Comments on: “Noble Lies?” EDDRA And The Daily News http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Edwize » WHO’S AFRAID OF TEACHER VOICE? CHARTER SCHOOLS AND UNION ORGANIZING http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-3277 Edwize » WHO’S AFRAID OF TEACHER VOICE? CHARTER SCHOOLS AND UNION ORGANIZING Fri, 18 Nov 2005 04:18:19 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-3277 [...] You could drive a fleet of non-union trucks through that hole, which ALF and Jackson Lewis will gladly defend in court.   THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – CHARTER SCHOOL – ALF CONNECTION As offensive as it is, neither the Jackson Lewis pamphlet nor the Jackson Lewis presentations were unforeseen: no one expects that the leopard will change his spots. What was remarkable, however, was who appeared on the other panel at [...] [...] You could drive a fleet of non-union trucks through that hole, which ALF and Jackson Lewis will gladly defend in court.   THE NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION – CHARTER SCHOOL – ALF CONNECTION As offensive as it is, neither the Jackson Lewis pamphlet nor the Jackson Lewis presentations were unforeseen: no one expects that the leopard will change his spots. What was remarkable, however, was who appeared on the other panel at [...]

]]> By: Edwize » NY Post: CHOICE IS GREAT — EXCEPT FOR TEACHERS WHO WANT A UNION http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-2937 Edwize » NY Post: CHOICE IS GREAT — EXCEPT FOR TEACHERS WHO WANT A UNION Fri, 04 Nov 2005 17:28:01 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-2937 [...] It’s always entertaining to watch the mighty pens of the New York Post editorial staff twist and turn around an issue when the plain truth is too much for them to bear [and, for that matter, to bare].   The latest episode is the Post editorial ‘Zap The Cap’ which denounces – hold on to your seats, boys and girls – the UFT and Randi Weingarten for the fact that the cap on the number of charter schools in New York State remains in place.   Let us leave to the side the Post’s editorial sortie into the prose style of Dr. Seuss, as some of us always saw this as an inevitable rhetorical turn, given the limited repertoire of its barely post-adolescent editorial writers and the fact that it pitches its newspaper to a third grade reading level.     What is interesting here, as in most Post editorials, is what is not said. Specifically, the Post dances around the facts in this Daily News article, which appeared less than a week before the Post editorial. What is now on the record is the fact that Randi indicated the UFT’s willingness to consider an increase in the cap on the number of charter schools. The only condition for UFT support is that the law also be amended to ensure that teachers in charter schools who wanted to be represented by a union could do so without hindrance, by certifying a union as the collective bargaining agent once it is verified that a majority of the teachers have signed union membership cards.   But for those, both in the Post editorial offices and at Tweed, who see charter schools as a way to create non-union schools rather than schools of excellence, the idea that teachers in charter schools would have the free choice to unionize is anathema. Better that the number of charter schools be frozen than there be more unionized charter schools.   Choice, it would appear, is good for everyone but teachers who want a union.   [As devotees of the historical record, we can’t let this moment pass without also pointing out that the Post once again plays fast and loose with the facts in its editorial. It asserts that low-performing public schools are not closed down. We don’t know where they live, but in New York City over the last five years, no less than seventeen different high schools deemed to be low-performing have been closed down or are currently in the process of phasing out. And the Post misrepresents the academic performance of charter schools in New York State as superior to that of regular district schools. We have dissected that particular falsehood at some length, here and here.]  [...] [...] It’s always entertaining to watch the mighty pens of the New York Post editorial staff twist and turn around an issue when the plain truth is too much for them to bear [and, for that matter, to bare].   The latest episode is the Post editorial ‘Zap The Cap’ which denounces – hold on to your seats, boys and girls – the UFT and Randi Weingarten for the fact that the cap on the number of charter schools in New York State remains in place.   Let us leave to the side the Post’s editorial sortie into the prose style of Dr. Seuss, as some of us always saw this as an inevitable rhetorical turn, given the limited repertoire of its barely post-adolescent editorial writers and the fact that it pitches its newspaper to a third grade reading level.     What is interesting here, as in most Post editorials, is what is not said. Specifically, the Post dances around the facts in this Daily News article, which appeared less than a week before the Post editorial. What is now on the record is the fact that Randi indicated the UFT’s willingness to consider an increase in the cap on the number of charter schools. The only condition for UFT support is that the law also be amended to ensure that teachers in charter schools who wanted to be represented by a union could do so without hindrance, by certifying a union as the collective bargaining agent once it is verified that a majority of the teachers have signed union membership cards.   But for those, both in the Post editorial offices and at Tweed, who see charter schools as a way to create non-union schools rather than schools of excellence, the idea that teachers in charter schools would have the free choice to unionize is anathema. Better that the number of charter schools be frozen than there be more unionized charter schools.   Choice, it would appear, is good for everyone but teachers who want a union.   [As devotees of the historical record, we can’t let this moment pass without also pointing out that the Post once again plays fast and loose with the facts in its editorial. It asserts that low-performing public schools are not closed down. We don’t know where they live, but in New York City over the last five years, no less than seventeen different high schools deemed to be low-performing have been closed down or are currently in the process of phasing out. And the Post misrepresents the academic performance of charter schools in New York State as superior to that of regular district schools. We have dissected that particular falsehood at some length, here and here.]  [...]

]]> By: HS SHOP TEACHER http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1094 HS SHOP TEACHER Tue, 04 Oct 2005 17:56:08 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1094 Since the contract agreement has been announced our "need a life" crew of four or five folks have posted no less than 50 different comments on various threads on this blog. If the level of disinformation they are now proffering is any indication of the desperate lengths they are prepared go to, this is going to be quite a lively, if not necessarily very accurate couple of weeks until the contract reatification is done. Just take the issue of the lead teacher. For a number of years, the UFT has been advocating the development of a lead teacher. Hell, all you have to do is go to the UFT web site to see a report which was adopted by the Delegate Assembly a number of years ago: http://www.uft.org/news/issues/atquality/index.html The whole idea is to have a career possibility for teachers to remain in the classroom half time, and to spend the other half of the time mentoring and doing professional development for new and novice teachers. We should have had a lot more of those trades where we give up a lead teacher position in return for not having to do 10 additional coverages. To talk about such position as merit pay is to be off in lala land, where the melting ICE from global warming and the Klein loons meet. If that is what the professional commenters have to say in criticism of this contract agreement, then one can understand the ever raising shrillness and notes of desperation in their voices. Not too long before we get comments written entirely in caps, with twnety exclamation points at the end. Since the contract agreement has been announced our “need a life” crew of four or five folks have posted no less than 50 different comments on various threads on this blog. If the level of disinformation they are now proffering is any indication of the desperate lengths they are prepared go to, this is going to be quite a lively, if not necessarily very accurate couple of weeks until the contract reatification is done.

Just take the issue of the lead teacher. For a number of years, the UFT has been advocating the development of a lead teacher. Hell, all you have to do is go to the UFT web site to see a report which was adopted by the Delegate Assembly a number of years ago: http://www.uft.org/news/issues/atquality/index.html The whole idea is to have a career possibility for teachers to remain in the classroom half time, and to spend the other half of the time mentoring and doing professional development for new and novice teachers. We should have had a lot more of those trades where we give up a lead teacher position in return for not having to do 10 additional coverages. To talk about such position as merit pay is to be off in lala land, where the melting ICE from global warming and the Klein loons meet.

If that is what the professional commenters have to say in criticism of this contract agreement, then one can understand the ever raising shrillness and notes of desperation in their voices. Not too long before we get comments written entirely in caps, with twnety exclamation points at the end.

]]> By: Leo Casey http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1088 Leo Casey Tue, 04 Oct 2005 16:17:02 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1088 Just a few words on the actual thread topic here. One can easily find the relevant information on academic performance at Princeton HS on the web, thanks to the data disaggregation demands on NCLB. Go to: http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc04/details.php?c=21;d=4255;s=050;f=I;lt=;st=#LALHSPA In the class which took the state Language Arts and Math exams in 2003-04, there were 194 white students, 26 African-American students and 26 Hispanic students. In Language Arts, 4.6% of the white students, 34.6% of the African-American students, and 26.9% of the Hispanic students fall into the lowest category, limited profiency, and in Math 5.7% of the white students, 46.2% of the African-American students, and 42.3% of the Hispanic students fell into the category of limited profiency. Conversely, in Language Arts, 52.1% of the white students, 7.7% of the African-American students and 11.5% of the Hispanic students were in the highest category, advanced proficiency, and in Math, 69.9% of the white students, 11.5% of the African-American students, and 15.4% of the Hispanic students fell into the advanced proficiency category. Do you think this is an exceptional year? Take a look at the year before it, 2002-03. That year there were 197 white students, 27 African-American students, and 15 Hispanic students. In Language Arts, 3% of the white students, 29.6% of the African-American students, and 20% of the Hispanic students fell into the lowest category of limited proficiency. In Math, 6% of the white students, 55.6% of the African-American students, and 21.4% of the Hispanic students fell into the lowest category of limited proficiency. Conversely, 41.6% of the white students, 3.7% of the African-American students, and 26.7% of the Hispanic students were in the highest category of advanced proficiency in Language Arts, and 61.9% of the white students, 0% of the African-American students, and 50% of the Hispanic students were in the highest category of advanced proficiency in Math. We thus clearly have a continuing, rather substantial achievement gap in the Princeton high school, and Freedman was quite correct in pointing it out. The attempts to suggest that there is not enough evidence to document the gap, both on EDDRA and here, are disingenuous, at the very least. The suggestion that in writing about this achievement gap, Samuel Freedman did not do his research, that he is a lazy reporter, and all the other ad hominem arguments launched at him from EDDRA are completely without merit. Note also that Princeton is a wealthy school district, serving a population with the highest concentration of Ph.D.s in the US. It spends well above the NJ average on its students, and it has class sizes that average around 20 students per class. This is not a struggling urban district. The school describes its academic performance in the following manner: "Our students have earned many honors. The class of 2004 included sixteen (16) National Merit Semi-Finalists and forty (40) Commended scholars and twenty-six (26) Bloustein Scholars. One hundred twenty nine (129) Princeton High School students who took the May 2004 Advanced Placement examinations received Advanced Placement Scholars Awards. Fifty seven (57) were Scholars with Distinction, twenty six (26) were Scholars with Honor and forty six (46) were Advanced Placement Scholars. In addition, fourteen (14) Princeton High School students qualified for the Advanced Placement National Scholar Award. (Our students have been included in the highest SAT 1 groupings in the nation.) Our 2004 mean Verbal Score was 611; our mean Math Score was 626 for a combined mean of 1237. Princeton High School continues to be ranked as one of the top schools in the state." Clearly, a great many resources at Princeton HS, both human and material, go into the advanced education of students who would succeed under any circumstances. And just as clearly, insufficient resources are going to the relatively small number of its students, mostly of color, who do not come to the school with all of the advantages of social class and family background that most Princeton students bring to it. Anyone who thinks that the defense of public education requires the denial of this achievement gap, or that criticism of the flaws and shortcomings of NCLB requires the denial of the importance of NCLB's demand for the disaggregation of student performance data by race and ethnicity, has been lying to themselves so long they no longer recognize the truth. Just a few words on the actual thread topic here.

One can easily find the relevant information on academic performance at Princeton HS on the web, thanks to the data disaggregation demands on NCLB. Go to: http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc04/details.php?c=21;d=4255;s=050;f=I;lt=;st=#LALHSPA

In the class which took the state Language Arts and Math exams in 2003-04, there were 194 white students, 26 African-American students and 26 Hispanic students. In Language Arts, 4.6% of the white students, 34.6% of the African-American students, and 26.9% of the Hispanic students fall into the lowest category, limited profiency, and in Math 5.7% of the white students, 46.2% of the African-American students, and 42.3% of the Hispanic students fell into the category of limited profiency. Conversely, in Language Arts, 52.1% of the white students, 7.7% of the African-American students and 11.5% of the Hispanic students were in the highest category, advanced proficiency, and in Math, 69.9% of the white students, 11.5% of the African-American students, and 15.4% of the Hispanic students fell into the advanced proficiency category.

Do you think this is an exceptional year? Take a look at the year before it, 2002-03. That year there were 197 white students, 27 African-American students, and 15 Hispanic students. In Language Arts, 3% of the white students, 29.6% of the African-American students, and 20% of the Hispanic students fell into the lowest category of limited proficiency. In Math, 6% of the white students, 55.6% of the African-American students, and 21.4% of the Hispanic students fell into the lowest category of limited proficiency. Conversely, 41.6% of the white students, 3.7% of the African-American students, and 26.7% of the Hispanic students were in the highest category of advanced proficiency in Language Arts, and 61.9% of the white students, 0% of the African-American students, and 50% of the Hispanic students were in the highest category of advanced proficiency in Math.

We thus clearly have a continuing, rather substantial achievement gap in the Princeton high school, and Freedman was quite correct in pointing it out. The attempts to suggest that there is not enough evidence to document the gap, both on EDDRA and here, are disingenuous, at the very least. The suggestion that in writing about this achievement gap, Samuel Freedman did not do his research, that he is a lazy reporter, and all the other ad hominem arguments launched at him from EDDRA are completely without merit.

Note also that Princeton is a wealthy school district, serving a population with the highest concentration of Ph.D.s in the US. It spends well above the NJ average on its students, and it has class sizes that average around 20 students per class. This is not a struggling urban district.

The school describes its academic performance in the following manner:
“Our students have earned many honors. The class of 2004 included sixteen (16) National Merit Semi-Finalists and forty (40) Commended scholars and twenty-six (26) Bloustein Scholars. One hundred twenty nine (129) Princeton High School students who took the May 2004 Advanced Placement examinations received Advanced Placement Scholars Awards. Fifty seven (57) were Scholars with Distinction, twenty six (26) were Scholars with Honor and forty six (46) were Advanced Placement Scholars. In addition, fourteen (14) Princeton High School students qualified for the Advanced Placement National Scholar Award. (Our students have been included in the highest SAT 1 groupings in the nation.) Our 2004 mean Verbal Score was 611; our mean Math Score was 626 for a combined mean of 1237. Princeton High School continues to be ranked as one of the top schools in the state.”

Clearly, a great many resources at Princeton HS, both human and material, go into the advanced education of students who would succeed under any circumstances. And just as clearly, insufficient resources are going to the relatively small number of its students, mostly of color, who do not come to the school with all of the advantages of social class and family background that most Princeton students bring to it.

Anyone who thinks that the defense of public education requires the denial of this achievement gap, or that criticism of the flaws and shortcomings of NCLB requires the denial of the importance of NCLB’s demand for the disaggregation of student performance data by race and ethnicity, has been lying to themselves so long they no longer recognize the truth.

]]> By: realitybasededucator http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1086 realitybasededucator Tue, 04 Oct 2005 15:38:38 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1086 To say the little sweeteners in the contract deal make it much improved from the PERB report is like saying, "I thought I was going to lose both arms and both legs in this avoidable accident, but instead I only lost both my legs and one arm. Hey, at least I have one arm left!" This deal nearly completely destroys what the union has spent 40 years to build in one shot. This deal does not have to be agreed to. Randi wants it agreed to because she put all of her eggs in the PERB report basket and she can't reject the recommendations without looking stupid. So she agrees to the PERB report as a vehicle for negotiation and gets one or two concessions from that report while giving up one or two to the city in return. How does that make the deal better? How does that make you pragmatic and living in the real world. Living in the real world would mean realizing your union president doesn't care about you or the job you do, only has her own political future and self-interests in mind when she makes 20 years of concessions in one contract, and sets a terrible precedent for future givebacks (e.g., health care costs, pensions, more days, more time, more merit pay and tenure.) Don't kid yourself. This contract is just the start. The next one will be even more egregious. To say the little sweeteners in the contract deal make it much improved from the PERB report is like saying, “I thought I was going to lose both arms and both legs in this avoidable accident, but instead I only lost both my legs and one arm. Hey, at least I have one arm left!”

This deal nearly completely destroys what the union has spent 40 years to build in one shot.

This deal does not have to be agreed to. Randi wants it agreed to because she put all of her eggs in the PERB report basket and she can’t reject the recommendations without looking stupid. So she agrees to the PERB report as a vehicle for negotiation and gets one or two concessions from that report while giving up one or two to the city in return.

How does that make the deal better? How does that make you pragmatic and living in the real world.

Living in the real world would mean realizing your union president doesn’t care about you or the job you do, only has her own political future and self-interests in mind when she makes 20 years of concessions in one contract, and sets a terrible precedent for future givebacks (e.g., health care costs, pensions, more days, more time, more merit pay and tenure.)

Don’t kid yourself. This contract is just the start. The next one will be even more egregious.

]]> By: devils_advocate http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1082 devils_advocate Tue, 04 Oct 2005 13:18:20 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1082 Jesse - Some people will complain no matter how much improved the deal is. Some people prefer to acknowledge the political climate we face. The rest of us, are pragmatic and live in THIS world, not in the fantasy world. Jesse – Some people will complain no matter how much improved the deal is. Some people prefer to acknowledge the political climate we face.

The rest of us, are pragmatic and live in THIS world, not in the fantasy world.

]]> By: realitybasededucator http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1078 realitybasededucator Tue, 04 Oct 2005 12:50:37 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1078 Nice spin, Jesse, but you're fooling yourself if you think teachers won't be handed pottyroom duty under this new contract, you're fooling yourself that the extra 10 minutes won't matter when it means four 37.5 minute classes a week for many seocndary school teachers, and you're fooling yourself if you think the 15% is really a raise after you take into account all the extra work. Sorry, Jesse, but I don't want to teach a sixth class. Just because YOU won't have to teach a sixth class doesn't mean it doesn't matter to the rest of us. I'm not sure what you mean about having a political agenda. I belong to no union caucus. I have run for no office. I am simply outraged that my own union would agree to so many givebacks in one contract for a mere 15% (which amounts to about $184 dollars a paycheck to me after taxes). And who's talking about a strike? I know the union is not ready to strike and I also know a strike would be a PR nightmare in the current political environment. That is a false dilemma that Weingarten and UNITY have proposed to members: either accept this crappy deal or strike immediately. There are other alternatives to either of these choices. For instance, we could get rid of the worst UFT preznit in history, Randi Weingarten, and elect a real union leader who would work for us rather than having us work for her. I have no problem with granting some concessions in a contract. But a sixth class, three more days of teaching (and that's what it is...you will start teaching now right after Labor Day), and the loss of seniority, grievance, and Circular 6 rights is simply too much to give up. The union leadership has sold us down the river. We must vote no on the contract and vote no on Randi Weingarten. Nice spin, Jesse, but you’re fooling yourself if you think teachers won’t be handed pottyroom duty under this new contract, you’re fooling yourself that the extra 10 minutes won’t matter when it means four 37.5 minute classes a week for many seocndary school teachers, and you’re fooling yourself if you think the 15% is really a raise after you take into account all the extra work.

Sorry, Jesse, but I don’t want to teach a sixth class. Just because YOU won’t have to teach a sixth class doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter to the rest of us.

I’m not sure what you mean about having a political agenda. I belong to no union caucus. I have run for no office. I am simply outraged that my own union would agree to so many givebacks in one contract for a mere 15% (which amounts to about $184 dollars a paycheck to me after taxes).

And who’s talking about a strike? I know the union is not ready to strike and I also know a strike would be a PR nightmare in the current political environment. That is a false dilemma that Weingarten and UNITY have proposed to members: either accept this crappy deal or strike immediately. There are other alternatives to either of these choices. For instance, we could get rid of the worst UFT preznit in history, Randi Weingarten, and elect a real union leader who would work for us rather than having us work for her.

I have no problem with granting some concessions in a contract. But a sixth class, three more days of teaching (and that’s what it is…you will start teaching now right after Labor Day), and the loss of seniority, grievance, and Circular 6 rights is simply too much to give up.

The union leadership has sold us down the river. We must vote no on the contract and vote no on Randi Weingarten.

]]> By: jesse http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1071 jesse Tue, 04 Oct 2005 05:15:33 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1071 My two quick cents - having read the website - It's my impression that the lead teacher positions might be a good idea. It would have to voluntary, and it allows someone to be the professional voice for teachers in a school outside of the chapter leader, who is there to help make sure rules aren't broken. I need to find out more about the circular 6 stuff, though it seems that we're not going back to the previous contract per se. My political instincts tell me it'll be hard to impose potty duty, since DC37 is so invested in those positions. The 10 minutes mean different things for different people, in my school, and considering I live 15 minutes from my school, it doesn't bother me as much. Ofcourse that's me; knowing my current use of 20 minutes, and the fact that my wife works later than I do. Sold down the river seems like a hyperbole, the money will help immensly. As I've said before, it's the political agenda's among some people here that disturb me. I would strike, and hold the line, but having seen what the cops got, and what other unions have gotten where I used to live, I don't think anyone has sold us down the river. This is, I think a lesson for all the teachers that vote for Republicans. Freddy's not out yet, and Bloomberg has let teachers know what he thinks of their work. My two quick cents – having read the website – It’s my impression that the lead teacher positions might be a good idea. It would have to voluntary, and it allows someone to be the professional voice for teachers in a school outside of the chapter leader, who is there to help make sure rules aren’t broken. I need to find out more about the circular 6 stuff, though it seems that we’re not going back to the previous contract per se. My political instincts tell me it’ll be hard to impose potty duty, since DC37 is so invested in those positions. The 10 minutes mean different things for different people, in my school, and considering I live 15 minutes from my school, it doesn’t bother me as much. Ofcourse that’s me; knowing my current use of 20 minutes, and the fact that my wife works later than I do. Sold down the river seems like a hyperbole, the money will help immensly.

As I’ve said before, it’s the political agenda’s among some people here that disturb me. I would strike, and hold the line, but having seen what the cops got, and what other unions have gotten where I used to live, I don’t think anyone has sold us down the river.

This is, I think a lesson for all the teachers that vote for Republicans. Freddy’s not out yet, and Bloomberg has let teachers know what he thinks of their work.

]]> By: realitybasededucator http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1067 realitybasededucator Tue, 04 Oct 2005 03:19:35 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1067 Oh, HS Shop Teacher, you are so easy to rebut: Randi didn't get 4% more than the PERB report recommended. She and the mayor added an extra year to the contract for the 4%. Randi didn't get "no extra coverages" in the contract. She traded "lead teacher positions" for the the deduction of the 10 extra coverages from the contract. Randi did get language in the contract that protects teachers from DOE micromanagement. Notice she doesn't tell us what that language is exactly. Also notice that WPIX reported tonight that the DOE won easier discipline measures against "bad" teachers. How much do you want to make a bet the new "discipline measures" trump the language that protects teachers from DOE micromanagement? Sorry, HS Shop Teacher, this deal is terrible. Last time, we gave back 16% for 20 extra minutes. This time, we give back 10 minutes, three days, seniority rights, Circular 6 rights, and grievance rights, and agreed to a sixth class and merit pay for 14.25% And this is a good deal? This is the best Randi could do? Randi has sold the membership down the river for her own political interests. This contract must be voted down and Randi Weingarten must be sent packing before any more damage is done to the union. BTW, I think you are mixing up "incessant whining" with my desire to protect hard-won labor rights and win myself a salary raise that doesn't require me to turn the clock back to 1950. Oh, HS Shop Teacher, you are so easy to rebut:

Randi didn’t get 4% more than the PERB report recommended. She and the mayor added an extra year to the contract for the 4%.

Randi didn’t get “no extra coverages” in the contract. She traded “lead teacher positions” for the the deduction of the 10 extra coverages from the contract.

Randi did get language in the contract that protects teachers from DOE micromanagement. Notice she doesn’t tell us what that language is exactly. Also notice that WPIX reported tonight that the DOE won easier discipline measures against “bad” teachers. How much do you want to make a bet the new “discipline measures” trump the language that protects teachers from DOE micromanagement?

Sorry, HS Shop Teacher, this deal is terrible.

Last time, we gave back 16% for 20 extra minutes.

This time, we give back 10 minutes, three days, seniority rights, Circular 6 rights, and grievance rights, and agreed to a sixth class and merit pay for 14.25%

And this is a good deal? This is the best Randi could do?

Randi has sold the membership down the river for her own political interests.

This contract must be voted down and Randi Weingarten must be sent packing before any more damage is done to the union.

BTW, I think you are mixing up “incessant whining” with my desire to protect hard-won labor rights and win myself a salary raise that doesn’t require me to turn the clock back to 1950.

]]> By: Chaz http://www.edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2/comment-page-1#comment-1066 Chaz Tue, 04 Oct 2005 02:41:34 +0000 http://edwize.org/noble-lies-eddra-and-the-daily-news-2#comment-1066 Well I do admit that Randi did a fair job in makng the arbitrators recommendation more reasonable for the classroom teacher. However, 15% for 52 months is less than 3.5% per year which is about what the suburbs get (without givebacks). However, look what we are giving up! Elimination of circular 6 (some teachers will be in the cafeteria, bathrooms, and hallway duty,---- real professional work). A minimum of 2 days before Labor Day (summer school teachers will go begging). Another 10 minutes (second jobs may not be possible). Letters-to-a-file that is not grievable (what stops a principal to write up a teacher for minor infractions?). Finally, the stealth 6th teaching period is just a contract away. I do give Randi credit for getting a better deal. Keeping the twice a year unpaid coverages, reducing the start time of the raises by 6 months (why not at the start of the contract????), and keeping many multi-session schools & district 75 from using the time as a potential 6th period (for how long? the next contract?). However, it does not solve the major issue (HS Shop Teacher), that is the narrowing of the salary differences between us and the burbs and the more difficult teaching that must be done in the city. Further, the micromanagment issues were not resolved as Randi states, they still and will exist under the new contract. Finally, the disaplinary process on teachers greatly weaken our due process. Suspension without pay for sexual and corporal punishment allegations. Guilty until proven innocent! What a victory for the UFT. Will I vote for this contract? I will have to think about it. In any case, it may not be a horror (ICE) but it is not, under any circumstances a fair contract (HS Shop Teacher). Well I do admit that Randi did a fair job in makng the arbitrators recommendation more reasonable for the classroom teacher. However, 15% for 52 months is less than 3.5% per year which is about what the suburbs get (without givebacks). However, look what we are giving up! Elimination of circular 6 (some teachers will be in the cafeteria, bathrooms, and hallway duty,—- real professional work). A minimum of 2 days before Labor Day (summer school teachers will go begging). Another 10 minutes (second jobs may not be possible). Letters-to-a-file that is not grievable (what stops a principal to write up a teacher for minor infractions?). Finally, the stealth 6th teaching period is just a contract away.

I do give Randi credit for getting a better deal. Keeping the twice a year unpaid coverages, reducing the start time of the raises by 6 months (why not at the start of the contract????), and keeping many multi-session schools & district 75 from using the time as a potential 6th period (for how long? the next contract?).

However, it does not solve the major issue (HS Shop Teacher), that is the narrowing of the salary differences between us and the burbs and the more difficult teaching that must be done in the city. Further, the micromanagment issues were not resolved as Randi states, they still and will exist under the new contract. Finally, the disaplinary process on teachers greatly weaken our due process. Suspension without pay for sexual and corporal punishment allegations. Guilty until proven innocent! What a victory for the UFT.

Will I vote for this contract? I will have to think about it. In any case, it may not be a horror (ICE) but it is not, under any circumstances a fair contract (HS Shop Teacher).

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