Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Vol. 6 No. 1
Continued on page 14
Fall 2002
When UFT leader Randi Weingarten floated a proposal to give the mayor control of the
school system in May 2001, Education Notes took strong exception, arguing that giving
politicians control would only result in a system of education by the numbers in a corporate
style system. Our opposition caused a breach in our relationship to the UFT leadership that
has not been healed to this day. Weingarten took exception to what she perceived was an
accusation that she was selling us out. We did not go that far, but we did feel that she was in
favor of recentralizing the school system, thus opting for short term gains (a quick contract)
while sacrificing the long term interests of school workers, whose ability to control the
conditions under which they work decrease significantly under centralized control. Mayor
Giulianis scornful rejection of that deal delayed our contract for more than a year. It was
the unions behind the scenes support for giving Mayor Bloomberg control that finally got
the contract done. Did Weingarten sell out our educational interests for a pot of gold? The
next few years will allow people to judge for themselves. This month, we give our readers a
break from our diatribes against centralized corporate style mayoral control and turn instead
to surrogates.
Now that we are retired we have the voted agreed with them as 94% Solomons description of
attitude: contract? Whass that? Alas, approved the contract. At the DA an expedited grievance
(Dec./Jan)
some of you are still working and 54 people out of about 1200 voted procedure at the Sept. 10
its not all joy in Mudville. Marian NO, myself included. At my last chapter leader meeting
As the Union World Turns: The Continuing Saga of Debbie
& Randi : Union leaders react differently to school closings Swerdlow did some analysis back meeting as a voting delegate, I made things sound pretty
in June and writes an account of her didnt want to ruin a 30 year run good. But then again
Unity Caucus primer
experiences at the June Delegate of voting against contracts. My everything sounds good
The Tweed Courthouse: Boss Klein in action
Assembly where she and others in main reasons have to do with when youre retired. Wed
UFT leader says longer day=higher scores. Lets work till
Teachers for a Just Contract were issues such as class size and other appreciate it if someone
midnight
Special: Seniority rights of 17 teachers at City as School the only group to formally come out basic working conditions that would send us their own
in opposition to the contract. (PAGE were not addressed. Grievance analysis of the grievance
HS were violated when they were notified on July 1 that
their Executive Internship program was ended. The program 9) Only 6% of the people who D e p a r t m e n t h e a d H o w i e procedure for Ed. Notes.
was reconstituted under another name. We report on how
Cost of this edition
well the UFT grievance procedure worked
Retired teachers protest RTC CL election. P 3
Printing: $916
Ed. Notes available on the web as downloadable pdf Exec. Bd. votes UFT staff 16% raise. P 4
Production costs: labor donated
New contract in dead sea scrolls discovered
at www.sec4sec.com courtesy of Lillian Varrassi
Look for interim Ed. Notes
under 260 Park Ave.S. P 7
handout at Nov. DA (maybe)
Opposition groups speak. P 8
JOKES ON PAGE 15
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Deborah Meier has been a hero to those who wanted to see change in
the NYC public school system. Meier seemed to have rational solutions
to complex problems. As a teacher she ran open classrooms, started
the small schools movement in NYC, and set up a progressive system
at the Park East complex in Dist. 4. She finally gave up on the system
and moved to Boston to set up a school. Now 71 she was the first public
school teacher to win the genius MacArthur Foundation grant.
Excerpted from NY Times, 9/3/02, Jane Gross, author
"I can't imagine anything they can do that would make a
substantial difference," she said, except bucking a nationwide trend
of more and more standardized testing. "If the only thing you want is
better test scores, it poisons the game."
Ms. Meier said that the current "mania for accountability," with
rewards and punishments for students, teachers and administrators,
was borrowed from the corporate world. "It's like Enron," she said,
pointing to all the ways that educators can cook the books to make
attendance, graduation rates and test scores appear better than they
are. "When the goal is the numbers," she added, "it leads to distortion
of the data. The connection to reality gets problematic."
What would she do? She would start with a small schools
movement:
Clustered in networks of half a dozen schools, teachers
and principals could observe and critique each others' work, design
accountability systems to suit their individual needs and systematically
study what worked and what did not. It would take five years to arrive at
effective measurements, Ms. Meier said, and probably a generation to
make the small-school model and its less rigid accountability methods
the norm.
Her critics, she said, wanted "a faster, more guaranteed route,"
like the order to lift test scores annually. Her counter argument is that
"being in too much of a hurry leads us to do things that are a waste
of time" or to jump on the latest fads. Among them, in Ms. Meier's
opinion, are putting city school systems under mayoral control,
appointing chancellors who are not educators and moving district
superintendents to a central location.
Since Michael Bloomberg will be too busy to run his corporation for at least the next 3 years, the Bloomberg Corporation
will hold a contest to choose a teacher to run the multi billion
dollar enterprise. If non-educators can run the school system, it makes perfect sense for a teacher to run the Bloomberg business, a spokesperson declared. The teacher will
be chosen based on scores from the latest reading test. The
new head of Bloombergs company is expected to end social
promotion in the giant corporation and raise standards.
Page 2
Late breaking news: Bloomberg says he needs to take over UFT (some say he already
has) to make school system work and will ask the state assembly (a UFT subsidiary) for control.
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Page 3
Sept. 19,2002
George Schmidt, founder and editor of the independent education newsletter Substance
for the past 27 years and a major source of information on events in the Chicago
school system, met with a group of NYC teachers at the Ed. Notes palatial estate this
summer in Rockaway Beach. It was Georges first return to
Rockaway since he went out on a date to Rockaway Playland
in the 60s.
Schmidt, accompanied by his 14 year old son, Danny, regaled
his audience with tales of the Chicago corporate model of
mayoral control, how school workers took back the union
and shared his experiences at the AFT convention (attended
by 800 Unity Caucus members at your expense) held in July
in Las Vegas. George also gave us advice on how to make
Ed. Notes a more viable and effective source of information Schmidt discusses
for school workers in NYC. See Georges article on Mayoral events in Chicago
control on page 5 and the stories on CTU President Debbie
Lynch on pages 5 and 6.
In another move to squeeze democratic procedures out of the union, UFT leaders have
decided not to hold elections for district reps when DRs leave office before their term is
up. Claiming long time precedence (not true) Randi Weingarten has recently been able to
appoint 8 DRs (all Unity) with more to come. This procedure has taken away the rights of
chapter leaders in the districts to elect their DRs and has given the new incumbent an unfair
advantage when the elections do take place in the spring of 2003. Ed. Notes advocates the
popular election of DRs where all the school workers in the district get to vote.
Fall 2002
Education Notes
When union employees were voted a 16% raise by the UFT Executive Board (many
of whom are themselves employed by the union in either
a full-time or part time capacity--- Unity caucus members
only, of course) on Sept. 18,
eyebrows were raised. Randi
Weingarten took the floor and
made an im pas sioned defence of this raise. She talked
about how hard the staff had
worked to get raises in the
new contract and how much
of them selves they gave.
She was perturbed at 2 of the
4 amendments placed before
the Exec. Bd. by New Action
Exec. Bd. member James
Eterno. (See Ed. Notes
Hotline... on this page.) In
the end, a compromise was
reached and she agreed to
parts of the other two resolutions: that the NY Teacher
print all salaries (Board of Ed
plus UFT plus other disbursements) of officials and staff
each year and that the NY
Teacher inform its members
that they are entitled to see
or obtain a copy of the LM-2
report filed each year and give
clear procedures of where and
how to obtain the report. (We
provide that same info. on this
page)
It is standard operating procedure for union staffs to get
the same base raise as was
won by the people they represent and even many critics
of union leaders (including Ed.
Notes) have not automatically
jumped on a bandwagon of
outrage. Of course a significant chunk of the raise was
the 20 minute extended day.
Weingarten answered that by
proudly proclaiming that union
staff would not work 20, but
30 minutes more a day (union
Head quar ters will open at
9:30) and a number of people
(herself included) will work 7
Page 4
Ed. Notes Email Hotline puts amendments in play
When we received notice on Sept. 7 that the Exec. Bd. was going
to vote 16% raises for union staff, we sent out an immediate notice
on the Ed. Notes hotline. Responses came in almost immediately,
suggestions for amendments among them. These suggestions were
sent back to the list. New Actions James Eterno collated them and
bought them to New Action Exec. Bd. members for approval and
4 amendments were formally presented to the Exec. Bd. at the
Sept. 9 meeting. Randi Weingarten categorically rejected 2 of the
amendments (we dont have space for them here) but expressed
willingness to accept the 2 others with only slight modifications.
New Action huddled quickly and offered to drop the offensive
amendments as a compromise. Weingarten accepted. Here are the
amendments: 1) That the NY Teacher print all salaries (Board of
Ed plus UFT plus other disbursements) of officials and staff each
year. 2) That the NY Teacher inform its members that they are
Who gets the jobs?
Our criticism has to do entitled to see or obtain a copy of the LM-2 report filed each year
with who gets union jobs and give clear procedures of where and how to obtain the report.
and how they get them. (See below if you cant wait for the NY Teacher report.)
(even though that effort is
all too often misdirected.)
If youve dealt with people
running the DOE there is no
comparison with the capabilities of the people working
for the UFT, mainly because
many of them have been
teachers (just one example
of why teachers should run
schools.) Can you imagine
the nightmare if the DOE
ran the incredibly well-run
Welfare Fund instead of the
UFT?)
http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/olms/
rrlo/lmrda.htm will get you there more directly. The UFT
UFT President Randi Weingarten cooed about the wonderful new contract in her column in the NY Teacher. Ed. Notes has procured the unedited portions of the column
When we started on the road to a contract I promised you we would fight for a decent contract. I
am very proud to present you with the results
of my Herculean efforts, frankly, without the
help of anyone else. I kept my promises without
compromising the basic principles that are the
foundation of our union.
1. A double digit raise in the amount of toilet
paper in teacher bathrooms. Frankly, after the
economy tanked, I had some doubts that I could
deliver on this one. The result? The city has
promised a 10% + 6% increase in the toilet paper
allocation (The extra 6% will only go to those
who spend an extra 20 minutes in the bathroom.)
And it wont be the cheap rough kind either. More
soft Charmin like. But if some rough toilet paper
Fall 2002
Education Notes
No teacher union should support mayoral control of the school system -- especially
if the "Chicago Model" is invoked to
justify that control. Chicago's version of
Page 5
Only a year ago she was teaching. So she can relate to the rank and file.
"Under [former school CEO] Paul Vallas, we were the fall guys," she adds.
"We were the ones who took the blame.
Well, we utterly reject that message. We
Deborah Lynch wants
have erosion of pay. We are not treated as
more than just decent
professionals. And they wonder why we
wages for Chicago's
have 1,100 vacancies. They bad-mouth the
schools. They bad- mouth the teachers. But teachers. She wants
I know better. You know better. We are the them to be in charge.
solution. We are not the problem."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Her mission as head of the CTU is unprecedented: She wants to change the
culture of education in Chicago by overturning a hierarchy in which teachers
are lodged somewhere near the bottom. She wants to win her members new
rights, higher wages, and greater responsibilities. "I want teachers to be treated
as professionals, not as workers," is how she puts it. "If they're going to hold us
accountable, well, put us in charge." Such talk, in this city (and many others,
no doubt), is revolutionary.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In 1997, for example, she wrote and disseminated an open letter to then school
CEO Paul Vallas that was as much an indictment of Reece as of the school
board. It began with her account of a recent professional-development day,
during which 120 teachers were forced to sit on "hard, wooden, nailed-down
seats for a mandatory six-hour workshop on team building," while a well-paid
consultant chided them for talking out of turn. "The day reminded me of an
article I read about 20 years ago, comparing teacher professional development
to the insemination of Flossie the Cow," she continued. "Like Flossie, [the
teachers] endured but didn't enjoy it very much. It just happened."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Lynch began teaching] at a public school on the South Side of Chicago. And
although she adored her students, she quickly took note of the repressive
education hierarchy and its unwritten rules. "The lessons you learn are to be
quiet, don't ask questions; only troublemakers ask questions," she says. "I saw
how teachers were beaten down."
By 1979, after five years in the classroom, Lynch had enough. She wanted to
stay in education but attack the problem from a different angle. So she took
a job as a professional-development specialist in a federally funded program
and went to graduate school at the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning
a master's degree and then a doctorate in education (her dissertation topic:
"Power and Powerlessness in Teaching"). She also crossed paths with John
Kostakis, a field rep for the CTU, who, she says, "talked about how a union
could be more than just reacting to negative things. He got me to think about
the toll of working in a huge, impersonal system in which curriculum is
dictated from the top, where you are a robot who follows orders."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lynch hammered Reece for isolating union members from the decision making
process. The system, she claimed, had undergone two contradictory reforms
in seven years. First, in 1988, the state legislature passed a law giving elected
local school councils control of the city's schools. Then, in 1995, the legislature
reversed itself, stripping the councils of power and handing the schools over to
Mayor Daley and his handpicked CEO, Paul Vallas. "Debbie pointed out that in
each case, those laws were passed without consulting the teachers," says [one
observer.]
The 1995 law also swept away many such time-honored bargaining rights as
seniority and class size. "Thanks to the new law, Vallas could basically cram 35
kids into a class and get away with it," says Lynch. "Despite the union contract
that limits class size to 28 or 30, there's nothing the union could do about it."
To heighten her profile, she wrote an autobiography, A Labor of Love: One
Chicago Teacher's Experience
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[When CEO (Chancellor equivalent) Arne Duncan, closed 3 schools without
consulting the union in spring 02, Lynch countered:] "This is not partnership,
this is not leadership. This is not an administration working with teachers to
figure out what's best for the kids," Lynch says today. "This is trying to look
like you're doing something
"I have devoted my whole
instead of taking the years of hard
life to working in systems
work it takes to turn around a
school."
with high concentrations
Within a day of Duncan's
of poverty. I am saying that
announcement, Lynch had
poverty is a predictor of low visited all three schools with
achievement unless you put crews of television reporters in
in appropriate strategies.
her wake. What she heard and
saw from teachers and students
only solidified her point of
view. They were three predominantly black schools in tough neighborhoods.
"I'm not saying poverty is an excuse for low achievement; I would never say
Fall 2002
Schmidt continued
Vallas, the school system's CEO, endorsed
Chicago Teachers Union president Thomas
Reece, an incumbent with a war chest on more
than $200,000 and control of every one of the
more than 40 jobs at the CTU's headquarters.
The Chicago Sun-Times (circulation 500,000
daily) told Chicago's teachers to vote for Tom
Reece and his "team."
When the results of the election were announced on May 25 after a hand-count of
the paper ballots, the opposition slate from
the Pro Active Chicago Teachers and School
Workers (PACT) caucus had won the election with 57 percent of the vote to Reece's
43 percent. On the day they voted, all five
of the PACT candidates for city-wide union
office were teaching in their schools (or, in
the case of Maureen Callaghan, candidate for
treasurer, working in the school office where
she served as secretary). Deborah Lynch (now
CTU president), Howard Heath (now CTU
vice president), Jacqueline Price Ward (now
CTU recording secretary), James Alexander
(now CTU financial secretary) and Maureen
Callaghan (now CTU treasurer) all had to
clean out their classrooms (or desks) before
they reported to the downtown offices of the
Chicago Teachers Union on July 1, 2001, to
begin leading one of the largest locals in the
American Federation of Teachers.
The victory of PACT in the May 2001 CTU
election was an overwhelming vote of no
confidence in the union leadership that
had allowed the once powerful Chicago
Teachers Union to become a company union
under the domination of Chicago's City Hall.
The victory of Deborah Lynch Walsh (who
dropped the "Walsh" from her last name recently) and the other members of the PACT
slate (including 40 of the 45 members of the
CTU executive board, was a victory for the
rank-and-file and for the secret ballot and
Lynch Speaks
Deborah Lynch made the following
campaign speech to the May 2,
2001 Chicago House of Delegates
(excerpts courtesy of SUBSTANCE)
just weeks before she was elected
President of the CTU.
When the Board of Education unilaterally
imposed an arbitrary and unfair discipline
code....When it reconstituted six of our
high schools and 188 CTU members lost
their positions....When the Board imposed
probation...,and remediation, reconstitution,
re-engineering, and intervention (the list
of reforms goes on and on), the current
officers did nothing. The silence has been
deafening.
On their watch, our contract has been
eroded, our benefits diminished, our rights
trampled, our dignity denigrated, our
professionalism impugned, our colleagues
fired, our co-workers privatized, our
seniority eliminated, our due process
Education Notes
Page 6
Lynch continued
democratic unionism. The betrayal of the
teachers and other union members in Chicago by the former union administration was
decisively repudiated on May 18 in what was
the most exciting union election in recent
Chicago memory.
The hard work began immediately. The
new leadership of the CTU is rebuilding a
coalition of more than a dozen unions representing those who work in Chicago's public
schools -- from janitors and school engineers
to truck drivers and lunchroom workers.
With an eye towards the negotiations for a
contract which expires on August 31, 2003,
Deborah Lynch and her colleagues in the
union leadership have been mobilizing their
union membership in unprecedented ways.
Not only has the election of Deborah Lynch
provided a repudiation of the politics of union
busting and teacher bashing in Chicago's
public schools, but it has begun to lead to an
unprecedented era of mobilization and hope
among a formerly demoralized membership
of the once mighty union. With every step
the Chicago Teachers Union takes towards
getting its strength back after years of convalescence in the isolation ward of company
unionism, teachers and other union members
add their voices, votes and hard work to the
massive job of rebuilding the city's public
schools after years of mismanagement by
the political cronies of City Hall.
Check out www.substance.com for
more information
that because I don't believe that," Lynch says. "I have devoted my whole life to
working in systems with high concentrations of poverty. I am saying that poverty
is a predictor of low achievement unless you put in appropriate strategies. Where
are their plans? There are no plans. They do not even know where they are going to
send these kids."
On April 24, Lynch led a group of about 250 protesters parents, teachers, and
activiststo a board meeting held, ironically, at a public school on the city's West
Side, not far from Dodge. The board members sat on a stage beneath a mural of
African American leaders, including the late CTU president Jacqueline Vaughn. As
the protesters' chants of "save our schools" subsided, Lynch addressed the board
in a voice that crackled with emotion. "We stand here today in the tradition of an
African American leader," she told its members. "We stand in her footsteps. Jacqui
Vaughn would not take the closing of three schools serving the poorest children
quietly, and neither will we."
She pleaded with the board to turn the schools over to the union, promising to lead
teachersall summer and around the clock, if necessaryin the establishment of
a new reading curriculum. Eventually the three schools could serve as models of
teacher-parent collaboration. "We're asking to be allowed to work harder and longer
and truly be held accountable for our actions," said Lynch. Despite her plea, the
board unanimously voted to close the schools.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------By 3:30 P.M.. on this day in early June, Lynch is in the lobby of one of the city's
union halls on the Near West Side, greeting CTU delegates as they pass through
the doors on their way into a monthly meeting. This is, by now, a familiar scene,
and she's surrounded by familiar faces: a socialist peddling his papers, Ted Dallas
handing out fliers (this one calling Lynch's first year in office a colossal failure),
various activists passing out leaflets. The delegates seem supportive. They shake
Lynch's hand, pat her back, return her hugs. She distributes copies of a newspaper
article describing the high points of her first year. Her smile never fades, and she
shows no sign of weariness. After an hour of hand-shaking, she enters the union
hall---[For the full story on Debbie Lynch, send email to norscot@aol.com or go Teacher
Magazine web site.
Related Education Week stories:
"Long Passage," June 5, 2002, "Teachers' Union Launches School to Train
Teachers," April 10, 2002, "Powerful Reforms With Shallow Roots," Commentary,
Feb. 27, 2002, "Illinois Union Leaders to Quit in Wake of Local's Charges," Sept.
12, 2001, "Challenger Topples Chicago Teachers Union President," June 6, 2001.
"Change Afoot for Chicago's School Team," June 6, 2001.
Related Teacher Magazine stories:
"Interview: Union Dues and Don'ts," March 2001, an interview with Deborah
Lynch Walsh.
AFT locals in Chicago and other school-related unions are poised to reclaim many of the bargaining rights stripped by the Illinois Legislature in 1995. A coalition of unions met
with the city throughout the summer and reached an agreement on restoring a number of protections and giving employees a renewed say in school operations at both the preK-12
and community college levels. The agreement was overwhelmingly approved the CTU House of Delegates Sept. 4; the agreement now will be crafted into language that the state
Legislature is expected to pass by year's end. "The restoration of these rights has been one of the top priorities of the CTU officers," Deborah Lynch, CTU president and an AFT
vice president, reported in an Aug. 26 letter to union delegates. Enactment of the School Reform Act of 1995 dealt a severe blow to members' rights at both CTU and the Cook
County College Teachers Union/AFT and crippled the unions' ability to bargain on a range of issues, including class size, assessment policy, privatization of services and staffing.
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Page 7
Secretaries For Secretaries was formed as a network for secretaries to communicate on a daily basis, to bring to the floor new issues, and to assist
new secretaries with ideas on how to best handle the overwhelming workload that has accrued over the years. The SFS website has been a source of
information, inspiration and important issues. Experienced secretaries throughout the city have contributed to the site. The effectiveness of the site
has spurred the UFT web site, which had buried news for secretaries, into finally adding a secretarial webpage which does not require one to search
aimlessly for information. This came after they had tried to co-opt our page. But we wouldnt go along with their demands for total control.
The official UFT Secretaries' Chapter, which should be defending the
interests of secretaries, promotes mandates dictated by union leaders. SFS,
as an independent entity, owes its allegiance to one group and one group
only - the secretaries.
We are pro union. The problem lies with the people running our union.
They have promoted the lie that SFS believes secretaries should form a new
union. Do not believe it. The people running our union derive their power
from those who accept the status quo. They use trickery and deception,
while those of us who seek change in a system gone awry, face retribution
and harassment. The last several months have exposed the mask of deceit
perpetrated by our union leaders.
As we approach the beginning of another school year, it is time to take stock
of what the union has accomplished on behalf of secretaries in the new
contract. We are hard pressed to find at least one issue that can be deemed
successful to the needs of the school secretary. The borough meetings we
had to endure may have seemed genuine, but the truth is that they were
just "good theater." The concern everyone showed regarding our plight
was disingenuous. The Secretaries' Chapter leader was condescending and
manipulative in addressing our concerns. She may rule with an iron fist, but
union leaders dictate the agenda - one that clearly disassociates itself from
our immediate needs.
The new contract, which is promoted as a milestone vis a vis the workload
issue for secretaries, has come up short. If a secretary finds her workload to
be overwhelming, she will now have to file a grievance with her principal,
subsequently with the superintendent and, finally, the chancellor. How
ludicrous can you get? To put the onus on principals is unfair and quite
laughable since everyone knows the workload comes down from the Board
IF
: Researchers recently uncovered the following ancient text in dead sea scrolls discovered under 260 Park Ave. South
If we hadnt picketed schools on the last day of school in June 01, the contract we doth received would have been the same and UFT leaders would have deemed said contract
sufficient.
If UFT truth squads wearing black t-shirts
hadnt shadowed Giuliani appearances, the
contract we doth received would have been
the same and UFT leaders would have
deemed said contract sufficient.
If we hadnt endorsed Alan Hevesi for
Mayor, the contract we doth received
would have been the same and UFT
leaders would have deemed said contract
sufficient.
If we hadnt endorsed Farrar for Mayor,
the contract we doth received would have
been the same and UFT leaders would
have deemed said contract sufficient.
If we hadnt endorsed Green for Mayor,
the contract we doth received would have
been the same and UFT leaders would
have deemed said contract sufficient.
If we hadnt taken our Unfair labor practice complaint to PERB, the contract we
doth received would have been the same
and UFT leaders would have deemed said
contract sufficient.
If the March DA hadnt agreed to con-
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Page 8
Ed. Notes invited all groups that have been critical of the union leadership to write a
summary of their basic point of view.
Teachers for a Just Contract
New Action/UFT
New Action/UFT is one of the two major caucuses within our
union. We have been in existence for almost twenty years. For
the past four UFT citywide elections we have won the majority
of the high school division. Currently six high school members
of our caucus serve on the UFT Executive Board. Over the
years we have worked within our union to improve our salaries,
working conditions, school safety and equalize pensions for all.
In
Their
Own
Words
"Teachers for a Just Contract" formed in April 1992. Our goals are a
more democratic union, and a militant strategy to stop givebacks and
improve our pay, benefits and working conditions. In 1994, we started our
newsletter, "Class Action," which we publish between contract periods.
We demonstrated against the proposed contract of 1995. In 2000, we
launched a campaign against the longer work day, including petitions
and demonstrations, which culminated in our opposition to the contract
reached in June 2002.
Email us at JustContract @ aol.com or call 212-831-3408.
Progressive Action Caucus (PAC) initiated the legal battle for thousands
of teachers who have lost their licenses due to the punitive use of the NY
State Certification Exams. These tests are unrelated to job performance
and have a disparate impact on Black and Latino teachers. Teachers who
have worked in classrooms with satisfactory ratings should have their
licenses reinstated.
Progressive Action Caucus has expanded to fight for public schools
in which every student has the resources and opportunity to succeed
academically, and to develop her or his full potential. We cannot achieve
this goal alone. Our natural allies areparents, students, the communities
they come from, and progressive educators. We fight in the union for
demands such as smaller classes that will insure quality education for
students and give teachers better working conditions.
Contact Dave Poleshuck at 718-448-2647, email: dpoleshuck@yahoo.com
Would we leave Unity Caucus out? Even though they have the entire propaganda machine of the UFT at their
disposal, we didnt want them to miss out on reaching out to the influential Ed. Notes readership.
By not joining Unity, you missed a trip to Las Vegas to the AFT Convention in the summer of 02. And were going Washington in 04 after you elect
800 or more of us in the next UFT election. Dont forget the NYSUT conventions somewhere in upstate New York. Maybe even at the Hilton in NYC.
All at the members expense. And you can get elected without having to be responsible to the membership because of AT-LARGE VOTING! You
only have to run every 3 years. (Dont you wish it were 10?)
YOU CAN EARN EXTRA CASH AFTER SCHOOL WITHOUT HAVING TO TEACH ADDITIONAL TIME!
Join Unity and become eligible for an after school union job. Get the same pay as all those non-Unity teachers slaving away in after school
programs. And you get an extra UFT pension. Dont worry about competition from non-Unity members. These jobs are never posted and are
reserved solely for YOU!!! Demonstrate total loyalty and you can get the big enchilada: A FULL-TIME UNION JOB!
Heres all you have to do: Take a blood oath to be loyal to whatever policies the leadership hands down. Vote the way you are told to at AFT
and NYSUT conventions and at the Delegate Assembly. Now for the easiest part: convince yourself that any dissent from the leaderships views
are destructive and anti-union. If you do a good job, you can come to believe that anyone who criticizes Unity caucus is a disloyal idiot! Best of
luck!
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Page 9
Many union members are not aware of the UFTs parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers or the fact that a portion of the dues they
pay goes to that organization. Or the fact that 800 elected Unity Caucus delegates go to conventions at our expense. Or that they exercise caucus discipline and are told how to vote. Or...We can go on and on. Mike Antonucci of EIA gives us his unique perspective on the AFT Convention held in Las
Vegas July 15-18. Mike also covered the NEA convention in Dallas two weeks before and provides some interesting comparisons between the 2 largest
organizations representing teachers in this country. We have culled what we consider the most pertinent aspects from the perspective of NYC teachers
and have added our comments at various points in Mikes reports. Space limitations forced us to leave out a number of his juicy observations. For his
full reports, email norscot@aol.com or contact Mike to get on EIAs email list (EducationIntel@aol.com.)
July 15,2002
Welcome from Las Vegas, where
the 77th Convention of the Ameri can Fed er a tion of Teach ers
opened today. EIA knew it would
be different, but how different! I
might actually get to eat regularly.
The morning session lasted for 90
minutes, most of which was consumed by the keynote speech of
AFT President Sandra Feldman.
We even managed to squeeze in
an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, and two verses of America
the Beautiful. After Feldman's
speech, we broke for a two-hour
lunch. The del e gates re turned
afterwards for a two-and-a-halfhour breakout session devoted to
their specific job title. These were
closed to the press. The delegates
are logging a lot of slot machine
time.
(These notes were prepared for the Teachers for a Just Contract mailing list and are reprinted with the authors permission. Edited by Ed. Notes.)
I entered about 10 to
15 minutes late, because I was
distributing "Vote No" leaflets in
the corridor.
Our group, Teachers for
a Just Contract, was the one and
only group giving out literature
against the proposed pact. This
was partly because the largest
opposition group, New Action,
supports this proposed contract.
But, to be fair, other groups and
publications may not have had
time to produce a negative piece:
the pact was unveiled merely 48
hours before the DA. That's short
turnaround time for those of us
with day jobs.
The other interesting part
was the unusual hostility on the
part of those going in. Since I
was stationed at the top of the
escalator which was the only
entry route for the hall, I got a
good look at the crowd, and it was
even more predominantly old and
well-dressed than the usual DA.
Unity had been extra careful to
Fall 2002
AFT report continued
new business items.
Ed. Note: Democracy in action.
Mike ought to come see a UFT
Executive Board meeting.
July 17, 2002
Antonucci comments on the AFTs
(ba si cal ly neg a tive) re port on
Charter Schools. Lack of space
prevents us from including these
comments. Check his web site or
email Ed. Notes if you wish to
receive his analysis. Here, contradictions in the report are raised.
One AFT Report Throws Light
on Another One other claim in
AFT's charter school report deserves closer scrutiny: that charter
school teachers are less experienced
and lower paid than the average
public school teacher. This claim
comes complete with a table. But
of course, less experience means
lower pay in the traditional salary
scale. AFT admits this by saying,
"Charter school salaries tend to
be competitive with other public
schools at the beginning teacher
level."
So the question really is
not why charter school teachers
are paid less. The question is why
charter schools attract and hire
less experienced teachers. AFT
prefers to conclude the reason is
charter school operators want to
save money on teacher salaries in
DA report continued
Education Notes
order to spend it elsewhere. But a different AFT report provides a different
interpretation.
A Report of the AFT Task Force
on Union-Sponsored Professional Development details the AFT version of
new unionism, though AFT's name for
it is "professional unionism." In short,
the idea is that, as the report states, "a
professional union balances teachers'
legitimate self-interests with the larger
interests of teaching as an occupation
and education as an institution." The
report's recommendations were approved today by the delegates.
What makes the report interesting is its delineation of reasons why
professional unionism is necessary for
the organization. It cites Harvard education professor Susan Moore Johnson, who wrote, "Studies have shown
that, as a group, (retiring teachers)
value job security, prefer autonomy to
teamwork, tolerate isolation, eschew
competition, respect administrative
authority oppose differential treatment within their ranks, and express
little interest in career advancement."
On the other hand, new teachers like
jobs that "feature variety, teamwork,
risk-taking, entrepreneurial opportunities, and high pay. They often find
the values and priorities of the retiring
generation puzzling and outmoded."
Which of those teachers do you think
will leave a regular public school to
teach at a charter?
The people who wrote AFT's
Page 10
merger by the NEA Representative
Assembly in 1998," Chase said.
But he wanted to tell "the cynics
who believe that merger will never
take place" (who, me?), that merger
between NEA and AFT "is a dream
that will not die."
It was a powerful and persuasive speech, but it's worth noting that it was delivered to this
audience and not the NEA Representative Assembly. AFT delegates
approved the Principles of Unity
by a vast margin in 1998 (although
it oc curred af ter the NEA convention, rendering it meaningless
and sym bol ic). Nei ther Chase,
NEA President-elect Reg Weaver,
Vice President-elect Dennis Van
Roekel, NEA Secretary-Treasurerelect Lily Eskelsen, nor anyone
else with access to a microphone
in Dallas [at the NEA convention]
two weeks ago even mentioned the
word "merger," never mind placed
it on any future agenda.
AFT delegates approved Resolutions 12 and 14, which are AFT's
strategies for dealing with the standards movement and standardized
tests. The lengthy policy is similar
to that of NEA, but delegates defeated an amendment that would
have specifically opposed highstakes testing and any standardized test that led to "punitive"
measures. One of the provisions
AFT continued on next page
without pay, "they must be put back
in their rightful place, inclusive of
medical benefits." (For once, the
reality was better, not worse, than
Weingarten portrayed it. The memo
says medical benefits are maintained
while the teacher is suspended.)
Weingarten defended the new,
tougher disciplinary code by saying,
"It puts management instead of the
union on the firing line on dismissals.
It ends the abuse of the rubber room
by saying (teachers can be kept there)
no more than six months."
"Circular Six has been
maintained, with two changes. If a
teacher volunteers in lieu of teaching
(i.e., compensatory time) they can be
used to supervise the lunchroom. A
principal may create one, two for
larger schools, dean's positions."
On the unpardonable watering
down of contract protections by
reducing percent of the School Based Option vote needed to get rid
of a contractual protection from 75%
to 55%, Weingarten passed the buck:
Fall 2002
Antonucci AFT report cont.
of Resolution 14 called on states
to "involve teachers in the development and review of test items
that are used to assess students
against the standards."
Ed Note: Ask your favorite Unity
Caucus delegate why they favor
punitive measures for schools
as a result of high stakes testing.
All teachers know that there are
so many other factors than test
results. But leaders of the AFT
& the UFT ignore these factors.
Dont you just love the involve
teachers in developing & review
of test items as their way of saying: See, we are not abandoning
you. We are asking for you to be
involved. Of course you means
some AFT or UFT bu reau crat
who hasnt been near a classroom
in ages. Dont think for a minute
they are talking about involving
teachers who actually teach.
Huh?
This afternoon AFT handed out
the AFT-Sat urn/UAW awards,
which go to the union affiliates
who partnered with management
to make things better. I admit I
was semi-comatose during these
proceedings, but was jarred awake
when one award went to the
United Federation of Teachers
Education Notes
and the New York City Board of
Education. I'm not as well-versed
on the New York City education
scene as I would be if I lived on
the other coast, but cooperation
and partnership are not terms I
associate with these two groups.
Maybe I missed something.
Ed Note: We in NYC are not
surprised at this award for cooperation and partnership. Cooperation can be a good thing. But
to a number of teachers it often
seems more like collaboration. As
we wrote in the May, 02 Ed Notes:
You know that story about people
who own dogs: even tu al ly the
owner and the dog start to look
alike? Its time to apply that same
maxim to the UFT and the Board
of Education.
July 18, 2002
EIA estimates that, if it so desired,
the AFT could generate a mass
defection of high-ranking NEA
officers from all states simply by
publicizing the fact that its convention adjourned at 4:48 PM of
the final day -- and that was after
a two-hour lunch break. So while
NEA delegates were debating umlauts deep into the night, the AFT
delegates will be sipping cocktails
and watching Wayne Newton.
Page 11
threat to our people, our liberty and our
children's future." Tania Kappner of
Oakland argued that this was a "blank
check for Bush" to conduct all future
wars. But Leo Casey of the United
Federation of Teachers countered:
"If ever there was a just war, this war
is just." (Ed. Note: Leo is the UFTs
foreign policy director.)
* Resolution 22, "Fair Collection
of Sales Taxes on Electronic Commerce" was approved. This means
AFT sup ports tax es on Internet
sales. (Ed Note: Think about this
one the next time you buy something
online.)
All AFT Executive Officers ReElected to Two-Year Terms. President Sandra Feldman, Vice President
Nat LaCour, Secretary-Treasurer Ed
McElroy, and three dozen or so AFT
vice presidents were all elected to
two-year terms by the delegates. Vote
totals were not announced.
The Education Intelligence Agency
conducts public education research,
analysis and investigations. Director: Mike Antonucci. PO Box
580007, Elk Grove, CA 95758. Ph:
916-422-4373. Fax: 916-392-1482.
E-Mail: EducationIntel@aol.com
DOODLING SPACE
DA report continued
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Normark Productions
Education Notes uses the
services of NORMARK
PRODUCTIONS for all
layout and production (labor
donated.) For brochures,
catalogues, digital
photography, digital video,
graphic design call Mark at
516-635-5501
B.A.R.C. Shelter
Its raining cats and dogs
at the BROOKLYN ANIMAL
RESOURCE COALITION (253
Wythe Ave., Brooklyn, NY
11211.) Join the Dog Parade
and Dog Show on Sunday,
October 20, 2002. Call Tony,
Vinnie, or Debbie.
718-486-7489
Page 12
to some source, then the editor wrote it. Unless you really
hate it. In that case assume the author was anonymous or
a gun was held to the editors head.
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Page 13
Education Corner
It was a chilly December Saturday less than a year ago. Children from middle
schools representing almost every school district and students was a welcome change from
in New York City gathered at New York Tech in the pressures of standards and testing. Not
downtown Brooklyn for the first annual First Lego to say that having to make your robot perLeague middle school competition.
form in front of hundreds of people with
The children gingerly carried boxes con- referees in their white and black striped
taining their robots. Some teams had laptop com- shirts timing you is without pressure.
puters in case they had to make final adjustments to
This years contest will take place
the computer program they had written.
at Brooklyn Polytech on December 14th
The gym, where the competition was to take and 15th. The DOEs Office of Instrucplace, blared with music, djs, cheerleaders, jumbo tional Technology directed by Mark Gura
TV screens, and the general paraphernalia of a major is providing some support and Verizon is
sporting event. Banners for corporate sponsors such picking up the sponsorships of 75 teams in
as Verizon hung from the rafters.
NYC (the cost would ordinarily be about
The Board of Educations Office of Instruc- $600.) Check out these web sites for more
tional Technology bought 2 Robolab kits for each information::
district. The Carpenters union built 40 8x4 ft. gam- http://www.usfirst.org/
ing tables for the schools involved so they could http://www.usfirst.org/jrobtcs/flego.htm
practice over the 12 week preparation period for the http://www.pitsco-legodacta.com/
contest. Teacher/coaches had given up Saturdays for http://www.botball.org
training at Brooklyn Polytech University where they *Sample Robolab Programs: http:
were tutored by engineering students and students //www.ceeo.tufts.edu/graph ics/robolab/
from Stuyvesant HS who were preparing their own intro.htm
elaborate robots for the High School competition. *Some practical Robolab lesson plans by a
These teachers also had given up preps, their lunch- teacher for teachers
time, and countless hours before and after school.
http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/robolab/
The contest involved completing 9 tasks in resources.htm
an arctic environment. The robot had to rescue sci- *Creative Projects with LEGO Mindentists threatened by a polar bear (without harming storms By Benjamin Erwin
the bear,) fight through ice flows, release and load
barrels onto the robot, and myriad other tasks. All
Ive been involved with Lego
within 2 minutes. Teams had 4 opportunities to reach robotics programs in a variety of ways since
their best time.
the late 80s. For years, I used almost all my
Among the over 35 teams present were two teacher choice money to buy Lego blocks
teams I worked with as a district level staff developer (I skipped kindergarten and never had the
in technology. Our office was able to provide the chance to play with blocks in school.) I
teacher/coaches with the logistical support they attended a number of workshops over the
needed. Teachers Eric Windley (IS 318) and Hank years including a week in Newport R.I.
Kucine (JHS 126) brought their teams with laptops, for 3 summers. At these workshops we
robots, loads of spare batteries and lots of spirit. The got to work with Fred Martin from MIT
team from JHS 126 enjoyed a visit from Chancellor who developed the prototype for the
Levy (who brought his 2 children) who interviewed Lego brick a self contained computer
them about their robot.
that allows robots to move without being
Each team had varying strategies to com- tethered to the computer.
plete the 9 assigned tasks. The IS 318 team used
I recently volunteered to assist First
the speed approach. They built a vehicle with large Lego with the upcoming contest and will
tires that moved fast, sacrificing some control. The be doing liason work helping schools with
JHS 126 team used the slow and steady approach: the registration procedure. We will also be
wide track treads that had to be timed to the split developing a G-credit course.
second. After 4 rounds of competition and 4 hours,
Last year District 14 received
both teams were in the final 12 and competing in assistance from Bob Woods, the Pitsco
one last round to determine the winner. They ended sales rep in NYC, who did a bunch of free
up tied for a 10th place.
workshops (we did buy him a beer.) Bob
At the end of the contest, a variety of tro- is very supportive and can be reached at
phies were given out, most for reasons other than 516-867-9508 email: rwoods@pitscoperformance. How team members cooperated or legodacta.com
supported each other, team spirit, school support,
etc. By 4 PM everyone was pretty worn out. But
Randy Schaeffer and Anna Martinez
whether they won a trophy or not, student, teachers
are the First Lego reps in NYC and
and officials had a day they would not soon forget.
by Dawn D'Angelillo
Fall 2002
Education Notes
continued from page 1
Page 14
The Opposition
If there are so many problems
with the leaders of the UFT, why hasnt
a potent opposition crystallized like
it did in Chicago? This is a complex
question requiring complex answers. In
future editions of Ed. Notes we hope to
provide some insight into the differences
and similarities between Chicago and
New York.
One of the major problems with
the critics of union policy is that over the
years none of the groups or individuals
have established a regular written
presence. Some put out an occasional
issue-oriented leaflet. But none have
put out literature related to the schools
on a consistent basis. Ed. Notes came
into being partly to fill this gap. We
have reported on the activities of these
groups and individuals, sometimes in a
critical manner. While establishing an
independent presence, we have tried to
work with many people in the opposition,
who have generally been supportive.
With an expanded space
and reach, we hope to provide a general
forum for these groups to reach out to the
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Page 15
INTERNET MUSINGS
The information highway gone amuck. Material in incredibly bad taste culled from the daily influx of email.
FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.
PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them
in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.
BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them
and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken
farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken
farmers. The government gives you as much milk and as many eggs as the regulations
say you should need.
FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of
them, and sells you the milk.
PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of
them, and you all share the milk.
RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but
the government takes all the milk.
DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and shoots you.
SINGAPOREAN DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. The government fines you for
keeping two unlicensed farm animals in an apartment.
MILITARIANISM: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.
PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk.
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors pick
someone to tell you who gets the milk.
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: The government promises to give you two cows if you
vote for it. After the election, the president is impeached for speculating in cow futures.
The press dubs the affair "Cowgate".
BRITISH DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. You feed them sheeps' brains and they
go mad. The government doesn't do anything.
BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you
can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. After
that it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it
requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.
ANARCHY: You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbors try to kill you and take the cows.
CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
ENVIRONMENTALISM: You have two cows. The government bans you from milking or killing them.
FEMINISM: You have two cows. They get married and adopt a veal calf.
TOTALITARIANISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and denies
they ever existed. Milk is banned.
COUNTER CULTURE: Wow, dude, there's like... these two cows, man. You got to
have some of this milk.
SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.
LIBERTARIANISM: You have two cows. One has actually read the constitution, believes in it, and has some really good ideas about government. The cow runs for office,
and while most people agree that the cow is the best candidate, nobody except the other
cow votes for her because they think it would be "throwing their vote away."
Ed. Notes Additions
NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL SYSTEM: You have two cows. You must produce a
lesson plan on how you plan to milk them. You cant drink the milk until a supervisor
comes and observes you milking the cows. The barn is falling down all around you.
HIGH STAKES TESTING: You have two cows. You give them a reading test. The
one that scores below the 50th percentile becomes hamburger.
UFT UNITY CAUCUS: You have two cows. You are issued directions on how to milk
them. If you follow directions correctly, you are given an extra job at the union milking
more cows. As a reward, you are allowed to visit a NYSUT alpaca farm upstate once a
year.
Win fab prizes. Make up your own cow stories and submit them to Ed. Notes.
ETERNAL TRUTHS
To pun is human...
Author unknown
Once over the hill, you pick up speed.
I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in
the food.
If it weren't for STRESS I'd have no energy at all.
Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't
have film.
I know God won't give me more than I can handle. I
just wish He didn't trust me so much.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.
We cannot change the direction of the wind...but we
can adjust our sails.
Some days are a total waste of makeup.
If you had
bought
$1000.00
worth of
Nortel stock
one year ago,
it would now
be worth
$49.00. With
Enron, you
would have
$16.50 of
the original
$1,000.00.
With Worldcom, you
would have
less than
$5.00 left.
If you had
bought
$1,000.00
worth of
Budweiser
(the beer, not
the stock)
one year
ago, drank
all the beer,
then turned
in the cans
for the 5 cent
deposit, you
would have
$107.00.
Based on
the above,
current
investment
advice is to
drink beer
and recycle.
Fall 2002
Education Notes
Page 16
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