MORE, Featuring Marilyn Martinez, Meets Saturday, ICE, Featuring Rice Pudding, Meets Friday

Just heading out of Rockaway to attend the 4PM ICE meeting at the diner where I can gobble some rice pudding -- well it is hot out and what a way to cool off than at an ICE meeting. If anything worth reporting I will do so tonight or tomorrow. Not sure if I can make it back to city for MORE meeting as I have a lot of yard/gardening work to do but with Marilyn Martinez there it should be quite an event.

The CPE people are having a celebration with Catlin Prestin at 5 this afternoon uptown -

An open agenda at the ICE meeting - some topics so far:

Ed Notes/ICE summer series -- possibly study group, discussions, etc.

Janus and the UFT. Are there alternatives to urging people to stay in the union?
Dissecting the Central park east story in depth -- what do we learn and can it be applied to other schools or is this an outlier?
Chicago and social justice unionism -- we see a dearth of info on Chicago after years of "lessons we can learn". Are the CTU and CORE morphing into the UFT and Unity? Tales of democracy and not democracy -- is the SJ model people are using failing or are there other considerations?
LA confidential -- the loss to charters in school board elections -- is that a good model as an alt to mayoral control? Union leadership in LA -- Alex' grand plan and was it disrupted by the election?

TheMORE meeting/conference on Saturday

Victory at CPE1! Hear exonerated Chapter Leader at MORE forum this weekend…

May 17, 2017 — 1 Comment

Abusive administrator Monika Garg has been removed as Principal of progressive Harlem elementary school CPE1 and UFT Chapter Leader Marylin Martinez and Delegate Caitlin Preston have both been fully exonerated of the retaliatory charges that Garg initiated to remove them to the school!
This victory is the product of an eighteen-month struggle led by parents who occupied the school, took their children out of school in a family strike, and hounded Mayor DiBlasio at events. CPE1 teachers, supported by MORE representatives, repeatedly pressed the leadership at the UFT executive board for action.

Read coverage in on the blog of MORE Executive Board representative Arthur Goldstein, the New York Times, and EducationNotes Online.

Chapter Leader Marilyn Martinez will be speaking at MORE’s forum this Saturday at 3:30 PM – See details below… Please print this flyer to distribute to your staff today!

The Demise of Unions?

A bottom-up vision for reviving the labor movement

Location: CUNY Graduate Center (5th and 34th) Room 5414 (Bring ID)

Date: Saturday, May 20

Time: 3:30 to 6:00, with socializing to follow.

President Trump, Congress, and the US Supreme Court are prepared to continue and escalate the attacks on the American labor movement, and national “right-to-work” laws will severely weaken public sector unions.

How can workers organize in this environment, which is a result not just of recent events, but also of decades of anti-labor policy in the United States? How can public sector workers defend their unions from outside threats, but also hold them accountable and force them to stand up to Trump?

Join MORE (the Movement of Rank & File Educators) at our forum on the future of public sector unionism; hear grassroots organizers from groups across the city share stories of their organizing work and their thoughts on how to prepare for the challenges of the future.

SPEAKERS*:

 

Mary Fitzgerald, RN: Montefiore Hospital, NYSNA organizer

[Mary Fitzgerald is head of the bargaining unit at Montefiore Hospital for the New York State Nurses Association. She helped to organize the dissociation of NYSNA from the American Nurses Association and has been instrumental in advocating for safe staffing in New York hospitals.]

Marilyn Martinez: UFT Chapter Leader at Central Park East 1

[As the United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader at CPE 1, Marilyn Martinez has worked with families and other teachers to protect the school’s tradition of progressive education. A veteran kindergarten/first-grade teacher, she has been a leader in the school community in the fight against abusive administration.]

*Speakers’ affiliations listed for identification purposes only.

DOE/Legal Rushes to 3020a Kangaroo Court for Central Park East 1 Chapter Leader Starting Today: Parents to Rally Outside

I wrote about this on Sunday, A Political Attack: Superintendent Alexandra Estrella Orders Chapter Leader Removal from Central Park East I - Sign the Petition --
--- and if you didn't sign yet, hit the link and get your ass over there and sign it NOW.

Even a cynic such as I didn't assume a 3020a hearing could come so soon. But that is the way the slime at the DOE operate -- knowing that there could be massive support for a teacher, they are trying to rush this hearing through before such support could gather --- no so fast, as parent and teacher outrage grows. People talk about Trump and democracy when in our own "liberal" city we see this happen?

Marilyn Martinez, the chapter leader of Central Park East 1, where the staff and parents have been fighting the appointment of principal Monika Garg for the past year, was suddenly removed from her classroom on orders of the Superintendent just before the midwinter break about 3 weeks. DOE Legal is rushing her 3020a hearing starting today and tomorrow. From what I hear the hearing is not open -- not sure why -- since Marilyn has the right to an open hearing. I don't know if she is using a private or NYSUT lawyer. A private lawyer not familiar with DOE Legal ops can be a handicap. At least the NYSUT people know the terrain and also the hearing officer -- who is Dean Burrell. Sometimes the lawyers only want to fight on legal grounds -- these cases can be very affected by politics and public scrutiny.

Going after a top level teacher to try to fire them explodes the entire "bad teacher" rap -- see Peter Lamphere 2 U ratings by the current principal of Townsend Harris when she was Peter's AP.  Rally Against Townsend Harris Principal..].

CPE I Principal Monika Garg lied to parents - she assured the parents of Marilyn's class she would sign a letter of support for Marilyn but then refused.

The fact that parents are organizing on their own may be used by the DOE to charge Marilyn with doing the organizing -- I've seen that happen before -- they actually look into contact between teachers and parents even if the teacher is responding to parent concerns. This is an attempt to prevent teachers from gathering support. Teachers have the right to call a big list of witnesses.

If the hearing officer - Dean Burrell - terminates Marilyn, the UFT needs to make it clear he will never be accepted as a hearing officer again. The DOE did that in the past when hearing officers were sympathetic to the defense ---

Also this is an attack on a chapter leader -- the UFT must take a public stand on this, not merely work behind the scenes. If they don't the deBlasio endorsement needs to be questioned further. A reso to withdraw is not out of the question in my mind. If a union can't stand up to defend its leaders on the ground, what kind of union are they? [Don't tell us about the work you are doing behind the scenes - this demands a press conf with Mulgrew drawing a line in the sand.] DEMAND SUPT ALEXANDRA ESTRELLA BE REMOVED.

My guess is that this is a high pressure way to get Marilyn out of the school - get her to make a deal for a fine or something like that. But we know that no matter the outcome of the hearing, they never send people back anyway. Since Marilyn has had a lifetime investment in CPEI - her kid goes there, she spent her teaching career there, she may even have went there as a student -- she is in an extremely vulnerable position. We must make it clear that no matter the outcome - WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

Here is the email from parents:

Your Presence Needed TODAY in Support of Marilyn

Dear CPE 1 Community and Friends,

Where/When: 9:30am tomorrow and Friday at 100 Gold Street in Manhattan https://goo.gl/maps/8W7YCYPb1jn

What: Marilyn's termination process hearing

Who: Everyone who possibly can, particularly current and former parents

As most people know, Marilyn Martinez was removed from her K/1 classroom right before February break due to a DOE investigation. While Monika has assured us that she is working to get Marilyn back in the school as soon as possible, we have just found out that the DOE has been proceeding with the termination process and that her termination hearing is scheduled to begin tomorrow. This may also explain why Monika refused to sign a letter in support of Marilyn this morning after having promised class parents that she would do so. We are sure that this is as much of a shock to everyone else as it to us; many of us are still struggling to figure out how to support our children in the wake of this disruption. However, it is now clear to us that the DOE is trying to permanently remove Marilyn from teaching and that she urgently needs our support.

Marilyn's hearing is scheduled to begin tomorrow, Thursday, March 2nd. Unfortunately, there are a lot of details we don't know, but here is what we know. This process is known as a 3020-a hearing and is how the DOE bring charges in order to terminate a tenured teacher. This process necessarily involves the Principal, the Superintendent and the Chancellor, and they will be represented by DOE lawyers. Marilyn has also been assigned representation by her union. There are a wide range of charges that can be brought against a teacher and a similarly wide range of judgments that can be awarded by the independent arbitrator who hears the case.

We do not know the exact charges against Marilyn. In addition, we have been informed that the DOE will usually creates as long a list of charges as possible in hopes that something will stick or that the teacher's character will be questioned. We do know that the charges do not involve harm to children in any way or her effectiveness as a teacher. They are related to "ethics" misconduct, which the DOE can define very broadly. We do know that Marilyn is a dedicated and inspired teacher who deserves our support. We know that her removal has had a detrimental impact on our children and school community. We are confident that there is nothing that Marilyn could be reasonably charged with that could justify her removal - and certainly not the loss of her job.

We also know that teachers are often pressured to resign or retire in order to avoid the stressful hearing process with its uncertain outcome. Only 4% of teachers are fully acquitted and returned to their classroom. However, it is also very difficult to fully terminate a teacher. It is much more likely that some kind of penalty, such as a fine or disciplinary letter, will be levied. Regardless, for an educator who has dedicated their entire adult life to serving children and their families, this is a traumatic and potentially career-destroying process.

We believe that the the presence and support of colleagues, parents, former students and others could play a very important role in supporting Marilyn. If 40 or 50 parents were to attend her hearing, it would be unprecedented and would speak very strongly to Marilyn's character and positive impact on our school community. We also believe we could give confidence to Marilyn so that she does not go through this process by herself. Unfortunately, from what we've been able to piece together, it seems like this will be a closed hearing so we will not be able to attend the hearing itself. But we still think it would be very powerful and important for us to be there tomorrow to show support for Marilyn and make it clear to the DOE that she is a beloved and valued teacher. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10am and so we would like to be there by 9:30 to greet Marilyn and others arriving and to show our support. Thursday will be the most important day as it is the first day, but if you can come both or only Friday, that is also needed.

Therefore, we are asking that everyone try to arrange to come down to the hearing and support Marilyn on Thursday and/or Friday. We understand that for many parents this means arranging time off work or childcare, but this is really important. It is important because it is an opportunity for us to give back to a teacher who has done so much for our children and school community. It is also important because it sends a message to all teachers in our school that parents will stand behind them. Other teachers must feel very vulnerable right now. If we want to keep our most experienced teachers in our school, then we have to stand up for them now. We all desperately want Marilyn back in her classroom, which would be the best possible outcome and should do everything we can to make this possible. But we also want Marilyn to be able to keep her career as an educator. Our support could make all the difference.

It is very important to understand that this is not a protest and our demeanor will reflect on Marilyn. We want to be respectful, neatly dressed, non-emotional and non-confrontational. This will be emotional for many of us as well, but our character will also reflect on Marilyn and she will need our strength and calm presence.

Thank you for all you have already done to support Marilyn. Please email us if you are able to attend. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us listed below and we will do our best to answer them based on what we know. This has been a difficult time for our school community, but we hope that we can all come together in this moment to support our teachers and one another and do what is best for our children.

Thanks,
parents

on CPE1: Norm in The Wave - Legendary Progressive School Under Assault

The Binder

CPE1 Update: 
Parent and teacher reps met for hours yesterday with the Chancellor's "team" which included Phil Weinberg, Laura Feijoo, Louis Herrera, Yolanda Torres. A group of supporters sat on the steps of Tweed as a show of support. A 120 page binder listing Garg transgressions, including violating numerous chancellor regs, was handed over.

Below is my column this week, a brief attempt to explain the CPE1 situation to the Rockaway community in a nutshell.

Published in The Wave, April 14, 2017
http://www.rockawave.com/node/243225?pk_campaign=Newsletter

Legendary Progressive School Under Assault

 
Parents support UFT Chapter leader Marilyn Martinez at her hearing. When I was a young teacher dreaming about teaching in a child-centered progressive school (which I never got to do), the model school set up in East Harlem (District 4) in the mid-1970s by Debbie Meier, one of the gods of teaching in this country for 50 years, was a magnet for teachers and parents looking for alternative ways of working with kids that were far from the mainstream. Central Park East (CPE) became a nationwide model, offering elementary school children a private school model of education and making it available to parents who did not have the means to send their kids to elite schools. A major component of such education in Debbie’s vision was a non-segregated and diverse population that would be roughly one third black, Latino and white in a neighborhood where such an option was not available. Call it the one of the early concepts of choice within a public school system which is so pushed by the charter school lobby. Debbie won a McArthur Genius Award for her ground breaking work in New York and in Boston.

The CPE model was the furthest thing from today’s no excuses, test-driven, anti-union, rigid, corporate as opposed to student-driven charter factory floor concepts.

People from all over the nation came to study the practices in the school, which involved student choices in what they would learn, in addition to a wide degree of latitude for teachers; a democratically run school where major decisions on hiring and practices were decided jointly by teachers and administrators with a lot of parent input. Principals sometimes referred to themselves as “head teachers.” The closest model in Brooklyn is the Brooklyn New School in Park Slope.

The original CPE, now known as CPE1, was replicated into a CPE 2 and then a CPE middle and high school, though over the time the practices diverged in the different schools. CPE1 was the school that retained many of the original constructs, one of which is that testing is the least important aspect of a rich education in an elementary school especially since our youngest children grow at different rates intellectually and emotionally and branding kids based on test scores at such an early age is debilitating. Thus most parents who choose to send their kids – in fact, fight to send their kids – to the few progressive public schools there are have been opting out of taking tests once they became the measure of success and drowned out all the other factors of what makes for a good school and a good education.

In the past year and a half, CPE1 progressive education, the teaching staff and the majority of parents have come under attack by the Department of Education with the installation of a principal, Monika Garg, who has no experience in progressive education, was a high school administrator with little or no knowledge of how elementary schools work, but especially of how CPE1 has operated through its history. Garg has gone after experienced and tenured teachers which culminated in the recent removal of chapter leader Marilyn Martinez, which has galvanized an already active parent group that has been fighting back against Garg and the DOE. At Martinez’ hearings, between 50 and 100 parents showed up in support. Last week, after a massively attended School Leadership Team (SLT) meeting that attracted over a hundred people, including State Senator Bill Perkins and former City Councilman Robert Jackson, the parents read a statement calling on Garg to resign.

Garg read her own statement refusing to resign saying that she answers only to her superiors, the Superintendent Alexander Estrella and Chancellor Farina. In our system the people running schools do not have to answer to the stakeholders – the parents, teachers, or the general community. Since the mayor was given control over the schools in this city in 2002, the arrogance of whoever is running the system, no matter what party, has only grown worse.

After the SLT meeting, parents at CPE1 were fed up enough to refuse to leave the auditorium and engaged in a sleep-in, not emerging until 9 a.m. the next morning. I was there to cover the story for my blog and The Wave, along with the NY Times, Wall St. Journal, WCBS, WNBC, The Daily News and other press.
I have been the only one embedded with the parents and teachers since I first met with them a year ago.

A Political Attack: Superintendent Alexandra Estrella Orders Chapter Leader Removal from Central Park East I - Sign the Petition

Marilyn [Martinez] is the UFT chapter leader for the teachers and paraprofessionals at CPE1. She is on the SLT and has been an integral part of providing support for our new teachers. She is on the hiring committee. She is our liaison to the PROSE program. She is a strong advocate and example of CPE1 style progressive education. She has her own child at our school. From the type of case it seems to be, there is the possibility that Marilyn could potentially lose her license to teach. We have consulted several DOE and UFT veterans who have commented that this is unusual: to remove a teacher with a misconduct concern who is not accused of impropriety/endangering their students from the classroom....

The attack on the staff, parents and children at Central Park East I goes on. Having a class of children lose teacher due to political reasons is educational malpractice. Not only Estrella but Farina must bear the load --- the removal of any chapter leader should call for a strong and immediate public response from the UFT.  Don't expect it --- some Unity apologists will whine about how much they are doing -- behind the scenes.

Reality Based Educator at the ICE blog nailed the UFT:

...they tell us how swell things are, how much better the system is under de Blasio when, if you polled teachers who have been in the system 5 or more years, I bet you'd get an overwhelming majority saying things are MUCH worse now under de Blasio than they were under Bloomberg. That's not to say Bloomberg wouldn't be pushing this stuff too... But at least under Bloomberg, the UFT made some modicum of effort to push back. slight as it was. As things stand now, there's not only no effort coming from the UFT to pushback against Farina's nonsense, there's not even the appearance of it. Nope - instead they tell us all is well and if you don't think that way, you're crazy.

Sign the Damn PETITION UPDATE:

MORE, CPE 1 Parents Call for Mulgrew to Publicly Support Chapter Leader Under 3020a charges at final hearing today

When CLs are brought up on charges that should be a red flag to the union not to treat these cases like any other 3020a dismissal case. MORE/NA Ex Bd reps send a letter to Mulgrew:

We ask that you or Elementary Vice President Karen Alford attend the final day of the hearing this Friday, March 10 in order to send a clear message to the DOE, the arbitrator, and UFT rank and filers that the UFT supports this chapter leader. We further ask you to offer the assistance of the UFT press office in publicizing this defense.  We further ask that you intervene personally with the chancellor around this case. If we do not defend our chapter leaders publicly and strongly, we may soon not have a union to defend at all....

MORE/New Action Ex Bd members letter to Mulgrew

Before I head down to the hearing I wanted to post this call for the UFT leadership to offer public support by showing up today. Our most recent post on the CPE 1 retaliatory 3020a charges against a chapter leader -- Fight Farina Assault on Teacher Rights: Friday 9:30 - In Defense of a Chapter Leader Under 3020a Dismissal Charges

CPE1 Update: Biased NY Times Reporting, Marilyn Back in Class Monday, Mulgrew Gets Some Creds, New Supervisor for Garg - it is not enough

You might be asking why the constant reporting on CPE1? Because the story contains the essence of so much that is going on in the NYC DOE and the UFT.

• Abuse by principals and superintendents and Farina at the top in targeting schools and senior teachers.
• They follow a  blueprint that the UFT doesn't share with its members.
• Teachers and parents at first accept the principal who lies and manipulates -- it takes them months since they had never seen anything like that before. 
• UFT ignores situation for over a year with teachers charging the Dist Rep with showing favoritism toward the principal and the Supt over them.
• In desperation, teachers contact MORE despite being warned by UFT that MORE is only interested in using them. Or any other lies they can make up.
• UFT says it is working behind the scenes but will not call publicly for Garg's removal nor use its PR machinery to promote the story.

Here is where we diverge from the typical story.

• Parents take charge -- not a small group -- like the Garg supporters -- but a massive outpouring. We suggest they go to the PEP meetings when we met with them in Feb. 2016. They weren't even clear what PEP meetings were but they learned fast and have attended every one since March 2016. They even begin going to the Delegate Assembly to pass out leaflets.
  MORE/NA elect 7 HS Ex Bd reps who begin bringing them to Ex Bd meetings soon after Marilyn - the CL - removed in February-- the impact hits union leaders right in the face.
• We expect the hearing officer to split the baby and fine Marilyn, thus preventing her return to the school. But she wins outright.
• The return of Marilyn Martinez to the classroom this Monday and the appointment by Farina of a Superintendent who may not have the same buddy buddy relationship that existed between the current Dist 4 Supt Alexandra Estrella and Monika Garg.

Later today the parents are throwing a party for Marilyn at a restaurant in East Harlem to celebrate but the struggle against Garg will continue because she had broken trust with everyone.

Fact is both Estrella and Garg have committed acts of a vendetta that should get them both fired. But we know supervisors will never go away -- like Townsend Harris' Rosemary Jahoda is sitting somewhere waiting for a new assignment -- and there are rumors she was offered some principalships which is like putting Willie Sutton in charge of running a bank.

Mulgrew - you can say we all put enough pressure on him -- did play a role behind the scenes in demanding Marilyn Martinez be returned to the classroom -- but that is her legal right - and any teacher winning a 3020a should be returned -- it shouldn't take a massive parent protest, sit-ins and boycotts.

That the issue was about Marilyn supposedly giving a parent advice on getting into the school was the cause of the youngest children losing their teacher for 2 months and 3020a firing charge- with Garg luring in a parent and taping her - while telling parents she had no role in the removal of Marilyn - should cause her instant dismissal and charges filed against her. She did the same with the other teacher who has been out of there for 15 months - using a more serious charge of corporal punishment -- also made up - the parent of the child testified for the teacher. I think the teachers have grounds for a personal law suit against Garg and Estrella and possibly Farina.

This is where the UFT is failing -- failing to call public attention to these outrages.

The NY Times' Kate Taylor has another poorly reported and biased story today:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/nyregion/after-protests-harlem-elementary-school-principal-gets-new-supervisor.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Examine these 2 paragraphs:

For more than a year, a group of parents [massive group of parents representing the majority] at the school has been demanding the removal of the principal, Monika Garg, who started in 2015. The parents seeking her removal have accused her of watering down the school’s progressive approach and instigating investigations that led to the temporary removal of two teachers. [Does she know that these removals are often not temporary?]

Another group of parents, and some of the school’s teachers, [a giant wtf - a small group of parents and a few teachers] support Ms. Garg, saying that she has tried to bring order to a school that long flouted department rules. They say that there were inequities in admissions and that some students were underperforming.

Note how Taylor gives the pro-Garg talking points but not the major talking points against Garg -- like a mile long.

Now let's look at this:

The department had sought to remove Ms. Martinez, citing accusations that she had attempted to assist a parent in violating the schools admissions policies, according to a person familiar with the charges.
But an arbitrator found the accusations unsubstantiated and dismissed the charges.

Does Taylor know about the impact of 3020a charges to dismiss instead of putting a letter in her file? Does she even question the idea of the cost to the DOE for trying to get Marilyn fired for "attempt[ing} to assist a parent in violating the schools admissions policies"? Another giant WTF.

The case against the other teacher, Catlin Preston, is still pending. The department is seeking to remove him on charges that he meted out corporal punishment.

Now this -- essentially slandering Catlin by mentioning corporal punishment - but not reporting that the parent was lied to and in fact testified for Catlin. The parent has made public statements and I believe has told Taylor the story. This is not only bad reporting but dishonest, biased reporting.

What about the UFT role?
And then there's the role the district rep, Servia Silva played favoring Garg and Estrella, something we witnessed in person when she gave the pro-Garg crew that showed up at the Ex Bd meeting an effusive greeting while she ignored the vet teachers who have been fighting Garg. We saw no sign of Silva meeting after meeting when parents en masse showed up. I never saw Silva at one of the hearings for Marilyn.

Let's be clear -- all tenured teachers were under investigation by Garg starting in the fall of 2015 -- no red flag at the UFT? They came to MORE in frustration in Feb/March 2016 but after that they took control on their own --some of us came out to support them when we could. They came back to MORE for help in March 2017 after Marilyn was facing 3020a hearings- and we suggested they come to the Ex Bd. But before that there was no reaction at the UFT --- I know - they will claim behind the scenes -- but in fact with these flimsy charges against a CL who fought the principal, the UFT should have raised the riot act when she was removed and charged -- there are many teachers under investigation who remain teaching as long as children aren't involved.

Why did it take the UFT over a year to take note of this situation? Why does so much of the UFT hierarchy seem to be in bed with administrators?

The lesson is that we must shine the light on the cockroaches to flush out the UFT leadership into taking some action, even if weak.

CPE1 Chapter Leader Marilyn Martinez CLEARED of ALL CHARGES - Estrella and Garg Should be Removed Immediately for Criminal Act

After a baseless and retaliatory investigation and termination hearing based on trumped up charges, Central Park East 1 teacher (and union chapter chair), Marilyn Martinez, was CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES! This is an extremely rare decision as only 4% of NYC teachers who go through these hearings are fully exonerated. But we need your help to tell the Mayor that the DOE needs to bring Marilyn back to her classroom immediately and that the campaign of harassment against teachers and parents must be stopped.... #Savecpe1 committee, http://www.savecpe1.org

Let's remember that Marilyn was suddenly removed from the classroom by the District 4 Elementary and middle school superintendent: Alexandra Estrella, (212) 348-2873. In an unprecedented move she was brought up on 3020a charges to fire her just a few weeks later which brought out an enormous parent response at her hearings. (And for those NYSUT lawyer bashers, she used one.)

How about that CSA call for the DOE to support yet another lying principal (YALP)? CSA Calls Abusive Principal Garg "an outstanding educator".)  Shame on the so-called union that supports attacks on other union members. The UFT should cut all relations and cooperation with these slugs.

Just think of it -- little kids, some with special needs, suddenly were cut off from the teacher who had given them so much support so early in their school lives -- one of the very best and dedicated teachers you can find -- the kind of teacher who writes 10 page individual analysis and reports for each child in addition to creating a vibrant classroom experience. I consider this a criminal act --- administrative and educational malpractice at the very least.

Also think of those 3 untenured teachers and 4 parents who showed up at the UFT Ex Bd meeting the other night to support Garg and in essence to endorse Garg's actions -- and was greeted with warmth and showered with love by UFT District Rep Servia Silva for engaging in what some termed the act of scabs who made statements attacking their fellow teachers. (From the first time we met with CPE1 teachers 15 months ago they were telling us she was pro-Garg and Estella.) See Arthur's Executive Board Takeaway.

The main complaint of these teachers who were hired by Garg against the vets were that they wouldn't meet with them other than offsite because Marilyn could not be in the school due to the charges. Now there's the union spirit of support. No wonder Garg hired them. 

Apparently Garg, who had lied about having anything to do with Marilyn's removal, was in it up to her ears, secretly taping a parent. Can anyone maintain trust in keeping her as principal? The UFT must call for Garg's immediate removal (and Estella with her) and Marilyn's immediate reinstatement to the classroom as of this Monday.

In the meantime, would we be surprised to see them try to file additional charges against Marilyn to keep her out of the school since her return would throw a serious monkey wrench into the Farina plan to undermine the school?

Parents are asking people to blitz de Blasio with calls today calling for Marilyn's immediate return.

We don't know how quickly she will be reinstated or if they will try to mess with it; at our SLT meeting today, Monika refused to say that she would support her return and looked really angry at idea of her returning.

So we want to get out ahead of it and build public political pressure for her immediate return and an end to the harassment; we're doing another call-in action tomorrow am around it. I know it's really short notice but anything you can do to get the word out would be much appreciated - it made a big difference last week.

Video: Stop Abusive Principals - April 6 - 4:30 PM - Central Park East1 Parents to Issue No Confidence in Principal Monika Garg

Join the battle against abusive administrators - don't just leave comments about how bad things are -- come out and be inspired by these amazing parents who are standing up for their teachers under attack. April 6 at 4:30 PM - 1573 Madison Ave. at 106th St.
 
There is a lot of info in this report. CPE1 is a special progressive

school started by Debbie Meier - who is one of the top educators in the nation - remember that Diane Ravitch and Debbie began doing a sort of blog together to argue their differing views on education. Since the 70s I admired Debbie and thought about how great it would be to teach at her school -- but I felt I didn't have the skillset as a teacher to work in a school like that. So understand, these are very special teachers who take on the challenge of working at CPE1 and t come under assault by a vicious principal is like one of those ice bucket dunkings.
I got to meet Debbie a few times and once interviewed her and her views of children and how they learn were amazing - she then introduced me to the great voice of early childhood education, Nancy Paige Carlson, (Matt Damon's mom).

Debbie is celebrating her 86th birthday on April 6 and asks that we help her by showing up at the CPE 1 rally at 4:30 - or earlier.
1573 Madison Ave. at 106th St.

I'll have more later but what an amazing meeting at the UFT Ex bd last night as 20 CPE1 parents and teachers showed up as MORE/NA presented a reso in support which was tabled by Unity slimebags who ignored what was happening at CPE1 for a year and half until we made them face this issue. They say they will show up this Thursday to make a show of support. But they won't pass a reso.

The reso is at the MORE site:

morecaucusnyc

Reso to Support CPE1- Tabled by UFT Leadership 

Arthur has minutes of the meeting: 

NYC Educator

UFT Executive Board March 27th--We Love CPE1 But Won't Pass Resolution of Support
Here is a great video made by a CPE1 parent:
https://youtu.be/YKFBEHwMON8



Join CPE1 Parents and Teachers As They Say "No Confidence" in Principal

Thursday, April 6th at 4:30pm
Central Park East 1 - 106th  Madison (entrance on Madison)
FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1506717109361942/

CPE 1 parents and teachers have been fighting an abusive principal, Monika Garg, for more than a year. Garg has carried out a campaign of harassment and retaliation against teachers; both the UFT chapter leader and delegate found themselves facing investigations and removed from the classroom after speaking out. Parents say that Garg has caused harm to their children by conducting unnecessary and invasive interviews of very young children, removing trusted teachers without warning, failing to provide support and undermining the school's unique pedagogy. Garg has lost the trust and support of the vast majority of parents and teachers - with more than 70% signing a petition for her removal last year. The DOE's own school survey shows Garg with the lowest level of trust in the whole city and the steepest declines in both parent and teacher satisfaction. Despite appealing to the Chancellor, the Panel for Educational Policy and the Mayor personally, our situation remains unresolved.

Once again, CPE1 parents and teachers are mobilizing to have their voices heard. At the school SLT meeting on April 6th, parents will be presenting a statement of "no confidence" backed by the majority of parents and demanding decisive action to address their concerns. At 4:30pm, parents and teachers will be holding a press conference and rally outside the school in support of those inside the SLT meeting.We need your support! The issues that CPE1 are facing are not unique. All over the city, parents and teachers lack democratic recourse to have their voices heard, while administrators are protected. We have to fight back.

Please note: By law, SLT meetings are open to the public. If you are able to arrive before 4:30pm and join parents and teachers inside the SLT meeting (which starts at 3:30), please sign in and come up to the 2nd Floor art room to join us.

CPE1's principal has to go

Parents and fellow teachers have come to the defense of a victimized educator in the latest battle to shake a New York City elementary school, writes Peter Lamphere.

March 30, 2017

Parents and fellow teachers show their support for a Central Park East 1 educator (Save CPE1)

Central Park East I Parents and Community WILL BE THERE at Tonight's PEP in Support of Marilyn Martinez and the School

Parents and supporters flood Hearing Waiting Room to Support Chapter Leader Marilyn Martinez at her hearing, March 10, 2017

why is the DOE expending so many resources in keeping this incompetent, despised and heartless principal in place? And why are our children being made to pay the price for this decision?

Jen Roesch... parent

If you know me, you know that I have been part of an 18-month battle against an abusive principal at our son's progressive, East Harlem school, Central Park East 1. We've had the majority of our best, most veteran teachers forced out over the last year and two (the union chapter leader and delegate) have been placed under investigation in an attempt to remove them from teaching.

CPE1 Update: Evil Monika Garg Bans Two Active Parents - Sign Petition to De Blasio

Garg makes mockery of process for dealing with parents and teachers.

Monika Garg

Jen was accused of recording on her cell phone in the school. However, she was not videotaping. Instead, she took photographs of hallways to document the absence of mandated materials about the Department of Education's anti-bullying program. There is no stated policy against filming or taking photographs at the school and many parents have done both. The day after Jen was banned from the school, the mandated materials were finally posted, two months before the end of the school year.

Kaliris was accused of bringing press onto school property without authorization. The person in question was a graduate student who represented herself to Kaliris as conducting a school project. Kaliris arranged to meet with the student offsite but took her to the school briefly when she needed to drop off her son’s glasses. She signed in a presented ID to security. Visitors frequently tour the school. When alerted to concerns about this visitor, Kaliris accompanied the student to the exit.

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/bill-deblasio-let-banned-parents-back-in-their-childrens-school?recruiter=2143683&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
 
Just woke up at midnight from a 5 hour nap after spending part of Sunday at the big anti ed deformer film shoot. Before I go back to sleep, I wanted to get this lingering story up and running. Not a lot of people get my "evil" designation (I'm considering Naomi Smith, the principal of CPE2, who supports Garg.)

The CPE1 story gets uglier and uglier. Really, you have to question Garg's sanity at this point, given the flimsy excuses for limited access letters, considering that the major purpose of these letters is to address parents who might be physically dangerous to staff. And don't forget the charges against Catlin Preston and Marilyn Martinez, Delegate and Chapter leader at the school. Catlin has been in the rubber room for a year and his hearing completed months ago. Marilyn was yanked from the school in February 2017 before the mid-winter break and brought up on 3020a dismissal charges just weeks after, unheard of in the DOE. The charges against Marilyn (Catlin too) are so flimsy - in her case based on admission of a child to the school - even if she did goof on procedure, when does that lead to 3020a unless there is a political vendetta? When someone talks about teacher tenure, bring up Marilyn, Catlin and Peter Lamphere who got 2 U ratings from the equally evil Rosemarie Jahoda at Bronx HS of Sci -- (I wonder where Jahoda will land next?)

People above Garg's level at the DOE are claiming they didn't know this was going to happen. Does anyone believe that? Does anyone believe that apparatchik principals don't check with DOE legal before making a move? Or Farina, who is very close to getting the Ed Notes "evil" designation herself - (which I may just throw down at her at the May 17 PEP meeting.) Farina has said that the parents at CPE1 must be punished for their outspokenness.

There comes a point where it is clear that what Garg and the DOE are trying to do is make the school such a toxic environment for the kids, that the active parents will pull them out of the school. With the strategy of  driving out the tenured teachers, the school will be left to be run like the DOE wants -- a clone of a charter school.

The alternative at this point may be some kind of boycott with retired and inactive teachers volunteering to work with the kids during the school day offsite. I am ready to join in if called upon.

Here's the skinny from the Save CPE 1 crew.

========

This past week Principal Garg has issued "limited access letters" to two parents who have vocally opposed her, trying to shut down parent voice. Please click on the link and please read the story. Spread the word and help us overturn this decision. Stop Abusive NYC Principal from Banning Parents Save CPE 1 Tell the NYC Department of Education and Mayor De Blasio to protect families at Central Park East 1 Elementary School and remove retaliatory bans on parents enacted by Principal Monika Garg  WHAT HAPPENED? On April 27, 2017, Jen Roesch was banned indefinitely from her son’s elementary school in East Harlem, NY. On April 28, Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, another parent at the school, was also banned. Each mother received a “limited access letter” signed by Principal Monika Garg. As a result, neither mom is allowed to drop off or pick up her child with the other children at the school. The mothers are also banned from important meetings with teachers and parents and other school events. Other parents at the school fear that they may be next. WHAT IS A “LIMITED ACCESS LETTER”? The NYC Department of Education theoretically uses limited access letters to keep out parents who pose a significant security threat in a school; for example, a parent who has threatened or perpetrated violence. However, DNA Info reported that these letters are used to silence and intimidate critics of school administrations, particularly in low-income Black and Latino communities. WHY JEN AND KALIRIS Jen and Kaliris have both been outspoken critics of Principal Garg's leadership. They strongly advocated for teachers who were harassed by Ms. Garg. In the last year, Ms. Garg removed two beloved veteran teachers from their classrooms based on trumped-up charges. Jen and Kaliris have also spoken up about the harmful effects on children created by this environment of intimidation and fear. Kaliris is also the elected co-chair of the Parent Association at CPE1 and has supported parents in that capacity. WHAT ARE THE CHARGES? Jen was accused of recording on her cell phone in the school. However, she was not videotaping. Instead, she took photographs of hallways to document the absence of mandated materials about the Department of Education's anti-bullying program. There is no stated policy against filming or taking photographs at the school and many parents have done both. The day after Jen was banned from the school, the mandated materials were finally posted, two months before the end of the school year. Kaliris was accused of bringing press onto school property without authorization. The person in question was a graduate student who represented herself to Kaliris as conducting a school project. Kaliris arranged to meet with the student offsite but took her to the school briefly when she needed to drop off her son’s glasses. She signed in a presented ID to security. Visitors frequently tour the school. When alerted to concerns about this visitor, Kaliris accompanied the student to the exit. ARE THESE BANS RETALIATION? Yes. Neither parent poses a security threat nor has either mom had previous incidents or warnings. The limited access letters are pure retaliation. There is no right of appeal or due process for parents who receive such letters. There is no end date to the bans; they are indefinite. By targeting two of the most visible critics of the principal, in a way that causes harm to their vulnerable children, these bans have a chilling effect on the majority of families who oppose Garg's leadership. WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS?The bans will have a heartbreaking effect on two young children with documented special needs. Jen’s 8-year old son has significant anxiety and is currently creating a formal IEP (Individualized Education Program) after having been evaluated and approved for services. An IEP is a legal document that spells out the learning needs of a student with a disability. According to professionals who care for Jen’s son, this punitive ban will increase his fears, are detrimental to his emotional well-being, and will inhibit his ability to learn. When Jen informed Principal Monika Garg of her upcoming IEP meeting, Garg stated that she refused to speak with her and that she was banned from the school. Kaliris’ 5-year old son also has special needs that are documented on his IEP, including the need for one-to-one paraprofessional support and for undisrupted, predictable routines. These routines include his mother’s practice of bringing him directly to the classroom each morning. He already exhibited distress in response to his teacher’s abrupt, unexplained removal from the school earlier this year. The ban on his mother will compound his distress. OUR DEMANDS Jen Roesch and Kaliris Salas-Ramirez must be allowed access to their children’s school immediately.  The NYC Department of Education and Mayor Bill De Blasio must stop Principal Monika Garg’s continuing abuse of power and protect CPE1 families from future bans. The NYC Department of Education must address the abusive use of limited access letters by principals. Every parent in NYC must be entitled to immediate due process and the right to appeal when issued a limited access letter. To find out more about the long-standing and deeper issues that precipitated this latest act of retaliation, please see www.savecpe1.org or find us on Facebook at Save CPE1.

CPE1 Update: GONE GARG!!!!

A year and a half of struggle ended today with the announcement that CPE1 principal Monika Garg "has decided to accept another position with the DOE." The exoneration of Chapter Leader Marilyn Martinez was a repudiation of Garg's tactics and was the final straw even for the DOE. If even a fraction of Garg's crimes had been committed by a teacher imagine the outcome.

Garg did not show up at the school on Monday where the parents held an 8AM celebration for Marilyn's return. How could Garg face Marilyn who she had put in the gulag for months which denied the youngest children in the school their beloved teacher?

Here is the letter from Acting Supt Dolores Esposito:

Dear CPE 1 Community,

Since arriving at CPE 1 yesterday, I have met with members of the school community including students, school staff and families.

I want to share an important update. Principal Garg has chosen to take a new position in the Department of Education and will not continue as the Principal of CPE1. This is effective immediately. During her tenure at CPE 1, she has focused on serving the needs of the whole child while providing a high quality education.

During the transition, I will continue to serve as Acting Superintendent in charge of CPE 1. Together we will focus on identifying the next leader for this school in accordance with Chancellor's Regulations. My primary focus continues to be delivering a high quality education for all students in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment. With nearly 30 years as an educator and as a former graduate and adjunct professor of Bank Street College, I will use my experience in progressive education to support the school.

I look forward to working together with everyone at CPE1 to advance equity of opportunity and excellence for all students.

Best,

Dolores

And another false equivalency article by Kate Taylor in the NY Times who has the nerve to quote the tiny minority of parents who supported Garg "They said the investigations of teachers were justified and were not pursued out of animus." Really? When the hearing officer made it clear animus was on the table. Now the bullshit Garg made up about Catlin Preston, the school delegate, must continue to be fought. What did Garg do? Turn Catlin's comforting of a child into a sordid attack in an attempt to manipulate the parent who told me that Garg broke into tears telling her Catlin, who was one of the leaders of the teacher resistance, had to go. The parent when she found out the truth testified at Catlin's hearing. For that act alone, Garg should be fired.

The other charge the few Garg supporters made was that the school was exclusionary -- Garg had pulled the race card and some black parents fell into that trap. The school had always tried to be an integrated school -- roughly 1/3 black, white and Hispanic -- but at times that balance shifted and attempts were always made to redress that balance. Garg and Farina and the DOE used that to foment racial divisions. But a significant number of black parents - the majority - supported the anti-Garg savecpe1 coalition.

East Harlem Elementary Principal Is Out After a Yearlong Fight

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/nyregion/harlem-principal-is-out-after-a-yearlong-civil-war-at-an-elementary-school.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0&referer=https://t.co/7SYs1dy1i

By KATE TAYLOR

May 15, 2017

After a yearlong civil war inside Central Park East I, a progressive elementary school in East Harlem, the school’s embattled principal has stepped aside, New York City’s Education Department said on Monday, handing a victory to parents who had accused her of seeking to dismantle the school’s traditions.

The principal, Monika Garg, will retain her title and salary as a principal but will no longer have a school to run. The department said the change was effective immediately.

That was a sudden about-face from Friday, when the Education Department announced that it was giving Ms. Garg a new supervisor but said that she would remain the principal.

The conflict has consumed the school since last year, dividing the parents and the staff. What the groups are fighting over has at times been hard to discern amid the volleys of accusations and counteraccusations. The parents and teachers who opposed Ms. Garg said she was trying to squelch the school’s progressive spirit by bringing it in line with department rules. They also accused her of instigating investigations against teachers who defied her.

Parents who supported Ms. Garg, on the other hand, said that the school, which was originally intended to provide a rich, arts-filled education to the children of East Harlem, had over the years become exclusionary and that its traditions had calcified. They said the investigations of teachers were justified and were not pursued out of animus.

For months, the city’s schools chancellor, Carmen Fariña, had resisted calls to remove Ms. Garg. Things seemed to change in recent weeks, when a group of parents occupied the school overnight and then began following Mayor Bill de Blasio around the city. Even so, when the mayor was asked about the situation at an unrelated news conference on Thursday, he did not give any hint that he was pushing the chancellor one way or the other on the issue, saying that parents and teachers were divided and that the loudest group did not have “a monopoly on the truth.”

 

Afterward, the Education Department had seemed to waver about what to do. On Friday came the announcement that a supervisor had been placed over Ms. Garg at the school. Then, on Monday, Ms. Garg did not return to the school. In a brief interview there in the early afternoon, her new supervisor, Dolores Esposito, said she could not say why Ms. Garg was not there or whether she would continue as principal.

“We can’t answer that,” she said as she hurried away from a reporter.

The Education Department did not immediately name an interim leader but said Ms. Esposito would continue to oversee the school.

Central Park East I was founded in 1974 by Deborah Meier, a leader in the small schools movement, who started several other schools and won a MacArthur fellowship, known as a “genius grant,” in 1987.

Parents Occupy Auditorium - Central Park East 1 Update: Rally, SLT Meeting and Overnight Stay Surrounded by Police

Hey Serial at This American Life - have we got a story for you.

rally outside went on all evening - we left at 9PM

We don't expect to be arrested and strategizing- going to do 8am press conference and rally to support the demands of the occupiers
1:26am

The cops straight up said no arrests.
And doe guy said they just want you all to stay in the auditorium
Yeah - they keep coming and counting us:)
We're thinking of playing hide and seek with them
There are literally more cops here than there are of us
The janitor said we were paying his car note because of overtime------ Messages from inside

Breaking: Parents, saying they won't leave until principal Monika Garg is gone, spent the night in the auditorium without being arrested, despite the school being surrounded by enough cops and vans to invade Syria. I posted a video on my FB page showing all the cop cars around.

It was the DOE's call and they decided to not have people arrested. They are a diverse group of parents, though one immigrant had to leave and we know why. I do wonder how this would have been playing out if a group of all black parents did this in Brownsville where no one was watching.

This morning we hear that parents not arrested, spent night in auditorium, rally in front of school at Madison av and 106th st at 8am followed by press Conf at 8:30. I'm going to head over to check it out and offer support. I'll post pics of that later.

Here is the press release:

Parents of NYC Public School Central Park East I, calling for removal of  principal, are occupying their school 

Yesterday afternoon there was an SLT meeting of NYC public school Central Park East I, followed by a rally outside the school. While many demonstrated outside, seven stayed in the school, and are now inside, occupying the school. There is a large group of police at the school but so far the occupiers have not been arrested. 

WHAT: Rally and press conference 

WHERE: Outside Central Park East Elementary School

1573 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10029, at E. 106th Street, NYC

WHEN: Families are planning a rally for 8 am this morning, followed by a press conference at 8:30 am.

I posted a video of immense police response I shot last night around 9pm. A good night to commit a crime in the 23rd precinct. De Blasio is a progressive when under his watch an authoritarian principal undermines 40 years of a democratically run school by teachers, parents and even students. Clearly that concept is a threat as we are seeing at Townsend Harris hs where students and teachers also has wide latitude before an authoritarian principal mini-trumpet is being fought. The students there sent a message of support yesterday.

When I tried to take photos of the cops themselves they turned away or look at me in a way to make me concerned about my phone. One school safety officer told me I had no right - it was illegal -- to use the phone in the lobby of the school as he took out his phone to use himself. I pushed back and pointed that out (I have some video which I may post later). He later came over and apologized. A cop told me to get his good side. But they are clearly very sensitive on the issue and we have to be careful.

Chapter leader Marilyn Martinez, had to stay camped out all afternoon in the rain and damp across the street since she is still in the rubber room and can't be at the school. There were shouts all day for her to be brought back. Marilyn is a Latina and has her child in the school and is one of the amazing teachers and when she was removed in Feb that seemed to be a final straw -- the Supt did the dirty work for Garg and Farina. From all reports the charges are politically related but Marilyn has been told by the lawyers not to talk specifics.

Back to the beginning

SLT - Garg, center

Where do I start? I guess at one the most remarkable School Leadership Team (SLT) meetings one could imagine. It could be a movie. It was packed with over a 100 people and more kept coming. Included were state Senator Bill Perkins who was recently elected to the city council and Robert Jackson, as well as Leonie Haimson and a whole batch of we MOREs and Leroy Barr from the UFT, our new best friend who loves to hang out with us.

Garg began by reading a statement defending herself - I came in as she was finishing. Most of the SLT seemed to be lined up against her, though there was a very vocal parent on her side and critical of the SaveCPE1 coalition. There were also parents in the audience who supported Garg and also some of the newer teachers, whom Garg characterized as being more afraid of the senior teachers than of her. Now these are people she has brought in herself, one of which at the very least was a friend. Standard operating procedure for these take-over principals -- first rule - divide the staff.

There was a lot of hack and forth as Garg kept trying to place blame on the senior teachers while some of them pointed to the attacks Garg was making on them.

Garg has also divided the parents by pulling the race card -- getting support from some black parents - I will go into the complexities of the race issue in another post. But clearly if you look at the optics, the parents are diverse in an east Harlem community that is going through gentrification. However, CPE1 has been in that community for 40 years and has always tried to maintain a one third, one third, one third mix. But that mix has slipped in recent years as more white parents came into the community. And that is where there some people are exploiting the race issue in their attack on the savecpe1 people. The DOE hierarchy seem to line up on this side and probably the mayor integration initiative may be at play here too. But it is interesting that Bill Perkins and Robert Jackson came to the SLT meeting.

Progressive education is a system used in many elite private schools and as we see with the no-nonsense test-driven charters, some parents don't want that for their kids and there has been some charges that that is a "white" thing. But the key Debbie Meier concept in starting the school was to prove it was appropriate for all children. Remember - East Harlem was far from gentrifying in the 70s.

The SLT meeting got so crowded in the music room, it had to be moved to the auditorium and went on for hours with lots of rancor on both sides, though clearly the sentiment was more anti-Garg than pro. This is more complex than I thought and someone I'm close to told me that someone she respects a lot is opposed to the savecpe1 campaign.

One of the arguments being used is that there were a lot of problems at the school before Garg came. There had been 4 principals. Now the school had always been run basically by teachers and parents, with all key decisions being a partnership, so a hands-off principal has been the rule. Even an incompetent principal or leadership vacuum has not been a bad thing.

Now the savecpe1 people admit there were issues but that an authoritarian principal who makes all decisions is not the answer, though apparently it is for the current and past DOE, which has had a history of sending in authoritarian principals to undermine progressive schools used to power sharing principals. IE -- Brooklyn New School would be in some danger when the current founding principal retires.

The CPE high school principal in the building, Bennett Lieberman, trashed the school and the savecpe1 people and said he supported Garg because she brought leadership, which makes it easier for him to deal with one person instead of conglomeration of people -- yeah, Bennett, democracy is messy.

The principal of Central Park East 2 is also opposing the savecpe1 parents and also spoke last night. So, yes, this is complicated.

I heard last night that Garg ran the open house for new parents on her own without the teachers and other parents, which had been a tradition at the school -- her way of hand-choosing the parents she wanted, I guess.

I mean so much came out at the meeting. There was a professional guy who is connected to one of the parents who sat in filming. Someone could make a film of that meeting alone. Hey Serial at This American Life - have we got a story for you.

Garg basically sat there cool as a cucumber during immense attacks on her, with parents showing how she lied numerous times, contradicting her remarks. One parent told how Garg told her to come to the school because of an incident of her daughter with a teacher, indicating something inappropriate sexually, one of the most beloved teachers in the school. It turned out that Garg had made that up but the teacher, who told his story at the UFT ex bd meeting a few weeks ago, was pulled out into the rubber room a year ago and recently completed his 3020a hearing and is awaiting a decision as he still sits in the rubber room, one of the most talented teachers in the system according to parents -- sure, children first.

The incident occurred not soon after he pushed back against some of Garg's directives. This was a turning point in the school as teachers and parents, who had tried to give Garg a chance, were so shocked they contacted some of us in MORE - since despite what the UFT says -- Manhattan UFT leader Dwayne Clark made the false claim the UFT has been there for them -- then why did they contact us in MORE?

The fact the UFT is doing anything at all at this point is due to the push from our people at the Ex Bd. If you read Arthur's reports (

NYC Educator

Executive Board Takeaway. you will see how the resolution in support of CPE1, basically written by the parents and teachers at the school, with the assistance of New Action's Jonathan Halabi, was tabled by Leroy Barr, who did show up and speak at the SLT last night. (I have video but won't have it up until Sunday.)

Arthur motivated the reso with a fabulous speech. Barr tabled it so they could work behind the scenes with the DOE -- I guess their claims to be doing something were not quite true.

In my 5 minute speech opening Monday's Ex bd meeting I asked why the UFT has been silent for the past year until we brought it up? Don't you have a district rep to tell you what is going on? When the teacher was removed a year ago that should have triggered an sign to the union (I compared it to Munich - shame on me). When the chapter leader was removed a year later that was like the invasion of Poland -- war needs to be declared. A group of CPE1 parents stood up while I spoke and later were joined by about 15 more who stood in the back when Arthur spoke.

Later Dwayne Clark defended the district rep as having been there. I asked the teachers if she did anything, they scoffed - in fact at our earliest meetings a year ago, they indicated that the UFT people seemed more sympathetic to the supt and admin -- not the first time I've heard that.

Well, it is getting late and I have to head over to the school for the rally and press conf. Unfortunately my camera battery is dead and I can't film. I will report later on what happened.

By the way, the NYSUT convention begins today through Sunday and I may stop by later and tomorrow morning where I will repay Arthur for buying me that $14 beer 3 years ago.

Back to you later.

The Outrage of CPE1

Maybe it's because I have an endoscopy and colonoscopy in a few hours --- so excuuuse me for this rant.

I know this is becoming the CPE1 blog -- and I imagine some of you want to hear other news -- but I also try to link what is going on there to the larger complexities -- like I haven't even tackled the race, segregation and diversity issues surrounding the CPE1 situation. I have learned so much from my contact with so many CPE1 parents and teachers - but most of my conversations have been with the parents, as diverse a group of parents that exists in this system -- a model for any school and community despite the attacks by the DOE and Garg supporters that the school was exclusionary. I also haven't delved into the issue that the DOE wanted to change CPE1 to make it more competitive with Eva-like charters in District 4 which are attractive to parents who are nervous about the freedom children get in a progressive school. (Read some press reports the last 2 days to see the underlying attacks on the CPE1 people buried in the reports -- I don't have all the links to the WSJ, New York Times, New York Daily News, DNAinfo-- I'm too weak from hunger to look for them -- so leave a comment with any links you find.)

While the CPE1 community celebrates the victories - and there may be more breaking good news later in the day - I still have feelings
of outrage.

Outrage at the Farina admin at the DOE for basically leaving so much of the BloomKlein era intact where teachers can be brought up on firing charges for the equivalent of having a hang nail while principals go free for committing educational murder. In fact I was going to go to the PEP meeting tonight to spend 2 minutes yelling at Farina and the PEP members for allowing this situation to go on for so long - and for allowing people like Garg - and Jahoda - to run schools. And for dissing Debbie Meier's vision. Rumor was that she left in tears after a meeting with Farina. (My belief has been that Farina was jealous of the Debbie notoriety as an educator).

Outrage at the CSA for supporting monsters. CSA Calls Abusive Principal Garg "an outstanding educator.   and list others the DOE should have supported - John Dewey High School. DeWitt Clinton High School. Townsend Harris High School.
We need a rogues gallery for CSA superstars.

Outrage at the UFT, which actually got involved after we encouraged  dozens of parents and teachers to come to EB meetings - not as  much as we wished -- but we'll take the outcome -- they will surely claim full credit for the outcome, but only became woke when parents and teachers worked with MORE/New Action to put the issue right in front of their faces --- after over a year and a half of inaction.

Arthur points out in his excellent report today - CPE 1 Victory Is Model for Us All --

...we from MORE/ New Action spent hours meeting with the CPE 1 community and tried to address their concerns. We were part of it. Unity was part of it too, but they were also the part that applauded someone who trash-talked the activist parents and teachers at last week's Executive Board.

Yes, just 10 days ago, many people on the UFT Ex Bd applauded when a first year untenured teacher (also a parent at the school) appeared with two other teachers to support Monika Garg and say what a wonderful principal she was and while at it to attack the veteran teachers who said they would only meet with them off campus because their chapter leader, Marilyn Martinez, was in the rubber room awaiting the outcome of her hearing. (I wonder how these people are feeling today.)

They were joined at the meeting by 4 parent Garg supporters -- the ringleader was pointed out to me, but given what will surely be attempts on the part of our allies to bring peace to the school and mend rifts (if the other side won there would have been a bloodbath), I will refrain from going after her --- but will point out that one parent said to me incredulously -- "but her child was in Marilyn's class last year -- how can she support these attacks?" Yet there she was, seemingly to help orchestrate an attempt to muddy the waters at the UFT - everyone knows they will go both ways - and my thought was did the district rep tell them to come because she detected the leadership moving in the right direction?

And then I saw it -- UFT District 4 Rep Sevia Silva cuddled with them in the hall with smiles and backslaps. Applause and backslaps from Unity Caucus for people -- well while they were talking CPE1 parents were texting me using the word "Scabs." Note that not all teachers hired by Garg supported them. A few weeks ago when the large anti-Garg crew showed up one of the Garg hires was with them, and the CPE1 people were so proud of her not only for supporting them but to them most importantly, how much she has learned as a teacher.

The first meeting Peter Lamphere and I had with a large group of teachers c. Feb 2016 was off campus. (Let me point out that Peter has not only played a role in the CPE1 situation but also fired the first shot when Rosemarie Jahoda was installed as principal of Townsend Harris HS - a shot cited by the teachers at the school when they came to praise the UFT for helping them --they said they found anti-Jahoda pieces online but never mentioned Peter by name - I reposted this on Aug. 29, 2016 -- Peter Lamphere on Rosemarie Jahoda: What Does It Take To Get Promoted to Principal in NYC?)

They CPE1 teachers seemed shell-shocked. They had no idea of the blueprint Garg was following but  it was so familiar to us since we had heard this story time and again from other schools. I remember asking questions - like -- "and I assume the local UFT doesn't really support you and in fact often looks like they are supporting the principal and District Supt" -- nods all around. We told them about the PEP meetings where they could confront Farina in person every month and they send a group of people to the next one and every meeting until tonight when they won't be going. I remember that after that first PEP meeting Jia and I ran into some of them outside and we all went out to eat at a restaurant in Chinatown.

They were mistrustful of Garg from Day 1 in July 2015 but wanted to give her a chance and she was not quite vicious - until she was appointed after a rushed C30 process around December 2015 after which she escalated the assaults. BEWARE THE RUSHED C30 PROCESS -- THE UFT MUST GET CONTROL OF THIS AND GIVE TEACHERS A BIGGER VOICE.
 
The Garg post-appointment escalation caused a reaction from the vet teachers. Garg went through each of their files and found something in the past to trigger an investigation of all of them. (How dare the Garg supporters claim these investigations -- all of which have come to nothing -- were legit?)

One of the leaders of the teachers was the school delegate -- Catlin Prestin. He helped circulate a petition in Jan. 2016. His name was on top and on the email as the circulator. Garg immediately attacked the 9 year teacher so beloved by the parents with letter after letter in his file, soon to be followed by charges of corporal punishment, his removal from the school around February, and his being brought up on 3020a charges - his hearing was not until this school year and has lingered with a decision expected any minute. When I found out from the parent of the child who was involved with the charges what really went on with Garg's lies and manipulation of an incident where the teacher had been trying to comfort the child my response was that Garg should be fired if not arrested.

(Parents while celebrating Marilyn's return have not given up trying to get Catlin back to the school. Contrast the two cases by the way - Marilyn charged and removed in Feb, 3020a "emergency" hearing in March, decision in May.)

It was Catlin's removal that led to people contacting Peter for a meeting with some MOREs - why? Because Silva and the Manhattan UFT borough office were so unresponsive -- after all - the UFT knew this blueprint and due to what I assume is more loyalty to its relationships to the CSA and DOE Officials, take a basic hands off approach. The don't view themselves as our reps but as a neutral negotiating party.

With MORE/NA elected Ex Bd members joining with CPE1 parents at the EB meetings to pressure the union into action. I remember bringing it up in my 2 minutes and Howie Schoor acting surprised -- and I made the point that this was a failure of the UFT at the root level where so many people say that

Hey, in this case it worked but in the hundreds of others because there is no group of parent activists like at CPE1 -- and at Townsend Harris too where students and parents got active -- well people are often left to drown.

I'll close with this point from Arthur's blog today:

..primary credit should go to the CPE 1 community. I spent a lot of time listening to one of the parents in particular, and I rarely see the sort of passion and dedication that came from both them and the activist teachers combined with the activism it took to sustain this. The parents and  teachers who undertook this are fantastic role models. Many of us are understandably disheartened and disillusioned, and unwilling to take a stand. Perhaps it's natural that many of us need a crisis like this to bring us to our feet....

Common sense didn't work. Looking at the situation objectively didn't work. Relentless pressure and news coverage seems to be what finally took the Arg out of Garg. And that, my friends, is exactly what we need to practice more of. I'm ready. Are you?  

So I expect to be in a better mood after I eat something late this afternoon and hope I can report some more good news coming out of CPE1 ---