Unity Hack Attack Part 2

If you read part 1 (UFT Delegate Assembly, Democracy NOT) of Seung Ok's Delegate Assembly report on Weds, Randi's farewell performance, hold on to your hats as you see how the UFT hacks are coming down on Seung for daring to call out during Queen Victoria's speech. They are sending in the clowns - er union officials, most likely Unity hack supreme District rep Charlie Turner (who once had a teacher threatened with losing his job for inviting me to speak to teachers) and holding a special union meeting at 8 Am ON THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL to try to get Seung recalled as a delegate. Seung's part 3 report tomorrow ought to make interesting reading.

Dear colleagues 6-25-09,

Yet again, we see the ugly head of fiefdom rear its ugly form - aka Unity Caucus of the UFT. As a result of voicing my opinions at the DA, after essentially being denied a fair and equitable debate on Tier V, the all too comfy powers-that-be in our union have decided to do some Bloomberg/Kline-esque tactics of intimidation to rule out dissenting voices.

Tomorrow they will be sending their foot soldiers (including Charlie Turner, who actually teaches at my school and is a District Rep) to Maxwell High to decide whether I, as a delegate should be barred from future DA meetings, or, that my delegate position be stripped. And on top of that, they want to speak to my principal, to add another layer of intimidation. Wow, who would have thought – Unity Caucus and principals – such strange bedfellows indeed arise in these times. I applaud our union in keeping up with the times, and learning from our beloved friend, the mayor. I’m learning so much about how things work in the union, and I just got elected. Lucky me – thank you Unity.

So this is how I see them attacking me. They will say that I deliberately flaunted procedure by shouting out my opinions to Weingarten during her farewell speech. And that I’m even anti–union. And here is my response:

1.- I didn’t see them being upset when members of their caucus shout out things like “We love you Randi!” “Thank you, Randi!”. I just wanted to join the group discussion, that’s all. Each of us has a different way of saying farewell.

2 – If they at all cared about the democratic functioning of the Delegate Assembly, should they not have trained a new delegate such as I on the Robert’s Rule of Parliamentary Procedure? All those say AYE? Are they afraid that someone might actually learn to have a voice besides them?

3. Unbeknownst to me, as a new delegate I was not even supposed to show up until September. The previous delegate should have finished her year by attending this DA. I guess they can blame their incompetence in not notifying me of anything. The similarities between Unity and the Mayor are startling, don’t ya think? Gee, I wonder what they actually do with millions of our hard earned money up there in 52 Broadway (I mean, besides cheese and wine parties - and believe you me, the cheese is already present and accounted for).

4. But seriously, and this is the biggest charge I make upon the union leadership. If at any point in the past 3 months, someone, anyone returned my email or contacted me about the concerns of a paying member of OUR union – I would not have had to shout out my opinions like a fool. The following is a chronology of events (Flash back fade and music):

a. In the April Assembly, I stood up from the guest section and called out a question at the very end of the meeting, when most people had enough of Weingarten’s soliloquies and filed out. When I asked about her support of charter schools and whether it would endanger the future of public education, she again hid behind the most sacred of all books, the Robert’s Rules of Order. Now I don’t know who this Robert guy is, but it seems he was pro Unity.

b. But she asked me for my name, and promised to respond if I send an email to her. I did just that, and to this day, I still look longingly for her response. Any day now (tick – tock, birds chirping, grass growing, Unity actually defending its Rubber Room and ATR members).

c. Now to yesterday’s assembly. Had she actually been fair again and given voice to an equal number of dissenters on the subject of Tier V – and of course, it didn’t have to be me - I would have sat quieter than a lamb unwittingly being put to sleep.

And this is not just me, I know dozens of people who have emailed the union and have never gotten a response. This is inexcusable for OUR union, to whom we pay hefty salaries to ignore their own constituents’ concerns. Even politicians know enough to have a staff that handles calls and emails. But let’s even forget that for a second. Don’t ya think that for such a change as Tier V, the rank and file could be kept informed a lot earlier than a day before the actual vote? Again, the similarities to the Mayor’s office is remarkable.

But insult to injury, I have to be concerned about watching my back from my own union? Folks, this whole experience has been an eye opener. We need to clean house in our union leadership, just as we need to clean house in the mayor’s office and in the NY senate. Fat cats that have been getting too comfortable, arrogant and undemocratic are stinking up their own litter box. Whatever happens, whether I remain a delegate or not, please vote for a change in the next union elections, and let’s get some of these cats teaching again – how about that for a humbling experience.

Regards,

Seung Ok

If You Knew Mulgrew Like I Knew Mulgrew

Hi Norm,

Read your piece about Mulgrew. I know him a bit. He shouted me down at a meeting he held at my school to "discuss" the '07 contract extension. I asked why the "cost containment initiatives" phrase had been added to the extension. He called me a conspiratorialist and fear-mongerer (those probably weren't his words...I don't think he uses words containing more than 3 syllables), said I was spreading lies by asking my question and told me to shut my mouth when I continued to repeat the same question until I could get an answer.

I don't bother with his union meetings anymore. I learned my lesson -the fix is in and I'm not going to get riled up over something completely out of my control.

BTW, at the same meeting where I walked out, two more of my colleagues had run-ins with him and walked out publicly too.

In my opinion, he's a creep and a goon and cut from the same crooked, corrupt cloth as Weingarten. I have seen his "heavy-handedness" if you will.

UFT Delegate Assembly, Democracy NOT

A New Star rises. No not Mulgrew.

Gem's Seung Ok gives us this brillaint and scintillating DA report. I've only known Seung for a few months, but it is meeting people like him that keeps me in this business. I've always maintained that the opposition is too polite at DA's or unwilling to take the slings and arrows of Unity harassers. I didn't give a crap. Neither did Jeff Kaufman. Seung looks like a comer.

UFT Delegate Assembly 6-24-09

I’m sorry to inform my colleagues (although many of you have already suspected), that our UFT right now is as much an undemocratic and farcical scene as the NY Senate and the Mayor’s Office. The lack of transparency, the façade of democratic input from its constituents, and the intolerance for opposing views shows us why our UFT, city, state, and country is in it’s dire situation today. The events of the meeting seem to be "par for the course" of how things run there.

The vast majority of us were surprised to hear when we came into work this morning that there was a new agreement on Tier V in which Weingarten basically sold off wholesale some of our pension benefits for future teachers. And what did our master negotiator get in return for this – two non- teaching days back before Labor Day.

Now one would think that a decision as important as changing our profession’s pension benefits requires input from us as a whole - perhaps a referendum, or survey to get the thoughts from the rank and file. If there had been transparency, Weingarten would not have sold us off so cheaply with a mere two days. In her own words at the meeting, she saw the two days before Labor Day as,” ….the most important issue that she has heard coming from the delegates affecting our teachers.” Really? I guess the fact that seasoned ATR’s in our schools cannot find positions, in spite of the DOE hiring freeze and budgetary concessions, is not as important as two extra days of summer vacation.

Let’s not forget to mention the detrimental effects of Mayoral control on our professional autonomy, parental input, and student learning. Had such a prize for Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg not been given so cheaply, in the least, the alteration of future pensions could have been used as leverage to add more checks and balances in mayoral control rather than the dictatorship that seems destined to be renewed.

Also, how much weaker are we know, as we head into contract negotiations in October. Had we not given up our hand so quickly and easily, we would have had something the Mayor and Albany would want. But now, thanks to the wonders of “Democracy Lite” that is the UFT, we are now left holding a weak hand yet again.

The meeting went as follows. First, Weingarten frightens all the delegates (Ala George Bush post 9/11) by playing off their worst fears in what may happen: working till 62, the loss of our pension plans, etc. Now once everyone is good and scared, she comes to the rescue and pats herself on the back about how she saved our benefits. Gee, all by yourself Randi? (Add applause and glee by the union faithful) Then she congratulates herself by adding that she saw an opportunity to get back our two days before Labor Day and she took it! Quick thinking sport!

Of course she then asks for input from the delegates. Somehow she manages to “randomly” choose 4 delegates in a row who gushingly admire her great efforts in securing this wonderful new deal. Then, to highlight how contrived this debate was, she graciously noted that it would be remiss on her part if she didn’t allow the opposition view to be held. So she called on those with opposing views to raise their hands. One delegate noted that we indeed were “giving back” yet again, which a few delegates from past meetings decried. Of course, the shouting down of this delegate ensued by the rest of the delegates – at which point Weingarten, in her graciousness, asked for calm. Then magically, two more people were called on, that were in favor of Tier V. So, the viewing audience can scratch their heads now in bewilderment – I thought this was the dissenting voice’s turn. Finally, Weingarten suggests that one more person speak up for the dissenting view. A delegate suggests that such an important matter as this should be given as a vote for all union members in the schools, which was of course, ignored by Weingarten in her response.

As she began to start the vote, I and a few other delegates shouted out that the debate was not fair. The opposing view did not get equal time to state its case (2 versus 6 speakers) At this point, Weingarten spewed off some Robert’s Rules of Order process rule - that she had asked for one more dissenting view, and that there was no objection. Again, note how parliamentary procedures are used to discourage rather than encourage true democratic vote (can anyone say the state senate?).

Now during this whole fiasco, I was raising my hands and my voice, - sometimes standing to get her attention. Interestingly her body and face slowly started to face the opposite way. Interesting, considering that her UNITY caucus usually sits on the end where I was. But alas, I was never called. Okay, that’s understandable – I mean, there are many delegates and there is such precious few moments together.

Then the vote happens. Many voices boomed “Aye!” And it seemed only a few of us yelled “Nay!” Then there was much rejoicing and hoop and hollering.

Then the question portion of the pageant commenced. There were several questions about the Tuesday we get back from Labor Day and how some principals are threatening to give letters if their classrooms are not set up and ready by the end of this school year. Much booing and “that’s intolerable!” was heard. Weingarten, on cue, decried how many evil and treacherous characters were allowed to become principals. Much cheering and clapping followed. She suggested, and it seems the crowd knew what she was going to say, cause they mouthed it too – “get it on paper”.

One delegate asked about the handout that lists all the local politicians that the UFT endorses. She wondered whether it was appropriate for us to endorse many of the politicians on that page that voted FOR mayoral control. At this point, since Weingarten, didn’t want to do her own dirty work, referred the question to suit B. He managed to fumble through the response by noting that these politicians voted for key issues that affected the union. I guess mayoral control doesn’t count in the Union’s mind, but okay.

Then Weingarten, in an earnest and reflective repose, asked the delegates if she can let the media in, so she can avoid announcing her retirement twice. The delegates deeply moved, voted a unanimous “Aye!” and “Hear! Hear!” Apparently everyone turns into a 17^th century Britain at such moments. The media came in and then the show started.

She began by noting that her mother was a teacher, and she remembered how after striking all day, her mother would come home tired yet vigilant. Wow, too bad the daughter didn’t become an educator herself. Then she humbly stated how she is leaving the Union stronger and healthier than how she found it. I at this point I couldn’t contain myself. Let’s just put it this way. Just imagine how men act watching the super bowl, and they see a ridiculous fumble – “What?! Are you kidding me?!” I basically turned into John McEnroe. I looked around the room in amazement, and all I could see was shimmering eyes, welling up with deep gratitude. The tissues were definitely out.

Then she began listing all her accomplishments, stating that when she first began working for the UFT, the starting salary was 14,000. Wow, can anyone get her on a stamp please – I mean really. At this point, the Johnny Mac in me took possession, and I screamed out,” Don’t forget Mayoral Control!” Now, I’ve never been tarred and feathered before, but let’s just say that the Brits at this point were getting the cauldron heated up. Several of the mob called me a jerk, and the several men in front and to the side of me looked like I just stole their baby’s pacifier. The latter glared,” You better stop shouting in my ear.” I suspected that this unfortunate man had hearing only in this ear, because he had not been agitated by the shouts of “Hear! Hear!” coming from the other end the whole meeting up to that point.

The momentous and tearful scene was capped off by flowers being brought forth to a teary Weingarten. Then unknown suit C got up and asked for a tribute to her highness Weingarten the I. This included a long litany of whereas and whereforths too long to list here, but I’ll give you a tasting of the deliciousness of this treat:

Whereas as the tribune of the New York City public school educators, Randi Weingarten has successfully led us through many perils and challenges, and now leaves our profession and our union stronger than ever.

Wow! Tribune. I almost wanted to cry out, "Hail Ceasar!"

Of course, I had to shout out a whereas myself, “ Sell OUT!” But with the graciousness befitting the queen, she nobly and befitting her aristocratic stature ignored me with impunity.

After the pageant winner left her stage, suit D – went on to announce that volunteers who wanted to be on the committee for contract negotiation should fill out a card. He was about to close the meeting, and asked if there were any further questions. I raised my hand and shouted,” I do.” If you could see the begrudging look he gave me, it would make your toes curl. At this point, Randi was taking pictures with her adoring fans, as she was making her way out of the pageant with her flowers in hand. I was actually given the mic, and I quickly noted,” Will Randi actually listen to her own committee this time (alluding to the fact that she went against her own year long committee and flip flopped in favor of mayoral control).

I could not get out the rest, since the parliament started to Whig out, and the tar was hot and ready by this point. I then made the mistake of asking if I can finish my statement – which was a crucial error, since unbeknownst to me, suit D was Alex Trebeck, who immediately informed me that a statement is not in the form of a question, so I was,” Out of Order!”. Then with 2 seconds left on the clock, the man in front of me snatched the microphone from my hand (not a joke, true democracy at work). Then the crowd cheered with frenzy as the home team counted down the seconds to victory.

I will leave you with some immortal words by an unknown ancient sage:

“Don’t eat yellow snow.”

Your colleague:

Seung Ok

It Really Wasn't Personal, Randi

Reminder: GEM Happy Hour today from 5 to 7 PM.

at Jimmy's no. 43: 43 E. 7th (downstairs), between 2nd Av. and 3rd Av.

We will have an area in the back near their kitchen. Jimmy's serves food.

On The Two Labor Day Days, Mulgrew and Randi

I was asked by people at the DA yesterday about my report regarding the 2 restored days being only for 2009. While I'm still getting some mixed signals about exactly what has to be renegotiated in the next contract (expiring in Oct.) it appears (for now) this is permanent.

What tickled me at the DA was how many people genuflected to Randi for getting back the two days she herself agreed to take away in the first place. Of course she made it seem the UFT had nothing to do with it. Sort of like having someone take money out of your pocket and you thank them for putting it back.

Naturally, the mass of delegates were overwhelmingly in favor. But there was one hell of a gutsy speech from Jonathan Halabi, who strongly raised the issue of union solidarity with future teachers and the creation of divisions between people. Because he is a member of New Action, I sometimes tweak him. But people in the besieged math department at Bronx High School of Science praise him to the sky for being the most supportive voice out there. And his blog is the place to go to find out schools you should not apply to because of vicious principals.

The attitude he expressed yesterday about union solidarity on a general basis and regularly on his blog is a sorely missed component from this union.

On Mulgrew
One point on the article on Michael Mulgrew at Gotham, in which I was quoted. It was basically half of what either I said or wanted to say.

“He comes across as a non-waffler,” said union activist Norm Scott. “For people who despise Weingarten, there’s already a sense of, ‘Oh, maybe Mulgrew will be better.’

Add this part: "But while this change in style will work for him for a while, it is a change in style not substance and ultimately will make little difference in the UFT's inability to make a stand against all the anti-teacher and anti-union attacks going on."
I don't know Mulgrew at all, having almost no direct contact, so all information I have is second hand. Many people I know like him. Others say he is the ultimate Unity hack. Some say he runs Executive Board meetings when Randi is not there with a heavy hand. I know of one incident at Grady in relation to union elections where he showed a heavy hand. Other than that, he will be a breath of fresh air in terms of style, at least for a while.

On Randi
Some people consider me a leading Randiologist. Education Notes has spanned her entire career and I believe is a chronicle of her tenure. So if anyone is thinking of writing a book on Randi (Randi Weingarten, Semi-Tough Liberal), Ed Notes is the place to go. One day I'll get them all online.

I'll do a more in depth piece on her legacy when I get a chance, but here are a few quick thoughts.

Randi took disagreements personally. In our years of email correspondence, I kept trying to tell her it was not personal and we functioned in the same manner with Al Shanker, who never whined about personal attacks and brushed us off like the fleas we basically were.

Not Randi. She raised every single issue, no matter how minor, into a hysterical pitch. We all used to look at each other at Ex bd and DA meetings as she would contend on points that were laughable. I hope that Mulgrew will not view criticism in that way and take more of Shanker's approach.

She helped make Education Notes the thing to read at the DA by saying, "I love to read Ed. Notes." That was in the early years when she was real insecure and not sure of the full support in Unity, where a number of old-line Shanker people resented a lawyer being in charge. In her first year or two she was also unsure in running the DA and I managed to establish my ground early on and began to play a role. After a while she learned the tactics that ended up making her more undemocratic than Shanker or Feldman, who at least followed some basic rules. Randi started making them up as she went along. Today, the UFT is at its lowest state of democracy I've seen in the almost 40 years I've been involved. Her true legacy.

Her ruthlessness and demagoguery evolved as her power grew. In the early years it was different. She once did an unprecedented thing (in Oct 2000, I think, possibly at the same meeting that Hillary Clinton appeared) when I raised a resolution calling on the NY Teacher to print every over-the-limit class size every year. She called me up to the front and gave me her microphone, giving me the opportunity to address the Delegate Assembly from a unique position. The resolution passed overwhelmingly, though the NY Teacher only printed the data for only two years, and only after I reminded them. So much for DA resolutions.

That was the height of our relationship and it went down hill in the months that followed over her push for merit pay (she avoided calling on me for months when I wanted to make an anti merit pay resolution and my early warning system went up) and mayoral control in the spring of 2001.

Ed Notes turned extremely critical in the 2001/2002 school year. After I retired in 2002, Ed Notes went city wide in an attempt to reach out to people who would be willing to fight her and Unity. Out of that effort, ICE was born. Thus, Randi's actions spawned ICE. We call her "Mom."

In one of my last emails to Randi years ago I told her about how my principal also used to say my activities as chapter leader were personal. After I left the school to take a district job (when my new boss told her he was hiring me, she said, "My car was stolen today, but this makes up for it") I returned once a week as a computer support person. My principal started greeting me with hugs and kisses and even gave me money for Ed Notes. Our relationship was fine once we were out of each other's faces.

I told Randi that when she left to run the AFT this too would happen and she would come to see there would be little change in our approach to her successor. But somehow I do not expect her to change her mind about it being personal instead of political.

So I won't expect Randi to follow my principal's example and give money to Ed Notes. Or hugs and kisses to me. Besides, when Randi gave me her microphone at that DA back in 2000, she had a vicious cold – which I caught. I'd take the money, but I'll pass on the hugs and kisses.

Related:
Accountable Talk has some thoughts on Mulgrew and Randi

ICE/TJC Announce Presidential Candidate for UFT Elections in 2010

PRESS RELEASE:

ICE/TJC Announce Presidential Candidate for UFT Elections in 2010

The Independent Community of Educators (ICE) and Teachers for a Just Contract (TJC) have chosen James Eterno, chapter leader of Jamaica HS in Queens, as their candidate for president of the UFT in the elections to take place in 2010. He will oppose the Unity Caucus candidate, expected to be Michael Mulgrew, who will be taking over for Randi Weingarten.

Eterno has been a Social Studies Teacher Jamaica High School for 23 years. For the past 13 years he has been the Chapter Leader at Jamaica High School.

He spent 10 years on the UFT Executive Board as one of the few members of the opposition caucuses.

He was one of the leaders in the fight against the draconian givebacks in the 2005 Contract.

James organized a successful rally in 2008 at the Panel for Educational Policy where 89 people from the Jamaica High School family went to the PEP to advocate for Jamaica High School, pointing out that the school was suffering from academic apartheid due to the unequal treatment Jamaica was getting in comparison to the small schools being installed. His blog piece on the subject (Stop Academic Apartheid) received wide notice.

He authored a resolution to the State Education Commissioner calling for the empowerment of teachers, parents and students on School Leadership Teams and wrote many other resolutions, including one calling for more protections for teachers accused of corporal punishment.

He led the Jamaica High School Chapter in a 50-person grievance at the Region 3 office to have the time schedule changed in 2003 and was a winner of the UFT’s Trachtenberg Award in 2000.

James, along with ICE’s Jeff Kaufman, has co-authored the influential ICE blog, which analyzes on the activities of the UFT leadership. James has become one of the leading experts on the UFT contract and has assisted numerous teachers throughout the city who have not been ably assisted by the UFT.

He is married to Camille Eterno, a former chapter leader currently a teacher at Humanities and the Arts High School in Queens. The Eternos are expecting their first child in early July.

James will be attending the UFT Delegate Assembly today at 52 Broadway from 4:30-6:30.


James Eterno on the BILLION DOLLAR DAYS OFF at the ICE blog
http://iceuftblog.blogspot.com/
June 24, 2009

Close analysis of the agreement between the city and the UFT creating a new pension tier shows that the city has once again taken the UFT to the cleaners. While this is nothing new, it is still depressing when it happens over and over again.

The sad details show that we are giving the city back $2 billion over twenty years. My source for this is the Mayor's office. On top of this, add the health care savings that the Municipal Labor Committee just gave back that amounted to $550 million over the next few years. What do we win in exchange for billions in savings for the city? The two weekdays before Labor Day will be added to summer vacation.

These professional development days were useless and it's fine to get them added back to our summer break. The agreement also says we may return to work in September the same day that the kids come back which is ridiculous. By working it in this way, the city can correctly say we haven't shortened the school year. However, this potentially absurd situation is not the worst part of this deal.

The two added vacation days won't cost the city a dime as they are not giving us any additional money. However, in yet another indignity, we will be forced to pay for our two days off at a rate of 1.08% in additional funding according to the agreement. .5% will come from lowering the interest rate on the fixed TDA from 8.25% to 7% and raising the amount of years someone must work before they can retire with health benefits from ten to fifteen. The other .58%, according to the agreement, will "be addressed in the upcoming round of collective bargaining for the successor agreement to the current agreement which expires October 31, 2009." Translation, our raise will be lowered. What about the new pension tier savings? Won't that money be applied to pay for the added vacation days? The answer is no.

The new Tier V, where yet to be hired teachers will have to pay 4.85% in pension contributions for 27 years, is a free gift to the city from the UFT that we get nothing back for accepting.

When you are enjoying those extra days off on September 3 and 4, just call them the billion dollar days. That's roughly the amount that each day will end up costing us in the long run. For that kind of gift, couldn't we get back just a little bit more of our professional dignity?


Contact: Norm Scott
917-992-3734
normsco@gmail.com

IS 218 Protests Budget Cuts; UFT Doesn't

Newly elected IS 218K Chapter Leader Tom Crean sends this along. Too late for publication in the NY Teacher? Did the UFT consider Edwize or the UFT web site? Really fighting budget cuts, not their thing - the only way they know how to cut the cuts is by selling off future teacher pensions.


Letter to chancellor. Click to enlarge


Below is a brief report meant originally for the New York Teacher about a June 12 protest held outside my school, IS218 in East New York against the savage cut in our budget. Apparently it was too late for publication.

I also attach several photos and a letter the school’s UFT chapter sent to Joel Klein. Now that the budget has been passed by the City Council and the huge cuts to the schools which were spread so unevenly have been left intact it is necessary to ask: why did the UFT leadership do so little to publicize the plight of schools like 218?

When the full scale of the cuts for the school year 2009-10 became clear a few weeks ago, the union should have been organizing protests outside every school in the city building up to an emergency rally outside City Hall. After initiating the 50,000 strong rally on March 5, they restricted themselves to writing letters to the newspapers and urging teachers to fax their public representatives.

The real position was revealed in a press statement by Randi Weingarten dated May 19:

“Although the school budgets issued by the school system today do not, by any means, amount to a full restoration of items and services on the chopping block, getting the cuts down to the 3-to-4 percent range in this tough economy is a huge improvement over the prospective budgets that amounted to a 7 percent cut for schools. We at the United Federation of Teachers and other advocates who worked tirelessly and fought so hard in Washington and Albany for funding to minimize the brunt of expected city cuts will continue to seek budget restorations from the City Council in the weeks ahead. But we are still pleased to see that the Mayor and the Department of Education have gone a long way to protect the classroom and maintain services for students in these difficult times.”

This is the logical conclusion of “shared sacrifice”; so much for opposing cuts to the most vulnerable!

Tom Crean, newly-elected chapter leader at IS 218

Teachers at IS 218, East New York Protest Cuts

On Friday June 12, between 7:45 and 8:30 am, over 50 teachers, parents and students rallied outside Sinnott Magnet School (IS 218) in East New York against the vicious $1.4 million cut in their school’s budget by the DoE. Despite the rainy weather it was a high energy protest. Teachers held signs that read “No More Budget Cuts” and chanted “They say cut back, we say fight back!” The protest was also attended by City Councilor Charles Barron.

Even taking into account declining enrollment at IS 218, $1.4 million represents a 10% cut to the school’s budget, far in excess of the 4.9% announced citywide. Twenty teachers, nearly a third of teaching staff are being excessed. The cut is so deep that it compromises the school’s instructional integrity with potentially grave consequences for student achievement. There is no money for after school programs, intervention for at-risk students or even basic school supplies. As the teachers said in a letter to Joel Klein, “This will literally rip the heart out of our school.”

It is a cruel irony that IS218 is being targeted for such a deep cut when it has shown enormous improvement on the state’s standardized tests Between 2006 and 2009, on the state ELA test, the proportion of IS 218 students who scored level 3 or 4 rose from 32.1% to 54.4% On the state math those scoring level 3 and 4 rose from 43.2% to 71.0% during the same three year period. During the 2006-7 school year the school received an A grade from the city which went down to a B last year. So if IS 218 is doing so well according to official criteria why is the DOE gutting it? Some teachers are concerned that this is possibly a step towards closing the school altogether.

It was pointed out by a speaker at the protest that some other schools faced massive cuts, such as the Boys and Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant which faces a 16% cut or over $3.1 million. These attacks on education, are nothing short of criminal. The speaker went on to ask, “There are billions for the banks, why can't they bail out the schools?”

CSA/UFT in Dueling Pissing Match Over Agreement

CSA President Ernest Logan Made the Following Statement about Surprise City’s Sudden Agreement with the UFT

The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators was dismayed to learn today that the City has signed an agreement with the United Federation of Teachers allowing teachers to go back to school next fall on the same day as their students. This surprise move affects professional development and all other preparation that is needed to ensure a smooth school year for teachers, administrators, parents and students alike. For years, the City has provided school personnel with two days to prepare for the return of students. This unexpected agreement certainly does not put children first.

United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten re criticism from Council of School Supervisors and Administrators on pension deal:

““This agreement was born out of a need to create savings for the city, and it was the chancellor’s preference that students and teachers return on the same day. The chancellor could make a different decision later because the agreement says the first day after Labor Day may be an instructional day, but it doesn’t have to be. But it is surprising that the CSA would wait until now, at the end of the process, to blame the UFT for finding a way to save the city money when they have been totally absent in the fight to save our school system from budget cuts this year.”


ED Note:
No Randi, it wasn't the chancellor's decision alone. You agreed to it. You could have said that you won't sign if both teachers and kids have to go back the same day and let him screw the schools another way.

Is the CSA's bigger typeface a sign they have bigger cajones than the UFT?

And by the way, I don't read the CSA as any more critical of the UFT than the DOE.

If Randi truly intends to get off our stage, GO ALREADY~

I'm With Sam: Stop Tweaking and Start Organizing

Sam Anderson sent this out to a listserve after the hand wringing over the desertion by the politicians on mayoral control. Surprised? Not me. Just follow the big campaign contributors who support Bloomberg hook, line and sinker. BloomKlein opponents were seduced by the idea they could rely on them. Politicians respond to only one thing: people in the streets, boots on the ground. See Iran, circa 2009. Build it and they will come.


Scrambling at the last second to find a "middle ground" on a matter that does not have a "middle ground" with a bunch of clueless hustling politicians is a disastrous waste of time.

We have to face it: We lost this battle. Let's assess, regroup and mobilize a mass movement of parents, students and educators for 2014-15. Our mass mobilizing/organizing work may bring a powerful Movement before 2014, but that should be our ultimate goal... given that that a final
bill will have about a 6 or 7 year window of operation.

After all these years of arguing, mobilizing, informing and organizing among thousands of progressive parents, educators and students to envision and fight for a more democratic form of governance and education for NYC public schools, we wind up scurrying about with exhausting energy trying to patchwork a weak ass legislation that will haunt us from June 30, 2009 onward.

My suggestion: IMMEDIATELY drop all negotiation and dialoguing with ALL elected officials and let them flip flop on their own without our legitimizing "progressive credentials."

If you don't know by now: "We Got Better Things To Do!"

In Struggle,
Sam Anderson

Selling out the Young: UFT/DOE Agreement- Restoration of Two Days Before Labor Day Hailed as Victory by UFT

UPDATES:
See James Eterno (FLIP-FLOP: RANDI OPPOSED TIER V ON JUNE 5th & NOW SHE WANTS IT) and Jeff Kaufman (What Else Did She Give Away?) at the ICE blog and David Pakter comment #1 on this post. NOTE: From my information the 2 pre-Labor Days are not returned permanently but must be negotiated in the next contract. What will that cost?

BUT IS IT? Selling out the Young

We always urge UFTers to watch their pockets when the union claims a victory. Unfortunately, future teachers don't have that option.

Going back from 8.25 to 7% was expected, but randi even tried to portray that as a victory - "It could be 4%." Not without changing the state constitution and we know how easy that would be with the junta in charge.

Is pension deal in exchange for restored summer vacation days the victory the UFT claims? Kids and teachers both report day after Labor Day and they know full well many teachers will have to go in before, but at least they lose the PD.

[Word is this is for 2009 only and the future restoration of days must be negotiated. Watch what they have to give up to make this permanent.]

Corrected: Randi said that with kids and teachers going back the same day, it may not work out and may have to be renegotiated.

ICEers report from the UFT Ex Bd meeting tonight:

The Executive Board approved the following tonight and it will go to the DA on Wednesday.

(#1) In exchange for the following (#2, #3, and #4 below), UFT staff do not have to report to school on the 2 days prior to Labor Day. The first day will be the Tuesday after Labor Day and can be an instructional day. (An Exec. Bd. Member said that teachers can hit the ground running on the same day kids arrive. Obviously, not a classroom teacher or a good teacher.)

We agree to support legislation that:

(#2) TDA- Support legislation that interest on TDA be reduced to 7%. (Although the pension cannot go below 7% unless there is a state constitutional convention to declare it.)

(#3) Pension Contribution: For those hired after the passage of legislation: Support legislation that would allow them to retire at 55-27, be required to pay contributions of 4.85% for 27 years and after that 8.855, and be vested after 10 years. (Sandy March didn’t think this was a bad thing because she paid 7% and John Soldini said he paid 12.5% What a bargain these newbies are getting!.)

(#4) Health benefits: will be modified retiree eligibility for health insurance coverage for those with less than 15 years (though vested) will not be eligible.

(#5) Additional funding: In order to fund #1, 1.08% in additional funding must be generated effective 9-3-09. Paragraphs #2 and #3 will generate .50% leaving .58% to be addressed in the upcoming round of collective bargaining for the agreement that ends in 10-09. To the extent that #2 and #4 not be enacted, then the amount of the funding that is not materialized shall be addressed in the next contract.

(#6) The UFT and City will meet no later than 9-09 to assess the impact, if any, of budget cuts, as measured by what, if any, personnel and program reductions may occur, and to identify additional funding for schools.

As soon as it was announced, approximately 10 people got up to speak. A Board member objected to not have time to study this. The body was told that it was being negotiated over the weekend – there was no time to get it out – the agreement was signed 5 minutes before Weingarten came down to the meeting. Funny, two Unity Board Members who never speak had page long typewritten written statements to read!

What the UFT Says:

How the agreement affects future hires

• New UFT-represented employees in titles where employees have been required to report to begin work on the Thursday before Labor Day will report back to work the Tuesday after Labor Day.
• New UFT-represented employees will enjoy the 55/27 retirement benefit, which remains intact.
• New UFT-represented employees will continue to have the same pension benefits as current members, but they will make additional contribut ions for these benefits. Breaking it down, under the 55/27 retirement plan, new employees will make a 4.85 percent pension contribution for 27 years and 1.85 percent thereafter, up from the current 4.85 percent contribution for 10 years and then 1.85 percent through 27 years.
• New UFT-represented employees will become vested in the pension plan after 10 years of service, rather than the current five. The impact of this change is modest since most UFT-represented educators can elect to withdraw their pension contributions as a lump-sum payment if they quit during their first 10 years on the job.
• New UFT-represented employees will be eligible for retiree health insurance coverage after 15 years instead of 10 years. That change will reward educators who choose to make teaching a career.
• New UFT-represented employees will receive the 7% guaranteed annualized rate of return for the fixed investment option in the voluntary Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) programs for BERS and TRS members.

The Duncanator: Need a School to Be Closed?

Somone giving you trouble in forcing mayoral control or charter schools down their throats?

Call on THE DUNCANATOR

Robots in Education

Jerry Bracey makes an offer:

I offer a dinner for two (not including me as one of the two) at the best restaurant in Port Townsend, Washington--your choice--to the first of you who actually pins Arne Duncan down on something specific. The June 2009 issue of Sunset magazine identified PT, a town of under 10,000, as "Paris on the Olympic Peninsula," so it's not a totally trivial offer. Can anyone remember anyone who is more slippery about what he's REALLY going to do than model Robot Arne? Transportation and housing to and from PT not included.

Posted as "Robots in Education" at www.huffingtonpost.com/gerald-bracey.
by Jerry Bracey

Engineers have made great advances in robotics in recent years. Everyday-robots can vacuum rugs and mop floors. More advanced models can act as secretary of education. Call it the Arne model. Boot it up and it talks and talks and talks. But it appears to lack two functions, the ability to say anything concrete and the ability to link its various sayings with the old human function known as logic.

For instance, in his June 14 speech to a National Governors Association meeting, Robot Arne said, “The genius of our system is that much of the power to shape our future has wisely been distributed to the states instead of being confined to Washington.” Yet in an interview after that talk he said, “What you’ve seen over the past couple year is a growing recognition from political leaders, educators, unions, nonprofits—literally every sector—coming to realize that 50 state doing their own thing doesn’t make sense.” A concept goes from wisdom to nonsense in a single speech!

In none of the speeches I’ve heard or read—and I’ve been tracking them pretty closely, has the robot Arne used the word “Constitution,” a document which, in the field of education is supposed to ensure that each state does its own thing.

What he does often mention, as in his speech to the National Press Club in late May, is, “What we have had as a country, I’m convinced, is what we call a race to the bottom.” That the two “we’s” obviously have different referents is of little import. What is, is that in that downward race, some 35,000 schools have been identified as “failing” under that Katrina of public education, No Child Left Behind. “Last year,” Duncan told the governors,” “there were about 5,000 schools in 'restructuring' under NCLB. These schools have failed to make adequate yearly progress for at least five years in a row.”

These are presumably the 5,000 chronically under-performing schools that robot Arne wants to close and “turn around.” Such an action raises several questions. First, just where are 5,000 excellent principals to run these schools? Have our star leaders just been waiting in the wings all this time? And what about the needed tens of thousands of ace teachers? Where are they? Are they lurking out there somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana or the sands of Nevada?

Second, Duncan told an audience at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor he wants “college-ready, career-ready international standards, very high bar.” (Often when he speaks extemporaneously I hear the sound of grammarian teeth-gnashing). Well, if our race to the bottom has generated 35,000 failing schools, 5,000 of which are hopeless in robot Arne’s eyes, what will a much higher bar produce?

Finally, supposing for a moment we could find all those teachers and principals, would that be enough? Even an outlet not known for its searching questions to people in positions of authority, U. S. News & World Report, caught the lack of logic here. “Would simply replacing teachers and principals work? If all the other factors in a low-achieving student’s life—family, neighborhood, social life—were to remain constant, would substituting an outstanding teacher for an ineffective teacher reverse the achievement levels? Are good teachers and principals all that is needed to turn around struggling schools, the majority of which are in impoverished communities where the parents might not have the time to help their children succeed in school?”

The magazine stops short of describing the full range of the problems kids in impoverished neighborhoods face: lack of adequate prenatal care, ingestion of alcohol and drugs, having only one parent, food insecurity, toxins such as mercury and lead, and inadequate or missing health care (that kid who’s having trouble learning to read might need an eye doctor; the kid who’s inattentive might not be able to hear what the teacher is saying; the kid who can’t concentrate might have a head full of tooth cavities).

Finally, robot Arne told the governors he was throwing $350 million into test development to back up the new high standards because, “I think in this country we have too many bad tests.” I’m sure ETS, CTB-McGraw Hill, Pearson, etc., loved that one since they make most of them, but if that’s true, then logic might make one wonder if those “bad tests” were the right instruments to identify the bad schools. But as I said at the start, Robot Arne doesn’t do logic.

And it’s too bad the reporter covering the talk didn’t ask Arne what a “good” test would look like. That question would have produced a deluge of clichés (”tests that measure whether students are mastering complex materials and can apply their knowledge,” etc.), but nothing specific because, as I said at the start, Robot Arne doesn’t do concrete.

Graphic by David B.

Doctors Quality, Teacher Quality: A Double Standard

There's all this hysteria about teacher quality and the claims that this is the most important factor in education. Claims made by Obama, Klein, Weingarten and just about every ed deformer.

But when it comes to people who can seriously damage or actually kill you, there is an amazing lack of concern. Doctors have what I'll term "implied tenure." Believe me, I have spoken to people in the medical field and those who know loads of doctors have their own rating system of doctor quality when it comes to going to one themselves or sending a family member. But I don't see people running to figure out a way to get rid of bad apple physicians.

People don't do enough work in the ed/med comparison arena, when teachers are blamed for outcomes, but Jim Horn at Schools Matter has this piece: New Physician Group - A Role Model for Teachers. (We're hoping for some goodies from Eduwonkette who has been doing research in this area.)

And the Sunday NY Times has this astounding piece about a VA hospital in Philly botching an enormous number of prostate cancer cases. Do they have rubber rooms for doctors?

Iran Uses Unity Election Counters

Ed Notes News (ENN) has discovered links between the counters used in the Iranian election and the 2005 UFT contract vote. Ahmadinejad received the same percentage of votes as did the 2005 contract. "We copied the Unity Caucus of control over UFT members to keep our population under control," said an Ahmadinejad spokesperson.

In other news, the people protesting the Iranian election just love all that Republican support they are getting. "We looked through footage of the stolen 2000 election by George Bush for protests by Al Gore supporters so we could have a model but we couldn't find anything. The footage must be being blocked by our censors," said a protester. "We did see that the press praised Al Gore for taking his medicine like a man and discouraging protests."

"But we did find lots of footage of the one million Mexican protesters over the election stolen from Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2006 but these very same Republicans seemed to condemn the protesters and wouldn't believe a candidate America supports would steal an election. And the American press barely covered these protests despite Mexico being a neighboring country, while they are running wall to wall coverage of the protests in our country.

"American democracy really confuses us."

Randi's Options Restricted by UFT 2010 Elections

Randi Weingarten's supposed decision to turn the UFT presidency over to Mike Mulgrew sometime this summer is being squeezed by upcoming UFT elections for officers and the Executive Board. The election season traditionally opens in January (2010) with ballots going out in March and the results announced, appropriately, around April Fools Day. So if she is to give Mulgrew a chance to funcion as president before the election, time is running out.

Let's remember that the UFT has been run by 3 people since the mid-60's and each functioned as both AFT and UFT president for a period of time, Al Shanker for 11 years and Sandy Feldman for 2 or 3 years. Both ran for re-election while they were AFT president and soon after turned the job over to their hand picked successor (rubber stamped by the Exec. Bd.) who could function in the job for a time before having to run on their own. Pretty undemocratic, but good strategy.

If Weingarten leaves with only a few months before the election, she will be breaking the pattern. Mulgrew, who has been racing around meeting with people all over the place so they get to know him, is still not the president until she is really gone. I predicted she would have had to get off the stage last January to give Mulgrew a good year in the job. With every passing month, his time as a fully functioning president is constricted.

Was Randi forced to move up her timetable based on a recent secret UFT survey reported on by NYC Educator that may have shown she was so unpopular that a relative unknown like Mulgrew would do better than she would?

Now, before we go on, at the risk of being labeled a defeatist, there is no chance - I mean zero chance - and yes, you do have a better chance of winning the lottery - that Unity could lose anything other than 5 or 6 seats on the executive board (out of 89) in the 2010 election. Their control of most chapter leaders and their unlimited access to all the schools has been solid, though based on anecdotal evidence, there may be some anti-Unity slippage in the elections just being completed now. But they are always able to recover and get to these people at weekends full of food at chapter leader training sessions where they recruit them into the Caucus and cover them with the cones of silence, training them to put the interests of the Caucus over those of the people they work with.

So why the angst? And believe me, there always is much angst. Think of the effort and money that has gone into buying off New Action, which was only getting around 22% of the vote when they gave up? Randi spent enormous amounts of time scheming and meeting with them and making them think they were important.

Unity Caucus leaders are very concerned about the stuff that is important to them. Or course, that concern doesn't include the conditions of the rank and file, unless they perceive some threat to their power and control of the union. They have always made sure to try to keep any opposition movement from gaining traction.

So even though they always win the total vote with 80%, they worry about an opposition forming that begins to reach 1/3 of the vote, which begins to make them viable.

Maybe Randi stays on long enough to screw people with another sellout. Tier 5, paying more for health care, a final solution for the ATR problem? Then she can skedaddle so Mulgrew doesn't get all the blame.


Related:
Reports are beginning to trickle in about Mulgrew's performance as chapter leader at Grady Vocational HS. Oy!

Empty Promises: A Case Study of Restructuring and the Exclusion of English Language Learners in Two Brooklyn High Schools

Hey Norm,
Thanks so much for your blog on our report. It’s great to start hearing from teachers about what is going on in the schools. Would it be possible for you to post the follow-up below from AFC?

Thanks,
Arlen Benjamin-Gomez
Staff Attorney, Immigrant Students Rights Project
Advocates for Children

This week Advocates for Children (AFC) and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) released a report about the restructuring of Lafayette and Tilden high school, entitled Empty Promises: A Case Study of Restructuring and the Exclusion of English Language Learners in Two Brooklyn High Schools. Our report found, among other things, that English Language Learners (ELLs) who once attended these large schools with well-developed bilingual programs did not have the same access to the new small schools that replaced them.

We found that most of the small schools on the Tilden and Lafayette campuses enrolled very few ELLs, such that an estimated 228 new ELL students had to find other high schools that would accept them during the 2007-08 school year.

In fact, there was a corresponding increase in ELL enrollment in the large schools that surround Tilden and Lafayette that school year. Finally, we found that the ELLs who were able to enroll in the new small schools on these campuses were concentrated into one school on each campus, It Takes a Village on the Tilden campus and the International School on the Lafayette campus, schools which were designed to serve ELLs in particular.

These findings are a case study of a citywide trend. The Department of Education claims that ELLs are as represented in small schools as in other high schools, and recent new articles discussing the New School’s Report (The New Marketplace: How Small School Reforms and School Choice Have Reshaped New York City’s High Schools) have also stated that most small schools matched citywide averages in the number of ELLs.

A closer look at the data reveals, however, that ELLs are clustered primarily in the relatively small number of small schools created expressly to serve them, and most new small schools do not enroll or appropriately serve these students. In this movement to reform high schools, therefore, ELLs have been left with fewer and fewer choices and have paid the price. While the graduation rate of other students has risen over the past few years, the graduation rate of ELL students has actually declined.

The fate of ELLs in the restructuring of Tilden and Lafayette must not be repeated. We fear that the displacement of ELLs is happening at many restructuring schools around the city, particularly when the Department of Education fails to recognize this trend as a problem or take steps to remedy it. As one school staff member has already reported on EdNotes, this is currently happening at Lehman High School.

To all school staff: If you see any of these problems in your school (low enrollment of ELLs in your small school, loss of ELL programming in your school, increased ELL enrollment in your school due to the closing of another, pushing ELL students out of your closing school, etc.), we would like to hear about it. Please call Gisela Alvarez at 212-947-9779 ext. 502. We will maintain the anonymity of any school staff who contact us. It is important that these problems are brought to light. Thank you.

Voting for UFT Retiree Chapter - YAWN!

I just checked my ballot for the UFT retiree chapter. Ho, hum! I found about 10 people to vote for. I and other ICE retirees were asked to run on the RA slate. Most of us declined.

This retiree chapter elections every three years, as much as anything, exposes the UFT sham of democracy.

There are two slates running: Unity and The Retiree Advocate. Should be simple. Just check the RA box and mail it in. But there's a rub.

Many of the RA candidates are members of New Action. You know, the former opposition caucus that sold out to Unity for jobs and 8 seats on the Executive Board, which they only won because Unity ran them on their slate too. The same caucus that thinks that the Randi Weingarten leadership has been wonderful for UFT members.

So how do you run with Unity Caucus and against them? In the magic world of so-called UFT democracy, anything is possible.

Since Unity has a lock on the election, it makes no difference anyway. The new chapter chairman, with Tom Pappas's retirement, will be Tom Murphy and all officers and the entire executive committee will be Unity. So what? Those retiree chapter meetings are death. I used to go when the late Jeannette DiLorenzo ran them. She was a lady. An open mic and delicious pastries. About 10 seconds after Pappas took over he took away the open mic and fed us stale bagels. Goodbye.

But the most important aspect to Unity is the winner-take-all election for 300 Unity Caucus retirees to the delegate Assembly. Yes, I said 300. The over 50,000 retirees get the same 60 members to one delegate ratio as the schools do. With a room that holds 850 people, you can just imagine how crowded the DA might get if there's a cold snap in Florida.

Naturally, not all 300 show up every time. Only when Unity really needs them. Like when a tough vote might be coming up. Especially if the opposition manages to get a resolution added to the agenda that the leadership disapproves of. Then it's party time after the meeting to get all the retirees out for free food, stale or not.

Well, I picked my way through the ballot looking for RA people I knew are not New Action. A useless action, but I'm a good citizen.

"The borough president didn’t send me here to be a potted plant" - Patrick Sullivan

“The folks and parents of Manhattan do not expect me to be a rubber stamp,” Mr. Sullivan told the schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein, who serves as the panel’s chairman. As usual, Mr. Sullivan cast the lone dissenting vote. “The borough president didn’t send me here to be a potted plant.”

Manhattan borough rep Patrick Sullivan at the "emergency" - illegal - PEP meeting called on 50 minutes notice on Friday. Read more in the NY Times.

The Panel for Educational Policy in action

TAKE THIS SURVEY FROM FRED SMITH

See a new survey, designed for NYC teachers about their experiences with the state ELA and Math exams.

The survey was developed by Fred Smith, who wrote an oped for the NY Sun in 2007 that is posted here: http://www.nysun.com/opinion/not-as-proficient-as-they-say/55594/

See also Juan Gonzalez column here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/05/23/2007-05-23_klein_smears_immigrant_kids.html

Fred has been a long-time contact and supporter of our work, focusing his efforts one exposing testing follies. If you can find 20 minutes, help him out.

More on the survey and Fred’s background below.

Teachers: please take the survey and forward it to all your fellow educators!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New York City teachers in Grades 3 to 8, who have had experience with the ELA and Math Test, may really want to take an interesting survey about New York’s testing program. The topics covered include test preparation, testing and scoring procedures, and the significance of the results. It takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Your knowledge and the opinions of your colleagues will have direct meaning for the testing program. Your answers may also shed light on issues that are relevant to current discussions about mayoral control of education and the reauthorization of NCLB.

This independent survey is trying to reach as representative a sample of teachers as possible. Please urge other teachers in your school also to participate. To take the survey, please click this link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=w2iaT_2fBPMd5cK_2b7svLb8mg_3d_3d

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About me: The survey was designed by Fred Smith. He retired from the Board of Education after 33 years, where he served as a administrative analyst. His work involved testing projects, conducting program evaluations and preparing statistical reports. He's written Op-Eds on testing for Newsday and the New York Sun. This survey is a reflection of his continuing interest in the testing program.

CORE Does Duncan Joined by GEMNYC - UPDATED

Our own Angel Gonzalez was out in Chitown to join CORE (the Caucus of Rank & File Educators) and lend the GEM/ICE voice of protest at their demo against Arne Duncan today. Angel was joined by a few other NYC/GEM teachers, who will be meeting in Chicago this weekend to discuss ed/union issues.

George Schmidt reports at Substance
(photo from Substance)

From Alexander Russo at TWIE

EDSEC: Hometown Protest To Greet Duncan In Chicago
A teacher-led reform group called CORE is going to welcome Arne Duncan with a good old Chicago-style protest when he shows up to speak Friday morning before a newly-formed (and Gates-funded) statewide advocacy group called Advance Illinois, which is putting out a new report called We Can Do Better that is full of all the usual reformy talk.

I think this may be the first time Duncan has encountered protesters since he became Secretary. The teachers are protesting the impact of Chicago's school turnaround efforts, which have despite all the kudos given them by the mainstream press displaced thousands of veteran teachers -- many of them African American -- and not always made an obvious positive difference. An EEOC complaint has been filed.

You can follow them via Twitter.

# Demonstration commences. We will be at the Board of Ed next Wed. 125 S. Clark. about 11 hours ago
# George Schmidt gives account of mtg. about 11 hours ago
# Press conference. about 12 hours ago
# Protest continues outside. about 12 hours ago
# Headline should read, "Teachers threatened with arrest for attempting to speak to Second of Ed." about 12 hours ago
# There is security everywhere in the lobby. about 12 hours ago
# CORE asked to leave private property. Threatened with handcuffs from hotel mgmt. about 12 hours ago
# We're asking to attend as teachers not as protesters. about 12 hours ago
# Will we be given admittance? Hotel checking with manager about 12 hours ago
# CORE will now enter the building and ask to attend the meeting. about 12 hours ago
# Jackson Potter- Adv. Illinois does not talk to parents, students, teachers, they are businessmen. about 12 hours ago
# Carol Caref- when they privatized custodial services in cps, wages went down dramatically, they're trying to do this to teachrs. about 12 hours ago
# Angel Gonzalez from UFT (AFT) speaking about Nyc version of "ed reform" about 12 hours ago
# "Arne Duncan wants to get rid of veteran teachers" "certified teachers assigned as lower paid subs" about 12 hours ago
# Displaced teacher 3 yrs from retirement addresses the crowd.

Lisa Donlan on Governance

I am going to tape Lisa Donlan's excellent presentation on "the old system" and how BloomKlein destroyed all vestiges of a system that was working for parents, teachers and students in District 1 (lower east side.) That is if it ever stops raining and we can do the taping in Thompkins Square Park, a very appropriate setting.


Rather than throwing all the babies out with the bath water, the legislature needed to look at what was working under decentralization and fix what was broken.

Every time we see corruption, ineptitude, paralysis, scandal and patronage up in Albany (and we sure have seen plenty, especially of late!) we don't close the legislature down, level the system, put some autocrat in charge and start over!

Actually, given the last few weeks maybe we should!

But seriously, every time I raised the suggestion of fixing what was broken under the old laws rather than tweaking a way more broken mayoral control system, all I ever heard back was that the public would never stand for anything that sounded like the "bad old days" of local control.

It is the myth of the old system's rampant corruption, dysfunction and chaos that John and Jane Q Public have bought hook, line and sinker that has allowed the shock-doctrine style mayoral control lobbyists, in cahoots with the bought-and-paid-for editorial boards and most of our electeds to push for "control" or autocracy as the easy way out.

I hope you are all keeping track of how the folks we send to Albany to represent us are voting on this.

So far we have 18 courageous champions in the Assembly that deserve our thanks and loyalty.
Keep your eyes on the Senate.

We must take names and kick you-know-what over this issue. Ultimately we get the government we deserve.

Lisa Donlan CEC One