George Schmidt Rebuts Defense of Paul Vallas on Ravitch Blog - Updated

Vallas's desire to grab headlines with his dead kid policy only added to the problems at the local schools... a couple of times students came to me in a rage after a death and demanded to know WHO THOSE DAMNED OUTSIDERS ARE! The preacher patronage crowd never asked the school whether it needed them. Vallas simply ordered the school to take their (Christian) services....
Every student who needed glasses got them -- through the union, not CPS. Every union delegate had an application for eyeglasses, and we regularly gave them out to kids' families who were identified as needing glasses. What Vallas did was "invent" a wheel that we already had rolling and then take credit for it.... George Schmidt

George sent this response to the comments posted on Diane's blog defending Vallas by Diane Fager, Director of Policy and Program Development under Vallas at the CPS.Ravitch makes it clear -- it is not she who is defending Vallas but is offering space to a defender. I'm fine with that but I wonder if some of Joel Klein's lackeys send in defenses would they get space too? For in fact, every one of these clowns have people who worked for them who love them. Where else can you make big bucks on the back of children?

(Also see: George Schmidt Rakes Over Paul Vallas: Liar, Crook...). 

Make sure to check the comments at the Ravitch blog which go long and deep with a few more Vallas defenders popping up but not many. And the work of Connecticut blogger John Pelto -- here is one such piece: Even in defeat, Vallas can’t face reality or explain the truth…

July 5, 2013

Norm:

Every one of those programs was bullshit. I was there, and I know the facts. To take one example, Vallas did NOT introduce an eyeglasses program. That had begun by the Chicago Teachers Union during the Great Depression, and the union held a fundraiser every year to keep the "Eyeglasses Fund" endowed. Every student who needed glasses got them -- through the union, not CPS. Every union delegate had an application for eyeglasses, and we regularly gave them out to kids' families who were identified as needing glasses. What Vallas did was "invent" a wheel that we already had rolling and then take credit for it.

The way these items are phrased ("He funded..." etc.) every one of these items bears the stamp of the incredible Vallas ego. 

The most obnoxious example below is the funeral thing. Vallas cut security and undermined security operations throughout his time as CEO. He also began the odious practice of allowing the media to announce the name of the school that a child had attended after the child was murdered. Since the school was seldom involved in the shooting, Vallas's desire to grab headlines with his dead kid policy only added to the problems at the local schools. As to the support stuff that went into the school, it was worse than useless -- and probably unconstitutional. Vallas began a (still continuing) policy of preacher patronage where a group of preachers (always as far as I could identify, Christian) would descend on a school after a "school related" death to provide some kind of "comfort" (often, pompous prayer, almost always when a TV camera was around). I remember a couple of times when students came to me in a rage after a death and demanded to know WHO THOSE DAMNED OUTSIDERS ARE! The preacher patronage crowd never asked the school whether it needed them. Vallas simply ordered the school to take their (Christian) services. 

As you know, I was coordinator of security and safety at Bowen High School from 1996 to 1999. What we needed when we had a "dead kid day" (usually after a weekend when a gang banger had been murdered over the weekend) was the ability to bring the kids into a place where they could mourn with people who knew them (the teachers; counselors; other staff) -- NOT SOMEONE DROPPED IN FROM THE OUTSIDE WITH A PRAYER CARD.

One of the other things that made a difference when a kid was murdered was out ability to catch and prosecute the shooter. I helped with that process after Antwan Jordan was murdered outside Bowen in December 1997 (I watched him die with a bullet through his head and called in the "187" as part of my duties as security coordinator). Our job from that point on was to help the police capture the shooters and bring them to justice -- THEN to help the kids with the mourning. 

We managed to get four kids who had handled the gun, including the shooter, before Christmas that year. 

Paying for the funerals was a nice thing, but far from any kind of solution to the problems of Chicago's drug gangs. If anything, by his bizarre management style -- and the use of high stakes testing to distort schooling -- Vallas did the opposite.

I could go on, but this anonymous nonsense made me angry. 

Ask Diane why she didn't identify the Vallas apologist she is allowing to quote at length here.

New post on Diane Ravitch's blog In Defense of Paul Vallas by dianerav Many who post and comment on this blog have been critical of Paul Vallas. All have their own reasons, but much criticism has focused on the tales of "saving" Chicago, Philadelphia, and Néw Orleans. The latter two turned privatization into a "reform" strategy.

But there is another side to Vallas, which came as a comment by a reader: As we know, nothing in life is black or white which is how I view Paul Vallas. I worked for Paul at the Chicago Public Schools as the Director of Policy and Program Development. Specifically my role was to identify and obtain non-traditional, sustainable funding for school based social and health services. Why? Because Paul Vallas felt that unless you addressed the holistic needs of children, you weren't serious about students' reaching their full academic potential. I realize it is extremely simplistic to frame education policy in short phrases but for purposes of making a point, I will take that liberty. One of the most critical debates of our time is how do we effectively educate children/youth- especially those in large urban school districts. On the one hand, there are those that believe that it is all about the "effectiveness of the teachers" as measured by the outcomes of standardized tests taken by their students in one day. On the other hand, there are those of us who believe that unless you address the impact of poverty, the most incredible teachers imaginable will be compromised in their efforts to enable their students to reach their full academic potential. Since I judge leaders by their actions and not their words, Paul Vallas exemplified the position that educators must address the impact of poverty on students lives. Since Paul knew that some kids were failing because they literally couldn't read the blackboard due to not having eye glasses, he started CPS' Vision Program in which students who failed their vision screenings were bused in a school that had been set up as Vision Center in which students received full exams and eye glasses on site- all for free. The Vision program continues to serve thousands of students at CPS-95% of whom needed glasses. But since Paul knew that students couldn't attend school regularly if they didn't have access to a doctor, he funded the KidCare Program- a school based enrollment program for free and low cost health insurance. School based enrollment in public benefit programs continues at CPS by the Children and Family Benefits Unit who enrolled over 13,000 students in food stamps/SNAP and Medicaid/SCHIP Insurance last year. Paul was also the first superintendent to fund a school based teen pregnancy program, "Cradle to the Classroom", that was in over 70 high schools. Why did he do that when needless to say, it was not a popular idea in Chicago at the time? Because when advocates showed him the impact of school based programs on attendance and graduation rates as well as the long term outcomes of the teens' babies, he never hesitated. Cradle to the Classroom went on to become a nationally recognized program. Paul also understood the impact of violence on students' ability to thrive and learn. As a historian, Paul understood the risk of people becoming desensitized to children and youth being murdered or struck down by a stray bullet. So he funded the Youth Outreach Workers to not only mitigate the potential for violence by having school patrols before and after an incident of school based violence but also to address the psychological and economic needs of the victims' families and their peers. Specifically, Paul ensured that students were buried with dignity which meant that when needed, CPS paid for the whole funeral- first with Paul's personal funds and then later with the Childrens' First Fund created for that purpose. To try and help with the grief of the victims' friends and teachers, crisis workers were immediately deployed to the victims' schools and grief counseling was provided. He even funded buses to transport students from their schools to the funeral home. There are many more examples that I could give but hopefully these few illustrate my point. Paul never wavered in his support for these programs even when others said that with strains on school funding, why should CPS fund social and health service programs? They also criticized him for his prioritization of early childhood education but Paul did not waver since he saw early childhood education as the cornerstone of learning and one of the most effective anti-poverty strategies available to educators. As some would say- Paul marched to his own drum. In my opinion, as well as the majority of my colleagues then working under Paul at the time, we admired Paul's priorities and guts. Did I agree with all of his initiatives- of course not. But who is perfect which is my very point!! In my opinion, it is not helpful to view Paul Vallas and his legacy through one lens because that is too simplistic and counter-productive in our attempts to learn from history. Compounding that complexity is Paul's willingness when it really counts to admit to his mistakes such as when Paul stated that the messaging of modern day education wan NOT the problem,but rather it's the product that is the problem including a reference to the "testing industrial complex". He even made fun of himself by saying that this might sound like Nixon going to China hearing this from him. Do some of us wish that he had realized and admitted this sooner- of course. But its better late than never and its only one part of the story.

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.

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