Newark Teacher Endorses Ras Baraka and Slams David Brooks for Jeffries Endorsement

David Brooks: Drive By Newark Mayoral Endorsement

David Brooks endorsed Newark mayoral candidate Shavar Jeffries in his New York Times column "How Cities Change." Brooks judiciously devoted seven paragraphs to Jeffries' biography and none to his opponent Ras Baraka. Indulge me while I fill in some gaps.

Ras Baraka was born in Newark in 1970. He is the son of the late poet and activist Amiri Baraka formerly known as Leroi Jones. He holds a BA in Political Science from Howard University and an MA in Education Supervision from St. Peter's University. Baraka serves as the South Ward City Councilman and is on leave from his position as principal of Central High School.

In a slight oversimplification, Brooks preceded his endorsement of Jeffries with this statement, "In Newark, as elsewhere, charter schools are the main flashpoint in this divide. Middle-class municipal workers, including members of the teachers' unions, tend to be suspicious of charters. The poor, who favor school choice, and the affluent who favor education reform generally, tend to support charters." 

So our friend Brooks, a member of the well-heeled class, has justified his endorsement of Jeffries due to his affluence. The poor residents of Newark are being denied a voice by Governor Chris Christie. The elected School Advisory Board is being ignored. Attempts by the community to regain control of the schools have been unsuccessful. Should the poor be denied the choice of a traditional neighborhood school that is a common place option in the suburbs? 

I am a middle class Newark Teacher's Union member and I favor Ras Baraka. I support Ras Baraka because he is fighting to save public education in the community where I work. He is the lone strong voice in the wilderness protesting State District Superintendent Cami Anderson's destructive One Newark Plan. He defended the principals suspended for speaking out in defense of their schools. He backed the clerk suspended for voicing her views on her cell phone in the bathroom. He was behind the parent activist arrested for attempting to organize parents against the closing of his child's school. Baraka is fighting hard to prevent Anderson from laying off 1,100 teachers over the next three years to be replaced by Teach for America novices. A Teacher's Village is under construction to house them and The Walton Foundation has made a generous contribution to provide training. 

I endorse Ras Baraka not because of my socio-economic profile, but because I believe in his mission. I am a proud product of wonderful public schools from kindergarten through a state university. 

By the way, does anybody know which schools David Brooks' three children attended? 

A Newark Teacher

UFT Charter School Report: Note the Management Fees

In 2013, the Success Network requested and received a raise in management fees to 15 percent of the per-pupil funding it receives from the state and city. The total amount of management fees charged by just four of the city’s charter chains in 2011-12 — Success, Uncommon, Achievement First, and KIPP — was over $12 million.

This is a pretty good report from the UFT on the charter scam. While it touches on the charter waiting lists by pointing out that public schools have waiting lists (which are open to public scrutiny) it doesn't go far enough to actually question the validity of those lists, which I view as vapor.

Link: http://www.uft.org/uft-blog/charter-schools-uft-research-report-0

 

The Wave - The Lies Eva Moskowitz Tells: More Destructive Than Global Warming

In my speech at the PEP the other night I didn't have time to make a better case against the Success Charter scam. I wanted to quote from a Ravitch post (Fact-Checking Eva’s Claims on National Television) exposing the lies. The Moskowitz machine has rolled de Blasio, with 3.5 million bucks spent on commercials, enough to buy space for Eva's so-called scholars. At least I have The Wave to try to inform the few locals who read my School Scope stuff on what Eva is all about: politics, real estate, making money - anything but education. My prediction: she will use the parents and children in the mini-school system she has built to challenge de Blasio in the 2017 election. And given the constant assault deB will face over 4 years and the increasing ineffectiveness of the UFT don't be shocked if she wins. Hey, I have an idea on how to stop her. The UFT should just endorse her.

Published in The Wave, Friday, March 21, 2014


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The Truth About Eva Moskowitz Charters: More Destructive Than Global Warming

By Norm Scott

I went to a funeral out on Long Island last week and two people asked me why Mayor de Blasio is so against charters, especially Success Academy run by Eva Moskowitz who makes half a million dollars to run 22 schools. De Blasio allowed her to get almost everything she was handed by Bloomberg except for 3 spots ­– 2 high schools where to accommodate Eva there would have to be millions of dollars in renovations to keep the young children apart from the high school kids – and an expansion in a Harlem school that would toss out autistic kids. But why should we worry about autistic kids getting screwed? They won’t score as high as Eva’s so-called “scholars”?

You would have thought pro-charter Joe Lhota had won the election instead of losing by an enormous margin. How inept was de Blasio that he took such a public relations beating because he couldn’t effectively defend the autistic kids against the onslaught of TV commercials about the “poor” 194 Success “scholars” who were shoving special ed kids into the street? Chancellor Carmen Farina caved and said she would work to find the 194 Success kids seats. Eva doesn’t want seats in another building, she wants the building. This is about real estate, not education. Imagine if those millions spent on the ad blitz actually went to buying a building.

We hear the lies about all those high achieving children being tossed. Remember that 2 out of the 3 schools de Blasio denied don’t even exist yet. But they would have been part of the Moskowitz political plan to set up outposts in certain neighborhoods in large high school buildings that over the years she will take more and more space and ultimately toss out the public schools. De Blasio actually did give her all the other schools she wanted. (People at one of them, Seth Low in Bensonhurst, are outraged.) Don’t be surprised to see her run against the mayor in the next election.

Then she got away with closing all her schools and bussing all the kids, teachers and parents to Albany for a phony rally. How much outrage would there be if the Mayor closed all the schools to hold a rally to defend his decisions?

And oh those supposed high scores. Experienced teachers know this game very well. Push out the potential low scorers as early as possible and leave a big bunch back early on so they will be a year older for each testing grade.

One DOE insider reported on Success tactics as reported on the Diane Ravitch blog:

“Not only do classes contain disproportionately few students with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs), but their numbers almost invariably decrease with each passing year. The ranks of students with disabilities consistently dwindle. In the first two years of available data, there were hardly any ELLs. In 2010 Success suddenly came up with a nearly representative portion of these students, but their numbers more than halved by the next year.  83 students entered kindergarten in 2006-07, the school’s first year of operation. When that class reached 4th grade in 2010-11, it had only 53 students — a drop of 36 percent. Harlem Success also took in a 1st grade class with 73 students in 2006. When that group reached 5th grade, it too had shrunk appreciably — by 36 percent. The attrition accelerated as the classes advanced. The 2006-07 1st grade class, for example, did not shrink at all as it entered 2nd grade, but saw one sharp falloff between 2nd and 3rd and another between 4th and 5th.” If they ‘lost’ many students, these scores are tainted. Only one Success school has been around since 2007. That school started with 83 kindergarteners and 73 first graders. Those cohorts just tested in 6th and 7th grade, respectively. The school has ‘lost’ a big chunk of those original 156 kids. Of those 73 first graders in 2007, only 35 took the seventh grade test. Of the 83 kindergarteners, only 47 took the sixth grade test last spring. Overall, they have ‘lost’ 47% of the original two cohorts. If this is one of the costs of having such high test scores, I’m not sure if it is worth it. The bulk of the attrition at Harlem Success Academy 1 seems to have come in the tested grades. Success Academy’s approach of holding many students back a grade level which creates a 3rd grade bulge as those students don’t move on to 4th grade. Attrition rates approach or exceed 50% by the end of middle school.”

Follow the Evil Eva story on Norm’s blog: ednotesonline.org

A PEP Lovefest; I Compare Eva Moskowitz to Global Warming

Last night I attended my first PEP meeting under the new administration and it was quite a lovefest directed at Carmen Farina, even from critics. Even my usually sour presentation was tempered. The meeting was sparsely attended and there were critics there, but even they thanked Farina for at the very least, the stand to defend the autistic and other special ed kids at the Mickey Mantle school from Eva's outrageous demands they be kicked out for her 194 "scholars." That the De Blasio administration couldn't make this point clearer - even with their own ads, is sad. At the very least the UFT should have done some ads, but then they would be subject to attacks over their own co-located charter that was resisted by parents and teachers they displaced.

Throughout the evening Carmen brought such charm and humor to the table for the first time in 13 years people felt good about the administration even when they disagreed on all the other co-locos Farina allowed. People from Mickey Mantle school made some wonderful speeches that should be put in an ad attacking the shit out of Eva.

I have a batch of videos, including one from Francesco Portelos. However, the event was for the first time livestreamed and will be available for viewing in a day or 2. I will try to save you the trouble of parsing through it by highlighting.

Naturally, I'll start with my speech where I compare Eva to global warming. When I ask what might have happened if Carmen closed the schools like Eva did, she said, laughing, "I did close them. For a snow day."I stayed within my 2 minutes - though they were very liberal in allowing more time - and had a lot more to say. Like if the millions spend on Eva ads were used to buy them a building. Or their phony stats. Maybe I'll do a follow-up in April. My belief is even though we are a spec, getting the info on the web serves as some minor counter to the Moskowitz machine. And one of my Wave columns this week also deals with the issue.




Busy day today with the DA and the District 14 forum. I'll add more videos to this post as I get to them and then repost this with the updates.

Teachers - Inform Potential Opt-Out Parents About Change the Stakes - Friday - Last General Meeting Before ELA

The growing opt-out movement is a major weapon in our arsenal to fight the deformers. In fact it is the single most threatening thing to them and just watch them and their lackey NYC press corps hammer people and try to blame the UFT, which in fact won't really touch this issue by truly supporting it. In Chicago the CTU has gone all out to deny them the data.

If you want a flyer for parents at your school email me and I'll send a pdf for you to print.

I love CTS and the work they do. We have a show Friday night so I can't make the meeting.

FIGHT THE TESTING MADNESS!  STUDENTS ARE MORE THAN A SCORE!

Friday, March 21, 2014, 6:00

Meet Together to Plan for April's Tests

Note location:

Ya-Ya 

224 W. 29th Street, 14th Floor

New York, New York

Why the use of testing fails students and schools…

• Test scores do not predict learning or future academic success, nor do they measure creative 

thinking and problem solving.

• Tying tests scores to teacher evaluation forces teachers to “teach to the test,” instead of tailoring 

instruction to meet each student’s unique needs.

• Teachers – not test scores – should determine whether students are promoted. If there are 

doubts about a student’s readiness, teachers should decide in consultation with parents.

• The DOE should reduce class size; hire teachers, counselors, and librarians;

and fund after-school programs, enrichment and the arts; instead of wasting valuable public funds 

on testing, test prep and consultants.

• Massive amounts of data about students are being collected and put in the hands of third party 

vendors without parental consent.

When test scores are used to determine promotion, school closings, and teachers' careers, the 

stakes are too high! The misuse of tests narrows and distorts the curriculum. All children need 

high-quality teaching in a healthy atmosphere that

fosters the full development of their strengths and talents.

LET'S TAKE THE POWER BACK. HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Talk with parents and teachers. Build community around testing in your school. 

• Request an alternative such as portfolio assessment that reflects student growth.

• Keep up with Change the Stakes on our web site, Facebook, and Twitter.

• Invite Change the Stakes to your schools or your CEC meeting for an informal 

discussion on testing

• Join CHANGE THE STAKES and work to change NYC and NYS testing policies.

• Opt Out - refuse to have your child take the NY State tests and all Field Tests.

www.changethestakes.org

 

 

Tonight at 6PM: Change the Stakes Explains Opt-Out at District 14 High Stakes Testing Town Hall

Janine Sopp, David Dobosz, Brian DeVale, Brooke Parker and Esteban Duran -- Oh what a night this will be ---

I saw CEC 14 chair Tessa Wilson last night at the PEP - I always have to smile whenever I see Tessa - she just brings such a sense of good cheer. I will be taping tonight.

I'm reposting this -- busy day today -- DA where MORE will be handing out a reso related to the Francisco Portelos case. He is a member of MORE steering committee and has made sure to keep the issue of abused teachers and bully principals up front and center of the agenda. 

,

Do you know what High Stakes Testing means for your children, their teachers and our schools?

The Community Education Council for District 14

TOWN HALL MEETING

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Where: 215 Heyward Street

Location: Auditorium

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Panelists are:

·       Brian DeVale, Principal of PS 257, District14 CSA Rep.

·       Janine Sopp, parent member of Change the Stakes, Education Activist, Public School parent

·       Brooke Parker, Founding Member of WAGPOPS

·       David Dobosz, retired public school teacher

·       Esteban Duran, El Puente, Community Board 1

Sponsored By:

Change the Stakes, WAGPOPS, Community Education Council District 14,

Assemblyman Joe Lentol, Councilman Antonio Reynoso

Fascinating Video: See a 1000 years of European Borders Change

UPDATE NOTE:
The video you've linked here (unfortunately unauthorized --and stamped with a LiveLeak tag as if they created it!) is taken directly from the "Centennia Historical Atlas" which you can learn more about, and download for Windows or Mac, on my web site here: http://HistoricalAtlas.com. I'm the author, head cartographer, and creator of the software, the maps, the map animation, the accompanying text, and all other features of this "apt app". Thought you might like to know! :) Frank Reed Centennia Software / HistoricalAtlas.com Conanicut Island USA 

A very apt app for today's events. Great to use with your classes.

http://loiter.co/v/watch-as-1000years-of-european-boarders-change/

NYSUT: MORE Challenges Unity, VP Candidate Arthur Goldstein to Appear at PSC Candidate Forum Tonight

Overall, Revive did not look ready for prime time.  If this is the best they can do, then we may be in even more peril than now if they take over NYSUT in April.  The four incumbents in Stronger Together and Arthur Goldstein looked very comfortable up on the stage while Pallotta and his Revived challengers appeared to be overmatched at times... James Eterno report on Long Island Candidate Forum

To fully explain what is going on in NYSUT would take some time for those not following reports on ed notes. Here is the skinny.

• Statewide Unity Caucus splits into Stronger Together (4 out of 5 incumbent leaders including President Iannuzzi) and Revive - Exec VP Andy Pallotta, supported by the UFT/Mulgrew and Weingarten.

• Stronger Together takes a rigorous anti-Cuomo position in addition to pointing to the legislative failures of Pallotta, blaming him for being ineffective in fighting Cuomo's local property tax cap which has hurt smaller locals depending on that tax.
• Revive positions:  bogus bullshit -- (we never claim to be fair.)
• MORE teams up with the crew from Port Jeff Station out on Long Island to run for certain non-officer at-large positions as independents - at this time - though some (not all) may run on the Stronger Together slate. Julie Cavanagh gets to challenge Mulgrew directly once again for one of the NYSUT election districts - though NYC teachers cannot vote for her - the 800 Unity votes will go to Mulgrew. Same with other MORE candidates: Francesco Portelos, Lauren Cohen, Mike Schirtzer, Jia Lee, and James Eterno - see their statements in the NYSUT paper and at the MORE blog.
• MORE has been in deep discussions as to the wisdom of joining the slate (if asked) and the current proposal is to allow each MORE candidate to make his or her own decision (unlike Unity Caucus which binds people). (I'll get into the angst this issue has caused within MORE at another time.
• Arthur Goldstein, of NYC Educator blog fame, runs against Pallotta for the VP position, possibly on the Stronger slate if asked - that is to be determined.
• Big city locals plus the statewide college local leaders have endorsed the Revive/Mulgrew slate but other than the NYC local Unity Caucus, have freed their delegates to vote as they wish.
• Candidate forums are being held around the state. Arthur reports on the meeting here. See Eterno's report of the one on Long Island, where Arthur kicked Pallotta's ass. IANNUZZI'S STRONGER TOGETHER & ARTHUR GOLDSTEIN ARE CROWD FAVORITES AT CANDIDATE FORUM
• PSC, a supposed liberal caucus, endorsed Revive and is holding a candidate forum tonight. Reluctantly, they were forced to invite Arthur. (More on that later). You can see Arthur's statement in the NYSUT paper and at his blog: Statement of Candidacy for NYSUT Executive Vice-President

Here is the MORE release from this morning.

MORE Challenges Unity In NYSUT Elections

March 18, 2014 — 

MORE CAUCUS OF UFT TO CHALLENGE CURRENT UFT LEADERSHIP IN STATEWIDE UNION ELECTIONS

RANK AND FILE EDUCATORS WILL BRING REAL CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE TO UNION POSITIONS

 New York – The Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE), the Social Justice Caucus of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), best known for opposing UFT’s President Michael Mulgrew and his Unity caucus in the 2013 UFT elections will now offer a positive alternative for leadership in the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) officer elections. This is unprecedented- never before has the Unity caucus or a sitting UFT president been challenged in NYSUT elections.

MORE is running in this election against the Unity Caucus because, according to candidate special education elementary teacher Julie Cavanagh,

“…Rather than collaborating with those who seek to destroy us, we must harness our collective power and stand with parents and youth to end destructive education policies and fight for the economic, racial, and social justice our teachers, students, and society need and deserve.”

In a break from his union’s leadership, MORE candidate and high school teacher Mike Schirtzer calls for an immediate repeal of the Common Core State Standards,
“Teachers did not develop it, nor does it have the best interests of our students at heart.”

The standards have been supported by the current union leadership despite they way they force classroom teachers to do ever-increasing amounts of test preparation at the expense of real instruction. Students are bored with the the constant “drilling”, which deprives them of an authentic, engaging education.

MORE is challenging for statewide union office in order to initiate a change in direction, towards standards developed by pedagogical experts and field tested before implementation. MORE candidate and elementary school teacher Lauren Cohen adds,

“The Common Core is fundamentally undemocratic – not only in its implementation but in its conception. Handing teachers rigid, scripted curricula benefits corporate interests while neglecting students’ need for a developmentally-appropriate and well-rounded education.”

Public school parent, teacher, and MORE candidate Jia Lee explains that she is running for this position because,
“Our union leadership has allowed for the high-stakes use of invalid standardized tests, putting an entire generation of youth, educators, and schools at risk, and has promoted a culture of fear. It is time for democratic policies that respect the diverse needs of New York’s public schools.”

Our union leadership has done precious little to stop the over-reliance on testing, even though a plethora of research proves that measuring students only on test scores does not provide a complete picture of what a child has learned.

Mike Schirtzer reiterated,
“The Unity caucus strategy has been political lobbying; they have not mobilized the UFT membership, even as schools are closed, high stakes tests proliferate, and student data is sold to the highest bidder. “

MORE believes our union must stand up in defense of our students. Reducing class size, funding the arts, offering a wide array of after-school programs, and providing full social-emotional and medical services for families would be the type of reform that would truly move our schools forward. Addressing poverty, racism, sexism, and other issues that our children face every day is what real union leadership is about.

Unfortunately, Unity caucus is stubbornly clinging to obsolete tactics that have resulted in the nearly unopposed corporate takeover of our schools. NYSUT and UFT must fight to allow working educators, students, and their parents, to determine educational policy. Policy should no longer be determined by those who seek to profit financially from our public education.MORE is challenging Unity in order to offer a slate of candidates that truly represents classroom teachers. Any policies the MORE candidates negotiate will affect them directly, because they are in the classroom each school day. That is not the case for the small clique of high-ranking Unity grandees currently dictating UFT policy.

Each new bureaucratic diktat, from Common Core to the cookie-cutter Danielson rubric to High Stakes testing, has resulted in less time for grading, lesson planning, and collaboration with administrators, parents, and colleagues.

These failed policies have buried teachers under mounds of useless paperwork that do not positively impact our students. A new NYSUT leadership that includes the MORE slate will mobilize rank and file educators in the five boroughs and locals from around the state to take back our schools. Education policy should never be dictated in corporate boardrooms or political back rooms. It should be created with the input of the real experts- working teachers and parents.

The elections will take place April 5th, 2014 at the NYSUT representative assembly held at the New York Midtown Hilton. Local union presidents and delegates from around New York state will converge at this convention to cast their ballots and determine the statewide union’s direction. MORE is running an independent slate of six candidates for Board of Directors At-Large representing UFT members; Julie Cavanagh, James Eterno, Jia Lee, Mike Schirtzer, Lauren Cohen, and Francesco Portelos. They have also endorsed the candidacy of Arthur Goldstein for NYSUT Executive Vice President and Beth Dimino, President of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association, for a Director At-Large for Suffolk. Only elected delegates from last year’s UFT election may vote in the NYSUT election, not rank and file members. MORE represents thousands of UFT members (including over 40% of high school teachers based on the 2013 election results). UFT’s undemocratic rules do not allow for  proportional representation, therefore all the NYC delegates at NYSUT convention are from the Unity caucus. These are at-large positions, meaning that any NYSUT delegate may vote for us, including those not from the UFT.

PEP Tuesday Night/CEC Members/Parents Urge Tish James to Press Co-Loco Law Suit

I am going to be there and film. Rumor is that Eva is bringing the Success people out to enforce the idea that their 194 kids are more important than autistic kids they want to throw out at PS 149 and the Mickey Mantle special ed school -- and backed by millions of dollars for commercials - which could have been used to get the 194 kids a building of their own.

This was just sent by Leonie Haimson:

Dear CEC members and parents:

The signed letter in support of the Council Speaker and Public Advocate continuing the lawsuit vs. 35 co-locations previously approved by the PEP is below.  Meanwhile, there is a PEP meeting tomorrow night in Brooklyn – and we hope you can attend.  PA Tish James will be there, as will be members of the media.  Info here:

Panel for Educational Policy Meeting

–

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 6 PM (come early if you want to speak)

Prospect Heights Campus

883 Classon Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225

2,3 to Eastern Parkway or 4,5 to Franklin Avenue.

If one or more of you would be able to read aloud our letter, that would be appreciated. CEC members are allowed to speak first.  Please email me if you are willing.

Hope to see you there, and please forward to others especially those parents at the affected schools  thanks Leonie

AN OPEN LETTER TO

PUBLIC ADVOCATE TISH JAMES

AND CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO

WE NEED YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

_______________________________________

Dear Public Advocate James and Council Speaker Mark-Viverito:

Let us begin by thanking you for your longstanding support of all public school students and all public school parents.  You have been outspoken supporters of parents and teachers having key input into shaping the schools our children attend.  You have been outspoken supporters of reducing class size, alleviating school overcrowding, and working to implement our children’s right to a sound basic education.  Unfortunately, despite the change in administration, we continue to need your assistance in achieving these goals.

Under the administration of Mayor Bloomberg, the Department of Education pursued a reckless program of closing schools and starting new small schools and charters, and inserting them into existing  buildings were schools were already located, oblivious to their impact on students and the existing schools and programs.

The DOE under Bloomberg ignored the nearly unanimous complaints of parents and the objections of administrators and teachers, and approved hundreds of co-locations that caused more overcrowding, the loss of critical classroom space, as well as art, music and science rooms, caused children with disabilities and learning issues to be pushed out of the rooms required for their mandated services.  The creation of hundreds of new schools also caused a sharp increase in administrative spending and bureaucracy, concurrent with a sharp decline in the number of classroom and a sharp increase in class size.

In the last months of the Bloomberg administration, the DOE pushed through 45 co-locations, ignoring the input of communities and the harmful impact of these proposals on students and school communities. 

We were thrilled when you, along with others, sued to void this massive round of co-locations, and waited patiently, as you did, with the hope that Mayor de Blasio would reverse most if not all of these plans. 

He has not done that, and instead chose to go ahead with most of these proposals, many of which will have devastating effects on existing schools.   We oppose 35 of these proposals, 16 of which will push the building at or above 100% utilization, according to the DOE’s own figures. 

If the Blue Book formula was accurate and pegged to reasonable class sizes, as well as allow sufficient space for special education services, art rooms, music and science, and adequate access to lunchrooms, libraries, and gyms, every one of these co-locations would be seen as pushing the existing schools into unacceptably overcrowded conditions.

This is why 35 of these co-locations must be reversed.

1. In every case, they will either result in an increase in class size, or make it impossible to reduce class size in the future, despite the fact that class sizes in many grades are now the largest in 15 years and the mayor has pledged to reduce them significantly by the end of his term. Moreover, the state’s highest court has concluded that the class sizes of NYC students must be lowered for them to receive their constitutional right to an adequate education.

2. They will hinder the ability of schools to address the needs of students requiring special education services by providing adequate space, as well as the ability of schools to address the learning needs of English language learners. 

3. They will also restrict the amount of space available to expand preK, an important program and one of this administration’s top priorities.

4. Because the DOE has in recent years redefined a full-size classroom as only 500 square feet, down from 750 square feet, and the building code requires 35 sq. ft per Kindergarten student and 20 sq. ft. per student in other grades, many of the classrooms in these schools will trigger violations in the building code, risking children’s safety.

5. In all cases, the addition of new schools requires the creation of new, unnecessary bureaucracy with excessive numbers of administrative positions when resources could be better used on instruction.

6. None of these damaging impacts on safety, learning conditions and/or spending are reflected in the Educational Impact Statements.

7. In cases involving co-location of charter schools, the allowance of rent-free space results in their receiving more funds per capita than non-charter schools, creating inequities within school buildings, with two classes of students, one with smaller classes, more resources and programs, and the other with larger classes, and fewer resources and programs.

8. In all cases, the DOE has ignored the input of parents, community members, and Community Education Councils, who have opposed these co-locations for the reasons cited above and more.

To be sure, these proposals were approved only because the public hearing process was a sham, the public input process was a sham, and because the Panel for Educational Policy rubberstamped them without serious review.  In all cases, the voices of parents were not heard, and this was unlawful.

We urge you to proceed with your lawsuit and to see that the process going forward adheres to the law.  We pledge to join you in that effort.

Sincerely,

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director, Class Size Matters

John Englert, Co-Chair, Citywide Council on Special Education

Shino Tanikawa, President, Community Education Council District 2*; member of DOE “Blue Book” Taskforce

Bryan D'Ottavi, President, Community Education Council District 8

David Goldsmith. President, Community Education Council District 13*

Tesa Wilson, President, Community Education Council District 14; member of DOE “Blue Book” Taskforce

Felicia P. Alexander, President, Community Education Council District 16

Heather Ann Fiorica, President, Community Education Council District 21

Deborah Perkins, President, Community Education Council District 22

Alicia Hyndman, President Community Education Council, District 29

Sam Pirozzolo, President, Community Education Council District 31

Naila Caicedo-Rosario, President of Community Education Council District 15  

Adam Wilson, Vice President, Community Education Council District 15

Eduardo Hernandez, Ph.D., Treasurer, Community Education Council District 8

Barbara Denham, Treasurer, Community Education Council District 3

Tamara Rowe, Member, Community Education Council District 2*

Olivia Rychter, Treasurer, Community Education Council District 1

Ben Greene, CPAC Representative, District 13; 1^st VP, Community Education Council District 13

Olaiya Deen, Member, Community Education Council District 3

Eduardo Hernandez, Ph.D.Treasurer, Community Education Council District 8

Gloria Smith, President of District 75 President Council and 1^st Vice President, Citywide Council of D75

Linda Dalton, Member, Community Education Council District 21

Randi Garay, Member, Community Education Council District 21

Joyce Finger, Member, Community Education Council District 21

Ericka Williams, Member, Community Education Council District 29

Tricia Joyce Chair, Youth and Education Committee; Community Board 1*
Michelle Kupper, Community Education Council District 15

Josh Karan, former President, Community Education Council District 6

Evelyn Feliciano, Parent Leader District 10; Member, Bronx Community Board 5

Monse Santana, Title I chair, PTA Tompkins Square MS*, and District Leadership Team, District 1

Christine Kroening, PTA President, I.S. 78 Roy H. Mann School

Vishnu Mahadeo, PTA President, Richmond Hill High School

Irene Abraham, I.S. 78/P312 Parent

Carlos M. Lopez Garcia, SLT Chair, Safety Chair & UFT Chapter Leader, PS 30X

John Lawhead, ATR Teacher, District 21

Harlan Mathieu, Former Teacher, PS222Q; District 30 Parent PS78Q, IS227Q

Julie Fraad, Former Assistant Principal, Secondary School for Law, District 15

David Rosenberg, Public School Parent, PS3 PAC

Deborah Alexander, Member, Community Education Council 30

Alexandra Zisimos Lopez, PTA President, Seth Low Middle School

Jim McKay, Parent, BNS/District 15

Angelica Salgado, Parent and SLT Member, PS143 District 24

Kent Atkinson, PS 106,123K D32; Retired TSI

Juanita Laboy, District 15

Dinine Signorello, Parent, LMC/PS 3/District 2

Beth Bernett, Former Public School Parent

Maureen Pricci, Retired Teacher, PS184, District 1

David Dobosz, Parent, Retired Teacher and Education Activist, District 14

Tanya Pollard, Parent, P.S. 107, District 15

Kari Steeves, Public School Parent, District 6

Annette Brown, Public School Parent, I.S. 59 Springfield Gardens, District 29

Tina Schiller, Public School Parent, District 2 

(* for identification purposes only; list in formation)

 

Evaluation Law Suit on Poverty: NYSUT Leadership Supports Rochester TA

Interesting news here given that Adam Urbanski is supporting the Mulgrew/Revive takeover of NYSUT. Will Rochester delegates to the April 5 NYSUTRA vote for  Iannuzzi/Stronger Together because of this support? Ravitch reports:

Rochester Teachers Sue State Over Teacher Evaluations

by dianeravitch

The Rochester Teachers Association is suing the state over its teacher evaluation system, alleging that it does not take into account the impact of poverty on classroom performance.

RTA says the evaluations are "junk science."

"ALBANY, N.Y. March 10, 2014 – The Rochester Teachers Association today filed a lawsuit alleging that the Regents and State Education Department failed to adequately account for the effects of severe poverty and, as a result, unfairly penalized Rochester teachers on their APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review) evaluations.

"The suit, filed in state Supreme Court in Albany by New York State United Teachers on behalf of the RTA and more than 100 Rochester teachers, argues the State Education Department did not adequately account for student poverty in setting student growth scores on state tests in grades 4-8 math and English language arts. In addition, SED imposed rules for Student Learning Objectives and implemented evaluations in a way that made it more difficult for teachers of economically disadvantaged students to achieve a score of “effective” or better. As a result, the lawsuit alleges the Regents and SED violated teachers’ rights to fair evaluations and equal protection under the law.

"SED computes a growth score based on student performance on state standardized tests, which is then used in teacher evaluations.

"Nearly 90 percent of Rochester students live in poverty. The lawsuit says SED’s failure to appropriately compensate for student poverty when calculating student growth scores resulted in about one-third of Rochester’s teachers receiving overall ratings of “developing” or “ineffective” in 2012-13, even though 98 percent were rated “highly effective” or “effective” by their principals on the 60 points tied to their instructional classroom practices. Statewide, just 5 percent of teachers received “developing” or “ineffective” ratings.

“The State Education Department’s failure to properly factor in the devastating impact of Rochester’s poverty in setting growth scores and providing guidance for developing SLOs resulted in city teachers being unfairly rated in their evaluations,” Iannuzzi said. “Rochester teachers work with some of the most disadvantaged students in the state. They should not face stigmatizing labels based on discredited tests and the state’s inability to adequately account for the impact of extreme poverty when measuring growth.”

"RTA President Adam Urbanski said an analysis of Rochester teachers’ evaluations for 2012-13 demonstrated clearly the effects of poverty and student attendance, for example, were not properly factored in for teachers’ evaluations. As a result, “dedicated and effective teachers received unfair ratings based on student outcomes that were beyond their control. The way the State Education Department implemented the state testing portion of APPR adds up to nothing more than junk science.”

Revive NYSUT (Pallota/Mulgrew) OK With Non-Union Pre-k While Rolled by Sellout Dems on Charter Support Bill

The IDC exists to allow Cuomo to regularly triangulate progressive voices out of any legislative actions. Dick Iannuzzi knows this and was actively working to undermine the IDC structure. Andy Pallotta well............

Stronger Together supporter

Dick Iannuzzi "[pre-k] teachers would be unionized workers and employees of the school district. Therefore, they would be obligated to be represented by the collective bargaining units." Where does Revive NYSUT slate stand on this? Andy said, "We'd be happy to have them as members," and Andy's staff responded, "The real issue is to ensure that you have high-quality pre-K, that it's connected to standards and curriculum, that you have highly qualified, certified teachers in those programs, not to get distracted by that issue."

I received these communication below earlier today. IDC Democrats working with State Senate Republicans just put a royal screwing with a big charter giveaway bill. Their newest member, Tony Avella, in 2009 was with us in trying to stop an Eva invasion of PS 123 in Harlem. But he was running for mayor. I guess changing your politics whenever is OK. Shame on Tony.

It looks like the IDC [Independent Dem Caucus] is working to screw us (again)...

On the MAC The Senate Majority [(Republicans + IDC)] is poised to pass a budget resolution which includes: --Giving tax credits to wealthy donors via a back-door voucher scheme -- the intent is to use public funds to finance the costs of a non-public school education;

--Increasing per-pupil funding for charter schools which comes directly out of public school coffers; and
--Providing NEW facilities funding for charters and forcing co-locations of charter schools – displacing public school students – and directly benefitting Success Academy C.E.O. Eva Moskowitz

CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW - 1-877-255-9417. Press 2 to speak with your New York State Senator.
https://mac.nysut.org/stop-plans-to-abandon-public-school-children

It is important to remember who in NYSUT Leadership was calling the IDC out back in October for failing to deliver on our agenda and who was apologizing for them? How do you spell A-N-D-Y?

We will have to continue settling for legislative defeats and inadequate compromises until Andy realizes the IDC are not our allies. The IDC exists to allow Cuomo to regularly triangulate progressive voices out of any legislative actions. Dick Iannuzzi knows this and was actively working to undermine the IDC structure. Andy Pallotta well............

If you have not yet read the article in Capital New York, read it it will be enlightening.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/10/8535024/nysut-head-says-idc-alliance-didnt-work-gets-corrected

Beth Dimino on Facebook on the pre-k issue:

I guess unionization does equate to quality for some labor leaders? This is an affront to what all unionists believe and Dick responded as such.

Collective bargaining is a right and is why we have the highest quality public education in New York State.

We are a union that believes in collective bargaining as a fundamental right to advance worker, civil and human rights -- [Andy's]  "we'd be happy to have them as members" does not reflect the reality that collective bargaining is not something nice to do for workers but something that advances our collective mission of fairness on behalf of all workers and their families.

Why would these workers want to organize w NYSUT in the future when we are unwilling to fight for their fundamental rights now?

Labor Leader, Dick Iannuzzi "teachers would be unionized workers and employees of the school district. Therefore, they would be obligated to be represented by the collective bargaining units"

Where does Revive NYSUT slate stand on this? Andy said, "We'd be happy to have them as members," and Andy's staff responded, "The real issue is to ensure that you have high-quality pre-K, that it's connected to standards and curriculum, that you have highly qualified, certified teachers in those programs, not to get distracted by that issue."

REALLY?! Read below for all the facts!

Labor leader : Pre-K first, unionized teachers second
By Jessica Bakeman
5:00 a.m. | Mar. 14, 2014
ALBANY—The statewide expansion of pre-kindergarten proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo would likely require using a mix of union and non-union teachers.

But traditional teachers' unions don't plan to fight to include all pre-K teachers in their ranks, at least initially. Whether pre-K teachers are unionized is a distraction from the more important point, which is a need for high-quality programs, a statewide union leader said.

Since the 1990s, New York has tried to implement a universal pre-K program, but the funding was never there. Today, half of the state's four-year-olds are enrolled, mostly in half-day programs. The state spends about $400 million annually on the program, which includes classes in schools as well as in community-based organizations, like Head Start centers or YMCAs.

Only about 40 percent of pre-K teachers, those who teach in schools, are eligible for the salary and benefits collectively bargained by traditional teachers' unions. The other 60 percent work in the C.B.O.s; some are covered by other unions but make far less than their public-school teacher counterparts, despite having the same qualifications, and the rest have no union protections at all.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio have put forth competing proposals for funding pre-K, and both are contingent on using C.B.O.s to expand. In Cuomo's statewide plan, there simply isn't enough money to use all unionized teachers; in de Blasio's proposal for the five boroughs, C.B.O.s would make up in space what public schools lack.

Labor leaders in New York said expanding access to pre-K is more important than ensuring collective-bargaining rights or wage parity for all teachers.

“The real issue is to ensure that you have high-quality pre-K, that it's connected to standards and curriculum, that you have highly qualified, certified teachers in those programs, not to get distracted by that issue,” said Steve Allinger, legislative director for New York State United Teachers, referring to whether pre-K teachers are unionized.

Allinger said the expansion would help union members by ensuring that students are more prepared to succeed when they enter the K-12 spectrum.

Although it doesn't appear that NYSUT is going to make unionizing pre-K teachers an issue in the potential expansion, “We'd be happy to have them as members,” said Andrew Pallotta, executive vice president.

NYSUT president Richard Iannuzzi, though, seems to be out of sync with his colleagues Allinger and Pallotta, who run the union's legislative efforts. Tensions have been high at NYSUT, since Iannuzzi is facing a contested election next month, during which he will face a slate of challengers that includes Pallotta.

Iannuzzi said his interpretation of both proposals is that they are attempts to add a new grade to the “continuum of education” and would therefore utilize unionized public-school teachers.

“What we would expect to see, both in New York City and statewide, would be that a really universal pre-K program would be part of the public school program,” he said, “in which case [teachers] would be unionized workers and employees of the school district. Therefore, they would be obligated to be represented by the collective bargaining units.”

There are 5,615 pre-K teachers in New York, as part of the state's current program, according to state records. Of those, 3,221 work in New York City.

Sixty percent of pre-K teachers statewide work in C.B.O.s, and 40 percent are in public-school classrooms. The breakdown is the same in New York City.

Three-quarters of pre-K teachers statewide are certified by the state Education Department. In New York City, that figure is 61 percent, because teachers who are on a “path to certification” are allowed to teach while pursuing their education and training. In the rest of the state, 94 percent of pre-K teachers are certified.

While nearly all C.B.O. teachers in New York City are in some type of union (though not traditional teachers' unions), that's not the case in other cities. In Rochester for example, there are 105 full-time equivalent pre-K teachers, 45 in schools and 60 in C.B.O.s. Of those 60, 58 are certified, but only 21 are unionized.

Assembly edcuation committee chair Catherine Nolan, a Democrat from Queens, said there are inherent differences among pre-K programs offered in different settings, “and some of those differences are OK, because that's the history of it.”

“I think we're going to have a lot of models to have a successful UPK,” she said. “Do I think everyone should get as much money as possible? We always want people who are well educated to be well trained, well compensated, but there are clearly going to be differences.

“If we can move the ball forward with more UPK money, we'll cross some of those bridges later,” Nolan added.
Senate Labor Committee chair Diane Savino, who is a member of the Independent Democratic Conference and from Staten Island, said concerns about whether teachers would be unionized as part of the pre-K expansion is “putting the cart before the horse.”

She said there are often circumstances where workers in the public and private sectors earn different salaries and benefits for the same services. For example, child protective services employees working for non-profits make more than those working for city agencies, she said.
“Those agencies have often been the pipeline,” she said, adding that early-career employees might start working for the city and graduate to the non-profits when they gain more experience.

With pre-K, that pipeline is a problem, said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center and an expert on a New Jersey program that's seen as a national model for high-quality pre-K.

He said an equitable universal pre-K program should offer uniform quality across settings. In New Jersey, the C.B.O.s struggled to keep teachers, because once they were more experienced, they would leave to work in a public school, where they could make more money.

“You're going to have to confront the issue of comparable pay and benefits in each setting in order to keep that quality,” he said. “You can't have a situation where one program has certified teachers who are making substantially less than the public school program down the street, and that's really the issue of funding.”

Elizabeth Lynam, vice president and director of state studies for the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonpartisan research organization, said historically, the state has used C.B.O.s to keep pre-K costs down.

“What we've seen in the current program is that the non-profits have not been able to implement a lot of the quality requirements because they don't pay the rates to do it,” she said. “It's hard for [C.B.O.s] to be out in the labor market with $10 to $15 dollar-an-hour wages and think they're going to get people with masters' degrees.”

G.L. Tyler, director of political action for DC 1707, a union that represents child care workers in New York City, said after three years in a C.B.O., a pre-K teacher with the same qualifications is making almost $20,000 less than one in a public school.

He said C.B.O. teachers have been organized since the 1970s and fighting for wage parity for that long.

“I've been with the union for 20 years, and there has always been a lot of our members who want to remain in the C.B.O.s, because they enjoy working with 2, 3, and 4-year-olds,” he said. “It has to be a certain dedication to do that, and they have it. But they should be paid more for it.”

Noah Gotbaum: Bloomberg Pro-Charter Land Mines

Carmen should extend the public school application deadline, reinstate local school sign up, ensure that parents are guaranteed their local zoned school and kill this for next year. An on-line option is good, but it should just be an additional option, not a backdoor, 4th term way to install "choice" systems and charters. As important, Carmen should affirmatively kill the sweatheart deal which Joel Klein set up for Eva Moskowitz, and end charter schools' access to our kids' private info via Vanguard. Immediately.... Noah Gotbaum

The de Blasio administration on education is being made to look like a babe in the woods. Many of us involved in the weeds of the charter struggle full well have known what was going on - with the 2 pushed October PEP charter co-loco giveaways and the pre-k and kindergarten online scam forced registration for kids entering school for the first time. By taking away in-school registration designed to help the charters, they conspired to give charters a first crack at kids. Now it's Kindergarten Connect on-line registration for school that allows the DOE to turn over private data to charters.

We've written about the PAVE charter pre-k scam. 

See:

• This is new….The PAVE Pre-K contract is listed as ...
• May 31, 2013
• Yesterday we reported on the outrage of PAVE charter being handed 400 grand by Tweed to help them steal pre-k kids from the local public schools in Red Hook, which have had their requests to expand their own pre-k ...
• PAVE Charter Pre-School ScamJun 24, 2013 Yesterday we reported on the outrage of PAVE charter being handed 400 grand by Tweed to help them steal pre-k kids from the local public schools in Red Hook, which have had their requests to expand their own pre-k .
• NYCDOE Charter Hits Keep Coming on PAVE ...May 06, 2013 You see charters aren't supposed to have Pre-K. But if pre-k kids go to a great public school like PS 15 they won't want to leave to go to semi-dysfunctional PAVE. So PAVE is trying the oft-used ploy used by Eva's Success ...
• DOE Allows Charter Schools to Set Up Stealth Pre-K programs to ... May 30, 2013

Need I say, "where is the UFT?"

Noah Gotbaum from Community Education Council 3 comments:

Columbia Spectator calls out issues with the ideologically-driven new elementary enrollment system, Kindergarten Connect. Set up, haphazardly, in the final weeks of Bloomberg regime to take effect in first two weeks of deBlasio administration - with enormous repercussions going forward. Already paying dividends for the charters as they got their desperately wanted direct link to the public school applications.

The charters also now have, for the first time, immediate access to private information of every prospective K student since the K-connect system and contractor, Vanguard, collects the information centrally and turns around and immediately sells it for the charter schools direct mail marketing services. And now Vanguard has more than just names, addresses and grades; it is able to sell the charters the use of detailed, real time information about our kids personal traits and parent preference information, all of which K-Connect accumulates and Vanguard administers.

Little wonder then that charter applications are up and the lobby is crowing http://www.nyccharterschools.org/content/nearly-30000-applications-flood-online-portal. And applications will continue to rise since another feature of K-Connect was to truncate the public school timetable to close on February 14 - a full month sooner than last year. This will shut out many more public schools applicants who are now even easier pickings for charters, since they now have an extra 2 months prior to the formal charter applicaiton April deadline to use the K-Connect private data and recruit K parents out of the the public schools.

This K-connect boobytrap set up by Bloomberg, further serves to undermine de Blasio's Universal Pre-K plans by giving the charters phony ammunition of enormous demand which they then use to claim that they and not Universal Pre-K, should be funded. K-connect also undermines deBlasio's Community schools initiative by servering the enrollment and automatic placement connections
between entering K parents and their local community school, instead moving the process exclusively on-line or in "Borough Offices."

Carmen should extend the public school application deadline, reinstate local school sign up, ensure that parents are guaranteed their local zoned school and kill this for next year. An on-line option is good, but it should just be an additional option, not a backdoor, 4th term way to install "choice" systems and charters. As important, Carmen should affirmatively kill the sweatheart deal which Joel Klein set up for Eva Moskowitz, and end charter schools' access to our kids' private info via Vanguard. Immediately.

noah

noah eliot gotbaum
noah@gotbaum.com
twitter: @noahegotbaum

NYSUT President Iannuzzi Condemns Treatment of Students Who Opt Out of Tests

Iannuzzi, who taught fourth-grade for most of his 34-year teaching career, said "sit and stare" is not only educationally unsound, but the practice will end up being a distraction for those students who are taking standardized tests.

The biggest threat to the ed deformers is the growing parent opt-out movement. (Our amazing group here in NYC, Change the Stakes, is one of the groups leading the charge.) Iannuzzi, heading the Stronger Together slate in the upcoming NYSUT elections against the Mulgrew backed Revive slate, is taking some good stands on a number of issues.

NYSUT blasts 'irresponsible' Regents message on 'opt out'

ALBANY, N.Y. March 12, 2014 – New York State United Teachers today criticized the Regents for failing to act to protect students from educationally unsound "sit-and-stare" testing policies adopted by a number of school districts, saying the Regents' silence sends an irresponsible message and unacceptably puts children "inside the crossfire of the testing debate."

In a strongly worded letter to Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and the other Regents, NYSUT again condemned the practice of "sit and stare," in which school districts refuse to make alternative arrangements for children whose parents choose to 'opt out' of state standardized testing in grades 3-8 and, instead, force the students to sit at their desks and stare blankly at the walls for up to 10 hours over three days.

• Neira letter to Regents (PDF)

The State Education Department, in guidance to districts last week, tacitly allowed the practice, issuing a directive that, "Schools do not have any obligation to provide an alternative location or activities for individual students while tests are being administered."

NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi said the union stands firmly with parents who choose to 'opt out' their children from state tests. Iannuzzi, who taught fourth-grade for most of his 34-year teaching career, said "sit and stare" is not only educationally unsound, but the practice will end up being a distraction for those students who are taking standardized tests.

"Punishing or embarrassing children because their parents exercised their right not to have their children participate in tests they consider inappropriate is, frankly, abusive," Iannuzzi said.

NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira said school districts look to the State Education Department and Regents for sound guidance on testing issues but, again, the Regents are falling short.

"The moral responsibility to treat all students with dignity resides with school personnel and these personnel need guidance from SED on this important issue," Neira wrote, noting while SED's position may pass legal muster, "The State Education Department is sending an irresponsible message on such a deplorable policy as 'sit and stare.'"

Neira called on the Regents and SED to show leadership and instruct districts to provide alternative locations or activities for students whose parents choose to 'opt out' of state testing. "Your silence on this important educational policy issue continues to foster an atmosphere of distrust with parents and educators around the state," she wrote.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.

How to Make a Fool Out of Yourself: I Do It the Company Way at Rockaway Theatre Production of “How to Succeed…”

Opening night is Friday, March 14, 8PM - YIKES -

OK, it's put up or shut up time. After weeks of rehearsals we have hit dress-rehearsals - until midnight.

I have a total of 4 lines and am in a bunch of production numbers where I try to hide behind the other guys. I love working with this mainly very young cast - even with some high school kids who already know a hell of a lot about the theater. I'll get into details about some of the wonderful guys and gals I've been meeting, as well as the RTC usual suspects. Lots of teachers involved too.

There are 2 performances this Saturday - a 2PM matinee and 8PM evening performance. I had a big conflict as March 15 (The Ides) is the NYCORE conference and Bree Picower recruited me a year ago to tape the keynote in the morning. I really love this conference and usually stay right through the after party lasting 'till 8PM. But the roar of the greasepaint calls and I must leave for the matinee, thus missing the Change the Stakes workshop which I had hoped to tape. But I think that professional film maker Michael Elliot who is working on some opt-out stuff for CTS will be there.

Here is the poster and if you want to venture out to Rockaway here is the web site to get tickets. (If you are coming to see me make a fool out of myself, I won't be in the March 23 Sunday matinee due to a previous commitment.) http://www.rockawaytheatrecompany.org

Here is my column for Friday's Wave, followed by some cute rehearsals pics.

For The Wave (www.rockawave.com), March 14, 2014

I Do It the Company Way at Rockaway Theatre Production of “How to Succeed…”

By Norm Scott

Is it 2 steps to the right and a turn? Or 2 steps forward? And what is that lyric we need to do it on, again? What’s the cue for us to go onstage? Thus I go pleading for answers from my fellow actors  as I try to get things straight in my head for my musical comedy debut in the Rockaway Theatre Company production of the venerable corporate sendup, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

I am usually behind the video camera at RTC shows, other than my acting debut 3 years ago in “The Odd Couple,” an 8-character play. “How to Succeed…” is an entirely different experience – a vey funny musical comedy with a large cast of around 40. Most members are in their teens, twenties or early thirties, with a sprinkling of forty-somethings. Having just turned 69 I sort of stand out. The only person anywhere within a decade of me is the RTC jack of all trades, the always amazing Cliff Hesse, who plays J.B. Biggley, the boss of “World Wide Widget” (WWW) whose fling with a young floozy almost brings down the entire corporation.

“How to…” is the Abe Burrows 1961 Broadway production and 1967 film send-up of corporate culture which made a house-hold name of Bobby Morse, playing the young window cleaner who uses a How-to book to guide him to through the corporate maze, and Rudy Vallee playing J.B. Biggley. Much of the choreography was done by Bob Fosse. Both “Madmen” and “How To…” have large ensemble casts of corporate executives and secretaries, with the expected hints of the shenanigans and rampant sexism that goes on in those pre-feminist times.

Fans of the AMC show “Madmen” will instantly recognize the similarities to “How to…” clearly an inspiration. Brilliant casting of that show has an older (and much heavier) Bobby Morse playing the big boss of the advertising agency. I had never appreciated just how funny the play is, satirizing the corporate culture with brilliant songs like “The Company Way” and “A Secretary is Not a Toy,” where WWW 2^nd-in command Bratt, played by excellent actor and Leon Goldstein HS teacher Steve Ryan, admonishes the men that a secretary is not “to fondle and dandle and playfully handle in search of some puerile joy.” The secretaries, played by an amazing collection of beautiful women that will take every guy who sees the show’s breath away, reply with “A secretary is not a thing wound by key, pulled by string. Her pad is to write in and not spend the night in…”

As one of the ensemble cast of executives I have 4 lines which, thank goodness I only have to remember one at a time. I also have to dance and sing, neither of which I can do very well, in some big numbers, including the famous “Brotherhood of Man.” Doing two things at the same time is pretty much beyond me at this point so I don’t add a third by chewing gum.

I can’t say enough about the professional level of theater the crew at the RTC puts together. They do everything that Broadway productions do. Being involved in a big production lets me see how the sausage is made. There are so many aspects of the theater that go beyond what you see on the stage. Set design and construction  – I have the honor of being part of the crew assembled by the great Tony Homsey, watching Susan Corning – one of the best actresses I’ve seen at RTC – handle the wonderful costuming – just wait ‘till you see these gals dressed in office-60s garb, musical director Richard Louis Pierre who also makes sure the hi-tech sound board is working, the lighting by Andrew Woodbridge and of course the direction of John Gilleece and Producer Susan Jaspar who gave a guy like me this unique opportunity. (There are many more people to mention by far).

How else would I find myself at a post-rehearsal late Friday night cast party doing the Zumba on state ‘till 1 AM with people young enough to be my grandchildren? Excuse me – I gotta go ice my knees.

Opening night is Friday March 14 and it runs for 3 weekends (Friday nights – Mar. 14, 21, 28, Sat nights – Mar. 15, 22, 29 – all at 8PM and 2PM matinee on Sat. Mar 15, and 3PM on Sun Mar 23 and Mar. 30.)

If (editor) Kevin (Boyle) lets me, I’ll do a follow-up next week about how I survived both a matinee and evening performance on March 15. If you come to the evening performance, bring me some Advil.

Norm still takes time from his budding acting career to write his daily blog at ednotesonline.org.

These secretaries are not toys.

The Paris originals

Note that guy center right with the big belly