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!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Stringer and Avella Speak at PS 123 Protest of Harlem Success Takeover Attempt
Stringer speaks before entering the school on a tour. See the follow-up video of what he has to say when he comes out. Avella as usual says good stuff. The Master of Ceremonies is William Hargraves, an former parent at the school. The wonderful GEM crew came out on very short notice and did some notable chanting (still to come in upcoming video.)
See previous ed notes reports:
Angel Gonzalez and George Schmidt at PS 123 Protest of Harlem Success Takeover Take 2 - July 10, 2009
Rally Fri July 10 as DOE Rules In Favor of Harlem Success Academy Charter School taking over more space at PS 123!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsRDSDGSmK0
TQ and Class SIze
"I written about the mess four years ago when we became The Wire. How did we
solve it? We just hired more teachers the next year. All of a sudden, problems
that seemed impossible seemed manageable. Then when we we back to the normal
allotment, problems increased again."
I responded:
Just hire more teachers to solve basic problems, the notorious "throwing cash at the problem" we see debunked by the ed deformers. I wonder where you guys got these teachers from? Were they vetted for quality? This is what the deformers say- teacher quality is more important than class size. But what you did was raise the quality of all teachers because TQ does not exist in a vacuum.
When I raised this issue at a forum with Rotherham and Russo, Jennifer Medina from the NY Times, and Richard Colvin of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Teachers College, Columbia University. Colvin was incensed when I compared class size in urban areas to suburban schools, saying how the cost was astronomical. "Some people drive Mercedes but not everyone needs to drive a Mercedes," he said. "You can still get around in a Toyota."
Of course, when the financial crisis hit and Bear Sterns and AIG needed enormous funding, all the money that would have enable urban kids to sit in a Mercedes magically appeared.
In NYC they supposedly cut crime by putting lots more police on the streets. They were not vetted for quality first. Some were good and some were bad, but their very presence as a resource had an impact. I say instead of using that stimulus money to reward school systems that kill tenure or expand charter schools, try a few experiments by inundating the very worst schools with masses of teachers, social workers and other services - sort of an expansion of the Harlem Children's Zone. But no one wants to try that. Better to target teachers and unions by using the "it's so hard to get rid of bad teachers" sob story as an excuse not to reduce class size.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
What if NEA and AFT stop caring what other people think?
Leo Casey claims there is an ed reform - deform- train heading down the tracks and the AFT/UFT needs to get ahead of it and jump on board. We say there is a counter reactive train of teacher/parent true progressive ed reformers coming from the other direction. And we are helping to drive it.
Intercepts
Bad News, Bob; Even the Center Cannot Hold Posted: 10 Jul 2009 12:31 PM PDT Mickey Kaus points us to the latest report from the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights, titled “National Teachers’ Unions and the Struggle Over School Reform.” I thought about excerpting the stinging barbs from CCCR’s absolute flaying of NEA and AFT, but it’s really worth your time to read the entire 36-page report, then head over to this page for a list of the organization’s commissioners. Not a conservative right-wing bastard in the bunch. The public perception battle is over, and the teachers’ unions have lost. But will it have any effect on Congress and state legislatures? The NRA, tobacco companies, PETA, the ACLU and Big Oil all have negative public images they can’t shed, yet they are still effective in getting their way. What if NEA and AFT stop caring what other people think? |
Angel Gonzalez and George Schmidt at PS 123 Protest of Harlem Success Takeover Take 2 - July 10, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e_2vwEn_zQ
Randi Goes to Portland As AFT Threatens Local Considering Disaffiliation
Unity Caucus hackism goes national. Why are we not surprised? Shades of Puerto Rico six years ago. (We did lots on that situation. Search the blog for FMPR.) Time for a national opposition movement in the AFT? I foresee road trips in my future, though Randi jokingly invited me to go to Oregon with her at the Ex Bd meeting the other day. My bags are packed, Randi.
July 10, 2009
OFNHP Local 5017 Relations with AFT National
Friday, July 10, 2009
Obama Admin Hits New Low on Ed Deform as it Seeks to Gut NY State Tenure
A must read article at Gotham.
"The Obama administration official in charge of an educational innovation fund yesterday issued a warning to a New York audience: Unless the state legislature revises a law now on the books about teacher tenure, the state could lose out on the $4.35 billion fund she controls."
The official is Joanne Weiss, "who worked at the New Schools Venture Fund before heading to Washington..." Think she has a dog in the race? Talk about rating teachers based on value added assessment when there is no system proved to work is like saying we should start mining the moon with a shovel. Gee, has anyone been working on systems rating doctors, lawyers and even politicians on value added systems?
"Weiss was in town to discuss The New Teacher Project’s report “The Widget Effect,” which was released last month and urged districts to overhaul their teacher performance evaluations."
Ho-ho-ho. The unbiased NTP being taken seriously by an Obama official. This country is in real trouble.
The Gotham article is linked here:
Obama official to New York: Change your tenure law or else
And make sure to read Pissed Off Teacher's and Ceolaf comments. But John Thompson's bears repeating:Sorry, John. Don't expect the AFT to do much more than cheer lead. The attack on tenure by the Obama administration is just the cover the UFT and NYSUT need to duck out of the way as tenure law in NYS is gutted.Call her bluff.
If moderate reformers in the AFT don’t have the guts to stand firm on this, the backlash will be awful.
If a state as powerful as NY doesn’t have the guts to stand firm on this, others will crumble. OK, a “reformer” has had her say. Obama has bigger fish to fry, but there is a natural compromise that should be a no-brainer to him. The firewall on teacher indicators will be dropped when a firewall is created to keep test data from being used in evaluations. We could still move ahead with the Denver Plan and the Toledo Plan and similar approaches.
After all, it makes sense to use test scores when appropriate as in performance incentives. But it doesn’t make sense where it is not appropriate, as in evaluations where it could destroy the career of good and effective teachers.
I want the AFT to support Obama, regardless. But I’d like my union to be willing to announce the formation of a major litigation fund to destroy any schemes for using test scores for evaluation. I want districts to know that they will lose more in legal fees than they will gain in Race to the Top Funds if they go down that path.
Then when we drive a stake through the hearts of that mentality, I want my union to go back to being as moderate and willing to compromise as possible. If we want sustainable progress for kids, we can’t get punked on this.
If we lose this one, what self-respecting person would make a career teaching in high-poverty schools? We owe this to our profession.
As a matter of fact, the dysfunctional state leg doesn't even have to be involved. Watch the upcoming UFT contract, which takes precedence over tenure law, as the UFT will trade money for what will appear to be minor modifications but over time turn out to be disaster.
UFT Exec Bd Nominates Mulgrew As Lone Candidate for Pres as ICE Attempt to Nominate Eterno is Rejected
Putin, Ahmadinejad, Kim Il Jong Jealous of Model of Undemocratic Precedure
Continuing a 25 year tradition, the UFT executive board again rubber stamped a hand-picked successor as the lone nominee to fill out a term of office. Given that Unity Caucus controls all the seats on the Board, Mulgrew is expected to win with 100% of the vote. Saddam Hussein is rolling over in his grave with consternation over how he could never figure out a way to get more than 98% of the vote. Even Ahmadinejad got only 2/3 of the vote. (The Mullahs are having the UFT Constitution translated into Farsi.)
A large group of ICEers, who have no seats on the Board, attended in the hope they would get an opportunity to speak and nominate James Eterno from the floor (read Anna Philips profile of James at Gotham). The vote on July 29 will still result in 100% for Mulgrew and having a 2nd candidate would only be symbolic, but ICE figured, why not try? Worse case scenario, get a few cookies and some fruit (that giant chocolate chip was fab).
James Eterno, a member of ICE, is running for president of the UFT. (Photo via GothamSchools' Flickr)
Figuring to use the EB rule giving any union member speaking time before the meeting as an opportunity to point out the lack of democratic procedure, I called ahead and asked for speaking time and was not told this was not allowed. I was recovering from my Bikram Yoga class, but I dropped my cigar and left the beach in Rockaway and schlepped over, but I was told by Michael Mendel that I would not be allowed to speak, as the speaking rule was suspended for these types of meetings. Former EB member (when she was with New Action) Ellen Fox of ICE also attempted to speak, but was turned away.
We were armed with the UFT Constitution, which has some of the more ambiguous language than credit default swap explanations. ICE's interpretation was that the Mulgew nomination was illegal, as the Constitution says an officer cannot run for another office unless he/she resigned as of July 1. It also says anyone can make a nomination without specifying that only applies to EB members. But if you read the Constitution backwardsor standing on your head, it is all legal.
I had the most fun watching the New Action EB crew, all elected with Unity support, sit there and blandly accept the situation without attempting to nominate anyone. Their fearless leader, Michael Shulman, even got up to ask why there was a need to hold the pro forma election on July 29 if there was one candidate and why not just put on the crown immediately? Mendel said the Constitution calls for two separate meetings. Hey Mike, nice to see the Constitution being followed at times. (Actually, Unity has made the Constitution ironclad undemocratic with few if any loopholes.)
New Action is praying Mulgrew will give them a quarter of the attention Weingarten gave them. ICE expects New Action to run another bogus slate in 2010, with a small group of candidates endorsed by Unity in an attempt to claim there is bipartisanship and to keep any ICE/TJC people off the board.
For the record, in the last election (2007) ICE/TJC received 5500 votes while New Action got 3500, yet NA got 8 seats and ICE/TJC got none. Ahhhh, that fresh air of democracy.
George Schmidt, editor of the widely read Chicago-based resistance newspaper and web site, Substance, joined ICE at the meeting as an observer. "At least you can attend EB meetings even though you are gagged," Schmidt said. "The Chicago TU EB meetings are closed." Ah, more fresh air of UFT democracy, with the reigning theme being, "You can attend, as long as you eat your cookies and fruit and shut up."
Related:
Eterno Comments on Mulgrew Nomination at the ICE blog
MULGREW CORONATION: MEET THE NEW BOSS SAME AS THE OLD BOSS
Rally Fri July 10 as DOE Rules In Favor of Harlem Success Academy Charter School taking over more space at PS 123!
On the morning of July 10 movers, sent by the $370K - Eva Moskowitz, will arrive again to remove materials from PS 123 Teachers' classrooms as she invades more Public School Space for her charter school!
Emergency Protest
Friday, July 10
8:30 AM
PS 123
(bet. Edgecombe & Frederick Douglas)
Stop this drive to privatize!
Defend our Public School Space!
Be there! Spread the word.
Angel Gonzalez
UPDATE: Man borough Pres Scott Stringer is expected and this "rally" may turn into a press conf.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
UPDATE: PS 123 Harlem Parents Make Their Case Against Harlem Success
Two days after this rally, the DOE ruled Harlem Success could go in and take over a swath of PS 123. Another event was held this morning that drew Man. boro pres Scott Stringer and mayoral candidate Tony Avella.
Harlem parents make a powerful statement defending their public school against the invasion of public schools by charters, in this case Eva Moskowitz' Harlem Success. They talk about the space their kids are denied, the favoritism shown to charters by the NYCDOE, the creaming, where even in the same family, only the higher scoring kids get recruited. And it's happening all over the city. They go beyond to talk about how they feel about public education in general. One of the most eloquent statements parents have yet made as they refute the charge that only white upper class parents oppose Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein.
Members of GEM and ICE were there to support them, as were reps from PS 15 in Red Hook who are undergoing a similar experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_aGF9n8sE8
The UFT Hundred Thousand Dollar Plus Club
Have your own party with the rest of the alphabet with a look at the 2008 LM-2 report.
http://www.dol.gov/esa/olms/regs/compliance/rrlo/lmrda.htm
Send us what you dig up.
UFT file number is 063-924
B C | SUSAN AMLUNG COMMUNICATIONS N/A | $160,007 | $0 | $2,312 | $200 | $162,519 |
AMY ARUNDELL SPECIAL REP. N/A | $129,796 | $0 | $2,676 | $0 | $132,472 |
ROBERT ASTROWSKY SPECIAL REP. NYSUT | $162,424 | $0 | $1,586 | $0 | $164,010 |
MARY ATKINSON SPECIAL REP. N/A | $138,623 | $0 | $5,498 | $0 | $144,121 |
JACQUELINE BENNETT SPECIAL REP. N/A | $133,866 | $0 | $4,464 | $0 | $138,330 |
MICHELLE BODDEN SPECIAL REP. NYSUT | $129,502 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $129,502 |
KLAUS BORNEMANN SPECIAL REP. N/A | $129,796 | $0 | $6,863 | $0 | $136,659 |
THOMAS BROWN SPECIAL REP. N/A | $120,351 | $0 | $2,531 | $0 | $122,882 |
JACQUES BYCINTHE SPECIAL ASST. N/A | $97,896 | $0 | $5,869 | $0 | $103,765 |
Just one more note: Let's give special kudos to the husband/wife/son Goldman family for pulling a cool $350 G's.
A B C | ANNE GOLDMAN SPECIAL REP. NYSUT | $136,532 | $0 | $8,500 | $0 | $145,032 |
A B C | JEROME GOLDMAN BORO REP. NYSUT | $159,755 | $0 | $6,252 | $0 | $166,007 |
A B C | JASON GOLDMAN LEGISLATION N/A | $60,983 | $0 | $574 | $0 | $61,557 |
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A Memorable Evening with General Bela Kiraly
As a member of the Hungarian army, he was forced to fight with the Nazi collaborators in Hungry, thought the Times points out "he had tried to join the Russian side in the war rather than serve with Hungary’s fascist forces, but was unable to do so. During the war, Mr. Kiraly commanded a battalion of 400 Jewish slave laborers at the Ukrainian front. Disobeying orders from his superiors, as The Jerusalem Post wrote in 1993, he “put the 400 men under his command into Hungarian uniforms and treated them humanely.” For his actions, he was honored in 1993 as a Righteous Gentile by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial authority in Jerusalem."
As a general, he was sentenced to a Stalinist death camp in 1951 for 5 years before being freed just as the Hungarian Revolution was breaking out in October, 1956. He was in a hospital room recuperating when he was asked to lead the forces opposing the Soviets, escaping to Vienna after the Soviet invasion.
He came to America, with some support from the CIA, which used the Hungarian ex-pat community to keep the resistance movement alive. He got his degree in history and started teaching at Brooklyn College in 1964, where I was a history major. He was one of the best college teachers I and many of others ever had.
Bringing an old world charm along with his military bearing, Kiraly made an instant mark on the students and other professors at Brooklyn College when he arrived. Not knowing anything about him, I registered for his 20th Century European history course and had my eyes opened to many new facets of history.
While one would expect Kiraly's experiences to make him a virulent anti-communist (he certainly was an anti-Stalinist), he allowed us to see all sides and make our own judgements. This approach was different from the American born teachers, also anti-communist, but didactic about it. Brooklyn College, which had been a hotbed of radicalism in the 30's was purged by the reactionary president Harry Gideonse. Kiraly brought a sense of balance to the issues.
Unfortunately, I never was able to take his legendary military history course, one of the big regrets of my academic life, but did take a research seminar with him in the spring of 1966. We used to meet every two weeks in his small apartment down the block from the campus. It was my final course before graduating and I produced an 80 page paper on the relationship between the Soviet Union and the Eastern European nations in the Soviet block.
I was teaching computer courses at Brooklyn College in the late 80's and early 90's and one of the history professors told me he had gone back for the first time since 1956 and was, surprisingly, elected to the new parliament.
My wife and I had a unique view of this history when we visited Budapest in October, 1956 a few days before the 50th anniversary of the revolution. With a big celebration with representatives from around the world expected, there were massive protests going on around Parliament, which sits on the Pest side of the Danube and is modeled on the British Parliament building in London.
I was curious about Kiraly but found no information on the computer in the hotel and had just about given up hope.
We were buying some pottery in a shop on the Danube on the Buda side where the owner, George Krall, spoke perfect English and had visited the states many times. I mentioned Kiraly and he said he knew of him and thought he was still alive. Just at that moment, an elderly gentleman was entering the building and George said he had served under Kiraly and called him over. He said that Kiraly was still alive and doing well and lived in Budapest. George began to call all the people named Bela Kiraly in the phone book and sure enough we reached him.
He didn't remember me but asked if I would like to come over to his house for a visit that evening. "Who is with you," he asked? "My wife," I said. "Bring the voman," he ordered. And bring the voman I did. And as you can see in the picture, he still had an eye for the ladies. He certainly charmed my wife.
The cab ride was about an hour on the outskirts of the city. We were ushered into the living room by Kiraly's nephew (I believe) and there he was standing, as straight as ever. The same charm, mesmerizing us, he proceeded to give us a two hour history lesson on every aspect of the Hungarian revolution, his time in the death camp, his escape and many of his experiences in the states. It would take pages to recall it all, but the most vivid was his accounts of the negotiations he engaged in with the Soviets, especially Yuri Anropov the Soviet ambassador who was the key to suppressing the revolution. Kiraly has one of the 12 hot line numbers and was privy to much information.
Kiraly's hero was Imre Nagy, the Hungarian leader, who was executed not long after the revolution, and his eyes misted just a bit when talking about Nagy. Kiraly swore he would not set foot in Hungary again until Nagy was given an honored place of burial and so it was done.
I asked him what he thought of the current demos, from what I read, expecting he might offer them some support since the party in power they were criticizing had communist influences. "They are right wing agitators," he said, "not trying to make the situation more democratic. Democracy is what is important." And that was the essence of Bela Kiraly. Neither pro or anti communist, but pro-democracy. (He should see the UFT.)
He was part of the committee settign up the 50th annivesay party and was going to play a major role in the celebration on
We could have listened all night, but at some point, feeling guilty we were taking up the time of this great man and concerned about keeping him up, I said something about leaving. "Am I boring you," he barked at me? The spell was broken. But he handed over a stack of books he had written, some of them autographed by him.
One of the most memorable evenings we ever had.
I'll post more photos from the trip at Facebook or Norms notes soon.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
$4 Million: What the UFT Gave the Glover Park Group
Download the UFT LM-2 2008 report.
http://www.dol.gov/esa/olms/regs/compliance/rrlo/lmrda.htm
UFT file number is 063-924
Thanks to Jeff Kaufman. If you find more nuggets send them along. The Glover Park Group has people like Howard Wolfson, a major UFT consultant. Wolfson is a major player in the Bloomberg 3rd term campaign.
THE GLOVER PARK GROUP |
Type or Classification |
CONSULTANT |
Purpose | Date | Amount |
Total Itemized Transactions | $4,042,778 | |
Total Non-Itemized Transactions | $7,823 | |
Total of All Transactions | $4,050,601 |
Storming Tweed
Councilman Charles Barron at the gates of Tweed
Crowd surges up steps of Tweed as Barron urges people to take back "our" building since mayoral control has expired.
State Assemblywoman Inez Barron tells crowd she opposes mayoral control
Sam Coleman of GEM and NYCORE speaks eloquently about the impact of high stakes testing
Some guys never know when to take off their hat. ICE's Sean Ahern taking notes and Lisa North (in green shirt.)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Rally at Tweed Protests Mayoral Control
They came from all over. Black, white, Latino/a, old, young, teachers, parents, communuity activists, students, ICE, GEM, Parents Commission, ISO, independents. There were hundreds. On five days notice and people were away for vacation. It is only the beginning. I have video. More reports tomorrow before heading up to PS 123 for the 1 PM protest against that breaking and entering public school thief, Eva Moskowitz. (See the July 4 posting: Moskowitz B&E at 123: Rally on Tues July 7).
Diane Ravitch on "The Partnership for 19th Century Skills"
- The love of learning
- The pursuit of knowledge
- The ability to think for 20 oneself (individualism)
- The ability to stand alone against the crowd (courage)
- The ability to work persistently at a difficult task until it is finished (industriousness, self-discipline)
- The ability to think through the consequences of one’s actions on others (respect for others)
- The ability to consider the consequences of one’s actions on one’s well-being (self-respect)
- The recognition of higher ends than self-interest (honor)
- The ability to comport oneself appropriately in all situations (dignity)
- The recognition that civilized society requires certain kinds of behavior by individuals and groups (good manners, civility)
- The willingness to ask questions when puzzled (curiosity)
- The readiness to dream about other worlds, other ways of doing things (imagination)
- The ability to believe that one can improve one’s life and the lives of others (optimism)
- The ability to believe in principles larger than one’s own self-interest (idealism)
- The ability to speak well and write grammatically, using standard English
REMINDER: PROTEST MAYORAL DICTATORSHIP IN OUR SCHOOLS! MONDAY JULY 6, 5PM
Didn’t the SUN SET on Mayoral Control?
DENOUNCE THE PHONY BOARD! NON EDUCATORS SELECTED
PROTEST MAYORAL
DICTATORSHIP IN OUR SCHOOLS!
SUPPORT INDEPENDENT PARENT AND STUDENT UNIONS
MONDAY, JULY 6, 2009
at 5 pm
TWEED - 52 Chambers Street
PUBLIC EDUCATION IS AT RISK
STOP THE NO BID CONTRACTS
STOP the SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPE LINE
We are calling all Registered Voters,Community Leaders, Politicians, Parents,
Teachers, Students and all Educational Professionals
to come out and Rally for Public Education!
DID YOU KNOW THAT . . . ?
On July 1, Bloomberg-Klein created a bogus Department
of Education with his Deputy Mayor as its President.
1,000+ teachers are sitting in detention “Rubber Rooms”
daily doing absolutely nothing at an expense to taxpayers
in an amount over $100 million dollars per year.
Teachers who blow the Whistle on School Corruption get
“U” ratings & are subjected to a hostile work environment.
Standardized Test Score data on children from poor
neighborhoods are being used to feed the “School to
Prison Pipeline.”
No Bid Contracts are given to fortune 500 businesses that
are personally affiliated with the Mayor.
Special Education Students & English Language Learners
are not receiving a FREE and APPROPRIATE Education.
SCHOOLS MUST BE A MODEL OF AND – FOR – DEMOCRACY:
GIVE HS STUDENTS A REAL VOICE
Support Guidance Services, Career and
Youth Development Programs in our Public Schools!
COME OUT, RECLAIM & SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS!
For more info, Call: NYCNSC at (718) 857-1427 NEW YORK COALITION FOR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL CONTROL
Sunday, July 5, 2009
NY Times damns the entire Calif. school system -- and gets it dead wrong
Caroline Grannan slams NY Times at the Examiner as she goes after the current Sunday magazine article about the California gubernatorial race, which states:
"Test scores in (California) public schools are plummeting” – in the reporter’s voice, without attribution or elaboration.Caroline says that all indications are that California test scores have been moving upward (not that we give any credence to any testing results in the age of testing steroids. She says:
It’s an ongoing issue to public education advocates who view ourselves as resisters against efforts to “run schools like a business” that the privatization faction insists on portraying our schools in a far worse light than they deserve. Why would the Times leap into that with a flat-out inaccuracy – stated in an authoritative tone implying that no backup is even needed for such an obvious truth?
Now I love this one:
And speaking of troubled institutions, does the Times staff not realize that its survival is as fragile as the California economy? Sorry to repeat myself, but here's my message, again, to my colleagues in the press: Your existence is fragile. Your credibility is what you have left. Please try to take care of it.
Sorry Caroline, I wouldn't expect much credibility from the paper of record on weapons of mass destruction and BloomKlein are wonderful.
The Taking of PS 123
Thanks for the idea to anonymous commenter at
UPDATE on Moskowitz B&E at 123: Rally on Tues July 7
Executed to perfection by David Bellel.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
UPDATE on Moskowitz B&E at 123: Rally on Tues July 7
Eva Moskowitz should be arrested and charged with breaking and entering.
The staff of 123 should call the police.
NOTE DATE CORRECTION FOR RALLY AT 123:
Tues. July 7. But I have no contact info available yet so check the sidebar for the latest before you go over there. There may be people at the Monday rally at Tweed to talk to.
MORE NEWS: Moskowitz, PS 123 Principal and possibly some staff to meet at City Hall (The Red Room) on July 8 (that was the source of the confusion on the leaflet.) This is one meeting the press should check out.
Gonzalez just about says it all. Kudos to the teachers and parents at PS 123. Assume the DOE is lying. They wanted Moskowitz to wait till no one was there to catch them.
Graphic by David B.
Harlem Success Academy expands further into P.S. 123 in Harlem
Juan Gonzalez, Daily News
Friday, July 3rd 2009, 4:00 AM
http://www.nydailyn
Simmons/News
Classrooms being packed up without teachers or principals knowledge at P.S. 123 in Harlem.
No one was expecting the moving men when they arrived Thursday morning at PS 123 in Harlem.
Not Principal Beverly Lewis, nor any of her staff, nor any of the school's parent leaders.
"These strangers suddenly appeared, went up to the third floor, removed the cylinder locks from a bunch of classroom doors and started moving out all the furniture and computers, and piling everything up in the gym," said one teacher who was conducting a summer school class when the men arrived.
The tense confrontation that followed reveals why Harlem has become Ground Zero in a growing neighborhood resistance to mayoral control of schools.
It is a wakeup call to the politicians in Albany not to give Mayor Bloomberg a blank check to run roughshod over parents and teachers.
The moving men claimed they had orders to empty and refurbish all the school's third-floor rooms to make way for an expansion of the Harlem Success Academy.
That's the charter school operation run by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz. The same one Schools Chancellor Joel Klein routinely praises as Exhibit A for educational reform. Moskowtiz's program currently uses a few third-floor rooms at the school.
The teachers at Public School 123 are no ordinary bunch. They and the parents have opposed the unilateral decision Klein made in May to turn over more of their valuable classroom space to Harlem Success.
Theirs is not a failing school and they were told talks were continuing over how to divide the space.
They saw the sudden arrival of the workmen Thursday as a signal that the discussion was over. So several of them rushed upstairs to confront the strangers, blocked the doorways and occupied the rooms.
"I told them, you're not taking my books and furniture out of here," said one teacher.
Police were called in. After an hour-long standoff, an official from school headquarters called to say that no one had authorized Moskowitz's movers to be in the school.
The workmen then vacated the building, leaving furniture and boxes strewn in the hallways and piled high in a corner of the gym.
Afterward, Harlem leaders labeled it a sneak attack.
"This is mayoral control run amok," said State Sen. Bill Perkins. "Eva Moskowitz has been treated with such privilege by the mayor and Joel Klein, she acts as if she doesn't need any authorization to do things."
"We had an agreement with DOE that no construction is to begin in the school until there is another meeting with all sides to work out space needs," said a spokeswoman for City Councilwoman Inez Dickens.
DOE officials conceded there was a "mistake in communications."
"As soon as we were made aware of the situation today, we told the charter school to stop," DOE spokeswoman Melody Meyer said.
Moskowitz denies impropriety.
"There is a space allocation agreement that the DOE has clearly, repeatedly, consistently and in writing said would become effective on July1," Moskowitz said.
The renovations of the new rooms for Harlem Success can't be delayed, she said, because classes at her school begin on Aug. 12 - weeks earlier than the regular public schools.
"Dr. Lewis and the [teachers' union] are deliberately taking steps to prevent us from renovating these rooms," Moskowitz said.
Lewis declined to comment.
Bloomberg recently made some bizarre remarks about possible "riots in the streets" if Albany doesn't renew mayoral control.
Well, the teachers and parents at PS 123 sent a very different message Thursday: In Harlem and all over this city, parents and teachers are getting fed up with mayoral dictatorship.
David (Bellel) Does Tony (Avella)
http://dbellel.blogspot.com/2009/07/tony-avella-on-education.html
Friday, July 3, 2009
Brooklyn Dreams: DOE Tries Again to Push a Charter into South/Central Brooklyn
(NOTE CORRECTED DATE)
Where do they get these charter school names? Brooklyn Dreams?
Ed Notes covered the Battle of Marine Park (Norm in The Wave on Marine Park Protest Ramifications of The IS 278 Victory) where the IS 278 community brought out masses of people to defeat the DOE attempt to force the Hebrew Language Academy charter school, the brain child of another scion of a billionaire Bloomberg buddy (a BBB). Questions were raised as to how the IS 278 community would respond if an attempt was made to shove a charter into a different school in the neighborhood.
This massive email went out about a hearing on Thurs. July 16 at 7 PM. Should be interesting.
(Shell Bank MS is across the street from Sheepshead Bay HS, one of the few large comprehensive HS in that area of Brooklyn that has not been closed down.)
PLEASE ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT HEARING. IT SEEMS THE DOE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE TRYING TO FORCE A CHARTER SCHOOL INTO ONE OF OUR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS!
I.S. 14 – Shell
Brooklyn, New York 11235
(Between Avenue Y & X) Accessible buses: B36, B44 & BM3 OR call MTA travel directions at 718-330-1234
Brooklyn Dreams
Included on the agenda will be time for public comment on a newly proposed charter school in New York City. The following schools will Pursuant to Education Law 2857(1), the New York City Department of Education is required to hold a public hearing to solicit comment from the
Community in connection with any proposal for a charter school.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Legally Questionable Meeting on July 1, 2009
From: Nicola DeMarco
Re: The Bogus meeting of “The New York City Board of Education” on July 1, 2009
Date: July 2, 2009
Legally Questionable Meeting on July 1, 2009 at 52 Chambers Street, New York
1. Who called the first “Board of Education” meeting today?
2. Under what legal authority was it called?
3. Since the Board of Education was originally created by the 1969 New York State law on school decentralization, and no similar state law was enacted on July 1, 2009, under what legal authority was a “Board of Education” created today?
4. Where are the minutes of the meeting?
5. Was it open to the public? Where was the meeting announced?
6. Did that announcement contain specific details as to the time, place and date of the meeting? Did that announcement contain a phone number, address and/or email for the public to contact for details?
7. Are all the members chosen to serve on the “Board of Education” residents of New York City?
8. A Deputy Mayor serving as President of the Board of Education is a conflict of interest, violates the separation of powers since the Board of education is no longer part of the executive/mayoral branch. Never before has a Deputy Mayor served on the Board of Education.
9. If the Mayor is angry that the State Senate is not meeting to vote, why isn't he angry that this bogus "Board of Education" is not meeting or doing any work until September 10, after school opens and only met yesterday for less than an hour? With over 1.1 million children depending on them, that is gross negligence.
11. Although the vast majority of children in our schools are Black and Latino, only 2 of the seven members of the bogus “Board of Education” are Black or Latino. How does this represent the needs of the students?
12. What is this teaching our children about democracy?
Nicola DeMarco
Seung Sings
More from Seung:
There is a Seung saga based on his calling Randi out at the DA during her farewell address that is still being played out and we will be publishing a follow up soon.
Read the background:
UFT Delegate Assembly, Democracy NOT
Unity Hack Attack Part 2
Seung-Yong Ok of GEM spoke on Bernard Gassaway's CUNY Talk Show WHCR (90.3 FM for Bronx or Manhattan or vwww.whcr.org) on Friday, June 12 at 6:30PM to 7:15PM.
Topic: Mayoral Control and Ramifications.
SEE WHY SEUNG WAS SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THE EVILS OF MAYORAL CONTROL, HE CALLED OUT WHILE RANDI WAS LISTING HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
CAPE: Concerned Advocates for Public Education
Read all about it at Norms Notes.
CAPE: Concerned Advocates for Public Education
Educators and Parents Organize to Protect and Preserve Public Education
The Ed Notes Governance Plan: The Battle Just Begins
Already the borough presidents are getting along, going along. Some groups were pushing governance plans that gave these useless clowns more of a role. Now they will see the fruits of that policy.
The suck-ass UFT is still the suck-ass UFT.
If there really is a reversion to elected community school boards, we will see the old local political machines which have been lurking in the background jump back in to take control.
A governance model that can really have a chance to work is to give the individual schools some level of autonomy.
What, you say? Didn't Joel Klein do that by destroying the districts and then the regions and creating autonomy zones? I actually liked Klein's concept of having power reside at the school level. But that is not what Klein really did.
First of all, he empowered principals in a limited way so they could spend the money with more freedom. But they were still fettered (is that a word?) to a narrow system of rewards and punishments based on standardized tests. Thus their empowerment existed in a straight jacket.
But the real point is that principals were totally empowered over teachers - with the assistance of the UFT, of course. Whatever checks and balances that existed at the school level between those schools where the UFT chapter was active (very few actually) or where individual teachers were willing to stand up, has been totally destroyed. Funny, how we never hear about restoring those checks and balances.
Thus, under BloomKlein, school communities as an entity, which include parents and teachers, were not empowered. In reality, by putting all the school-level power in the hands of one person, who often turned out to be incompetent or a monster, and backing that person to the hilt (until they assault someone) BloomKlein disempowered school communities.
Well, to be clear, as a teacher under that old system for 35 years, the principals were still mainly all powerful, especially the ones who knew how to manage and intimidate teachers and parents.
What has never been tried is to give teachers and parents real power by allowing them to choose the school leaders from a list of approved choices by the state.
What about the districts? Klein destroyed the geographical concept of districts by creating super networks. That just doesn't work. Even at the region level which consisted of contiguous districts, people spent a lot of time travelling.
Geography does count. The original 32 district plan was fairly decent size, but redrawing them might be a good idea. Maybe to match the Community Board zones.
What about a district school board and superintendent? The Ed Notes governance plan (with lots of input from the ICOPE concept that has been floating around) still has to figure that one out.
Should there be a school constituted by a member from each constituent school? Maybe a mixed board. One thing we should not see is a small board subject to manipulation by political machines. By putting power at the school level, those machines would have a hard time getting traction. I could live with a superintendent who monitors the schools and provides district level services to the schools. If these services are not delivered effectively, the schools need a way to take action or seek alternative sources.
What about high schools?
Remember that even under community control, the high schools were still centralized. I envision a mixed model but would need more input from people on this issue. High schools have been so separated from neighborhoods under BloomKlein. Bring back the concept of a zoned neighborhood high school with options to opt out. But keep it under local control. If the school is not functioning figure out why and fix it, not close it. If they decide at that level to have 4 small schools, that's fine. But Bill Gates would have to go there to sell his wares, not to one dictator.
That's enough on governance for now. My hair is starting to hurt.