AFT Delegate Wants to See Opposition to Unity/Progressive Caucus Control

Hey Norm!
I was a delegate at AFT's last convention in Los Angeles.  I'm from a city of about 90000 people. Our union could only afford to send two delegates to the LA Convention, even though we were allowed to send up to 15; we'll probably be able to send four or five to Minnesota because the cost should be significantly less than LA.  I was shocked that NYC was able to send 800 delegates. Something has to change. 

I came across your page and I agree with your opinion that the Mulgrew/Weingarten/Unity crew basically rigged the convention.  Have you ever tried forming some opposition to them?  I know the BAMN Caucus opposed Unity but I had the feeling that their group is a little too radical for most members.  Regardless, I spoke with a lot delegates who were not from New York and they also felt that the Convention was rigged and wished there was more opposition to the Progressive/Unity Caucus than just the BAMN.  What are your thoughts?

I wish I had easy answers. Don't forget that the system Al Shanker set up puts Progressive Caucus (unlike Unity, an open caucus anyone can join) in such a dominant position, creating a viable opposition on the national level is very difficult. Witness that Karen Lewis and CORE are not in a position to lead a national opposition against Unity - Karen is a member of Progressive Caucus, which gives her a seat on the AFT Exec Council.

Thus, Chicago people from the ranks can go head to head with Unity in committee meetings and on the convention floor, this cannot happen on the leader to leader level.

With the groups meeting in Chicago this weekend, I am wondering if this issue will come up - the most I expect is some loose caucus will form that will do education at the next convention in Minneapolis in 2016 and not a caucus running against progressive. But one never knows as events may accelerate faster than we think.

Oh, yes! BAMN is too radical for most people -- which allowed Randi to get 97% of the vote and in essence distort what I think was about 20-25% who would oppose Progressive. Which I think, given that Unity was about 25-30% of the attendees plus NYSUT flunkies - say 40% - that's a pretty long hill to climb.

Today: Protest Campbell Brown on Colbert Show - 4:15

I'm glad they are doing this, though I have no doubt Colbert will have some fun with Brown. You know, I watched Brown when she was (briefly) on the Today show - and she made me cringe with her humorlessness and cluelessness. They couldn't wait to get rid of her.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Julian Vinocur, julian@aqeny.org, 212-328-9268
Maria Bautista, maria@aqeny.org, 347-622-9706

*** Media Advisory for July 31st, 4:15pm, Outside Colbert Report Studio Taping 513 West 54th St.***

Parents and Teachers to Protest Campbell Brown's Appearance On Colbert Report

Growing Outrage Over Brown's Refusal to Disclose Wall Street Backers, While Proclaiming to Speak for Parents

WHAT: On the heels of Campbell Brown filing a bogus lawsuit attacking teachers, public school parents and teachers will protest her appearance outside tonight's taping of the Colbert Report.

Parents and teachers will expose the Real Campbell Brown: a right-wing, out-of-touch elitist, with no background in education who is running a political campaign funded by Wall Street donors.

Participants will be tweeting from #WhoFundsCampbell & #Questions4Campbell

WHO: Parents and teachers, members of the Alliance for Quality Education and New York Communities for Change.

WHERE: Outside Colbert Report studio on 513 West 54th St, NY, NY (between 54th st. and 10th ave.).

WHEN: Today, at 4:15pm. Thursday, July 31st, 2014.

# # #

Takin' the Rockaway Ferry to See "Piece of My Heart" - and a Met Game with Old Pals

Thurs, July 31, 1PM

Go see a great show - was available on TDF.

Bathing Beauty sea sirens at RTC pool party looking to drag guys into water - they all happen to play strippers in Gypsy.

I am just back from the theater where Tony had me build a ladder for the upcoming Godspell. When the actors fall off during the show, my name is on the ladder.

I've had a fun few days. After taping the Sunday Gypsy performance I went to the cast party at the home of one of the volunteers and had a wonderful time -- as you can see from the pic above - hanging with RTC people is a very different environment from what I am used to. Many of them are teachers, but... their major interest is in the theater, not union politics. A great break for me.

This morning I chatted with Arthur Goldstein who is heading to Chicago tomorrow for the national conference of what I'll term - alternate teacher unionism. I'm not going because I chose to go to the AFT convention as my one trip this summer - mainly because so few MOREistas went there and so many are going to Chicago. We have a great group going and can't wait for reports.

Yesterday we took the fabulous, soon to be defunct, Rockaway ferry to 34 St, a restaurant week lunch at a fancy French place on 9th Ave and 44th (I would have preferred Shake Shack), and the matinee of a great show, Piece of My Heart at the interesting Signature theater on 42nd and 10th Av.

I'm not a big musical fan - though being in 2 musicals at the RTC has given me a new appreciation - but after reading about Burt Burns in a NY Times article 2 weeks ago, I wanted to see the new play about him that opened recently.I loved every minute of it -- while they didn't do his most famous Motown songs, they did do Shake It Up Baby and closed with Piece of My Heart, which Joplin made famous. Monday night I took my wife's cousin Danny to the Met game because he wanted to see City Field. Ed Beller got the tickets for Ellen Fox and James and Camille Eterno, who took an evening off from their new baby. Ed was a New Action guy - see - ICE/MORE and New Action can have a fun night out together.

Contemplating the lunch bill at French restaurant

Ellen, Ed, Camille and James - Camille keeps looking younger with every kid she has.

The game was bad - they lost 6-0. (I am a Yankee - first and Mets - second fan and root for both.) On the way home Danny, who is 27, wanted to talk about Israel. Oy!

Dan took this to prove I was there

And some pics from the ferry -

Mike Schirtzer Thanks MOREistas

I just wanted to thank all the folks who helped organize and present at the today's summer series and the last one a couple of weeks back.

Kit, Norm, Ellen, and James really explained well the lessons for MORE from their experiences in past opposition groups. It was such a great history lesson on why they fight so hard and how they were able to achieve some of their goals.

Today Kevin did a fantastic job breaking down the changes in the contract while AJ did an important presentation on how this new contract impacts ATR's.

The good news- Both events had new faces that were totally engaged- taking notes, asking questions, sharing stories, and signing up for our email list and even joining MORE. Great post conversations afterwards too!
A big thanks to Megan for working out the logistics, especially getting this great location and welcoming everyone.

All in all a great team effort and two amazing sessions. 
Stay tuned for the next 2 in August on Lessons from CTU-Core being organized by Peter. Megan and Lauren finishing up strong with UFT 101- why teachers unions are important.
Thanks to all!

Moaning Mona and Campbell Brown Tenure Suits: An Attack on Special Ed Students

Less than a week after I received the Letter of Possible Discontinuance I received an updated package, which now stated my license could possibly be terminated. Because I voiced concern for the needs of my students I am being dealt a difficult card and an ultimatum.  I am alarmed and concerned for my future as an educator.  As I mentioned earlier, this is where I see myself until retirement, in a classroom serving our students and showing them a love for learning.... Discontinued special ed teacher

A Discontinue is a blackball - even if someone wants to hire the teacher. If a principal doesn't want a teacher the DOE should not automatically support an action to terminate without some investigation - and if another principal wants to hire them the DOE and UFT should assist, not ignore.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew can cheer and chant about the new “tone” in the de Blasio/Fariña DOE until he is blue in the face. Here at DTOE, we don’t buy it. In fact, we have more stories of attacks on teachers now than we did before. The attack on probationary (non-tenured aka not protected) teachers is a full blown, unreported epidemic. The modern day Salem witch trials. .. DTOE report

UFT inaction, along with Farina/Tweed indifference, in essence, support the assault.

A MORE teacher writes:

I read this appeal from the DTOE blog last night, and I can't stop thinking about it. I wonder if others have ideas for how to best respond to the situation and support this young teacher. If so, please do share.

http://dtoe.org/2014/07/29/another-case-for-tenure-principal-juman-and-the-new-doe-target-non-tenured-whistleblower/#comment-17894

The plight of this teacher reminds me so much of stories shared by my own cohort of first year self-contained special education teachers, except for one thing, which is that this teacher truly worked to advocate conscientiously (and really stuck her neck out) for sped regulations to be followed, and she faced a totally different climate of evaluation and punishment than we did just 5 years ago. 

Read the entire post here and send an email to Conyers Donald , pweinbe1@schools.nyc.gov, Feijoo Laura , Fariña Carmen , dgibson2@schools.nyc.gov, “mmulgrew@uft.org” , Amy Arundell , Leroy Barr , “epietromonaco@uft.org” . 

 

The teacher's hearing is with Superintendent Donald Conyers.

 

Daily Howler Takes down Recent Ivy League Grad Ed Journalists

Impressive diplomas to the side, have you ever seen these new and slightly older kids challenge the prevailing theme about our floundering public schools? Have you ever seen them push back against this ubiquitous, billionaire-favored theme with the most elementary statistical work?
....

People from the finest schools putter around on the public schools beat, failing to identify the groaning conflict between our rapidly rising NAEP scores and the gloomy, teacher-hating scripts which dominate elite discourse. Despite their gaudy Ivy degrees, these young journalists don’t seem able (or willing) to do the most basic reporting, which would undermine the elite press corps' most favored educational themes...

A fresh young face and an Ivy degree do not guarantee expertise, journalistic skill or even basic forthrightness. ...The Daily Howler, July 24, 2014

These people are careerists, not journalists.

Before I blog about the standard op procedure of these people -- get feet wet as a so-called journalist and then write a book, let  me post some thoughts by the Howler.  While a very few actually attempt to teach for a brief period to get a feel for what the job is all about, most won't go near the classroom.

I also must write about the praise NY Times columnist Joe Nocera heaped on Chalkbeat/Gotham Schools' Elizabeth Green (Teaching Teaching).

Bob Somerby, the Howler, is a former Baltimore elementary school teacher (and Harvard grad). Like the dude actually spent a dozen years in the classroom.

He often "critiques education writing, often by analyzing badly reported data on scholastic achievement in low income or minority populations." [Wiki].

THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014

Part 3—What ever happened to standards: As the so-called “worst generation” of journalists exits the stage, they are often being replaced by eager young Ivy League kids.

These replacements come from the finest schools, though you wouldn’t necessarily discern this fact from their frequently horrible work.

In some settings, these bright young kids are simply accepting the broken norms of their establishment news orgs. At the Washington Post, Philip Rucker (Yale 2006) recently became head spear-chucker in his newspaper’s never-ending jihad against the Clintons. At the same newspaper, Catherine Rampell (Princeton 2007) found herself worried by Chelsea Clinton’s “lucrative speaking career”—a lucrative career from which Chelsea Clinton reportedly hasn’t kept a single red cent.

In such cases, the so-called “new kids on the lawn” seem to be getting themselves in line with their owners’ preferred story lines. Elsewhere, though, we’ve often been struck by the lousy technical work which ensues when major news orgs hand the reins to very young Ivy League kids.

Very quickly, let’s consider the way the so-called “new kids on the lawn” have discussed some basic public school issues.

Last November, we discussed some woeful education reporting in The Atlantic, a storied American publication. To review our critique, you can just click here, then click once or twice more.

For today, let’s consider who did the reporting in question, which we think was rather inept.

The report in question was written by Julia Ryan, Harvard 2013. That’s right! Ryan graduated from Harvard in June of last year. By November, she was bungling basic education reporting for a storied publication.

What made The Atlantic think that Ryan was qualified to interpret the basic statistics which come with the public schools beat? We don’t know, but Ryan’s editor was Eleanor Barkhorn, Princeton 2006.

This was her official bio:

THE ATLANTIC: Eleanor Barkhorn is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic, where she oversees the Education Channel. She previously edited the Sexes and Entertainment channels. Before coming to The Atlantic, she was a reporter at the Delta Democrat Times in Greenville, Mississippi. She graduated from Princeton University, where she majored in American literature and wrote her senior thesis about Oprah's Book Club. For her first two years out of college, she taught high school English with the Teach For America program.

Ryan was straight outta Harvard. Barkhorn was seven years outta Princeton, where she wrote her senior thesis on Oprah’s book club.

However gaudy their diplomas may have seemed, Ryan and Barkhorn didn’t seem ready to create an informed discussion of the nation’s most basic educational statistics. In fairness, this problem extends all through the mainstream press corps, which tends to stick to familiar themes of educational decline, even in the face of the most reliable statistical evidence.

People from the finest schools putter around on the public schools beat, failing to identify the groaning conflict between our rapidly rising NAEP scores and the gloomy, teacher-hating scripts which dominate elite discourse. Despite their gaudy Ivy degrees, these young journalists don’t seem able (or willing) to do the most basic reporting, which would undermine the elite press corps' most favored educational themes.

We’ve often torn our hair over the work of Motoko Rich, the New York Times’ education reporter. Rich, who can’t be called a “new kid,” is said to have been summa cum laude at Yale in the early 1990s.

Meanwhile, Dana Goldstein (Brown 2006) is a full-fledged education writer at various liberal publications. According to the leading authority, she’s a Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation and a Puffin Fellow at The Nation Institute!

Impressive diplomas to the side, have you ever seen these new and slightly older kids challenge the prevailing theme about our floundering public schools? Have you ever seen them push back against this ubiquitous, billionaire-favored theme with the most elementary statistical work?

(Concerning Gail Collins’ embarrassing groaners about public schools, let’s not even go there today. In theory, Collins is one of the Sam-and-Cokies whose groaning work on public schools these “new kids” should be challenging.)

A fresh young face and an Ivy degree do not guarantee expertise, journalistic skill or even basic forthrightness. Consider the disappointing work of Bryce Covert, Brown 2006.

Tomorrow: When new kids are cast in partisan roles. Also, as the new kids see themselves (two examples)

MORE Caucus Press Release: Teacher Tenure is Good for Students

By eliminating teacher tenure, we risk further disconnecting students and teachers, and make it harder for them to have transformational dialogue about what actually needs to be done in our classrooms to further the growth of students... Primi Akhtar (2014 graduate of Queens Metropolitan High School, valedictorian)

Real parents and students as opposed to astroturf creations  support tenure. Primi was a student of Beth Kuhlman who is married to Jeff Kaufman.

Our pals at MORE have been busy bees despite the summer vacation.

morecaucusnyc

Teacher Tenure Is Good For Students - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 30, 2014 Press Contacts: Jia Lee, Elementary School teacher and Public School parent Mike Schirtzer, Social Studies High School...

Teacher Tenure Is Good For Students

July 30, 2014 — 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 30, 2014

Press Contacts:

Jia Lee, Elementary School teacher and Public School parent

Mike Schirtzer, Social Studies High School teacher

Media@morecaucusnyc.org

Teachers, Parents and Students Stand Strong for Tenure

Due Process Protects Teachers who Protect their Students

Tenure gives teachers the right to stand up for their students’ best interests, even in the face of poor leadership or poor policy. It accords those who spend the most time with students the respect and responsibility of making best decisions on their students’ behalf. Thus, recent attacks on tenure have nothing to do with improving teaching and learning. They are designed to undermine teacher’s unions and silence educators’ voices.

Critics who claim, ‘tenure is a job for life’ or ‘tenure protects incompetent teachers’ are misrepresenting the facts. It takes several years to earn tenure in New York State, and in reality, tenure is nothing more than due process. It provides only two job protections: 1) a school district must have cause for terminating a teacher and 2) an independent agent ultimately decides whether or not the teacher is fired.

Attacks on tenure are cloaked in civil rights language and claim to defend children from incompetent educators. In reality, there is no evidence showing that tenure harms children. In fact, states that afford teachers tenure, like Massachusetts, consistently show higher student achievement levels than states like Mississippi, where teachers do not have tenure. (According to nationwide NAEP scores.)

Tenure allows educators to blow the whistle on violations that harm our children. This can include advocating for students with special needs who have been deprived of proper services.

Karen Sprowal, a public school parent says, “The argument is always about the “bad apples” when speaking about teacher tenure. As a parent of an often under-served specials needs child, for the sake of “budget cuts”, or so I have been told, I can tell you that all of the most fierce student advocate teachers were always tenured. The teachers that weren’t tenured always remain silent for fear of being fired or removed if they spoke out about any inequities. In fact it got so bad at my son’s school that we couldn’t even get non- tenured teachers to participate on School Leadership Team  because of the principal’s mere presence.”

Students from the New York City Student Union agreed that campaigns focused on eliminating teacher tenure do more harm than good, and divert attention from more pressing issues facing our educational system.

“By eliminating teacher tenure, we risk further disconnecting students and teachers, and make it harder for them to have transformational dialogue about what actually needs to be done in our classrooms to further the growth of students.  Both students and teachers are being exploited by a system at large. Our energies are used to profit large corporations that dictate our education–both students and teachers deserve rights that will not put them at risk of being removed, silenced, or further marginalized. Our energies and resources ought to be used to grow our educational communities, not put towards extra policing efforts.”

-Primi Akhtar (2014 graduate of Queens Metropolitan High School)

At the heart of the attacks on tenure is an attempt to silence educators from speaking out against “reform” policies that privilege data and profits rather than children. Far too many public education decisions are made in corporate boardrooms and political back-rooms, without the input of the real stakeholders, parents and educators. The educators of MORE-UFT have worked to expose and change these policies. Any erosion of tenure will silence a great many of our voices. This will surely quicken the damage that is being done to our public schools.

Jia Lee, parent, teacher, and conscientious-objector to this year’s standardized testing regime explains, “Tenure is a threat to those who stand to gain from privatizing public education. Tenure allows educators to establish democratic practices in our schools, such as consultation committees, without worrying about being targeted for bringing up issues that directly impact the well-being of our students. When we recognize that the market based reforms of Common Core Standards and high stakes testing place a stranglehold on our ability to provide our students with what they need, we should not be fearful of speaking out. Advocacy for students’ needs begins with a teacher’s ability to teach without fear.”

In 1964, tenure allowed eight city teachers, including Sandra Adickles, to ride south on a voluntary transfer and teach at a ‘freedom school’ during the Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Adickles’ bravery later led to a US Supreme Court decision making it more difficult for southerners to deny rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution. Teachers like Ms. Lee, and Ms. Adickles help make our country stronger and more equitable, and tenure makes their brave actions possible.

Tenure is essential in protecting the best of our profession, because it allows us to speak freely and advocate for our students, ourselves, and our communities.

Please see our full statement “In Support Of Tenure” here

The Movement of Rank and File Educators is the social justice caucus of UFT. We are a group of working public educators and parents, that stand firmly for tenure and independently arbitrated due process rights, including seniority rights, for all educators.

MORE Summer Series Today: Life Under the New UFT Contract

I can't make this today - taking soon to be demised Rockaway ferry into city for matinee - but this is only a first shot at life under the new contract. How about the health care cost savings?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/30/nyregion/de-blasios-plans-to-save-on-worker-health-costs-come-into-focus.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

Life Under The New UFT Contract by morecaucusnyc The Social Justice Caucus of the UFT Our 2nd event of the 2014 Summer Series on Wednesday 7/30 features a discussion on the new contract. More information below and here. A preview of the contract and our discussion by John Elfrank-Dana, Chapter Leader of Murray Bergtraum High School: After alerting the UFT that my principal failed to invite me to this Advance training in July, finally there was traction and I got a belated registration request (they had to reopen it as it was closed already).   I found at least a few quite disturbing changes to Advance.   1. Formal observations count for no more than informals. So in a 1 formal/ 3 informal option each counts for 25% of the Measures of Teacher Practice.   This gives even more weight to those "gotcha" observations where principals can cherry pic their facts.  Yours truly was rated Effective during formals when the video camera was rolling, but less so during informals where they can claim whatever they want happened. What is the UFT's plan to counter this? Will they resurrect Principal in Need of Improvement?   2. Domains: Domains 2 and 3 now count for 85% of your overall MeasureOf Teacher Performance (MOTP). Used to be domains 1 and 4 had more. That gave the teacher the option to show professionalism outside the classroom. Not any longer.   3. Feedback: We called out the administration early on last year from not providing feedback within 48 hours, as the Advance FAQ defined effective feedback as within 48 hours. This is not the written report. Under the new and improved Advance they have 15 school days to provide feedback. They moved up the report to 45 days from 90.   They also now have the right to observe you a 2nd time before they give you feedback for the last informal. How this is supposed to help teachers is beyond me. It keeps us looking over our shoulders just in case you thought you might have a little respite from the hyper scrutiny.   4. 3rd Observation Protocol: Brahman Caste Teachers - Those rated Highly Effective, get a 3rd observation protocol the rest of us slugs don't. It's some combination of peer review and an informal or two. More gnawing at solidarity. I got the last word in the PD. The discussion was how to motivate members to choose peer observation as a PD method. I said we used to have that carrot in Art. 8J Option A where a colleague's observation counted for a formal, in lieu of a formal observation from our AP. No such luck any more! See how far the UFT has lead us down the path to our own demise?   For more discussion on the new contract and mobilizing your chapter please join us Wednesday July 30th 4:00pm-7:00pm The Dark Horse 17 Murray St. NYC Near City Hall, Chambers St, WTC $5 Drafts & Well Drinks Life Under the New Contract This fall we will be returning to a radically changed work environment, which educators are approaching with a mix of hope and anxiety. How can school workers use the new contract to advocate for themselves and their students? How can we activate new people, strengthen our union chapters, and empower ourselves at work? Which members are more vulnerable under the new contract, and how can we support them? MORE wants to campaign this year around tenure, paperwork reduction, ATR rights and chapter leader elections, and we need your ideas and energy!

A Parent/Filmmaker Comments on Ravitch and Unions

How is it possible that  the Leadership of Teachers Unions maintains this destructive control of the profession?  And how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether.  .....parent perception is predominantly that the Unions speak for and represent the attitudes of teachers.... If the Unions don't speak for the majority of teachers and, if as you say, there's a lot of dissent in the ranks of Union Teachers, it means that all of you are negatively impacted by that burden.... in trying to get my film off I find this is one of the most intractable and negative perceptions and it's complex enough to cause parents to not trust and not act on the criticisms leveled by anti deform groups.  I've discussed this with a number of MORE teachers and it is an issue that seriously impacts all efforts to rally parents to the cause. 
 -----Michael Elliot, comment on my post on Ravitch criticisms directed at union dissidents who go "too far."

Michael is commenting in response to my recent post: The Diane Ravitch Contradiction: Educators Should Rebel, but Be Nice When Addressing Oppressive Union Leaderships

...where I made a defense for strong opposition to the union leaderships and felt Diane was downplaying the very weak position so much of the opposition occupies vis a vis the dominant leadership. Sometimes there is only way to engage in a battle inside a dictatorship - hand to hand combat.

Michael feels that the opposition inside the unions may be contributing to the negative public perception of unions. I dispute that given that our voices are barely heard by the public. In fact they are barely heard by the union members.
But his point that we are not elucidating our position as to why we oppose the leadership very clearly may be right.

they have absolutely no idea what the differences between the Unions and their members truly are, if fact after nearly a year of observing this phenomenon, neither do I.  

The reason I believe Diane speaks with two minds is precisely representative of this schism between the Unions and their members.  And I think it undermines all of your considerable efforts on behalf of one of the most important professional endeavors affecting future generations.

Michael asks:   
How is it possible that  the Leadership of Teachers Unions maintains this destructive control of the profession?  And how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether.  

That is a valid question. MORE should produce a UFT 101 document elucidating the issues. When you talk about democracy it can be so abstract. So it is necessary to show how the lack thereof has led us to a disastrous situation.

I guess my main response on the question of how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether?

My response would be CHICAGO, CHICAGO, WHAT A WONDERFUL TOWN.

Then there is the question: Whose side are our union leaders really on? And does exposing that hurt the union movement in general?

Michael was responding to this comment by NYC  parent activist Jeff Nichols.

Norm,

As I tell anyone who will listen, if you want to know what's really going on, listen to Norm Scott. I don't presume to judge Diane, who to her credit is willing to change her mind in public and who has used her blog to the extent of her ability to augment the voices of those of us without access to major media outlets. But clearly her knowledge isn't complete, and although she has become the unofficial spokesperson for anti-deformers and is astonishingly prolific and effective in that role, the public deeply needs the perspective, wisdom *and righteous invective* of long-time teachers and activists like you!!!! 

Too many people still believe teachers' unions actually represent teachers and have no idea how many of them have been co-opted by ed deform. 

Thank you as always, Norm, for being one bad-ass Maria!

Jeff

Here is Michael's full thought-provoking comment

Hi Norm,

I actually want to take this a step further. As I research my documentary I keep running up against the same issue over and over again.  The issue is that public and more importantly, parent perception is predominantly that the Unions speak for and represent the attitudes of teachers. 

It is not nuanced and it always proves to be an immense burden that is carried by teachers. If the Unions don't speak for the majority of teachers and, if as you say, there's a lot of dissent in the ranks of Union Teachers, it means that all of you are negatively impacted by that burden.   

I have also found that very few teachers are willing to admit that Parents actually feel this way.  But in trying to get my film off I find this is one of the most intractable and negative perceptions and it's complex enough to cause parents to not trust and not act on the criticisms leveled by anti deform groups.  I've discussed this with a number of MORE teachers and it is an issue that seriously impacts all efforts to rally parents to the cause.  

Any one of you can disclaim my point of view here, but as one who is all in with the efforts of the groups, teachers, schools and parents to message in favor of destroying the deform coup I can tell you honestly its the achillies heel of the anti-deform movement.  

In order to succeed, someone has got to publicly state what role the Union Leadership has played in contributing to the marginalization and simply awful public perception that exists about Teacher Unions.   I know this is a very public statement I'm making to this group and the reason I'm doing so is because I encounter the attitudes of parents absent being one of you.  And that is the only way people share the truth. 

When I talk to parents outside the movement the first thing they say is that the Union is corrupt. The messaging from the opposition takes this to maximum benefit. Democrats and Republicans SHARE this perception. 

Meanwhile, they have absolutely no idea what the differences between the Unions and their members truly are, if fact after nearly a year of observing this phenomenon, neither do I.  

The reason I believe Diane speaks with two minds is precisely representative of this schism between the Unions and their members.  And I think it undermines all of your considerable efforts on behalf of one of the most important professional endeavors affecting future generations.   

How is it possible that  the Leadership of Teachers Unions maintains this destructive control of the profession?  And how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether.  

I hope anyone reading this can see it in the spirit its intended.

I'm a parent, I'm trying to make a film about your brilliant efforts and I find that I'm thwarted at a fundamental level because I cannot answer this issue effectively. 

I'm Shocked, Just Shocked WSJ Reporter Leslie Brody Would Write a Biased Article on Tenure

The Wall Street Journal article is just another example of how the media uses "fuzzy math" to distort and pervert the statistics to suit their ideological aims and to support the attack on teacher "due process rights"... Chaz School Daze

Chaz on ICE blog:  The exoneration rate in 3020-a cases has remained consistent over the years at 4%.

James Eterno response:

You won't find that in the Journal. Doesn't fit the argument.

Note to reporters: What you leave out assumes more importance than what you include. The sad thing is that WSJ ed reporter Leslie Brody probably thinks she did not write a biased article. Rather than rehash, here are 2 excellent commentaries by Chaz and Eterno.

Eterno at ICEUFT blog:

I am no fan of the Wall Street Journal.  However, today's article with NYC teacher tenure trial statistics is somewhat interesting reading because there are some actual, although incomplete, figures presented. 

Looking inside the numbers, it is clear that teachers who choose to go to a hearing, rather than settle beforehand, usually receive a fine. That seems to fit in with anecdotal information we have heard over the years.

However, the Journal does not put in their big chart (copied below) and barely mentions that out of 826 cases filed by the Department of Education, "Hundreds of cases settled, often with teachers agreeing to resign or retire, and hundreds haven't been resolved."  Their chart shows only 261 decisions out of 496 resolved hearings. That leaves 235 which they agree are often resignations or retirements.  Add say 150 resignations or retirements to the forty terminations and their chart would look completely different. See how statistics can be played with.

The Journal is obviously trying to lowball the numbers on how many teachers are no longer working in the system so they can prove how hard it is to terminate a tenured teacher.  This shows their anti teacher prejudice. If someone resigns or is forced to retire, they are no longer teaching in the system.  I gather that in private business many employees are urged to resign or retire rather than be fired but showing these statistics for teachers would not fit in with the Journal's preconceived notion that the Department of Education can't get rid of us.

They also neglect to note how many teachers are completely exonerated in the 3020a process. That number from what we have been told is so small that to print it would make the union look weak and that would also not coincide with the right wing myth on how strong the union is.

Remember all of these cases were heard under the old evaluation system.  Under the new evaluation system's weakened due process provision that will start in 2015 in NYC for most teachers, there will be a presumption of incompetence after two ineffective ratings.  The burden of proof will shift to teachers to prove we are not incompetent if a validator upholds an ineffective rating. 

 Chaz:

The Fuzzy Math The Wall Street Journal Used For Their 3020-a Statistics

The Wall Street Journal received from the NYCDOE the 3020-a statistics for the last two years April 2012 to January 2014 on educators who were charged under section 3020-a for tenured educators.  If you browsed through the chart supplied by the newspaper it would seem that only 40 out of 826 cases ended in termination or 5% and that's what the newspaper wants you to believe.  However, if you read the article more thoroughly, you realize that 330 cases have not been resolved and the termination rate jumps from 5% to 8%, not a large jump but its not 5%.  Wait there's more.  Of the 826 disciplinary cases, it turns out that apparently 235 educators agreed to resign or retire rather than go through the 3020-a hearing process.  Add the 235 to the 40 terminated educators and the total educators removed from the system is 275.  Since only 496 cases have been resolved (826 - 330). the total percentage of educators that left the system after being charged under the 3020-a law is 55%!  That's right 55% not the 5% the Wall Street Journal would like you to believe is the case.

While the data shows no educator acquittal rates, historically, its been consistently around 4% in the last decade. Therefore, of the 826 disciplinary cases, one could expect approximately 20 educators to be exonerated.

The Wall Street Journal article is just another example of how the media uses "fuzzy math" to distort and pervert the statistics to suit their ideological aims and to support the attack on teacher "due process rights". Michael Bloomberg may be gone but his ideology still inhabits the corridors of Tweed and the New York City media.  The ICEUFT blog also has a similar take on how the Wall Street Journal manipulated the statistics.

Francesca Gomes on the New Teacher Contract

While many teachers were able to see the contract for what it was, the only organized protest against it was mounted by the Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE). Though the effort made by this group was truly commendable, it currently has too small of a base to mount an effective attack or empower the teachers in a city with such a vast, sprawling geography and such a high number of schools. In most schools, only the rose-colored version of the contract promoted by the leadership and its Unity Caucus (which included outright lies) was heard. If all UFT members had properly heard both sides of the argument, the vote would have been much closer.

From the use of fear tactics by the current UFT leadership to its acceptance of charter schools and standardized testing, it has shown that it is entirely incapable of and has no intention of even attempting to stage a fightback against the erosion of teachers’ rights. Its “strategy” at the moment appears to boil down to the mantra “we must trust our friends”, de Blasio and Fariña. This led inevitably to the need to present the austerity contract as a victory.
It must also be said that part of the context for the 77% vote in favor of the contract was the extremely low expectations of a deeply demoralized membership, which also had little faith in the leadership to get something better if it was sent back to the bargaining table. An article on the MORE website entitled “Disappointment” states that: “Most of the members with whom we spoke who approved this contract only did so because they felt it was the best our union could do,” and this was a direct effect of the union leadership’s campaign to scare teachers into accepting the deal, insisting that “the money [would] go away” if it were not ratified.
Rebuilding the fighting confidence of the union rank and file is not a straightforward process. The recent winning of a $15 minimum wage in Seattle shows working people can win real victories when they mobilize at a grassroots level. Union members, however, are contending with a leadership that actively works to reinforce their fear and demoralization, while presenting themselves as the strength of the union, instead of mobilizing their membership to exercise its own strength.

Francesca Gomes teaches at a Brooklyn middle school and is a member of MORE and Socialist Alternative.

Austerity Contract for NYC Teachers – More Attacks, More Need for Unified Fightback

Published On July 17, 2014 | By Francesca Gomes | Workers' Movement

by Francesca Gomes, New York City teacher

http://www.socialistalternative.org/2014/07/17/austerity-contract-for-nyc-teachers-more-attacks-more-need-for-unified-fightback/ 

The Diane Ravitch Contradiction: Educators Should Rebel, but Be Nice When Addressing Oppressive Union Leaderships

....you want the workers to be rebellious, not docile. There is a time for collaboration and a time to stand up and fight... Ravitch on film "Metropolis."
 
I grow frustrated when union members attack their unions. Of course, they should fight to win democratic control of their unions. But when they begin hurling insults and invective at their allies, they do the work of their common foe.... Diane Ravitch comment on -- Lisa Graves: Will the Koch Brothers Buy American Politics?

There is such irony in these 2 Ravitch blogs just hours apart when our union leaders's aim is to keep workers from being rebellious. 
 
I have been a big defender of Diane Ravitch but I grow frustrated when she urges restraint when we attack undemocratic, mislabeled as progressive, union leaders and call them out for what they are. And then qualifies it with "Of course, they should fight to win democratic control of their unions." Of course, of course. But let's set ground rules for those doing the fighting, but no ground rules for the people in power.

The major factor in the rise of ed deform over the past two-plus decades has been the capitulation and cooperation of undemocratically run teacher unions. When does Diane Ravitch call for the democratic reform of teacher unions instead of asking those fighting for these reforms to "play nice"? When militants attack the union leadership does the right/ALEC cheer? Or do they fear more Chicago's coming? If MORE and its allies were ever to challenge the Unity/NYSUT/AFT leadership in a serious way, ALEC would not be happy -- better the good Maria/Randi than the bad.....

Read the full Ravitch comment on the Fritz Lang film shown last night on TCM.

Sarah Chambers between 2 Unity Caucus members at mic at AFT convention

Knowing what was going to happen to Germany, I found myself siding with the “bad” Maria who wanted the workers to turn against the machines to which they were psychically chained, not the “good” Maria, who wanted the workers to wait, wait, wait, and be peaceful. If you think about the movie in relation to German history and the monster who would plunge the world into war just a few years later, you want the workers to be rebellious, not docile. There is a time for collaboration and a time to stand up and fight... Ravitch on film "Metropolis" (Last Thoughts of the Night).

In the other  - Lisa Graves: Will the Koch Brothers Buy American Politics? - post Ravitch and Graves gang up on the band of resisters in the teacher unions who are fighting a 2-front war against ed deform and their own union leaders who don't exactly play "nice." (SEE NYSUT AND AFT CONVENTIONS).

Does Diane get it? That Randi Weingarten is the "good Maria" who wants workers to wait, wait, wait and be peaceful. And that Diane and Lisa Graves are also playing the role of the "good Maria" in giving Randi cover and accusing union dissidents, who are often left without any voice in the union, of helping the Koch brothers when they attack their union leaders as being undemocratic and repressive?

In essence, Ravitch and Graves are also playing the role of the "good Maria" in urging restraint on unionists who are forced into the public forum to reach the membership because all internal forums are severely limited. (Unity has access to every single teacher mail box by using its district reps and enormous numbers of chapter leaders.)

Diane Ravitch has said her decade of mistakes in supporting ed deform was due to viewing things from 20,000 feet. Well when it comes to her views on internal union issues she is still viewing from 20,000 feet and she is as wrong on that as she was on ed deform.

What she doesn't get is that until the unions are reformed there can be no effective fight against ed deform. There is no better example than that of the Chicago Teacher Union resistance and the UFT decades-long capitulation in the face of ed deform, much of it under the leadership of Randi Weingarten. And fighting the Unity Caucus machine that controls NYC, NY State, the AFT is not a gentleman's game.

These 2 posts by Diane Ravitch were just hours apart and they can't be more contradictory in their message to those forces battling against undemocratic structures in their unions. So lets forget-about-it when UFT/Unity's Leroy Barr pushes Chicago's Sarah Chambers out of the way at the committee debate on common core at the AFT convention so that Mulgrew could get the microphone. See AFT Convention Update: Chicago CC Reso Goes Down

Also see a few of my other reports from the AFT - all on the sidebar but these are relevant to this blog post.

• #AFT14 Report: When Will the UFT/AFT Reclaim the Promise of a Democratic Union?
• #AFT14 Report - Tidbits
• #AFT14 Report - Common Core Debate - Epic Battle B...

I find the Ravitch posts ironic in that I know the respect Diane has for Arthur Goldstein (NYC Educator) who has been on a tear in exposing and assaulting the UFT/NYSUT/AFT leaders over their fundamental violations of democracy. His latest is: NYSYUT President Karen Mageee Explains How Common Core Enables Life, the Universe, and Everything

I have to compile a list of his fabulous blog posts over the past few months - MORE could use them as a campaign statement. Is Diane and Lisa Graves saying Arthur us helping the Koch brothers? Am I to stop calling Washington Sanchez or Stuart Kaplan "slugs?" (Hey Leroy, you are now officially on slug probation.)

Let's parse Lisa Graves:

“The American Federation of Teachers has been rock solid in the fight against ALEC, consistently devoting staff time week in and week out for three years to expose ALEC, due to her personal commitment. The ongoing public campaign on ALEC would not have had the success it has had without AFT’s work and her leadership, and without the work of many devoted colleagues across the country, including the National Education Association and other organizations, bloggers, and concerned citizens nationwide…..

To Lisa the fight is about the AFT staff, not involving the 1.6 million members because to get them involved they actually need a stake in a union that would be run bottom-up not top-down. In fact, if militants had controlled the AFT that fight would have begun a decade ago, not yesterday as the good Randi plays nice.

I know we need a more progressive America.
“And progressives need to get better at using their power to persuade each other and to win better policies. But attacking genuine progressives for banding together to take on the Kochs or for not being pure enough is foolish sport. And the right loves it when progressives fight. It makes their effort to tear down the left so much easier. So, let’s get real. Because there’s a real-world war going on to kill our public schools, outsource our public institutions to private companies not accountable to us, and destroy key government constraints on corporate power…..

 This is the kind of comment that makes me want to rend my garments. Is someone who runs an oppressive and undemocratic union a "true progressive?" Is she actually trying to say Randi is "left" when in fact one of her major aims has been to keep any voice of the real left out of union power?

And how foolish to think that the Koch brothers and ALEC just loved it when CORE Caucus in Chicago tossed out the old Unity-like leadership and turned that union into one capable of getting over 90% support for a strike?

As I said in a comment Diane's blog. If MORE and its allies were ever to challenge the Unity/NYSUT/AFT leadership in a serious way, the right and ALEC would not be happy -- for them, better the good Maria/Randi than the bad.

The Wave: Memo from the RTC: Backstage at “Gypsy”

So I am so involved with the play, the usual education stuff I put up on Ed Notes is taking 2nd place even though I think about the issues all the time - and in fact have written dozens of blog posts -- in my mind -- they disappear almost immediately. I have been deeply involved in all the MORE stuff but haven't had a chance to write much about it. And who actually reads this stuff? It seems more Unity people than MORE people read Ed Notes. What I love so much about the RTC is the number of teachers involved -- the lead is a high school guidance counselor, the 2nd lead is an elementary/middle school teacher. But teachers who are so involved with the theater seem to have little interest in union matters, so I spend no time talking about it.

Friday night's sold out performance got a standing ovation. Some of my friends came out to see it. Some of the theater people commented that my (very brief) performance actually is getting better -- how doing nothing can get better is beyond me - but they tell me I look more relaxed on stage. I'm not doing the next 3 performances (tonight, Sunday matinee and next Friday) but will be back next Sat night and the Sunday afternoon finale.

My column in the July 25, 2014 edition of The Wave.

Memo from the RTC: Backstage at “Gypsy”
By Norm Scott

I know we are considered community theater, but we are so much more than that. – Susan Warren Corning, Director of “Gypsy,” speaking to the cast backstage minutes before opening night.

Packed audiences cheered and whooped it up at last week’s opening sell-out weekend of the Rockaway Theatre Company production of “Gypsy” at Fort Tilden. One audience member reportedly said, “I saw Ethel Merman in the original and Tyne Daly and Pattie Lupone (who won a Tony) in the revivals and Louisa (Boyaggi) is better.” Another said, “Better than Broadway. I’d be willing to pay a hundred dollars.” For twenty bucks (and free parking), there is no better deal in Rockaway. Or on Broadway.

I’m very fortunate to participate in this production in a number of ways. Working with Tony Homsey and his set construction crew from Day 1 ¬¬– striking the set from the last show down to bare stage and watching the new set go up . Frank Caiati, who is directing “Godspell” (opening at the RTC Sept. 12), designed this set so as to simulate backstage at a theater that could morph into a hotel room and even a Chinese restaurant, mostly by the creative movement of scenery. Oh, the details involved in putting on a show. One day Director Susan Corning told me to remind Tony to put up two hooks to hang the massive paper mache cow head so it is easily reachable in the dark by the actors (John Panepinto and Matt Smilardi) playing the cow. Sorry animal lovers, despite the awesome acting, Caroline is NOT a real cow. But there are real dogs playing Chowsie.

I get to see many of the shows upstairs from the lighting booth as part of the video crew along with Jim Peithman – shooting above the sound booth (in the rear corner of the theater.) Cat McEntee is the mistress of the sound booth. She not only has to manage the multiple wireless microphones from the actors, but also must deliver on cue all the sound effects (phones ringing, announcements, etc.) Lighting is controlled from upstairs by a highly sophisticated programmed system designed by Andrew Woodbridge.

I spend a lot of time in the lighting booth, especially last weekend when there were no seats in the theater. Director Susan Corning is up there working with Stage Manager supreme Nora Meyers, who communicates by walkie talkie during the show with the sound booth, backstage with Frank Verderame to announce set changes and with the person controlling the curtain. Nora also is in charge of communicating with all the performers on every single aspect of the production. It is an awesome task and no one is more respected or relied upon or loved than Nora. Nora teachers elementary school so she is used to juggling 10 jobs at once. Nora also does the lighting cues, along with her husband Patrick, who handles the spotlight. While taping I can hear Susan and Nora chatting and making notes.
So much of what one sees onstage is managed from behind the scenes. One thing I’ve learned is that the Director handles the play mostly before it opens. The Stage Manager pretty much runs the show after that.

I have a small part in the show and get to spend time back stage where organized chaos reigns. Actors running in and out, changing costumes on the fly, numerous props being grabbed and put back in order, all managed by Prop Mistress Arlene Aron. And the team led by Costumier Extraordinaire Kerry O’Connor managing the amazing costumes. There are about 50 people in the cast, including a gaggle of children who must be dressed, undressed, organized, moved in and out. OMG. As a former elementary school teacher I appreciate what this takes. Parent wranglers help make it all work. The kids are delicious to watch.

All scenery changes are managed by the actors who have defined assignments posted. So not only do they have to be onstage when needed, they also need to be aware of the scene changes. Actors range in age from early 70s do 7.

Organizing and overseeing the entire project is Susan Corning, who has spent months making a life-long dream come true. She played Louise in college and 30 years later she is making Gypsy happen again. In a musical you need music and musical director Richard Louis-Pierre works spends months working with the singers. And the choreographer, the dazzling Catherine Leib, does the same with the dancers while also delivering a notable performance as Mazeppa, the trumpet-playing stripper.

I’ve left out so many people. The gorgeous Kim Simek, who turns from mousy Louise into the stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. One minute I’m chatting with school teacher Kim backstage and the next she is taking off her clothes on stage (and backstage too during costume changes). And I could do an entire column on David Risley (Herbie) who takes on so many roles at the RTC. And whatever is left over to do, Producer Susan Jasper does it.

Next time I’ll tell you about the young kids and teens in the show and how being involved in the RTC is not just community theater, but real community.

Rockaway Theatre Company "Gypsy" Highlights

Catch some of the magic in 2 minutes. Only 7 shows left - including tonight (tickets still available), sold out tomorrow (Friday). Call 718 374 6400.

14 More Schools for Avaricious Eva - Coming to a School Near You - Or in Your Own School

....with so many schools how can Eva assure a consistent quality of cheating that keeps her scores so far above any of the other charters?

By way of example, the application points to one Harlem district school co-located with a Success school has started posting college flags in school hallways, based on a Success practice....

I'm trying not to fall off my couch laughing at this major impact Success had on one school. Talk about scraping the bottom of a barrel to try to toot your own horn.

If Success’ proposal to open 14 new schools by 2016 is approved by the trustees of the SUNY Charter School Institute, the network will enroll about 35,698 students and cost the city more than $165 million (not including the cost of potential private space) by 2020, according to the application. .. Capital NY - Success proposes to dominate NYC’s charter landscape

There is mucho unhappiness in NYC charter land today - even more than in the public school sector which pretty much has accepted the end is coming. But this pretty much spells the end of the independent/non-chain charter school. Maybe even some of the smaller chains too. The Capital NY article touches on a few issues of importance but also leaves a bunch of stuff out.

With de Blasio and the UFT helpless to fight Eva politically, and worse than that, the UFT refusal to organize schools invaded by Eva into an organized resistance force that could counter her, people in invaded schools are helpless. The UFT failed to put up any resistance to Cuomo's charter law sellout that requires the city to put up money to rent space or co-locate these schools.

Eva is jumping in to gobble up what she can, other charters be damned. We have been predicting -- even to my charter contacts - that live by the laws of competition, die by those same laws. Chains will gobble them up over time -- think of the mergers and acquisitions. Eventually, Eva will run into KIPP.

My old pal - NY charter school leader James Merriman - doesn't seem all too happy about this development. As Eva controls the entire charter landscape, he becomes superfluous.

Oh, and think of how many more UFT jobs get lost with 14 more schools. That is why the AFT/UFT are trying to organize non-teachers like nurses -- they know the teaching profession is doomed.

It won't be long before there are demands to lift the charter cap. The UFT is selling the fiction it can organize charters into the union but it will never dent the Eva monolith which is a school district within a school district. She will be facing her own wall as teacher burnout and turnover continues.

And worst of all for Eva -- with so many schools how can she assure a consistent quality of cheating that keeps her scores so far above any of the other charters?

Full Capital NY piece.

MORE Steering Committee: A Lesson in Democracy

You can't talk about democracy in the UFT unless your own group has established democratic procedures itself. And if done openly, so much the better. And boy is this tough, especially as you grow and try to scale up. If I was in a caucus in contention with Unity that was not practicing democracy, I would walk because we don't need a "new boss, same as old boss scenario."

Democracy is not just about voting. It is how people deal with each other every day.

MORE is not just a caucus challenging the Unity leadership, but a fertile ground for people to nurture themselves politically and personally.

Tomorrow's MORE steering committee meeting will complete my 6-month term as the 3rd MORE Steering Committee  to take over on August 1. So far 23 people have served 6-month terms on MORE Steering over a year and a half. Both old and new steering committees - those in town - will hold a joint meeting. I'm proud of the fact that so many of these people are fairly new to MORE and to activism. And how they have blossomed playing leadership roles. Many of them did not enter teaching with a sense of "union" and are so excited to become part of that process due to MORE's advocacy.

Before I comment on the process let me know if you have heard of a transparent process revealed by other caucuses, Unity and New Action. MORE is so open we even invite New Action members to join us and even run for Steering. So far they have declined. Maybe we should invite Unity people into the tent too. Hey Unity, feel free to come to meetings and make your case.

So I have tried to be vigilant inside MORE -- arguing for distributed leadership and decision making. I know, this violates some basic precepts where strong leadership in the hands of one person is considered crucial. Note that many people viewed Julie Cavanagh as the leader of MORE when in fact she was one voice amongst many. And her focus on her family and her school responsibilities has made it difficult for her to do MORE work. If you asked me 2 years ago what would MORE be like without a very active Julie, my response would have been bleak. In fact MORE hasn't missed a beat (though Julie's wise counsel is missed).

For the first year MORE had no steering committee, which I favored. I felt people were just getting to know each other and argued for the least restrictive environment. We called it a Planning Committee, open to everyone. But by the end of last school year, emerging fron an election campaign, it was clear we had grown enough to think about forming a steering committee.

I am generally not in favor of elections, especially in small groups like MORE. But most people wanted to hold one. We decided on 9 Steering seats and had 20 people run. There was a tie so we just added one. Some were not well known by enough people and the election was to some extent a popularity contest. I also felt we should limit the terms of office for 6 months, which one member of the CORE steering in Chicago told me last week was "crazy." I told her it was the best thing MORE had done. (We also have an unofficial rule that after 2 consecutive turns on steering (1 year) one should take a break.)

Lots of lessons were learned in that first term and there was major turnover in the 2nd MORE steering which took office last Jan. 1 due to the intense amount of work required. Burnout was an issue. (And we are working on dividing the work to prevent that). There were only 2 returnees and 9 other volunteers. We decided that rather than hold an election to knock 2 people out, we would just add 2 people. To some this violated their sense of democracy. I did not agree -- rational democracy would call for inclusion, not exclusion.

While some people opposed my being on Steering due to my retirement status, others wanted my experience. (I think there should not be more than one retiree on steering.) And the fact that I was free during the day to be of more assistance. Frankly, I was so busy with other parts of my life I did not take on too many tasks - which is why I took myself off steering this time - at this point I don't want to help run an organization - leave it to the next generation. And what a generation it is. Almost no one below 40 and our youngest new leader just turned 28.

And the best thing: I can do nothing and not feel guilty.

Congratulations for those who have accepted nominations for the new MORE Steering Committee which takes office for a 6 month term starting on August 1. 

 

The current steering committee has proposed, that rather than having an election to choose 9 out of these 11 (or 10?) qualified candidates, that we simply accept all of them as new member of the steering committee.  This decision will be ratified at the MORE Retreat this coming week on Thursday, July 17 (11am-5pm, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave. @ 34th st., 6 to 33rd, D,F,M,N,R to Herald Square).

Megan Behrent has taught English at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Brooklyn for 15 years. She has been a UFT delegate for FDR since 2007. In the Delegate Assembly, she has raised resolutions to support the rights of ATRs, to fight school closings/turnarounds, and to show solidarity with other unions. She is a founding member of MORE and active in the National Network of Social Justice Educators. As an education activist, she has appeared on the Melissa Harris Parry show on MSNBC and written for diverse publications including Socialist Worker, New Politics, Labor Notes and the Harvard Education Review.

Lauren Cohen entered teaching through the NYC Teaching Fellows in 2005 as a mid-year replacement for a K-2 self-contained special education teacher at a high-needs school in Harlem. She taught there for two more full school years. She spent the next 5 years at a Title 1 school in the East Village where she gained a reputation among her colleagues for speaking out against administrative mandates that were detrimental to student learning (such as canceling extended day enrichment programs in favor of test prep aligned to faulty and inaccurate Acuity results). She currently teaches at P.S. 321 in Park Slope, where the privileges available to her current students have only strengthened her resolve to fight for a more equitable system on behalf of the students she left behind. For the past two years, Lauren has worked with parents, teachers, and others in Change the Stakes, fighting against the use of standardized tests to punish schools, teachers, and students. She attended her first MORE meeting in the spring of 2012 and was thrilled to meet so many like-minded educators. She ran on the MORE slate for Elementary Executive Board in the UFT election, and she now serves as the chapter delegate for P.S. 321.

Francesca Gomes is an 8th Grade Humanities (ELA and Social Studies) Teacher at New Voices MS 443 in District 15.  She has been a member of the UFT for 13 years, and the only UFT Delegate for her school for the last five years.  She led the “Vote No” campaign at her school beginning on the first day after the 2014 contract proposal was announced.  Originally a member of Teachers for a Just Contract, she then became a member of the Independent Caucus of Educators, and is proud to have been a member of MORE since its early days.

Janice Manning is currently a fifth grade Special Education Teacher in an Integrated Co-Teaching Classroom at P.S. 503 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  This is her 10th year teaching in New York City Public Schools.  She started her teaching career as a fourth grade teacher in Fort Worth, Texas.  After teaching in Fort Worth for a year, she taught English as a foreign language in Znamenka, Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  She began attending MORE meetings in January of this year and is passionate about working with other educators to organize ways to improve education for ALL students.

Megan Moskop is a current member of the steering committee. She is a Special Education teacher and UFT delegate at M.S. 324 in Washington Heights, where she began teaching in 2009 through Teach for America. Megan was raised by educators in North Carolina, and her first “real” teaching job was in Malta as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant.  In addition to her work MORE, she serves as Learning Labs Director for the Manhattan Young Democrats, and she is a member of Teachers Unite. Deeply thankful for and inspired by her own teachers and students, Megan is committed to the improvement of learning and working conditions in schools everywhere, starting here.

Francesco Portelos is an engineer turned middle school STEM teacher. Over the last two years he has become a very strong advocate for educators and students. His advocacy did not come without sacrifice. After speaking up, he became a target and was removed from his teaching position. This did not stop Francesco. He ran and won the UFT Chapter Leader position in his school even though he is forbidden from entering the building. He has been successfully mobilizing and supporting his chapter and many other educators who read about his fight and seek his guidance from around the city and around the country. His objective is use his knowledge, leadership skills and out-of-the-box thinking to bring MORE to a point where they are successfully filling the great void left by our UFT Leaders. Read more at www.educatorfightsback.org  Follow on Twitter: @MrPortelos

Kevin Prosen is chapter leader at I.S. 230 in Jackson Heights, Queens.  He campaigned as part of MORE’s slate for the executive board in last year’s elections, and has organized mass grievance campaigns at his school involving up to 35 members of his chapter.  He has been active in the MORE chapter organizing committee this year and has been organizing outreach to other chapter leaders in the city. His writings on UFT issues have appeared inJacobin andSocialist Worker.

Mindy Rosier is a native New Yorker who graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a B.A. in Psychology and Elementary Education and Fordham University with an M.S. Ed in Early Childhood Special Education. She has been a teacher for 17 years, including 3 years at the NY Foundling Hospital and currently 8 years with the Department of Education in a District 75 school.After seeing the hardships that her school has endured and after researching the education system itself, she became active to promote an improvement in the quality of education for all children.

Mike Schirtzer is a lifelong Brooklynite, graduate of the NYC public schools and CUNY, teacher and UFT Delegate. Teaching has always been and still is his lifelong dream and his work here in MORE is just a continuation of fulfilling the goal of being the best teacher he can be! He has planned and mobilized several events, forums, and ran for UFT & NYSUT office as MORE. He was on the original planning committee, first steering committee, and organized MORE’s social media, press, contract campaign, and South Brooklyn groups.

Patrick Walsh a three-time elected UFT chapter who believes that the only force  that can  save our profession from the predators is our union and the only force that can save our union from itself is us.

AFTERBURN
Some people warn that by being so public we are putting a target on their backs for Unity to shoot at. One transgression in their schools and the Unity buzz machine will start backbiting. Believe me, I get Unity people picking and choosing their targets and attacking MORE behind the scenes with comments like "look at the people you have". Even if true I counter with "have you taken a close look at the people YOU have?"