How opposition to UFT Endorsement of Obama was Suppressed at the D.A.

I was so harried yesterday that I totally missed the backdrop of Randi's appearance to pump up enthusiasm for Obama. Why was Randi there in a state guaranteed for Obama? Because teachers are so pissed at Obama that many are talking about voting Green Party. I am. While that won't affect the election here it may reduce Obama's margin and that could expose the UFT as weak and unable to even mobilize its own members. But scare tactics may well work. I can only hope polls show how disaffected teachers are with Obama.

At the DA it is one thing to hump for your candidate, another to suppress any voice of opposition which is the Unity modus operendi we know so well.

So yesterday I was too distracted to pay attention and I didn't even check to see if there was a resolution opposing the Obama nomination as a way of forcing a discussion at the DA and I'm happy Marjorie Stamberg tried to make a stand. I think we in MORE should have also been there for this but we haven't even gotten far enough in our discussions to reach this stage. Too bad because I think the UFT/Unity/AFT total support for Obama/Duncan is a catastrophe for teachers. I'm hoping MORE makes an issue of this in the campaign but I guess that depends on whether Obama wins or loses.

Later I'll post Margerie's back and forth with Michael Mendel.


HOW OPPOSITION TO AFT/UFT ENDORSEMENT OF OBAMA WAS SUPPRESSED

by Marjorie Stamberg

It was clear to all after a protracted pep rally for Obama at the October 17 Delegate Assembly, for which Randi Weingarten returned for a star appearance, that not one word of criticism of Obama would be allowed on the floor of the D.A.

I had distributed a one-page “Resolution on 2012 Presidential Election,” handing it out as delegates came in and placing it on the literature table. The resolution began, “WHEREAS, it is self-destructive to continually endorse Democratic Party politicians (and Republicans) who are attacking teachers and seeking to gut our unions.” And after spelling out the roles of Rahm Emanuel and President Obama, the resolution ended, “THEREFORE, Be It Resolved that in defense of union rights, public education and the political independence of labor the United Federation of Teachers hereby repudiates the national AFT endorsement of Obama and calls for no vote for Democrats, Republicans or any party or politician representing the interests of capital against the working class, poor and oppressed.”

It was important that this opposition resolution come before the body as the teachers unions have repeatedly provided the troops for phone-banking and house-to-house canvassing
for the Democrats. Yet, it was noteworthy that not one of the several opposition groups in and around the UFT had a word to say about these elections. The M.O.R.E. did put forward a supportable resolution against the racist discrimination against black and Latino students in the specialized science high schools. But on the critical issue of breaking labor’s ties with the parties of Wall Street and capital, nothing.

The centerpiece of the rally (which masqueraded as a delegate assembly) was the performance by AFT president (and Democratic National Committee member) Weingarten. She went on at great length about if Obama is not elected, the Romneys, Michelle Rhees and the PACs “are all privatizers,” that the election is all about “the heart and soul of public education.” (Hello!? Rahm Emanuel? Arne Duncan? For the past four years, Barak Obama and his team have been spearheading the privatization of public education and attacks on teachers unions, from Central Falls, RI to Chicago, IL.) In fact, the assault on public education is a bipartisan offensive backed by both capitalist parties, Democrats and Republicans alike.

After the meeting had gone on an hour and a half and delegates were beginning to leave, the floor was finally opened for “Motions directed to the agenda.” I rose to say I had a motion in opposition to the AFT endorsement of Obama. At this point in the past, they usually declare that whatever I’m raising (such as occupying closing schools) is “illegal,” banned under the Taylor Law, or whatever. This time, they kept interrupting me every time I tried to say a word, calling out from the stage that I was not allowed to motivate the motion, I couldn’t summarize the motion, I couldn’t even the read the “Resolved.” UFT secretary Michael Mendel declared from on high that I could only read the title, claiming that this was according to “Robert’s Rules.”

I responded that “I understand from this that there will be no criticism of Obama allowed at this meeting,” and sat down. Mendel then became irate and went on a protracted tantrum from the stage claiming that this was not true, that his censorship was fully in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, that it was democratic because I had been able to distribute the motion (a strange notion of democracy indeed). Mulgrew then took over and asked the body to vote on whether or allow the motion on the floor. Even though they had still not heard a single word from the motion, hundreds of Unity Caucus delegates dutifully raised their voting cards to prevent it from coming to the floor.

But this was not the end. In addition to quashing opposition to Obama, they still had to push through their pro-Obama motion. This task was assigned to Mike Shulman of the New Action caucus who motivated at length the E-board resolution to mobilize support for the president who is pushing non-union charter schools, “merit pay,” and teacher evaluations based on student test scores.

The second he stopped, I rose and said I oppose this motion and I want to speak against it. A number of other hands also went up to speak. But a Unity Caucus member up front quickly interjected, “I call the question” to end any debate before it began. President Mulgrew said there could be no debate; I called out that “pro” and “con” speakers are always heard on a motion. He said that speakers on both sides are not required, that is not in Robert’s Rules of Order, why don’t I ask the parliamentarian (Mendel!) who ruled that indeed both sides did not need to be heard. Debate was cut off and the motion (surprise, surprise) was voted.

Since to carry out this censorship, the authority of Robert’s Rules was cited, let me add that the UFT leaders’ claim is entirely false. In fact it directly violates Part I (Rules of Order), Article I (How Business Is Conducted in Deliberative Assembly), which states under Point 4:

“When a member wishes a resolution adopted after having obtained the floor, he says, ‘I move the adoption of the following resolution,’ or ‘I offer the following resolution,’ which he reads and hands to the chair.”

But I was not allowed to read the resolution, to summarize it or even read the one-sentence “resolved.”

Moreover, when on the leadership resolution to endorse and mobilize for Obama the question was called without hearing any opposition speaker although several hands were raised and I verbally objected, this also directly violates Robert’s Rules, which explicitly require that both the pros and cons to be stated before the body, unless there are none. Indeed, the rule in question, under Article VII on Debate, is written as if in direct response to the strong-arm methods of the UFT leadership. Here it is:

“The right of members to debate and, make motions cannot be cut off by the chair's putting a question to vote with such rapidity as to prevent the members getting the floor after the chair has inquired if the assembly is ready for the question. Even after the chair has announced the vote, if it is found that a member arose and addressed the chair with reasonable promptness after the chair asked, ‘Are you ready for the question?’ he is then entitled to the floor, and the question is in exactly the same condition it was before it was put to vote.

“Debate is not closed by the chairman’s rising and putting the question, as until both the affirmative and the negative are put, a member can rise and claim the floor, and reopen the debate or make a motion, provided he rises with reasonable promptness after the chair asks, ‘Are you ready for the question?’ If the debate is resumed the question must be put again, both the affirmative and the negative.”

You couldn’t ask for more clarity. Mendel’s bullying claim that there was no violation of democratic procedure since delegates could read the motion is ludicrous. So why have elections or debates at all?

But the main violation which occurred at our union was not the manipulation and outright negation of Robert’s Rules, it was the trampling over the union members’ rights to discuss and debate major issues. And finally, for a labor union to vote for a capitalist politician, and one who has been in the leadership of the agenda of corporatization, privatization of schools and union-busting, is a class betrayal, which we will all pay for.

The motion I was not allowed to read is appended below:

RESOLUTION ON 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
And Einstein’s Definition of Insanity*

WHEREAS, it is self-destructive to continually endorse Democratic Party politicians (and Republicans) who are attacking teachers and seeking to gut our unions; and

WHEREAS, Mayor Rahm Emanuel declared war on the Chicago Teacher Union even before taking office; and 

WHEREAS, the Democratic mayor has sought to  institute “merit pay,” teacher evaluation based on student test scores, the closure of over a hundred schools and their replacement by privately run non-union charter schools, which Chicago teachers valiantly resisted in their recent strike; and

WHEREAS, these policies would lead to the layoff of hundreds if not thousands of teachers and deprive our students, particularly those from poor, African American, Latino and Asian families of a quality public education; and

WHEREAS, in his vendetta against teachers unions, Mayor Emanuel was carrying out the policies of Democratic president Barack Obama and his education “czar” Arne Duncan; and

WHEREAS, the Democratic Obama administration’s program of “Race to the Top” is the continuation of the destructive “No Child Left Behind” policies of the Republican Bush
administration; and

WHEREAS, in 2010 President Obama praised the firing of the entire teaching staff of Central Falls, Rhode Island by a vindictive and corrupt school board, as well as the firing of hundreds of teachers in Kansas City, Missouri; and

WHEREAS, Democrat Obama had and has no significant differences on education policy with Republican teacher-basher McCain in 2008 or with Republican labor-hater Romney in 2012, backing the corporate “reform” agenda to regiment education in the interests of big business; and

WHEREAS, Democrats and Republicans have joined in wars for global imperial domination against Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, while waging class war on working people here, deporting 400,000 immigrants a year, presiding over racist police violence, racial profiling of African-American and Latino youth (“stop and frisk”) and wholesale dismantling of civil liberties; and

WHEREAS, the Working Families Party is nothing but a shill for the Democrats; and

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association have  called for the reelection of President Obama, the man who bailed out Wall Street and seeks to privatize public education;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that in defense of union rights, public education and the political independence of labor the United Federation of Teachers hereby repudiates the national AFT endorsement of Obama and calls for no vote for Democrats, Republicans or any party or politician representing the interests of capital against the working class, poor and oppressed.

*Not E=MC2    but “Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results”.

--submitted by Marjorie Stamberg,
UFT Delegate, GED-Plus, District 79
  Class Struggle Education Workers

                               

MORE District 15 Happy Hour Friday 4-6PM -

And if you are from another district come on down too. If they don't card 3 month old Jack, MORE presidential candidate Julie Cavanagh will be there too, as will Marissa Torres and maybe Brian Jones.

This is part of the development of the ground game any caucus in the union needs to develop, something that has not happened in the past. MORE has a high concentration of activists in that area of Brooklyn and made an attempt to reach out to as many schools as possible. Hopefully this can be done in other areas soon. I do not see this as something to do in an election year and then drop it until the next time but an ongoing organizing effort. Anyway, sometimes you just have to party instead of holding meetings.

Also -- Saturday MORE will be holding a "Lesson from Chicago event at 3:30 at NYU with Xian Barrett from CORE and Julie Cavanagh from MORE as speakers. I'll post that event separately.

They are busy little bees, aren't they?

And I want to note that yesterday some of us reconnected by email to the always awesome Liza Campbell, now working at a great school in Seattle. How much do we miss her activism, passion and intelligence? Seattle's gain as Washington State fights the Gates machine's attempt to install charters.

(See the also wonderful James Boutin reporting from his job in Seattle on the charter battle: An Urban Teacher's Education

Where the Charter School Initiative in WA Gets its Money and Why I'll Be Voting Against Charter Schools (I-1240) In Washington State).

-------


WHAT: A happy hour! Get to know MORE, (Movement of Rank and FIle Educators) and meet other educators interested in transforming the UFT.

WHEN: This Friday, OCT 19th, 4-6

WHERE: Freddy's Bar, 627 5th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215, 5th ave between 17th and 18th streets.    

http://freddysbar.com/       (see below for transit options)

WHY. . . .

                 The UFT is the most powerful union in the city. And its OUR union! Yet most members feel discouraged by our leadership's lack of. . .well. . .leadership. 

MORE (Movement of Rank and FIle Educators) believes in a member driven, social justice, social movement oriented union. We envision a union that educates, organizes and mobilizes the membership. We want a union that truly engages in the struggles that affect our students and their communities on a grassroots level; A union that will defend the rights of teachers, promote membership engagement in all aspects of education and fight against racism, poverty and the other social injustices that we and our students face every day. 

 

Come, have a drink, relax and meet other educators from District 15 and beyond who share this vision and want to know MORE about how they can get involved. 

Meet some of the teachers who will be running on the MORE slate in the union wide elections this spring and build solidarity with your fellow educators.

Subway: R to Prospect Avenue in Brooklyn, F/G to 4th ave and 9th st.
Bus: B63 to 5th Avenue and either Prospect Avenue or 18th Street.

Questions or RSVP (not necessary, but helpful) sam_p_coleman@yahoo.com

One Chapter Leader Reports on the UFT DA/UFT Charter Follow-up

Here's a report:  Had to listen to Randi give a nauseating speech about voting 4 Obama. WHAT A FUCKING WASTE OF MY TIME!!!! -- Chapter Leader

Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, said the union’s secondary school’s innovative methods, which include staggered teacher shifts to allow a longer school day, could become models for other unions. --- Williams quoted in NY Times article, Dec. 3, 2008

..... when he [Drew Goodman] tried to revise the school charter to cut the number of students in each grade and increase collaboration between the elementary and secondary charter schools, he angered union leaders who thought he had overstepped his authority, the individuals said. --- NY Times article, Dec. 3, 2008

I did see Randi racing in before the DA yesterday. Are you telling me that she has to come to a union event in NYC to get out the vote? Pathetic waste of everyone's time.

UFT Charter school chaos?
I wonder if there was any discussion at the DA about the attacks on the UFT charter school and Randi's responsibility for making the union a laughing stock to the extent that Harlem Success Academy parents can leave comments about how even a unionized charter school run by the UFT can't compete? Really, can you give the deformers any more fodder? Read the NY Times 2008 article below to see how the UFT inside political machine may have undermined its own charter school. Whose toes was Goodman stepping on? Maybe Michelle Bodden who herself was booted from Randi successor to charter school principal. Oh, what a den Unity Caucus runs.


Here are the links to the must-read Gotham story about the UFT charter:

Comments of the week: Blame for UFT Charter School’s demise

One of the really funny comments:

Emp315
When drew goodman was principal the school was one of the top charter schools in the state! He left because of an issues with the board of trustees. The parents and students loved him. As soon as he left the school fell apart. 

Gee, I wonder who Emp315 is?

Drew Goodman, the son of 2 former UFT District Reps (dad is Peter Goodman also known as the apologist for the UFT on his Ed in the Apple blog), was the first principal of the UFT middle school charter housed at the JHS I attended (Gershwin) but was forced out within a few months and replaced by Diane Ravitch pal Mary Butz.

See story below on his removal in 2008. I believe Drew became an AP in Dist 19. His latest resurfacing has been as an ATR supervisor.

Drew Goodman tweeted when the story surfaced
 drew goodman ‏@drewg03

Anyone who wants the real story on why the UFT charter is failing hit me

Norm Scott ‏@NormScott1

@drewg03 Is it really failing? 

drew goodman ‏@drewg03

@NormScott1 yeah let's put it this way the school it's housed in is doing better and it's on the closure list..

The story in the Times below has signs that Drew might actually be correct. I wonder what dad Peter Goodman thinks. Think Peter will defend the UFT charter school which I believe he pushed as a great thing in 2006?

At School Union Runs, Principal Steps Down

By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ
Published: December 3, 2008
The principal of a charter school run by the city’s teachers’ union, a rare type of school that has been described by some supporters as proof that charter schools could flourish even under strict labor rules, has resigned after clashing with teachers and union leaders, people affiliated with the school said.

Drew D. Goodman stepped down last week as principal of the union-run school, the United Federation of Teachers Secondary Charter School in East New York, Brooklyn, after union leaders grew dissatisfied with his handling of brewing teacher dissatisfaction. He has been replaced temporarily by Mary Butz, a school system veteran who led a mentorship program for city principals, until a permanent leader is found.

The departure marked the latest flare-up in the union’s efforts to nurture a successful, labor-friendly alternative to traditional charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently of the school system and typically shun union rules in order to provide longer class days and give principals more freedom in hiring and firing staff.

Mr. Goodman’s resignation mirrored a shake-up last spring at the union’s elementary charter school, also in East New York, when the principal resigned amid complaints by teachers and parents of heavy-handed governance. Mr. Goodman has moved to Public School 215 in Far Rockaway, Queens, where he is assistant principal, and declined to comment.

Mr. Goodman, 36, who led the school since its opening in 2006, had struggled to navigate a hazy line between administrator and teacher. In designing the school, the union defined his position as “first and foremost an educator” whose authority “will stem not from title or rank,” according to the union’s Web site.

Several people at the school or active in the union, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear that they would suffer professionally if they were named, said Mr. Goodman’s support among the faculty dwindled as some teachers saw him as making unilateral decisions. When he asked staff members to supervise middle school students who were performing community service at an elementary school, for instance, teachers complained that he was taking away time that they could be spending at professional development seminars.

Edward Morrissey, a language arts teacher at the school, said Mr. Goodman often got caught between teachers and the union leaders who run the school. When textbooks arrived late or photocopy machines remained broken, teachers blamed Mr. Goodman, even if the problem was the result of delays above him, Mr. Morrissey said.

This fall, when he tried to revise the school charter to cut the number of students in each grade and increase collaboration between the elementary and secondary charter schools, he angered union leaders who thought he had overstepped his authority, the individuals said.

In a letter to the school’s trustees sent on Wednesday, Randi Weingarten, the teacher’s union president, described Mr. Goodman’s departure as a mutual decision. In an interview, Ms. Weingarten said the school was simply working through the kinks facing any new institution, noting: “It’s tough to be the founding school leader of a school that may be one of the few that really believes in teacher collaboration.”

She pointed to high test scores among students at the union’s elementary school — this year, 81 percent of third-graders passed state English tests and 98 percent met math standards — as evidence that the schools were succeeding.

Teachers and principals at the union-backed schools said they posed unique leadership challenges. Michelle Bodden, who took over the union’s elementary charter school in August, said that satisfying all constituents can be hard, but that she has built good relations by seeing her role as “secondary to what’s going on with the teachers.”

“I think you listen a lot, I think you encourage conversation,” she said.

Joe Williams, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, said the union’s secondary school’s innovative methods, which include staggered teacher shifts to allow a longer school day, could become models for other unions.

Mr. Morrissey, the teacher at the union school, said many of the students had viewed Mr. Goodman as a role model. “I think the kids are in complete shock,” he said.

UFT Delegate Assembly: I Go AWOL

I've reached the point where I go to DAs for social reasons --- to see people and schmooze. And to hand out literature as part of the gauntlet delegates face as they enter. I considered writing a piece on the history of Ed Notes for the new delegates in a craven attempt to get more readers for this blog but I decided to hand out the MORE lit. But first I had to race over to Staples down the bloc to print up the 2-sided leaflet listing our candidates and the lessons of Chicago. There was a separate leaflet announcing our meeting on Saturday with Xian Barrett from CORE/CTU and our newly anointed presidential candidate Julie Cavanagh. And a leaflet with the resolution below. Lots of busy bees.

I'm waiting for reports to come in and will report more on the DA -- if you were there email me reports or leave a comment. The reason is that I never went up to the meeting. 


Once most people were inside by 5PM I left to head over to the Change the Stakes meeting. Of all the meetings I attend CTS is one of the best since half the people are parents. They were featured on the great NY Times article on Sunday - see MORE/CTS/Parent Voices Members Featured in NY Times Article on Testing.

Then I had to leave that meeting early to make my fiction writers group meeting at 7 which always takes place in a restaurant. So I got to eat short ribs for the 2nd time this week. Some diet. I weigh more than I did Friday night when I got back from Portugal where they gave us 3 meals a day with not all that much walking. Anyway, we had invited 2 new recruits so I wanted to be there. We started the group over 6 years ago as an outgrowth of a course at Gotham Writers -- why pay when we could do it ourselves. It has to be one of the longer running writers groups even though only 2 of us from the original group are left. We have a few people on hiatus and when one of our leaders put out an ad she got 40 replies. Amazing -- people are really serious about this writing stuff. I only write fiction occasionally (though Unity would call what I write here "fiction") to force myself to use my imagination. I'm sort of -- or supposed to be --- in the middle of a novel but only when I have a group deadline do I actually write. And finding it a very hard thing to do but as intellectually challenging as anything.

So I got home almost at 11 only to find that a wire was disconnected from the alarm -- I think I found a suspect. At least I caught some of the John Stewart show covering the debate. Really funny stuff. Now I'm watching Craig Ferguson and it's almost over and I have to go to a play tomorrow night so goodnight.

Oh, I heard some good news. MORE may have gotten this resolution on the agenda at the DA. Peter Lamphere spoke on it. There has been a lot of discussion on listserves and he media about this issue of diversity at the specialized schools. There was a very good discussion at the MORE meeting on Saturday where I learned a lot about an issue I hadn't been paying too much attention to. If I weren't so tired I'd share all that info with you but time to go to sleep after a brief celebration over tonight's Yankee rain out. Here's hoping for 40 days more of rain in Detroit.

 

Resolution on SSHS exam

Whereas high achieving Black and Latino students with demonstrated interest and abilities in science and math have been disproportionately excluded from admission to the Specialized Science High Schools, and

Whereas the admission process to the Specialized Science High School is based on a single exam that favors students that take specialized test preparation classes, including those provided by private tutors, for months and even years prior to the exam, and

Whereas of the top 165 specialized High Schools in the country ONLY NYC uses a single exam as the entrance criteria (NY Daily News October 1, 2012) while the rest of the country uses different combinations of exams, grades, recommendations and interviews, and 

Whereas students from families without the financial means for, or awareness of, the extensive test preparation classes are seriously disadvantaged in admittance to a SSHS, and

Whereas the closing and division of middle schools and comprehensive neighborhood high schools has both narrowed student access to the laboratories and programs specializing in science, technology, engineering and math that support student efforts to enter the SSHSs and at the same time intensified competition to enter the SSHSs, and

Whereas the United Federation of Teachers supports racial diversity and integration of the public schools

Be It So Resolved,

That the United Federation of Teachers support the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Federal Civil Rights Complaint against the SSHS admission process and offer assistance to that effort, and

That the UFT establish its own committee to consider alternatives to the current admission process that may help to admit a more inclusive and racially and economically diverse student body to the SSHS and gifted and talented programs in NYC public schools generally.

(Offered by the MORE Caucus to the October 2012 UFT DA)

UFT Delegate Assembly/MORE Announces Election Candidates

MORE chooses Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones, Camille Eterno and Marissa Torres to head slate in UFT elections with more candidates to come.

The first UFT Delegate Assembly of the year, and the last one for many new chapter leaders and delegates will take place this afternoon. I have been at these meetings since 1972, with over a decade hiatus in the 80s through '94 when I became chapter leader and resumed going to the meetings. Ed Notes has been a regular since 1997. See my late August post (on the 6th anniversary of the ednotesonline blog): My Path from Ed Notes to MORE Through ICE and GEM Part 1 of 4. (Okay, okay, so I never did do the other 3 parts -yet.)

Before I get to the news of the MORE candidates (check the MORE blog - morecaucusnyc) –

Today is a special DA that takes place every 3 years. Let me explain.

Elections for chapter leaders and delegates take place on a 3-year cycle (2009, 2012, 2015) and the October DA following the previous spring election is the first one the newly elected will attend. With enormous turnover in these positions in so many schools, expect a vast new crop of people to show up. (Portelos as the only CL ever elected from the rubber room should be there -- I'd love to see him live stream the DA but that would get him more severe penalties than he is getting from the DOE -- imagine, being put in a UFT rubber room.)

And once these newbies experience the level of control exerted over the meeting by the Unity/leadership, many often never return. Though do expect a batch to have already been recruited into Unity -- they know not what they do.

I should point out that with over 1700 schools and at least one delegate and chapter leader in each, plus extra delegates in the larger schools, plus the potential 300 Unity caucus retirees and assorted other delegates, the potential audience could be 3700. But the main room only holds 860, with the overflow sent to overflow rooms so they can watch on TV. (Hope they show reruns of the Simpsons instead of Mulgrew pontificating and laughing at his own lame sense of humor.)

What does that tell you about the interest in the leadership in holding meaningful meetings?

Over the years I've seen up to 1500 people show up at these triennial meetings, the highest total over the 3-year period. Expecting these numbers in the past, the meetings were often held at a major hotel to give at least a semblance of interest in a democratic process (and those macadamia nut cookies at the Brooklyn Marriott were oh so delicious). But that has long been abandoned by Unity, so expect a very crowded and often unruly crowd jostling in narrow spaces. Some will turn around and just go home in disgust.

MORE chooses Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones, Camille Eterno and Marissa Torres to head slate in UFT elections with more candidates to come. 

Well, this is getting long enough and I will wait to do my own personal tribute to Brian, Camille and Marissa later on. But just a few words.

How interesting that Brian has a 3 or 4 year old, Camille a 2 and a half year old and Julie a 14 week old. And Marissa is so young. Truly a mixture of an old and new generation of teacher/parent leaders.

I love working with Marissa on any project we have worked on --- I'm sure many will get to know her well.

Camille is one half of the wonderful power couple with her hubbie James. Just amazing long-term activists who broke away from New Action in 2003 when they sold out and helped found ICE.

On November 9 Brian will be doing a one on one at Cuny with the great Jonathan Kozol -- what does that tell you about the enormous respect there is out there for the work he does? And his work on our film has made him a national figure.

I don't have to tell you how much I have admired Julie since I met her a little over 3 years and have been proud to call her not only a political colleague but a true friend (and I don't always make many) --- you know, the kind you feel perfectly comfortable calling in the middle of the night if you need help (and she has promised to visit me in the home). I wanted to do a film for so many years and Julie was the key to making that happen, the kind of partner I so desperately needed to work with. I am eternally grateful.

I truly believe Julie has the same leadership potential as Karen Lewis --- interesting that both did not have extensive involvement in union politics until the ed deform crunch hit them and their kids head on. Both truly organically (Julie's favorite word) grown activists. I know Karen knows and admires Julie very much. As do teachers and parents and activists around the city and all over the nation who have worked with her and seen what she can do.

But Julie really does not want this election to be about her and she will probably be pissed at me for even writing this.

Anyway, I look forward to assisting with the installation of the nursery in the president's office at 52 Broadway.

Support the MORE slate in the 2013 UFT elections

Julie Cavanagh for President.

Julie is a UFT chapter leader who has been teaching in Red Hook, Brooklyn since 2001 and contributed extensively to the fight for public education. In 2009-2010 Julie, alongside a NYC parent and student, sued Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the right to protest school closings and charter schools, and later she joined with parents as the only teacher petitioner in a lawsuit to fight the appointment of then NYC Schools Chancellor Cathy Black. Since 2009 Julie has worked with various grassroots groups to organize protests and forums in an effort to educate and engage the public to challenge the corporate education reform movement and to promote real reform in our schools and communities. Much of this work can be seen in the film she co-narrated and co-produced, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. Her writings have been featured in the Huffington Post, Daily News, Labor Notes, and Public Sector Inc and she has appeared on MSNBC’s Up with Chris, Fox and Friends, and Inside City Hall.

Brian Jones for Secretary.

Brian has taught elementary school grades for nine years, and has organized teachers and parents to challenge budget cuts, charter co-locations and the high stakes standardized testing. Brian faced off against Michelle Rhee and Geoffrey Canada on national TV, and co-narrated the film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. Historian Diane Ravitch has called his writing about public schools "brilliant". Brian has contributed to several books on education, and to publications as diverse as SocialistWorker.org and the New York Times.

Camille Eterno for Treasurer. 
Camille has been an English teacher in New York since 1996. In her second year as a teacher, she was elected to be chapter leader at the Queens Gateway to Health Sciences. As chapter leader, Camille won grievances that even the UFT leadership said were not winnable. She helped organize her chapter into an activist force that was a major presence at many union rallies. As a leader in the Independent Community of Educators, she was instrumental in the nearly successful battle against the giveback laden 2005 contract. Camille developed a well deserved reputation throughout Queens High Schools as a chapter leader who was not afraid to stand up to management when they wrongfully abused UFT members. She is currently serving in her third term as a teacher delegate from Humanities and the Arts High School in Queens.

Marissa Torres for Assistant Treasurer




Marissa has been an elementary school teacher and a union activist since 2002. She taught ESL students in West Harlem where she served as Co-Chapter chair and organized teachers and parents to challenge budget cuts and co-locations. She now serves as a delegate for PS261 Brooklyn. She is committed to the fight for public education and is excited to be a part of a caucus that wants to build a broad social justice movement with parents, students, and teachers.

Portelos Strikes Again: The Three R's - Rubber Room is Retaliation

Walcott/Bloomberg aren't interested in quality and effective teachers. Is there any better proof than the Portelos case?

Good morning,

Please see this clip I put together during lunch at the Rubber Room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKxgS8_HwyU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This is just one of the issues I uncovered that lead me to the Rubber Room. Countless taxpayer funds. That's the story. I made these allegations to investigators on January 26, 2012. At that point I had no allegations against me and my record was stellar. Just 4 days later 18 allegations against me started. Coincidence. The fact that DOE officials took part in covering it up takes this untold story to new heights.

The three R's -
Rubber Room is Retaliation
-Francesco Portelos
mrportelos@gmail.com
protectportelos.org
Parent
Educator
UFT Chapter Leader
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

 ==============
The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Don't Cry for Me Portugal

Just because I returned Friday night from a 2 -week visit to Portugal, don't blame me for this NY Times story on Monday: Austerity Protests Are Rude Awakening in Portugal with reports of a possible general strike on November 14.

Portugal has long been regarded a role model in the grinding euro zone crisis. In return for an international bailout, its government cut services and raised taxes while its citizens patiently endured with little of the popular outcry seen elsewhere in southern Europe.

That is, until now. 

That is, until my wife and I spent the last two weeks visiting Porto, Portugal's 2nd largest city, cruising the Douro River valley, and finishing up with a few days in Lisbon, my new favorite European city. What did we do wrong? Or right? I did my best to leave the spirit of teacher union activism along the streets of Lisbon, like dropping bread crumbs, by wearing my red MORE tee-shirt. And Viola, it worked:

Suddenly, the Portuguese, too, have joined the swelling ranks of Europe’s discontented, following Greece and Spain, after the government tried to take another step up the austerity path last month. For many here, it was one step too far, driving tens of thousands into the streets in the largest protest of Portugal’s crisis. Taking a page from the playbook of their Spanish neighbors, Portuguese protesters are planning to encircle the Parliament building here in the capital for the budget announcement. For their part, Portugal’s powerful trade unions are preparing a general strike for Nov. 14. Arménio Carlos, the leader of the CGTP union, compared Mr. Passos Coelho to Pinocchio, accusing him of constantly changing his austerity message. 

Now, I did have some warning from tweets from Lisbon-based Paulo Maurício ‏@ActionAndWords who was kind enough to fill me in with some of the background as I traveled. I was interested in left politics in Portugal. Paulo sent me an email with some background when I asked him why protests seemed so different  than Greece and Spain. He responded Oct. 7:

In Portugal protest and struggles are much more organic: we have one great Union ( CGTP-IN) with strong roots in workers; a Communist Party (PCP) that have great influence in that Union and in society, and BE (left-Block) another party that result from a coalition of left organization some 12 yr ago and organize much of the left-wing people that do not what to commit either to PCP and to Socialist Party. The Socialist Party (PS) have been [around] for long years, with the party now in the coalition in government PSD and CDS (two right wing parties), responsible for right wing policies.

CGTP convened a General Strike for November 14. In October 13 the March Again't Unemployment that begun... October 3 will end with the encounter of the column that come from North and that one from South in Lisbon. Later this week the Government will present the Parliament the new budget. It is expected that its presentation leads to some new wave of what I could call 'inorganic' protests and reinforce the wave to the General Strike.

I contacted Paulo because I wanted to get a left view. Helena, our wonderful tour guide, not a leftist, had touched on these issues. She told us that the Trotsky parties had 12 seats but lost half of them in the last election. I was interested because of the connections I have here with people who are members of Trotsky parties.

Helena seemed to take the position that Portugal had overspent and had to take its punishment from the IMF. I argued for the Paul Krugman position (I'm reading his new book, "End this Depression Now,"that the austerity plans pushed down the throats of Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal would shrink the economies so much a depression would follow. The answer Krugman says is MORE government spending, not less. Strictly Keynesian and I am a fan.

Germany, which one Lisbon Apple store employee told me while I was charging my laptop (long story) was using slightly different tactics than Hitler used to gain the same dominance of Europe, lent the money in the first place and all the results of the austerity will go to the pockets of the banks. All Portugal and the other nations have to do is threaten to blow up the Euro (though I still have a 100 left over and better spend it fast) unless the interest rates are reduced.

One of the scary ideas Helena, who is not only a tour guide but a teacher and a literary and historical scholar, presented was that she is hearing a growing number of Portuguese people saying, "Maybe democracy is not such a good idea," looking to a strongman or the military as a "solution." Exactly what they were saying in Germany c. 1932.

Helena, in one of her lectures on the history of Portugal, reminded us that the nation was the last in Western Europe to emerge from dictatorship as recently as 1975 when the 50-year Salazar regime came to an end in a military coup. One generation and hit by severe economic times, people are ready to head back to the 30's.

Helena, who while not identifying her politics seemed centrist-slightly right. She is a free-lancer with that mentality. But one interesting thing she said was that in Portugal (and probably most of Europe) there is absolutely no difference between left and right when it comes to a single-payer health care system, a major difference from here.

Let's not underestimate where we may be headed and Krugman makes it clear ---- we may still not have hit the big one that might even top the Great Depression. Imagine the European economy totally deteriorating, Mitt Romney and the tea party in control of all branches of the government squeezing the economy into oblivion which will accelerate a worldwide crash that will bring an end to even the tiny vestiges of democracy that exist.

Some on the left see a Romney win as a long-term good thing in that there will rise a counter movement with a much expanded Occupy movement, an idea I have toyed with -- like at least we might get a Roosevelt following on a Herbert Hoover scenario. I no longer think so. Look how easily the Occupy encampments were destroyed. Mitt or Obama will bring the troops home to suppress the revolts that might take place here and we will drift even more to the right than the left.

You know how Nixon now looks more liberal than Obama? And Regan looks left compared to the gang running the Republican Party? Will we one day look at Romney the same way? Maybe not.

Romney Appeals to White Tribalism in Ohio

The Progressive, Monday, 15 October 2012

Here are some excerpts:

Author Thomas Frank calls this brand of politics "Pity
the Billionaire ... a revival crusade preaching the
old-time religion of the free market." Frank argues the
post-Obama resurgence of the right is not about racism
or culture wars, but a populist politics of resentment.
The right, he explains, has effectively defined the
economic crisis as "a conspiracy of the big guys
against the little," and their solution is "to work
even more energetically for the laissez-faire utopia."

It's not either-or as Frank contends, however. The
right is invoking "producerism," telling Americans
bruised by the downturn that your pain is due to social
factors, which are presented as coded racial
categories.

Political Research Associates, a group of scholars who
study right-wing movements, defines producerism as a
call to "rally the virtuous 'producing classes' against
evil 'parasites' at both the top and bottom of
society." The concept stretches back to the Andrew
Jackson era, and weaves "together intra-elite
factionalism and lower-class whites' double-edged
resentments." Today, the parasites at the top are
liberals, bureaucrats, bankers, and union "bosses"; the
ones below are "welfare queens," teachers, Muslims, and
"illegal aliens." They are all taking money from the
hard-working Americans in the middle.

By historical standards Romney should be a Walter
Mondale, a candidate who has lost even before the race
begins. But he is effectively utilizing the politics of
white resentment because of Obama's dismal economic
record. Tens of millions of low-wage workers feel their
world is coming apart and they don't know whom to
blame. To them, change may mean lower wages, fewer
hours, no health care, or a lost home. Romney plays on
fear by linking it to Obama. In Sidney he said, "The
president seems to be changing America in ways we don't
recognize," which elicited chants of "USA! USA! USA!"

It's not that the United States is inherently right
wing, as many commentators claim. In Ohio, autoworkers
say there is almost universal support among their
co-workers for Obama because the auto bailout saved
their jobs. But the bailout affected less than 1
percent of all U.S. jobs. In a recent poll the
president has the support of only 35 percent of white
working-class voters compared to Romney's 48 percent.

The Romney rally was stunningly white. Among the
estimated 9,000 people, it was hard to find more than a
handful who looked to be Black, Latino or Asian.
Attendees complained about welfare and high taxes
destroying the country. Romney fed the resentment by
claiming Obama was going to "raise the tax on savings,"
"put in place a more expensive death tax," and raise
taxes on "a million" small businesses.

Democrats dismiss Romney as a snake-oil salesman. Joe
Biden pointed out in the debate against Paul Ryan that
the GOP counts billion-dollar hedge funds as small
businesses. That's true, but it doesn't account for the
popularity of their ideas. You see, the Republicans
have turned small business into a catch-all group the
way "working class" once served that function for the
left.

....

The Democrats
mimic the right even when they control all of
Washington. Obama says he will make business more
competitive, cut taxes, sign trade deals, bomb the
world into democracy and drill, frack and mine for
energy. The Democrats' dilemma is they are in the
pocket of Wall Street, but need votes from groups that
want the economic pie to be sliced more evenly. The
result is liberals worship the same free-market god as
conservatives, but have no conviction about it.

Absent an alternative, many voters veer right because
they are reaching for the only lifeline they see.
"Energy independence" and "a military second to none"
are not just catch phrases. They provide millions of
decent-paying jobs for the white working class.

I have more to say about the really great trip with Road Scholar (formerly Elder Hostel). Their tours are not just touristy but educational. Helena gave us a number of lectures and we came home with a deeper knowledge of Portugal and a yearning to go back, especially to Lisbon. Here are a few pics. I have hundreds and am encouraging my wife to take on the job of filtering through them and creating a slide show. But first she has to get to the New Zealand pics from last year.

Helena tells us about the Alfama neighborhood in Lisbon

Oh, what views of Lisbon.

Cartoon: Meet Your Education Policy Makers At The Federal And State Level

Cartoon by Robert Rendo.

Robert Rendo gives free and permanent license to anyone who wishes to use this image in their literature, tweets, websites, blogs, etc. to fight the corporate education reform agenda and to restore public education to educators and cognitive scientists who are maintaining the same fight. While Robert Rendo retains copyright, he encourages everyone to use the free permanent license to utilize the image as advocacy. The sole condition for usage is that the name "Robert Rendo" is credited for the illustration. This notice of free licensure can be used as well and is equally encouraged. If image obtainment is a problem for the reader, please e-mail Robert Rendo at artwork88@aol.com, and he will e-mail the image in any file format the user requests.

Would you hand your child's private information over to Murdoch Owned and Klein Run Wireless Generation?

Jack Cavanagh's first press conference

Julie Cavanagh, a special education teacher in Brooklyn, explained: “As a public school teacher I am concerned not only for the privacy of my students, and the way this data will be provided to for-profit enterprises, but I am also worried that this national database may be used to blacklist members of the teaching profession.

Several high-ranking former executives and employees of the News Corporation in the UK were being investigated for violations of privacy and bribing public officials.  As the State Comptroller wrote, "in light of the significant ongoing investigations and continuing revelations with respect to News Corporation, we are returning the contract with Wireless Generation unapproved."  Since then, the scandal has continued to grow, with the number of indicted News Corporation officials expanding in number.

Yet four months later, in December, the NY Board of Regents approved NYSED’s plan to provide this confidential student and teacher data to a limited corporation, called the Shared Learning Collaborative LLC (SLC). The Gates Foundation awarded $76.5 million to form this LLC, with $44 million going to Wireless Generation, to design and operate the system. --- excerpt from letter sent to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the New York State Board of Regents

How nice to have Julie Cavanagh representing the interests of teachers here.

And Leonie and other parents. Plus Nancy from Change the Stakes.
Leonie sent this good news along:

We had a press conference at noon at Norman Siegel’s law offices today; lots of TV cameras were there and WNYC radio so watch/listen for the story tonight and tomorrow.

The letter Norman sent Friday to the AG and the Regents is posted here:   http://bit.ly/W6H2qV

Though the press release below is pretty self-explanatory, more background information is available here: 

http://bit.ly/SXiQk2 

This is an issue that every public school parent should be extremely concerned about.

More soon, Leonie

Posted at: http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/

For Immediate Release:  October 14, 2012

For more information contact:

Norman Siegel: (347) 907-0867; NSiegel@stellp.com

Leonie Haimson: (917) 435-9329; leonie@classsizematters.org

Attorney and Parents Send Letter to NYS Attorney General & Education Officials Questioning Legality of Providing Confidential Student Data to Limited Corporation and Demanding Parental Right to Consent

On Sunday, October 14, at a press conference held at the midtown law offices of Siegel Teitelbaum & Evans LLP, attorney Norman Siegel and New York parents released a letter sent Friday to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the New York State Board of Regents, demanding that the agreement between the NY State Education Department and the “Shared Learning Collaborative” be released, setting out the conditions and restrictions on the use of confidential student and teacher data to be provided to this limited corporation.  The letter asked that parents be informed exactly what information concerning their children will be shared with this corporation, why the transfer of this data does not violate federal privacy protections, and demanding that the parents have the right to withhold their children’s information from being shared.   The letter is posted at http://bit.ly/W6H2qV

Background: In Aug. 25, 2011, NY State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli informed the NY State Education Department that he was rejecting its proposed no-bid contract with Wireless Generation to build a state data system, composed of confidential student and teacher information because of privacy concerns. Wireless Generation is a subsidiary of News Corporation.  Several high-ranking former executives and employees of the News Corporation in the UK were being investigated for violations of privacy and bribing public officials.  As the State Comptroller wrote, "in light of the significant ongoing investigations and continuing revelations with respect to News Corporation, we are returning the contract with Wireless Generation unapproved."  Since then, the scandal has continued to grow, with the number of indicted News Corporation officials expanding in number.

Yet four months later, in December, the NY Board of Regents approved NYSED’s plan to provide this confidential student and teacher data to a limited corporation, called the Shared Learning Collaborative LLC (SLC). The Gates Foundation awarded $76.5 million to form this LLC, with $44 million going to Wireless Generation, to design and operate the system.  According to the SLC’s website, New York is one of five states – along with Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, and North Carolina – participating in Phase I of this project, starting in late 2012. The pilot districts are Jefferson County School District (CO); Unit 5 (Normal, IL); District 87 (Bloomington, IL); Everett (MA);  Guilford County Schools (NC), and NYC. Four more states – Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana – have committed to join Phase II in 2013.  Though New York City is one of the pilot districts, the city’s parents have been told nothing about this project, and the state has not shared its agreement with the SLC about the use and protection of this data, despite several requests to do so.

Apart from the lack of parental disclosure and privacy concerns, the SLC website makes it clear that this student data will be used to help companies develop and market educational products.  However FERPA, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, appears not to allow the sharing of confidential student information for commercial purposes.

Leonie Haimson, the Executive Director of Class Size Matters, said: “Just this week in Washington the Federal Trade Commission announced sweeping new protections for children’s privacy data. The reason is simple: abuses are rampant, and once a child’s identity is in the marketplace it cannot be called back or protected. We stand with the FTC, every major privacy advocacy group, and all concerned parents in opposing any action to relax child privacy protections, including this plan by the NY State Education Department and the NYC Department of Education, to share confidential information about our public school students without their parents’ knowledge or consent.”

Janice Bloom, a member of ParentVoicesNY and a parent of a kindergarten student and a 3^rd grader in a Brooklyn public school, said, “I am outraged that the state and the city would have agreed to share our children’s confidential data with a private corporation, without telling us anything about it. I am even more upset that this data is apparently being made available to companies for the purpose of marketing commercial products to the public school system. Parents need to be fully informed of the purpose and ramifications of this project, and provided with the right to opt out.  I do not believe that public schools should be in the business of exploiting children for profit.”

Karen Sprowal, the mother of a 4^th grader, added: “As a parent of a special needs child, I need to be especially vigilant as to where my child’s information ends up, who gains access to it and for what reason.  I think that the State and the City owe a detailed explanation to me and other NYC parents what the purpose of this project is, as well as an apology for having decided to go forward without telling us a word about it in advance.” 

As Nancy Cauthen, a member of the organization Change the Stakes and the mother of a 6th and a 10^th grader in NYC public schools said: “The erosion of privacy that this project represents is part and parcel of the pillaging of public education for private gain.  The fact that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is involved makes me even more fearful that my child’s privacy will be violated and abused.”

Julie Cavanagh, a special education teacher in Brooklyn, explained: “As a public school teacher I am concerned not only for the privacy of my students, and the way this data will be provided to for-profit enterprises, but I am also worried that this national database may be used to blacklist members of the teaching profession.  Though the National Academy of Sciences and other expert groups have concluded that teacher evaluation systems based on student test scores are not to be trusted, the Gates Foundation seems intent on foisting these systems on the nation.  When the DOE’s unreliable teacher data reports were released, Murdoch’s NY Post not only published them in the paper, but tracked down and harassed teachers who had received low ratings. ”

Tracy Pyper, the Advocacy Chair of the Westchester/East Putnam Region PTA, said:   "I was extremely troubled to learn that NY State has decided to hand over student personal information to Rupert Murdoch's Wireless Generation, without asking or even telling their parents about this.  And while I realize that at this point, only NYC data is being provided, it is just a matter of time before all of our children in NY State may have their confidential information shared.  Once parents are made aware of how the state is making critical decisions about our children’s private information, without parental consent, they will be very concerned.  I strongly urge the State Education Department to halt all further action until they can explain exactly what personal information will be provided to Wireless Generation, what safeguards they are taking to protect the information, and most importantly, give parents the right to opt out.”

Norman Siegel, attorney, concluded:  “The risks are real and immediate. The State Education Department has a fundamental responsibility to protect the privacy rights of public school children and their families. Before a single child's information is turned over to the Shared Learning Collaborative (a joint venture of the Gates Foundation and Wireless Generation LLC), our education officials must guarantee that no harm will come to New York school children by meeting the following requirements:

 

·         Publish the agreement with SLC in printed and electronic form, include a thorough  explanation of its purpose and provisions, and make it available to parents and local school authorities statewide;

·         Hold hearings throughout the state to explain the agreement, answer questions from the public, obtain informed comment, and gauge public reaction;

·         Notify all parents of the impending disclosure, and provide them with a right to consent;

·         Define what rights families or individuals will have to obtain relief if harmed by improper use or release of their private information, including how claims can be made;

·         Agree to allow no disclosure of public school records until the State Education Department and the NYC Department of Education meets all of its ethical, security, and statutory obligations to the parents and public school children of the city and state;

·         Ensure that the privacy interest of public school children and their families are put above the interests of the Shared Learning Collaborative, News Corporation and its agents and subsidiaries.”

###

Attorney Norman Siegel & parent groups announce potential breach of student privacy and violation of parental rights

Media Advisory:

Norman Siegel and NYS parent groups will release letter to state officials, protesting potential serious breach of student privacy and violation of parental rights.

Where: The Law Offices of Siegel Teitelbaum & Evans, LLP, 260 Madison Ave, 22 floor. (Btw. 38 and 39 st.)

When: Sunday, October 14 at 12 noon.

For more information, please contact Norman Siegel at NSiegel@stellp.com ; (347) 907-0867

Leonie Haimson at leonie@att.net ; (917) 435: 9329