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Weekly Update #78

December 3, 2013

MORE Holiday Party

Check out the awesome video here

We have a lot to celebrate!

All year we’ve been fighting for better teaching

and learning conditions and a more democratic union.

Join us for festivities, fun, food, and drinks
 

Friday, Dec. 6, 5-9pm

O'Reilly's Bar + Kitchen

21 West 35^th St. (between 5^th – 6^th Aves.) NYC

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MORE Holiday Retreat! CUNY Graduate Center Sat., Dec. 30th 12-5pm Come celebrate with the newly elected steering committee as they begin their work for 2014!

Watch and Share this Powerful Video!  A message to Bill de Blasio about what we need from a new chancellor: More Teaching, Smaller Classes, Less Tests! ... from ParentVoicesNY Other testing news: Why so many parents hate Common Core Diane Ravitch Should First Graders Take a Test? Teachers: No Labor Notes

Resistance News Round-up Why I Think the UFT Should REALLY Fight “Advance” (Part 1) Movement of Rank and File Educators Why is the AFT Taking Money From Bill Gates? Perdido Street School Why The Children First Networks Must Go! Chaz's School Daze Gene Prisco's Passing a Big Loss ICEUFT Blog Novice teachers are not the solution Helen Ladd

Steering Committee Elections A new election for Steering Committee is quickly approaching. There are 9 seats with 6-month terms; any MORE member is eligible. Our membership agreed we want diversity in all of its forms. Please nominate yourself or someone else by emailing jcavanagh15@gmail.com before December 8th. Electronic voting will be open between 12/12 - 12/20.

Membership Renewal Time is here. Please renew your MORE membership for the  2013-14 school year. You can pay via Paypal, send in a check. We are asking $25/year (or less, if this is not possible). Better yet, become a Monthly Sustainer. To renew your membership, click here. Only current members can vote in the elections for the MORE Steering Committee.

Join MORE Today / Renew Annual Membership

Make Sure You Join Our Listservs! Click below to join: News (announcements/articles) Discussion (debate/back-and-forth) Chapter Leader (discussion for chapter activists) RALLY FOR NYC WORKERS Thursday, Dec. 5th 4:30pm Foley Sq. (b/w Center St. and Lafayette St.) View flyer NEXT GENERAL MEETING Jan. 18th, 2014 12pm-3pm New Location! The Commons 388 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217 MORE HOLIDAY PARTY! Friday, Dec. 6th, 5-9pm O'Reilly's 21 W 35th St (betw. 5th & 6th) COMMITTEES: High Stake Testing Committee testing@morecaucusnyc.org Mon., Dec 15, 11am Public Atrium, 60 Wall Street Steering Committee steering@morecaucusnyc.org Membership Committee membership@morecaucusnyc.org Contract Committee contract@morecaucusnyc.org Chapter Organizing Committee chapters@morecaucusnyc.org Newsletter Committee news@morecaucusnyc.org Media Committee media@morecaucusnyc.org STAYING IN TOUCH:  Comments? Suggestions? Email update@morecacusnyc.org with items for future updates

Coming to NYC Next Week: Fear and Loathing (of King and Tisch)

NYSED officials continue to add insult to injury giving NYC parents so little warning and holding both forums the same night. What are they afraid of? ... Leonie Haimson

I'm surprised they aren't holding these events on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

More from Leonie:

Just learned that the first NYC NYSED/Regents forums on Common Core, testing and privacy – of which 16 others have already been scheduled and most held elsewhere in the state – are going to be held in Bronx and Brooklyn on the same night, just one week away: Tuesday Dec. 10.
Bronx at Evander Childs HS with Tisch, Brooklyn with King venue as yet unknown (at least to me); both from 6-8PM. More soon.

The one in Manhattan is scheduled for the very next night, Dec 11th. Interesting, that is the evening Diane Ravitch is meeting with parents and teachers at Julie's school in Red Hook.

http://usny.nysed.gov/community-forum-schedule.html

Principal Uphappy at Cashin Support for Despised Networks as Backlash Against De Blasio Ed Moves Begins

...let's hope this is not another case of come meet the new boss, same as the old boss... NYC Principal

Photo from Gotham Schools

A very concerned principal expresses concern that networks may be staying around given Cashin's statement (State policymaker with a city stake wants to keep networks):

Kathy Cashin is a very bright lady. She is also very astute politically. If she is talking about keeping the network structure it probably means that she has heard through the Grapevine that de Blasio is leaning that way. This would be terrible as parent voice has been effectively (and intentionally) eliminated through this structure .... empowered COMMUNITY superintendents  in geographic Districts need to be brought back with a proper support staff to address parent concerns at the community level....let's hope this is not another case of come meet the new boss, same as the old boss....

Right now there are 3 concerns about de Blasio:

• Support for continuing the networks created not only by Joel Klein but by urban ed deformers all over the nation which allowed the de-coupling of neighborhood schools from each other. 
• Will the search for Chancellor be an open process?
• Just how reformy will the new Chancellor be?

There is a myth out there that Kathy Cashin is somehow a real reformer because she has had some recent criticisms of a deform agenda, which she supported as principal in District 22 (pre-Bloomberg), District 23 Superintendent, Region 5 Supe (Districts 23, 27 and 19-- where she handed over space in 2 public schools for the UFT charters). She has had the support it seems of people like Sol Stern, Diane Ravitch and Leonie Haimson, who gave Cashin a 2012 Skinny Award for her voice on the NY State Board of Regents. Cashin has been lobbying for the job since she was tossed on the scrapheap by uncle Joel after she got too much favorable press for trying to stick to a core curriculum in the face of the early Teacher College onslaught. In fact the reaction against the TC stuff was due to horrible implementation -- you need small class sizes to make it work. Cashin was never about a progressive, child-centered environment and that won her friends in the Sol Stern "phonics police" camp.

As our principal points out, Cashin is a political operative (she comes out of the late former Chancellor Frank Macchiarola machine). And her comment is a sign that DeB will keep the networks.

I will do a separate piece on the hated networks by so many, though principals from some of the higher socio-economic schools were pressured by their network to sign a letter of support over a week ago. [no time to find the link].

I am not against the idea of schools with common goals banding together in a network of sorts but I basically support some kind of district structure where the center of power and choice resides at the school level.

One more thing about Cashin - the UFT wants her given a favorable history - she is the reason the UFT located their charters in East NY. There is a story that she once issued a directive with 60 ways for teachers to staple things to bulletin boards which I think was ridiculed as over-management but the blame was deflected to Tweed.

De Blasio won’t make his top picks for schools chancellor public. (GothamSchools, Daily News)

I'll let RBE at Perdido St School carry the ball on this one:

De Blasio Is Full Of @#$% Over Chancellor Pick Process Flip Flop

And so we get the first slimy move post-election by de Blasio:

Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that when he called for a public screening of schools chancellor candidates, his point was merely that the city must avoid a repeat of the Cathie Black debacle.

De Blasio was asked to explain an apparent reversal: He said at a mayoral forum a year ago that schools chancellor candidates must undergo a “serious public screening...We need a chancellor who is presented to the public, not just forced down our throat.”

But Monday, as he mulls his own schools chancellor pick, he said there would be no “beauty contest” where finalists for the job are publicly identified and scrutinized. The change angered some education advocates.

A reporter pressed de Blasio on how a public screening could be possible if the public is not informed of who the candidates are. An irritated-sounding de Blasio replied only: “I’m defining what I was saying then and what I’m saying now.”

He's defining what he was saying then and what he's saying now? What the hell does that mean? That's a slimy way of saying,"Yeah, I said I wanted a public process last year, but now that I'm elected mayor, I don't want one." In short, he's flip-flopped.

Won't be the first flip-flop, but it is not a good sign from Mayor-Elect De Blasio that he is already full of crap a month before he takes office. That last statement has to be read a couple of times to be believed. It's perfectly Clintonesque in its full of shitness..

Well, he did make his bones working for Big Bill back in the day, so I guess he's learned how to parse words from the best of them. As I have said before, de Blasio will have to be watched very, very closely. The kind of flip flop he engaged in yesterday over the chancellor pick process should raise some concern over what else he'll decide to flip flop on after he's sworn in.

And even RBE is astounded at this one:

Did De Blasio Interview Kaya Henderson To Be The Next NYCDOE Chancellor?

If de Blasio reached out to Kaya Henderson for either reason - to interview her for the DOE job or just to ask her advice about something or somebody else - it's another troubling sign. That's a big if, of course. This story could just be one of those "planted" things by some DFER or Eva Moskowitz ally looking to stir things up. Nonetheless, I think it is important to warn de Blaiso publicly that holding Henderson in anything other than contempt for her education record and policies is unacceptable.

 Kaya Henderson? A Rhee clone. Why doesn't deB consult with Michelle Rhee? Or just make her chancellor?

I've been saying this from before deB's election: If Eva actually has to pay serious rent I will eat my MORE tee-shirt -- with ketchup.

Some links from Gotham Schools:

• The de Blasio team started reaching out to rumored candidates Kaya Henderson and Josh Starr. (Times)
• At a pre-K presser, de Blasio said his chancellor search is an “open process.” (GothamSchools, WNYC)
• Kathy Cashin, another oft-floated name who wants the job, declined to comment. (GothamSchools)

UPDATED: Teachers Talk Testing Forum at PS 321 a Rousing Success

Now, with student performance on state tests also factoring into teacher evaluations, the system may not only weed out ineffective teachers but also discourage highly effective teachers as well, said Julie Cavanagh, a special education teacher at P.S. 15 Patrick F. Daly in Red Hook. "I find myself subjecting these kids that I love to this thing that's not good for them, doesn't benefit them, doesn't give me the information that I need -- which is supposed to be the purpose of assessments," she said. "It is the definition of insanity." ... WNYC, Schoolbook

... very moving as teachers from the school were joined by MOREistas Sam Coleman and Julie Cavanagh on the panel. Principal Liz Phillips was also on the panel as was well-known college education prof Celia Oyler.

UPDATED WITH WNYC ARTICLE and PIC.

Professional film makers filmed the event so I could just sit back and enjoy.

Many Change the Stakes people were there too -- the synergy between MORE and CTS, the two branches of what used to be the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) just keep growing. (A joint Feb. 1 conf is planned.)

During the QandA questions about the opt-out movement were asked. Liz Phillips, who has issues with the opt-out movement gave a pretty clear explanation as to why. And she makes sense from a certain point of view, pointing to how much extra work put on teachers by a large opt-out - they do not have to do portfolios but have to give each child a one-on-one test.

But there is another side to the question. And while I don't think Liz changed her view I did think there was a lot of food for thought after, from the stage, Julie pointed to CTS/MORE Jia Lee who was sitting in the audience as an expert on opting out, both as a teacher, chapter leader and a parent, who explained equally clearly how a school could support opting out.

Jia responded to the question of the challenge and extra work teachers would face if parents opted their children out of the tests and to the issue of making a difference within a school if the opt out numbers were small or large. She responded with the Earth School's opt out experience from last year and stressed how important coming together as a community was in this effort, and that we shouldn't let the extra work be the stumbling block to opting out.

This year should be interesting in terms of the growth of the opt-out movement, mostly at this time, a white middle class movement. There will not be enough traction until it grows in non-white areas of the city. CTS has some intentions of reaching out to these areas.

Here is a report from CTS stalwart parent activist Janine Sopp.

Many of our 9CTS) members attended the event, Teachers Talk Testing, at PS321 in Park Slope. Please check the website (http://www.teacherstalktesting.com/) and spread the word about the petition they've created:

Help us lower the stakes around testing for teachers and families in NYC! Addressed to Mayor DiBlasio.

The panel tonight was incredible. Every teacher gave strong, informative and passionate testimonies, many of which brought us to tears. Julie Cavanaugh and Sam Coleman were part of the panel and Change the Stakes was mentioned a number of times throughout the evening. The video of the event will be posted to the website for all to see. 

I believe it was one of the most meaningful forums I've attended and those in attendance were moved by hearing these first hand accounts from teachers and principal. This is clearly an important aspect of educating parents and the website will have a place for teachers to post their testimonials. Hearing from both ends of the district was really meaningful. Seeing how teachers in all learning environments are being compromised and how the tests are effecting all children, and most dramatically, children with special needs. Julie's testimony on this was quite vivid.

Both Fred and Jia spoke during the Q and A, responding to questions about opting out, which seemed to be what most parents wanted to know about. Jia responded to the question of the challenge and extra work teachers would face if parents opted their children out of the tests and to the issue of making a difference within a school if the opt out numbers were small or large. She boldly responded with the Earth School's opt out experience from last year and stressed how important coming together as a community was in this effort, and that we shouldn't let the extra work be the stumbling block to opting out. 

Fred addressed the way opt out could be meaningful w/o consequences via the field tests, this in response to how we can hurt Pearson, since the bottom line is where the buck stops. Celia Oyler, professor who trains teachers at TC, spoke to us about the corporate side of ed reform, giving a perspective that many parents still know little about. A former PS321 teacher who now teaches in Chinatown spoke about how this community sees the tests as their ticket out and how can we support this community and others who believe the tests are their answer.

There were many parents in the audience, and even a MS447 teacher and other teachers, expressing how important opting out will be as a strategy. We heard over and over again that it's the PARENTS who have the power. 

What I did not have the chance to express is that we need to WIELD our power, and not just by adding our name to a petition (though this is one step), but by taking the bull by the horns and leveraging our weight by throwing a wrench into the system by using opt out as a way to halt or stall this run away train. Many parents feel compelled but so many are so afraid. I will say that I saw Liz Phillips actually move her position slightly on opt out as the conversation unfolded. What I did not see, however, was a formal means by which to gather parents and teachers in the moment to really hash out a strategy. I think this is one of the most important aspects CtS needs to discuss, how best to support these pockets of resistance. As well, Rosalie handed out about 100 CtS fliers.

-----

Brooklyn Teachers Blast Emphasis on Testing

Wednesday, December 04, 2013 - 04:00 AM

By Yasmeen Khan

Alex Messer, a teacher at P.S. 321, describes the stress of testing on students and teachers. (Yasmeen Khan). MOREistas Sam Coleman and Julie Cavanagh on panel.

 

A group of veteran teachers described in detail Tuesday night how an emphasis on standardized tests was sucking the joy out of the classroom, adding undue stress to students and educators themselves.

"The tests are kind of ruining what we love," said Sara Greenfield, a third-grade teacher at P.S. 321 William Penn in Park Slope.... Greenfield and others spoke to parents and fellow teachers in the P.S. 321 auditorium at a forum under the umbrella of Teachers Talk Testing, a newly-formed group seeking to reduce the emphasis on testing in three ways: ending grade promotion tied to test scores; ending middle school and high school admissions tied exclusively to test scores; and revising the way test scores factor into school progress reports..... P.S. 321's principal, Liz Phillips, bluntly brought the problem with the Common Core back to testing. "The value of the Common Core has become totally tainted because of the tests," she said.

Read entire piece: http://www.wnyc.org/story/brooklyn-teachers-decry-high-stakes-attached-tests/

Principal Responds to Recruiting Request from College

Subject: RE: Your Assistance is Needed: Identifying Future School Leaders
I will suggest folks apply for waivers like the last few Chancellors (and the former State Ed  Commissioner, Steiner) who have been invited to  address folks at your school Klein Levy, Black and Walcott...
Why waste their time actually studying to become a leader when you can do it via nepotism and waivers as NYC has done for a decade- and NYS did  for Steiner...Did you or anyone else your program ever speak out against it?

NYC Principal responding to letter below.

 Dear NYCDOE Principals,

Metro North Wreck: What Would it have cost to put up a "slow speed" warning sign?

Ms. Anders said on Monday that the tracks north of the station did not include any kind of marker telling engineers when to slow down. “Engineers are required to know maximum authorized speeds and speed restrictions as part of their territory qualification,” she said.... NY Times

Yes, the engineer should have known. But a simple flashing light would prevent the possibility of distraction. Thus the full blame will fall on the driver.

Common Core for Infant Future Opt-Outers: Read Ravitch

Mommy engages Max in close reading. No context please.Who is that Ravitch lady who is scaring the beejeezus out of ed deformers?

Ed Notes Learns Identity of next chancellor and police commissioner

And the winner is: Jeff Kaufman, who as a former cop, lawyer and current teacher has the qualifications and the skills to do both jobs - at the same time. Congrats Jeff.

Another No-Nothing NY Times Ed Editorial

Do they read their own paper?... Loretta Prisco on NYT editorial board

.@nytopinion calls NYC teachers who work as substitutes "inactive".....Lisa Fleisher, WSJ, tweet

Great catch by Lisa. I tweeted back:

@lisafleisher .@nytopinion Good pt- ATRe work full day- some as subs, others replacing teachers who are on leave, etc. NYT ed bd ignorant

Loretta Prisco's full comment:

There is so much misinformation, lack of understanding, and a premise built on untruths (the value of high stakes testing), that is hard to know where to begin to respond.  Do they read their own paper? Yes the NYT has been on the side of the billionaires - but it has also written some articles on the cheating on tests and the anxiety brought on by HST.  They have completely ignored those stories...

The comments are just beginning to flow exposing the ignorant fault lines in the NYT editorial. RBE already nailed them this morning.

Perdido Street School
NY Times: Teacher MUST Make Concessions on Seniority, ATR'S, Pay And Scheduling - Usual neo-liberal claptrap in the NY Times on the teachers contract. The Timesmen want teachers to agree to get rid of salary steps and tie teacher pay to ... 

Look for a barrage as the day goes on. There were some interesting tweets from Wall Street Journal reporter Lisa Fleisher (who I highlighted earlier this morning for her article on Citizens of the World).

1. Lisa Fleisher ‏@lisafleisher 10h

   .@nytopinion writes on seniority & pool of "inactive" NYC teachers, but doesn't note link - it can cost principals more to hire "inactives"

    
2. Lisa Fleisher ‏@lisafleisher 10h

   .@nytopinion calls NYC teachers who work as substitutes "inactive" http://nyti.ms/1ir2EKS

   
   

   1. en Max - DecideNYC ‏@TweetBenMax 10h

      @lisafleisher @nytopinion Wouldn't it be a plus if state/city could remove personnel costs from principals' budgeting?

      
      

      •  
   2. Mark Treyger ‏@MarkTreyger718 9h

      @lisafleisher NYT thinks that veteran teachers are roadblocks 2 progress? DOE ignored needs of ELL & special needs population 4 past decade

   
   

And a comment from parent activist Jeff Nichols, who made a wonderful presentation at the City Council hearings last week.

Their own paper has pretty consistently lined up with the deformers. It's obvious the powers that be at the NYT pay more attention to the billionaire boys club than to anyone who actually knows the field of education. One can hope that since de Blasio's entire campaign was based on standing up for regular people, he'll not fall prey to the seductions of the folks with yachts and private jets, as Obama seems to have done... Jeff Nichols

I'm hoping too but my faith in politicians is strained by reality. deB has to show me serious rent money from Eva and other wealthy charters before I become a believer. And reverse - What about reversals of the October co-locos?

WSJ Reports on Citizens of the World Charter Underenrollment

The school's experience demonstrates that charter schools, which often say parents need more choices, can be stung when parents' decisions don't fall their way. It also bolsters opponents who say that, despite claims of long wait lists and tales of parents craving alternatives, there isn't as much demand for charter schools as supporters say... Lisa Fleisher, WSJ.

Lisa Fleisher often writes pieces that are fairly reported. This is another one. I can't think of another ed reporter who has brought up the point we often make about phony demand. Now if the ed press would do a FOIL on those supposed signatures charters use to claim demand.

[I was also pleased to see Lisa tweet some points of contention over the awful NY Times education editorial  - I'll try to recover them and add them to a follow-up piece later.]

One interesting point that Lisa doesn't mention is how few of the kids enrolled come from the neighborhood the school is located in -- I believe less than 5%. She does point out that kids come from as far away as Rockaway -- truly astounding when you think of the commute for little kids. I love that she gives recognition to Brooke Parker and WAGPOPS for the work they do in defending the local public schools in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

Given that by hook or crook, Citizens of the World has managed to get close to their target, don't be surprised to see kids being dragged off the street -- and I bet there are some hidden incentives involved somewhere since so much is at stake.

NY Schools

A Charter School's Struggle for New Students

Influx of Students Needed to Keep Doors Open

By

Lisa Fleisher

Nov. 28, 2013 9:33 p.m. ET

A Williamsburg charter school that tried to attract white and middle-class families needs to find more students in the next week, or it could be shut down. Citizens of the World 1, part of a California-based charter-school chain, opened across from Brooklyn's McCarren Park in September expecting 107 kindergartners and first-graders to totter through the doors.

But on the first day of school, teachers welcomed only 56 students. After the last bus arrived, administrators made call after call to families who had signed up. They ruled out logistical hiccups and realized that more students just weren't coming.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304747004579224023173076250

My Wife Joins the Fray on Obamacare

My cousin, now living in Israel where I believe there is a national health care system, is a conservative, anti-Obama, and especially opposed to Obamacare. Which I can understand if he was, like my wife and me, in favor of a single payer system -- Medicare for all. I mean, we are pissed too at Obama for allowing the insurance companies to run health care and take their pound of flesh. But he's a critic from the right. Much closer to a tea party libertarian point of view -- he does come from the business world.

My wife has some serious expertise in this area, having spent much of her career working in a major hospital handing insurance health issues and dealing with every insurance company and the medicare people -- who she found the most effective.

So when my cousin sent this video link about the Affordable Coffee Act to his list today with this comment ----

Clever no matter where you come down on the real ACA. (And less than 4 minutes long.)

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/11/28/coffeecare_the_affordable_coffee_act.html



---my wife responded:

Health insurance isn't a luxury, like coffee, that you really don't need to buy.  It's a necessity that at some point almost everyone will need. You can either pay for it now, often with the help of government subsidies, or pay for it later when you become ill and have no insurance and have to bankrupt yourself to obtain care. Just the fact that people with preexisting conditions can now obtain coverage is a huge step forward.

The ACA has faults and yes, you shouldn't have to pay for maternity care if you're menopausal or a man, but in lieu of universal coverage, it's better than the nothing that existed before the law was passed.  Also, although it's a government mandate, it's not the government that will reap windfall profits from the paltry penalty tax that individuals who fail to buy insurance must pay.  The big insurance companies will become even more obscenely rich than they are now by selling all of these policies.

Despite the fact that she was complaining that she had to spend a half hour of thinking time crafting this response, thus taking time away from playing with the cats, I think I'll offer that gal a regular health coverage beat on ed notes -- which she'll turn down of course. Playing with the cats and taking care of a feeble-minded husband takes priority.

UPDATE:
My cousin responded with:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. First, I know many people who would argue as to which is more important - their cup of coffee or almost anything else when they feel coffee-deprived.

The biggest problem for me is the "we know what is best for you attitude" that I feel has permeated the pro-ACA position. And the fact that the powers who pushed it through 3 years ago knew the truth and lied. Like the "little people" do not know what is good for them and, to quote the famous movie line, "can't handle the truth."

I believe the good elements of the law as you point them out could have been achieved other ways. But this was and is, pure and simply, a power grab by those that know better than the rest of us what is good for us.

Also, I find it is very easy for people who have the means to pay for something to think others, who have less means, should also.

I guess you and I will have to agree to disagree about which path is the most "righteous" (as in has the most "justice" in it) one to take. 

 So I get into this with this response:

We appreciate the debate on this. I am having the same one with my dentist who agrees with you and makes the points about a power grab. But a power grab by whom is what I ask?
He says by Obama -- the big govt- big brother argument.
We critics on the left say it is a typical crony capitalistic profit-making power grab by many elements in the health industry - some will gain a lot and others will lose out -- but generally the corporations will make out fine.
When I point to medicare and basically other than the all too high fraud that could be managed with better oversight, works out pretty well. Imagine medicare for all? Do you have such a health care system in Israel? If so do you consider that a power grab?

I find some hypocrisy in the "nanny state" argument given there are no complaints about so many areas --  required car insurance. Or the costs of so-called "security" and the costs of the military industrial complex which are never opened up to scrutiny.
How about those farm subsidies to millionaire mega-farmers?
There is so much cronyism in a government under the control of special interests that to abstract the idea of an uncoupled government from those interests makes this an ideological not an economic or political argument.
The complexities and failures of Obamacare are due to the needs to satisfy the profit motive of special interests.
People on your side of the fence are not offering those strong alternatives you claim are out there to cover people with pre-existing conditions. If we say let the government just offer them a plan that would work we would hear massive squawks. So basically, you guys have restricted the options and forced people to come up with some kind of plan that satisfies the special interests -- basically the very same plan Republicans were pushing before Obama became president - as in Massachusetts.
So it is interesting how the people against single payer -- who often love medicare - argue out of so many different sides of their mouths.

 I'm waiting for my wife to respond - if she stops playing with those damn cats. And tomorrow morning I have an appointment with my dentist to fix a broken tooth where I will attempt to make my points before he shoves instruments in my mouth.

Teachers Talk Testing @PS 321K, Tues. Dec. 3 - With MOREistas Cavanagh, Coleman and More

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We'll be holding a Teachers Talk Testing Forum at PS 321 this Tuesday, 12/3 at 6:30pm. I'll be speaking - among other great guests - and I urge you to attend if you are able to make it. We'll be looking at the impact the high stakes tests are having on teachers professionally... as well as on our classrooms and students. We'll also look at ways we can help lower the stakes surrounding these tests.

Even if you aren't able to make it, you should definitely check out our website, consider signing the petition, and spread the word... a great and easy step we can all take to help lower the stakes around testing in NYC:  http://www.teacherstalktesting.com/petition

Best,

Alex Messer

4th Grade Teacher

UFT Chapter Leader

PS 321

Report from the Banana Republic: Where Does Blame for Derailment Lie?

MTA Board should resign Immediately. But they will just blame the train operator.

Well, is it time to officially declare us a 3rd World Country with today's Metro North Derailment? Exactly how do the people in charge of running things get chosen? Political hacksville:

MTA Leadership

The MTA is governed by a 17-member Board. Members are nominated by the Governor, with four recommended by New York City's mayor and one each by the county executives of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Putnam counties (the members representing the latter four cast one collective vote).

• MTA Board Members
• MTA Management Team
• MTA Agency Presidents
• Past MTA Board Chairs

Do you believe this crew of almost all white men?

Click on each MTA Board member's picture for a short bio. Scroll down or click here for details of appointment.

Thomas F. Prendergast Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
Fernando Ferrer Vice Chairman
Andrew Albert	Jonathan A. Ballan	John H. Banks	Robert C. Bickford
James F. Blair	Norman E. Brown	Allen P. Cappelli	Ira Greenberg
Jeffrey A. Kay	Mark D. Lebow	Susan G. Metzger	Charles G. Moerdler
John J. Molloy	Mark Page	Mitchell H. Pally	David Paterson
Andrew M. Saul	James L. Sedore Jr.	Vincent Tessitore, Jr.	Ed Watt
Carl V. Wortendyke

A Bittersweet Weekend

How to even begin to describe the levels of inspiration that Gene and Loretta provided? Committed educators, representative of the best of NYC and it's radical traditions, wonderful friends offering help and comfort to those around them, people full of humor and the life force... Farewell, brother: you lit the path before us and made it a little easier to go forward... Michael Fiorillo

Over 40 years ago I met a group of people when I became an education activist -- read "real reformer" -- in the community I taught in and in the UFT. A bunch of us have remained friends over these years. Losing one of the core members is a big blow. So today's (and tomorrow's) wake for Gene Prisco is a very sad affair. Our little group is heading over this afternoon and it is still hard to believe.

It was over 10 years ago when I had a party at my house, inviting the 70s group and a newer group of people I met though Ed Notes -- people like Michael and John Lawhead -- and later on, Jeff Kaufman and James Eterno and Lisa North and Gloria Brandman --- the old guard and the newer guard bonded very easily -- with many of the same views -- and that is what made the formation of ICE feasible.  And since Gene had already retired, it gave him a forum and an opportunity to introduce his strong voice to a larger audience.

It was hard to not talk about Gene and Loretta though I  pretty much kept saying, "oy vey." I am truly devoid of eloquence. Unfortunately I can't make the funeral on Tuesday morning as I have an important appointment with my dentist to fix a broken tooth.

Gene's wake will be today and tomorrow at Harmon's funeral home on Forest Ave in Staten Island from 4-7.

Purely due to coincidence, since we ordered the tickets a long time ago, last night 5 of us went out to see Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" at Town Hall, the first of 4 New York live radio performances. (It will be rebroadcast today at 11 AM on NPR 820am radio. I recommend going to this if you can get tickets.)

We enjoyed 2 hours of laughter and a fine meal at a Thai place on 8th Ave off 42nd St. Now back to reality.

If you want some eloquence, here are some great comments at the ICE blog.

Jeff Kaufman said...

Thanks, James and to all of you who have known Gene and have been touched by his compassion, strength and lust for life. Gene's gift of making everyone feel special and important extended to those that totally disagreed with his strong views. While it is a huge loss he has left a legacy which will live on through all of us.

 

 John Lawhead said...

We loved you, Gene Prisco. You were a wise and charming fellow. You always had an open heart and timely words to make us feel we're part of something larger.

 

Mike MORE said...

May God Bless Loretta and the family, my deepest sympathies

 

Gloria said...

Although I didn't know Gene that well, I learned quickly at ICE meetings that when Gene was about to speak, it was in all of our best interests to listen very carefully! His words, his analysis, his advise always gave the energy and wisdom needed to move our goals towards building an activist, strong and member centric union forward! Gene, Presente !

Updated: Ruling on Portelos Right to Attend SLT Meetings as Chapter Leader

Jeff Kaufman reports another nail in the rights of the union at EdLawFaqs blog. 

This ruling impacts on the rights of the teachers to have an effective chapter leader. The fact that Portelos has to hold meetings through Skype and by standing in front of the school should be challenged by the UFT. I think that may be a separate issue.

This ruling says: [T]he law is well settled that the courts may not overturn the decision of an administrative agency which has a rational basis and was not arbitrary and capricious.

But what if the decision to remove Portelos from the school WAS "arbitrary and capricious," something not yet decided? That is the essence of the Portelos defense.




Portelos did have a court win recently as chronicled on his blog: http://protectportelos.org/breaking-news-supreme-court-judge-confirms-portelos-uft-arbitration-win/ where the DOE  legal has refused to recognize him as the elected CL and when the arbitrator ruled in his favor they did not honor that, forcing him to go to court. How is that ruling affected by this one?
 
Here is Jeff's summary and a link to his blog.

Can a Chapter Leader, excluded from his school pending disciplinary charges, be prevented from attending School Leadership Team meetings?

Posted on November 30, 2013

Yes. Francesco Portelos, the duly elected Chapter Leader at IS 49 in Staten Island, was reassigned pending a SCI investigation and, by letter, notified that he was not to return to IS 49 without prior written permission and that any school activities he had participated in would remain suspended until the resolution of the matter.

As Chapter Leader Portelos is a mandated member of the School Leadership Team and commenced an Article 78 proceeding to challenge his exclusion from the Team. Justice Cynthia Kern initially ruled that the petition was time-barred since it was filed almost one year after he was excluded from the meetings.

Kern ruled that even if the petition was timely she would denied the relief requested because DOE’s policy of exclusion was rational and in accordance with its policies and procedures. Chancellor’s Regulation A-655 provides that mandatory members attend the meetings the regulation “does not confer a right upon such member if they are prohibited from entering the school or participating in school activities due to administrative reassignment and/or pending charges of misconduct.”

Portelos also argued that the school violated the Open Meetings Law, POL Section 103 by excluding him. Kern ruled that School Leadership Teams were advisory in nature and not subject to the Open Meetings Law.

Read the case here:  Portelos v. NYCDOE

This ruling has no effect on the current hearing to fire him  - there are 2 dates scheduled this week and I'll try to get to an in-depth update on the Portelos hearing.

Here's the point -- even if he wins on every single charge, the DOE STILL claims the right to ban him permanently from his school and turn him into an ATR. The UFT doesn't even fight these decisions, saying that if a 3020a is won by the teacher, all the DOE has to do is give than a job not their old job back (Christine Rubino after a two-year suspension without pay is sitting in an office). And if that job is washing the floors with a toothbrush, that is probably OK too.

The courts are basically stacked against us even if a teacher wins once in a while, which is why when people press for spending lots of dough on high-priced lawyers, I urge caution. The way to stop this is to take a weak-kneed union and turn it into a tiger. And that means organizing people into a potent force inside the union.

Sermon of the day over.