Chicago union election today with potentially shocking results

UPDATE: Sat, May 22: Report from Sharon Schmidt indicated that Marilyn Stewart's UCP Will make the runoff along with CORE.

"At midnight, George reported from the AAA vote count that it looks like there will be a run-off between CORE and UPC. At 5:10 a.m. we are still waiting for final results."

Now we're down to the nitty gritty. If it turns out this way - UPC vs. CORE. All the forces from the AFT, the mayor, the Board of Education, the city and state labor feds, politicians, etc will do what they can to stop CORE. More updates later.

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Sources report the astounding possibility that CTU president Marilyn Stewart's caucus stands an excellent chance to not be one of the final two caucuses to make the runoff when the votes are counted tonight. This is bad news for Randi Weingarten and NYC's total dominance of the AFT, especially if CORE and Debbie Lynch's caucus make the finals.

Lynch supposedly despises Randi. Lynch was president of the CTU when Stewart's Caucus lost 9 years ago but Randi eventually stabbed her in the back to help Stewart take over. CORE is the more radical wing and if they win and join the 20 delegates from Detroit and if Randi fails in stealing the election from Nathan Saunders in DC, watch the fur fly in Seattle at the AFT convention in July. Not that there can be much of a challenge with the 800 Unity Caucus slugs conventionning on our dime, but I may be forced to pack up my trusty video camera and book a ticket to join the fun.

If Stewart gets knocked off it is also bad news for the Mayor Daley/Duncan and successor crowd because they clearly favor a sell-out union. Imagine if you will where BloomKlein would stand if an opposition ever threatened Unity. Squarely with Mulgrew. And it would be fun to see the NY Post jump on the Mulgrew bandwagon if there ever was such a threat.

Chicago is a weather vane for what is going to happen here. Stewart held a big fundraiser with a lot of politico bigwigs showing up and putting some cash on the table. They seem pretty nervous too, as do the other suck-up union leaders around the state. Read this article as Substance for more.

The Chicago union election is run by the AAA like here in NYC, but teachers can only vote today in their schools. AAA couriers come by to pick up the ballot boxes. There is no double envelope to protect the vote, but then again this is Chicago where elections are known to be stolen.

George Schmidt is at the count and will be reporting at Substance all night.

Friday, May 21, 2010, the Chicago Teachers Union will hold the election that may determine who runs the 30,000-member union for the next three years. I say "may" because according to CTU rules, a candidate has to get more than 50 percent of the vote to win. With five slates running on May 21, that is highly unlikely, if not mathematically impossible.

Substance will try to release the first vote count after the votes are tallied Friday night or Saturday, and then provide our readers with the schedule for the runoff election if one is necessary. We have devoted an enormous amount of time and space to the Chicago election because Chicago's version of corporate "school reform" — including the corporate version of "school reform unionism" practiced by the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union under Marilyn Stewart — is the model for much of what is destroying public education in the USA today.

Thanks for tuning in,

George N. Schmidt
Editor, Substance

Charter School Cap About to Come Tumbling Down

We predicted that if Mulgrew won big, the dominoes would start falling. First the rubber rooms. Then the agreement on teacher evaluations. Next, the charter school cap. Today's Daily News tells us (City and teachers union nearly reach deal on charter schools, only for it to fall apart later on) they almost got there yesterday but the deal fell apart. Temporarily I would bet. Watch the UFT blink but dress up the big in a fancy new dress and claim a big victory.

UFT/Unity Caucus shill Peter Goodman is often a bellwether of where the union is heading.

"Teacher unions are on the defensive. The Obama-Duncan symphony blares, states hunger for dollars, and legislatures rapidly fold, state after state is caving and changing laws to make themselves eligible for the Washington “pieces of silver.” Crafty union leaders can use this crisis to extract something, an “apples for oranges” deal. Would a deal for raising the cap justify a teacher retirement incentive? or, abolishing the ATR pool? or, increasing teacher voice on School Leadership Teams?

Sure, crafty union leaders. Have any of you seen a crafty union leader around? Increasing teacher voice on school leadership teams in exchange for lifting the cap? Give me a break. Apples for oranges? More like grapes for prunes!

Evaluate Your Principal

Miss Eyre did at Life at the Morton School. And gave him/her a grade of "developing."

I used to ask my principal friends (yes, I had some) that if their teachers (and parents) could choose, would they choose you? It made them think. Now I have always maintained a key to school reform would be to have principals chosen that way but we will never see that happen.
(Believe it or not, the UFT actually once had that position but abandoned it very early on- the leadership never trusted the rank and file.)

I've maintained from personal observation and 40 years of stories that the percentage of lousy school administrators is way higher than that of lousy teachers, the focus of so much angst among the ed deform crowd. If people are serious about rooting out bad teachers, they must first give priority to rooting out the terrible level of administrators who go after teachers for just about any reason. Or those who are just plain incompetent.


Doesn't anyone scratch their heads as to why the very best teachers in the system are so fierce in defending teacher rights even if it means keeping a few bad apples? That's because they all know so many stories like the current Peter Lamphere tale at Bronx High School of Science.

Peter announced at the Delegate Assembly to stunned silence last week that he has been U-rated. Twice. Now Peter is a math teacher. One of the very best. How do I know? I met another young math teacher who was forced out at Bronx High and now has a job at one of the most prestigious gifted and talented schools in the city. Peter was her mentor (he looks like he's a kid himself - though at my age, everyone looks like a kid). She said he was the best of the best and that she learned more about teaching from him than any training she got.

So how does someone who is the "best of the best" face losing his job for "incompetence" and face potential rubber room isolation?

I told Joel Klein to his face at PEP meetings that allowing these political vendettas against teachers would so muddy the waters that he will have a terrible time getting rid of teachers who might deserve their fate because every single attack on teachers would be suspect.

And so it goes.

Anyone want to send me an evaluation of their principal? But play nice boys and girls. Let's not make it all negative. If you love your principal let us know too.

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Add-ons
Miss Eyre hears so many stories of awful principals that she will live with her current admin even with all the flaws. Also see Miss Eyre's superb post at her other beat at NYC Educator

"Stop Listening to the Teachers' Union! Listen to Parents!": Miss Eyre Agrees

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I had an interesting conversation with a leader of the pro-charter movement the other day and he actually agreed with me - in theory I guess because I don't see any signs that charter school principals would be chosen that way.

Did Joel Klein Tell Principals to Violate Contract and State Law?

We've seen for years that BloomKlein will run rings around just about any loophole they can find. But teachers have felt that layoff by seniority and tenure protections would be fairly sacrosanct unless the UFT blinked - which we know they are perfectly capable of doing. But we've always felt that Tweed has violated so many laws without penalty, why not go here too? Read and weep. Oh, and check out Winnie Hu's piece in today's NY Times Teachers Facing Weakest Market in Years. There are hundreds of people looking for very job available.


From a Chapter Leader, elementary school:
My principal said that she has been directed to lay-off U rated teachers first and then ATR's. I said that my understanding is that it is by seniority. She said, read the Principals' Weekly...it directs principals to lay-off U rated teachers and then ATR's. I said the UFT would file a law suit if they tried to do that and she said that a law suit would take a long time and the DOE would do basically what they want. She said the UFT is silent on this matter as far as she knows. I have heard in a few places that the "memorandum on ATR's allows them only two years for a guaranteed job.

Joel Klein in Principals' Weekly, May 11, 2010

We may be forced to lay off thousands of teachers for the upcoming school year, and State law mandates that we let these teachers go in the reverse order of their seniority. The law does not allow us to consider an individual teacher’s merit, nor does it grant you the authority to make these decisions based on who best meets the needs of your school. This could have a disastrous impact in our schools.

Nobody wants to lay off teachers, but if we are forced to, I believe we must do so in a way that keeps our most effective teachers in the classroom. Rather than letting teachers go in reverse order of seniority, we would first let go the teachers with “unsatisfactory” ratings and those who have been in the ATR pool for a year. Then, I would give you the authority to make decisions about your school’s staffing, using clear, transparent criteria: teacher attendance, student progress, and quality of teaching. Superintendents would review all decisions to make sure they were supported by evidence. This common-sense approach would protect the interests of our students more than the nonsensical seniority-based approach to which we are currently bound.

Responses on ICE-mail:
1. While Klein wants to layoff u rated and ATRs he knows he can't (at least for now). I can't see how a principal can layoff anyone. Perhaps excess, but layoff must be done centrally. It is amazing how the conversation has changed. We were always on the defensive but we are going into new territory.

2. Is there a pattern here? there are rules. there is a contract. there are laws. they don't follow any. they do whatever they want. severe damage is done. the uft shouts into a wilderness. then goes to court or not. we win - but really lose. things are never again the same.


3. Remember how adamant people were about ATR's and selling them down the river - well the city is not even bothering to wait,


Also from PW
Liberal Leave of Absence Policy for 2010-11 Academic Year

The Division of Human Resources is continuing a "liberal leave" policy for the 2010-11 academic year. UFT employees whose leaves are terminating can extend their leaves of absence for child care, for adjustment of personal affairs, or to work in a charter school until September 2011 with the approval of their principals. The employee must still submit a complete application, signed by his or her principal, with supporting documentation to the HR Connect Leaves Administration Office. Please contact HR Connect at (718) 935-4000 if you have any questions.

Charter School Scandals

Our buddy in Oakland, Sharon Higgins, has started a new blog. Check it out. And send her your stories. http://charterschoolscandals.blogspot.com/

UFT Sending in the Clowns

When I received two phone calls from major non-tabloid press within 15 minutes of each other last week asking if the rank and file were restless over the Mulgrew deal on teacher ed evals I responded it was hard to tell but a sign would be a massive invasion of schools by UFT officials to try to spin straw into gold, something they usually succeed in doing.

DAMAGE CONTROL USING THE BUDGET CRISIS AS AN EXCUSE

I received this from a chapter leader who got a message from the District Rep, the overseers of the plantation.

Hi Norm, what did you say about the unity crew coming into the schools? Well here they come. This came from my district rep:

I MUST schedule visits to ALL District xx schools in the next 5 weeks to discuss and get feedback from the membership regarding this budget crisis, starting next week, Monday, May 24th. I will have to do some morning (before school) meetings as well as regular lunch time meetings and afters school meetings. I would like to know your preference of time. If I do not hear from you by the close of business tomorrow), then I will make the schedule and let you know when you MUST have your membership ready for my visit. I will be coming with someone from the [Borough] Office or Central. Already scheduled visits might need to be changed to be able to get to everyone. I need everyone to respond to this email immediately.

Do you detect a tone of desperation? They certainly don't trust the District Reps to handle this on their own. In fact the budget crisis is a way for the UFT leadership to deflect anger over the lack of a union response to the attacks on teachers as the cause of all educational ills. And as part of that attack, the UFT deal on teacher evaluations. And add the double speak that there is too much testing while at the same time continuing to support Joel Klein's cash bonus for test score system. (See Sol Stern's push for the end to these bonus as a way to save teacher jobs.)

A visit to a school by a UFT district rep this week exposed the duplicity of the UFT. Remember Mulgrew telling people at the DA to go to last night's PEP meeting to protest the $5 million being spent in new teacher recruitment in the midst of budget cuts?

I got this email from the CL:

He told us that they didn't want the PEP presence to be "too big" and intimated furloughs to hold off layoffs.

Now that is an interesting direction we are heading. Send in the clowns to soften up the chumps with word that the sky is falling - and follow up with a "plan" to save jobs that means giving up not only potential raises that everyone else has gotten, but possibly much more.

I am thinking that BloomKlein are as desperate to avoid layoffs as the UFT because unless they get seniority killed, they will lose all their recent Teach for America people. So behind the scenes they and the UFT leadership are playing good cop, bad cop with the rank and file to see how far they can push them into giving back enough to save the BloomKlein babies.

Intrigue
By the way, a friend had an intriguing response to those 2 phone calls from reporters who represent two of the most prestigious papers in the nation. "Someone up top must be asking some questions," she said. "People above the level of reporters want to know if Mulgrew is vulnerable to rank and file unrest and are digging around to root it out." I protested that she is going too far into conspiracy theories for me. "The reporters are basically low-level innocents," she said. "But for you to get these calls so close together is not just coincidence."

Obama Admin Connected to Anti-Teacher Union Ads?

I got a call from a retired teacher yesterday asking for ICE. He said he had done some research on the anti-UFT ads and traced them to some Obama administration operatives. Here is the email he sent me as a follow-up.

Re: keepgreatteachers.org. ads against seniority.

It appears the Obama administration or its operatives are behind these ads.

1. The phone# 212 561-8730 for this org. belongs according to the White pages Dunn Squier and Knapp Squier(home phone).

2. A google search of Dunn Squier results in Squier Knapp Dunn Communications info on its merge with Knickerbocker SKD to form SKDKnickerbocker.

3. Management includes William Knapp, Anita Dunn and Stefan Friedman.

4. Anita Dunn was Obama's communications director for his Presidential campaign.

5. According to Wikipedia, Anita Dunn is married to Robert Bauer who is Obama's personal attorney.

6. The home page of the communications firm is: WWW.skdknick.com. Check out the management info to verify info above.


Who will you support for president in 2012?

Click pics to enlarge

Taking Down Steve Brill and Sunday Times Mag

The upcoming Steve Brill hit job on the UFT in the upcoming Sunday Times Mag is causing a stir minutes after being passed around.

One of the amazing things about Leonie Haimson is that she can take a sleazy character like Steve Brill and pull his piece apart just minutes after publication.

Now an interesting thing about Brill was that he met with Brian Jones from GEM (Grassroots Education Movement) and ISO (International Socialist Org). Brian teaches at PS 30 in Harlem which is an Harlem Success Academy invaded school and certainly he has a point of view that is counter to what Brill is pushing. Brill wanted to go to the school but they were smart enough not to let him in to do his hatchet job despite the fact that the DOE tried to lobby for him.

But you will never see a balanced view in a Brill piece. Another badge of shame for the Times.

And by the way, the UFT flails around helplessly while parents like Leonie show some spine. Take this point from the Brill piece:

Next to Mulgrew was his press aide, Richard Riley. “Suppose you decide that Riley is lazy or incompetent,” I asked Mulgrew. “Should you be able to fire him?” “He’s not a teacher,” Mulgrew responded. “And I need to be able to pick my own person for a job like that.” Then he grinned, adding: “I know where you’re going, but you don’t understand. Teachers are just different.”

Why Mulgrew would talk to a hack like Brill is beyond me. Did Mulgrew say more and have Brill leave the rest out? Possibly. Then let's see the UFT be more articulate in defense of the kinds of protections we have and need. By the way, Riley has had numerous stints as UFT press aide in what seems like a revolving door.

Leonie takes down Meryl Tisch: Tisch says the bill was a product of the UFT’s “poison pills” against the charter school industry, which is ridiculous.

God. You just had to see how Mulgrew waxed poetic about how wonderful Tisch was at the Delegate Assembly. Pathetic pandering. He doesn't tell the delegates that Tisch is Bloomberg's next door neighbor and spends Passover with Joel Klein.


Here is Leonie's email to her listserve (and make sure to follow her advice to leave a comment at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/magazine/23Race-t.html?hp


The Sunday Times magazine has posted blatant propaganda in the Sunday NY Times magazine section, in the form of one of the most inaccurate and biased articles I have ever seen. It is written by Steve Brill, who did an unfair piece for the New Yorker on the rubber rooms. It seems as though one can make a pretty decent career now in hack journalism, as long as you attack the UFT.

The article blames all our educational problems on the union (as usual); doesn’t mention any of the controversial charter co-locations that are squeezing space from our regular public schools; doesn’t mention any of the charter school financial scandals, or their abuse of student and parent rights, the opposition of the charter school industry to audits, or the hedge fund guys who are driving these policies.

Except for the exception of Michael Mulgrew, he managed to interview only members of the pro-privatization crowd.

He quotes Merryl Tisch who squeals about how awful the Assembly bill that would require parent input into co-locations and would allow the Comptroller to audit the use of public funds at these schools. Tisch says the bill was a product of the UFT’s “poison pills” against the charter school industry, which is ridiculous.

Most blatantly, Brill claims that the students at PS 149 are exactly the same students at the co-located Harlem Success Academy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/magazine/23Race-t.html?hp

Excerpt:

P.S. 149 is rated by the city as doing comparatively well in terms of student achievement and has improved since Mayor Michael Bloomberg took over the city’s schools in 2002 and appointed Joel Klein as chancellor. Nonetheless, its students are performing significantly behind the charter kids on the other side of the wall. To take one representative example, 51 percent of the third-grade students in the public school last year were reading at grade level, 49 percent were reading below grade level and none were reading above. In the charter, 72 percent were at grade level, 5 percent were reading below level and 23 percent were reading above level. In math, the charter third graders tied for top performing school in the state, surpassing such high-end public school districts as Scarsdale. Same building. Same community. Sometimes even the same parents.

Here Brill is parroting Eva Moskowitz, who in NY Magazine claimed that “The children in proximate zoned schools, she insists, “are the same kids we have.”

Really? 20% of the kids at PS 149 are special education students; and 40% of these are the most severely disabled, in self-contained classes. 81% are poor enough to receive free lunch, and 13% are English Language Learners. In 2008 (the latest available data) more than 10% were homeless.

Instead of 81% free lunch, 49% of the students at Harlem Success Academy are poor, a difference of 32 percentage points.

There are only 2% English Language Learners at the charter school; compared to 13% at PS 149 --more than six times as many.

HSA claims to have 16.9% special education students, compared to 20% at PS 149, and of these, few if any are the most severely disabled.

And I can find no mention of how many are homeless, but according to state data, few if any of the 50,000 homeless kids in NYC public schools are enrolled in charters.

The article also ignores the rampant counseling out of high needs students out of the HSA schools; so common as to be widely reported in the press, including in the NY Magazine, which reported the following;

http://nymag.com/news/features/65614/index4.html

At her school alone, the Harlem Success teacher says, at least half a dozen lower-grade children who were eligible for IEPs have been withdrawn this school year. If this account were to reflect a pattern, Moskowitz’s network would be effectively winnowing students before third grade, the year state testing begins. “The easiest and fastest way to improve your test scores,” observes a DoE principal in Brooklyn, “is to get higher-performing students into your school.” And to get the lower-performing students out.

English Language Learners (ELLs) are another group that scores poorly on the state tests—and is grossly underrepresented at Success. The network’s flagship has only ten ELLs, or less than 2 percent of its population, compared to 13 percent at its co-located zoned school. The network enrolls 51 ELLs in all, yet, as of last fall, provided no certified ESL teacher to support them.

This New York magazine article received over 240 comments, many of them by former teachers and parents at HSA, writing about the overwhelming predominance of test prep and the high number of students pushed out or counseled out of the school. The fact that Steven Brill and his editors at the Times didn’t see the need to provide accurate data or a less biased depiction of this issue is not just shocking; it represents journalistic malpractice.

The rapid expansion of charter schools is leading to our public schools becoming more concentrated with high needs students, while taking away valuable funds and space from our public school system, at a time when already their budgets have been slashed to the bone. Do we need more privatization and more profit making off our students? Should the guys who brought our financial system to the ground also be allowed to bring our public education system to the ground?

Go leave a comment now here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/magazine/23Race-t.html?hp

CORE In Chicago Sued Duncan Over Loss of Black Teachers

His claim he wants to recruit more black teachers wears thin in light of his history in Chi-town.

CORE is running in the Chicago Teacher Union election this Friday. I was with a group of them in LA this past summer. The fact they filed this suit may be a factor in the election.

Here is a link to their blog items on the suit.

http://coreteachers.com/category/legal-action/

By the way, BloomKlein have also presided over the loss of black teachers in NYC. A cup of civil rights, anyone?

From PURE in Chicago…

Subject: Despite CORE EEOC complaint, Duncan claims he wants more black teachers

I just ran across an article that once again proves that Arne Duncan is the worst hypocrite in DC - and that's quite an achievement for someone who's only been there for a couple of years.

http://pureparents.org/index.php?blog/show/Duncans_campaign_to_recruit_black_teachers_

It ranks right up there in gall with Arne's "Dr. King would want you to compete and win" speech to students at Ebenezer Baptist Church last year (http://pureparents.org/index.php?blog/show/Since_when_does_nonviolence_mean_compete_and_win)

Duncan's "campaign to recruit black teachers"

In weeding out some older e-mails, I came across this report out of New Orleans in which I learned that that Fed Ed Head Arne Duncan claims he wants more black teachers in our schools.

According to nola.com, it's become a "theme" for Duncan this year:

In February, Duncan told leaders of historically black colleges and universities that "we have far too few teachers of color. Only 2 percent, one in 50 teachers today are African-American males. Something is fundamentally wrong with that picture."

Although he didn't spell it out on Friday, Duncan's campaign to recruit more black teachers may be driven by research that found improved test scores for black students who spend at least a year with a black teacher. In past speeches he's mentioned that black teachers are more likely than their white peers to want to work in high-poverty, high-needs schools, the front line for closing what he calls the nation's "insidious achievement gap" between white and black students.

Well, I have a "theme " for you, Arne - why don't you look for some of those black teachers in your own #%&*! back yard, where you buried them?

During his time as CEO of CPS, Duncan oversaw the loss of nearly 2500 African-American teachers, while the numbers of CPS teachers in all other racial groups increased. Take a look at this PURE chart from 2009.

The situation Duncan created became so egregious that CORE filed a federal discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which will decide any day now if they will send the case to the Justice Department for prosecution.

CHARTER SCHOOL PARENTS PROTEST DUNCAN’S VISIT TO NYC CHARTER SCHOOL

UPDATED May 19, 9am

"Now I understand how it is that Secretary Duncan says there is zero opposition to his charter school proposals. Today, Secretary Duncan deemed me a zero.”

Leslie-Ann Byfield, charter school parent

"Uncommon Schools does not allow Parent Associations of any kind. We have been helping a parent at the Kings Collegiate School for several months. We need far more transparency and a voice for parents at all charter schools, to stop their abusive practices. Secretary Duncan should explain what he is going to do to ensure that corporate chicanery, corruption and financial mismanagement does not happen at charter schools, and should have addressed the plight of the parents at Kings Collegiate when he visited that school. That would show he truly cares about our children!"

Mona Davids, President of the NY Charter Parents Association

May 18, 4pm

Arne was in town today to visit his Chicago school gangsterism on 3 schools in Brooklyn. Interesting story in the Daily News on Randi Weingarten's involvement in forcing Duncan to change his schedule - which gives you pause as to who is running the UFT. One would have thought Mulgrew would take the lead on that. But Randi may have been feeling that she was no longer loved in NYC and had to jump in to get a little local pub.

Now it is interesting how the Daily News article mentions a parent who loves the harsh discipline at KC. Just the kind of thing Arne and Barack love for children – that are not their own. I can imagine the Obamas' reaction if their children were subjected to zero tolerance. And imagine how they would love not having to waste time having a PA at their school.

I got there at 12:40 to meet Leonie and some parents just as the press was being allowed in and I decided to join them as a reporter for the Wave. I mean, it was raining pretty hard and it doesn't take much to move me from activist protester to reporter. Bloomberg, Klein, Duncan, political hangers on like Malcolm Smith, etc. were all present. Duncan is tall and Bloomberg is short. Klein is - well - you know. Numbnuts.

I saw my favorite Tweed press crew who vouched for me since I left my Wave press pass home. I had a nice conversation, as I always have, with James Merriman who heads the NYC Charter School Center. We agree on so much. And so little. But I'll delve into that some other time.

The public school in the building is Somers MS, but that part of the building didn't get visited. Maybe next life. As the charter school grows Michael Kay will be brought in from the Yankee games to say "See ya" to Somers.

Leonie Haimson, Khem Irby and Leslie-Ann Byfield did get there and came up but were told this was only for press and went down to wait. I was trailing the pack and missed Khem and Leslie confronting Duncan but I do have some other video which I will cut and post on you tube later with a link to this post.

See the updated press release from Leonie and her account of the day at the NYCParent Blog:

Waiting in the rain for Arne: my day with charter parents

And check out NYC Educator's take on Duncan:

Duncan Doesn't Think Anyone Opposes Charter Schools

The Skeleton in Arne Duncan's Closet
Bracey is gone but his words live on through Substance from Susan Ohanian

http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=616

Thanks to David Bellel for the graphic.

Peoples Education Tribunal

An interesting idea from Sam Anderson:

In the not too distant future (Fall 2010?), I suggest that we NYC progressive educators, parents, students, community activists and our organizations need to COLLECTIVELY organize a Peoples Education Tribunal that lays out the crimes being committed in the name of public education by these privateers. This Peoples Education Tribunal would also outline viable solutions to help retain and enhance public education for all.

We would document this historic event and help publicize it throughout our neighborhoods and across the nation.

I know that this suggestion adds an extra layer of work tonnage upon all of us who are already overworked with our current Movement Multitasking. But, we need to show in popular ways that what is being passed as "advance education reform" is actually "criminal education deform." From the White House to City Hall, we are bombarded with daily dis-information/mis-information and outright lies about the education crisis and its solution to such an extent that for many folks dis-information/mis-information and outright lies become TRUTHS.

This education tribunal would be grounded in the foundation that "Education is a Human Right"... and would be structured in such a way that we would include national and international judges whose expertise in education and Human Rights Law would be renown.

In Struggle,

Sam Anderson

---------------------------------------
s. e. anderson is author of "The Black Holocaust for Beginners"
Social Activism is not a hobby: it's a Lifelong Commitment.
www.blackeducator.org

The UFT is now soliciting opinions on Teacher Eval Agreement....

...and chapter leader John Elfrank responds

1. NEGATIVE: It’s a foot in the door for using Standardized Tests and Merit Pay.


2. NEGATIVE: The new system claims to eliminate what the UFT describes as a totally subjective system. Yet, seven of the eight criteria are the same. The UFT says the addition of an eighth criterion (test scores) changes everything. Can’t we find less subjective criteria other than standardized test scores? It’s gonna count for 40%! The UFT says it “limits the influence of state tests on teacher performance evaluations”, it actually INTRODUCES state tests into teacher performance evaluation. Anything less than 100% is a “limit”.


3. NEGATIVE: Since there’s still much that has to be “negotiated” the agreement will only lose some of what appeal it does have. For example, 40 of the eval will be test scores% for starters.


4. NEGATIVE: There are no specifics about how peer review would work, how test scores will be used.


5. NEGATIVE: The contract is NOT enforced now regarding Art. 8, so why should we assume the UFT will enforce what is in our best interests regarding this agreement? For example, if the UFT doesn’t want a “gotcha” system, why doesn’t it challenge the informal observations put in our files and used to U rate us? Read Teaching for the 21st Century… You’d never know it was meant to apply to our members. It was supposed to eliminate the “gotcha” observation.


6. NEGATIVE: Lead Teacher wannabes will compete with their colleagues, not cooperate. After all, it’s who ranks at the top that will get the lead teacher gig.


7. POSITIVE: is that if negations fail the old system remains in place, as would be expected with a contract.


8. POSITIVE: Growth model assessment seems to be the best model if you have to go with standardized testing.


9. POSITIVE: Teacher improvement plan looks like it will be specific and transparent. Again, depending upon what is negotiated.


These negotiations need to take place in full view of the membership in order to invite member feedback. Secret negotiations are only meant to keep the membership in the dark .

BOTTOM LINE: Teaching to the test will take on a new urgency. Gone will be creative pedagogy. Close the Teacher Centers, they’ll be a waste of money. We will all be in the test prep business.


John Elfrank-Dana
UFT Chapter Leader
Murry Bergtraum High School

The Future of Teacher Unionism in the United States: Striving to be Like Mexico

Looking at the local and national picture I see the future of the UFT/AFT as a company union – like the national teachers union in Mexico which serves to control the members by deflecting militancy, attacking people within who oppose them and government policies and co-opting any movement that seeks to challenge their control. Of course there would be some dissident movements arising, with Oaxaca being the epicenter a few years ago.

In places like Mexico and Honduras, teacher activists are murdered (five teachers have been murdered since June 28.) In NYC we're far from there yet, but people like Chapter Leader Peter Lamphere at Bronx Science get U ratings - a career death. (See below for a piece from our DA report.*)

There has been some debate going on internally amongst progressive oppositionists in the UFT over whether the UFT is a company union.

There are 2 strands of thought.

One is that no matter how bad the leadership is, it is still our union and we have to function within it - at delegate assemblies and other union bodies to try to get the Unity leadership to move, even if a little. That we have to keep fighting to change the union. Teachers for a Just Contract and the International Socialist -ISO- though I hate to speak for them, seem to represent this point of view. ICE I would say is split on the issue.

The other POV is that the UFT functions like a company union and should be viewed as part of the enemy camp. They say a parallel union should be built within. Some even call for eventual desertification of the UFT and start anew. (I can't see how that is even possible. The anti-COPE - UNTIL WE GET A VOTE, SAY NO TO COPE!- scenario I published this weekend is indicative of that movement.) No matter how much the proud 9% dissenter vote grows, Unity will never give up power even if they have to use illegal means (as you will see below with the situation in DC).

Accountable Talk has a very potent diatribe - I Want Out. But where does that leave us standing? He calls for finding another union. But until we can grow an opposition to Unity beyond the 9 percenters, we have nothing to work with. Besides, what union in this country do you like? The NEA? Joe Hill's defiant "Don't mourn, organize," is still valid a century later. Nothing will happen until people start organizing. And it starts at the school level. The UFT says it wants to do that too, but they want to control and manage and channel these efforts where they want it to go. Like if the teachers in your school want to organize over the UFT sellout on teacher evals, that's a no-no. (See the previous post on the June 4th picket - significant in that it is organizing at the grassroots level and not controlled by the UFT, though expect some attempt to coopt.)

There is much more to say about these 2 positions (both of which I straddle) but right now I'll leave it there. We are in the early stages of planning a forum to discuss the role of the UFT/AFT vis a vis the ed deform movement (by the way, I'm taking official credit for coining the "ed deform" phrase during an interview I did on WBAI last year. Please out it on my tombstone,)

One reason I report so much on what is happening on the national scene (and international scene), and the role the AFT led by Randi Weingarten plays, is that there are so many implications for us here. (I can't get to it here but there has been a lot of action in Detroit and Cleveland.) With two local union leadership races going on right now in Chicago and Washington DC, watching how the AFT deals with these elections is instructive for us.

Candi Peterson reports from her blog on this astounding fact: the president of the Washington Teachers Union, George Parker, did not submit petitions to run for re-election, figuring he didn't have to follow the rules of his own union. I guess he figured Randi would bail him out. And so she will. Here is a section from Candi's report:

WTU rank and file members believe that AFT's national president Randi Weingarten will resort to illegal means to keep George Parker in power at any cost even if it means over ruling a WTU constitutional requirement that states that petitions for the election of union officers be submitted on the last working day in April. Even though Randi Weingarten stated in our May 10 meeting that she only wants to 'get in and out' in order to assist the WTU with the elections committee process, let's watch what Randi does in the days ahead. I believe Randi will do whatever it takes to undermine the ability of the other presidential candidates likelihood of success, particularly Nathan Saunders because she fears opposition from him to the WTU Tentative Agreement. With WTU George 'sell out' Parker at the helm, there is a greater probability that the WTU T.A. will be ratified.

Imagine if Randi didn't bail out Parker, who should not be allowed to run. Her deal with Rhee on the contract would be dead in the water. There were reports that Randi was even looking to stuff the contract vote ballot into the same envelope as the election ballot.

Here is a cogent comment from Lindsey on Candi's blog:

We have got to be able to sue the American Federation of Teachers if they try to get away with this scam. How dare them! How dare Ms. Weingarten, who rides in after negotiating a debacle in New York City, to help Parker carry his water at the WTU. If GP is allowed on the ballot, then what good are the rules? How is it that he is the only one who couldn't get his petitions in on time? Or is it that he couldn't get enough people to sign his candidate's petition or be on his slate after the mess he has created at the WTU. Let' just stop this craziness. GP, if you have an ounce of dignity left, why don't you recall yourself - before you sacrifice the rest of us at the slaughterhouse. I am ashamed of you and Ms. Weingarten.

The election in Chicago is Friday. George Schmidt's Substance has been covering the race. Not surprisingly, union president Marilyn Stewart was charged by former CTU president and current candidate Deborah Lynch:

Stewart colluded with the CBOE to ban campaigning in schools.

“Much to our amazement, in the board’s response they said they issued the ban at the demand of CTU leadership, and to support their response they included a whole bunch of e-mails congratulating the board for issuing the ban and ratting myself and other candidates out for going to schools trying to get petitions signed and literature passed out,” Lynch said. “That was appalling in itself.”

Stewart asked CPS officials to shut down e-mail in November because “some [union] members and former members are abusing the system with political garbage. Enough is enough,” she wrote in an email obtained by Lynch’s lawyers.

You see, they will try use any means necessary. Just watch where BloomKlein and even the NY Post comes down if an anti-Unity movement ever gets going that promises to be more militant.

Our friends in CORE are actively campaigning. There are 6 caucuses running. If CORE (or even Lynch) gets into the runoff against the Unity-like leadership, watch Randi and the AFT jump in to make sure they don't win because if they do it has national implications as a sign that after 15 years of mayoral control in Chicago teachers will have had it with sellout union leadership.

Gee, only 8 more years of BloomKlein-like policies and UFT sellouts and we might see a threat to Unity here. Imagine 700 charter schools by then and UFT membership cut by 40% and members having to pay $2000 a year in dues to keep the Unity machine well-oiled. My guess is the UFT will give away whatever is left of the store if they are allowed to organize true-company charter school unions as a way to keep up their membership and dues sources. You know, sending 800 Unity slugs to Seattle isn't cheap.

If we see a CORE-like movement start up here in NYC, Unity goons will be given the right to bear arms.


*Peter Lamphere, Bronx HS of Science Chapter leader spoke very effectively. "There is not one rubric my principal can't figure out how to get around." There was a hush in the room when Peter, one of the best math teachers there is (students and other teachers rave about him,) said he had gotten 2 U ratings. If there was one statement that put the whole thing in context, that was it. The UFT can't even protect their chapter leaders from the vicious attacks. Chapter leaders who are renowned teachers. In some unions, the orchestrated attack on shop stewards, the glue of the union, would be a strikeable offense. The Peter Lamphere context is what makes this agreement a joke, no matter what it says on paper. A good chunk of the rank and file is living in fear of principals from hell. And that is what will inform their reaction [to the teacher eval system] over time.

Informational pickets before or after school on Friday June 4th against budget cuts and layoffs

It started in one elementary school in Brooklyn. Teachers began meeting at lunch hour a few months ago to discuss issues educators were facing. They reached out to parents on some of the issues of concern to them. As the budget crisis grew, they began to zero in on that issue. They decided to hold an informational rally/picket before school on June 4.

Word spread though the GEM organizing committee. The key ingredient was that each June 4 event would be homegrown locally based on issues the school was facing, not centrally directed. Truly from the grass roots. Other schools began to pick up the theme.

There was no stress on numbers. Even if a few showed up that would be viewed in a positive manner. An important aspect was to chronicle the event with a follow-up report and some pictures/video to be posted on the GEM blog. And continue building school organizing committees for the future.

It has become increasingly clear. There will little left of a public school system or a functioning union unless people start taking action at the school level, with a long term goal of bringing it all together.

On Saturday, May 29, some of the schools will be gathering in Prospect Park from 1:30-4:30 for a sign making/picnic/unifying event. (Look for details on the Ed Notes and GEM blogs.)

Here is a blurb sent out by one school with a sample flier.

A number of schools have been organizing to have informational pickets before or after school on Friday June 4th against budget cuts and layoffs or any other issues they want to highlight. We encourage education workers to come out even if 3 or 4 people hand out leaflets in front of their schools. You can be as creative as you want to be in this process, namely, distributing buttons, bumper stickers, your school's brochure etc.

Do something on that day to express opposition to the budget cuts and layoffs. Budget cuts and layoffs are part and parcel of the attacks against public education and public school educators. It is an attempt by the powers-that-be to solve the financial crisis they created - by squandering the social wealth - on our backs. This is unacceptable.

In Unity, there is Strength.

Let us all stand up together to defend public education!

Here's an example that you may use to promote the June 4th action at your school; it was originally produced by the staff of a school in Brooklyn; you may be able to adapt it for your school to promote June 4th; share your own ideas with us too:

Parents and Concerned Community Members!

JUNE 4^th 7:30 am – 8:30 am

Join PS 24 Staff and Families for a Picket on 4^th ave (bet. 37^th/38th st.) to protest budget cuts and teacher layoffs!

Actions also planned at: PS 15K, PS 30M, PS 197M, Jamaica High School, Prospect Heights International High School and a growing list of school communities

Let your voice be heard!

Budget cuts from the city and state will directly affect our children!

The cuts will...

· Greatly increase already overcrowded classrooms by eliminating thousands of teacher jobs.

· Eliminate important programs from after-school to art.

· Impact the crucial support services your children receive.

· Reduce access to supplies like books and technology.

DON’T BE FOOLED!

The $700,000,000 grants being offered by the federal government

CANNOT BE USED TO COVER THE STATE or CITY BUDGET DEFICIT!

TAX WALL STREET BONUSES and a MILLIONAIRES TAX!

See www.fairsharereform.org

Parents, teachers and our communities did not create this financial crisis! Wall Street did! We bailed them out!

We want our money back for education!

UNTIL WE GET A VOTE, SAY NO TO COPE!

Updated 9pm

I've heard calls for people to start refusing to give to COPE for decades and have generally not gone along. Some people think that even if the Unity/UFT machine sucks, there is still a need for some political action mechanism even if they use it in a fucked up way. I of course don't agree and have never given to COPE (except for that quarter I flipped at my Unity chapter leader so he could get one of those funky awards they give out for 100% COPE contributions.

Besides. getting out of COPE is harder than pulling King Arthur's pulling Excalibur from the stone.

But maybe the time has come.

Elizabeth Green (where have you been?) posted the item below at Gotham. Very intriguing that she would help promote the withdrawal from COPE movement. The person who wrote the email says to contact him for the withdrawal form. By the time you get that processed by the UFT - they tend to lose these forms - we will have 92% of a teacher's rating be due to test scores. Numbnuts Klein's secret goal to top Mulgrew's vote total.

I have a better idea. Tell your local Unity hack you want to change how much you are giving to COPE. Then turn it in with a nickel listed. It will cost you about a buck a year and will have just as much an impact as total withdrawal. Though it will keep your Unity chapter leader eligible for the 100% contribution awards.

UPDATE from a correspondent.....

Change the nickel per pay period to one cent. That will make the year's contribution 24 cents. Not even enough for a phone call. For that you just need a BLANK cope card, not the pre-printed ones. If a thousand folks did that, it would result in a 10 buck per pay period gain in cope. a stinging message.



Posted at Gotham:

One educator’s trash, another’s treasure
by Elizabeth Green

Earlier this week, a source sent us the following e-mail, topped with the subject line “going around the school system.” Funny how one group says “THE END OF TEACHING AS WE KNOW IT!” and means crisis, while another says essentially the same thing and means progress.

Here’s the e-mail:

THE END OF TEACHING AS WE KNOW IT!

Michael Mulgrew (The Antichrist of teaching)

The following are two paragraphs directly from the UFT/NYSUT press release:

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said, “The current teacher evaluation system doesn’t work for teachers - it’s too subjective, lacks specific criteria, and is too dependent on the whims and prejudices of principals. We worked with the State Education Department to create a more objective system that would apply across the state, with strict limits on the role of standardized tests.”

Under the proposed system, teachers and principals would receive one of four ratings: “highly effective,” “effective,” “developing,” or “ineffective.” The evaluations would play a significant role in a wide array of employment decisions, including professional development, tenure determinations, selection for leadership opportunities, supplemental compensation based on a career ladder, and termination. The goal is to construct an evaluation system that can be customized to the professional development needs of every teacher.

It’s quite clear that this will lead to a “merit pay” system.

Now he’s agreed to end the Rubber Rooms(making it far easier and quicker for the DOE to fire teachers) and we will have a new evaluation system that will CLEARLY lead to “merit pay.”

What did we get for all of OUR giving? Nothing. We have no contract, no extra pay and we didn’t even vote on any of this…some union! Every other NYC union and even the MTA got 4% raises over the current 2-year period.

The only feasible way to fight this is to end your COPE payments. If you want the form see me.

UNTIL WE GET A VOTE, SAY NO TO COPE!

Follow-up comment from a vet Chapter Leader:

I would caution ANYONE to get the form from the cope office. For a number of reasons.
1. It spreads panic if there are a lot or a steady stream.
2. You get the authentic form ( I think it is the "B" card)
3. As it will take a bunch of pay periods to go into effect, there is less of a chance for screw ups. I always believe in going to the horse's mouth.

I cannot stress enough that the card should be gotten from the cope office.

Context

UPDATED: 2pm, May 14

That is what Michael Mulgrew and the Unity machine have left out. Context.

One of their main arguments was to point to the NY Post claims that Klein opposes the plan vehemently. "He's up in Albany right now trying to get it defeated," said one top union official. "If Joel Klein is against it, I am for it," said Michael Mendel. Peter Goodman is pushing the same line. Check out this very funny title of his blog post:

The Dynamic Duo: Tisch and Steiner Seize the Education Agenda, A New Teacher Evaluation System Created and Supported by Teacher Unions.

I found it hysterical when Mulgrew went over the top praising Meryl Tisch and David Steiner: It was wonderful working with these people at the state and so different from working with numbnuts- er - Klein. "These people really know education," he said. Sure, Meryl spent 30 minutes teaching kindergarten in a Hebrew school.

Does Mulgrew really expect us to fall for this? Tisch lives next door to Bloomberg (we were picketing her too in Jan.), is a major ed deformer and has numbnuts Klein at her Passover sedar.

Next time Joel asks the 4 Questions:

How is this sellout by the UFT different from all other sellouts?

The UFT knows it is being good-copped and bad-copped and tries to sell this crap to the members. You can only sell the same piece of cheap costume jewelry so many times.

Then they tell you that the teacher has some rights to deal with the principal. Oh sure, teachers will sit down with the principal. "They can't be forced to do anything they don't want to," they said. As I said to one of the top members of the leadership, "What world are you guys living in? Do you have a clue as to what is going on in the schools?" Ten minutes after the teacher tells the principal 'No thank you', whammo- verbal abuse charges. "You didn't tell that child how nice she looked. Rubber room. Oh, sorry, no more rubber room. We'll just fire you in 60 days."

The UFT has proved time and again they can't protect anyone. As I said, "Context."

If we trusted BloomKlein, or even the UFT leadership, the plan might even be a good one. But there is always context. On paper every football play works. In the reality of the NYC DOE, all balls are in the air.

They talk about a growth model for students. Meaning value-added, which has been much discredited. See Leonie Haimson's analysis I posted a few days ago (UFT Prepares Giant Vat of Kool Aid for Delegate Assembly). Interesting that a parent activist does the real work of presenting the issue honestly while the UFT sells their narrow self-interest to the members.

When the question was raised as to why this contract change is not going to the membership, Michael Mendel said: We didn’t go to the membership. We are the leaders of the union.

Of course they don't dare go to the membership as at this point there is major outrage. They need time to massage the members by sending out their troops to the schools. (By the way, that will be an indication of just how worried they are - a sudden appearance of every working stiff at 52 Broadway and from the borough offices and the district reps in the schools, the way they had to do it in the 2005 contract vote.)

The vote was overwhelming for the new teacher evaluation system at the Delegate Assembly on Wednesday. A slam dunk for Mulgrew and the Unity machine (see anon comment below on how Unity controls the DA). Even opposition people thought Mulgrew did an effective job of quelling the doubts even if they weren't convinced. But remember, the DA is a Unity body. That there were doubts in the first place withing the machine is indicative of some shakiness. But it is always easy for the leadership to calm the Unity gang. They have a vested interest in supporting all leadership positions.

What has to be understood is that it is very important for the leadership to make sure the caucus is on board because it is their job to sell it to the rank and file.

Some opposition people spoke. Peter Lamphere, Bronx HS of Science Chapter leader spoke very effectively. "There is not one rubric my principal can't figure out how to get around." There was a hush in the room when Peter, one of the best math teachers there is (students and other teachers rave about him, said he had gotten 2 U ratings.

If there was one statement that put the whole thing in context, that was it. The UFT can't even protect their chapter leaders from the vicious attacks. Chapter leaders who are renowned teachers. In some unions, the orchestrated attack on shop stewards, the glue of the union, would be a strikeable offense. Context.

The Peter Lamphere context is what makes this agreement a joke, no matter what it says on paper. A good chunk of the rank and file is living in fear of principals from hell. And that is what will inform their reaction to this deal over time.

So where does the mass of teachers out there in the schools stand? I think it will take the actual implementation horror story to play itself out over the next year before we get the full reaction. Will senior, higher payed teachers start disappearing - something the UFT will do its best to cover up?

I thought it interesting that I got two phone calls within 15 minutes yesterday from reporters from major top level publications asking about rank and file reaction. While I am usually a skeptic about the r&f because I have seen the Unity machine sell just about anything in the schools, these calls raised my antenna. These reporters must have been sniffing something out. I was asked whether I detected any negative reaction within the Unity machine itself. There are a few signs but not enough to create problems for Mulgrew. The real job of the school based Unity people will be to see how their members react. I have been polling some of the activist in schools with Unity chapter leaders to see how it is going for them. Something worth watching.


Other Reactions:

Jeff Kaufman
Not surprisingly the Q&A left out the expedited dismissal procedures of the new agreement. In fact their spin make the new agreement look so good it’s a wonder we didn’t agree to this years ago.

Philip Nobile
The low point of the DA was the highpoint of Unity arrogance and emptiness. Sounding like gangster union head Johnny Friendly in On the Waterfront, UFT Secretary Michael Mendel squashed skeptics bellowing: “Yes, we didn’t go to the membership [on the secret teacher evaluation deal]. We are the leaders of the union.” Translation: If you don’t like the deal, drop dead.

An anon CL
I was surprised at how the delegates accepted this evaluation thing. There were plenty of dissenters, myself included, but I didn't get a chance to ask a question. I also have issues with the way these things are run. They plant their special reps in the crowd to help move the mass along. I can't tell you how many times the crowd was absolutely silent and a Tool-in-a-suit would start clapping softly at one of Mulgrew's talking points. This soft clapping prompted clapping from the people around him and gave the impression that the people were more in favor of this all than they seemed to be. I hate the politics of the Union and makes me want to resign my CL-ship. I stick around for my members, but that's all I work for.

Another anon CL
Perhaps I should bring some Vaseline to the DA on Wednesday for the big screw. I feel ashamed today.


Add-ons
Other bloggers are on a rampage.

Perdido Street School has 3 posts, calling one union leader a "bald-headed pimp." (Hmmm. My principal used to call Randi a whore for selling out.)

Mr. A Talk: the Q and A fails to mention you're terminated 60 days after two unfavorable rating.

Chaz had a running battle on his blog with 58 comments:
Is This The Beginning Of The End For Seniority Protections? Is Teacher Tenure Next?


NYC Educator pin his post From the Folks Who Brought You the 2005 Contract

After having read voices like Diane Ravitch and Aaron Pallas on "value-added" measures of teacher effectiveness, I'm fairly convinced that there is no way to use it effectively. That's one reason I was wary to see the UFT get into bed with Bill Gates and his "Measures of Effective Teaching" program.

It appears the "teacher input" is restricted to those who control the union--the folks who brought us the 05 contract which was the best thing since sliced bread (which is highly overrated when you consider all those artisan breads you can bring home and cut yourself.) The best I can see is if we don't reach an agreement, the old arrangement stays in place. If we do reach an agreement, watch the eraser sales at Staples quadruple as teachers and administrators all over the state scramble to inflate scores.

And so it goes.

The UFT Q&A spinning straw into gold machine is at: http://www.uft.org/news/teacher/qa/teacher-evaluation/

Report on oral arguments -- school closings lawsuit -UFT vs DOE

Thurs. May 13, 2010

Reported by Richard Barr to the NYCEDNEWS listserve.

Oral arguments in the City's appeal of the State Supreme Court Decision by Judge Joan Lobis -- which blocked the DOE from its threatened closing of 19 schools -- were heard today in the State's Appellate Division, at 27 Madison ave., Manhattan.

The case is known as Mulgrew vs. Board of Ed.

An expanded version of the report that appeared in this space is now available on the NYC Parent blog.

Report from the UFT Delegate Assembly

John Elfrank-Dana, Chapter Leader
Murry Bergtraum High School

5/12/2010

I expected a rancorous evening and that’s what I got. With the news about the UFT agreeing to a teacher evaluation plan that includes student test scores I knew there would be a hard sell by Mulgrew to the independents present. Never a problem for the Unity Caucus faithful as they would be prepared to tow the line.

The report came out in the Times about the new scheme which describe a total test component of 40% of your evaluation (25% from state exams and 15% from local). Mulgrew went to work saying that was misleading ( I have attached the UFT’s summary of the agreement).

So, why the agreement? Mulgrew explained that Federal legislation was inevitable requiring districts to tie teacher evaluation with some form of testing in order to receive Title 1 and all the other forms of funding. He checked it out with his people in D.C. who confirmed there’s no stopping it. Since NYC depends heavily upon such finding we had to act. He stated that we are in a better climate now to discuss this rather than wait a year.

The attached summary was handed out and we were asked to vote on it. Objections came that we needed more time to review before making a decision. Also, that since this was done on Monday, why didn’t the UFT e-mail the chapter leaders the agreement so they’d have time to review? This is a common Unity practice of rushing things through so you don’t have time to think and ask the nuanced questions. It’s the old “The Sale Ends Today” approach, so you’d “better buy now”!

Nonetheless, Mulgrew claimed that the agreement meant only 20% of your assessment will come from tests while the rest from 8 other criteria (see in attached summary). Also, that it fixes a broken system of assessment which allowed principals to U-rate teachers based upon whim. Now they would have to produce more objective criteria. As expected, VP Michael Mendel and Grievance Director Howard Solomon spoke passionately in favor of it. For Mendel it was enough that the Chancellor was quoted in the press as unhappy with the agreement.

The agreement, Mulgrew went on, requires the DoE to negotiate the fine points with the UFT. This was another reason for supporting.

Concerns were raised. Bronx Science HS chapter leader urged caution, saying we need to get the right to grieve unfair letters in the file back. Also that he’s never seen a rubric (the new eval system has us graded by rubrics) that a principal couldn’t manipulate. He also said the details should be negotiated in public and not in secret. Marjorie Stamberg called the agreement “merit pay in drag” and a capitulation to the privatizers and union busters. This is because the agreement allows for special compensation for those of us who score high marks on our rubrics and student tests. Those special teachers may be given new titles (like Master Teacher) for which to anoint the higher pay. Therefore, according to Mulgrew, it’s not “merit pay” in the strict sense of the word.

I will mull over the summary and hope you do too. I have my reservations about all of this. I remember hearing the testing industry, which are the big winners in this, gave Obama a ton of money. This is probably payback. It’s a poisonous premise that we can measure student achievement via standardized test scores. Standardized tests were never developed for this but only to rank students. Plus, it starts out at 20% test scores. But, now that the foot is in the door, you can bet that percentage will only go up. Also, knowing firsthand how the UFT Grievance Department, and the corresponding boro grievance committees operate like health insurance companies, i.e. make it their business to deny service, I’m not confident this will end up a win for us. There will probably be a lack of enforcement of the provisions we do negotiate.

I had to leave early but David Gordon and Joel Puelle, your delegates were also there. You can ask them for their take. There was a conversation about budgets. I know we have to keep calling and demonstrating to avoid layoffs. More on that coming soon.

Remember, review the attachment and give me your thoughts.

John

--
John Elfrank-Dana
UFT Chapter Leader
Murry Bergtraum High School
www.Elfrank.com/UFT

ED NOTE: I have the pdf attachment but don't have time to process it. Email me if you need a copy.


Another report

I'm a chapter leader at the UFT DA right now and would like to report this anonymously:

The scene was surreal to start. The room was packed but the tone was hushed. It felt like the crowd had come to listen to Mulgrew explain himself and the recent overhaul of the evaluation system.


He began by going through what he called ''inaccurate'' reporting by the NY Times. He had prepared an FAQ sheet that answered some of the questions that members might have.


He mentioned that this new system only calls for 20 percent of overall score to come from tests. He also stated that there were parts that had yet to be negotiated by the Union-like the Value Added scores. He stated directly that this did not change the tenure system.


As he went on, you could feel the tide of the delegates turning - he was starting to bring comfort to those who were anxious about this deal.


There were good questions and voices of dissent from the crowd. Some asked why this had been brokered secretly without teacher input. According to Mulgrew they had done this to keep the DOE and Klein out of the negotiation. This was a deal with the state, he said

PS 241/Harlem Success- Klein Chooses Sides

Hello all-
I am reaching out to you after reaching some deeply troubling information.

This morning as I welcomed students into the building, one of my fourth grade students approached me with a look of anger on her face. She has been with us since she was in Pre-K and feels very strongly about our school and the community. Her brother is a first grader currently attending HSA 1. She has been outspoken that she believes he is not being properly educated- her words, not mine. She hears her family complain as well, and implores them to take him out and let him enjoy school with her, at PS 241- again her words- not mine.

She stated that she had attended a Harlem Success Academy event last night at the Apollo (THe Lottery?), during which Eva Moskowitz spoke. Eva stated that Joel Klein had told her that PS 241 students had failed their Gr. 8 ELA exams and he was going to shut down our school.

Scoring of ELA exams is still in process, the state has not yet received all manually-scored information- nor has it had time to determine final scores. How could Klein have this information? He can't- he must have lied- or Eva lied and is spreading misinformation- slandering our school (and others such as PS 194 and PS 123- according to my young, articulate source).

Klein and Moskowitz must be called to task on this- we must speak out against the lies, the slander, the coersion, the audacity of this kind of misinformation. Please stand together with us to defned our public schools. Make phone calls, send emails, what ever can be done to let the public know this outrage- this is sabotage and outright looting of our school buildings and communities!

All educators should be worried- your school could be next!
Please reach out to all you know.....