In the DOE black lives clearly don't matter. I have 5 hours of video to process and will be putting up the wonderful comments of parents, teachers and students, so keep an eye out. For now put up with me for 2 minutes. Jeez, am I really that bald?
https://vimeo.com/250887940
Written and edited by Norm Scott: EDUCATE! ORGANIZE!! MOBILIZE!!! Three pillars of The Resistance – providing information on current ed issues, organizing activities around fighting for public education in NYC and beyond and exposing the motives behind the education deformers. We link up with bands of resisters. Nothing will change unless WE ALL GET INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE!
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Real School Reform From Deb Meier and Emily Gasoi - The Answer Sheet
Far from being “defenders of the status quo,” as DeVos calls people who don’t agree with her school choice vision, Meier and Gasoi write about what real reform would and should look like and how the current system could be transformed into one that serves all children. They argue all public schools should have the kind of authority charter schools — which are publicly funded but privately operated — have in many states today.... Valerie StraussDeb Meier one of my heroes since I first heard of her in the 70s. WAPO ed columnist Valerie Strauss has been on the side of real reform for a long time.
Here’s a model for major school reform that looks vastly different from Betsy DeVos’s vision
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Memo From the RTC: Cry Me a River - Once Upon This Island, Lion King, Set Building, Acting Updates
Published in The WAVE - Jan. 12, 2018
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After the acting and set building classes, Rich Louis-Pierre runs his sound design class, which I am not taking this time. But it seems to be going very well.
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Memo From the RTC: Cry Me a River - Once Upon This Island, Lion
King, Set Building, Acting Updates
By Norm Scott
Have you ever wondered how stage actors can cry or express
other emotions so convincingly, on cue, at every performance? At last Sunday’s
RTC acting class teacher Frank Caiati explored the techniques and before long
there was a whole lot of tearing up and outright crying as Frank took us
through an extended process of using an emotional incident in our lives to
trigger the reaction when students read various pieces written by others in the
class. In one of Frank’s other classes I did a scene where I played the Henry
Fonda role from On Golden Pond with a young lady who took the part of the
daughter, played by Jane Fonda. In every rehearsal when we came to a line where
I hurt her, she broke into tears – I mean really started to cry, making me feel
like crap. “How did you do that so easily,” I asked her? “I had a real issue
with my dad and just recall that and tap into it.” That is acting.
Since I’m not a real actor, I didn’t want the stress of
getting too emotional on a Sunday morning before I had a bagel so I tamped down
my emotions and just focused on being hungry. (Is that an emotion?) I asked
Frank why an actor can’t just prick his finger with a pin and draw some blood
whenever he wanted to cry? I guess I was missing the point of the exercise,
though I did tell him that if he wanted me to play someone getting constantly
pissed off I was his man since there would be no acting involved. People seem
to be really enjoying the class and rising to the occasion, leading me to think
that with a great director like Frank, anyone can act. Frank by the way will be
directing View From the Bridge at the RTC next September, when we can finally
expect it to get warm.
Once Upon This Island,
a production by the Young People’s Workshop with the pre-teens at the Rockaway
Theatre Company is perking along. February 2,3,9, 10 at 7PM. Matinees February
4,10,11 at 2PM. Ticket Prices: $10.00. For Reservations: Call RTC Hotline @
718-374-6400. Or email rtcworkshops@gmail.com. The Lion King, with the teens is
set for these dates: March 1,2,3,8,9,18 at 7PM. Matinees March 3,4,10,11 at 2PM
In the meantime, Tony Homsey’s Sunday theater set building class has been
building the sets for both shows. A large 12 foot wide staircase is up, 8 foot
gates have been built, and a large sun and some clouds have been cut out with a
jigsaw, with a lot more to come over the next few weeks. This is turning out to
be a great idea as the usual crew hasn’t had to work at all during the week.
Some of the students may end up joining the regulars and we may start doing
Sunday morning building sessions for upcoming adult shows so the students get
to practice their skills. Building sets is not like working on your house, though
the skills are applicable. Like Tony says, “if they can’t see it from the Belt
Parkway, don’t worry about it.” Almost all sets are built to last a few weeks
before coming down. So we have to build them with the thought that is must also
be fairly easy to take apart, though safety is primary, especially since there
are so many young kids involved. But then again kids are smaller and lighter
than adults.
After the acting and set building classes, Rich Louis-Pierre runs his sound design class, which I am not taking this time. But it seems to be going very well.
Sundays are not a day of rest at the RTC.
Friday, January 12, 2018
School Scope: Charter School Follies, Closing Schools, Mayoral Control Shams
Jan. 12, 2018 edition of The WAVE, www.rockawave.com
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School Scope: Charter School Follies, Closing Schools,
Mayoral Control Shams
By Norm Scott
I’m running past deadline not because I can’t think of
anything to write but because I have so many options as education related
stories keep breaking. So let me point readers (all three of you) in some
interesting directions.
I am tracking the upcoming saga of the two schools being
closed in Rockaway. I hope you noticed the horror stories on MS 80 in the
Bronx, which is being kept open with an infusion of more money as reported on
WCBS and in the NY Post: ‘Struggling’
Bronx school is a hellhole, teachers say (https://nypost.com/2018/01/06/struggling-bronx-school-is-a-hellhole-teachers-say/)
--- Imagine Farina and De Blasio are keeping this place open – hey, there is an
abusive principal there so why not – while closing other schools. Tell me
politics is not involved.
As you may have realized, I often focus on the excesses of
charters, especially Eva Moskowitz’ Success Academy chain of 46 schools (and
growing). Since there is a school in Rockaway it is worth keeping people
updated on the chain. We have pointed out the enormous attrition rates of
students (and teachers) as Success schools. Blogger, Stuyvesant high school
math teacher Gary Rubinstein, did an interesting piece, The Hidden Attrition Of Success Academy - https://tinyurl.com/yaj2z9mn - While Success claims a 10% attrition rate a
year, Gary, using data from the DOE, found it to be 17%. And since Success
doesn’t backfill by adding students, kids from the initial cohort keep
disappearing and by the time they graduate, there are not all that many left. We’ve
reported here that there were only 17 students left to graduate high school out
of an initial cohort of 73 kindergarten students. Where did the 56 disappeared
end up? Probably many in public schools.
Another respected teacher blogger, Mark Weber, a music
teacher in New Jersey, blogged about the misleading graduation rates at
Democracy Prep charter, which has four schools in NYC, on his Jersey Jazzman
blog. A misleading Daily News op ed bought the misleading data which claimed
“No charter network has demonstrated more success getting its students into and
through college…. last year 189 of the 195 seniors in its three high schools
that had graduating classes went on to college.” Remarkable, isn’t it. A
miracle you might say. But there are no miracles. Mark looked at the attrition
rates for kids from their freshman to their senior years and found that
Democracy Prep had shed enough students to bring their numbers in line or below
many public schools. Mark also castigates main stream journalists for ignoring
the attrition issue. Read him in full at http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2018/01/miracle-school-journalism-and-gorilla.html.
Must Listen for Every Inner City Teacher: The Burdens Affecting Even Our Brightest Students - This American Life
Every teacher in inner city schools has had some kids over
the years who seemed very special -- super smart with enormous potential. Find
out what happens to three of these students. It is like a rocket trying to
escape the earth but getting pulled back by the gravity of poverty and low self-esteem.
Even when they beat the odds and make it to college, their battles often just
begin. I had some like this and I was in touch for a number of years, even
attending some of their weddings.
This American Life on NPR had a must listen to program for
not only every teacher but for everyone. The gist was that students from a poor
Bronx public school, all kids of color, were paired with Fieldston, an elite
private school in the Bronx. The program focuses on some of the culture shock
for the poor students based on the conditions they saw in their school and what
they saw at Fieldston, just 3 miles away. The reporter, Chana Joffe-Walt, did
an amazing job, interviewing teachers from both schools and trying to track one
of the students 10 years after they left school.
See what the impact of poverty and low self-esteem have on
even the sharpest kids --- but beyond that, this production, as so many of TAL
programs are -- is presented like a mystery and will have you handing on the
edge of your seat. [Note- one of the principals in the program has set up a
college go-fund-me campaign as per this note from the show's producers
Well, I’m out of space but here is some homework for you.
How Bill de Blasio
Can Redeem His Education Record by Leonie Haimson and Shino Tanikawa - http://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/7404-how-bill-de-blasio-can-redeem-his-education-record
Here’s a model for
major school reform that looks vastly different from Betsy DeVos’s vision.
Valerie Strauss in WAPO reports on the work of reform educators Deborah Meier
and Emily Gasoi. https://tinyurl.com/y9u6b6gp
We have opposed mayoral control of the schools since
Bloomberg took over in 2002. We feel no better about de Blasio. The elected
parent council in District 3 (upper west side) wrote an op ed in the Gotham
Gazette, Our School Governance Isn’t
Working, and It’s the Perfect Time for Change,
http://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/7409-our-school-governance-isn-t-working-and-it-s-the-perfect-time-for-change.
What is working is that Norm keeps slogging and blogging away
at ednotesonline.com.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Our School Governance Isn’t Working, and It’s the Perfect Time for Change
The parents in District 3 are tired of this situation. If the mayor is going to have control of our schools, then his office needs to engage in a serious, respectful, and sustained conversation with our community about what we truly need so that all our district schools are places where all children thrive. Moreover, he needs to take responsibility for helping them compete in the slick, professional marketing environment in which they exist. This cannot wait for another two years when Albany will go through yet another staged drama at our children’s expense, considering the new terms of extending mayoral control.... CEC3It's time to end mayoral control. Too bad the UFT leadership doesn't agree.
Our School Governance Isn’t Working, and It’s the Perfect Time for Change
by members of the District 3 Community Education Council
Kristen Berger; Manuel Casanova; Inyanga Collins; Daniel Katz; Lucas Liu; Michael McCarthy; Genisha Metcalf; Jean Moreland; Dennis Morgan; Yan Sun; and Kimberly Watkins (President).
http://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/7409-our-school-governance-isn-t-working-and-it-s-the-perfect-time-for-change
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
How Bill de Blasio Can Redeem His Education Record- Leonie Haimson, Shino Tanikawa
Forty million dollars per year has been spent on consultants and bureaucrats to oversee the struggling schools in the Renewal program, many with records marked by scandal or found to be incompetent in previous positions. Though the DOE made special promises to the state to reduce class size in these schools, nearly three-quarters continue to have maximum class sizes of 30 or more; .....Leonie and ShinoLeonie and Shino nail de Blasio on a number of issues.
http://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/7404-how-bill-de-blasio-can-redeem-his-education-record
How Bill de Blasio Can Redeem His Education Record
MORE/New Action High School Reps Send Letter to Chapter Leaders
The following letter was sent to all high school chapter leaders by the MORE/NA high school elected reps. If you are in a high school - or any school, print out a copy and share with your chapter leader. Last night, Kate Martin Bridge joined the Ex Bd as the 7th opposition rep but this was done before she was added. Read Arthur's minutes from last night's meeting here and look for his commentary coming very soon.
December 2017,
Chapter Leader,
As the elected UFT High School representatives on the UFT Executive Board, we would like to tell you a little about what we did last year, and talk with you about priorities for the current school year.
We belong to the New Action and MORE Caucuses. Together we successfully raised several critical issues on behalf of the UFT membership last year. In some cases our efforts led to significant victories; in others we forced the UFT’s Unity leadership to act on issues in front of us.
Abusive Administrators:
We pushed the union to take a stand against abusive administrators. At Central Park East 1 the UFT Chapter Leader and Delegate were returned to the school and the abusive principal was removed. That victory took months of work and coordination with parents and members. We called for assistance to Townsend Harris, where an abusive principal was removed, and we pushed for consequences for the superintendent and deputy superintendent who created and exacerbated that mess; supported the Chapter Leader of Art and Design HS from an abusive administrator; supported Adult Education teachers who spoke at OACE hearings against their abusive administrator.
We called for the removal of abusive administrators with 2 unfavorable ratings.
We spoke on behalf of veteran teachers rated ineffective for speaking against curriculum writing, bulletin boards, and massive e-mails. We questioned why schools with abusive administrators were allowed to remain in PROSE. We called for investigations of superintendents who side with abusive principals; and we called for the UFT to publicize the names of schools with high teacher turnover rates.
ATRs
Our elected high school reps raised the issue of ATRs at every UFT Executive Board meeting. We criticized Mulgrew and Unity Caucus for signing an ATR agreement without any discussion at the Executive Board, DA, or with ATRs.
Support for immigrant students
We repeatedly called for an immigration liaison at every school; we called for a citywide day of action in support of immigrant students and called for intake screenings for immigrant families in every borough.
This was last year. Some of these must remain part of our focus for this school year.
Where should we focus this year? What are the issues that matter most to you as chapter leader, and to your members? What issues are not being addressed? Contact us – let us know.
Help us set the agenda to move our high schools in the right direction.
KJ Ahluwalia
Arthur Goldstein
Ashraya Gupta
Marcus MacArthur
Jonathan Halabi
Michael Schirtzer
Contact
Jonathan (New Action) jd2718@gmail.com
or Mike (MORE) mschir@gmail.com
December 2017,
Chapter Leader,
As the elected UFT High School representatives on the UFT Executive Board, we would like to tell you a little about what we did last year, and talk with you about priorities for the current school year.
We belong to the New Action and MORE Caucuses. Together we successfully raised several critical issues on behalf of the UFT membership last year. In some cases our efforts led to significant victories; in others we forced the UFT’s Unity leadership to act on issues in front of us.
Abusive Administrators:
We pushed the union to take a stand against abusive administrators. At Central Park East 1 the UFT Chapter Leader and Delegate were returned to the school and the abusive principal was removed. That victory took months of work and coordination with parents and members. We called for assistance to Townsend Harris, where an abusive principal was removed, and we pushed for consequences for the superintendent and deputy superintendent who created and exacerbated that mess; supported the Chapter Leader of Art and Design HS from an abusive administrator; supported Adult Education teachers who spoke at OACE hearings against their abusive administrator.
We called for the removal of abusive administrators with 2 unfavorable ratings.
We spoke on behalf of veteran teachers rated ineffective for speaking against curriculum writing, bulletin boards, and massive e-mails. We questioned why schools with abusive administrators were allowed to remain in PROSE. We called for investigations of superintendents who side with abusive principals; and we called for the UFT to publicize the names of schools with high teacher turnover rates.
ATRs
Our elected high school reps raised the issue of ATRs at every UFT Executive Board meeting. We criticized Mulgrew and Unity Caucus for signing an ATR agreement without any discussion at the Executive Board, DA, or with ATRs.
Support for immigrant students
We repeatedly called for an immigration liaison at every school; we called for a citywide day of action in support of immigrant students and called for intake screenings for immigrant families in every borough.
This was last year. Some of these must remain part of our focus for this school year.
Where should we focus this year? What are the issues that matter most to you as chapter leader, and to your members? What issues are not being addressed? Contact us – let us know.
Help us set the agenda to move our high schools in the right direction.
KJ Ahluwalia
Arthur Goldstein
Ashraya Gupta
Marcus MacArthur
Jonathan Halabi
Michael Schirtzer
Contact
Jonathan (New Action) jd2718@gmail.com
or Mike (MORE) mschir@gmail.com
Monday, January 8, 2018
Must Listen for Every Inner City Teacher: The Burdens Affecting Even Our Brightest Students - This American Life
550: Three Miles - This American Life, NPRListen to it at: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/550/three-miles#play
JAN 5, 2018There’s a program that brings together kids from two schools. One school is public and in the country’s poorest congressional district. The other is private and costs $43,000/year. They are three miles apart. The hope is that kids connect, but some of the public school kids just can’t get over the divide. We hear what happens when you get to see the other side and it looks a lot better.
Norm's Commentary:
Every teacher in inner city schools has had some kids over the years who seemed very special -- super smart with enormous potential. Find out what happens to three of these students. It is like a rocket trying to escape the earth but getting pulled back by the gravity of poverty and low self-esteem. Even when they beat the odds and make it to college, their battles often just begin. I had some like this and I was in touch for a number of years, even attending some of their weddings.
This American Life on NPR had a must listen to program for not only every teacher but for everyone. The gist was that students from a poor Bronx public school, all kids of color, were paired with Fieldston, an elite private school in the Bronx. The program focuses on some of the culture shock for the poor students based on the conditions they saw in their school and what they saw at Fieldston, just 3 miles away. The reporter, Chana Joffe-Walt, did an amazing job, interviewing teachers from both schools and trying to track one of the students 10 years after they left school.
See what the impact of poverty and low self-esteem have on even the sharpest kids --- but beyond that, this production, as so many of TAL programs are -- is presented like a mystery and will have you handing on the edge of your seat. [Note- one of the principals in the program has set up a college go-fund-me campaign as per this note from the show's producers
Here are program notes from the website:
- Ira Glass introduces producer Chana Joffe-Walt, who reports this week's story. (1 minute)
- Chana Joffe-Walt tells what happened when of a group of public school students in the Bronx went to visit an elite private school three miles away. (24 minutes)education • neighbors/neighborhoods
- The kids who traveled three miles up the road are in their mid-20s now. We hear how what they saw affected them for years, including at college. Chana reports. (21 minutes)college • education
SONG:
Many listeners have asked how to donate to Melanie from Act One, to support her taking college courses. She's set up a PayPal account here. Note: This American Life is not managing this account or monitoring her spending. It goes directly to her. You're giving it as a gift.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Video: Where We Speak at the December PEP - and Farina Responds
You might classify this as an example of "if a tree fell in the forest and no one was there." But the 13 members of the PEP, Farina and her hangers on at the DOE were there so let them hear a dose of reality every once in a while.
A bunch of MOREs and friends spoke to the Dec. 20 Panel for Educational Policy --Here they are in order: Aixa, Lisa, Norm,
Gloria, Jane. Others from MORE were there too but didn't speak.
Other than some parents from the Harbor school at Governor's Island who have been fighting for space promised to them when the school moved there years ago, we were pretty much the only ones there.
We met as a committee of MORE that is addressing the closing of schools issue at Panera before the meeting --- we feel at least try to raise certain issues even if the effort proves fruitless. We also think the PEP is a good space to get in some public speaking practice -- learn to try to say something cogent in a 2 minute slot. It also allows you to test out a way to present your ideas. It is a leaning experience.
I went over my time - I had so much to say and boiling it all down can be tough. I dealt with the ways principals and teachers at closing schools are dealt with - I bet they are given jobs while ATRs are tossed into the pool. Aixa put the ATR issue on the table in her own unique manner -- that Farina responded means she hit a chord. Note who relaxed Aixa is - how she doesn't make a speech but just sort of chats. Very effective even to an empty auditorium.
https://vimeo.com/249951542
A bunch of MOREs and friends spoke to the Dec. 20 Panel for Educational Policy --Here they are in order: Aixa, Lisa, Norm,
Gloria, Jane. Others from MORE were there too but didn't speak.
Other than some parents from the Harbor school at Governor's Island who have been fighting for space promised to them when the school moved there years ago, we were pretty much the only ones there.
We met as a committee of MORE that is addressing the closing of schools issue at Panera before the meeting --- we feel at least try to raise certain issues even if the effort proves fruitless. We also think the PEP is a good space to get in some public speaking practice -- learn to try to say something cogent in a 2 minute slot. It also allows you to test out a way to present your ideas. It is a leaning experience.
I went over my time - I had so much to say and boiling it all down can be tough. I dealt with the ways principals and teachers at closing schools are dealt with - I bet they are given jobs while ATRs are tossed into the pool. Aixa put the ATR issue on the table in her own unique manner -- that Farina responded means she hit a chord. Note who relaxed Aixa is - how she doesn't make a speech but just sort of chats. Very effective even to an empty auditorium.
https://vimeo.com/249951542
Friday, January 5, 2018
School Scope, The Wave: The Bitter Taste of Success - Rockaway Schools Being Shut Down, Success Charter to Benefit
My column in the Friday Jan. 5 edition of the Rockaway Weekly, The WAVE.
Gary Rubinstein has just posted this piece The Hidden Attrition Of Success Academy. I will use some of his material in next week's column as I continue my series for Rockaway readers.
Avaricious Eva is asking to expand in the old Sarah Hale HS in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn and there has been community resistance. Leonie Haimson reports that “The average utilization of District 15 schools, according to the 2015-2016 DOE Utilization report, was at 105%, and 61% of K-8 schools in the district overcrowded (at or above 100% target utilization). About 74% or nearly 20,000 K-8 students were in overcrowded schools, and 94 cluster rooms were missing from these schools. according to DOE’s utilization formula ….. as cited in the letter from the Community Education Council in District 15, many of the students at the Success Academy Cobble Hill do not reside in the district…. any expansion of this school would increasingly crowd out districts students in the future, and thus should not be allowed. We also oppose allowing the expansion of any Success Academy charter school, given the huge number of civil rights violations and abuses that children enrolled in these schools and their families are subjected to, as well as repeated violations of student privacy rights. We have real doubts as to the legality of the request to authorize any change in a charter school’s enrollment in the middle of the current school year, as Success Academy – Cobble Hill is proposing, from 558 students in grades K-6, to 686 students in in 2017-2018.
Gary Rubinstein has just posted this piece The Hidden Attrition Of Success Academy. I will use some of his material in next week's column as I continue my series for Rockaway readers.
School Scope: The Bitter Taste of Success - Rockaway Schools
Being Shut Down, Success Charter to Benefit
By Norm Scott
Jan. 2, 2018
Rockaway Parent Mariya Ultsh said she believes that DOE plays politics when it comes to school closures. "My money is that charter schools will sweep in and once again [special] interest groups will get a payday at the expense of our children... The WAVE, Dec. 22, 20017.
When I hear that the DOE is closing down schools I always
check to see how those closing will benefit charter schools that covet their
real estate, especially when the voracious Eva Moskowitz Success Academy
charters are involved. So when I saw on the list along with PS/IS 42,
Rockaway’s MS 53, where Eva occupies space already, I did my imitation of Claude
Reins (Inspector Renault of Casablanca fame) and declared “I was shocked, just
shocked, to find out gambling was going on. Now where are my winnings?” Eva is
getting her winnings as she will ultimately manage to push out the other
schools in the building even if she and her billionaire supporters have to run
million dollar ads crying about how the big bad de Blasio is denying them space
while he in effect hands them space under the table by closing some superb real
estate. I agree with Mariya Ultsh that the PS 42 closing will ultimately
benefit some charter chain. The late and lamented DNAInfo (shut down by its
owner when the reporters voted to unionize) had a great piece by Katie Honan
back in 2015 addressing the original invasion of IS 53: https://tinyurl.com/ydde4ad4.
Last year the targeted school favoring Eva was JHS 145 in
the Bronx which was closed a year earlier than promised under bogus reasoning
as Success was growling for more space in the building. When I went to the
closing hearing and saw the magnificent building and the attached park I had to
laugh. JHS 145 teacher Jim Donohue who helped lead the unsuccessful battle to
try to save the school said:
“A full 3 weeks before the DOE’s closure proposal even
becomes official, and 2 months before the PEP vote takes place, and despite the
DOE’s claim that the closing has NOTHING to do with the charter school, Success
Academy’s website has begun advertising for applicants to its new middle
school, opening in 2017, at JHS 145. In recent weeks, Success Academy staff
members have been measuring our classrooms, apparently 100% confident that the
PEP will rubber stamp our demise in March. (See videos I made of the pleas from teachers, parents
and students to keep the school open on my blog: https://tinyurl.com/y8by5mea. So we
were not surprised to see yet another school occupied by Success end up on the
closing list.
Avaricious Eva is asking to expand in the old Sarah Hale HS in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn and there has been community resistance. Leonie Haimson reports that “The average utilization of District 15 schools, according to the 2015-2016 DOE Utilization report, was at 105%, and 61% of K-8 schools in the district overcrowded (at or above 100% target utilization). About 74% or nearly 20,000 K-8 students were in overcrowded schools, and 94 cluster rooms were missing from these schools. according to DOE’s utilization formula ….. as cited in the letter from the Community Education Council in District 15, many of the students at the Success Academy Cobble Hill do not reside in the district…. any expansion of this school would increasingly crowd out districts students in the future, and thus should not be allowed. We also oppose allowing the expansion of any Success Academy charter school, given the huge number of civil rights violations and abuses that children enrolled in these schools and their families are subjected to, as well as repeated violations of student privacy rights. We have real doubts as to the legality of the request to authorize any change in a charter school’s enrollment in the middle of the current school year, as Success Academy – Cobble Hill is proposing, from 558 students in grades K-6, to 686 students in in 2017-2018.
As to PS 42, Councilman Donovan Richards, whose office donated
nearly a million dollars to the school, the benefits of which will one day accrue
to some charter chain, is also being closed. The Dec. 22 WAVE article noted
that Richards will be holding a rally on Jan. 10 before and maybe at the
closing hearing at PS 42 - at 6:30. The MS 53 hearing will be held Jan. 11 at
the school, also at 6:30. PS 42's PTA president, Kevin Morgan, is organizing a
bus trip to Albany on Jan. 9 -- call him for more info at 347-410-3061.
Renewal schools were
not supported despite claims
Leonie Haimson has written an excellent blog detailing the
failures of the de Blasio/Farina plan for the renewal schools.
Titled, DOE announces more Renewal school closings without
ever having giving them a real chance to succeed, Leonie points out: “Instead
of capping class sizes in these schools, the DOE spent about $40 million per
year on consultants and bureaucrats to oversee the Renewal program, many of
them with records marked by scandal and incompetence, as well as millions more
on wrap-around services to create "community schools." Though perhaps
of value in themselves, these services do little to improve students'
opportunity to learn or teachers ability to teach.” Read the entire piece at: https://tinyurl.com/y7slpyrq. Also see Alan
Singer on the failure of de Blasio/Farina renewal program, “Newly Reelected New
York City Mayor Decides His School Renewal Plan Failed But Still Claims Success”.
Have fun reading at: https://tinyurl.com/y79g42dk.
My previous articles on the Success charter monster are on
my blog at:
And a piece on how billionaire hedge fund Success Board
member Paul Tudor Jones consoled Harvey Weinstein: https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2017/12/eva-moskowitz-return-paul-tudor-money.html
In case you didn’t get the message, Norm blogs way too much
at ednotesonline.com.
NYC Parent Action Conference - Jan. 27, 2018
Posted by Leonie Haimson at NYC Parent Ed blog:
Please sign up for our Jan. 27 Parent Action Conference now!
Happy New Year and I have exciting news to report! Our annual Parent Action Conference (flyer here and below), co-sponsored by Class Size Matters, NYC Kids PAC and CEC2, will be held Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018 at the Peck Slip School in downtown Manhattan (Take the A,C, 2, 3, 4, 5, J, or Z trains to Fulton Street; map here.)
After a rousing call to action by Bronx principal Jamaal Bowman, morning workshops will address important topics including: Parent Organizing 101, Legal challenges to overcrowding and large classes, Advocating for your child with special needs, Opting out of testing, Integrating our schools, Preventing bullying, Fighting charter expansion, and Promoting Restorative Justice to end the School to Prison Pipeline.
In the afternoon, we will show the acclaimed documentary on school privatization, "Backpack Full of Cash" narrated by Matt Damon. After the film, we will hold a panel discussion with special guest NY Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa. At some point during the day, we also plan to solicit the views of those attending the conference about what sort of Chancellor they would like to see to replace retiring Carmen Farina.
Please sign up now at Eventbrite. We are asking for a donation of $10 to cover the cost of lunch and the film, but you can contribute any amount you like. If you need a scholarship to attend, just email us at info@classsizematters.org. Hope to see you there! Leonie
PS Check out this week's The Nation, in which the editors urge Mayor de Blasio to focus on integrating our public schools and reducing class size during his second term.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Splaining UFT Ex Bd Replacements - Why So Many and Why Didn't Unity Challenge the MORE/NA Replacement
MORE/New Action and Unity Caucus recently replaced some members of the executive board -- more had one replacement, Unity 3. Since Unity has the votes, if they had put up a candidate they could have easily stolen the seat from MORE. Yet they didn't. Why not? When it happened in the past -- like 15 or more years ago with New Action, Unity was much more fierce and took the seat away, calling forth a protest and walkout by New Action and some good publicity for them.
Here is my analysis of what is going on.
Since the current UFT Executive Board began its term in September, 2016, Unity has had to replace a few of its elected reps -- I've lost count but it could be around 10, which would be 10% of the entire board being replaced less than half way through its term of office. The only time MORE challenged one of the replacements seat was the first time they had to replace someone in the fall of 2016 -- Mike Schirtzer nominated me and I actually received 4 Unity votes --- Here is my post from Nov. 17 - some were more surprised at this than the Trump victory just a short time before.
So why have so many Unity people left the board?
Could it be the wonderful food?
[Arthur's comment on the food -- Meeting interrupted when Philly steak sandwich falls on floor with resounding crash, breaking member's foot. Ambulance is called, member is taken in ambulance.]
Why risk going to a meeting every other Monday evening when there is a chance of being injured by a sandwich falling on your foot and when you could be home watching cable news and the Trump follies? Why have to sit there and listen to MORE/New Action people asking questions and raising resolutions?
And attendance has been very bad -- lots of people not there. Some Unity people barely showed up last year and have left the board. One recent Unity replacement I spoke to didn't seem very pleased but had to do it even if very inconvenient.
So premise number 1 for why they didn't challenge for the MORE/NA seat -- Unity is not having an easy time filling EB seats with enthusiastic recruits. So why do they need to shanghai another one to challenge MORE/NA for yet another seat?
Premise number 2 --If they challenged for the MORE/NA seat, we would have had a great propaganda tool and also would have run against them for every replacement and Unity would have to have held elections every time.
I think this is self-explanatory. It made sense for Unity not to bother challenging.
Now let's address why MORE/NA was replacing someone.
In MORE's original agreement with NA, the 7 HS seats were split 4-3 with MORE getting the extra seat -- New Action proposed that since MORE had gotten more votes in the 2013 election. MORE chose its 4 people and also an alternate. Within a few days of starting the petition campaign, one of the NA people pulled out and we had to fill this position ASAP -- and we had a problem with our alternate who some of us believed was not going to stay in teaching -- and thus we would lose that seat if we won.
One day I will tell this story which included backstabbing and skulduggery that took place around this issue. But it worked out in that the always amazing Marcus MacArthur who jumped in to fill the slot, thus giving MORE 5 people and NA 2.
Now it turned out that one of the original 4 MORE people came to 2 or 3 Ex bd meetings and just stopped coming -- for reasons I won't go into now since I am only guessing. But one day I may share my suppositions. But it was embarrassing for MORE since everyone had agreed to serve for 3 years. But the 6 EB seats were enough and our people were very effective.
At any rate, here was an Ex Bd seat that in fact should have belonged to New Action and was unoccupied. New Action proposed a solution --- if the MORE person resigned, New Action had a veteran CL who would fill that seat -- but it depended on whether Unity would challenge that seat. We weren't going to hand over that seat to Unity and from our point of view if they did challenge the MORE person just would not resign the seat -- better empty than Unity. But it turned out Unity didn't want the potential hassle and bad publicity if they did challenge - what's the difference if MORE/NA has 6 or 7 to them? MORE/NA also did not waste time challenging for their 3 replacement seats.
So now there will be 7 active opposition EB members.
Here is my analysis of what is going on.
Since the current UFT Executive Board began its term in September, 2016, Unity has had to replace a few of its elected reps -- I've lost count but it could be around 10, which would be 10% of the entire board being replaced less than half way through its term of office. The only time MORE challenged one of the replacements seat was the first time they had to replace someone in the fall of 2016 -- Mike Schirtzer nominated me and I actually received 4 Unity votes --- Here is my post from Nov. 17 - some were more surprised at this than the Trump victory just a short time before.
Since then MORE/NA has not bothered to challenge, which Unity people seem thankful for because then they don't have to wait two weeks and hold an election. I have mixed feelings -- on the one hand it is a waste of time to challenge but on the other it does open an opportunity to put forth some serious people who if not for the way things ran in the UFT would be on the board.My Slogan "Make the UFT Great Again" Won Me 4 Unity Caucus Votes For UFT Exec Board
In a vote only a little less unlikely than the election of Donald Trump as US President, it was reported that four Unity Caucus members defied their caucus obligations to vote for Norm Scott for a seat on the UFT Executive Board. ... James Eterno, ICE blog, MULTIPLE UNITY CAUCUS MEMBERS VOTE FOR NORM SCOTT
So why have so many Unity people left the board?
Could it be the wonderful food?
[Arthur's comment on the food -- Meeting interrupted when Philly steak sandwich falls on floor with resounding crash, breaking member's foot. Ambulance is called, member is taken in ambulance.]
Why risk going to a meeting every other Monday evening when there is a chance of being injured by a sandwich falling on your foot and when you could be home watching cable news and the Trump follies? Why have to sit there and listen to MORE/New Action people asking questions and raising resolutions?
And attendance has been very bad -- lots of people not there. Some Unity people barely showed up last year and have left the board. One recent Unity replacement I spoke to didn't seem very pleased but had to do it even if very inconvenient.
So premise number 1 for why they didn't challenge for the MORE/NA seat -- Unity is not having an easy time filling EB seats with enthusiastic recruits. So why do they need to shanghai another one to challenge MORE/NA for yet another seat?
Premise number 2 --If they challenged for the MORE/NA seat, we would have had a great propaganda tool and also would have run against them for every replacement and Unity would have to have held elections every time.
I think this is self-explanatory. It made sense for Unity not to bother challenging.
Now let's address why MORE/NA was replacing someone.
In MORE's original agreement with NA, the 7 HS seats were split 4-3 with MORE getting the extra seat -- New Action proposed that since MORE had gotten more votes in the 2013 election. MORE chose its 4 people and also an alternate. Within a few days of starting the petition campaign, one of the NA people pulled out and we had to fill this position ASAP -- and we had a problem with our alternate who some of us believed was not going to stay in teaching -- and thus we would lose that seat if we won.
One day I will tell this story which included backstabbing and skulduggery that took place around this issue. But it worked out in that the always amazing Marcus MacArthur who jumped in to fill the slot, thus giving MORE 5 people and NA 2.
Now it turned out that one of the original 4 MORE people came to 2 or 3 Ex bd meetings and just stopped coming -- for reasons I won't go into now since I am only guessing. But one day I may share my suppositions. But it was embarrassing for MORE since everyone had agreed to serve for 3 years. But the 6 EB seats were enough and our people were very effective.
At any rate, here was an Ex Bd seat that in fact should have belonged to New Action and was unoccupied. New Action proposed a solution --- if the MORE person resigned, New Action had a veteran CL who would fill that seat -- but it depended on whether Unity would challenge that seat. We weren't going to hand over that seat to Unity and from our point of view if they did challenge the MORE person just would not resign the seat -- better empty than Unity. But it turned out Unity didn't want the potential hassle and bad publicity if they did challenge - what's the difference if MORE/NA has 6 or 7 to them? MORE/NA also did not waste time challenging for their 3 replacement seats.
So now there will be 7 active opposition EB members.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Union Dues No Longer Deductable - Ties to Janus Case
I hadn't heard much about this provision but when tied into Janus it is yet another dagger aimed at unions. Will not being able do deduct the $1400 a year for UFT dues, how many more will leave the union?
We talked about some of this yesterday when some MOREs and New Action people got together to stuff envelopes for something we are sending out. The feeling was that the UFT could address the dues structure - like going to a pro-rated system based on salary but probably won't because given the average salary, that would lower dues drastically. Good luck asking the newest and lowest paid members to opt in to paying such a big chunk of their salary.
Added: See Salon:
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/ 23/deducting-a-ceos-jet-but- not-a-cops-uniform_partner/
We talked about some of this yesterday when some MOREs and New Action people got together to stuff envelopes for something we are sending out. The feeling was that the UFT could address the dues structure - like going to a pro-rated system based on salary but probably won't because given the average salary, that would lower dues drastically. Good luck asking the newest and lowest paid members to opt in to paying such a big chunk of their salary.
Added: See Salon:
https://www.salon.com/2017/12/
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
School Scope: It’s a Wonderful Life – Until it Isn’t: Is Pottersville Trumpville?
I submitted this for this week's publication but it probably didn't get there in time but I am posting it here the day after XMAS - we watched the entire movie once again even with all the commercial interruptions. There are a lot of possible messages in the movie but as I point out some are a bit fuzzy.
School Scope: It’s a Wonderful Life – Until it Isn’t: Is Pottersville Trumpville?By Norm ScottIt’s that time of year again for one of my favorite movies, the Frank Capra Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. I’ve seen it twenty times and not only do I not get tired of it, but every year I gain new insights. Some view the movie as a battle between good and evil, especially due to the religious overtones with angels coming down to help certain mortals out of their pickle. Politically minded people, like me, see the underlying politics as a struggle between the Roosevelt New Deal, and its opponents, in some sense the very same type of Republicans who vehemently opposed FDR in the 30s, a battle we see being played out today as the current people in power attempt to dismantle the benefits accrued from the programs instituted by FDR and followed up on by LBJ. Yes, the movie plays out an age-old political struggle.The competing philosophies of the bad guy, Mr. Potter and the heroes, George Bailey and his family, can be brought down to these ideas. Potter would have supported the Republican tax plan – in fact, Potter expresses the standard Republican point of view going back a hundred years, while George might be considered a New Dealer Roosevelt Democrat, though he was also a banker. It is not totally inconceivable that an aging George today might even back Trump. I’ve seen a lot of FDR supporters flip as they aged.Capra was viewed for many years as a Roosevelt backer when in reality he was a conservative and even had some good things to say about Mussolini and Hitler while making movies that reflected the practical depression era politics of the time.Potter reflects an Ayn Rand dog eat dog point of view and remember Rand is beloved by Paul Ryan as she was by Ronald Reagan. What is funny is that for a decades after the film’s 1946 release, the FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover’s called the film “Communist propaganda” because it portrayed banker Potter as a greedy villain. An FBI memo suggested he “represented a rather obvious attempt to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as ‘scrooge-type’ so that he would be the most hated man in the picture.” Some people felt that Potter was correct in his criticism of the Baileys for not adhering to stricter banking rules.In some ways Hoover was right, as some of the film’s writers were leftist and even connected to the Communist Party in the 1930s when it was at its height. The film can be interpreted as demonizing capitalism in some ways but let’s not forget that the “working class” heroes besides George are restaurant owner Martini and cab driver and cop, Bert and Ernie.The are a lot of memorable parts to the film – not the least being some of the racy scenes between Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart. I also noticed for the first time how younger brother Harry Bailey swats the black maid on the rear end as they horse around. But what everyone always talks about is the re-imagining Bedford Falls if George had never lived – the nightmare of seeing it devolved into Pottersville. That sequence, instead of a left view, actually affirms the power of the individual to influence people’s lives even if he still needed the help of an angel trying to get his wings.Atta boy Clarence.Norm has been working to get his wings at ednotesonline.com.
Monday, December 25, 2017
Poet Luareate Real Reform Fred Smith: Dispirit of the Season
Dispirit of the Season
‘Tis now Christmas day and my heart is wheezing,
Bundled up in my bed, coughing and sneezing.
Santa stayed home on the eve befogged by the flu,
And Rudolph this year couldn’t lead his sled through.
And so my darlings, there’s not much to say
After last night descended and became the next day.
And Eva goes high-speed on with her wild shopping spree,
Buying pols as she needs them to get schools for free;
While Betsy converts the uneducated classes,
Vouching for private ways to teach the masses,
With both of them preaching in the same certain voice
Salvation as it is written in the Gospel of Choice.
As ever-sure Andrew decides on how he should go,
But always taking the time to stick deBlasio.
And the same is true for mayoral control Bill,
A no-contest election behind him with four years to fill.
He must pick a chancellor who wears progressive attire.
But won’t do much to lower class size, lead or inspire.
One thing, however, suspends their personal feud.
Both courageously agree that Trump’s a bad dude.
And the IDC and other deceivers are calling the tune
While the UFT helps the dish run away with the spoon.
Now I must cut this short. I have fever and chills.
Sniffling about so many societal ills.
And so my dear friends, have a pitcher of beer
As we brace ourselves for the same old new year.
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