Will UFT Frustration Post-Bloomberg Speech Lead to Distruptive Acts?

Increasing support seen for this week's Fight Back Friday events from the UFT with signs some schools are encouraged to go further.

There are signs that the UFT, feeling boxed in on the ed evaluation issue, is beginning to strike out at WalBloom in various disruptive ways. Some speculate the militant activities of the people who have challenged the leaders is pushing the leadership. Some say they have reached a level of frustration and are just striking out to make a point.

There was the hastily called action at last week's PEP (UFT members protest at PEP meeting, then walk out en masse), with robo-calls to members that didn't have much impact but the union brought out its loyalist Unity Caucus honchos to create various disruptions at the meeting before walking out (it was interesting to see our crew from GEM/TU/NYCORE/ODOE/ICE standing shoulder to shoulder with them).

Then there was there confrontation between Walcott and UFT Queens borough rep Rona Freiser along with Dermot Smyth at the PS 215 closing school hearing Friday night (Walcott Takes Heat From Parents, Teachers and UFT Officials at Contentious Closing School Hearing (PS 215) in Rockaway).
where they followed my suggestion to use mic check to get their point across when Walcott didn't let then speak. His "this is  not a UFT chapter meeting" comment is priceless and an indication of how own growing frustration at being thrust into being the front man for a sinking operation by Bloomberg to rescue him from the Cathie Black debacle (which Walcott and the PEP supported all the way).

Now today a phone call comes in from a SIG school that the level of militancy is rising to a fevered pitch with indications that the UFT is pushing things such as calling for assistance from Occupy DOE to use mic check when confronting DOE officials, who always like to play the innocent "don't kill the messenger" role while putting the knife in your back.

Well, apparently, some teachers are pissed off enough to want to kill the messenger. We will report details --- maybe with some video --- if things break.

If the leadership actually releases its Unity chapter chair people (who often try to hold the most militant people back) to take things to another level we may see it as a temporary way of getting Tweed's attention by turning up the heat. 

In the past, the UFT was telling its people to avoid our branded FBF events, even changing the term to Friday Fight Back. But I'm beginning to hear a different tune emerging. There is not question a greater sense of urgency and militancy is emerging (later I'll tell you about the amazing group of parents I met on Sunday at our film showing).

Here is an email from a John Dewey teacher:

STOP SCHOOL CLOSINGS!

Please support our schools as the DOE tries to get rid of committed, experienced staff, close schools, and bust the union. If anyone can attend the community meetings where the superintendents come into the school and only report the negative data about our schools. We need support. Get involved. FDR is having their meeting Monday, Tomorrow at 5:30. Dewey is having ours on Tuesday at 5:30. Post any others so we can all support each other and call 311 and talk to someone who can log your call as you voice your opinion of these school closings and the job Bloomberg and Walcott are doing.

Also, attend the Fight Back Friday Rallies if you can. Dewey is having one every Friday. Details to follow.


Thanks,
In Solidarity,
xxxxx xxxxx
Dewey Teacher

Here is our FBF announcement:

School Closings, Increased Charter Co-locations, Larger Classes, Merit Pay, Firing Half the Staff at 33 Schools AND A Flawed Teacher Evaluation System...

The Education Mayor?

It's time for the first Fight Back Friday of 2012

(soon to be occupy Friday??)

THIS FRIDAY: JAN 27th: 

        PROTEST OUT IN FRONT OF YOUR SCHOOL!

                 LEAFLET AROUND YOUR SCHOOL!

OR JUST......

WEAR BLACK!

Fliers and stickers and such to follow.

PLEASE FORWARD AND POST EVERYWHERE!!

  Please respond to this email or email: 

FBFCommittee@gmail.com

if you think your school might participate.

Or to ask for more info or help in planning an action.

We want to get coverage for all the actions and let the public know that parents and teachers are fighting back!

Last spring over 50 schools participated on several Fridays. It’s a great way to build solidarity among your staff, reach out to parents and students and to begin to create the coordinated city-wide effort we all know is needed.

It is time for rank and file teachers, parents and our students to move towards becoming ungovernable.

Mayoral control, the attacks on our livelihoods, and on our students' education will not end simply because we want them to. 

It will take mass mobilization at the school and city-wide level. 

We need to end the privatization of Public Education through charters and merit pay!

 End the destructing of education through the abuse of high stakes testing!

Say NO to school turn-arounds that will destroy school communities, our student's education and the lives and careers of our colleagues.

WE MUST DEMAND AN END TO MAYORAL CONTROL!

PARENTS AND EDUCATORS MUST HAVE A CONTROLLING VOICE IN EDUCATION!

JOIN SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE CITY ON JAN 27TH!

And please let us know that you will be participating!

Here are some times articles covering FBF in the past. We have had lots of other coverage as well.

 And the FBF Blog from John Dewey HS. 

They have an action planned for this Friday as well.

http://fightbackfridays.blogspot.com/

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/fighting-closure-of-a-high-school-on-the-brink/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/makeshift-groups-rising-to-oppose-cuts/

in solidarity

sam

for the rank and file Fight Back Friday committee

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Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Feds, State and City Gang Up on Teachers and Union

Throughout the Race to the Top process, state officials have behaved erratically.
In May 2010, the teachers’ union and department officials, including Dr. King, agreed that student scores on state tests would account for 20 percent of a teacher’s evaluation.
In August 2010, Mr. Duncan visited the state union’s headquarters in his Race to the Top bus (he really has one) and told union and department officials that New York had won a grant “because of your collective leadership, your act of courage.”
In May 2011, with no warning, Dr. King and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo rammed a measure through the Board of Regents making state tests worth up to 40 percent of teacher evaluations.
In August, a state judge ruled that they couldn’t do that.
For the last month now, as federal officials have pressed for a resolution, the governor and the commissioner have been berating the union. Like children who change the rules in the middle of the game, they appear to be counting on a lot of screaming to distract the crowd.
“It’s not about the adults, it’s about the children,” Mr. Cuomo keeps saying. “The children come first.”

Thus Mike Winerip in today's Times lays waste to the duplicitous actions of NY State Ed led by Tisch and King and Cuomo, etc. I can remember Mulgrew last year waxing poetic about Tisch and Steiner, King's predecessor, when the UFT originally agreed to the 20%

I heard NYSUT Pres. Richard Ianucci on an NPR program early Sunday morning where he basically called for abolishing the Board of Regents. He sounded pretty fed up but he praised Cuomo despite the fact Cuomo is trying to force NYSUT to drop the court case that NYSUT won based on the violation of the law passed by the state legislature.

If you haven't noticed, rank and file teachers are fighting a 5-front war. Government at all levels from Bloomberg/Walcott to Cuomo to Obama/Duncan (Don't you just love those Dump Duncan campaigns as if Obama has nothing to do with it -- reminds me of the UFT dump Klein stuff as if we will get someone better).

Then we have the generally hostile press with even our reporter friends playing the neutral game -- like a quote from each side even if one side has 90%. And then due to the attacks, there is the general public. (See Buying The Lie).

I might add a 6th front. Our own colleagues, as you will see in following this link to an article written by a teacher who is leaving teaching in Colorado. The majority of teachers either go along like the good soldier or suffer the anguish by complaining but refuse to get involved in any action.

And that issue relates to the role the union is willing to play in educating and organizing people.

I often fault the UFT/AFT for going along with the high stakes testing game --- oh, they will mouth things to throw red meat at the rank and file ---- even Obama mouthed a few words on testing --- but their actions belie that. I was proposing at UFT Delegate Assemblies that the union should not get into the high stakes testing game as far back as the late 90's but was ignored.


More from Winerip's column which is titled: In Race to the Top, the Dirty Work Is Left to Those on the Bottom.

Even if you think the Obama administration’s signature education program, Race to the Top, will not help a single child in America learn more, you have to admire its bureaucratic magnificence.

First, it has had a major effect — reaching into most public schools in America — while costing the Obama administration next to nothing.

================
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Cracking Under the Pressure? Walcott accuses Patrick Sullivan of accusing him of murder

Hey, I once accused Arne Duncan of murder for closing so many schools in Chicago and forcing kids from different gangs into dangerous situations which has led to many Chicago kids dying. I'm sure we can pin something on the DOE.

I had some positive email saying NYC Chancellor Dennis Walcott was nailed for what he is in the video and commentary I posted about the January 20 PS 215 closing school hearing where I basically pointed out that Walcott was not only arrogant but gutless. I compared him to the captain of the cruise ship that is half sunk off the coast of Italy listing on its side and pointed out that WalBloomBlackKlein have the NYC school system listing on its side while telling people to go back to their cabins.

Really, the more you see Walcott the more despicable he is and I rate him the worst Bloomberg chancellor. Yes, Cathie Black was better because she was so clueless she was beyond causing as much harm as Walcott or Klein who did not try to act cool at least while putting the knife in your back. Remember that Walcott has been behind the ed scene since Bloomberg Day 1.


Patrick Sullivan who is the Manhattan borough PEP rep slugged it out with Mr. Arrogance at the PEP meeting last week after most people (including me) had left.

Queens representative Dmytro Fedkowskyj introduced a resolution recommending the Chancellor consider an approach to granting transportation variances based on a joint committee comprised of parent and DOE representatives.

The approach, called Safety Hazard Advisory Review Program (S.H.A.R.P), was developed by CEC 31 on Staten Island. All five borough president appointees supported the resolution which would not be binding but would simply require the Chancellor to consider the approach.

PEP Chair Hernandez recognized me to to speak in support of the resolution. I mentioned several cases in recent years where children were killed while commuting to school. The most recent was a middle school student killed crossing Delancey Street in Manhattan. Before I could finish, Chancellor Walcott interrupted me, asserted that I was accusing the DOE of killing children and began to lecture me. I responded that the chair had recognized me to speak, not him, and he was not only out of order but rude to interrupt me.

Here is Patrick's full post on the NYC Parent blog:
http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2012/01/chancellor-walcott-out-of-order-on.html

Also from Patrick on the PEP:

One of the more bizarre and suspicious things I've seen from DOE.

The expansion of the beloved School of One teaching machine was put out for RFP with a requirement that the vendor do the work for free in exchange for the rights to the technology and intellectual property.

There was only one outfit willing to take the work, formed by Joel Rose who managed the project at DOE.

My questions:

Q: Was this cleared by conflicts of interest board?

A: We think so but it's not really our concern because the liability is with the vendor

Q: Does the firm have any track record or other customers?

A: No and no

Q: Does the firm have any revenue?

A: No, just some private grants

Q: How many employees do they have?

A: We don't know

High School Student Inspired to Teach After Viewing GEM Film

GEM received this email the other day from high school student Natalie Janson from Washington State, who found inspiration to become a teacher in our film.

Gina Belafonte's column in today's Sunday Times (Petty Differences Mask Consensus on Teachers  --- I would say "not so petty") which in some ways is misinformed, talks about the film “Bad Teacher.” Belafonte closes with, "Maybe what teaching needs is a new movie that makes it seem as hot as Condé Nast."

Well people should email Gina at bigcity@nytimes.com to tell her about the impact of the GEM film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman (which is being screened at 2 and 4PM today at the Spectacle Theater  124 South 3rd St in Williamsburg with a discussion with some of the filmmakers -- me included -- afterwards.

Reprinted with Natalie's permission. Natalie is also on her school's FIRST Robotics team.

Hello,

My name is Natalie Janson and I am senior in high school in Washington State. My mother is a teacher in Portland, Oregon, and ever since I was little I have wanted to follow in her footsteps. I love volunteering in her classroom and having second graders hug me before they went home for the day.

Recently, my mother and I watched Waiting for Superman, and were somewhat heated about what they had to say. We found your response video, requested a copy and watched it tonight. As I am looking into my college majors, I have started to veer away from teaching and always considered that I would wind up teaching sooner or later. Lately however, I had my heart set on working in the sciences. During the movie, my mom looked over at me and said, "You're going to end up teaching aren't you?"

Your movie has re-sparked my interest in education. I have always set big goals for myself, and now want to be the Head of the Department of Education and I want to make a difference for everyone. Even if that doesn't happen though, I know I want to make a difference in the lives of children as my educators have done for me. They have inspired me to inspire others, and so has your movie.

Thank you for reminding me what my dream was.

 

Natalie Janson

Team Mean Machine, 2471

Secretary & PR Lead

========
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Video: Walcott Takes Heat From Parents, Teachers and UFT Officials at Contentious Closing School Hearing (PS 215) in Rockaway

"This is not a UFT chapter meeting."  ----Dennis Walcott to Queens UFT Borough head Rona Freiser at PS 215 hearing, Jan. 20.

The word doesn't match the image

The NYCDOE holds a closing school hearing for PS 215Q on a Friday night at 6pm. Chancellor Dennis Walcott is, surprisingly, present. There was a lot of anger and anguish amongst parents, teachers and UFT officials from the Queens office. 

The first person I ran into was Queens PEP rep Dmytro Fedkowskyj.
"Did you hear my statement?" Sorry. It must have been a wowser. Later I asked if he categorically supported keeping PS 215 open. "I'll examine the facts." Okay. Examine what? Either you view the Tweedies in good faith or bad faith. No examining necessary when it comes to the failed policy of closing schools other than in the most outrageous cases like Williamsburg/Believe Charters.

Lots of teachers and parents and union and politicians were there. At the end of the video that's local City Councilman James Sanders getting booed. (Some people view him as one of the worst CC people.) He jumped in to save what looked like his pal Walcott but I did not include his silken words designed to distract people in the video --- he gave the impression he would assess the situation but we know the score --- he will do nothing. If he feels community heat he just might say a few words in favor of PS 215 but won't put any political capital behind it.

Hey Walcott, there ARE NO MORE DECK CHAIRS LEFT

We were very surprised Walcott was there and a lot of heat was directed at him. His tune just doesn't vary and hasn't for a decade. A building could come down around his ears and he would say nothing's wrong --- think Italian ocean liner. Captain Walcott-Schettino is in charge of a ship that came aground under Joel Klein and is now listing badly while the Captain tells people to go back to their cabins.

Quite an interesting evening and I put together this 12 minute clip of a few highlights.

NOTE THE BAD BLOOD BETWEEN THE UFT  - QUEENS BOROUGH UFT HEAD RONA FREISER ASSISTED BY DERMOT SMYTH AND WALCOTT. ALSO NOTE MY INTERVENTION IN SUGGESTING THEY USE 'MIC CHECK" TO GET THEIR MESSAGE ACROSS AND HOW JUST USING THOSE WORDS STOPPED WALCOTT'S INTERFERENCE --- I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MIC CHECK USED AT A UFT DELEGATE ASSEMBLY.

And one more point. I felt the Rona showed some insensitivity in bringing up the 33 schools and how it was unfair to close a school that went from C to A while at a hearing to close PS 215 which got an F. If we are disputing the grading system as unfair we should be consistent.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOuvml9CXPA

Side note:
I got there late even though it was in Rockaway and I live 15 minutes away. Anna Phillips of the NY Times borrowed one of their cars to make the trip -- I told her PS 215 was impossible to find, especially at night,  and I get lost every time I go there during the day and if she came out early I would treat her to a Rockaway dive dinner and drive her there. But she got delayed at the office and then got trapped in a bad lane on the BQE so dinner was out the window and we did a rush over to the school. I dropped her off and had trouble finding a spot -- a sign of a big crowd. I parked blocks away (I won't go into details of the post-meeting senior moment when I couldn't find my car) and could hear cheering coming from the auditorium.

-----------------
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

Retired (Goliath) teacher Guy Brandenburg thrown out of Gates/Rhee/Duncan (David) - Making Alexander Russo Look Even Dumber

The pamphlet, which you can see here, is titled “Problems with Using ‘Data’ to Fix Our Schools Or, ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out.’ According to Brandenburg, security guards approached him after he had handed out about a dozen pamphlets and told him that he had to leave because the summit hosts didn’t want him there. He was told he could not stay even if he stopped distributing pamphlets...

You have to read the following items in tandem to get the full picture I'm aiming at. Alexander Russo, who pretends neutrality reveals himself to be an ed deformer as underscored at the Schools Matters blog by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene from LA (who by the way won the raffle at our film premiere in May for a call from Diane Ravitch at his screening). 


He joins many bloggers in laying waste to Russo, who in a beyond belief blog claimed the Real Reformers were the Goliath and the poor billionaire ed deformers were the David since we have been dominating the online debate -- because, guess what -  They can't find any real teachers to take their side.


First Robert takes Russo down with this comprehensive post

The trouble with Alexander Russo

(with great links to many of the other bloggers who went after Russo):

• Anthony Cody - Are Critics of Corporate Education "Reform" Winning the Online Debate?
• Nancy Flanagan - Reform vs. Anti-Reform: Quoth the Raven
• Kenneth J. Bernstein - Did you know I'm a Goliath?
• Anthony Cody - Lopsided Debate Over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System

He follow up with a link to Joanne Barkan on How Billionaires Rule Our Schools

You might also want to check out a great post from Teaching Underground (Buying The Lie) along the same theme -- how those poor Davids against all odds have managed to convince the public (who don't read ed blogs) that teachers and their unions are even in  right to work state like Virginia are the problem.

And here is the Valerie Strauss's full story on Guy:   

Retired D.C. teacher says he was thrown out of ed data summit

GEM Film Fires Up John Dewey Teachers and Teachers and State Legislators in Albuquerque/ Three NYC Screenings this Weekend

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman

Lots of screenings in NYC and around the nation, with 3 here in NYC this weekend. Last night I hear between 20 and 30 people viewed the film, including "Battle for Brooklyn" director Michael Galinsky, whose film has been on the short list for an Academy Award nomination. Michael, whose child is in a school that came under Tweed interference has been a promoter of our film and the support and advice of a pro to us amateurs has been inspiring.

My question is why more NYC school-based people who read this blog are not showing the film which seems to have had such a positive impact on teachers under assault?

I was at the picket line at John Dewey this morning and had a great response from the small group of people who stayed after school yesterday to watch our response to WFS. I heard there was a standing ovation from people at a school under severe attack by the ed deform crowd at Tweed that they were inspired. One teacher told me she was hoping to show it to the entire staff during regent week next week.

Of course the UFT continues to snub a film that people say has been the best film response to ed deform and an inspiration for activism. Oh, that's right. The UFT doesn't really want working classroom people active. Only retirees. We made the film that the UFT with all its money should have.

At least some AFT locals are free to hold screenings and here is a great report from two teachers in New Mexico whose local president held a screening and invited 6 state legislators.

They sent this with a $20 check:

My husband and I are both teachers. We saw a viewing early on and wanted a copy of our own. This past week our union had invited members and state legislators to a viewing (it was very well received by all) to which we brought our copy just in case. It happened that our president's copy was scratched so we used ours. It was a rewarding evening. There were six senators and reps there --- we all got fired up.
I have gotten permission from my principal to play it for interested staff and others after school one day. Thank you for making it so readily available.
F and R
Albuquerque public schools
Albuquerque Teachers Federation #1420

There are 3 screenings this weekend and another at 6PM on Thursday at PS 84 in Williamsburg just 2 blocks from MS 50 which held a raucous hearing on Jan. 17 opposing the Moskowitz invasion:

Sat: Jan. 21, noon: Labor Goes to the Movies

Special Saturday Screening of The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman-- both films with WFS first so if you saw that go later.

January 21 - 12:00pm ,PSC Union Hall, 61 Broadway, 16th Floor
Please join us for our special back-to-back Saturday screening/discussion on January 21 of Waiting For Superman and The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. One has received massive publicity and funding to promote charter schools as part of a neoliberal reform. The second one is a local NYC response, made by NYC schoolteachers, exposing the inaccuracy and inequity driving the charter school movement. We will view both films and have a discussion featuring Julie Cavanagh, one of the Inconvenient Truth producers, and PSC's Treasurer and author on the charter school movement, Mike Fabricant.
The screening is sponsored by the PSC and is open to the public.
PSC Union Hall
61 Broadway, 16th Floor
$2 donation
Refreshments served
RSVP Phone Number:
212 354 1252 ex 270
Email Address:
shughes@pscmail.org

Occupy Williamsburg sponsors 2 screenings:
Sunday at 2 and 4PM at Spectacle Theater in Williamsburg
124 South 3rd St. near Bedford Ave.


Sponsored by Community Education Council District 14
Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6PM
PS 84 - 250 Berry Street (between Grand and South 1st).

-------
Tonight: PS 215 School closing hearing in Rockaway at 535 Briar Place.

Breaking: Harlem Drug Bust Snares Charter School Secretary

UPDATED: Sat. Jan. 21, 12pm

This came in unverified from a contact so I am removing the name of the charter school:

"Just found out about some huge drug bust in east harlem. There were four big honchos. One of whom was the secretary of a Harlem charter school located down the street at PS 185 and 208.  !!!!!!! She was busted and arrested. "

This story reminds me of another story I heard a few years ago about PAVE - a well-known Brooklyn charter school A bag full cocaine was found in a desk in the office. Somewhere along the way the story changed and in the police report the bag had migrated to a table in the lunchroom.

Now this may very well happen in a public school too but the consequences are so much greater than they would be for a school run by a private entity even though they use public money. Exactly why charters are not public schools.

The people at the public school are sort of holding onto the info for future use.

Sign the Damn Petition on High Stakes Testing

Liza and Janine are two of the fab activists in GEM. Liza is a 4th year teacher and Janine is the parent of a 7 year old. They work with the GEM High Stakes Testing Committee.

Hello!

Elementary school parent Janine Sopp and I were interviewed on WBAI's radio show Education at the Crossroads tonight. We spoke with host Basir Mshawi about the damaging effects of high-stakes testing and gave folks information about how to sign the petition that demands an opt-out option for parents as well as the immediate halting of any plan for K-2 testing.  You can listen to the show in its entirety here: http://archive.wbai.org/show1.php?showid=eatcrossr We speak about half an hour in, and beforehand there were some activists from the Bronx speaking about the work they are doing to fight the school closings. It's a great hour overall.

In less than one week the testing committee of the Grassroots Education Movement collected over 600 signatures on our petition; our ultimate goal is to collect the names of thousands of concerned citizens across the state and present them to the state legislature and the DOE in early April. Please take a moment to sign!  Only your city and state will be posted on line.

So many of us are concerned about the damaging effects of excessive high-stakes testing, and there is a growing momentum to put an end to them nationally.  Because there is so much money to be made with this type of testing, it is important to think very strategically about how to build a movement and demand a change in policies.  It is important to bring informed and experienced teachers and parents into the creation of a more broadly based assessment to show that there is no need to use these high stakes tests as a way to measure success. Parents should have the right to opt their children out of these tests and demand a more accurate assessment to provide a true snapshot of learning that's going on in a school rather than use them to make high-stakes decisions. Parents should have a right to say that they do not want their children and their children's education influenced so heavily by these exams.

We hope that you will sign and share! http://signon.org/sign/give-new-york-state-parents?source=c.em.cp&r_by=1929140

Sincerely, 

Liza Campbell

A Tale of Two Rockaway School Closings (With Apologies to Charles Dickens)

UPDATED: SAt. Jan. 21 11PM

NOTE: PS 215 closing school hearing Friday at 6 PM
Support them on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SavePS215
Email messages about keeping PS 215 school open at D27Proposals@schools.nyc.gov or call to leave a phone message at 212 374 7621.

SEE VIDEO OF THE JAN. 20 MEETING:

Video: Walcott Takes Heat From Parents, Teachers and UFT Officials at Contentious Closing School Hearing (PS 215) in Rockaway

Published in The Wave Jan. 20, 2011 (www.rockawave.com)


A Tale of Two Rockaway School Closings (With Apologies to Charles Dickens)

By Norm Scott

It is the best worst of times, it is the age of wisdom foolishness, it is the epoch of belief incredulity, it is the season of light darkness, it is the spring of hope winter of despair for two Rockaway schools, one public and one charter, slated for closing by the meat cleaver wielded by the hatchet bearers from the Tweed building, the HQ of the NYC Department of Education. In last week’s Wave Howie Schwach predicted, facetiously but all too close to reality, that Tweed would close every Rockaway school except for three. C’mon Howie, why leave even three standing?

The Wave’s Miriam Rosenberg and I attended a January 10 evening meeting held at the Sorrentino Rec Center called by PS 215 supporters that attracted a spirited audience of parents, teachers and Queens UFT officials. Miriam’s report in the Jan. 13 Wave was comprehensive so I’ll address only a few points about the decision to phase out the school by Tweed.

I was struck by the case made for saving the formerly A-rated school which dropped to an F-rating last year. What happened? The teaching staff, which based on the turnout seems loaded with experienced (don’t forget this point as a factor in targeting schools for closure– higher salaried) staff has remained constant. So has the administration. With all the attention being paid to the (false) concept that the quality of the teaching is the crucial element in the success or failure of students, how can a school go from A to F with basically the same staff? What did change was the number of students needing special help while the resources needed were cut, as was the rise in the percentage of children getting free lunch (a poverty index) and the percentage of student turnover – an instability factor. And the cuts in staff from reading specialist, ESL teachers and guidance counselors. Oh, and supplies.

I found out about the meeting when I went to the school early in the morning of January 6 to distribute leaflets to parents and teachers informing them of meetings Occupy the DOE have been holding every Sunday at 2PM at 60 Wall Street focused on reaching out to schools on the closing list and public schools being invaded by charter co-locations in an effort to get them to fight the battle together instead of separately.

Over the past years we have found that no matter what a school does to argue their case (and I think PS 215 has a case to be made) or how many people they bring out to a hearing held at the school, or how passionate they are at the Bloomberg controlled Panel for Educational Policy meetings, the PEP will vote against them. In the past, immediately after the vote to close takes place the spirit and militancy of the school drops to zero and a sort of school-wide depression takes hold as teachers, administrators and parents begin to think of the end-game. This is especially exasperated by the clear message from the DOE that the school will get even less resources.

Now I don’t mean to demean the required by law PS 215 closing school hearing on Friday January 20 at 6PM (an outrage to call a hearing on a Friday night --- one would hope the Jewish Orthodox community which has the right to attend would protest) as being a waste of time. These meetings serve to bring people together and take them to the next step of militancy which is at the PEP meeting at Brooklyn Tech on February 9 where the Bloomberg PEP puppets will vote to close all the schools --- unless there is behind the scenes political intervention.

It was nice to see the Queens PEP rep Dmytro Fedkowskyj at the meeting but he didn’t speak or offer any encouragement. How will he vote? The way Queens borough President Helen Marshal, a Bloomberg supporter, tells him to. Since his vote doesn’t mean much with Bloomberg controlling at least 8 out of 13 votes, he may very well vote to keep PS 215 open. But his votes have been very disappointing in allowing charter co-locations around the city, especially the Evil Moskowitz invasions and his practically zero presence at PEP meetings. Ahhh, don’t we wish we had a BPres with some guts to do what is right and appoint a truly independent voice on the PEP to join Manhattan’s Patrick Sullivan (who gets a big round of applause when introduced at PEP meetings). A representative from Gregory Meeks’ office was also present and he refused to respond when I asked him if Meeks would support PS 215.

The UFT was in the house at that meeting with a passionate (and long) speech by Queens political director Dermot Smyth who gave people hope that with a big Jan. 20 turnout that would give Tweed an earful, they could save the school. When I asked him if the UFT would provide buses to the PEP at Brooklyn Tech on Feb. 9 he made it seem that the school could be saved by a big turnout on Jan. 20. I understand the need to keep people motivated but the failure of the tactic of fighting that battle one school at a time should be clear by now.

With 25 schools on the list added to the threat to close, 33 more on June 30 and reopen them on July 1 while removing at least 50% of the teachers and a new unreported list of about 60 PLA (Persistently Low Achieving) schools targeted, this amounts to a total assault on the union and the public school system while shutting out the parents, students and community from any basic decision making about their own fates. The ed deformers at the national, state and local levels have successfully managed to make it all about the (bad) teacher as a distraction from the real issue: the increasing privatization of the public schools through charterization.

Given that, it might seem like a contradiction for the DOE to close Peninsula Prep Academy, a charter in Rockaway that does not seem to be a failure with three C ratings in a row. (People do graduate with C grades.) I have mixed feelings given my opposition to charters, but the closing of PPA seems unfair. I met with Josmar Trujilo, an articulate and passionate parent advocate at PPA and he makes a very convincing case (see my video interview with him on you tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03-XBo3a7-U), pointing out that PPA has higher ratings than 9 out of 10 zoned Rockaway schools.

While I don’t put much stock in these numbers, I do think that the ties of Malcolm Smith, the school’s founder, and Gregory Meeks who served on the Board has hurt the school due to the political and corruption problems they have faced. I wrote an analysis on my blog that argued that the closing of PPA is a political hit job (http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2012/01/why-peninsula-prep-is-closing-what.html), possibly because there may be bad news coming from the Smith/Meeks investigations and Walcott who is from Southeastern Queens wants to get out from under sooner rather than later.

Norm blogs at ednotesonline.blogspot.com, email: normsco@gmail.com
If you want to know more about the fight to save PPA you can reach Josmar through the school.

-------

Josmar Trujilio on why PPA should be kept open.

John Dewey HS Fights Back Tomorrow as Other Schools Join in the Battle With Fight Back Friday Jan 27

NOTE: GEM film will also be shown tonight by Occupy Brooklyn at 7PM at The Commons 387 Atlantic Ave and is also being shown Saturday at noon in downtown Manhattan and Sunday at 2 and 4PM in Williamsburg. Check ed notes and the film website for details.

While the UFT sells a "What me worry attitude" to the members, the teachers as some SIG schools, joined by supporters led by activists within the UFT but not associated with the leadership, have begun to take the battle beyond where the UFT is willing to go.

Teachers at John Dewey HS are taking the lead with today's viewing of the inspiring GEM film response to Waiting for Superman that is being ignored by the UFT, followed by Fight Back Friday rallies both AM and PM tomorrow. A wider FNF is planned for next Friday, Jan. 27 where all schools can join --- please consider having one at your school as a show of solidarity (don't be surprised to see the UFT/DOE settle things and the money be restored --- it may take 'till next year for the full results of the settlement to hit the school we may see militancy die back for a while.)


Here is the press release and fliers:
 

PRESS RELEASE

Date: Friday, January 20, 2012

Contact:

Michael Solo, Teacher at John Dewey High School : 917-750-7510

Martha Blitzer, Teacher at John Dewey High School : 718-501-2359.

Fight Back Friday: John Dewey High School Fights Back Against Bloomberg Attack

With a cynical misrepresentation of the truth, Mayor Bloomberg is holding 33 Persistently Lowest Achieving (PLA) schools hostage to his demands. The NYCDOE walked out on negotiations with the UFT to finalize an evaluation system for teachers. Agreement on an evaluation process would have allowed School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds to continue being available for the (PLA) schools. Funding for the schools has been frozen because of the impasse in negotiations. The NYCDOE refuses to return to the negotiating table and has threatened the 33 (PLA) schools with closure through a process called “turnaround”.

Funding is being used to drive a wedge between the UFT and the public, but Bloomberg’s real motivation is the implementation of an evaluation process that deprives teachers of due process protections.

The John Dewey High School community has endured years of neglect and threats from the NYCDOE. We have worked hard to move our school forward and we are making great strides in overcoming the tremendous obstacles that were put in our path by the NYCDOE. Why is Mayor Bloomberg threatening our school community?

Bullies depend on their victims to be unprepared to defend themselves. The entire John Dewey High School community has decided to fight back. We are tired of being used as pawns in Mayor Bloomberg’s bid to cripple our school and public education. We are continuing our push back, which began last year, with a new round of Fight Back Friday protests.

Our push back actions will take place on Friday, January 20th. There will be a morning protest, in front of our school building, at 7:15am and an afternoon protest at 2:45pm.

fightbackfridays.blogspot.com

Here is the general announcement for other schools to join in on January 27

School Closings, Increased Charter Co-locations, Larger Classes, Merit Pay, Firing Half the Staff at 33 Schools AND A Flawed Teacher Evaluation System...

The Education Mayor?

It's time for the first Fight Back Friday of 2012

(soon to be occupy Friday??)

NEXT FRIDAY: JAN 27th. WEAR BLACK!

PICKET OUT IN FRONT OF YOUR SCHOOL!

LEAFLET AROUND YOUR SCHOOL!

Fliers and stickers and such to follow.

 (one announcement flier attached, feel free to use)

PLEASE FORWARD AND POST EVERYWHERE!!

  Please respond to this email or email: 

FBFCommittee@gmail.com

if you think your school might participate.

Or to ask for more info or help in planning an action.

We want to get coverage for all the actions and let the public know that parents and teachers are fighting back!

Last spring over 50 schools participated on several Fridays. It’s a great way to build solidarity among your staff, reach out to parents and students and to begin to create the coordinated city-wide effort we all know is needed.

It is time for rank and file teachers, parents and our students to move towards becoming ungovernable.

Mayoral control, the attacks on our livelihoods, and on our students' education will not end simply because we want them to. 

It will take mass mobilization at the school and city-wide level. 

We need to end the privatization of Public Education through charters and merit pay!

 End the destructing of education through the abuse of high stakes testing!

Say NO to school turn-arounds that will destroy school communities, our student's education and the lives and careers of our colleagues.

WE MUST DEMAND AN END TO MAYORAL CONTROL!

PARENTS AND EDUCATORS MUST HAVE A CONTROLLING VOICE IN EDUCATION!

JOIN SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE CITY ON JAN 27TH!

And please let us know that you will be participating!

Here are some times articles covering FBF in the past. We have had lots of other coverage as well.

 And the FBF Blog from John Dewey HS. 

They have an action planned for this Friday as well.

http://fightbackfridays.blogspot.com/

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/fighting-closure-of-a-high-school-on-the-brink/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/makeshift-groups-rising-to-oppose-cuts/

in solidarity

sam

for the rank and file Fight Back Friday committee

------------
Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

TODAY: Occupy Brooklyn Charter Schools Teach-In and Film Screening of TITBWFS

Occupy Brooklyn Charter Schools Teach-In

Charter Schools and the Impact on Public Education
Thursday, January 19th 2012
6pm     Occupy Brooklyn General Assembly
7pm     Film Screening: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman written and directed by NYC public school teachers and parents
8pm     Panel and discussion with NYC educators and parents


The Commons388 Atlantic Avenue (between Hoyt & Bond)
Brooklyn


Refreshments Available
Organized by Occupy Brooklyn’s Education Working Group

www.occupybk.org

Mulgrew Dog and Pony Show on Constitutional Amendment

Amazing: with a PEP meeting about to begin and schools being closed left and right and very fabric of teacher rights under attack UFT Delegate Assembly discusses increasing retiree influence. Framing this as giving 99% in union more rights. Who knew this was an Occupy Wall St event?

New Action's Shulman opposes (alright) calls for 90 day wait. What's the rush he asks?

Unity: Everyone here will be retiree one day.
Wanna bet? Tier 12 pension coming.
Unity: Nina Tribble as usual calls question

Typical Unity DA debate.

Let's tell this story to every classroom teacher in the city.

Pt of order from Fred Arcoleo: shouldnt we get more info and time to discuss major constit change? Ruled out of order by Mendel.

Vote overwhelming YES. Unity machine in action.

Now 5:30. PEP almost starting but they don't seem much in a hurry. Really pathetic.

Cheers,
Norm Scott

Twitter: normscott1

Education Notes
ednotesonline.blogspot.com

Grassroots Education Movement
gemnyc.org

Education columnist, The Wave
www.rockawave.com

nycfirst robotics
normsrobotics.blogspot.com

Sent from my BlackBerry

Has UFT Had Enough or Just PEP Power Posturing?

Chancellor says DOE has a management team in place to remove 1,700 teachers at 33 struggling schools this year. Mayor says it's happening. ---- LindseyChrist - NY1 tweet

Oy!. Is the UFT boxed in by the Bloomberg/Cuomo/Obama assault? How do they play this to the members when they endorse Obama? Probably by placing the blame on Arne Duncan.

What triggered the sudden decision by the UFT hierarchy to cut short the Delegate Assembly today and urge people to head over to the PEP at Brooklyn Tech? Let me count the ways. They went even beyond the DA with robocalls going out to the rank and file last night urging people to attend (one reporter said that 4 teacher friends got calls).


Today's PEP was supposed to be a pretty low-key affair, with even the people from Occupy DOE planning to stay away. Some people think the UFT is getting nervous about the ability of ODOE to reach into rank and file schools with growing attendance at their Sunday meetings. Maybe. But that is not big enough or with enough outreach yet, though the UFT is certainly monitoring ODOE.


This is pretty last minute stuff and smacks of some frustration and even desperation to strike back at the mayor with a show of force. But the UFT has shown a more organized show of force before. What is driving this is the outrage pouring forth from the schools since the Mayor's speech and the leadership has to put on some kind of a show for the members. I'm heading out now and hope to have a report tonight if I can stay awake with some PEP video --- I also have great video from the anti-Moskowitz event last night. 



I almost feel sorry for the leadership which had a lot to do with making this bed. But not while they push a constitutional amendment that further restricts democracy. Let's see if the have the sense the withdraw it today but don't bet on it.

Here is Leo Casey's letter:

Dear Colleagues:

Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City address last Thursday has greatly angered teachers and educators from public schools across New York City. The Mayor’s announcement that he would seek to close some thirty PLA schools, in addition to the twenty-five schools he already slated for closure, was a nakedly political decision made without the slightest concern for its impact on the education of thousands of New York City public school students. The targeting of schools which had done everything asked of them and had scored highly on the DoE’s own measures of performance is the act of a callous, self-consumed politician who thinks that he can construct a legacy out of destroying schools. And the targeting of schools that serve students and communities with great need once again reminds us that this is a billionaire mayor who understands nothing about the struggles of people who actually have to work for a living.

The Mayor offers as his reason for these school closings, his unwillingness to negotiate with the UFT a meaningful appeals system for ineffective ratings. Instead, he and the DoE insist upon continuing the current system they have devised, where such ratings are automatically turned down at a rate of 99.5%. He wants a teacher evaluation system without educational integrity, just as his school closing decisions are without educational integrity. He will have neither: the UFT, 200,000 strong, will defend and stand with schools unjustly targeted for closure by Bloomberg and the DoE, and we will fight for a fair evaluation system that improves education.

It is important that all of New York City begins to see, as soon as possible, the deep anger that educators feel about the destructive actions of this Mayor. Our campaign to stop these school closings begins tomorrow, with a massive protest at the Panel for Educational Policy meeting which will take place at Brooklyn Technical High School at 29 Fort Greene Place in downtown Brooklyn , starting at 5:30 PM. The closest public transportation is the DeKalb Avenue stop on the B, Q or R train. A map of the school can be accessed at: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

In solidarity,

 Leo Casey

Vice President

 

Massive Opposition to Moskowitz in Williamsburg/UFT Occupy PEP

So much going on today: UDT DA (4PM) , PEP (6PM), PS 19 school closing hearing in Williamsburg (6PM). Don't have much time as I gotta leave to take my wife into the city for her follow-up exam after her cataract operation yesterday --- she finally got to see who she married after 40 years.

So, last night was really spectacular at MS 50 though you wouldn't know it from any press reports. Eva gets 5 parents on her side and there are a thousand against but the press always interviews one on each side as if it's equal. Thus this NY 1 report

A proposed charter school is splitting the Williamsburg community in half, but while opponents turned out in force for a hearing Tuesday, the program is expected to be approved by the Panel for Educational Policy. NY1’s Lindsey Christ filed the following report.

In half? It was more like 500-1.
And the northside came out to support the southside.

More later.

GO TO THE PEP TONIGHT AT TECH TO SUPPORT THE UFT.

Check out Norms Notes for a variety of articles of interest: http://normsnotes2.blogspot.com/. And make sure to check out the side panel on the right for important bits.

UFT Urges Delegates to go to PEP After DA

Dear delegates,
We just wanted to remind you that the UFT Delegate Assembly is meeting tomorrow at the UFT, 52 Broadway.
There will be a recommendation that the delegates go to the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) meeting at Brooklyn Tech HS following the DA.
Sincerely,
Michael Mendel
UFT Secretary

After the delegates vote to give retirees more control over the union, head on down to the PEP where people who are actually working in classrooms can watch their throats being cut. The only way this makes sense if they don't run the meeting till 6 because by the time they get to the PEP it will be far into the meeting. Maybe they will take care of business quickly --- one would think they should postpone the constitutional amendment and deal with the SIG crisis. But I think the priority is to assure lifetime control of the union. Should be fun to see but I will head over to the PEP earlier ---unless I go to the PS 19 closing hearing in Williamsburg instead --- ahhh, so many choices.

Tweed Assault Continues: Another List of School Closings

Stories are floating around about an as yet unannounced list of schools slated for closure – Persistently Lowest-Achieving (PLA) schools. We have learned from a reliable source that Brooklyn Automotive and MS 126 in Williamsburg/Greenpoint are on the list.

These could be as many as 60 schools in addition to the current list of 25 plus the announced closing of the 33 SIG schools on June 30 and their reopening on July 1 with at least 50% teacher turnover. Thus we may be talking about over a hundred reorganizations with tremendous teacher relocations and a massive influx of ATR next year that could cost a hundred million dollars --- which clearly negates some of the money they claim they are losing.

But we know this is all a shell game though how they will figure out how get ATRs who are subbing into the evaluation based on test scores into the mix is a mystery. But they must have a plan to get around any union resistance. Or, the plan is to get the union to bargain away more of the ATR protections like they did last June. The creation of the ATRs in the 2005 contract was a partial victory for Tweed. The rest will be the ability to fire them within a year if they don't get a job, as was done in Chicago years ago.

As a matter of fact, I would attribute the loss of the union to the opposition in Chicago to this situation. And the UFT/Unity leadership certainly saw what happened there. Is that why there is a constitutional amendment being voted on at the DA tomorrow that will further cement the control of Unity and make it absolutely impossible for an opposition to win an election? (I will go into the details in future posts.) Is this a prep to protect the leadership if/when they sell out?

For those of you who think an opposition can win with a better campaign or better candidates or a better platform I will tell you this much.

Even before the constitutional change tomorrow (which requires a 2/3 vote - expect Unity to call out the troops), if the opposition were to win an overwhelming majority of votes in the elementary and middle and high schools they would win a maximum of 22 seats on the UFT Executive Board out of 89. That is today. In the future it will be worse. The opposition in Myanmar/Berma has a better chance.

Mulgrew Agrees With Cuomo on Evals

Today's NY Times:

Mr. Mulgrew, noting that his union had “no disagreement with the governor over the evaluations,” did not object to Mr. Cuomo’s tying the increase in education aid to the creation of the evaluation system.

“We’re just as frustrated as he is, and I publicly came out and asked him to get involved,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/nyregion/cuomo-and-bloomberg-on-attack-on-teacher-evaluations.html

Some people seem astounded by this statement of Mulgrew. Not me. You see, it's Bloomberg who is the problem. A few years ago Bloomberg was the good guy and Klein was the problem. Walcott is really OK. And so is Merryl Tisch and John King. And, Obama and Duncan will be just fine after the UFT/AFT endorses them in July.

But is NYSUT on the same page or just sending up confusing smoke signals?

Carl Korn, a spokesman for New York State United Teachers, said that while the union shared “the governor’s frustration over the implementation of the law,” tying teacher evaluations to state education aid was the “wrong approach.”

“We think supporting teachers and unions in their work is a much better approach,” Mr. Korn said.