Bob Peterson at NEA: Friends we are at war/ Protest Monday Against Tyranical Principal

This year we organized members to remove tyrant-like principals from five schools.... Bob Peterson, Pres. Milwaukee Teachers Association

Bob Peterson (from Klonsky)

Thanks to Fred Klonsky for posting this gem from Peterson, the president of the Milwaukee Teachers Association, an NEA local -- unfortunately for those under the AFT Unity Caucus dominated tyranny. (Let's hope the Wisconsin AFT and NEA merge so we can get Bob to the AFT convention in LA next summer.)

For those who are not aware, Bob is also one of the founders of the progressive/social justice teacher journal "Rethinking Schools." Just making a point to all those who claim a social justice agenda will turn off rank and file teachers -- you can actually win elections -- in Chicago, in Milwaukee, in Newark (almost). If one wants to complain about MORE and social justice focus on the way MORE is presenting that idea (a legitimate point), not that only bread and butter issues are important.

I am Bob Peterson speaking for the Wisconsin Delegation. As president of the largest teachers’ union local in our state I urge you to pass this amendment so the NEA (has) resources to help  local affiliates organize for great public schools.

Friends we are at war.

I know. I am from Wisconsin. I am from your future. A future that has no collective bargaining, no fairshare, no payroll deduction for dues, and a requirement for annual recertification requiring 51% vote of eligible members. But the plan by the Koch brothers, Tea Party, ALEC, and market place ideologues, is to not only destroy public sector unions, but to destroy public schools. Last month the Wisconsin legislature expanded the nation’s largest voucher program from Milwaukee to include the entire state, continuing its slash and burn policies.

In order to fight this war, these past few years in Milwaukee we have re-imagined our union. I compare our union to a stool with three solid legs. We fight for bread and butter issues, we unite with parents and the community for social justice, and we reclaim the teaching profession.

Our professional staff, our six full time release teacher and ESP organizers, and elected leaders are not just servicing our members in traditional ways. We’ve turned part of our office into a teacher-run professional development center. We’ve organized our members at the school level to do neighborhood canvassing for elections winning victories of anti voucher candidates in the legislature and school board. This year we organized members to remove tyrant-like principals from five schools. Citywide we’ve organized to demand developmentally appropriate early childhood practices, that libraries have librarians, that a new teacher mentor program be restored after the administration excessed all mentors, and that educational assistants get paid an additional $5 an hour each hour that they cover a class for an absent teacher.

We have also united with community groups in solidarity with striking Palermo pizza workers, in support of immigrant rights and bilingual education, and against the expansion of voucher and privately-run charter schools.

Friends, I am all for raising our hands for public schools, but the last two years in Wisconsin has taught us that sometimes those hands must become fists and we need resources to fund organizing, to fight the war against those who would destroy public education, and to organize our members to unite with parents, students and community to build great public schools for all students.

http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/milwaukee-teachers-education-association-president-bob-peterson-sometimes-those-hands-must-become-fists/

Oh, and talking about that opening quote about removing tyrant-like principals, people from MORE with UFT support are organizing to remove one such tyrant this Monday at Tweed at noon.  (I could do without the overuse of the loaded word "racist," inside MORE -- how about firing based on racial stereotyping?)

Protest Racist Firing of Teachers

Click here to RSVP by Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/kt3x2yp

WHAT? Picket demanding an immediate, rapid and unbiased investigation by the Chancellor’s office into allegations that a Queens Principal called African American teachers she was firing “big lipped,” “nappy haired,” and “gorillas.”

WHEN? 12 noon, Monday July 8th.

WHERE? In front of Chancellor Walcott’s offices at DOE Headquarters in Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers St., Manhattan (4/5/6/N to City Hall)

https://www.facebook.com/events/529659740421341/

ACTION ALERT: Mon. July 8th 12 noon Picket demanding an immediate, rapid and unbiased investigation by the Chancellor's office into allegations that a Queens Principal called African American teachers she was firing "big lipped," "nappy haired," and "gorillas."

12 noon, Monday July 8th.
In front of Chancellor Walcott's offices at DOE Headquarters in Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers St., Manhattan (4/5/6/N to City Hall)

ENDORSEMENTS: Teachers and staff from PAIHS Elmhurst and around the city, Councilwoman Jullissa Ferreras, Assemblyman Francisco Moya, Kevin Powell and BK Nation, United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE). [List of endorsements in formation].

Pan American International High School will be without any African American teachers next year, because two teachers have been fired after a Queens Principal, Minerva Zanca, made racist comments about them in closed-door meetings with her assistant principal. The third African American teacher is leaving the school because of severe budget cuts to her hugely successful Theater program which were racially motivated.

We demand that there is a full investigation into these allegations and, if they are substantiated, that the DOE hold the principal accountable to its zero-tolerance policy against discrimination. We also demand that the discontinuances of the personnel involved (Teachers John Flanagan and Heather Hightower and AP Anthony Riccardo) be reversed.

http://youtu.be/UeQMKlvE5Jk

George Schmidt Rakes Over Paul Vallas: Liar, Crook, Racist

It may have been that the truth got shelved for Vallas's lies (and of course the bigger lies of corporate reform that went to Washington with Barack Obama and Arne Duncan) for a time, but the facts don't change over time despite the massive work of the liars.

Vallas had publicly compared himself and his talents to Michael Jordan and then trashed Rahm Emanual. Anyone who wants to know why the ruling class dumped Vallas in Chicago in 2001 can see from this the WHY.

Corporate America then put the Vallas show on the road, and Philadelphia and New Orleans suffered as a result..... George Schmidt 

Due mostly to the work of George Schmidt in Substance, Ed Notes (modeld on Substance) has been reporting on Paul Vallas for well over a decade most recently the other day (Drive-by Superintendent Paul Vallas, YOU'RE OUT!!!!!!!!) .

Vallas fired George, had him banned from teaching in Chicago and sued him for a million dollars for publishing and ridiculing the CASE standardized tests. George beat the law suit but not the banning. Well, he had more time for publishing Substance and organizing groups like CORE.

Substance published an article yesterday on the racist aspects of Vallas' reign in Chicago (followed by Philly, New Orleans and Bridgeport, where he seems to have met his Waterloo.

VALLAS FACTS: Paul Vallas began to purge of Black teachers, administrators, and other staff from Chicago's public schools as part of corporate 'school reform'... The Paul Vallas I knew, by Dr. Grady C. Jordan

This morning George sent out a missive to Substance staff. Here is the section on Vallas.

PAUL VALLAS OPENS THE FLOODGATES. As most veteran Substance staff members know, we have always operated on some of the thinnest threads financially... we had to shift our Web site from www.substancenews.com to www.substancenews.net in 2007.... it has now sustained daily -- yes, DAILY -- news and analysis coverage since June 2007, and as a result we are one of the more sustained placed to get news and analysis about Chicago's public schools and about corporate "school reform" in general.

One result of this, over time and with patience, is that we are often the first in Chicago to be contacted about Chicago-related nonsense taking place across the country. Recently, the ruling by a Connecticut court that Paul G. Vallas was ineligible to serve as a school administrators in Bridgeport has roiled the world of corporate "school reform."

As usual, Vallas's ego splashed in the way of some of the more sober people trying to sustain corporate reform. Within a few days, Vallas had publicly compared himself and his talents to Michael Jordan and then trashed Rahm Emanual. Anyone who wants to know why the ruling class dumped Vallas in Chicago in 2001 can see from this the WHY. By the time Vallas assured Richard M. Daley that Tom Reece and the UPC were a shoo-in for re-election to head the CTU against Debbie Lynch and PACT, Daley already knew that Vallas had been making fun of Daley behind Daley's back. The CTU upheaval (which turned out to be more hope than we should have put into it, given Debbie's version of school reforms) gave the pretext for the end of Vallas. But the following year, he tried to get the nomination for Governor from the Democrats, but thanks to Roland Burris failed (Vallas would, like Rahm, have gotten a large part of the "Black Vote" in 2002...). Corporate America then put the Vallas show on the road, and Philadelphia and New Orleans suffered as a result.

At each point where Vallas was caught lying, while his friends were caught stealing, someone surfed the Web carefully enough to get in touch with Substance. We were there, thanks to being on the Web, publishing accurate criticism, and indexing extensively, for people to locate and read the truth about the various miracle workers who were oozing out of Chicago and into the bloodstream of American public schools. Philadelphia officials contacted us when they realized Vallas was a fraud, and Grady and I spent a great deal of time briefing them on the details of how the Vallas frauds operated. After Philadelphia got rid of Vallas, he landed in New Orleans, where he helped destroy the largest and most powerful Black union (UTNO) in the USA and create the largest expansion of charter schools in any major city. Before "Race To The Top."

The past couple of years, as Chicago administrators have taken the Vallas road and gotten out of town, we have heard from people in school boards and unions across the USA who wanted to know the details about CPS bureaucrats who were vying for big jobs, usually based on their version of the "Chicago Miracle." With Arne Duncan in D.C., it was hard for the facts to get out, and a lot of districts (Broward County and Sarasota Florida; Glochester Massachusetts; Madison Wisconsin) are now suffering the penalty of believing the corporate reform hype and hiring one of those Chicago "rock star" administrators who've been bailing out from Chicago quickly of late.

Vallas was also called a "Rock Star" by some Board of Education people in Bridgeport when they were hiring him.

What this means about out responsibility is simple: Substance published the facts first, and we report clearly and with sources. As a result, when someone looks for an alternative analysis about Bob Runcie, Rick Mills, Hosannah Mahaly, Steve Zrike, Jennifer Cheatham -- or Paul G. Vallas -- the best place to get information is at substancenews.net. 

2002 AND SUBSTANCE TODAY. As you have noticed, we are re-printing in 2013 Substance articles about Paul Vallas and Chicago's version of "School Reform" from 2002. As the Vallas story gives people a renewed interest in the lies that have been pushed across the USA for the past 20 or 30 years, our reporting has always had an edge. But I was rarely so proud as I was after someone asked us about what we have on Vallas before he left Chicago, and I could resurrect what we reported the month (March 2002) when we first went on the Web. It may have been that the truth got shelved for Vallas's lies (and of course the bigger lies of corporate reform that went to Washington with Barack Obama and Arne Duncan) for a time, but the facts don't change over time despite the massive work of the liars. I am proud that we can be reprinting the stories we first published about Vallas's frauds and lies a decade ago, and look forward to continuing updating them in the age of Barbara Byrd Bennett and Rahm Emanuel, Arne Duncan and Barack Obama.

Afterburn
Is there a better lesson than Substance, publishing since the 70s, for staying the course and being persistent? George is one of the founders of CORE, works for the Chicago Teachers Union and has been a force in Chicago teacher union politics for almost 4 decades.  So every day when I feel like calling it quits I think of George, who I beg to set me free to laze around on a beach chair.

Killing Union Dues: Now, Michigan

Following up on California, another find from Jeff Kaufman on Michigan. But if you missed it read our earlier post: Coming Soon to a State Near You: Another Attack on Unions with Right to Work Suits

So let me get this straight. The Michigan Republicans who believe in choice, local control, blah, blah, blah, won't even let school districts that WANT TO collect union dues do so?

Federal appeals court won't hear argument on teacher union dues

1:38 PM, July 3, 2013

A federal appeals court says it won’t take a second look at a Michigan law that bars school districts from helping unions collect dues from employees.

In May, a three-judge panel at the court overturned an injunction that had suspended the law. The full court recently signaled that it doesn’t want to hear another appeal by unions.

The law was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2012. It stops payroll deduction of union dues paid by teachers and other school employees and forces them to write a check.

Detroit federal Judge Denise Page Hood stepped in and halted the law a year ago, saying lawmakers were trying to starve unions. State attorneys now are waiting for Hood to erase that injunction, following orders from the appeals court.

This reminds me of Chicago where the smuggies thought that needing 75% to vote a strike was a union killer. Imagine a union that can actually collect union dues itself and avoid that sword of Damocles hanging over its head. Here in NYC it might come to 18% based on voting totals while 50% of retirees might pony up -- to get all those subsidized (by you) $5 courses.

Revolt Brewing in NEA As Van Roekel Does a Randi, EIA on NEA Convention

The info coming from the NEA RA is nuts! They want teachers to pay 3 bucks to support the common core (!!??) and check out what D. Van R [NEA Pres] said about "Quality" vs collective bargaining here.  --- MORE member in an email

"There is growing internal discord over the direction of the union – or at least the perceived direction of the union – by those who oppose Common Core, Race to the Top, and a lot of other things going on in public education. They believe NEA is selling out to corporate reform." ... Mike Antonucci at EIA

With the NEA national convention beginning tomorrow (as it does every July 4th) in Atlanta, the national unions' caving in to ed deform is coming front and center in debates -- and in union elections (see recent Newark and Washington).

I extracted the DVR comments from Fred Klonsky's post. Read it and weep as DVR tries to out Randi Randi.

That with the defeat of collective bargaining in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, the NEA will focus less on those kind of issues and focus more on issues of teaching quality, particularly the implementation of the Common Core.
He was quite aggressive in his advocacy of the Common Core, throwing down the challenge to those on the Right and the Left who have been critical of it. DVR said that if you have nothing better to offer, step back.
Putting aside the content for a moment, I found his tone incredibly belligerent.

Posted on facebook:

Teachers Laugh

2:52pm Jul 1

Call the NEA at 202-833-4000. When you get through, press 6 to talk to a person . . http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/quality-control-at-the-nea-ra/ Tell Pres. Van Roekel this is not acceptable and to resign. "That with the defeat of collective bargaining in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, the NEA will focus less on those kind of issues and focus more on issues of teaching quality, particularly the implementation of the Common Core." - D. Van Roekel

See Raging Horse with a great piece on the NEA:

Raginghorseblog

Bill Gates Continues To Purchase Major Teacher Unions and At Discount Rates -
Below, as he often does, Mike Antonucci gets right to the core. He will be  reporting daily from Atlanta -- I've been reading his NEA reports for many years and they are really inside stuff with good analysis -- as long as you don't forget Mike is anti-union  -- but doesn't fudge facts.

Subscribe to EIA Intercepts if you want to get the daily updates on NEA doings.

Away to Atlanta

---

Away to Atlanta

Posted: 01 Jul 2013 09:28 AM PDT

Heading out today to attend the National Education Association Representative Assembly and will post my first item from Atlanta tomorrow evening.

There is growing internal discord over the direction of the union – or at least the perceived direction of the union – by those who oppose Common Core, Race to the Top, and a lot of other things going on in public education. They believe NEA is selling out to corporate reform.

They have evidence to support that position, but on the other hand I recall a pretty big speech last year about “social justice patriots,” which seemed to promise a new, Karen Lewis-style approach to union issues. So I’m a little confused about where NEA thinks it is going and am hoping for a little clarity this week.

These arguments inside the union aren’t new, of course, but in the fat years they were papered over. Now they have become crucial due to collective bargaining restrictions and falling membership. The Wisconsin Education Association Council provides an illustration.

Each state affiliate sends delegates to the NEA convention based on its membership numbers. Back in 2005, WEAC was proud to announce that it had sent more than 300 members to the convention as delegates. This year, WEAC announced it was sending about 175.

So the internal direction issue is further complicated by what effect it will have on membership numbers and member activism. What excites your cadres might turn off your rank-and-file. The debate itself could lead to more members participating in union matters, or it could neutralize them and make them unwilling to get involved in that can of worms.

Dennis Van Roekel is about to enter his final year as NEA president. This might also be a factor. Heir-apparent Lily Eskelsen Garcia is a much more dynamic and media-savvy individual and may have an entirely different approach when she accedes to the presidency in September 2014. There’s at least the possibility that whatever is decided this week will be relatively short-lived.

In the meantime, relax and enjoy this first week of July. I’ll certainly let you know if the NEA delegates decide to disband and form the world’s largest racing centipede at the Peachtree Road Race.
 

Exploring Implications of Washington DC Union Election

 “It was a referendum on many fronts,” said Saunders, who received 380 votes to Davis’s 459. “They want more aggressive change than what I was dishing out.” ...Nathan Saunders, defeated Presidential candidate.

We commented on the election the other day (Candi is Dandy as Her Slate Wins Washington DC Union Election Runoff With Saunders).

Interesting how Saunders characterizes "change." Change from Randi-model union of collaboration on sell-out contracts that offer money to buy givebacks towards one of resistance: see Chicago, Newark. Too bad I can't include NYC here. Is it the conditions here that stymies any opposition or are there things a group like MORE should be doing that it is not? I'm torn between both thoughts and want to explore this at the MORE retreat at the end of the month.

Below is an article with some interesting analysis.

Saunders was elected in 2010 after accusing then-WTU President George Parker of being too cozy with management. In office, Saunders sought to strike a cooperative relationship with Henderson, an approach he said was necessary to stay relevant and push for teachers’ interests at a time of nonunionized charter schools’ quick growth.

Having gotten to hang out with Nathan and Candi and be very impressed, we cheered their election at the time (sorry too busy to find all the links but if interested check the archives by searching the blog.) So it took very little time for Saunders to change his tune and play Randi's song. I was astounded.

In recent weeks, Saunders said he was close to finalizing a contract that would include salary increases and provisions that would allow for longer school days and a longer school year. Henderson supports those provisions.

Saunders said negotiations over that contract will fall to Davis, who said she would not comment on how she plans to proceed until she sees the pending contract language.

Davis said one of her first priorities will be to reverse Saunders’s agreement to change the terms of early retirement for teachers who lose their jobs because of budget cuts or school closures.

I would point out that the vote totals are so low there is not much in the way of organizing the winning people have to work with. Note how the constitution calls for the new leadership to take control by July1 but that is being ignored. In the last contract Randi and the AFT intervened in postponing the election that eventually put Saunders in power so Randi could use the old corrupt leadership to get a contract done before a newer supposedly more militant leader could take control. Boy would the worm turn if it is now Saunders who gets to hold on to power to get a new contract done, though his statement seems to negate that.

Of interest is the impact nationally on both the AFT and NEA, both complicit in the ed deform agenda. If I get to it later I'll post some good stuff on the NEA convention currently going on in Atlanta. In the meantime read Raging Horse (Bill Gates Continues To Purchase Major Teacher Unions and At Discount Rates).

Nathan Saunders, D.C. teachers union president, defeated in runoff election

By Emma Brown, Published: July 2 E-mail the writer

Washington Teachers’ Union members voted Monday evening to unseat their incumbent president in favor of a candidate who promised to more forcefully challenge school system management.

Veteran teacher and WTU activist Elizabeth Davis defeated Nathan Saunders with 55 percent of the vote in what both candidates said would be a game-changing election for the union, which is negotiating a new contract.

President of D.C. teachers’ union is defeated in runoff election

Emma Brown JUL 2

Elizabeth Davis beats Nathan Saunders in what both are calling a game-changer for the union.

“It was a referendum on many fronts,” said Saunders, who received 380 votes to Davis’s 459. “They want more aggressive change than what I was dishing out.”

Davis’s running mate, Candi Peterson, was also victorious Monday in her bid to serve as the union’s general vice president, a position she held under Saunders until they had a falling out in 2011 and Peterson was forced out. Peterson, a social worker, writes a blog that has been fiercely critical of Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson and her predecessor, Michelle A. Rhee.

It is not clear when Davis and Peterson will take over: They say immediately, citing union bylaws, but the WTU elections committee has said it won’t happen until Aug. 1.

In recent weeks, Saunders said he was close to finalizing a contract that would include salary increases and provisions that would allow for longer school days and a longer school year. Henderson supports those provisions.

Saunders said negotiations over that contract will fall to Davis, who said she would not comment on how she plans to proceed until she sees the pending contract language.

Davis said one of her first priorities will be to reverse Saunders’s agreement to change the terms of early retirement for teachers who lose their jobs because of budget cuts or school closures. That agreement with the school system, signed in December, shortchanges veteran teachers, Davis said.

“I hope that Chancellor Henderson will understand that the relationship with the union will have to change in some respects,” she said.

Henderson said in a statement that Saunders had been a “valued partner” and “great advocate for both teachers and students.” She offered congratulations to Davis and said she looked forward to working closely together.

Saunders was elected in 2010 after accusing then-WTU President George Parker of being too cozy with management. In office, Saunders sought to strike a cooperative relationship with Henderson, an approach he said was necessary to stay relevant and push for teachers’ interests at a time of nonunionized charter schools’ quick growth.

Davis, a longtime WTU activist, said Saunders ignored teachers who wanted a stronger voice pushing back against some of Henderson’s decisions, including her closure of 15 schools and her use of “reconstitution,” in which all teachers at a school must reapply for their jobs.

“We do not plan to be a roadblock to school reform or play to the stereotype of a union that blocks improvements, but we do not plan to be silent” on such issues, Davis said.

Davis added that teachers want more input in running the union and a stronger voice in shaping issues that affect teaching and learning, including curriculum, instruction and school climate.

“Teachers want the WTU to be less controlled by one person and more engaged with the full range of issues impacting teachers, students and schools,” she said. “We campaigned on a platform that said the union can be much better.”

Coming Soon to a State Near You: Another Attack on Unions with Right to Work Suits

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld mandatory union fees in the past, but supporters of the new lawsuit point to language in last year's Knox v. SEIU calling fees "a form of compelled speech... that imposes a significant infringement on First Amendment rights." ... From article below on threat to California teacher unions

The declining participation [in elections] is both a product and a symptom of our union’s weakness. More importantly, it poses an existential threat to the future of the UFT.... An attack from a Tea-Party dominated legislature is unlikely in blue New York. However, a decertification drive from “reform” groups such as Educators For Excellence or Children First is a possibility. Can we be certain that the 82% of active members who don’t care who our union president is will vote to continue paying $100 per month in union dues if given the choice not to? .... Kit Wainer on MORE blog 

Thanks to Jeff Kaufman for this. This is a sign of things to come, maybe even here in NYC. With a conservative anti-union Supreme Court I can see the day where unions are basically wiped out. I have even heard from anti-Unity people supporting the end of compulsory union dues as a way to kill the undemocratic nature of the union. That is true but it would also kill the patient.

But can't you see that with 82% of classroom teachers not giving a crap about voting in the elections, an appeal to get rid of the over thousand dollar yearly dues, especially to newer teachers at low salaries would work?

People in MORE have been worried enough about this issue to open internal discussions. Kit Wainer posted an excellent analysis at the MORE blog. Here is Kit's conclusion:

The Unity leadership has turned off the membership and that may soon pose a serious crisis for the UFT as a whole. As some MORE members have pointed out, by acquiescing to the new evaluation procedure, Mulgrew has negotiated contractual concessions without anything in return — not even a contract. Invariably, the state and the city will want more in the very near future and the UFT leaders no longer have the ability (assuming they had the desire) to mobilize the membership to defend what rights we still have. Worse still, the 18% turnout among active members in the 2013 UFT election is a signal that the membership’s lack of investment in the UFT has now reached crisis proportions. This opens the possibility of a direct challenge to the very existence of the UFT. In the national climate of declining union membership and state legislatures moving to eliminate collective bargaining in historic union strongholds such as Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, to ignore the possibility of an assault on our collective bargaining rights would be foolish. An attack from a Tea-Party dominated legislature is unlikely in blue New York. However, a decertification drive from “reform” groups such as Educators For Excellence or Children First is a possibility. Can we be certain that the 82% of active members who don’t care who our union president is will vote to continue paying $100 per month in union dues if given the choice not to? By failing to mobilize our members for the kind of fight we should be waging in this political climate the Mulgrew regime is endangering the very union it leads. That is nothing short of grotesque dereliction of duty.

I'm sure this is an astroturf type thing like Parent Trigger backed by the same people.

California teachers suing to end mandatory union dues

Los Angeles - Ten teachers and the Christian Educators Association International have filed a lawsuit in California to stop the practice of teacher's unions collecting dues from non-members. 

Filed on April 30, 2013 in United States District Court for the Central District of California by the Center for Individual Rights, the lawsuit names the California Teachers Association (CTA), the National Education Association (NEA), ten local affiliated unions and local school officials as defendants. 

At the heart of the lawsuit is the concept of the "agency shop." The agency shop is a contractual agreement between an employer and a union in which the employer is free to hire both union and non-union workers. No employee will be forced to join the union, but the union may collect a payment from non-union employees to help finance the cost of collective bargaining. This payment is called the "agency fee." 

In 1988 the Supreme Court placed limits on the agency fee, ruling in Communications Workers of America v. Beck that non-union workers could not be forced to contribute to politica l causes. They must be permitted to "opt out" of political activity.

The lawsuit filed by the Center for Individual rights, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, challenges the constitutionality of California's agency shop law. It contends that the agency fee forces non-union teachers to subsidize "expenditures and collective-bargaining activities are contrary to Plaintiffs’ personal interests and political beliefs." 

In compliance with the 1988 Beck decision, California teachers may officially "opt out" of paying fees to support the Union's political activities. The p laintiffs in the lawsuit claim the "opt out" process is difficult and intimidating.

In an interview with Courthouse News Service in May, California Teachers Association spokesman Frank Wells called the lawsuit "another baseless attack on the concept of agency fees." 

He defended the opt-out process, saying that teachers were mailed a form each year and simply asked to return it. 

"There's not a lot of hoops that they have to jump through," he said.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld mandatory union fees in the past, but supporters of the new lawsuit point to language in last year's Knox v. SEIU calling fees "a form of compelled speech... that imposes a significant infringement on First Amendment rights."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/353560#ixzz2XyIe2gCx

Candi is Dandy as Her Slate Wins Washington DC Union Election Runoff With Saunders

Another election result not favorable for Randi Weingarten. While Nathan Saunders was a critic of Randi's sellout contract deal with Michelle Rhee years ago, he seems to have walked over the line since being elected as President of the DC union -- though this feeling comes from instinct rather than hard facts. He certainly didn't bring a sense of democracy to the DC union.

See Afterburn for background on the break between former allies Peterson and Saunders.

Candi Peterson reports on her blog.

http://thewashingtonteacher.blogspot.com/

Jul 1, 2013

Washington Teachers' Union President Nathan Saunders Loses Run Off Election to Davis

Davis(right) Slate wins WTU 2013 Run Off Election.

By Candi Peterson

Washington Teachers Union President, Nathan A. Saunders loses to Elizabeth Davis (known as Liz) in the July 1, 2013 WTU Run Off Election. With Saunders defeat by a margin of 459 to 380, Saunders was forced from his union post. Saunders narrowly defeated Davis in a first round balloting of the WTU election last month, but failed to win a 51% majority which led to a run off election between the two top candidates.

 In addition, Candi Peterson, former WTU General Vice Preisdent who was summarily dismissed by Saunders in 2011 before her term expired paired up with the Davis slate, in a bid for election to her former post. Peterson defeated her opposition, Keith Spinner by a margin of 470 to 360 in the WTU Run Off.

According to the WTU Constitution and by-Laws, the winners are due to take office on July 1st. More details will be forthcoming.

Afterburn

I've known Candi Peterson through blogging and from various conferences for many years. Candi was the chief blogger opposing Michelle Rhee from the day Rhee took over as Superintendent, risking her career. When a conference of various activists opposing ed deform was brewing in LA in July 2009 and they were looking for someone from Washington I put them in touch with Candi who came to that conference which included a big crew from Chicago's CORE and from the LA T Union plus people from San Francisco and Seattle, plus of course Sally Lee (Teachers Unite), Megan Behrent (TJC), and myself (GEM/ICE).

Candi attended that conference with Nathan Saunders who was a dissident VP at the Washington TU who was fired by the president George Parker who has since become an ed deform slug. They decided to run for office in the next union election and in fact won that race.

Thus when we met again in the summer of 2011 in Chicago (this time I was with Julie Cavanagh, Lisa Donlan, Gloria Brandman and Angel Gonzalez), they were in charge of the DC union. On our last day we hung out in a restaurant with Nathan and Candi and were all having a great time. But a short time later there was a major dispute between them and Saunders "fired" Peterson, forcing her back to working in a school. Her powerful blog had not been as active while she was a union official so she tried to resurrect it.

I'm hazy on the rest of the story but today's report is a happy result for Candi and the hard work she has always been doing to defend the educators in Washington.

Joel Klein Teaching Resume: Sept/Oct 1968 During Teacher Strike - Was Klein a Scab?

Klein went into teaching for the draft deferment (like I did). Did Joel Klein ever teach at all? In Bloomberg's waiver plea 2002 letter to State Ed Commissioner Richard Mills, Bloomberg used Klein's supposed teaching experience in NYC public schools in 1968 as record of his qualifications. In fact the schools were mostly closed during those 2 months due to the 68 strike. Did Klein break the strike and actually teach? I asked him a few times to share his experience (he ignored the question) since we both came out of that 6 week training period which so clearly inadequately prepared us to teach and if anything should have made him wary of a TFA like program. In fact I am more and more sure that Klein never really taught at all and if he did it had to be as a strike breaker during the strike when the few schools that were open had few kids. He had no real experience at all and clearly ran as soon as he could. Note how the particular school is not mentioned to cover his tracks.

The entire 7 page Bloomberg letter and Klein resume is available here.
Below are the relevant excerpts.

Bloomberg letter to Mills where he uses 1969, wrong year for the teacher strike.

 From Klein resume:

Afterburn
I was in the same program the year before (it was called Intensive Teacher Training Program - ITTP - and we received 10 free credits from NYU for the elementary school division (middle school math got 8) and it lasted a few years from 66-69 --- as far as I saw all men from all over the nation -- the grad school deferments were ended so this was often a desperate crew. Many left as soon as they could -- I in fact replaced a guy in my first regular teaching classroom gig from Columbia Law School who got some other deferment and left in mid-year -- Jan. '69. Yes, Klein and I were separated at birth, growing up in similar backgrounds at the same time except he went the way of the devil.

The Onion: Progressive Charter School Doesn’t Have Students

You know the anti-ed deform message is getting through when The Onion does a story like this. And how much fun they use the name Forest Gates Academy.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/progressive-charter-school-doesnt-have-students,33009/

Progressive Charter School Doesn’t Have Students

News in Brief • education • News • ISSUE 49•26 • Jul 1, 2013

ATLANTA—One year into its founding as the purported “bold next step in education reform,” administrators on Monday sang the praises of Forest Gates Academy, a progressive new charter school that practices an innovative philosophy of not admitting any students. “We’ve done something here at Forest Gates that is truly special, combining modern, cutting-edge pedagogical methods with a refreshingly non-pupil-centric approach,” said academy president Diane Blanchard, who claimed that the experimental school boasts state-of-the-art facilities, a diverse and challenging syllabus, absolutely zero students, a world-class library, and the highest faculty-student ratio in the nation. “Thanks to our groundbreaking methods, we’ve established a structured yet free-thinking environment where the student is taken out of the equation entirely, and in fact is not allowed on school property. And the results, we think, speak for themselves.” According to its budgetary records, Forest Gates has so far received approximately $80 million in public funding from the state of Georgia

MEDIA ALERT: Queens Teachers Warned DOE Officials of Abusive Principal Minerva Zanca, Demand Action

Why should the DOE and press worry about a trifling item like racism by a principal? If a principal murdered a teacher and was found holding a bloody knife Walcott and Queens HS Supt Juan Mendez, who like Walcott has always been such full of bullshit, would cover for the principal.

Sign the petition and spread the word.

--- MEDIA ALERT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Monday, July 1, 2013  ---

Queens Teachers Warned DOE Officials of Abusive Principal, Demand Action

Contact:
Peter Lamphere – peter.lamphere@gmail.com
United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader
Pan American International High School, Elmhurst, Queens

Kevin Powell – kevin@kevinpowell.net

Community Activist, President of BK Nation
Teachers and staff at a Queens high school have asked for a local superintendent to step in to repair an abusive work environment.

The school was recently shaken by allegations that principal Minerva Zanca fired African American teachers, saying on one occasion that a teacher “looked like a gorilla in a sweater with nappy hair” and asking about another “did you see his big lips quivering?” [tinyurl.com/QnsRacistComments]

An online petition for removal of the principal has received over 1,000 signatures. [tinyurl.com/QnsPrincipalPetition]

These are not the first reports of difficulty with the new principal. In early June the faculty wrote a formal letter to Superintendent Juan Méndez requesting support in what they described as “an abusive environment and culture of fear in the school.” [tinyurl.com/QnsTchrLetter].

Teachers say that they are “often punished, humiliated or belittled in front of their colleagues when a simple conversation would have sufficed.”
The letter, also addressed to Children First Network Cyndi Kerr and Internationals Network Leader Claire Sylvan (two administrators who support the school’s functioning), was approved by consensus after a number of union chapter meetings.

In the letter staff noted that they attempted to have “discussions with Ms. Zanca about trying to work together to find a proactive and productive solution for everyone.” When this effort failed, they were left with no other option than to appeal to her supervisors.

“We have received no response from our request to DOE officials for intervention to help address the toxic environment,” said Peter Lamphere, the local UFT representative. “Our students and their parents deserve better than to be left stranded while their school community is dismantled by an abusive administrator.”

At least 15 of 38 staff in the seven-year-old school have left or are planning to transfer this coming school year, many due to the hostile and threatening environment created by Ms. Zanca.


Afterburn
Note that MORE's Peter Lamphere is the chapter leader. This was the school the UFT found for Peter when they parachuted him out of Bronx HS of Science where the vicious Valerie Reidy, now retiring - Valerie Reidy, Ding Dong - U rated him twice for - well -- being chapter leader. Yes, that is the UFT response. Go after our chapter leaders and rather than fight this basic attack on the union, we will get the guy out of your hair.

Getting ready for the end of the world... or a PEP meeting

It's all about those Serpico shades.

Whether it’s a financial collapse or societal meltdown…ClashDaily's Doug Giles  is offering this $2,000+ collection of gear to help prepare you to face the end of the world with force and finesse.

With two high-powered guns, a packed-and-ready-to-go bug-out bag, a sweet watch and sunglasses, and high-quality print of biblical bad ass David (painted by Doug Giles himself) …get equipped and inspired to meet any threat with epic style!

The Ultimate Armageddon Kit features:

• Black Mossberg 464 SPX 30/30 (retails at $535)
• Black 500 JIC 12g shotgun. (retails at $435)
• Emergency bug-out bag. (retails at $250)
• Smith Serpico shades. (retails at $119)
• Invicta Men’s 11228 Reserve Chronograph Silver Dial Grey Leather  Watch. (retails at $212) 
•  36″x48″ Giclee print of “David and Goliath,” painted by Doug Giles. (retails at $500)   

Drive-by Superintendent Paul Vallas, YOU'RE OUT!!!!!!!!

Now is the time for history to be clarified, all the way back to the days when Bill Clinton was promoting corporate "school reform" by praising Vallas in two State of the Union addresses and all this mayoral control nonsense began.... George Schmidt 

Hunter College president Jennifer Raab called Vallas "arguably the most experienced superintendent in the country."  ... Susan Ohanian

Finally, someone with the guts to toss Vallas, who jumped from Chicago to Philly to New Orleans -- call him the bed bug of ed deform --- out on his ass as bogus Superintendent of Bridgeport schools.

Ravitch has been reporting on the story almost minute by minute:

Here is a report on Vallas’ time in Philadelphia.
Vallas launched the nation’s most extensive experiment in privatization, which was evaluated by the RAND Corporation.
Here is RAND’s report on Vallas’ foray into the “diverse provider model.”

What Happened at Vallas’ Trial

When the trial was conducted of whether Paul Vallas had the necessary credentials to serve as superintendent of schools in Bridgeport, the attorney for the plaintiffs said he was a “drive-by superintendent.” The state commissioner of education Stefan Pryor, who picked Vallas, said he was impressed by his work in New Orleans, where he oversaw the near total privatization of the public schools. The linked article describes testimony taken during the trial, which culminated in the judge’s decision that Vallas did not have the legally required credentials and should be removed.

Ed Notes has been exposing Vallas since 2000 - due to the info coming in from George Schmidt, who was personally fired and banned from teaching in the Chicago schools by Vallas for publishing the useless and deformed CASE tests in Substance. George is smiling today:

I just finished reading and loving Susan Ohanian's article about how Paul Vallas has been ruled unqualified to be the superintendent in Bridgeport Connecticut by a court. We've posted the article at substancenews.net. Now is the time for history to be clarified, all the way back to the days when Bill Clinton was promoting corporate "school reform" by praising Vallas in two State of the Union addresses and all this mayoral control nonsense began. Vallas was always a fraud. But there is now a two decades history of his frauds that will have to be turned into a book about how such frauds came into power. I'm thinking of calling mine "Corporate tyrants and corporate tyranny in our public schools from Paul G. Vallas to Barbara Byrd Bennett." One of the joys of editing Susan's article about the latest Vallas flap was going through some of the available record, including the corruption Vallas presided over in Philadelphia and the fulsome nonsense published in praise of Vallas by corporate shills like Alexander Russo (whose stories read like he has a crush on Vallas). ....Schmidt

Here is Susan's piece
http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=4356&section=Article

Paul Vallas! Power Point proof of leadership abilities? Social promotion and grade inflation?... Connecticut Superior Court Judge Orders Vallas Removed from Superintendency of Bridgeport publlc schools.

Susan Ohanian - June 28, 2013
 
Seventeen years after he was plucked from the obscurity of his post as budget director for Chicago's mayor (then Richard M. Daley) to become the first "Chief Executive Officer" of a large urban public school district, former Chicago (and Philadelphia, and New Orleans, and now Bridgeport) schools chief Paul Vallas has finally been ruled unqualified to be the superintendent of a major American school district. A Connecticut judge ruled on June 28 that Vallas did not have the credentials under Connecticut law to be in charge of the Bridgeport schools and that a quickie course (and a flurry of papers quickly graded "A" by a local university administrator) did not constitute the fulfillment of the requirements under Connecticut law. I find the blatant, arrogant disregard for rules fascinating. 

One of the more memorable whines Paul Vallas emitted when he was challenged for not complying with Connecticut law before he became Superintendent of the 30,000-student Bridgeport public schools (at a salary of more than a quarter million dollars a year) was to compare himself to Michael Jordan. Vallas whined when challenged about his education credentials that Connecticut wouldn't require Michael Jordan to get certified to coach high school basketball, unabashedly comparing himself to the Chicago legend. So far, no report has gotten a quote from Michael Jordan, who has NOT gone around the USA telling people, "I am the Paul Vallas of the NBA!"This whole case rests on whether one independent course constitutes a program. You've got the Dean of the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut testifying for the plaintiff against Vallas and the "Director, Executive Leadership Program, Department of Educational Leadership" at the same university on Paul Vallas's side. The latter did not exactly make a case for his own leadership acumen. 

To sum it up in a word: Pathetic. 

This comes only a little more than a month after Hunter College president Jennifer Raab called Vallas "arguably the most experienced superintendent in the country." [CUNY Institute for Education Policy at Roosevelt House. The Institute has landed: Coleman, King, Robinson, Steiner, and Vallas discuss the future of education at CIEP launch event] This event was May 9 in New York City — when Vallas was busy writing the six papers described below. And we don't know the schedule of his consultancy gig: [In August 2012, the Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners voted to enter into a contract with Paul Vallas and VOYAGER Learning, (a subsidiary of Cambium Education, Inc.), to turnaround fifteen Indianapolis schools. The price tag of which is $6 million a year for three years, the total amount not to exceed $18.1 million.] Vallas Turnaround System. Who was minding the store in Bridgeport? Writing the papers, speaking in New York . . . Who was minding the store in Bridgeport? 

Maybe Vallas should have invited his Hunter College fan to go to Bridgeport Superior Court to speak for him. June 28, 2013 — Superior Court, Judicial District of Fairfield at Bridgeport, CT. Judge Barbara Bellis ruled that Paul Vallas, who was approved Monday as superintendent of schools by the Bridgeport Board of Education, did not complete a school leadership program as required by law. In the Superior Court Judicial District of Fairfield at Bridgeport, Judge Barbara Bellis offers a Memorandum of Decision, June 28, 2013 that answers the pressing question "When is a college course a course and when is it a program?" We get a close-up look at what appears to be a bunco game played by then-acting superintendent of Bridgeport Schools Paul Vallas and University of Connecticut Director, Executive Leadership Program, Department of Educational Leadership, Robert Villanova. The Judge's decision includes a whole lot of nitpickiing about a course of study required by the state of Connecticut for Vallas to be granted certification:

In St. Louis, teachers union plays role in getting rid of bad teachers

The "bad" teacher syndrome is one of the lynchpins of ed deform. Call it a version of Stop and Frisk or the War on Terrorism where you taint entire population to root out a few. Given the overall assault on all teachers, for the union to go along with this is tantamount to -- well I'll say it again -- Vichy.

The unions should instead make it clear that all professions have people with problems -- police, lawyers, doctors, etc -- but no where else is the witch hunt going on that with union cooperation gives unfettered power to our enemies. Shame on them and especially to a clear Randi-ite, AFT Local 420 vice president Ray Cummings for playing their game.


http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/in-st-louis-teachers-union-plays-role-in-getting-rid/article_cb99132d-6930-5450-81b4-7b3f3ebdfa59.html

Newark Teacher Union Election News UPDATED

Unfortunately, President Del Grosso was not in attendance [at the swearing in] , so the date could not be set. ... NEW Caucus report

....the Newark contract deal was celebrated by Republican Governor Chris Christie and by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, who called the deal “a system of the future” and an example “that collective bargaining really works.” In contrast, Rippey [Del Grosso's opponent] told The Nation that the deal “basically is a complete capitulation to the corporate agenda.” ... The Nation

Shamelessly currying favor with Cory Booker and Chris Christie, Weingarten used the national union's resources to push Newark teachers and kids under the bus. In this election of officers, NTU members pushed back. But don't be surprised if Weingarten sees the handwriting on the wall and tries to make nice with New Visions.... Quite an accomplishment for a caucus that really began to pick up steam only after AFT President Randi Weingarten used the national union's organizers to push acceptance of contract that strips Newark education workers of their most basic rights as professionals and workers......Lois Wiener, New Politics

Let's watch this one play out with a president who won by only 9 votes (with 40 going to a 3rd party candidate) while New Visions controls the Exec Bd. Keep in mind that Newark is one of the only New Jersey AFT affiliated locals, which given Randi's work in negotiating the contract might lead to some interesting national repercussions.

The Nation has a piece on this belle weather teacher union election :

Newark Union Head Barely Wins Re-Election After Zuckerberg-Donation-Funded Reform Plan | The Nation

And Ed Notes has been reporting over the last week:

• Analysis from the Right: EIA's Antonucci on Newark...
• NEW Caucus Shakes the Union Election Tree in Newar...
   

Lois Weiner at New Politics has a piece:


From NEW Caucus:

On Friday new Executive Board members (also known as Vice-Presidents) were sworn in at the NTU hall!

THANKS to all who came out to see this important moment and show support for the newly elected VP's.  It was a great show of solidarity and positivity within the Newark Teachers Union!  

2 major pieces of information about what happened at the meeting:

1)  For the first time in at least 16 years, there are Vice-Presidents who are not members of Joe Del Grosso's SAC slate.  17 (of 18 elected) NEW Vision slate candidates were sworn in.  It was a great moment for democracy in the Newark Teachers Union.  

2)  Newly sworn in NEW Vision slate members requested the date for the  July Executive Board meeting.  The NTU By-Laws require that the Executive- Board meet monthly at the call of the President. Unfortunately, President Del Grosso was not in attendance, so the date could not be set.  We were assured by Eugene Liss, the NTU attorney, that the secretary would pass the request on to the President so that he can set a date for the meeting in late July.

     NEW Caucus will send out the date the moment we know it.  

     BUT, even more significant, and despite the fact that this was officially a full membership meeting, the quorum of Executive Board members in attendance proposed and voted on two motions that may begin the process of democratizing the Executive Board and encouraging membership interest in the workings of the Board.  

     Below are the two motions, BOTH OF WHICH WERE APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY by the quorum of Vice-Presidents in attendance.  Both were read proposed by VP Al Moussab.  

     I move that the President create a calendar of monthly Executive Board meetings and quarterly general membership meetings for the 2013-2014 school year that will be emailed to all NTU members as well as uploaded on the NTU website and placed on all NTU bulletin boards in every school by the first day of school.  

     I move that all Executive Board meeting minutes as well as general membership meeting

minutes are emailed to all NTU members as well as uploaded on the NTU website for all 

members to access within 2 days after the meeting.  

It now remains for President Del Grosso to thoroughly implement these 2 motions.  The newly elected Vice-Presidents will work hard throughout the summer to ensure the July meeting takes place, and that these 2 motions are implemented completely.

In Solidarity,

Newark Education Workers Caucus

(NEW Caucus)

NewarkEducationWorkersCaucus.com

862-367-9211 

Facebook.com/NEWCaucus

Twitter.com/NEWCaucus

YouTube.com/user/NEWCaucus

Google Calendar: NewarkEducationWorkersCaucus@gmail.com

Positive winds of change in Newark NJ public schools

Lois Weiner

June 30, 2013

A reform caucus in the Newark Teachers Union (NTU)  made remarkable gains in the union election that ended on Friday.  Out of about 3000 members eligible to vote, 1200 NTU members cast their ballots.  (Sadly, that proportion is about par for US unions.) The New Visions candidate for President lost by only 9 votes to the long-time chief, Joe Del Grosso, who will now serve his 10th two-year term.  New Visions won 18 of 29 slots on the Executive Board, giving this vibrant, multi-racial slate of reformers a majority. Quite an accomplishment for a caucus that really began to pick up steam only after AFT President Randi Weingarten used the national union's organizers to push acceptance of contract that strips Newark education workers of their most basic rights as professionals and workers.  Shamelessly currying favor with Cory Booker and Chris Christie, Weingarten used the national union's resources to push Newark teachers and kids under the bus. In this election of officers, NTU members pushed back. But don't be surprised if Weingarten sees the handwriting on the wall and tries to make nice with New Visions. Still, I'm confident New Visions won't be snookered. This savvy group of activists are building the union at the school site, working with parents and students, democratizing the union to "give Newark students schools they deserve." New Visions understands that the future of their union - and public education - requires a different kind of teacher unionism - and union leadership.  And they're poised to provide it.

The Nation article:

Loretta Prisco: A View from the First Row

  In a Data Driven System, Why Isn’t the DOE Looking at Their Own Data? Can’t See the Forest for the Trees!

The Mayor through his minions, Klein, Black (remember her?), and Walcott have done everything from reorganizing the system to reorganizing it yet again, from firing teachers to hiring newbies and excessing them, to training new principals without teaching experience and rating their schools “F”,  to closing schools and reopening new ones and closing them, to cooking the books in ways that might even top the skills of an Enron bookkeeper, and have still not be able to raise reading and math scores.  Yet the answer is waiting right under their noses.  Hey guys, you claim to be data driven, just look at the data – it sits there waiting for you! Why even a lowly teacher like me can see it!

1.    The schools that have the highest percentage of students in the free lunch program tend to have the students who also perform the lowest on standardized tests.  Don’t you see the connection here? Free lunch = low scores! Suggestion lifted straight from the data:  To improve reading and math achievement, just do away with the free lunch program. Voila!  Join the high scoring schools with fewer free lunch kids. And save the Feds all that money they spend on breakfast and lunch for a bunch of ungrateful kids who do nothing but whine about the food.

2.     Our kids go to school for 10 months, for 6 hours and 57 ½ minutes. Those who are have not done well on standardized tests aren’t promoted, are mandated to go to summer school for 15 days (and some will be absent for some of those days), 3 hours a day, be retested and most will have their scores go up and pass the grade.  So we take the most challenging students and do in 15 days what cannot be done in 10 months with double the daily time. See the connection here? 10 months = failure on tests.  15 days = success on tests.  Hey! Cancel 10 month school and mandate a 15 day school for all students.  Imagine what the most successful students will be capable of achieving in 15 days!  Kids whine about going to school anyway – ask them, they hate school.  We are not teaching art, music and offering gym anyway in year round school as schools are focused on test prep.  So what are they missing? Give the schools to charters, which is what the DOE really wants to do anyway.  And save all that money.

Take a sniff – the solutions are right under your noses!