Time to put an end to The Discontinued - Dreaded D Teacher Blacklist at NYCDOE

Ed Notes has been covering the story of the Dreaded D - Discontinue - since teachers who have been blackballed by the vicious act of principals who were handed a loaded gun by the DOE without a peep from the UFT. Only non-tenured can be discontinued - where a mark is placed in the computer system and even if another principal wanted to hire them they couldn't.

The teacher is out of your school, so why would you give a shit if someone else wants to hire them? Only a personal grudge would lead to such a despicable act.

Below is a link to a petition.

Here are previous ed notes stories on the Dreaded D.

Ed Notes Online: On the Dreaded D's and U's: Discontinued and ...

Nov 07, 2011

As a discontinued teacher, I completely understand the experience. I find that principals have too much and little is done to check and balance it. Principals know they have a better union than the UFT and know that teachers ...

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

Ed Notes Online: Retired Teacher on the Impact of a U-Rating

Apr 11, 2012

I have been discontinued and U rated and I have been subbing in 2 other NYC public schools. The AP's in both schools picked up my resume (through networking). In fact, one of the AP's loves my classroom management and ...

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

Ed Notes Online: Analysis: NEST+M Teachers Meet With Mulgrew

Sep 28, 2012

Principal Olga Livanis gave out 7 U ratings and a Discontinue to a non-tenured and popular teacher last year, in addition to driving at least one top notch fed-up teacher into resigning. The D is a career-ender (vs a U which ...

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

Ed Notes Online: Farina With Support of Real Reformers Has ...

Dec 30, 2013

End the Discontinue that kills a teacher's career immediately. Revamp DOE Legal and OSI. I will not be cheering for Carmen Farina until I see some changes in these policies. She ought to walk across the street one day in ...

Ed Notes Online: The Dreaded "D" and the UFT

Mar 18, 2010

Now on to the UFT. If you find you are blacklisted by the dreaded D and ask the UFT for help you will get 12 different answers. The most common is: Don't worry, that is only for your district. You can be hired by another district.

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

Ed Notes Online: Alice McIntosh Fights Discontinuance at Rally Today

May 06, 2012

Over the years we at ICE have been contacted by a number of teachers who received the Dreaded D rating which basically blackballs them from teaching under their license again even if another principal wants to hire them.

• Petitioning Katherine Rodi

Save the Careers of Discontinued Teachers

1. 1. 
   2. Petition by
      Dont Tread On Educators
      Staten Island, NY

Her name is Jennifer and she is in her early twenties. She wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl.  It’s August and she gets the call that her interview at a local elementary school went well. Principal Higgins wants her to fill an opening for a 5th grade position. Jennifer and her family of teachers are ecstatic. Then, several months later and out of the blue, it happened. Without even realizing it, Jennifer crossed Principal Higgins by questioning some change in assignment and a preparation period she felt she was owed. Suddenly, Jennifer stopped receiving "satisfactory" observation reports and began receiving several "unsatisfactory" ones. Principal Higgins then rated Jennifer unsatisfactory for her first year final rating. Jennifer was devastated. It didn’t make sense. The students and parents liked her. She received unofficial praise from the assistant principal, but to Principal Higgins Jennifer didn’t differentiate instruction. She didn’t have coherent lessons and didn’t demonstrate knowledge of resources.

Then came the letter from the district superintendent stating that the NYC DOE would be making a final decision concerning discontinuance of her probationary period. Jennifer’s heart sank even more. She rounded up exemplary student work. Her mother and family of teachers jumped in to help save her young career. Parents and students wrote letters. Jennifer even bound everything nice and neat before submitting it to the superintendent. Unfortunately, it was all for naught. She was ultimately discontinued and her probationary period terminated. Jennifer was now red-flagged in the DOE Human Resources system, and assigned a “problem code” next to her name. This meant that none of the other 1700+ principals in the NYC DOE could hire her.

Jennifer is not alone. From 2011 to 2013, over 450 teachers were discontinued and problem-coded. Many have been barred from teaching our 1.1 million children only because of personality conflicts with one administrator. In many cases, when attacking pedagogy was not enough, the administrator also submitted trumped up charges with the Office of Special Investigations, the Special Commissioner of Investigation or the Office of Equal Opportunity.

In light of a new mayor and chancellor in New York City, we are calling for a full and unbiased evaluation of the problem-coded railroaded teachers. These teachers were:

-Discharged with malice by limiting or preventing their ability to work as a teacher in other schools.

-Coerced to sign paperwork extending their tenure. Many of these teachers were terminated.

In the end it was another casualty and point for the attack on tenure and the teaching profession.

To:
Katherine Rodi, New York City Department of Education Human Resources
OPI Problem Code, New York City Department of Education Human Resources
Ursulina Ramirez, New York City Department of Education Chief of Staff
New York City Department of Education, Chancellor Fariña

Chancellor Fariña,
Please consider reevaluating the way these probationary teachers are problem-coded with Human Resources and the Office of Personnel Investigation. You have the power to undo the previous administration’s methods and help competent teachers, like Jennifer, be allowed to teach our children again.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

 

http://www.change.org/petitions/katherine-rodi-save-the-careers-of-discontinued-teachers#

A Newark Teacher on Randi's Support for Common Core

The woman changes colors more often than a chameleon!
... Newark Teacher

Breaking News:

AFT President Randi Weingarten continues to advocate for Common Core State Standards and now opposes standardized testing and VAM.

I am sitting here reading my American Educator/Spring 2014 magazine and I cannot believe my eyes. I have reread Randi's column Teaching and Learning over Testing so many times I am getting a headache. Our fearless leader is "... in favor of the Common Core State Standards while opposing the fixation on standardized testing in education." Randi dear, maybe you should call your BFF Bill Gates for a refresher course on education reform in America. Common Core State Standards and standardized testing are inextricably linked. The purpose of national standards and nation-wide testing is to expand markets for Microsoft, Amplify and Pearson.

Randi, however, is on the latest bandwagon wishing to help students "... develop persistence and grit to deal with struggles and setbacks." I may be old fashioned, but I am skeptical of the ability of teachers to inculcate students with grit; the value du jour. Grit is acquired by traversing la vida loca and not by effective lesson planning.

The most amazing phenomenon in Randi's intellectual evolution is she is opposed to VAM recognizing that "... its flaws and limitations are well-established." If that is the case, why, may I ask, has VAM been part and parcel of AFT negotiated teacher contracts? I am sure Arne Duncan can provide assistance in getting you back on track with VAM, Randi.

Randi is interested in reclaiming the promise of public education by supporting strong neighborhood public schools. I am pleased to report that Randi and I are in agreement on nearly all points. Perhaps by the time I wake up in the morning, she will have altered her position on Common Core State Standards. The woman changes colors more often than a chameleon!

A Newark Teacher

Rally Against Charter Invasion, Thursday March 27 3:30PM

RALLY

at

CAVALLARO IS281

8787 24^TH Avenue

Thursday, March 27^th

3:30 pm

Come show your support for Cavallaro and tell the Mayor to reverse the Coney Island Prep   Charter

co-location!    

Liz Krueger Slams Ed Tax-Credit Scam for the Wealthy - another death-knell for public education

Statement from State Senator Liz Krueger on Education Tax-Credit Scam Endorsed in Daily News Editorial

For Release: March 24, 2014
Please Contact: Andrew Goldston | agoldston@gmail.com | 917.720.7895
 

Statement on Education Tax-Credit Scam Endorsed in Daily News Editorial

 

Albany, NY – The following statement is attributable to New York State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan):
 

"With respect to the Daily News editorial board, it looks like they've been hoodwinked by a tax-avoidance scam for wealthy donors to elite private schools. In fairness, they're hardly the first to be bamboozled.

"This private interest school tax-credit scam would literally refund donors more than they give to 'yet to be formed' educational charitable organizations -- basically paying the wealthy and corporations money back on their tax avoidance investments.

"Under this new tax credit the 'charitable contribution' would be deductible on federal and state individual taxes, and wealthy donors would get money back on their federal income taxes. That is, wealthy donors will make a taxpayer-funded 'profit' on any contributions made under this provision, in addition to getting back the entire amount of their contribution. At the top marginal federal  and state income tax rates, a wealthy tax payer could end up with a 'profit' of nearly $300,000 on a contribution of $1 million.

"Full implementation will result in an annual loss of $300 million in taxpayer money, and as far as I can tell the tax credits would be given out to donors on a first-come, first-served basis.  This is not philanthropy, it is tax avoidance for those who least need tax reductions and it will leave a permanent hole in the state budget. Plus, the research on giving by the wealthy and corporations confirms that they are far more likely to choose to invest in elite institutions or favored and well-funded charters, not the struggling schools that really need a 'shot in the arm.'

"This proposed education tax credit is unprecedented, and it allows the wealthiest to avoid paying their taxes and instead direct their tax money to their favored educational activities as they choose, at a time when state aid to public schools falls well short of what's needed to fund a sound basic education for public school students."

Background:

• Daily News editorial, March 24, 2014: “Private Money, Public Gain”
  http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/private-money-public-gain-article-1.1729876

CCC 13 (Brooklyn) - High-Stakes Testing: “How Does It Impact Our Students?" Tues. Mar. 25 6:30PM

Bringing the opt-out movement to the communities.

Last week I was at the CEC 14 similar event - still working on the video.

​​High Stakes Testing Forum Meeting 

WHEN: Tuesday, March 25th

WHERE: PS 133- 610 Baltic St, 11217 , 2014 

TIME: 6:30pm-8:30pm 

 Entrance on Baltic & 4th Ave 

High-Stakes Testing: “How Does It Impact Our Students?" 

 ► How to help your child with test anxiety 

 ► How test scores are used 

 ► Options for families (including opting out) 

Panelists Include: 

 Rep. from NYCDOE

 Rep. “Change the Stakes” 

 And others To Be Announced 

STUDENT OF THE MONTH AWARDS will be given!! 

Light Refreshments will be served! 

Sponsored & hosted by CEC13

For more information contact: (718)636-3212 | 

 Cec13@schools.nyc.gov | www.Cec13.org

As the NYSUT World Turns: Some NYC Unity Caucus Delegates May Bolt and Vote Stronger Together

Leroy Barr Offer to Unity RA Delegates

Reports are surfacing that a small faction of Unity may just vote their conscience and damn the consequences at the April 5 NYSUT Representative Assembly.

Unity Caucus held a meeting at 52 Broadway (UFT HQ) after last Wednesday's (March 19) Delegate Assembly - with dinner served (were they using our dues money - did they pay rent? Can MORE hold caucus meetings there too?).

Leroy Barr strongly reminded the 800 Unityites who were elected as delegates to state and national conventions in the March 2013 elections that they were expected to vote as a block for the Mulgrew/Weingarten instigated Revive slate in the April 5 NYSUT election and they would be watched due to the open ballot.

There are early signs that Barr's message did not go over very well with at least a few of the Unity faithful, soon to be classified as traitors and drummed out of the Caucus if they should dare cast their vote for Stronger Together on April 5.

Barr also admonished them that they should not miss sessions to traipse around the city, as usual, using their meal money to eat at local restaurants. "Bring your own food and snacks into the convention hall" - paraphrasing Barr's comment from someone who was present. I'll bring them a bag of peanuts when I stop by late Saturday afternoon on April 5th after I work the FIRST LEGO League robotics tournament at the Javits Center.

Too bad I'll miss Arthur Goldstein's early morning speech that day. Arthur us running a piece this morning (On Timeliness and Learning) chronicling  his travels around the state speaking and making new friends as he goes head to head for NYSUT VP against former UFT District Rep Andy Pallotta, who by the way makes around $350,000 a year. I gotta hit Arthur for a loan when he wins - and by the way, if he does I bet we see Arthur make a move to reduce those crazy salaries of our union leaders, just as Karen Lewis did in Chicago.

Arthur has a funny piece running this morning on
The Sad Tale of UFT-Unity's Robo Voters with cartoons yet.




That Barr had to make this point so strongly as a reminder to the Unity faithful (and those soon to be not so faithful) is a sign there is some unhappiness inside Unity Caucus (in the UFT) with the way the NYSUT split was fomented.

In some of my personal contacts when the subject comes up there is a rolling of the eyes. Sometimes a shrug. Clearly, little enthusiasm for the initiative to dump the current NYSUT leadership minus Andy Pallotta, a leadership that has one of their popular former members - Maria Neira - being dumped too. Maria still has a lot of supporters in Unity. Her integrity is well-known and counts for something when she sticks with Dick Iannuzzi when she probably could have deserted him for what could have been a guaranteed win if she ran on the Revise slate.

We always know that there are some decent Unity Caucus people with a conscience, but a conscience that will be put on hold when it comes to supporting dictums from the top. (I remember on the bus to the airport in Seattle after the 2010 Bill Gates AFT convention, some Unity people approached me and said they agreed with Ed Notes on many positions and trashed Randi and the Gates appearance. That didn't stop them from booing the people who walked out on Gates.)

There are some Unity people planning on leaving the caucus on their own and this vote will be their form of resigning. If they are thrown out of the caucus before the AFT July convention in LA, do they still get to go, given they were elected? In 2010, a Unity delegate and chapter leader who had invited my pal Angel Gonzalez to her soon to be closed school was tossed from the convention trip because she hadn't paid her Unity dues on time. She sent me off to Seattle with a scathing criticism of Randi/Mulgrew and Unity and joined GEM (the pre-cursor to MORE and Change the Stakes).

How interesting if even a sliver of Unity actually joins Stronger Together, the first even minor break in Unity here in the city since the mid-to late 60s. (We saw in the 2013 elections a large rank and file desertion of Unity - votes that MORE was not able to pick up.)

There is so much going on behind the scenes that I can't talk about yet - if I did I would have to kill you. But you will read it here first.

Stay tuned to "As the NYSUT World Turns."

Newark Teacher Gives Thanks and Advice to Ravitch

"Here is my advice to teachers who are unfairly rated by the spurious method called 'value added assessment': Sue them."....Diane Ravitch: From One Teacher to Another: VAM is Junk Science

When your union cannot/will not back you up and in fact cooperates with the people looking to kill you, it makes fighting back for most people very difficult. Diane Ravitch never puts herself in a position to hold the unions accountable, while jumping at the chance to make Randi Weingarten look good when she utters a mere word that can be hung on to give the impression she is fighting. Like that big cheer when Randi said she would not take certain Gates money (but will take the rest.)

Here a Newark teacher has a small bone to pick with Diane's advice to sue.

Are you serious Diane Ravitch? As a Newark teacher, I am faced with the real possibility of a layoff. State Education Commissioner Chris Cerf left an equivalency request on the table for his successor David Hespe. State District Superintendent Cami Anderson has filed for a waiver to circumvent the laws and our contract pertaining to tenure and seniority protections in order to lay off one thousand teachers in the next three years. In addition to the upcoming layoff, TEACHNJ the tenure reform act provides for tenure revocation for teachers rated ineffective, or partially effective in two consecutive summative evaluations.

Will the Newark Teacher's Union (NTU) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) file a class action lawsuit on behalf of the cohort of laid off teachers for wrongful termination? Will another class action lawsuit be filed on behalf of teachers whose tenure has been revoked? If it weren't for the betrayal of AFT President Randi Weingarten, operating in collusion with the NTU in advocating for the "historic contract," Newark teachers most likely would not be in this perilous predicament.

Would I personally file a lawsuit for wrongful termination? If I were to lose my primary income stream, I would be overwhelmed by my financial obligations. I would be required to procure health insurance. Therefore, I would hardly be in a position to lay out thousands of dollars to retain an attorney to sue the State of New Jersey taking into consideration that my chances of prevailing would be slim.

I read your blog religiously Diane Ravitch and I am thankful to you for your prolific blogging. I am glad you switched to the minor leagues to serve as our umpire. I enjoy my new make-believe friends; Chris in Florida, Louisiana Purchase and NY teacher. I appreciate your national perspective. Please reconsider your legal advice.

A Newark Teacher

South Bronx School Blogger Joins Opt-Out Movement

For those that want more information, follow NYS Allies for Education for how the "How to Opt Out" primer. It can be done, it should be done! ......I asked [my son] would he feel bad if he didn't take the exams and would the other kids make fun of him. His reaction was that he would not feel bad and that the other kids would want to know where they can sign up to miss the exams. In fact as this is being written he is texting his friends telling them he is not taking the exams. His friends are way jel.... South Bronx School

We know that at this point in NYC teacher boycotts of tests has not taken off here in NYC as it has in Seattle and Chicago, but boy, what if every teacher with a child in public school joined SBS in opting their children out of the test? SBS takes us through the process he and his family went through. Discussions like this are being shared on the Change the Stakes extremely active listserve where we see new and exciting things around opt-out and promotion policy happening every day.

This can be done. This should be done. Parents of Harrison NY, Westchester County, and NYC,

please read. This is important. You can take back control of your child's education.

I have been wanting to opt out my son of the NYS exams for a number of years. Actually every year since he started testing. He is in 7th grade now and I have finally decided that enough is enough. This year he is not wasting his time taking the state ELA and math exams.

The people it took the most convincing to opt him out have been my wife and my step-mother, a retired (13 years now) AP in the Bronx. For those who are of the Jewish persuasion you know with Jewish mothers you kinda don't have much of a say at times. But I digress. After last years ELA debacle in which not one student in his class finished the exam on any of the 3 days testing a stand had to be made.

 Read in full: Hey Harrison NY! I'm Opting Out My Son and So Can

 

Portelos left this comment at SBS:  

Mr. Portelos has left a new comment on the post "Hey Harrison NY! I'm Opting Out My Son and So Can ...":

I opted both my kids out. They are 2 and 3. They will never take a standardized test.

Video: 12 Days to Being Tossed Out By Eva Moskowitz Success Charter

Interview with former Success Charter parent exposes shady tactics.

Great work by GEM's Darren Marelli.

An interview with New York City Parent Karen Sprowal.  Ms. Sprowal tells the story of her kindergarten son's 12 days at Success Academy Charter School. Ms. Sprowal describes how her son was pushed out of the charter school and eventually embraced by a neighborhood public school, PS 75.


https://vimeo.com/88615316



Interview with former Success Academy Charter School parent from Grassroots Education Movement.

Inside UFT Chapter Leader Training: Mulgrew Reacts to Unity Rejection of MORE "Bully Principal" Reso at DA by ....

.... talking about picketing in front of schools with abusive administrators and the UFT PINI list! Principal's in Need of Improvement.... 

Classify this in the category of:  Not an original thought in their heads. Or: too little too late.

At the ICE blog read all about the DA and how top UFT official Emil Pietromonaco said people had enough protections - and the Unity slugs agreed. (UNITY TURNS DOWN MORE DA RESOLUTION CALLING FOR ESCALATION OF DEFENSE OF CHAPTER LEADERS & RANK AND FILE)

Emil was the Staten Island borough rep while Portelos was being chopped. Ya think some kind of picketing in front of the school, led by PINI principal supreme Linda Hill, by the SI UFT might have meant something for the Portelos case? Even Staten Island resident Mulgrew could have easily attended.

Given that MORE is focusing on this issue just watch them do a show rally for publicity and then forget about it -- unless MORE picks up the ball and forces them to function out of fear MORE may be making headway.

Remember the Unity prime directive is not the interests or defense of the members but holding onto power. The stronger MORE gets the more Unity will be forced kicking and screaming to defend the members. I hear that a third or more of the DA is beginning to vote with MORE.That is a big change from the scattering of cards number 2 digits in the past.

Support Suan Ohanian on White House Petition

Please don't send me 'excuses.' I've heard them already--from union officers who tell me they have other fish to fry, teachers who insist putting initials on a petition will cost them their jobs, etc. etc.  .. Susan Ohanian

I hate petitions and think they do little good. But when Susan Ohanian speaks I listen. Here is the link:

http://wh.gov/lV7q7

White House Petition

Although I have strong reservations about petitions, I launched a petition to the White House, hoping to draw attention of the public and the press to the fact that massive standardized testing is Presidential policy. I hope you will read the petition, sign it, and promote it.

The rules are that a petition must garner 100,000 signatures in 30 days to get White House 'attention.' Sad to say, after 5 days, we have only 1,326 signatures. With 3.5 million public school teachers, not to mention concerned parents, my disappointment is dissolving into rage. Please don't send me 'excuses.' I've heard them already--from union officers who tell me they have other fish to fry, teachers who insist putting initials on a petition will cost them their jobs, etc. etc.

I'm keeping a tally state by state. Here are those with most signers:
New York: 168
California: 121
Michigan: 58
Illinois: 52
Connecticut: 48
Washington: 44
Indiana: 46
Massachusetts: 41
New Jersey: 31

And least.
Delaware: 2
Montana: 2
Wyoming: 2
North Dakota: 1

Here's the petition:

http://wh.gov/lV7q7

So Goes the UFT, So Goes the NYSUT Election?

Impressive piece from The Pen is Mightier Than the Person blog.

http://sullio.blogspot.com/2014/03/so-goes-uft-so-goes-nysut-election.html?showComment=1395496206993#c2879941464069803929

Friday, March 21, 2014

So Goes the UFT, So Goes the NYSUT Election?

Amid an outcry from members over the sale of public education to plutocrats, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has stopped accepting donations to its Innovation Fund from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Missed among its squirming within the tentacles of privatization was the AFT's slight gesture of solidarity, since a proposed raise in member dues promises to recoup half of the money the organization received each year from Gates. With organized labor drinking cold coffee these days, $500,000 from 1.5 million teachers suddenly buys a lot more democracy than $1 million from a guy who couldn’t teach his way out of a wet paper bag. The AFT should lead similar efforts to stem the stream of plutocratic money into itself and public education before our schools are overrun by robots.      

Meanwhile, as Governor Andrew Cuomo rams nonsensical and undemocratic education reforms down New Yorkers’ throats, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) will hold an election at its Representative Assembly (RA) on April 5 to decide who will lead one of the AFT’s largest affiliates for the next 3 years. Though democracy should be baked into the marrow of unions, NYSUT’s election reeks of disparity.       

As NYSUT’s largest local, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) will be represented by 800 delegates at the RA—roughly one-third of the votes. Each one of these delegates belongs to an invite-only group within the UFT called the Unity Caucus, run by UFT President Michael Mulgrew. In order to be “eligible” for membership in the Unity Caucus and vote in NYSUT elections, UFT members must “abide by its rules”, which include:

· To express criticism of caucus policies within the Caucus;
· To support the decisions of Caucus/Union leadership in public or Union forums;
· To support in Union elections only those individuals who are endorsed by the Caucus, and to actively campaign for his/her election;
· To run for Union office only with the support of the caucus;

· To serve, if elected to Union office, in a manner consistent with Union/Caucus policies and to give full and faithful service in that office;

These draconian rules—in addition to shamelessly soliciting the votes of retirees across the country—have kept the Unity Caucus in control of the UFT for nearly 50 years.  With no room for dissent in Unity, there’s no room for dissent in the UFT. Consequently, with no room for dissent in its largest local, there’s less room for dissent in NYSUT.  Before any votes are cast at the RA, the “individuals who are endorsed by the Caucus”—in this year’s case the entire Revive NYSUT slate of candidates—have an 800 delegate lead. Should 800 devotees to undemocratic caucus exert this much influence in an organization of 600,000 members?

Mulgrew, whose achievements as UFT president so far include zero contracts and a state-imposed teacher evaluation plan (APPR), has a lot riding on a Revive victory, including a suitcase full of back pay if he can parlay it into an AFL-CIO endorsement for Cuomo. Revive’s room temperature stance on Cuomo has done little to allay fears they won’t try to win over the Lobbyist for the Students and push an endorsement, or at least force NYSUT to remain neutral. For example, at a recent NYSUT candidates forum in Long Island, Andy Pallotta, running for re-election on the insurgent slate, meekly admitted he wouldn’t “personally” endorse Cuomo after being pressed by a skeptical audience. The UFT-bred Pallotta’s sincerity strains credulity in light of his $10,000 expenditure of voluntary union money (VOTE-COPE) at Cuomo’s birthday party and his designs to donate $250,000 more to the New York Democratic Party, an election-year goody bag for the governor.

Unity delegates represent a myriad of members and interests throughout the nation’s largest school system. Shouldn’t they at least be allowed to vote for the individual candidates of their choice? If anything, a group representing so many members in NYSUT’s first-ever contested election should consider carefully which candidates it chooses to endorse, unlike this year, when Mulgrew endorsed Revive before many of his members even knew there was an election. Though most teachers in New York have made up their minds about Cuomo, few even know who Karen Magee is.      

Cuomo will continue to reward his highest bidder, however. Even if Mulgrew does get his back pay, he’ll still have to deal with Cuomo’s APPR and the metastasis of charter schools throughout the city. Mulgrew would be best served by rallying his members against Cuomo’s duplicity, such as his proposal to use the state’s budget to “protect” charter schools while at the same time calling for the “death penalty” for public schools.     

NYSUT's Past is Precedent

Those still not buying Mulgrew's misguided motivations need look no further than NYSUT’s recent past for a precedent. In the 2002 gubernatorial election, the Union was sidelined after the UFT endorsed Republican George Pataki in his race against Democratic challenger H. Carl McCall.   NYSUT was forced out of that race while a younger and well-financed Cuomo poked McCall throughout the primary.  Pataki easily took care of a wounded McCall in November, with many NYSUT members appalled by their Union’s lack of support for McCall and the UFT’s bow to Pataki.  The words of a rank and file teacher from a 2002 New York Times article echo what could soon reverberate again throughout the state:

''I am embarrassed by this endorsement,'' said Barbara Glassman, a Queens special education teacher and supporter of Mr. McCall. ''We have a tradition of backing our friends, and Carl McCall has consistently been a unionist and friend of education.''

It didn’t hurt that Pataki included $200 million in the state budget that year for the UFT’s raises, which immediately followed then UFT President Randi Weingarten awarding Pataki the UFT’s John Dewey Humanitarian Award. Weingarten "grew up in politics" with Andrew Cuomo and groomed Mulgrew as her replacement. Similar to her protege, Weingarten was also in search of a contract in 2002 and had run out of strings to pull, repeatedly backing the wrong mayoral candidates to face Michael Bloomberg, an enemy of the labor movement. As McCall himself observed at the time:

“You know, they [the UFT] need a contract,” McCall said. “They need more money. And, you know, he’s holding them up. ‘You want more money? Then do something for me.’ ”

McCall may as well have been talking about the UFT and Revive's current flirtation with Cuomo. Following the UFT’s endorsement of Pataki later that year, McCall spoke into the future and Mulgrew: 

“Anybody who would support the Governor on the basis of his education program and his education policies would be betraying the schoolchildren of New York State.”

McCall was likely unaware of his power for prophecy at the time.

An Opportunity for MORE Voices

With major NYSUT positions and policies at stake this year, New York City teachers unfortunately need a written invitation to be heard by a local that suppresses some of its strongest voices.  Facing an intransigent Unity, where can these voices go to be heard?

Ironically, back to their state union.

Running as independents in the NYSUT election are seven members of the UFT, led by Queens teacher Arthur Goldstein, who’s challenging Pallotta for executive vice president. These candidates encompass passionate, rank and file voices within the UFT, some who've even been heard on the national stage. Goldstein, a longtime UFT chapter leader and “NYC’s best teacher-blogger" (according to Diane Ravitch), is seeking to “wake up the sleeping giant that is our membership .” A staunch defender of public education, Goldstein has relentlessly censured city, state, and national leaders alike for their attacks on the profession. NYSUT will be well-served with him as its legislative leader, a strong voice for a position in desperate need of revival. 

UFT candidates for at-large directors include Julie Cavanagh (who unsuccessfully ran against Mulgrew for president last year), James Eterno, Lauren Cohen, Jia Lee, Mike Schirtzer, and Francesco Portelos, a whistle-blowing teacher from Staten Island who's been exiled from his school and recently jailed for excessive satire.  Portelos's strife taught him the value of unionism and can lend valuable experience in a climate in which many teachers have bullseyes on their backs.      

Should these UFT dissidents win prominent positions in NYSUT, they would suddenly have a bully pulpit to channel an activistic UFT demographic, broadcasting the multitudinous needs of their members around the state and nation.  No longer pinned down by the Unity Caucus, NYSUT's largest local would unfurl a tapestry of voices above the dictates of the few.  Never before has such an opportunity presented itself to the UFT's rank and file members.   

A Stronger Union

On April 5, Union delegates from around the state will gather in New York City beneath a wrinkled banner of democracy. Hopes remain high, however, that this banner will re-emerge smoother than before, with more members pressing its principles.  Elections are only as healthy as the number of people who vote, after all.  Though Mulgrew, Pallotta, and Revive may have locked up the votes of 800 delegates, they cannot guarantee a majority. This year's RA should attract more members than ever, fighting for a stronger NYSUT.

And much to Arthur Goldstein's satisfaction, the sleeping giant may have already been awakened...

LA Teacher Union Election Wrinkle in Time

At the presidential forum...., where the issue was first made public, Caputo-Pearl defended his school site visits. “It’s a way to level the playing field [with Fletcher] who is allowed to be out there, talking to teachers everyday,” he said in an interview with LA School Report. He also said he made all necessary provisions to ensure his students would not be affected. Caputo-Pearl said the district has no right to prevent him from stumping. “Classroom teachers and health and human service workers are incensed that the District has attacked my contractual and legal right to take unpaid personal leave,” he told LA School Report. “When that is taken away by the District – this is classic management interference in a union election, and a glaring unfair labor practice, which we are pursuing filing.”... Alex Caputo-Pearl, LATU Presidential Candidate

Why do I report on union elections outside our city? Because there is so much to learn. What if Julie Cavanagh has been given time off to campaign to counter Mulgrew's full-time campaign? In the 2010 Chicago campaign Karen Lewis was given time to campaign - she even had someone booking her into schools. James Eterno informed me this not allowed in our union. I wonder if this is due to the DOE or the UFT/Unity Caucus influence, which clearly would not want to see this happen. But what if there were a rule here that for the 30 days before an election a presidential candidate could be given time off to make lunchtime appearances in schools for a certain amount of days?

This story below dug up by Francesco Portelos is about a month old but an interesting point given Alex Caputo-Pearl's 48% vote total while incumbent Warren Fletcher received less than half that total. As Alex points out, Fletcher could campaign full-time so the fact that Alex more than doubled his vote is a great sign that campaigning has an impact --- getting a candidate out there is crucial and here in NYC it is impossible for a challenger to Unity to make school visits. Ideally, an opposition would run someone on sabbatical or leave - and MORE for a while considered running Brian Jones for president since he is on study/child care leave and could make school appearances. Actually, he still could have done so and maybe we dropped the ball on not making better use of Brian during the election.

Even though the LA vote total was as bad as it was here in NYC, I believe Alex' victory (if he wins the run-off -- and anything is possible) means something. As I've been pointing out, the AFT convention in LA this summer may be interesting if a coalition forms between insurgents around the nation, including the split-off from statewide Unity in NYSUT. Randi will try to head off any national insurgency by telling everyone she agrees with them -- watch her run to hug Alex. She will sound more militant over the next 6 months. She knows she can count on the 800 Unity Caucus slugs to be there for her but one thing is emerging -- her presidency may be safe (the only one who could challenge her is Karen Lewis and I don't see that happening) but the Unity Caucus control over the national AFT convention will show some serious signs of slippage as battles emerge over control of the committees where a lot of the work takes place.

A MORE contingent hopes to be there to report.

Here are my last 2 reports on the LA elecion where I do some analysis:
LA Teacher Union Election: Union Power Slate Domin...

Insurgent Slate Wins Big in Leadership Race for L...

Older pieces on Alex can be found by using the ed notes search box.

Misunderstood election rules upsetting UTLA candidates

Posted on February 27, 2014 9:36 am by Vanessa Romo

Alex Caputo-Pearl, far right, at UTLA Forum last week

Recent campaign appearances by Alex Caputo-Pearl at schools around LA Unified have ignited a dispute among candidates for UTLA offices who say election rules — such as they are  – are being applied unfairly. The conflict has also brought into focus how misunderstood the rules seem to be.
The source of the infighting is what some candidates perceive as their right to campaign at school campuses during working hours.
The conflict arose last week after Caputo-Pearl, leader of the Union Power slate and one of the perceived front runners for UTLA president in unseating incumbent Warren Fletcher, said his principal at Frida Kahlo High School had granted him about 12 days of unpaid personal leave to visit 30 schools to campaign teachers to vote for him.
That prompted several of his opponents to raise the possibility that his actions were illegal by district election rules. They were, according to Leticia Figueroa, LA Unified’s director of employee performance accountability, who said a school principal has no say in the decision.
She told LA School Report that permission can only be granted by the district Human Resources department and “the employee did not follow district procedures in obtaining appropriate permission for an unpaid leave.”
“There is no paperwork on file with the district’s HR department,” she said. The “paperwork” is a district form that must be completed in requesting an unpaid leave. It lists 15 possible reasons, and none is for election campaigning although one is vague enough to provide a rationale for it — “Personal Leave, not for family illness.”
For its part, UTLA officials say that by union campaign rules Caputo-Pearl’s has done nothing wrong. The union’s labor agreement with the district lists seven reasons for unpaid leave, but none explicitly covers union campaigning.

In any event, the district put a stop to Caputo-Pearl’s school day campaigning.
At the presidential forum last week, where the issue was first made public, Caputo-Pearl defended his school site visits.
“It’s a way to level the playing field [with Fletcher] who is allowed to be out there, talking to teachers everyday,” he said in an interview with LA School Report.
He also said he made all necessary provisions to ensure his students would not be affected. Caputo-Pearl said the district has no right to prevent him from stumping.
“Classroom teachers and health and human service workers are incensed that the District has attacked my contractual and legal right to take unpaid personal leave,” he told LA School Report. “When that is taken away by the District – this is classic management interference in a union election, and a glaring unfair labor practice, which we are pursuing filing.”
Over the last few days, candidates have been raising questions to each other, union officials and the district about what the rules are and how they should be applied — under an apparent false assumption that the candidate’s principal can grant the leave.
Some are are demanding that the union election committee step in and disqualify Caputo-Pearl and other members of the Union Power slate who may have also campaigned during school hours.
And this is what has some candidates up in arms, the idea that if left to the discretion of an administrator, campaigning rules could be applied unevenly, impacting the outcome of a race.
As an example, Laura McCutcheon, a candidate for UTLA treasurer, heard about Caputo-Pearl’s lunch-time meetings with teachers and sought to do the same, according to a collection of emails sent to LA School Report, bearing the the names of UTLA candidates. But her request was apparently turned down by her school principal, according to her email.
It was McCutcheon who first alerted the UTLA elections committee about the apparent irregularities of the policy, setting off a chain of finger pointing and charges of discrimination. A union official confirmed the authenticity of her email.
In her email, McCutcheon referred to LA Unified’s downtown headquarters in messages to several other candidates: “Well, Beaudry deferred to my principal who defers to Beaudry who said no but said up to principal who will put nothing in writing but will not sign my [request]. Uhm.”
Figueroa said McCutcheon’s understanding of the process was incorrect.
The same collection of emails included messages that appear to have been sent by presidential candidate Marcos Ortega II and David Garcia to union officials, each expressing their displeasure over Caputo-Pearl’s actions and threatening to file complaints against the union.
But efforts to reach both of them to confirm the authenticity of the emails were unsuccessful.
Previous Posts: At a UTLA candidate forum, issues break out within the mudslinging; In forum, UTLA president candidates discuss big ideas — and a strike.

Insurgent Slate Wins Big in Leadership Race for L.A. Teachers Local

We heard from people who kept telling us to chill the social justice stuff here in NYC. Yet social justicy people like Alex Caputo-Pearl seem to be winning urban teacher union elections like in Chicago, Milwaukee, a good showing in Newark, people running in Seattle and Portland and probably other places I am leaving out. Unions are getting killed no matter what but the best chance to have a glimmer of hope is a union that can reach deep into the membership and the community for support. LA is somewhat iffy, given that many of the people involved have had some share of power over the years, but never the presidency.

Alex is dynamic and in many ways the LA power structure's worst nightmare. Just watch the fur fly before the run-off. But given the Labor Notes report below the entire fabric of the union is under control of the insurgents.

One interesting point is that Alex has even build alliances with the LA E4E people which I don't totally understand but it will be fun to watch how that angle plays out.

Labor Notes:
March 21, 2014 / Samantha Winslow

An activist slate pledging to reenergize teachers to fight attacks on public schools has just won leadership of United Teachers Los Angeles, the second-largest teachers local in the country.

Union Power’s presidential candidate, Alex Caputo-Pearl, beat out nine candidates with 48 percent—more than twice the votes of his nearest opponent, incumbent Warren Fletcher.

Caputo-Pearl needed 50 percent to win outright, however, so he will face an April runoff against Fletcher.

Outside the top spot, the coalition won outright every spot it ran for, 24 seats. “In every area, in every position it was a big margin between the Union Power candidates and our opponents,” said teacher Rebecca Solomon, who won an executive board spot. “It’s not against one person: it’s everywhere.

“That shows the power of a coherent idea… I think people want to see a big change. People recognize that you need a big team,” she said.

NO MORE DISENGAGEMENT

The Union Power slate has spent the past three months flyering outside schools in the mornings, holding lunchtime information meetings, phonebanking, and debating opposing candidates. Caputo-Pearl was endorsed by 230 chapter chairs, the elected teacher representatives at the school level.

Union Power leaders want to turn around the widespread disengagement of the 31,000 rank-and-file teachers from their union—after years of school reorganizations, teacher layoffs, and education cuts. School district leaders are pushing charter schools and working to weaken teachers’ job security and union rights.

Solomon said the win gives her hope, but the low percentage of teachers who voted—23—also shows how much work there is to be done.

The slate members ran on their experience as education activists who’ve already been teaming up with parents to fight school reorganizations and cuts. They’re committed to using what they have learned in local school fights to take on the district as a whole.

Union Power leaders say they will put resources into member organizing, community organizing, and research.

PIECE BY PIECE

They have a beef with Fletcher’s approach to the expired contract, which has been to bargain and sign off on contract issues piece by piece. Most recently the union agreed to a new teacher evaluation system.

“That has utterly failed,” Caputo-Pearl said. “Small-room negotiations don’t help you in terms of building power on the ground.”

Fletcher won office in 2010, after campaigning on a pledge to focus on teacher pay and benefits and promising to hire a professional negotiator to win a better contract.

This message worked in part because leaders had lost ground in their last contract—right after the 2008 economic crisis brought sweeping cuts to education. They attempted to build to a one-day strike, but were blocked by the courts. Teachers were left feeling deflated.

Today, however, the contract has been expired for two years. The union has failed to mount an aggressive contract campaign, let alone challenge district leaders’ punitive model of education or articulate its own vision.

Instead, Union Power activists argue they need a broad contract campaign. They take inspiration from the Chicago Teachers’ 2012 campaign and strike, where educators mobilized with parents and community supporters at their side.

The next step is to help Caputo-Pearl win the runoff next month.

Meet members of the Union Power slate at the Labor Notes Conference April 4-6 in Chicago.

- See more at: http://labornotes.org/2014/03/insurgent-slate-wins-big-leadership-race-la-teachers-local#sthash.DXHE4ffV.dpuf

-------
And then there is the cynical view from Mike Antonucci on the right who doesn't seem to get exactly who Alex is and what he represents. The fabric of an entire high school was changed to try to get him out of the school because of his organizing ability. Let's see how Alex uses union power to reach the "Don't Give a Crap" vote. Oh, what fun!

Reruns

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 09:44 AM PDT

I’d like to thank United Teachers Los Angeles for giving me an easy Friday this week. Just a few tweaks to a March 30, 2011 post will bring us right up-to-date on the election for president of the union. Here it is:

Back to Basics Candidate Wins Close to Winning UTLA Presidency

Following the line of succession is the preferred method of achieving high office in teachers’ unions, but there is a tried-and-true way for challengers to upset the political order. Accuse the incumbent, or heir apparent, of being too accommodating to district wishes and promise to be more combative in the battle to achieve higher salaries, benefits and job protections.
It has been particularly effective with the United Teachers Los Angeles, and Warren Fletcher Alex Caputo-Pearl utilized it to win dominate the election for the presidency over Julie Washington Warren Fletcher, incumbent vice president. under the term-limited A.J. Duffy. Caputo-Pearl fell just short of an outright majority to avoid a runoff.
Here is Fletcher’s Caputo-Pearl’s short campaign victory interview video, wherein he states, “The union has stopped focusing on its primary job – protecting its members.” “Warren Fletcher’s strategy – the current president, Warren Fletcher – his strategy has been ineffective at actually building power with teachers and communities and parents.”
Fletcher Caputo-Pearl picked up 53% 48% of the votes cast, but as is typical in union elections, turnout was low. Still, I think the non-voters were making their voices heard, just as they did in 2008. We should include them in the results:
Warren Fletcher – 4,711 (11.7%) Alex Caputo-Pearl – 3,408 (10.8%)
Julie Washington – 4,247 (10.5%) Warren Fletcher – 1,508 (4.8%)
Gregg Solkovits – 1,142 (3.6%)
Bill Gaffney – 323 (1.0%)
Saul “The Fighter” Lankster – 287 (0.9%)
David R. Garcia – 261 (0.8%)
Innocent O. Osunwa – 60 (0.2%)
Kevin Mottus – 53 (0.2%)
Leonard Segal – 34 (0.1%)
Marcos Ortega II – 23 (0.1%)
Don’t Give a Crap – 31,308 24,453 (77.8%) (77.5%)

Fred Smith: Parents Should Say NO to Field Tests

Fred is our testing guru - field tests have no purpose for kids or teachers or schools -- they are used by the testing companies to make new tests and use kids as guinea pigs. Fred has led the revolt against field tests. There is no penalty to a school to refuse to take them -- but sometimes there are bribes - like free ipads. Either boycott or hold out for a big bundle -- and pay the kids back by throwing them one hell of a party.


Posted By dianeravitch

March 21, 2014 //

 

Fred Smith is a testing expert in New York City who has been advising parent organizations about their rights and explaining the technicalities of the tests to laymen.

He writes here:
“There are many reasons to refuse to participate in the field tests. They are summarized here–concerning New York State’s stealthy field testing practices, but having wider application to field testing, in general.

“http://changethestakes.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/whyfieldtestsareaknow-no1-22-14-bw-docx-10-reasons.pdf

“It all comes down to parents becoming informed about when the tests are coming–where, what schools are involved–and acting in the best interests of their children’s education. Parents must insist on having this knowledge, as a simple matter of transparency. Then, it is THEIR choice alone on whether to allow their children to spend time taking field tests.

“As I see it, neither the state nor local educational entities have any legitimate authority in a matter that is entirely up to parents to decide on. Field testing carries no mandate demanding compliance. By arrogating to themselves the right to dictate actions that are in all ways voluntary (and must, at least, require informed consent) officials are simply usurping power to which they have no claim.
Fred Smith”

LA Teacher Union Election: Union Power Slate Dominates

TFA grad in position to run LA teachers union --- but don't get frightened kiddies. Urban social justice unionism keeps growing.

Alex-Caputo Pearl with 48% against 21% for incumbent Warren Fletcher. I've met Alex a few times - this past summer in Chicago and 5 years ago in LA when he invited a bunch of Chicago CORE people over for breakfast and I clung to the back of the car -- didn't want to miss Alex' pancakes.

I remember how the deformers were blowing smoke 3 years ago when Warren Fletcher was elected. Alex has been a thorn in the side of the LA administration for most of his career. I think he is a Teacher for America grad from the very first class almost a quarter century ago.

What does this mean for the national movement? LA is more NEA than AFT so this will not have as much impact on Randi's playpen as we would think. But with the AFT convention in July this summer, and so many LA teachers lined up with people in Chicago and those of us in MORE here in NYC - and let's think of the blow back from the NYSUT split.

Report from LA:

The progressive organizing slate—Union Power—swept the officer and Board of Directors elections, with a run-off for president in April. Our presidential candidate, Alex Caputo-Pearl got 48% of the vote, Warren Fletcher (the incumbent president) only 21%, while another incumbent officer received 16%, most of whose supporters will back Alex. So we’re looking at the opening of a “second front” (with Chicago) in the second largest urban district in the U.S.! Thanks so much for all your support!

I hope these guys are not overconfident. In the Chicago 2004 presidential election incumbent Debbie Lynch got just short of 50% and then lost in the runoff. Alex's election is a big threat to the deformers. Just watch the vicious assault the press will toss at him.

The Wave: Memo From the RTC: How To Survive Three Shows in 24 Hours

My column published today in The Wave.

Memo From the RTC: How To Survive Three Shows in 24 Hours

By Norm Scott

After months of work, the RTC production of “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” opened last Friday night in shipshape condition, followed by both a Saturday matinee and evening performance, with servings of pizza in between. Phew! Sunday was a day of rest.

As I wrote last week (http://www.rockawave.com/news/2014-03-14/Columnists/Dispatches.html), corralling such a large and diverse cast (high school, college students, people with full and part-time jobs, retirees like me, etc.) is not an easy task. But Director John Gilleece and Producer Susan Jasper pulled it off superbly, not without some nudging (Susan has a PhD in nudging).

Working with John and Susan, both retired teachers from Leon Goldstein HS, is quite an experience. Wonderful support with more than a dollop of tough love and an expectation of excellence and a sense of accountability to the entire production. It was Susan who called me in early January about appearing as a singer and dancer in the show. When I told her I couldn’t do either and also had a bad back, basically she told me to get my ass down there, pronto. So I limped in and John immediately put me on the stage with Matt Leonen (Jenkins in the show) to walk by the gorgeous Nicole Mangano (Hedy) and ogle her. By the time I got across the stage my backache was gone. I recommend everyone come to the show and ogle Nicole, whose performances as a singer and dancer through the years have wowed me. She’s better than Advil for back pain as she puts on an wonderful comic performance. A few of us were in the wings ready to go on at one point just as Nicole was nailing a vocal with such perfection, we all looked at each other. This girl can sing. And act.

Matt, who is a local Rockaway resident and a recent college grad with a theater minor, has been one of my go-to guys when I’m in trouble. His knowledge of the theater and his  sense of timing and movement plus his knowledge of stagecraft, is superb. We can expect big things from Matt in the future.

Having appeared in only one previous production, the 8-character “The Odd Couple (TOC),” this was quite a different experience – both easier and more difficult. I had quite a few lines in TOC and always felt under pressure to deliver the line so the other actors had their cues. In this show I only have 4 lines – which believe it or not I often missed in rehearsals. Mostly, I have to be at certain spots at a certain times throughout the show. I’m also expected to dance and sing (or mouth the words) in the big production numbers like Coffee Break, A Secretary is Not a Toy, Believe in Me and Brotherhood of Man. This is where Musical Director Richard Louis-Pierre and 

Choreographer Nicola DePierro came in. Each of them worked with the various groupings at different rehearsals. Rich did wonderful work on the solos and duets but also on getting the group harmonies where, though I can’t carry a tune, I actually got a clue as to how the music in a show evolves.  Rich has been an RTC mainstay for many years. Whereas I could fake the singing part, the dancing was very tough and I’m still trying to remember what step goes with what words. Nicola, who works at The Hair Den in Breezy and also part of the RTC crew for many years, put up with all my moves in the wrong direction and I no longer feel like a total embarrassment.

Needless to say, I have been wowed by my fellow cast members and I hope to write more about this remarkable group of people. One of the most impressive is 25-year old John Panepinto who plays the lead, J. Pierpont Finch – Ponty. John is fairly new to RTC, though he has appeared in a few productions, usually in character roles. This is his first lead role and he just blows it away, singing, dancing and acting.  John also takes the lead in leading – bringing a wonderful sense of solidarity to the cast on and off-stage. He is one of the most impressive young men I have met. John is from Brooklyn and was never in Rockaway until he came to the RTC. Watch the interview I did with John between shows on Saturday (https://vimeo.com/89264613).

There are 7 shows left (March 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30- check times) and don’t miss this performance – I saw Matthew Broderick in the role and John is better – just don’t tell Sarah Jessica Parker. See a sample of the wonderful female cast tapping to “Cinderella Darling” I posted their performance from both Saturday shows (https://vimeo.com/89258541). Watch this and just try to stay away.

Wave Editor Kevin Boyle and I have discussed a regular column focused on all aspects of the RTC, front and backstage. If we decide it is a GO, look for them to appear around the times when RTC is doing productions, with occasional updates in between.

Norm still does education blogging at ednotesonline.com

Rockaway Theatre Update: Good News for the Theater, I'm Not a Musical Comedy Star -Yet

Well, since my last report (How to Make a Fool Out of Yourself: I Do It the Company Way at Rockaway Theatre Production of “How to Succeed…) last weekend we made it through the first 3 performances of the Rockaway Theatre Company production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" in pretty good shape. I managed to deliver my 4 lines through the play and show up in the spots I was supposed to show up in and did not fall down while trying to dance in the numbers Coffee Break, A Secretary is Not a Toy and Brotherhood of Man.

Tickets still available. But no wickets.

In the days before the opening, things began to shape up  during the 2 the dress rehearsals last Weds and Thurs. The show is long with a first act that needed tightening. The key was the number of set changes needed - the actors do the changes so there is a lot of curtain closing as we move sets in and out of the 2 side doors of the theater. Backstage is wild with the very large cast doing costume changes, the gals doing hair and makeup, as people run in and out for their time onstage and for the set changes. Getting the timing down on all this takes a long time and people who are new to the RTC had some doubts at one point but were pleasantly surprised.

I shot video of both Saturday performances but due to the rules I cannot make them public. However, a section of the show can be made available. Here are the 2 tap dance performances the gals do from both shows to the tune of "Cinderella Darling".

https://vimeo.com/89258541



RTC H2 tap from Rockaway Theatre Company.

And here is an interview I did with John Panepento, the great young actor/singer/dancer who plays the lead.
(https://vimeo.com/89264613)




And some stills -

The Amazing Paris Originals

Newark Teacher Endorses Ras Baraka and Slams David Brooks for Jeffries Endorsement

David Brooks: Drive By Newark Mayoral Endorsement

David Brooks endorsed Newark mayoral candidate Shavar Jeffries in his New York Times column "How Cities Change." Brooks judiciously devoted seven paragraphs to Jeffries' biography and none to his opponent Ras Baraka. Indulge me while I fill in some gaps.

Ras Baraka was born in Newark in 1970. He is the son of the late poet and activist Amiri Baraka formerly known as Leroi Jones. He holds a BA in Political Science from Howard University and an MA in Education Supervision from St. Peter's University. Baraka serves as the South Ward City Councilman and is on leave from his position as principal of Central High School.

In a slight oversimplification, Brooks preceded his endorsement of Jeffries with this statement, "In Newark, as elsewhere, charter schools are the main flashpoint in this divide. Middle-class municipal workers, including members of the teachers' unions, tend to be suspicious of charters. The poor, who favor school choice, and the affluent who favor education reform generally, tend to support charters." 

So our friend Brooks, a member of the well-heeled class, has justified his endorsement of Jeffries due to his affluence. The poor residents of Newark are being denied a voice by Governor Chris Christie. The elected School Advisory Board is being ignored. Attempts by the community to regain control of the schools have been unsuccessful. Should the poor be denied the choice of a traditional neighborhood school that is a common place option in the suburbs? 

I am a middle class Newark Teacher's Union member and I favor Ras Baraka. I support Ras Baraka because he is fighting to save public education in the community where I work. He is the lone strong voice in the wilderness protesting State District Superintendent Cami Anderson's destructive One Newark Plan. He defended the principals suspended for speaking out in defense of their schools. He backed the clerk suspended for voicing her views on her cell phone in the bathroom. He was behind the parent activist arrested for attempting to organize parents against the closing of his child's school. Baraka is fighting hard to prevent Anderson from laying off 1,100 teachers over the next three years to be replaced by Teach for America novices. A Teacher's Village is under construction to house them and The Walton Foundation has made a generous contribution to provide training. 

I endorse Ras Baraka not because of my socio-economic profile, but because I believe in his mission. I am a proud product of wonderful public schools from kindergarten through a state university. 

By the way, does anybody know which schools David Brooks' three children attended? 

A Newark Teacher