Written and edited by Norm Scott:
EDUCATE! ORGANIZE!! MOBILIZE!!!
Three pillars of The Resistance – providing information on current ed issues, organizing activities around fighting for public education in NYC and beyond and exposing the motives behind the education deformers. We link up with bands of resisters. Nothing will change unless WE ALL GET INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE!
What a great idea ---keeping the membership and the public fully informed on the status of bargaining.
This UTLA site is interesting, considering the logic put out by our own leadership that you don't share your bargaining positions in public and therefore must but the committee of 300 under a dome of silence.
It's pretty interesting reading, a month by month of detailed chronicling. Check it out. I'm including the March 1 update. A strategy of openess can build support among union members and the public and also hold the DOE accountable.
So why doesn't the UFT do the same? Well, to hide what they are really doing from the members and then sell whatever they manage to do minimally to the members as take it or leave it.
Our old pal and teacher union critic Mike Antonucci has an interesting piece on the UTLA and Alex Caputo-Pearl where Mike seems to think they are very hungry for a strike, which you can't whisper here in NYC -- shhhhh about West Virginia and Oklahoma.
United Teachers Los Angeles spent the early months of 2018 promoting and then celebrating the ratification of their healthcare agreement with
the Los Angeles Unified School District. But if school board members
think this bought them some time and good will when it comes to contract
negotiations, they should think again. Read the rest of the story at LA School Report.
I'm guessing our leadership, which will cheer publicly, are gnashing their teeth that militant unionism can seem to win something and I bet they are just hoping for these teachers to be taught a lesson so we can have Unity slugs can tell us "we told you so." The latest Ravitch post ought to cheer our union leaders up:
×Beginning Feb. 1, 2018, the district and UTLA will be in full contract bargaining every other week until further notice.
March 1, 2018 - UTLA
was back at the bargaining table again with proposals in Special
Education, Hours, Duties & Workday, Shared Decision-Making and
Professional Development. The district countered with proposals to
create an Ethnic Studies Task Force. or Early Education, LAUSD refused
to guarantee an early shift for chapter chairs, diminishing their
ability to be effectively represented at UTLA meetings, and refused
proposals to put Early Education on the T salary schedule and give them
an equitable workday, with a lunch break. LAUSD presented some proposals
that made progress in enhancing workplace rights and working conditions
for substitute educators but fell well short of UTLA demands.
**See all proposals and counterproposals by clicking on the date or scrolling below.
"Renewal dollars were not spent on what we needed and suggested like reading and math specialists to support our students." ... PS 50M hearing, Feb. 12, 2018
But why listen to actual teachers on the ground? Just spend renewal dollars on more PD.
Three amazing parents from CPE1 showed up at the PS 50 hearing to share the reading of a letter written by a teacher chronicling the intentional destruction of the renewal school. "Support" meant outsiders including highly paid consultants walking around and giving next steps.... Support meant being sent to an abundance of PDs without being given time to absorb..." etc, etc etc. PS 50 was closed down at last week's PEP.
No support to reduce class size, of course. Farina doesn't believe in that -- PD = the problem are the teachers.
Like if I was in one of those schools with a masters in reading and say 15 years in the system I needed more PD instead of real assistance by allowing me more time with individual kids.
I spoke to a PS 50 teacher at the PEP last week and he said he couldn't speak for fear of retaliation. That many do not think the district UFT has their backs does not help.
By the way -- who did Farina put in charge of renewal schools? The awful former Brooklyn HS Supt Amy Horowitz who lied and misled people. The UFT people knew how awful she was but sat silently while she misdirected support for renewal schools I would bet to some of her pals who made a few bucks. Now she is going to run some other program at the DOE into the ground.
Yes, one guy abstaining and forcing a tie vote while the other 6 mayoral appointee slugs went along with the closing.
So we start off with mistrust -- and a lie -- that they actually listened to the discussion at the PEP. But then they pointed the loaded gun right at their heads -- the outcomes of the testing in May will decide their fate -- and think of this -- the outright distraction since December for everyone in the school. And the enormous pressure over the next two months to get those scores up.
Imagine if all the parents opted out and there were no scores to hammer them with.
But given the pressures and fear and threats, I imagine people won't easily go for an opt out strategy --- it would be a pretty scary thing to do ----- and will hope beyond hope the numbers are improved enough to save them next time.
But boy wouldn't a massive opt out in a renewal school be something to watch.
Their struggle has made them known around the city and continuing their struggle to battle will continue to gain support. Part of their struggle should be against the test itself and by linking to the opt out movement there will be even wider support.
Diane Ravitch, along with MSBNC, the liberal press and the Democratic Party are obsessed with the Russia interference story while never mentioning the enormous historical interference of our country in every other country that makes the Russia story pale. Michael Fiorillo has pointed out the contradictions, as has Matt Tiabbi of Rolling Stone. There was a debate of sorts on the Ravitch blog (I don't have the link now) and here is Michael's comment.
Diane, you are insisting that Dienne prove a negative, which you must know is a fallacy. Meanwhile, you now say, “Let’s wait for the results of the Mueller investigation,” after well over a year of perpetual claims and insinuations about significant Russian involvement in the election, if not literal control of Trump. However, the burden of proof is on the believers of Russiagate to prove that Trump colluded with the Russians (and that allegation is on life support, barely hanging on, as of now) and/or that Russia affected the election. It is not my, or Dienne’s, or anyone else's job to prove it didn’t happen; the people making the accusations must prove it did.
I've been so busy with the closing schools issues I haven't written much about the enormous teacher strike in West Virginia. (James has done a bunch of stuff on the ICE blog.)
Note how the so-called union leaders from the AF and NEA "settled" but rank and file were outraged and haven't gone back yet. Mike Antonucci had an interesting piece on the different unions in West Virginia -- I can't find the link but will update later when I try to unravel some of the internal union yin-yang between leadership and rank and file.
Michael Fiorillo has been posting a batch of articles which I will post a few at a time.
Here is one today with Michael's comment about Maddow and the MSNBC neo-liberal crowd which ignores unions while focusing on Russia.
Fiorillo:
Some more info you won’t see on Rachel Maddow, and from the business press… Well, at least Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have come out strongly for the West Virginia teachers Oh, wait...
West Virginia has been the site of mass labor militancy many times before. Here are some of the highlights.
West Virginia has been rocked over the past nine days by a massive teachers’ strike that has closed
all 680 public schools in the state’s fifty-five counties. And it’s
been contagious: energized by the West Virginian example, Oklahoma
teachers are now planning a statewide strike of their own.
The ongoing strike
is neither the first time the state has been a site of mass labor
militancy, nor the first time a labor battle has spilled from the
state’s borders and spread across the country. West Virginia’s history
is littered with pitched labor battles, from unionization efforts put
down by violence to agitation for better work conditions. The following
are just a few of the most significant examples.
[Putting this one ahead of the others--]
The 1990 Teachers’ Strike
Almost exactly twenty-eight years before the current strike, thousands of West Virginia teachers and librarians began their first statewide strike,
involving teachers from forty-seven of its fifty-five counties.
Frustrated with the second-lowest teacher salaries in the country (only
Mississippi was worse) — and rejecting the state’s offer of a 5 percent
raise — teachers flouted the state law against collective bargaining for
twelve days before reaching a settlement with the government.
Teachers got a pay increase, as well
as training and support programs and the establishment of faculty
senates. But by 2016, the average salary for a West Virginia teacher was
still the forty-eighth lowest in the country.
My friend Joel Hamberger, who has deep roots at the DOE, has informed me, from San Diego of all places, that a reliable source told him that Kushner, while still working to solve the problems in the Middle East, has decided to tackle a problem considered even more intractable, running the NYC school system. Facing possible bankruptcy, the lure of 350K and a place to live has proven too tempting to turn down the offer.
In stunning rebuke, oversight board rejects two of de Blasio’s school closure plans... Chalkbeat
I don't agree with the hysteria of the Chalkbeat headline. The two Rockaway schools, PS/MS 42 and MS 53 slated for closing got a last minute reprieve at 2:30 AM Thursday morning when mayoral appointee and Queens resident Isaac Carmignani, who voted to close the other schools on the list*, abstained on the two Rockaway schools.
Why?
Let me try to make some sense of what occurred.
MORE was in the house with the CASCADE Crew
My guess, fueled by my sources, is that Carmignani is ambitious and rumored to be planning to run for office in Queens and didn't want to alienate Melinda Katz and the Rockaway politicians. As to the UFT, he would need them for a run, but given his vote to close other schools, how will the UFT view him? Otherwise, his voting pattern to close all the other schools makes no sense. And don't forget, he didn't actually vote to keep the school open, but abstained. (I think of the Vince Lombardi comment that a tie is like kissing your sister.)
The Queens UFT was strong for the Rockaway schools and may have impacted, but my sense is that Borough Pres Katz was the key and the PS 42 rally outside her office a few weeks ago had an impact. When all 30 of us piled into a meeting upstairs it was impressive and we got to touch base with PEP member Deborah Dillingham, who led the charge at the PEP meeting.
The UFT didn't fight very hard for the other schools - other than possibly PS 92x (according to a UFT official I spoke to but not confirmed -- I didn't see any Bronx politicians standing up. As for PS 50, the Manhattan UFT did nothing with Dist Rep Servia Sliva, the Supt's buddy, making a tepid speech at their hearing. Man Borough Pres Gale Brewer made a speech and Manhattan pols spoke up for Health and Sciences.
[*HS of Health and Sciences was given a postponement by unanimous vote after an appeal from one of the mayoral appointees.]
In my speech at the Feb. 28 (or early morning March 1) PEP, I pointed out that all it would take to change the lives of thousands of teachers, students and parents was for just 2 mayoral PEP people to stand up for what is right. There were much better speeches than mine and I will be putting some of them up, but as the videographer and editor, I'm taking some privilege.
My Notes:
I'm about to post an analysis but wanted to post this for reference before I do that. I'm trying to figure out why certain closures were unanimous and others had the support of all borough people (5 votes) and mayoral appointee Cleveland. There is a story behind each school. PS 92 was out there in force but got shut out.
Felisa Rincon de Gautier - Harris Lirtzman taught at and the place is a disaster and he argues it should be closed. If the DOE puts in rotten admin after rotten admin, it is like the foundation of a building is removed and it just can't stand. So note the 13-0 vote to close. Same with Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation - the school where one kid killed another. Same with Academy for Social Action, KAPPA IV, P.S. 50 Vito Marcantonio, School for Social Change,
P.S. 25K Eubie Blake School was 8-5 for closure.
P.S. 92- 7-6
Urban Science Academy 7-6
From Leonie:
I’m hearing questions and some confusion about the votes on closures etc. at Wed. Nights PEP meeting
So I thought I’d share.
BP means borough president appointee, EC is Elzora
Cleveland and IC is Isaac Carmignani both mayoral appointees
MK is Manhattan appointee Michael Kraft and MZA is mayoral appointee Miguelina Zorrilla-Aristy.
More great work by Ralph Mancini who shlepped out from Rockaway to cover the story once again. He asked me to text him the outcome of the vote when he left about 11:30. I left just before 2 AM and had assumed both Rockaway schools were dead when a procedural vote to withdraw the schools made by Queens rep Deborah Dellingham appointed by Boro Pres Melinda Katz, went down by a vote of 7-5, with all mayoral appointees voting against and all borough reps for.
So I left. About 2:15 AM while I'm on the 4 train headed for Atlantic Ave my phone rings. I figure it's my wife to yell at me again (she had called at midnight). But instead it was Jaime from PS 42 telling me about the 6-6-1 vote. She had offered me a seat home on their bus but my car was in Brooklyn. I was so bummed I wasn't on that bus ride at 3 AM -- I bet the wheels never hit the road.
I still need to talk to Jaime, who is a hero in this epic struggle in the eyes of many, before writing my analysis of what may have happened. She is a force of nature.
The guy in the photo, Jack Angelou, is one fantastic guy, someone I would be proud to march with and go into battle anywhere. I want Jack in my foxhole, along with Jaime and John (Kattinger, CL - a Unity guy who I developed enormous respect for) and Sarah and Kevin - a most amazing parent (PS 42 Parents Speak Up for Teachers and Their Children).
Satire alert. But who knows? During the meeting we heard he was taking the job. After the meeting, which ended at 2:30 AM, he wasn't. I think the audience booing Farina after someone congratulated her on her career may have been the final straw. Why ruin a good reputation and enter this den?
In a tweet I compared him to Bill Belichik. Jet fans know what I mean.
For the March 2 edition www.rockawave.com which I submitted yesterday morning. I am working on a PEP posting - the meeting went till 2:30 AM - I ran out of batteries at 1:30 and left before 2. Rockaway schools saved for now. That will take some analysis.
School Scope: On Closing Schools, Janus, and West Virginia
Feb. 28, 9 AM
Tonight hundreds of people will be at the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) meeting at Murry Bergtraum HS in Manhattan protesting the closing of thirteen schools, including Rockaway’s MS 53 and PS/MS 42. There will be a rally and press conference by the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) and MORE-CASCADE (the group I work with politically) at 5:30.
Community of RENEWAL Schools
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Angelica Otero February
28, 2018
Hundreds of parents,
teachers, students and community members rally before the PEP Hearing, Asking that
Panel votes NO on RENEWAL School Closures
Angry and frustrated with
the Department of Education´s lack of response and support for RENEWAL Schools
parents, teachers, students and community members across NYC turn to the Panel
for Educational Policy to hold the DOE accountable and vote NO on the closure
of RENEWAL schools. “Who is held accountable for school closures?Why do our school communities have to pay for
the poor leadership and lack of support form the department of education?” says
Kaliris Salas Ramirez, a community resident in Harlem.
The
Department of Education has invested millions of dollars in the Community
School model to transform RENEWAL schools.But this model takes time and requires a real partnership with the community.Neither of which the DOE is willing to invest
in. “As a parent leader and father to 2 children, I can see first hand that our
school is doing well and that we can continue to improve.But improvement cannot continue if the school
is closed, the way to improve is continued hard work addressing the areas where
we are not meeting standard,” states Rosendo Mejia a parent at HS for Health
Career and Sciences.
In addition turning a failing school around requires resources
which the DOE is not providing say parents.Many of the RENEWAL schools have a high number of English Language
Learners, students that require Special Education, students that live in
transitional housing and other needs. “We
have 103 ELL students at MS 325 and only 2 ENL teachers, how can we turn the school
around if we are not provided the resources we need,” comments, Nancy PA
President of MS 325.
Rather than an investment in the RENEWAL schools program,
the community is witnessing how these schools are being closed to make room for
charters schools in their buildings.Now
the community is turning to the Panel who has the power to hold the DOE accountable
and ensure the welfare of city schools and its students to vote NO on the
proposed closures and ensure justice for NYC public school students.
WHAT: Rally and Press Conference calling the Panel
for Educational Policy to vote NO on RENEWAL School´s Closures
WHEN: Wednesday, February 28th at 5:30PM
WHERE: In front of the Murray Bergtraum High School
411
Pearl Street, New York, NY 10038
WHO: Parents, youth and community members from MS 325,
PS 50, PS322, PS42, CS 92 & MS 53 and HS for Health and Sciences
If any Ed Notes readers are free tonight -- come to the PEP - join the pre-PEP rally at 5:30. A chance to thumb your nose at Farina's final PEP.
I will keep shouting this from the rooftops endlessly: That the closing of schools is politically, not educationally motivated. And further, it dovetails with the privatization movement, which is more dangerous to unionism than the Janus case -- note that there are no schools open in West Virginia, which is a right to work state. Yet they just won a 5% pay increase, more than double what they were offered.
(I imagine the response ultimately will be fast and furious -- load the state up with non-union charters and remove collective bargaining rights of teachers in whatever public schools are left standing.)
At the PEP meeting you will see some of the UFT leadership but not a massive outpouring of outrage with hundreds of UFT members, other than those being organized by MORE and AQE, which are holding a pre-PEP rally and press conference. You will see some schools filing law suits but not with the help of the UFT. The leadership either doesn't get it or is willfully turning away. They are fighting some selective battles based on where schools resist instead of taking a stand against ANY closing schools -- and ignoring the fact that they are being emptied for charter occupation in some cases or for gentrification -- while teachers are a major target.
What is ironic is how much more attention the UFT - and many of my colleagues in MORE - pay to Janus than to closing schools and the general privatization movement which is a bigger threat to unions.
Eva Moskowitz' 46 schools (and counting) plus other charters
have taken away as many union jobs as the amount of dues that will be
lost to Janus.
And just think of those teachers in the 13 schools about to be ATRd -- I wonder how many will be staying in the union?
in Lower Manhattan, adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall
This Wed., Feb. 28,
the Panel of Educational Policy (PEP ) will vote on the proposals to
close 13 community schools. It is very important for as many folks as
possible to attend this meeting to show support for the school
communities that would be adversely affected by these actions.
There will be a press conference and rally against school closings before the PEP at 5:30 and you can sign up to speak at the PEP at that time as well.
MORE/CASCADE
(Coalition Against School Closings and Displacement Everywhere) is
fighting against the current round of school closings in NYC. We are
against labeling any schools as "failing," against Renewal and
Receivership School programs that don't help, against targeting these
schools for Charter Co-locations, and against closures. We see the
connection between school closures and the privatization of our
education system as well as the anti-displacement movement.
The next meeting of CASCADE, Campaign Against School Closures and Against Displacement Everywhere. Is on March 10, at 2:30 at the CUNY Graduate Center. All are welcome to come and strategize about how to stop school closings.
I was on a bus a few weeks ago chatting with this parent of two PS 42 children. What an interesting guy. He is from Seattle (his family had gone to Garfield HS though he went to another high school) and works for some social service agency with at risk youth. Just listen to his speech as he calls bullshit on the DOE if scores rise from 6% to 30% in two years. He talks about investing in education and renewal schools are an investment that must be nurtured over many years. He ends with a story about how his daughter didn't really want to come or speak but he convinced her to just come and watch and after watching she got up and spoke --
The other parent on the video speaks right from her heart -- that the DOE is branding the children as failures. She talks about how the children need these teachers who they know.
There were a lot more parents who spoke at the hearing, some with heavy accents that are hard to make out in the poor sound. I will look for others to post though I expect there will be a lot more at tomorrow's PEP meeting. see the full PS 42 hearing - the kids are here at the end of part1: https://vimeo.com/257425761. Adults in part 2, including the UFT people. https://vimeo.com/257379612
...a study.... finds that private-sector unions in right-to-work states tend to become less influential in national politics precisely because they must allocate scarce resources to internal organizing.
The political consequences of this shift can be dramatic. The authors estimated that right-to-work laws resulted in a 3.5 percent reduction in Democratic presidential vote totals per county.
There's some truth to these conclusions. The ties between the UFT/AFT/NYSUT complex and the Democratic Party goes deep. If the UFT loses 30% of its dues payers, it must cut staff and maybe cut salaries, though I doubt that. Those 6-figure salaries will have to be pried out of Unity's cold, dead hands. For the staff, which had as its highest priority to push
And when they say that dues doesn't go to political actions, well, maybe not technically. The arguments being used - check the next cases following Janus where a conservative teacher may feel the very act of collective bargaining violates his/her rights.
In fact Leroy Barr at the UFT Ex Bd yesterday said that the arguments in Janus yesterday did attack the collective bargaining rights like happened in Wisconsin. The West Virginia statewide strike is an interesting addition to the debate since WV is right to work but teachers still have bargaining power. How did they pull off closing every school? You know the answer to a strike this? Charters and privatization so there are no public schools left to strike. I believe the charter/privatization movement is a greater threat than Janus et al.
Here's a story in the NY Times yesterday about the conservative money coming in to attack teacher unions especially, punishing them for their marriage to the Democratic Party. Interesting is that the left wing in the unions has been very critical of this marriage for decades.
The New York City Department of Education is proposing to close P.S. 25 (The Eubie Blake School), a small school in the Bedford Stuyvesant area. A public notice issued by the DOE states that the proposal is based on "persistently low enrollment and lack of demand from students and families."
A blog run by New York City public school parents says that the school should be commended not closed. Referring to a DOE analysis, the blog states that "PS 25 is the second best elementary school in Brooklyn and the fourth best elementary school in the entire city when the need level of its students is taken into account."
The DOE public notice acknowledges that P.S. 25 test scores have increased over the last three years, yet enrollment has declined by 43% during the same time frame. This is despite "multiple prior interventions, such as programmatic changes at the school, recruitment and re-branding support, and school re-design," states the DOE.
According to an article in Our Times Press, supporters of P.S. 25 have waged a campaign to save the school, which includes reaching out to elected officials and rallying the help of residents and neighbors.
The Panel on Education Policy (PEP) votes on the proposal to close P.S. 25 in a meeting open to the public this week. If PEP approves the proposal, P.S. 25 will close at the end of the 2017- 2018 school year.
Date, time and location of the PEP meeting at which this proposal will be voted on:
Date: February 28, 2018
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers, 411 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10038
It's worth republishing Leonie's blog:
Why PS 25 Eubie Blake should be celebrated rather than closed
Yet the most unfair of all these proposals involves the proposed closure of a small zoned elementary school called PS 25 Eubie Blake in District 16 in Brooklyn, which has gotten little attention so far in the media, save for a story in a small community paper. Why?
This is the full monte for both school hearings. PS 42 comes in 2 parts. PS 50 in one. If you can't spending hours watching them all, pop into some of it and notice the similarities in the schools: gentrification. Behind both is some sense of denial of proper resources and rising property values.
I can't wait for those suitcase sized nukes -- maybe even smaller. The 2nd amendment guarantees my right to bear arms so why exclude nukes? Look for a Trump tweet on that issue.
Think how much safer schools will be if we put tactical nukes around the hallways like fire extinguishers. If no nukes how about hanging grenades in the hallways?
The Onion
I'm so sorry I'm retired. How great would it be to be able to pull my weapon on every kid who doesn't do homework.
I wonder what position the UFT will take on the bearing arms issue. Since some teachers may own guns wouldn't that be divisive? Can't wait to have them bring up that Vietnam War thingy as being the right decision.
Katz “requested the withdrawal
of the proposal to close PS/MS 42 from the Panel For Educational Policy
on Feb. 28.” Katz joined her colleagues in government—Councilman
Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), state Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone
Park), Assembly members Michele Titus (D-Far Rockaway) and Stacey
Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Beach) and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks
(D-Jamaica)—in their opposition to the closure... Queens Tribune
This is important in that Katz controls the PEP Queens vote. Now they only need 6 more votes. Stacey Amato Pheffer is also calling for the school to remain open - it is not in her district but IS 53 is and she issued a strong statement printed in The WAVE.
Katz Joins Fight Against MS 42 Closure
BY TRONE DOWD
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz has come out in support of the
faculty and parents of students at Arverne’s PS/MS 42 who are protesting
the city’s proposed closure of the school.
In a letter obtained by sources familiar with the situation, Katz “requested the withdrawal
of the proposal to close PS/MS 42 from the Panel For Educational Policy
on Feb. 28.” Katz joined her colleagues in government—Councilman
Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), state Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone
Park), Assembly members Michele Titus (D-Far Rockaway) and Stacey
Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Beach) and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks
(D-Jamaica)—in their opposition to the closure.
“This school has made great strides to improve as part of the renewal
schools program, and I believe we should afford them further time and
our support to succeed,” Katz said in the letter. “At minimum, the item
should be held over until we can further evaluate the progress the
school is making as indicated by this year’s assessment. This will allow
stakeholders additional time to share their concerns with the
Department of Education.”
As previously reported by the Queens Tribune, the Rockaway
school was one of 14 Renewal School closures proposed by the DOE in
December, citing low performance on citywide test scores, stagnant
graduation rates and the lack of college readiness among students,
despite capital investments from the city. However, several teachers
have pointed out that PS/MS 42 was included on that list, despite its
steady improvement across the board over the past four years. This
includes reduction in student suspensions, near-perfect faculty
attendance and increased test scores. In fact, PS/MS 42 saw the highest
growth in both ELA and math test scores from 2014 to 2017 out of all 20
Renewal Schools.
“If the DOE’s intention to close PS/MS 42 was because of low test scores, it is unsupported by the facts,” the letter stated.
On Feb. 8, members of United Federation of Teachers (UFT) took to
Queens Borough Hall to protest the school’s closing, hoping to bring the
borough president on board in their opposition. UFT Chapter Chairman
John Krattinger told the Queens Tribune that the DOE was
“completely out of line” with its decision. Teachers and parents have
since met with the borough president’s office as well as attended a
public hearing with the DOE in Manhattan.
By New York State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato
Share
As some of you may know, the NYC Department of Education (DOE) announced in December that they plan on closing 14 schools- two of which are on the Rockaway Peninsula, PS/MS 42 and MS 53. Since becoming the assemblywoman for this community, I have been a strong advocate for education and have worked with the DOE on numerous issues, however not one included the potential closure of schools within my district. As a native of Far Rockaway, and a graduate of then IS 53, I am extremely disappointed in the DOE’s lack of communication with parents, students, and myself.
There has been tremendous community support against the closure of both schools. While my Assembly District only encompasses MS 53, many constituents (school staff and students) are also affected by the possible closure of PS/MS 42. My office has been inundated with phone calls from teachers, students, and parents alike requesting to stop the closure of these schools. In addition, hundreds attended the public hearings, myself included, to voice their concerns about the proposed closures. Sitting at the hearings and listening to the passion behind the students and teachers only affirms that the DOE has got it all wrong. The closure of a school places hardships on students that should never be a student’s concern. As a former PA president, I can attest that trying to solve the myriad challenges of education is hard enough on students, teachers and families, without the possibility of closing a school where they have learned and felt safe for years.
The fact is both schools have grown as renewal schools; they should have been compared to other focus schools in focused districts as opposed to the city as a whole. Specifically, MS 53 has met many of their bench marks and has had great success while still facing MANY obstacles of students who are: 67 percent economically disadvantaged, 20 percent English Language Learners (ELL), and 37 percent of students with learning disabilities. The DOE must continue to invest in our existing neighborhood schools to both ensure full growth in our students and our surrounding community. With the expected downtown Far Rockaway city investment we know we are going to grow-why close a school when we should be investing now? It’s obvious city agencies don’t communicate.
This past Friday I wrote to Chancellor Fariña and the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) requesting that the decision to close MS 53 is rescinded from the PEP meeting on Feb. 28, and is reevaluated. These are our children, and their education is worth fighting for.
As we are just beginning this year my goal is to not only continue to fight on behalf of our community, but to continue the relentless constituent service, legislative advocacy, and community problem-solving that myself and my team has strived for over the past year. This is an amazing community, like no other in the world. I am so lucky to be raising my children here with my husband. The diverse and beautiful peninsula we call home deserves all the hard work, energy and vision we can muster. Please let me know how I can help, what concerns you have, and what your ideas are for the future. I have a feeling we’re going to do great things together in 2018.
There will be a press conference and rally against school closings before the PEP at 
