klein.   

Even earlier, we had also reached out to other parents in the eight other inBloom states to inform them of this plan, and because of protests, every single state pulled out.  A few weeks ago, inBloom announced it was closing its doors. 

Please reserve your ticket now, or if you cannot attend, please make a tax-deductible donation to Class Size Matters, so we can continue our efforts to reduce class size, alleviate school overcrowding and protect student privacy. 

Thanks so much, Leonie   
PS Diane Ravitch who just had knee replacement surgery will hopefully be there as well!

 

Leonie Haimson

Executive Director

Class Size Matters

124 Waverly Pl.

New York, NY 10011

212-674-7320

leonie@classsizematters.org

www.classsizematters.org

http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com

Follow me on twitter @leoniehaimson

Support Class Size Matters Skinny Award Dinner - June 12, 6 PM

If you like the work Leonie Haimson does this is her annual event to raise funds. Did you know she has a fabulous intern who assists her? Don't make Ellie work for nothing. Even if you are not going send in a contribution. If you watch what Leonie does all the time, she is the best defender teachers have.

Why are they called the "Skinny" Awards? Because Eli Broad gives out his ed deform awards.

I met Leonie about a decade ago through a teacher at the Delegate Assembly who read Ed Notes and suggested we had a lot in common. Few people knew who she was at the time. Since then she has become a rock star. I was the one who suggested she start a blog because her work was so good it seemed the world should know about it (I want that on my tombstone). She introduced me to Patrick Sullivan and Diane Ravitch. She is now nationally connected through Parents Across America with other parents around the nation just like her. Amazing -- there are lots of Leonies, but our one and only here in NYC.

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MORE

Closing Schools Folly Exposed, So Why Was UFT In Favor For So Long?

“A lot of my good good teachers have left,” she said. “I hate the term jump ship, because of Columbus … But they told me they didn’t want to wait until the end and risk going into the Absent Teacher Reserve pool,” where teachers who have lost their jobs rove from school to school as substitutes. 
--- Linda Fuentes, Principal, Columbus HS from Gotham Schools.
http://goo.gl/hKqDQ

All the cards fall into place. We all know that the ed deform agenda is about destroying the career and pay track and the unions of teachers. But teachers cannot be teacher centric in this war. (See the Milwaukee Teacher Education President Bob Peterson on Reinventing the Union – Social Justice Unionism in Action).

Ed deform while claiming to be about children/student first is also about segregation and inequality of students.and is exposed by the number of push outs and disappeared kids which the privatized schools don't want to deal with. See (Segregated Charter Schools Evoke Separate But Equal Era in U.S. Education)

Any hope of claiming improved results is dependent on this and despite all kinds of games being played their results are still crappy as public schools with limited resources often perform as well or better. (See Gary Rubinstein's work on proving the fallacy of closing schools like Washington Irving High School — another school unfairly closed and Come Back To Jamaica HS.)

The master plan of the privtizers is hinged on destroying public schools building by building, creating a domino effect as the most difficult children to educate are moved around like chess pieces to the next school down the line to become a target. This was established as a plan decades ago by the free-marketeers. 

The UFT/AFT supported closing schools as a solution until recently
But no matter how clear this was to many of us and no matter how hard we screamed at the UFT leadership, they aided and abetted this policy. Remember Al Shanker? He was a cheerleader for closing down "failing" schools from the early 80's and Randi picked up on the policy (remember her" Lafayette HS should be closed" statement?) And UFT/Unity shills like Peter Goodman was being paid to go around and take part in the dismantling of schools like my own alma mata Thomas Jefferson in East NY Brooklyn.

Before 2005 it was not easy to close a school - because the teachers had some seniority rights. But after the 2005 contract with its free market and the creation of ATRs the DOE was freed to go full speed ahead.


After being patsies and enablers for so many years, Tweed spit in the face of the UFT in 2009 when they announced the closing of 19 schools and the UFT began to stir - a bit. 


An article at Gotham Schools focuses on closing school Columbus HS in the Bronx, one of the dominoes. At Columbus, students and staff grapple with looming closurehttp://goo.gl/hKqDQ 

 Leonie Haimson points out: "Yet DOE still sending them kids."

In response to questions of where they are stashing the kids, Leonie pointed people to various links:

There is a new law that says DOE has to report on what happens at closing schools.  There have been many reports on this as well. See our report which shows sharp spikes in the discharge rates:
http://www.classsizematters.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/High_School_Discharge_Report_FINAL.pdf

also see:  http://www.urbanyouthcollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/No-
Closer-to-College-Report.pdf

http://www2.flanbwayan.org/news/wpcontent/
uploads/2011/07/tcr1pdf1.pdf)

and: http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/Empty%20Promises%20Report%2
0%206-16-09.pdf.

There were lots of reports of substandard credit recovery programs at Tilden HS for example as it was phasing out. Ssee for example 

http://coveringeducation.org/schoolstories10/2010/05/a-race-for-diplomas-before-tilden-high-closes-for-good/

Leonie Haimson
Class Size Matters

Make a tax-deductible contribution to Class SizeMatters now!

Click on the link above to support Leonie's work (and for a hundred bucks get a prized Class Size Matters mug).

The Gotham Story below. Worth reading as students and teaches get screwed.

The UFT/AFT Abandoned the Fight For Lower Class Size 40 Years Ago

Randi Weingarten/AFT - and yes, the UFT - on Class Size: fagetaboutit.

Last night, Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters posted:


Randi's deeply flawed agenda for a quality education

Randi writes her rebuttal of Brill here:  http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2011/08/24/its-not-about-good-guys-versus-bad-guys which led me to the AFT agenda for a quality education which though very long, does not even mention class size - the #1 way that the vast majority of teachers believe would improve their effectiveness the most. People esp. teachers and members of her union should feel free to email her at Rweingarten@aft.org

http://www.aft.org/newspubs/press/qualityagenda.cfm

I posted the entire AFT statement on Norms Notes Randi Weingarten/AFT Forgets Class Size

Leonie's post got me to thinking about the 40 years I and others have spent trying to move the UFT to make class size reduction a priority item. Here is my comment on the NYCEdList serve:

All these years Ed Notes lobbed accusations that no matter the rhetoric the uft/aft didn't really care about class size and their petition campaigns which went nowhere was more about PR.

They gave up the class size ghost, oh, around 1970. Throughout that decade the group I worked with fought with the uft leadership over closing the wide CS loopholes. If they weren't going to reduce class size in the contract at least make that attempt. No interest.

In the early 90s the strategy of using the city council to force some class size reductions worked for grades 1-3. We brought up resolutions caliing for extensions to grade 4 and beyond but were ignored. Today even those city council limits are being ignored.
Over the last decade ICE and Ed Notes made repeated attempts to make class size reduction a priority contract negotiation at least to put it front and center to the public (as opposed to joining with the doe on merit pay and other money wasting schemes.)

So go ahead and email Randi. Maybe she'll take a minute from collaborating with the likes of Bill Gates to respond.

And for those who see the uft as somehow different from the aft watch the 800 UFT Unity Caucus delegates to AFt/nysut conventions (mulgrew amongst them) endorse every single Weingarten policy with enthusiasm.

Want to see class size on the agenda? The next time Mulgrew or another uft official comes to your school don't let them get 3 words out of their mouths before interrupting them with a class size question. Do the same at Delegate Assemblies. And maybe even at the uft exec bd. It is time to stop being polite to union officials who are so willing to go along with policies that harm teachers and students.

One more point. When Al Shanker signed onto The Nation at Risk in 1983 he set the teacher unions on the road to ed deform where we make an assumption that all it takes is better school management and better teachers to turn things around, thus minimizing class size. We in the opposition to Unity Caucus/Shanker in the 70's could see it coming because to the UFT/AFT leadership (once Shanker took over the AFT in 1974) it was more important to spend money on fighting communism around the world than full funding of an equitable education for all.

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

Get the Skinny From Leonie

So many people have thanked Leonie Haimson for 10 years of spectacular work in exposing the ed deformers with on target research and thoughtful analysis. Now it's payback time. She is having a fundraiser next week on June 15 and giving the Skinny (not Broad) award to some of our favorite people and allies: Julie Cavanagh who was a major cog in creating our film along with all her other amazign work in defense of public education and Jamaica HS Chapter Leader and former presidential candidate in the UFT James Eterno. I'll be there. Will you?

We are holding our annual “Skinny Award” Dinner a week from today, June 15 at 6 PM, honoring four teacher-warriors.  The dinner will be co-hosted by Diane Ravitch and other parent leaders.

Please check it out and RVSP on our FB page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173774066009105

Diane will be making an exciting announcement at the dinner that concerns Class Size Matters.

Class Size Matters works hard trying to ensure that in NYC and throughout the country, children get the smaller classes they need for a better chance to learn. 

The four teachers we are honoring have done stellar work, defending their schools and all NYC schools from damaging closures and co-locations that threaten to make things worse.

Please come and show your support.

For more information or to buy tickets, go to http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=3672

A Skinny Awards invitation you can forward to your friends and colleagues is below.

Hope to see you there!

Thanks, Leonie

Leonie Haimson

Executive Director

Class Size Matters

124 Waverly Pl.

New York, NY 10011

212-674-7320

leonie@classsizematters.org

www.classsizematters.org

http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson

Follow me on twitter @leoniehaimson

Leonie Haimson, Diane Ravitch, Patrick Sullivan, Monica Major, Khem Irby and

Emily Horowitz invite you to the third annual Skinny Awards

A fundraiser for Class Size Matters

Please join us for a special evening where we will honor four stellar teachers fighting to save our schools:

Jackie Bennett of Edwize

Julie Cavanagh of PS 15K and a producer of “The Inconvenient Truth behind Waiting for Superman”

James Eterno of Jamaica HS in Queens

Christine Rowland of Columbus HS in the Bronx

A rare opportunity to enjoy a three course dinner with wine while celebrating four heroes, battling to defend our public schools .

Please RSVP on the FB page here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173774066009105

For more information or to buy tickets, go to http://www.nycharities.org/events/EventLevels.aspx?ETID=3672

Thanks!  

Leonie Haimson on Why Class Size Matters

How dare she? Leonie Haimson calls for money used to build and support empty prisons to be shifted to building schools. Outrageous. Doesn't she know that by cutting education severely we can assure that these prisons will be filled eventually?

And then she has the nerve to talk about rising birth rates and how that will force a demand for new space for schools,mentioning along the way that BloomKlein have ignored this fact or shunned any responsibility for not addressing the issue. Doesn't she know "the plan" is to guarantee a drop in the birth rate by creating a massive multi- decade long depression?

What a nerve she has!

Jugheads like Rick Hesse and his ilk disparaged class size as a solution to fixing schools at the Manhattan Institute luncheon for Diane Ravitch's book a few weeks ago. Leonie Haimson was in the audience and I wanted to go up and grab the mic from him and turn it over to her. Here is part one of her excellent presentation at the Class Size Matters parent workshop this past Saturday, which included workshops for parents to fight back against the BloomKlein machine and an amazing panel session with charter school parents, including the former Moaning Mona Davids who if she keeps up these good deeds will be renamed the Magnificent Mona. But more of that video later.


NYC City Councilman Robert Jackson and State Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan were in attendance. See below the video for Leonie's report of the event.


Part 1




Part 2

Our parent conference on Saturday was terrific. Thanks to those of you who came. And thanks to Lisa Donlan of D1, Khem Irby of D 13, Monica Major of D 11, and Shino Tanikawa of D2, who helped put it together.

Cathy Nolan, chair of the Assembly Education committee, was our surprise guest in the morning and spoke briefly about school governance, the importance of parent involvement, and the state budget crunch. Robert Jackson, Chair of the City Council Education committee, talked about improving the capital plan to relieve overcrowding and reduce class size. All the panels and workshops were terrific.

The afternoon panel on building bridges with charter parents, with Mona Davids of the NY Charter Parents Association, Leslie-Ann Byfield, Achievement First charter school parent, Khem Irby of CEC District 13 and Dianne Johnson of CEC District 5, was especially moving and strong. I hope to have video of it soon, as we had two filmmakers in the audience.

Some of the presentations are available online, linked to from the agenda here; our consensus framework of shared principles with charter parents is here and below. The press release about our shared principles is here. My presentation on class size, school overcrowding and what can be done is here.

Though Chancellor Klein and the DOE would like to pit parent against parent, we find have much in common with charter school parents, who want the same things for their children’s schools that all parents do: a quality education with small classes and experienced teachers, more transparency and accountability, and real parent input in decision-making.

• Speaking of accountability, tomorrow, Monday April 14, at 9:30 AM, legal arguments will be held in our class size lawsuit against DOE’s failure to comply with state law before Justice John Barone, at Bronx County Courthouse; (Grand Concourse and 161st Street).

• Tuesday April 13 at 7 PM, I will be speaking at a community forum about the US Dept. of Education’s flawed priorities and their misguided blueprint for the reauthorization of NCLB, which if enacted would be devastating for NYC schools. The main speaker is Jo Comerford, Executive Director of National Priorities Project. (For a flyer, click here.)

The consensus document which we developed with the help of the NY Charter Parents Association, as well as other charter and district parents is below. If you have comments, are willing to sign onto it as is, please send me your name, school, and district, or other affiliations if any at classsizematters@gmail.com