Sunday, May 8, 2016

A List of 222 School Level Chapter Leaders Running for Unity: Loyalty Oathers Who Will Sell You Out When Told To

Some people ask me who are the 750 Unity delegates that will elected and will get the perks of the Unity patronage machine with free trips and union job offers.
THE JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to the work of Jonathan Halabi for putting together a list of all Unity people who are running -- 222 Unity CLs from the schools are running in the election (the list may not be complete and I am not including CLs from functional chapters).

They are part of the 750-800 who will go to this July's AFT convention in Minneapolis (we will publish some more including district reps and other in the future), all expenses paid by our dues, to vote as ONE for anything Randi and Mulgrew wants them to vote for. They will also go to the NYSUT convention next April and stay at the NY Hilton to make sure Unity keeps control against any challenge from Stronger Together. Also on our dues.

When the 2018 contract comes up for a vote, no matter how onerous it is, they will sell it to the members of their schools. They owe their loyalty to Unity and the UFT leadership, not the members who elected them. Now there are even more Unity CLs and some delegates who are not running for election. Who knows exactly hoe many CLs and delegates they have - and if you add functionals and retirees (300) they have the DA under control - unless and until the non-affiliated start attending en masse.

Their numbers explain how they can control the Delegate Assembly. These are the ground troops Unity uses to control the membership.

That is why I maintain that the more important elections are the chapter leaders and delegates (next in 2018) than this election because each one of these people will extract some votes out of their schools.

My guess is that the opposition needs to get people active in 500 schools before they can dent the Unity machine enough to make a difference.

I sorted them by district. High Schools are district 71-73 and 76-79, reflecting the borough high school districts.


First Name Last Name Division District School
Donnamaria Fiscina ES       1 Public School 015M
Dennis Gault ES       1 Public School 019M
Ellen Gentilviso K8       1 Public School 110M
Kelvin Almonte ES       2 Public School 002M
Jessica Harvey ES       2 Public School 003M
Gloria Winograd ES       2 Public School 006M
Haydee Melendez ES       4 Public School 155M
Benjy Blatman ES       5 Public School 125M
Beverly Dais ES       5 Public School 154M
Alexandra Fischer JH       5 Kappa Iv 302M
Conchita Fluitt ES       5 Public School 197M
Peggy Girtman-Atkins K8       5 Public School 161M
Marquis Harrison JH       5 Frederick Douglass Acad-M
Faiza Khalid ES       5 Public School 036M
Lee Nelson ES       6 Public School 005M
Zacharaiah Plotkin IS       6 Intermediate School 052M
Ruanlisa Seignious ES       6 Public School 132M
Marie Baker AD       7 Ms/Hs 368 Info & Network
Rashad Brown IS       7 Intermediate School 224X
Daniel Burke AD       7 Bx Envision Acad
Dawn Campi ES       7 Public School 029X
Ross Chodan AD       7 Urban Asmbly Math & Sci
James Council IS       7 Ms 296X @ I184X
Josef Donnelly AD       7 International Comm Hs
Sierra Jorgensen ES       7 Public School 157X
Evan Lewis AD       7 The Leadership Inst
Corinne Barros ES       8 Public School 062X
Jeanette Cano-Lawson ES       8 Public School 048X
Roxanne Mathurin ES       8 Public School 093X
Tracie Abrigo ES       9 Public School 063X
Bernadette Alexander ES       9 Public School 204X
Kimberly Felder AD       9 Bx Schl Law/Gov/Justice H
Monica Hilton ES       9 Public School 028X
Adrienne Moore ES       9 Public School 132X
Daiansa Padin ES       9 Public School 163X
Suri Santos-Paulus JH       9 Intermediate School 313X
Joann Sims IS       9 Intermediate School 219X
Michelle Allen ES       10 Public School 360X
Sandra Hernandez ES       10 Public School 205X
Egar Irizarry Jr ES       10 Public School 226X
Bonnie Kirkwood K8       10 Public School 279X
James Regan ES       10 Public School 095X
Mark Talty ES       10 Intermediate School 206X
Sakinah Taylor ES       10 Public School 033X
Lauren Weintraub ES       10 Public School 054X
Diane Lucas ES       11 Public School 103X
Christine O'Callaghan ES       11 Public School 106X
Timothy Rankin JH       11 Bx Alliance Middle School
Robert Roache AD       11 Bx Hs For Visual Arts
Karlene Turner IS       11 Intermediate School 144X
Ivan Borras IS       12 Entrada Acad 384X
Crystal Coss ES       12 Public School 061X
Erica Gabela JH       12 Intermediate School 190X
Donald Saint Germain VO       12 Bx Career & College Prep
Stevie Burrell AD       13 Bedford Acad Hs
Valentino Ellis AD       13 Benj Banneker Acad
Luther Lohr ES       13 Public School 287K
Pamela Curcio IS       14 Intermediate School 318K
Teri Mascioli ES       14 Public School 034K
Keith Miller IS       14 Intermediate School 071K
Charles Rabbach ES       14 Public School 297K
Andrew Stein ES       14 Public School 380K
Sergio Zamora JH       14 Jr High School 126K
Ariel Arroyo IS       15 Intermediate School 051K
Suzann Bassil ES       15 Public School 039K
Kathleen Massar ES       15 Public School 001K
June Boyd JH       16 Jr High School 057K
Ashley Brown AD       16 Rsrch And Srvc Hs
Latrice Curry ES       16 Public School 035K
Lesia Davidson ES       16 Public School 335K
Jean Derico ES       16 Public School 243K
Shalibra Frazier ES       16 Public School 262K
Shameeka Hunter-Tindal ES       16 Public School 081K
Sabina Nwenyi ES       16 Public School 028K Warren
Shawndell Stewart ES       16 Public School 005K
Wendy Walker Wilson ES       16 Public School 025K
Sandra Amede IS       17 Intermediate School 061K
Karen Haughton ES       17 Public School 092K
Lisa Highland ES       17 Public School 289K
Nomvuyo Hyman JH       17 Middle School 375K
Tracy Lee K8       17 Public School 161K
Barbara Reill ES       17 Public School 167K
Amy Bernstein ES       18 Public School 272K
Eileen Cohen ES       18 Public School 135K
James Enny IS       18 Intermediate School 068K
Gail Ericson ES       18 Public School 233K
Gordon Marshall IS       18 Intermediate School 211K
Christopher Townsend ES       18 Public School 268K
Errol Wade AD       18 Bklyn Acad Of Sci & Envir
Janet Zysberg K8       18 Public School 235K
Chaitram Aklu IS       19 Intermediate School 292K
Matthew Dunn JH       19 Van Siclen Community Ms (Dunn = Dunne?)
Lesley-Anne Jones ES       19 Public School 158K
Denise Salowski ES       19 Public School 214K
Joseph Usatch JH       19 Jhs 311K @ Ps 190K
Lynette Azar K8       20 Public School 180K
Joanne Carillo ES       20 Public School 186K
Beatrice Desapio IS       20 Intermediate School 062K
Joshua Houston IS       20 Intermediate School 030K
Haroula Koutsidis PRKC     20 Pre K Ctr @ K780
Thomas Pascarella ES       20 Public School 048K
Joanne Bullaro ES       21 Public School 100K
James Eugenio IS       21 Intermediate School 228K
Jackie Herman IS       21 Is 98K Bay Acad
Georgia Nikoloudakis ES       21 Public School 095K
Joann Savage ES       21 Public School 153K
Lance Schatzman ES       21 Public School 329K
Steven Blum ES       22 Public School 269K
Fern Carriero K8       22 Public School 207K
Cynthia Dinkins ES       22 Public School 139K
Lori Fiorentino ES       22 Public School 236K
Marie Kallo IS       22 Intermediate School 234K
Martha Murray K8       22 Ps/Ms 109K
Sean Blanks IS       23 Intermediate School 392K
Elizabeth Green K8       23 Public School 150K
Sonja Hill K8       23 Public School 041K
Dawn McDonald ES       23 Public School 284K
Christina Roundtree ES       23 Christopher Ave Comm Scho
Grace Small ES       23 Public School 156K
Richard Burke ES       24 Public School 019Q
Subrina Cek IS       24 Intermediate School 093Q
Diane Chiauzzi ES       24 Public School 153Q
Patricia Crowley IS       24 Intermediate School 005Q
Jeanne Gausman ES       24 Public School 239Q
Martin McKeown ES       24 Public School 143Q
Tracey Miller IS       24 Intermediate School 125Q
Rebecca Murphy ES       24 Public School 091Q
Joseph Natale IS       24 Intermediate School 061Q
Fredda Pichardo ES       24 Public School 007Q
Deborah Sherlock ES       24 Learners And Leaders Ps 3
Susan Stark ES       24 Public School 088Q
Loretta Tumbarello ES       24 Public School 229Q
Andrew Holz K8       25 Public School 164Q
Lamar Hughes ES       25 Public School 201Q
Teresa Fauvell K8       26 Ps/Is 266Q
Stacy Gangi ES       26 Public School 188Q
Kathleen Muzyka ES       26 Public School 173Q
David Waltzer JH       26 Jr High School 158Q
Simone Harris K8       27 Public School 043Q
Denise Johnson ES       27 Public School 104Q
John Krattinger K8       27 Public School 042Q
Victoria Primiano ES       27 Public School 062Q
Sandra Wilks-Duplan ES       27 Public School 223Q
Renee Williams ES       27 Public School 273Q
Arthur Zander IS       27 Intermediate School 210Q
Angela Morgan ES       28 Public School 050Q
Richard Niccolich ES       28 Public School 174Q
Anthony Valentino ES       28 Public School 139Q
Nancy Aromando ES       29 Public School 118Q
James Cutrone K8       29 Public School 138Q (James=Jamie?)
Melody Davis K8       29 Public School 268Q
Kristian Lisowski ES       29 Public School 033Q
Rana Quamina ES       29 Public School 135Q
Diane Allison ES       30 Public School 148Q
Jessica Baity ES       30 East Elmhurst Community S
Geraldine Clark ES       30 Public School 092Q
Adele Goldberg IS       30 Intermediate School 204Q
John Gordon IS       30 Intermediate School 145Q
Katherine Kurjakovic ES       30 Public School 011Q
Victoria Mulligan ES       30 Public School 078Q
Joann Rodeschin ES       30 Public School 150Q
Sandra Electra Rodriguez ES       30 Public School 151Q
Ashley Rzonca ES       30 Woodside Comm School Q361
Catherine Sarlo JH       30 Jr High School 010Q
Deborah Strack-Cregan ES       30 Public School 069Q
Noel Warshaw ES       30 Public School 127Q
Melody Anastasiou K8       31 The Si Sch Of Civic Ldrs
Kathleen Bayer ES       31 Public School 016R
Jessica Jacobs ES       31 Public School 052R
Matthew Kirwan ES       31 Ps 74R Future Leaders
Patricia Mezzacappa IS       31 Intermediate School 061R
Susan Pulice ES       31 Public School 056R
Veronica Torres-Romero ES       31 Public School 031R
Joyce Baldino IS       32 Intermediate School 383K
Debra Elhadri ES       32 Public School 075K
Helene Loomis ES       32 Public School 274K
Erin Oates IS       32 Evergreen Ms Urban Explor
Deneil Pollock-Campbell ES       32 Public School 299K
Richard Skibins ES       32 Public School 123K
Lia Galeano AD       71 M L King Arts & Tech Hs
Peter O'Donnell AD       71 M L King Hs For Law &
Glen Pandolfino AD       71 Hs For Environmental Stud
Tolleyne Dickerson AD       72 Bx Lab School
Matthew Foglino AD       72 Wings Acad Hs
Novelette Foote AD       72 Fordham Ldrshp Acad/Bus/T
Ana Garcia AD       72 Antonia Pantoja Prep Acad
Michael Hayes AD       72 Harry S Truman Hs
Alan Richter VO       72 Schl Tourism And Hospital
Catherine Scott AD       72 Bx Engineering Tech Acad
Maria Bucca AD       73 James Madison Hs
Deborah Caquias AD       73 Cultural Academy Of Arts
James Cochran AD       73 Hs For Youth & Community
Teresa D'Ambrosio AD       73 Sheepshead Bay Hs
Catena Daskalakis AD       73 New Utrecht Hs
Stuart Rothstein AD       73 Midwood Hs
Charlene Tuff AD       73 Edward R Murrow Hs
Michelle Arellano SP       75 Ps 138M @ Ps 030M
Shernice Blackman SP       75 Ps 177Q Robin Sue Ward Sc
Freddie Cole SP       75 X754 @ Jeffrey Rapport Bx
David Doorga SP       75 Public School 168X @ Ps 2
Lorraine Ferrannini SP       75 Public School 037R
Pierre Labissiere SP       75 Ps 53K @ Spring Creek Hs
Hans Marryshow SP       75 Ps 256Q @ Beach Channel H
DJ Meehan SP       75 Public School 224Q @ P26Q
Paula Thomas SP       75 Ps 4Q @ 179Q
Lisa Viscovi SP       75 Ps 993Q @ Ps 208Q
Alphonse Vota SP       75 Ps 721R @ The Hungerford
Shawn Ramos AD       76 New Dorp Hs
Michael Solo AD       76 John Dewey Hs
Kevin Wilkinson AD       76 Progress Hs
Adam Bergstein AD       77 Forest Hills Hs
Charles Dibenedetto AD       77 Richmond Hill Hs
Brian Gavin AD       77 Grover Cleveland Hs
Sharon Kletzkin AD       77 Math Sci Rsrch Hs
Vivian Nobile VO       77 Thomas A Edison Hs
Lucas Rule AD       77 Pathways College Prep Sch
Dino Sferrazza AD       77 Benjamin N Cardozo Hs
Jacqueline Shendler AD       77 Young Women'S Leadership
Michael Friedman AH       79 Pathways To Graduation Q9
Geraldo Maldonado AD       79 Manh Compre Night&Day
Mark Rentflejs AH       79 East Bklyn Community Hs
Troy Sill AD       79 Passages Acad

Join the Thunderclap! For #MORE2016 Get Out the Vote

What's a Thunderclap? You learn something every day. Join in. Let's see if social media outreach pumps up the vote this election cycle.

From MORE's Dan Lupkin:

Join the Thunderclap! You can think of it as an "online flash mob." Click the link to take part in a coordinated Get Out the Vote message across Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Fewer than 18% of working educators voted in the 2013 UFT elections; let's send a message to our colleagues and to UNITY caucus that NYC educators deserve rank-and-file leadership. It's time to demand a genuinely member-driven union!
 
 

Friday, May 6, 2016

Some Predictions as UFT Election Ballots in the Mail: 63 Thousand Retirees Can Vote - Division Totals Below

UFT members should start receiving their ballots today, tomorrow and Monday. (If you don't get it by Tuesday May 11 contact the AAA to get another one.) Vote totals for MORE/NA are very dependent on how hard people work in their schools to get the vote out. In the past I think the totals were suppressed because people didn't do enough.

My long national nightmare ends on May 26 when I observe the vote count before heading downtown for the MORE end of election party. I only have a thousand more leaflets to get out.

Unless there are some very big surprises in the outcomes that would offer hope for the future, I will consider myself on F-U time - my sense of obligation to do UFT work and try to build an opposition crap ends. I have no intention to be involved in another election. I may continue to do stuff but guilt will no longer be a driving force because if MORE/NA can't make even a bit of a dent this time then what is the point for someone like me to stay deeply involved? There will still be an opposition and I intend to report more openly on goings on in MORE and the rest of the opposition. In other words, be more of reporter than an organizer. And I have a lot to report, including doing a detailed tell-all history of MORE.

Retirees Largest Block in UFT
Check out the numbers of ballots sent out. Aside from the outcomes, we will be watching how many were returned in each division. Note that the biggest batch of ballots sent out were the 62,991 to retirees and about 30-33% generally return their ballots, with roughly 80-85% going to Unity. Assume 23000 return this time and retiree preferences stay the same, the election starts with Unity having almost 20,000 votes and MORE/NA with about 3,000 based on past numbers.

If MORE/NA can get over 20% of the retiree vote that would be a breakthrough.

Let's assume a bump for MORE/NA due to the recent retirees not being all that happy.

Give Unity - 17-8,000, MORE/NA - 4-5000.  Can MORE/NA make up a 12- 14,000 initial vote gap by outpolling Unity in the other divisions? Before I address that issue here is some relevant info on the retiree vote.

Up to 23,000 of these retiree votes count for a full vote. If the number or returns goes above that then they are prorated. So theoretically if 46,000 retirees vote each counts as a .5 vote. Unity Caucus has adjusted the number allowed up from 15000 to 18000 to 23000 as more retirees vote. Only one time did the actual vote totals go about the limit.

If retirees break much above the 23,000 number this year will Unity try to raise the number again? I am not sure they will raise the limit again. I was an observer at the 2013 count and when we were told that 52% of the returns were retirees some of the union leaders there look extremely uncomfortable with that number. If we get more of a turnout from the working divisions and MORE/NA make serious gains Unity will probably raise the retiree cap to 25000 for next time.

127,000 working UFT members, 66,000 teachers to vote. Can MORE/NA make up a 14,000 gap?

Of course what Unity does in the future depends on the outcomes in the 3 key divisions: elementary, middle school and high school which is where the 66,000 teacher votes reside. (Below I'll address the large block of the over 46,000 non-teaching functionals).

One of the reasons I don't focus on challenging the retiree vote is that the opposition must show it can win the 3 divisional teacher vote first. Until that time there is no point in wasting energy on that battle. If the day comes where MORE wins the majority of teacher votes then a court case becomes feasible on the retiree vote.

If the day comes that the opposition wins these 23 executive board seats it will be a new ball game.

What percentage of teachers will vote? 

Look at how many ballots were sent out yesterday:

·        The total number of ballots that were printed and mailed is 189, 469
o   Elementary: 35, 606
o   JHS: 11,197
o   HS (Academic/CTE): 19,539
o   Functional Chapters: 46, 731
o   Retiree: 62,991

The above numbers are roughly in line with the 2013 numbers except for a 5000 bump in retiree votes.

In the 2013 election about 9000 elementary, 1800 middle  and 3500 high school teachers voted.

These are the crucial areas of concern because retirees don't vote in these divisions, thus giving the opposition a fighting chance. Unless MORE/NA can make a dent in all these divisions little will change in the UFT.

High Schools
Expect the high schools to roughly break 50-50 as they have done over the past 25 years. In 2013 MORE and New Action together got about 2000 votes while Unity got around 1600 but the NA votes went to Unity. If nothing changes it would be a slam dunk for MORE/NA. If Unity numbers go up (though why anyone in high school would vote for Unity) say 4000 and MORE/NA stay the same as last time it is a horse race. I would hope MORE/NA can do better than last time and force Unity to really hustle for those 7 high school seats. If MORE/NA managed 60% that would be a wowzer. Sometimes I have the feeling that Unity is ambivalent about having 100% of the exec bd if we lose the high schools, thus pulling away their fiction of bi-partisanship, one of the benefits of New Action and Unity breaking. But knowing Unity they want the whole enchilada. The only negative if MORE/NA wins the high schools is that I have to treat Schirtzer to a Peter Lugar steak.

Middle schools
The middle schools are interesting given the low vote totals in the past -- out of 12,000 ballots sent out in 2013 Unity only got about 1100 votes. MORE and New Action combined got less than 700 together. How much fun would it be if MORE/NA was competitive in the middle schools? It would take only a flip of a few hundred votes.


Elementary schools
Elementary schools are worth watching to see if Unity totals drop and MORE/NA go up. Unity totals dropped seriously from 2010 to 2013 but MORE/NA were roughly stable.

The elementary outcome will be a key indicator of an anti-Unity movement in the union. If MORE/NA break the 35% barrier I consider that movement. Anything approaching 40% would create panic in Unity.

Functional chapters
They are all lumped together which I believe is undemocratic. Note the large number of non-teacher functional ballots - almost 47,000. Pro Unity totals always come in higher in the functionals. My guess is that Unity maintains very tight control of the individual chapters in the functionals - especially the paras which is the biggest block.
Unity gets higher numbers than in the school divisions even if so many functionals are getting screwed.

Some people knock the opposition for focusing on teachers at this point. I believe this is due to the inability to get much traction in the functionals without some strong leadership coming out of those divisions to work with the opposition. Thus a secretary of para who is ready to help organize in their chapter is a necessary antecedent for making a dent there. What I find is that there are complaints about Unity but an expectation that MORE/NA teachers will do that organizing, which to me is not organic - believe me over my 40 years I've been there, done that and it doesn't get very far.

If you don't get your ballot
·        500 extra ballots were printed for each division used for people who did not receive a ballot and call AAA to request one.

·        AAA is responsible for securing the ballots from the post office on a daily basis and safely storing them until the morning of May 26th.

·        Ballots are opened on the day of the count.

No matter what the outcome join us at the MORE party at the Dark Horse on May 26 to celebrate the hard work people have been doing.


Thursday, May 5, 2016

UFT Election Respite: Volunteering at Brooklyn Botanic Garden Plant Sale

This is the time of the year when gardening comes to the fore. For the past 30 years I have been volunteering at the Botanic Garden plant sale which always starts around the first Wednesday of May - preceding Mothers Day.

During all this time Lois Carswell ran the event with an iron hand - she was like a general -- the complexities of doing this massive event in the cherry blossom area was like a military operation requiring hundreds of volunteers and much of the Garden staff. After her death last year some people have stepped up to fill her shoes and this is the 2nd year they have managed to pull it off even though they cut one day off because it is just too much for people who have other careers. I worked there on Tuesday and yesterday setting up for the 4:30 opening which ran till 8 - but by 7:30 I was too chilled to stay.

But today it runs from 9 AM - 8 PM and it will be drizzling all day and I am taking changes of clothing. And my checkbook. Every year I end up spending hundreds of dollars for my garden - there are just so many interesting things being offered. Since the Sandy hurricane I have had to rebuild my garden and have come up with a unique idea -- my version of the high line - which I am dubbing the Low Line - or Norms Line. I'm heading over soon to spend the day and bring home another batch of plants.

If you happen to come by look for me in perennials which I prefer over working inside the tent with the annuals and house plants.

I spent $250 yesterday as I filled an entire wagon. I consider this twisted stem willow the star of the show -- there were only 2 of them and I managed to get one.  Now I have to plant it - on my front "lawn" which as you can see no longer exists.


And here are the other 7 plants I bought yesterday.


Below is a beach plum I bought last year just as it was blooming. What a thrill to see this at the entrance to my house. I got the only one they had last year. This year they have another one and I was contemplating getting it but (luckily) someone grabbed it and made my decision for me. I learned that it bears edible plums so here's hoping for a crop this year.



As a teacher Brooklyn Botanic Gardens was one of my favorite trips to take my class to. I used to take them for a series of 3 or 4 week classes there - they would plant something the first week and take the plant home on the 4th week.

My love of plants and gardening came from Mrs. Feinstein my 5th grade teacher who had plants all over the room and did the lima bean growing project with us where we started with a bean in a milk carton and watched it spout and grow into a full size plant. I did that same project with my class every year.

One of the complications was that they did not allow eating lunch in the Gardens so you had to get an appointment and use their lunch room. So instead I would take them across the street to Prospect Park to eat. Of course, good weather was essential.

In the years before I retired I also volunteered during the summers to work with a gardener and that was a great experience - he was a right wing conservative and we had such a blast arguing politics. I had hoped to commit to a regular volunteering gig at the garden but my other activities and my focus on my own garden has made that difficult. There is no better place to escape from the world than Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, one of the great oases in the midst of a major city.

Maybe this year if I can manage to lower my activity in the UFT political scene -if you see my at a Delegate Assembly next year ask me why I'm not at the Gardens.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

POTUS16: Indiana a win-win for Trump, a lose-lose for Hillary - Will Dem Party Arrogance of Assumptions Be Wiped Off their faces?

Roseanne McCosh comments: Dems know it'll always be a nose hold or a compromise that results in a vote for a democrat....but what if they get it wrong this time? What if we hold our nose and vote for Trump? .... By 2016 my hatred for the Democratic Party (Obama and his RTT, Cuomo! and Hillary), has deep roots and I will now vote republican regardless of who it is until the democrats earn my vote back.... Hillary is a pro war corporate whore. And if that's the best the dems can present to me on election day then I'm going republican. At least they tell me upfront that they're going to f%#k me and 99% of the things I care about. Hilary, like Obama, is the handsome charming guy who promises you wine and roses and then slips you a roofie.... For the first time since I naively voted for Ronald Reagan at the age of 19 in 1984, I will be voting for the republican presidential candidate. After 1984 I voted democrat until I voted Green Party in 2012..... 
Trump won and it is pretty much all over for the Republican nomination while Hillary lost and will have to deal with Bernie till the bitter end. Who woulda predicted this even a few weeks ago?

How much trouble are Hillary and the Democrats in? Can Trump actually win? Roseanne commented on my post: POTUS16: On Elections and Political Parties - Part 1


Hillary lost Indiana to Bernie and the slow drip goes on. How many Bernie supporters will vote Trump or not vote at all or go Green?
I picked up my friend this morning coming off the red-eye after 4 months in California, a former DOE guy, and he said he just won't vote of write someone in.

I think teachers - especially those who have experienced ed deform first hand at the hands of the Dems - are very risky - and Randi's umbilical connection to the Dems and Hillary - and also the way the AFT/UFT/NYSUT endorsed her - will see some chickens come home to roost no matter how much they pull the scared of Trump card.  
 
I have been hearing similar thoughts from some people - maybe not enough to influence the election in crucial states. I've written about my surprise when I was at the NPE on some Bernie supporters saying they will not vote for Hillary and rather than not voting or going 3rd party they will vote for Trump partly in spite but also hoping for that things will go so far downhill under him we will see a Bernie type candidate in 2020 who can make real changes.

On the other hand, just as many Republicans will not vote for Trump - especially the hawks who see Hillary as a better choice. Plus many women and others. So despite desertions from the left Trump will face more from the right. The establishment Republicans may well feel more comfortable with Hillary.

And how about that Hillary stuff with the coal miner where she had to walk back from talking about being proud to take their jobs with no plan for supporting them - pretty much the entire free trade thingy where there was no plan for retraining - in the neo-liberal world it is sink or swim.

Here are some interesting articles on where Hillary really stands.

Anti-Capitalist Meetup: How Neoliberal is Hillary Clinton?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/7/19/1403488/-Anti-Capitalist-Meetup-How-Neoliberal-is-Hillary-Clinton

Salon:

Is Hillary Clinton a neoconservative hawk? What Iraq and Libya decisions tell us about her foreign policy

Hillary got Iraq vote wrong, and Libya and Syria too. If she were setting the policies, what would they look like?

$1.5 Milion Common Core PD for UFT as Mulgrew Jumps on Gravy Train Plus DOE Contract With Joel Kein/Murdoch's Failed Amplify

Mulgrew wanted to punch you in the face if you took his common core - less than 2 years ago. Then as the worm turned the Unity Caucus/UFT leadership started talking trash about the common core. But that doesn't stop them from jumping on the gravy train for the teacher center which is a patronage mill for Unity to the tune of $1.5 million from state ed dept.

Another bribe to the UFT to keep them on board ed deform policies?

Think about this when your UFT election ballot arrives this weekend and not only VOTE MORE but also make sure the people in your school consider doing the same. Let's turn this corrupt union upside down.

Reports of a big retroactive UFT contract for Common Core PD:

Inline image 2


Retroactive UFT contract for $ 1.5M supposedly named in state grant as vendor – also got a federal SIG grant which supposedly explains the delay in asking for the contract’s approval.

Check out what it’s being spent on:

pp. 94-95

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E2692E42-609E-4231-A149-EE47FA325AC0/196163/May182016RAsCompro.pdf
Inline image 5




And why not give life to Joel Klein's Rosemary's Baby, Amplify -  see new Amplify contract  p. 89 $650K per year for seven years at $4.6 M

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E2692E42-609E-4231-A149-EE47FA325AC0/196163/May182016RAsCompro.pdf
"Amplify advised that Mr. Klein is no longer an employee, is not one of the investors, nor does he service on its Board, however, he may serve as an advisory." Translation: Uncle Joel will still be on the DOE dole.
Inline image 4

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

POTUS16: Presidential Election: Thinking About Post Election Populist Movements on the Left (and Right)

Is there a post election future of the Sanders movement?
(It Won't Be Over Even if Hillary is Nominee: Sand...)
 
Is there a post election future for Trump supporters, especially if he loses to Hillary? Tea Party morphing into populists? Probably not.

Are there any areas of unity between Bernie and Trump people? Trump people are wooing and as I pointed out recently POTUS16: On Elections and Political Parties - Part... some Bernie supporters among MORE readers and people I met at NPE - these are not right wingers -  will not vote for Hillary but Trunp - others will go 3rd party.

Look at this comment on that post: If you are "meeting too many people" who will vote for Trump, I think you should take stock of the kind of places you are frequenting - clearly someone who would shun any contact with a Trump supporter. I find that amusing but don't have time go get into the "who you hang out with" stuff - I know lots of people on the left who live in a bubble of their own.

What about the role our union on the city, state and national level play in the Democratic party?

Can the Democratic Party be moved left generally?

Can the Democratic Party be moved away from ed deform?

Many people on the left have given up on the Democratic Party - don't read any further here until you read: New Politics, The Sanders Campaign and the Left which points out the bankruptcy of the party and how there is no hope without some kind of 3rd party - think of the disappearance of the Whigs in the 1850s and the foundation of the Republican Party. Also in England how parties have come and gone.

Will your vote have an impact in UFT elections? Let's leave that for another time other than to say if you vote for Unity it won't.

I have few answers to these questions but intend to explore some of them over the next few months. While I have this stuff on my mind I will put a bunch of stuff up today before it all disappears in a vapor.

Let's face it. I am not happy with either Clinton, Obama, Cuomo, De Blasio and some of the frustration actually has driven me more to the right of the left where I used to be. My libertarian tendencies cannot be suppressed. I believe Hillary will not be a good president - for a lot of reasons. As one who had the Nixon threat drummed into me since 1960 I find it amusing to see people pining for Hillary who is to the right of Nixon.

Some of my blogging colleagues say hold your noses and vote for Hillary to keep Trump away.

Hillary is a neocon as the April 24 NY Times mag pointed out plus others: How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk - The New York ... see below for a list of Hillary as neocon articles.

The anti-capitalist left often talks about Hillary's neo-liberalism - which is not the same as neo-con: Anti-Capitalist Meetup: How Neoliberal is Hillary Clinton?

I put up a post the other day from Counterpunch that called for Bernie to run as 3rd party on the Green ticket. I think that is pretty impossible to imagine but did get a hissy fit comment from someone who is clearly a Hillary supporter:
This is what the paranoid style of politics ('progressive' edition) looks like. In the very unlikely event this advice were to be actually followed, Bernie would end up as the pathetic Henry Wallace of his generation or worse, Ralph Nader on steroids. Either way it would stab the 'political revolution' in the heart. OTOH, it would be so satisfying to the Dilettante Left!
Ah yes, the Dilettante left coming from a Dilettante "hold your nose" Hillary supporter. When you hold your nose and vote for her better get a clothespin.

Stab the political revolution in the heart? Like voting for Hillary is not stabbing the political revolution in the heart? Like is there any chance the Democratic Party will ever become progressive? You have to look far and wide to find a New Deal Democrat and look at education alone - public ed knifed in the back time and again and Hillary will do the same though she may be slicker than Obama in fooling people and she will have Randi/Mulgrew there to run interference for her.

When asked if I am a socialist - in the anti-capitalist vein - I cannot say I am even though many of my political associates would classify themselves as such. I put myself in the left-wing social democrat category which is where Bernie Sanders seems to come from. Of course to the far left and even some of the near left anti-capitalists, an SD is anathema since SDs accept capitalism but want it highly regulated and taxed.

Let's face it. Either Hillary or Trump will be the next president. I am not as hysterical about the outcome if it is Trump as so many others. Is Trump dangerous? They all are dangerous. If looking for a sliver - you won't have to hear "common core" shoved down your throat.

My thinking is driven by where I feel I'm at politically at this point. A registered Democrat, I have never believed very much in the party and have voted 3rd party about 50% of the time (Clinton, Obama first terms, not the 2nd, Nader, etc.). Like so many others I feel the 2-party system has left me with few choices and I believe it is time for a 3rd and maybe 4th viable party or at the very least a realignment. The Bernie and Trump campaigns actually offer post-election opportunities, especially if Hillary wins.

Afterburn: Hillary as a neocon
Hillary is a neocon as the April 24 NY Times mag pointed out plus others: How Hillary Clinton Became a Hawk - The New York ...

Others are putting that out there too:
  1. Are Neocons Getting Ready to Ally With Hillary ...

    www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/opinion/sunday/are-neocons...
    Jul 04, 2014 · Neocons like the historian Robert Kagan may be connecting with Hillary Clinton to try to regain influence in foreign policy. Credit Left, Stephanie ...
  2. Is Hillary Clinton a Neocon-Lite? – Consortiumnews

    consortiumnews.com/2015/04/23/is-hillary-clinton...
    ... including editorial writers at the New York Times who mocked Brazil and ... Hillary Clinton is a shill for Wall Street ... Is Hillary Clinton a Neocon ...
  3. Hillary Clinton Seeks Neocon Shelter –...

    consortiumnews.com/2016/01/22/hillary-clinton...
    ... Hillary Clinton is hoping that ... neocon superstar Robert Kagan told The New York Times in 2014 that ... 48 comments for “ Hillary Clinton Seeks Neocon ...
  4. Is Hillary Clinton a Neocon? | Cato Institute

    www.cato.org/.../commentary/is-hillary-clinton-neocon
    Senator Hillary Clinton, MSNBC, ... Is Hillary Clinton a Neocon? By Edward H. Crane. ... the New York Times columnist. Mr.
  5. Daily Kickoff: Hillary Clinton the Neocon? | Dayan...

    www.jewishjournal.com/jewish_insider/item/daily_kickoff...
    Daily Kickoff: Hillary Clinton the Neocon? ... [Eater; NYTimes] BIRTHDAYS: ... Get the Jewish Journal in your inbox.
  6. When Hillary Clinton Out-Neoconned a Neocon - FPIF

    fpif.org/hillary-clinton-neoconned-neocon
    When Hillary Clinton Out-Neoconned a Neocon. ... Hillary Clinton was the recipient of much criticism for her ... (as Frank Rich wrote in the New York Times in 2002 ...

#MORE2016 UFT Election Video: Dan Lupkin and Megan Moskop

I just love these videos showcasing the active members of MORE. Note that these are people on the front end of their careers with a long way to go. As someone who hasn't seen this age group (20s to 40ish) active in the opposition to Unity since the 70s I find that invigorating. Of course we also always track the long-time staying power of people who if they don't see some movement in policy within the UFT can get discouraged or just lose interest. The future of the opposition will not be told when this election ends but over the next year or two when there is no election activity. I dropped in to last night's MORE steering committee meeting and saw signs of post-election planning for the summer series. After the election I'm going to delve into some history and will explore the group dynamics both positive and negative.







Sunday, May 1, 2016

#MORE2016 UFT Election Video: Ashraya Gupta




#MORE2016 UFT Election Video: Marcus McArthur on Why Vote MORE?

Marcus McArthur is running for one of the 7 seats on the high school executive board, seats that are winnable if high school teachers check off the MORE/New Action box on the slate. Watch this video and imagine Marcus and the rest of the high school slate Arthur Goldstein, Ashraya Gupta, Mike Schirtzer, David Garcia-Rosen, Jonathan Halabi, and Kuljit Arhuwalia speaking up for all teachers.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Charter Scam: KIPP and Department of Education Conspire to Hide Graduation Data from Public While Seeking Millions in Taxpayer Money

Real public schools would never be allowed to claim that high school graduation rates or college matriculation rates are "proprietary" or "privileged" or "confidential."

Why does the Education Department's Charter School Program "Office of Innovation and Improvement" defer to KIPP's demand to keep that information secret from the public?
How public are KIPP public schools?
Not as public as real or traditional public schools.
New documents discovered on the U.S. Department of Education's website reveal that KIPP has claimed that information about its revenues and other significant matters is "proprietary" and should be redacted from materials it provides to that agency to justify the expenditure of federal tax dollars, before its application is made publicly available.
So what does a so-called public school like KIPP want to keep the public from knowing?
professor Gary Miron and his colleagues Jessica Urschel and Nicholas Saxton, found that "KIPP charter middle schools enroll a significantly higher proportion of African-American students than the local school districts they draw from but 40 percent of the black males they enroll leave between grades 6 and 8," as reported by Mary Ann Zehr in Ed Week....
Just a few tidbits from this must read from CMD on charter scam:
Center for Media and Democracy exposes KIPP's Efforts to Keep the Public in the Dark while Seeking Millions in Taxpayer Subsidies - 

See more at: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/04/13096/exposed-cmd-kipps-efforts-keep-public-dark-while-seeking-millions-taxpayer#sthash.6gTURnoO.dpuf


The Push to Make Sanders the Green Party’s Candidate

Bernie Sanders, to the consternation of critics in the Democratic Party, pundits in the corporate media, and purists on the hard left, has accomplished an amazing thing. Up against Hillary Clinton, surely the biggest, best-funded corporate-backed candidate the Democratic leadership has run since Walter Mondale lost to Ronald Reagan in 1984 over three decades ago, the once obscure independent Vermont senator has battled Clinton to almost a draw, down by only some 319 delegates with nearly 900 to go (not counting the corrupt “super delegates” chosen for their fealty to party leaders, not by primary or caucus voting.)
By doing this well, as a proudly declared “democratic socialist” who on the stump has been denouncing the corruption of both the US political and economic systems, and as a candidate who has refused to take corporate money or money from big, powerful donors, instead successfully funding his campaign with only small two and three-digit donations from his supporters, Sanders has exposed not just his opponent, Hillary Clinton, but the entire Democratic Party leadership and most of its elected officials as nothing but hired corporate tools posing as progressive advocates of the people.
But now Sanders faces a truly momentous choice. Defeated by the combined assault of a pro-corporate mass media and by the machinations of the Democratic Party leadership — machinations both long-established with the intent of defeating upstarts and outsiders, like front-loading conservative southern states in the primary schedule, and current, like scheduling only a few early candidate debates and then slotting them at times (like opposite the Super Bowl) when few would be watching them — Sanders knows that barring some major surprise like a federal indictment of Clinton, a market collapse, or perhaps a leak of the transcripts of Clinton’s highly-paid but still secret speeches to some of the nation’s biggest banks, he is not going to win the Democratic nomination.
So does he, after spending months hammering home the reality that Clinton is the bought-and-paid candidate of the the banks, the arms industry, the oil industry and the medical-industrial complex, and after enduring endless lies about his own record spouted by Clinton and her surrogates, go ahead and endorse her as the party’s standard bearer for the general election? Does he walk away and return quietly to Vermont? Or does he instead continue to fight for his “political revolution” by another route?
The first and even the second option would mean the demise of his so-called “political revolution.”
More at:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/04/29/the-push-to-make-sanders-the-green-partys-candidate/

WTF is Wrong with Americans




Sources in the Poster Student loan debt growth, take your pick of sources. Here's one For-profit school deregulation. http://huff.to/for-profit-dereg Military expenditures, top 15 countures. http://bit.ly/SIPRI-yearbook-2011 This comic adapts some text from Letter of Support for Quebec Students from Nordic Students
Follow Occupy* Posters Tumblr Blog - the main site where all Occupy* Posters stuff gets released. The 20+ most viral works by Occupy* Posters - You may have already seen this stuff making the rounds, or held high on a street near you. Check 'em out! On Facebook On Twitter On Pinterest Occupy* Posters' coolest stuff on shirts
UPDATE: No one has noticed the parody proprietary "school" in this comic, Shareholder's University, or they have but have just not mentioned it in the comments. Of course, no such entity exists by name. However, all publicly-traded "schools" are exactly that: by law, they exist first to benefit shareholders, not students. 
 
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/26/1103368/-The-One-Comic-That-Explains-Just-How-Screwed-America-Is?detail=emailclassic&link_id=5&can_id=72b9504de33edbcca120fc745918b180&source=email-someone-finally-polled-the-1-and-its-not-pretty&email_referrer=someone-finally-polled-the-1-and-its-not-pretty&email_subject=someone-finally-polled-the-1-and-its-not-pretty