Moskowitz, NY Post, Charter - er Chalkbeat Try to Reverse Mayoral Election

Can children be kicked out of schools that don't yet exist and have no student bodies yet? DOE reverses 9 out of 45 co-loco decisions. Too precious few for my taste. A

"For the 35 proposals that will be implemented, we will host a meeting for each school community" ... Carmen Farina

For what reason? I doubt anyone would have guessed that 35 out of 45 of these hastily pushed through co-locations would be enacted. .... a parent who was not very happy with the announcement.

Can someone remind me -- and maybe Mayor de Blasio -- who won the mayoralty by an overwhelming margin running on a campaign to curb the charter lobby monster, especially the runaway train that is Eva Moskowitz? And how about Public Advocate Tish James who has been vocal in opposing charters (with many PEP speeches)? She beat back challenges by people with backing of the charter lobby.

Before proceding, let's remind everyone that Bloomberg tried to pull a fast one by holding 2 co-location PEP meetings in October, months before they had every been held before, to present de Blasio with  a fair accompli, with Eva the focus of his largesse. Not all the co-locos were charters.

There were many cries of outrage from the public, the politicians and the students, teachers and parents of the invaded schools. For the charter lobby to cry foul now that a precious too few of these decisions have been reversed is beyond outrage.

The hope was that most of these decisions pushed through by the dying death star at Tweed would be reversed and not we see that is not so.

Well at the Eva train took some kind of a hit and watch the press, especially the NY Post and Charter - er ChalkBeat beat this story to death without every mentioning the de Blasio and James mandate. The slugs at the NY Post are reporting that Moskowitz will sue de Blasio.  Farina noted:

we considered construction. We looked closely at proposals that would depend on significant capital work to create space for the co-location, or those that required substantial dislocation to the existing schools within a building... on high school campuses, if we have several schools together, we can encourage them to share resources such as AP classes or a library. We approached these proposals with the belief that high school campuses should serve high school students.....Farina in statement released today.

YES. This is a direct hit at Eva who doesn't take over a school with a light footprint. She requires enormous capital expenditures on the part of the DOE to keep her happy. Every high school she invaded cost lots of money to renovate for her. She already has beach heads in Brandeis, Graphics and Washington Irving and was given Bergtraum in Manhattan so she could have a gentrified geographic base in every corner of the borough. So this may be good news. We'll see.

When parents sued over the handing over of public school space to charters in the past they were turned back. Let's see which side the courts are on. If they allow Moskowitz to get away with this once again expect an even stronger turn against charters in the city. One interesting angle is where the other charters stand. Many of them I bet are cheering de Blasio on this one if he leaves them alone. And maybe his goal is to separate Eva from the others.

With Round 2 of middle and high school admissions approaching, rescinding many or all of these proposals would mean that students would be limited in their second round options. Conversely, moving forward with all of the proposals could have yielded co-locations that may not be best for some school communities....Carmen Farina 

This is disingenuous. They knew in October and they knew they were winning the election. Thus 3 months have gone by and they could have made some of these decisions a month ago. So to claim that they must go through due to Round 2 is a waffle.

Our side will not be happy with what looks like waffling by the de Blasio admin. I was expecting no more than 9 co-locos to go through. But there are some nuggets here. 

Carmen Farina sent this out without the specifics.

Dear Colleagues,

I want to share some news with you. As many of you know, we have been carefully reviewing the 49 proposals that were approved by the Panel for Educational Policy towards the end of last year. This was a process we took very seriously. We diligently reviewed every public comment submitted, analyzed each proposal, and considered upcoming enrollment deadlines for families.

These decisions were not easy, but they were made carefully. We identified several core values that comprised the lens through which we evaluated the proposals. First, on high school campuses, if we have several schools together, we can encourage them to share resources such as AP classes or a library. We approached these proposals with the belief that high school campuses should serve high school students. Second, we want to ensure that all new schools have the resources they need to provide the services students deserve. Very small schools under 250 students may sometimes have difficulty providing the range of support needed to effectively serve students. Third, we considered construction. We looked closely at proposals that would depend on significant capital work to create space for the co-location, or those that required substantial dislocation to the existing schools within a building. Last, we considered District 75 capacity - we will not reduce seats for these students.

Of the 49 proposals from last fall, we have made decisions on 45 of them, all of which are for 2014 implementation. Through this lens, of the 45 that we have decided on, we are withdrawing 9 proposals and revising one. There were four proposals approved for 2015, and we are deferring decisions on these because the needs of the communities between now and the 2015 school-year may change. We want to listen to community concerns as 2015 draws closer.

 

When making these decisions, we considered families. We have many deadlines coming up – in sum, these 2014 proposals have an impact on up to roughly 4,500 students going through upcoming enrollment processes. With Round 2 of middle and high school admissions approaching, rescinding many or all of these proposals would mean that students would be limited in their second round options. Conversely, moving forward with all of the proposals could have yielded co-locations that may not be best for some school communities. I am confident in our decisions. We approached this thoughtfully and thoroughly, and through a clear, sensible lens.

Going forward, we will approach these issues differently. Earlier this week we announced new engagement practices – a new Blue Book Working Group to evaluate school utilization, a required walk-through from DOE senior leadership of each building proposed for significant changes in school utilization, and increased outreach to parents, CECs, SLTs, and other groups. We will meaningfully engage with the school communities we serve in a way that has never been done before. And we will make sure to listen. 

As always, thank you for all of your hard work in serving our schools and our City.

Warmly,

Carmen

Do I really believe they will engage the community and actually listen? Or will they just be more successful at stroking people? I have to see where community input actually has an impact.

The national alliance for charter schools (they insert the words Public to create the phony impression but I won't dignify that falsehool) was screaming bloody murder in more deception with this false headline: National Charter Schools Group Outraged over Mayor de Blasio’s Decision to Kick Children Out of their School

Out of what school since most of these schools have not opened and don't officially have any students?  Their joke of a statement is below.

Knowing this was coming, Moskowitz already had this in the works to go crying to Gov Cuomo and whoever else will listen in Albany as she closes down her personal little school system for a day.

Ravitch reports:

Albany, Néw York, will be the scene of two competing rallies on Tuesday.

Eva Moskowitz is closing her charter schools on NYC and will bus thousands of children and parents to lobby for her charter chain.

On the same day, allies of Mayor de Blasio will assemble to urge the legislature to permit NYC to tax the richest--those who earn more than $500,000 annually--to pay for universal pre-K.

Place your bets, folks. Will it come down to a contest between which groups made the biggest campaign contributions? Or will the greater public good prevail?

Support for de Blasio:

Zakiyah Ansari Reacts to Announcement on Co-Location Reversals

NY, NY— Following Dept. of Education's announcement on how they will proceed with the handling of contentious school co-locations approved under the last administration, Zakiyah Ansari, Advocacy Director for the Alliance for Quality Education,released the following statement:

“Thank you Mayor de Blasio for sticking to your word. This is good education policy and an uplifting start to bring fairness and equity to our schools. Although there are arguments to be made for having reversed many more inherited co-locations on the table, it is clear that the administration used fair and objective criteria to make this decision.

“It is an historic step for the Mayor to propose reversing co-locations and he has focused in on some of the most damaging ones. For those that are not reversed, we expect the Dept. of Education to follow through on their commitment to take a new approach of responsiveness, collaboration and a genuine understanding of how students are affected.

“Families all across the city are ready to move past the ‘old system’ of divisiveness and inequity. Now, we must re-focus on how we're going to improve opportunities and provide the best possible education for all children,” said Zakiyah Ansari, Advocacy Director for the Alliance for Quality Education.

And here is the charter bullshit. Someone give Katherine a call and let her know that there was actually an election in NYC.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT
February 27, 2014	Katherine Bathgate
	(202) 521-2827
	Katherine@publiccharters.org

National Charter Schools Group Outraged over
Mayor de Blasio’s Decision to Kick Children
Out of their School
Four charter schools kicked out of school buildings,
hundreds of children affected

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has told four charter schools they would lose their school buildings, leaving at least 700 children without a school this coming school year. One of the schools is already open and serving children, three were scheduled to open this fall. Among these schools is one of the top performing schools in the city, and more notably, the state. National Alliance for Public Charter Schools President and CEO Nina Rees issued the following statement in response:  

“Kicking one of the state’s top-performing schools out of its building and leaving three other schools without a building is nothing short of outrageous. At the school already serving children, Success Academy’s Harlem 4, 83 percent of the students passed the state math exam last year, putting it in the top one percent of all schools in the state. Why would anyone want to stop that kind of student achievement? 

“This is an unjustified attack on the city’s most vulnerable youth—93 percent of students in charter schools in NYC are minorities and 73 percent are low-income. Among the country's 10 largest cities, all other mayors (8 of whom are Democrats) have embraced charter schools as a solution to urban education challenges. It is incomprehensible that Mayor de Blasio would intentionally force hundreds of children out of their schools. He is threatening to take away the most valuable thing we can give to our kids – a quality education. 

“These children and parents don’t deserve to have the rug pulled out from under their feet. De Blasio should immediately reconsider this decision and put the interests of the city’s children first.”

A recent report by the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes at Stanford University showed that students who attend charter schools in New York City are doing better in school than their peers who attend traditional district schools. There are 70,000 students enrolled in charter schools in New York, and 50,000 more students on charter school waiting lists.

About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit our website at www.publiccharters.org.

  

Teacher Union Support For Housing for TFA Scabs in Newark

...we shouldn't create construction jobs at the expense of unionized teacher jobs. ... Jersey Jazzman, July 2013

One of our partners, the AFL-CIO’s Housing Investment Trust, or HIT, which is funded largely by building trades’ pension funds but also by educators’ pension funds, has helped create affordable housing for teachers. Through its subsidiary, Building America, HIT is moving forward on plans to invest in the new teachers’ village in Newark, N.J.... Randi Weingarten at AFT Convention in Detroit, July 2012

There is little doubt that TFA has many ties to Teachers Village, and that many of its corps members will rent apartments there. There is little doubt that the charter schools occupying Teachers Village will not have a unionized staff. And there is little doubt that Teachers Village is yet another step in the charterization of Newark's schools - a process that has led to budget cuts and school closings against the will of parents, students, and the elected yet powerless school board..... despite all this, NTU's leaders have heartily endorsed Teachers Village: a project that will accelerate the growth of charters and the deunionization of Newark's Schools.... Jersey Jazzman, July 2013

Even my pal Michael Fiorillo seemed astounded when he read my earlier posting this morning "Dear Randi" From a Newark Teacher.
With Cami Anderson wanting to lay off 700 tenured teachers and replace them with newbie Teach for America scabs, this story takes on new dimensions, especially with Randi's letter to Chris Christie yesterday - excuse me for a minute while I gag.

I'm back. Really and truly, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Beit's got himself one sweet deal, doesn't he? He uses $100 million in tax credits to finance a project in Newark, then lines up a group of charter schools as his business occupants, who will pay their rents with taxpayer funds.

Then, as if that isn't enough, he sets himself up to direct a steady flow of college-educated renters right into his residential units - through TFA! In fact, TFA has a page where prospective "teachers" can figure out their expenses when they move to Newark. By default, rent is listed as $1150: right in the range for units at Teachers Village. There's also a happy-happy neighborhood description on the TFA-Newark website: I don't think a real estate agent could have written one better. ... Jersey Jazzman

My relentless ednotes reporter on the scene in Newark reminded me of this Jersey Jazzman piece from July 2013, where I left my usual "vichy, quisling" comment. Read this one in full and get the full flavor of what we are up against when our own union leaders have the foresight of flea. JJ asks: "Let me ask NTU leadership something: do you think Karen Lewis out in Chicago would have signed off on this plan?"

How the Newark Teachers Union Shot Itself In the Foot

By now, those of us in Jersey are well aware of the construction trade unions' endorsement of Chris Christie, the biggest foe of public worker unions in the Northeast. I guess these supposed "allies" of teachers and cops think Christie's "pro-business" policies will lead to more jobs, even though the evidence suggests Christie is very bad for economic growth and job development.

Whatever: it still stings mightily when, as a teacher, I see my union "brothers and sisters" out there shilling for a man who has done more to take money out of my family's budget than any other politician in the state, and who is gearing up for a run at national office. Weren't we all supposed to be sticking together as a united labor movement? After all, the leaders of New Jersey's public worker unions have happily stood up and endorsed public works programs when they meant creating union construction jobs.

Take, for example, the president of the Newark Teachers Union, Joe Del Grosso [annotation mine]:

Here's Del Grosso supporting the Teachers Village project in Newark that, apparently, created union construction jobs for AFL-CIO members. Keep in mind that the NTU is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, which is, in turn, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. And it was only with the AFL-CIO's support that the developers of Teachers Village could get the New Markets Tax Credits necessary to make this project so lucrative for the big-money boys who financed it.

So it was, of course, perfectly natural that Del Grosso would support a project that would create jobs for AFL-CIO members in the building trades. But his members - the teachers and support staff of the NTU - ought to ask themselves: at what cost?

Normally, I wouldn't think this was a particularly noteworthy story: how TFA chooses to organize itself isn't really a big issue. But then I took a look at who serves on the Advisory Board for TFA-Newark, which will undoubtedly be the hub around which the state-wide TFA is built:

Advisory Board

Ron Beit, Partner and CEO, RBH Management

[...]

Ron Beit - hmm, where have I heard that name before? Oh, yeah, that's right - he's the developer behind Newark's Teachers Village:

Remember the name: Teachers Village. It's a $150 million, mixed-use development that just broke ground with great fanfare in Newark. The idea is that teachers will live in the complex and teach at one of the three charter schools that will occupy the site.

As you might imagine, your taxpayers dollars are funding this experiment:

The project was awarded nearly $40 million in Urban Transit Hub tax credits from the state Economic Development Authority and allocated $60 million in federal New Markets tax credits for the school portion. Other public financing came from the city of Newark, the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, and federal Qualified School Construction Bonds, according to an EDA memo. Private financing came from Goldman Sachs, Prudential Financial Corp., TD Bank and New Jersey Community Capital, Beit said. In the early months of the recession, Beit said, Berggruen’s unwavering commitment to the project — Berggruen said he considers his investment "long-term" — brought everyone else together.

$100 million in tax credits; not too shabby. If anyone tries to convince you that billionaires are interested in charter schools solely out of altruism, point them to this project. Why else do you think the biggest Master of the Universe of them all showed up?

A veritable who’s who of real estate developers, corporate leaders and elected officials gathered this morning to celebrate the groundbreaking of Teachers Village in downtown Newark and mark the start of a major project now underway.

The crowd of more than 200 piled into a tent at the site at the corner of Halsey and William streets, two blocks from the Prudential Center. Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, whose urban investment group helped finance the project, said projects like Teachers Village are exactly the types of opportunities they look for to support economic growth. World famous architect Richard Meier, who was born in Newark and designed the buildings, said the day was “more than a homecoming, it is a dream come true.” The majority of project investors are from New York, including lead developer Ron Beit of RBH Group. [emphasis mine]

I'm going to have a lot to say about this as I keep digging over the next few weeks. For now:

• The apartments in the complex are studios to two-bedrooms that will range from $700 to $1,400 a month. Who do you think will be attracted to this housing: young people just starting out, or older couples with families? So much for experienced teachers working at these charters, although that has always been one of the key points of the charter "movement," hasn't it? Even here in Jersey (thanks, Darcie).

Beit's got himself one sweet deal, doesn't he? He uses $100 million in tax credits to finance a project in Newark, then lines up a group of charter schools as his business occupants, who will pay their rents with taxpayer funds.

Then, as if that isn't enough, he sets himself up to direct a steady flow of college-educated renters right into his residential units - through TFA! In fact, TFA has a page where prospective "teachers" can figure out their expenses when they move to Newark. By default, rent is listed as $1150: right in the range for units at Teachers Village. There's also a happy-happy neighborhood description on the TFA-Newark website: I don't think a real estate agent could have written one better.

This is hardly a new idea: in Baltimore, 70 percent of Miller's Court's residents are TFAers. Again, the financing was helped by New Markets Tax Credits.

Now, I want to be fair: there is no reporting that I have seen that confirms TFA has signed an agreement with Teachers Village akin to the deals they cut in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas. But when you look at the connections TFA has to Newark and Teachers Village, it's clear that a formal deal isn't even necessary:

• The primary developer of Teachers Village, Ron Beit, sits on the board of Teach For America - Newark.
• One of the three charter schools housed at Teachers Village, TEAM Charter School (a KIPP school), is run by Ryan Hill, a 1999 TFA alum (Hill has also been asked back to cheer on new TFA grads).
• KIPP was instrumental in securing supplemental financing for Teachers Village: "With so many Teach For America corps members and alumni involved in TEAM Schools, the broker was eager to help both organizations."
• Another occupant of Teachers Village, Great Oaks Charter School, "strongly encourages" TFA alumni to apply.  
• Cami Anderson, the pro-charter State Superintendent of Newark, is the former Executive Director of TFA-New York and a 1993 TFA alum.
• The Foundation for Newark's Future, fueled by the $100 million grant from Mark Zuckerberg, gave $500,000 to TFA.

There is little doubt that TFA has many ties to Teachers Village, and that many of its corps members will rent apartments there. There is little doubt that the charter schools occupying Teachers Village will not have a unionized staff. And there is little doubt that Teachers Village is yet another step in the charterization of Newark's schools - a process that has led to budget cuts and school closings against the will of parents, students, and the elected yet powerless school board.

Newark Public Schools, under state control for decades, has already announced its intention to layoff staff; NTU leadership walked out of a budget meeting in protest. The unionized teaching jobs in Newark are being converted into non-unionized teaching posts in charters, often filled by TFA corps members.

And yet, despite all this, NTU's leaders have heartily endorsed Teachers Village: a project that will accelerate the growth of charters and the deunionization of Newark's Schools.

Is NTU unaware of what is happening in Chicago? In Philadelphia? That TFA is still pushing to place its members in these cities even as experienced, tenured, unionized teachers are being laid off? That non-unionized charters are an important part of TFA's clientele, with one-third of TFA's recruits placed in charters? Given all this, how does supporting Teachers Village help support NTU members?

As I have said many times before: I am a union guy. AFT-NJ and the NTU know that I am on their team. And I completely understand that when you're part of a larger organization, you sometimes have to do something you don't particularly want to do, if only to show solidarity.

But this, in my humble opinion, goes too far. It's fine to create private-sector construction jobs through public investment; we should do a lot more of that (remember the ARC tunnel, Christie-supporting union members?). But we shouldn't create construction jobs at the expensive of unionized teacher jobs.

Let me ask NTU leadership something: do you think Karen Lewis out in Chicago would have signed off on this plan? Maybe "WWKD?" should be your mantra from now on...

We gotta start thinking about the long game, fellas. I'm just trying to get you to see that.

This blog remains a proud and loyal supporter of AFT-NJ, and the Newark Teachers Union.

"Dear Randi" From a Newark Teacher

...your generosity in donating AFT funds to the Teacher Village being built to house Teach for America novices in Newark could not have come at a better time.... Newark teacher to AFT President Randi Weingarten (satire alert)

See http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-newark-teachers-union-shot-itself.html?m=1

While TFA scabs live in subsidized government housing, real teachers will go into foreclosures.... Teacher in Newark -- no satire here

Diane Ravitch posted a "Dear Chris Christie" letter Randi sent: Randi to Christie: Give the People of Newark Their Schools.

A long-time Newark teacher sent a follow-up "Dear Randi" letter.

Randi Weingarten
President
American Federation of
Teachers
Dear Ms. Weingarten,
You are to be commended for writing a letter to Governor Christie. It is your visionary leadership and the historic contract you were instrumental in negotiating that have brought Newark teachers to the "top of the mountain." Moreover, your generosity in donating AFT funds to the Teacher Village being built to house Teach for America novices in Newark could not have come at a better time. It is inconceivable that you could have had prior knowledge that record numbers of Newark teachers were to be laid off and replaced with Teach for America scabs. Your brilliant strategy of advocacy for weaker tenure protections, subjective evaluations and complicity with those who wish to turn teachers into Walmart employees has played nicely into the hands of your coconspirators Bill Gates and the Walton Foundation. I am grateful to you for your wise stewardship of the AFT and your particular interest in advancing the interests of Newark schoolchildren by having them taught by a revolving door of unqualified teacher impostors. Send my regards to Cami next time you speak to her.
In gratitude,
A Newark Teacher

AFTERBURN
Lots of links on the Newark story.
Chaz did some excellent work:
 http://chaz11.blogspot.com/2014/02/ed-deformer-cami-andersons-one-newark.html?m=1

And lots coming in from the Jersey Boys:
http://bobbraunsledger.com/shame-on-you-cami-anderson/

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2014/02/outrage-cami-anderson-to-newark-who.html?m=1

http://bobbraunsledger.com/bulletin-cami-to-newark-i-wont-show-ever/

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/02/newark_teachers_students_protests_districts_layoff_plan.html
 
http://www.nj.com/education/2014/02/newark_schools_chief_warns_of_massive_teacher_layoffs_wants_pink_slips_pegged_to_performance.html

http://www.nj.com/education/2014/02/cami_anderson_newark_schools_superintendent_at_loggerheads_with_school_board.html

Chicago: Saucedo teachers to announce ISAT test boycott!!

Chicago Teacher Union supports action. It is inconceivable that the UFT would do the same.

Big news today of a teacher boycott at one school. More info to come...

http://www.coreteachers.org/4pm-press-conference-saucedo-academy-teachers-to-boycott-isat/

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 25, 2014

CONTACT:
Sarah Chambers, Special Education Teacher at Saucedo
(Ms. Chambers will be teaching throughout the day and will need to respond to voicemail messages during breaks.)
630.618.9009

TEACHERS REFUSE TO ADMINISTER ISAT AT SAUCEDO SCHOLASTIC ACADEMY
4:00 PM PRESS CONFERENCE
(DETAILS BELOW)
Teachers at Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy this morning, through a secret ballot, voted that they would refuse to administer the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT). Every single teacher charged with administering the test voted to boycott it. Saucedo Academy is a Chicago Public School serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Beginning next year, the ISAT will no longer be administered. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has said that it would not use the test this year for any of its previous purposes (promotion, entrance to selective enrollment schools or teacher evaluation). Administration of the test is a major intrusion on instruction, disrupting classes at elementary schools for two weeks and taking personnel away from education even longer to administer makeup exams. According to the parent group More Than a Score (morethanascorechicago.org), hundreds of parents throughout the city have submitted letters requesting that their students be opted out of the test this year. At Saucedo Academy, teachers have collected more than 300 opt-out letters and the student council voted to encourage all students to opt out of the exam.

WHO: Parents, students and teachers will address the press.
Spanish speakers will be available to comment on camera.

WHAT: Parents, students and teachers will explain their decision to boycott ISAT at the school and call on others throughout Chicago Public Schools to join them.

WHEN: 4:00 PM TODAY, Tuesday, February 25, 2015

WHERE:   In front of Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy
2850 West 24th Boulevard

Will de Blasio Dump Moskowitz' Ill-Gotten Gains as Eva Throws Tantrum?

The last minute push by Bloomberg to get as many Eva Moskowitz charters into as many neighborhoods as possible reminded me of the American rush to leave Saigon in the waning days of the Vietnam war. Two October PEP meetings were set up to beat the clock and Moskowitz walked away with the biggest bundle. Law suits were filed over one of the final outrages of the Bloomberg administration. Public Advocate Tish James has put hers on hold until the outcome. And apparently Evil has got word that it is not looking good for her. So she is throwing one of her tantrums.

At this moment I don't even care about the other charters. In some ways it would be smart politically for de Blasio to allow many of them to go through and just chop Moskowitz for her avarice and naked political ambition to use kids and parents for her own ends.

Her peeps have given 800K to buy Cuomo, the UFT's buddy - and she is trying to pull any power play she can, including pulling the kids out of school.

Here are reports from Ravitch with links to the Geoff Decker piece on Charter beat.

Eva Moskowitz Plans to Fight Mayor de Blasio in Albany by dianeravitch

Eva Moskowitz, the combative CEO of the Success Academy charter school chain (previously called Harlem Success Academy), anticipates that new Mayor Bill de Blasio may charge rent for her use of public space or may deny some of the co-locations offered in the waning days of the Bloomberg administration. Moskowitz enjoyed preferential treatment when Michael Bloomberg was mayor and had immediate access to Chancellor Joel Klein. Those days are over, as de Blasio has pledged to review all future co-locations and to consult with local communities.

Moskowitz issued a statement promising to take her battle for more schools and more funding to Albany, where she has friends in Legislature and in Governor Cuomo. According to a report by Geoffrey Decker in Chalkbeat, charter advocates--some of whom are on the board of Eva's chain--have contributed more than $800,000 to Cuomo. Eva will bring busloads of students to Albany with her to impress the Legislature, something that no public school would be permitted to do. In addition, a charter advocacy group called Families for Excellent Schools will mount a multi-million dollar TV campaign to block de Blasio's efforts to rein in the charter movement.

The Lies Randi Tells on Twitter

Randi Weingarten ‏@rweingarten 
@beth_dimino @pfh1964-be4 u criticize know the facts-@uft had a rank & file comm including all caucuses & got overwhelming support at DA mtg

While New Action enthusiastically supported the UFT charters, ICE -- if I am not mistaken, a caucus in the UFT, opposed it with Michael Fiorillo leading the charge and in fact speaking against it at the DA. At a charter info meeting Jeff Kaufman, James Eterno and I attended and raised lots of issues related to the UFT charter, including some not-so hard svengali-like predictions. I believe Ed Notes and possibly the ICE blog also published critical comments.

We also talked about how the UFT got the space from Kathy Cashin in District 19 and how that held UFT members in Cashin controlled schools hostage.

Here is the full twitter exchange.

·  Randi Weingarten ‏@rweingarten 

The charter school movement began as a grassroots attempt to improve public ed. It’s become a backdoor for undermining pub ed

Expand

·  Paul Hornstein ‏@pfh1964 

@rweingarten @beth_dimino So why did the UFT start a charter? Makes the union look like hypocrites. Mutes the ability to speak out loud.

Expand

·  Randi Weingarten ‏@rweingarten 

@pfh1964 @beth_dimino -charters were Shanker's ideas..to be incubators not dividers.. they need to be held to same standards

Expand

·  Beth Dimino ‏@beth_dimino 2h

@rweingarten @pfh1964 Charters have become a nightmare for all because uft leadership didn't consider the rest of us or think it through 1st

Expand

·  Randi Weingarten ‏@rweingarten 7m

@beth_dimino @pfh1964-be4 u criticize know the facts-@uft had a rank & file comm including all caucuses & got overwhelming support at DA mtg

A Decade of Cover-up at PS 106: Who Protected Marcella Sills?

My column for The Wave, to be published Feb. 28, 2014.

A Decade of Cover-up at PS 106: Who Protected Marcella Sills?

By Norm Scott

The media seems to be enthralled over Marcella Sills’ magic disappearing act as principal of PS 106 in Far Rockaway ever since the NY Post reported the story a short time after Bill de Blasio and Carmen Fariña took over the running of the school system from the Bloomberg/Walcott/Joel Klein team. Remember, Sills came out of Klein’s Leadership Principal training academy to take over at PS 106 in 2005 when Kathy Cashin was running Region 5. Michelle Lloyd-Bey became District 27 Superintendent not long after.

A Google search reveals many articles and much commentary on the story on my part and others in The Wave and on my blog (Ednotesonline.org – plug, plug) going back at least 6 or 7 years. I contend the extremely pro Bloomberg ed policy NY Post had the story long before they printed it. Why did they wait so long? To protect the Bloomberg administration from having to answer questions. And to dump the story in the lap of their successors, whose policies the Post so adamantly opposes. After the Farina visit to the school people were upset that Sills was not removed immediately. But that’s not the way due process works – both for teachers and principals. Though I really don’t get this due process thing for people who are bosses who have enormous power to affect the lives of students, parents and staff. An investigation was launched by the corrupt Office of Special Commissioner (SCI), which often takes a very long time. With the media scrutiny they came back with a scathing report in record time. Sills must go through a 3020a hearing before she can be terminated (the word the DOE uses.)

Most of the stories in the media don’t scratch the surface when they focus on Sills’ lateness or non-attendance. Actually, Sills was performing a humanitarian act when she didn’t show up because the school was a so much healthier place when she wasn’t there.

But then again, does the media care that Sills destroyed or tried to destroy the careers of so many teachers?  To many in the media, if not for the time card issues, Sills’ driving out those high-salaried lazy incompetent senior teachers would make her a hero. But we do see some exceptions and once the NY Post and reporter Sue Edelman got their teeth into the story they ran with it. (Hey Sue, how about some kudos to The Wave and EdNotes for breaking so much of the story years in advance?)

The Post allowed Patricia Walsh, a  27 year and special education teacher at PS 106 from 2003 to 2009,  to tell the real story. Walsh asks: “Where did the money go? PS 106 received millions in extra school funding to help low-income kids.  It didn’t go to pay for teachers who left and weren’t replaced. It didn’t go to the payroll secretary Sills didn’t have so no one kept track of her absences.”

Every year PS 106 was given over $3000 for library books and that money was diverted with no accountability. Superintendent Michelle Lloyd-Bey was informed year after year.

Walsh puts much of the blame on the Bloomberg/Klein/Walcott administration.

“To show just how clueless and uncaring the administration was — in December 2013, PS 106 received a glowing report. At the time, there was no mandated gym, no special-education teacher (I had left and wasn’t replaced), no books, no art and no extended-day services! Sills opened state exam booklets earlier than allowed and asked teachers to discuss how to read a passage to help students better understand it, which was cheating. When told it was illegal, she had a fit.”

In Atlanta, Superintendent Beverly Hall, a former supervisor in the NYCDOE, and 34 others were indicted in a massive cheating scandal. Sills will be lucky not to go to jail.

Walsh points to common tactics used by bully principals like Sills.

“You were either a friend of Sills or an enemy, and if she didn’t like you, she’d rip you apart in reviews. Retaliation was common. When a teacher signed her name to a letter sent to officials expressing her concerns about educational practices that are adversely affecting children in our school, she was reprimanded for more than one hour by two supervisors from the Department of Education. Teachers learned to remain anonymous.”

The teacher transfer rate grew to 60%. Higher ups were notified and kept protecting Sills.

“Letters began to flood the district office, superintendent’s office, mayor’s office, chancellor’s office, UFT and the special commissioner of investigation just three months after Sills took the leadership position. But rather than addressing our concerns and dealing with the cause, the staff was reprimanded and scolded for not signing individual names. Now see why! Sills strategically targeted and harassed staff.”

You ask where was the union? Helpless at best, or joining the protection racket at worst (UFT District Reps during this period: Marilyn Cooper and Marilyn Manley.) Walsh says, “Meetings, letters, e-mails, reports to the teachers union . . . all proved.. futile. Every letter, every complaint reiterated her absence, lateness, inappropriate interaction with children, parents, staff, even falsification of reviews. Sills was never held accountable.”

In addition to Dist 27 Supt. Lloyd-Bey, Children First (or Last) Network 531’s William Colavito (WColavito@schools.nyc.gov) and Joseph Blaize (JBlaize@schools.nyc.gov) and Cluster 05 leaders Debra Maldonado (718-935-2480) must have their feet held to the fire. And UFT District Reps during this period, Marilyn Cooper and Marilyn Manley.

THIS FRIDAY (Feb. 28)! Meet with NYC Parents Who Are Saying NO! (to high stakes testing)

Meet with NYC Parents Who Are Saying NO!

   

 (Please Share Widely with your friends, PTAs, SLTs, Parent Lists, teachers)

As children and teachers enter the spring “testing season,” parents must decide if we will continue to allow our children to 

support high-stakes testing. There are many ways to resist the tests and demand social justice for all public school students.

Meet with others who choose to refuse and are organizing others to do the same.  

•    Learn what is at stake, ways you can resist and how. 
•    Help educate your school community, organize, mobilize and possibly opt out.
•    Even if you feel like a lone voice, you are not alone!
•    It is time for parents to protect their children and resist by saying NO!


FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28
5:30 to 7:30pm
CUNY Graduate Center
365 Fifth Ave, Rm 5409
[corner of 5th Ave & 34th St; entrance on 5th]
Bring photo ID to enter

For more info, visit www.changethestakes.org or email changethestakes@gmail.com

 

How Do We Fight Bully Principals? Thursday, February 27, 5:00pm

Given all the discussion about how to take on bully principals like at the recently exposed "School of No" at PS 106 in the Rockaways, this workshop takes on increased importance. We'll be discussing situations with difficult principals as well as with more cooperative and mixed administrations.  ... MORE Chapter Organizing Committee

You can't do it alone. In a hostile atmosphere building allies within and outside the school community can give you weapons. The MORE Chapter Leader and delegate listserve is a valuable resource. But you also need to sit down with other people to brainstorm strategies and tactics, including the turncoats who support the principal.


I'm sorry I can't make this event as I have lots of ideas. I am hoping MORE begins to use this event as a springboard to find ways to provide a safe space for people in schools with abusive principals to take action.

The UFT not only does little, we hear way too many reports of the UFT actually backing principals with connections behind the scenes. Ask what the UFT in District 27, the Queens office and 52 Broadway did about PS 106 principal Marcella Sills for almost a decade. Since she became principal under Kathy Cashin and the UFT had an alliance with Cashin (ie, UFT charters given space by her).

Will MORE also take on the UFT's lack of support for chapter leaders under the gun in these schools? The buck can't stop at your own school organizing effort. A support group needs to meet regularly, not just at a once in a while training event. If you go to this push for this idea and don't just walk out learning what you need to know.

Overwhelmed by the challenges of organizing in your school?  Want to share ideas with other dedicated, creative chapter leaders and activists?

MORE CHAPTER LEADER ALERT Organize your chapter! Overwhelmed by the challenges of organizing in your school?  Want to share ideas with other dedicated, creative chapter leaders and activists? Come to a workshop on organizing your members to create a more active, involved union chapter.  Discuss organizing challenges with other chapter leaders and strategize creative solutions to build teacher and para power in your school! RSVP to a LABOR NOTES TROUBLEMAKERS ORGANIZING WORKSHOP   What challenges are you facing in your school? Take our Chapter Leader Survey  New Date Thursday, February 27, 5:00pm

TWU Local 100 Offices 195 Montague St., 3rd Fl., Rm C

 

Marcella Sills Was a Humanitarian by Being Absent and Late

The school ran so much better when she wasn't there. Maybe we can start a trend. Have bully and abusive principals just stay home. Let them collect their salaries. A cheap price to pay for improving the school community.

REVIVE UFT : Mulgrew Forms New Group to Ally With MORE, Causing Split in Unity

"Before we can move forward, we must resolve many outstanding issues from those dark years, starting with our working conditions, which are also our students’ learning conditions."... Michael Mulgrew

UFT President Mike Mulgrew is finding so much in common with the MORE caucus he has decided to build an alliance with MORE and is pushing for the rest of Unity Caucus to do the same. Facing internal resistance, Mulgrew has formed an organization, REVIVE UFT, which will run a joint slate with MORE in the 2016 UFT elections. Recognizing that MORE's Julie Cavanagh was the superior candidate in the 20013 elections, Mulgrew will step aside for her in 2016 and replace Andy Pallotta as Exec VP of NYSUT.

Photoshop Note: Thanks to the great Portelos.

Afterburn
Thanks to Chaz over at Chaz's School Daze
for reminding me that at one time I was actually funny - sort of. Chaz has been reporting on the PS 106 story -
Why Is Michelle Lloyd-Bey Still The District 27 Superintendent? - The continuing fallout of the reassignment and eventual removal of *"Leadership Academy Principal" *Marcella Sills has now spotlighted... 

And linked to some of my posts on Ed Notes and Norms Notes. I read this and can't believe I actually wrote this for The Wave.

Tweed Announces Closing of UFT: Will Be Replaced By Six Smaller Unions

Commentary By Norman Scott

Norman Scott Some Wave readers have told me that I should never use satire. But here goes, anyway.
The NYCDOE announced at the Tweed Courthouse that the UFT would be phased out over a 4-year period due to its failure to protect members. Six smaller unions will be opened, each headed by a potential successor to Randi Weingarten. Teachers will have a choice as to which union to join.
The announcement was made by Mayor Bloomberg and Joel Klein with a beaming Randi Weingarten at their side. "We know this closing may surprise some," said Bloomberg, "but we need a union that appears to be representing the members' interests while convincing them our reforms are best for them."
Each union will have a different theme.
Eyeglasses Are US will concentrate on frames with a separate enclosed mini-union focusing on lenses. A sunglass unit will open in 2010, in time for the next union election. "We're saving Armani for that time as it will bring in a lot of votes for Randi," said a UFT spokesperson.
A Dental Plan for You will be a theme-based union that will address issues teachers might have with brushing and flossing. All union members will get a free brush, some floss and a tube of toothpaste. Unity Caucus members will get teeth whitener in theirs.
GHI Joined at the HIP will provide guidance on how to take out loans to pay medical bills that will not be covered by the soon to be merged and privatized GHI and HIP. "Don't' worry," said a union spokesperson. "Randi Weingarten and Artie Pepper will be on the Board at HIP and will be able to find out the lowest interest rates."
Avoiding Grievances will address concerns of teachers who may feel the need to file a grievance. Special counseling will be offered at nominal expense until the urge disappears.
Collaborators UNITE is expected to attract teachers who want to work closely with their administrators. Special departments will be set up covering nodding correctly to express interest while keeping eyes wide open.
Meeting Efficacy will be a mini school to assure that those who choose this option can handle attending meetings and professional development without blinking once.
Head for the Hills will be for the 83 percent of Teach for America teachers who plan to do their 2 years and head for the hills. Special units on writing a book about their experiences and how to become Ed policy wonks will be set up.

What happened to that guy who wrote this? Well, I was inspired enough today to try satire once again.

Anti-testing groups form alliance to bring sanity to education policy

I'm proud to be a member of Change the Stakes, a partner in this national alliance.

Posted in facebook and The Washington Post Answer Sheet.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/21/anti-testing-groups-form-alliance-to-bring-sanity-to-education-policy/

"The founding members of the alliance are the Center for Fair & Open Testing, or FairTest, as well as Parents Across America, United Opt Out, Network for Public Education, and Save Our Schools."

Anti-testing groups form alliance to bring sanity to education policy By Valerie Strauss February 21 at 6:00 am (Bigstock) With resistance to standardized test-obsessed school reform growing around the country, three dozen local, state and national organizations and individuals have now banded together in an alliance to expand efforts to bring sanity to education policy. The alliance, which is called Testing Resistance and Reform Spring, will support a range of public education and mobilizing tactics — including boycotts, opt-out campaigns, rallies and legislation — in its effort to stop the high-stakes use of standardized tests, to reduce the number of standardized exams, and to replace multiple-choice tests with performance-based assessments and school work. The alliance will help activists in different parts of the country connect through a new Web site that offers resources for activists, including fact sheets and guides on how to hold events to get out their message. The emergence of the alliance represents a maturing of the grassroots testing resistance that has been building for several years locally in states , including Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois.  Though many supporters of Barack Obama expected him to end the standardized testing obsession of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind when Obama was first elected president, many now say that the Obama administration has gone beyond the excesses of NCLB to inappropriately make high-stakes standardized tests the key measure of achievement by students, teachers, principals and schools.

Anti-testing groups form alliance to bring sanity to education policy www.washingtonpost.com The coalition represents a maturing of the anti-testing movement.

Assessment experts say that standardized test scores are not a reliable or valid way to make high stakes decisions about the effectiveness of teachers or the achievement of students, but education policymakers have ignored these warnings for years. This has led to situations that are nothing short of preposterous, such as teachers being evaluated on the test scores of students they never had. Meanwhile, the emphasis on testing has led to an explosion of tests being given to kids; for example, fourth-graders in the Pittsburgh Public Schools have to take 33 standardized tests mandated by the district or state this school year. It is this reality that has fueled the resistance.
The founding members of the alliance are the Center for Fair & Open Testing, or FairTest, as well as Parents Across America, United Opt Out, Network for Public Education, and Save Our Schools.
Prominent educators, activists and bloggers who are partners in the alliance are:
Wayne Au, associate professor, University of Washington
Anthony Cody, teacher, blogger
Nikhil Goyal, student, activist
Jesse Hagopian, teacher, Garfield High School, Seattle, Washington
Deborah Meier
Diane Ravitch
Angela Valenzuela, professor, U-Texas, Austin
George Wood, superintendent, Federal Hocking Local Schools, Stewart, Ohio
Organizations that are alliance partners are:

National 
Coalition for Essential Schools
HispanEduca
K-12 News Network
National Latino/a Education Research and Policy (NLERAP)
Rethinking Schools

State and Local
Change the Stakes (New York)
Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE)
Citizens for Public Schools (Massachussetts)
Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) (Kentucky)
MecklenburgACTS.org (North Carolina)
More Than a Score (Chicago)
New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE)
Opt Out Orlando (Florida)
Parents United for Responsible Education (Chicago)
ReThinking Testing Midhudson Region (New York)
Social Equality Educators (Seattle)
Students 4 Our School (Denver)
SWside Parents Alliance (Chicago)
Teacher Activist Group – TAG Boston
Texas Center for Education Policy
Time Out from Testing (New York)
Youth Organizers for the Now Generation (YOUNG) (Boston)