Mayor Mike Finds New Locales for Public Schools

While stadiums, museums, and private schools find space in the city somehow, NYC's 1.1 million schoolkids are being set up for relocation in the brownfields of NYC. Leonie (of Class Size Matters) and regular poster Patrick have heard denials of such plans.

Why then, would a press release like this one show up?

Next week the City will ask the City Council to approve its plans to build

four schools on a contaminated property in the South Bronx. The proposed

property, referred to as the Mott Haven Site, contains many dangerous

toxins buried underground including mercury, lead, and the suspected

carcinogen benzene.

While the City has a plan to clean the site, independent environmental

engineers have raised significant concerns about aspects of the plan, and

have suggested that more could and should be done. To date the City has

displayed an unwillingness to address these issues to the satisfaction of

community members from a community already overburdened by health

issues related to asthma and cancer.

Furthermore studies show that exposure to certain chemicals, including those

found at the Mott Haven site, are linked to learning disabilities and other

adverse health effects.

Funny, ain't it? They claim Pataki blocked CFE, when they did. They claim to have reduced class size, when they haven't. They focus on higher test scores in fourth grade, and ignore the lower ones in 8th.

Yet they have nothing but good PR. If my union had 10% of Bloomberg's canniness, teachers would all be able to quit their second jobs, and possibly their third ones too.

And perhaps the highest class sizes in the country would be a mere unpleasant memory.

Unforeseen Consequences

Since 9/11, the Pledge of Allegiance has been revived in New York City high schools. How that dissuades terrorists I'm not sure, but I teach kids who come from other countries, and they have no idea what most of it means. That's not all that unusual. When I was a kid they made us sing "My Country Tis of Thee," and I always thought one line was "land where the pilgrims fried." It didn't seem very nice at all.

So I decided my ESL students would understand the entire pledge. The pledge is very idealistic, considering not everyone gets the same justice as O.J. Simpson, but I presented it without any such commentary. I decided to spend considerable time on the word "indivisible." My wife is from South America, and this word was problematic for her when she took her citizenship test.

She went and answered all the questions about branches of government, and spoke English, and did whatever it was she was supposed to do. But when she recited the pledge, she said "invisible" instead of indivisible. She was fortunate in that her interviewer had a sense of humor. He chose to laugh and correct her rather than fail her.

So I made absolutely sure my kids wouldn't have that problem. Now, every day, when the pledge comes over the loudspeaker, my students spring up and put their hands on their hearts. They turn solemnly and look at the flag. As the pledge comes over the speakers, they stand in absolute silence. But then, mid-pledge, 34 young voices call out "INDIVISIBLE."

Unforeseen consequences aren't just for governments anymore.

Speak Out!

This is an open thread about the proposed UFT contract. Please share your thoughts here.

Successful Small Schools

They're rough to maintain, and tough to start. But Mayor Bloomberg is determined to ensure their success.

To that end, he's excluding kids who don't speak English. Mayor Bloomberg has consulted with educational experts, who have determined that non-English speakers tend not to do so well on standardized tests, particularly when said tests are in English.

So I guess it's the ATR corps for me when they come to dismantle my school.

Stick Magnetic Ribbons on Your SUV

A little toe-tapper from the Asylum Street Spankers. Tony Orlando would roll over in his grave, if he were dead.

CSL

...or Chinese as a Second Language is enjoying a surge of popularity as more Americans send their kids to schools where Mandarin is taught.

The Chinese government has been actively promoting its language for a few years, and it seems to be paying off at San Francisco's Chinese-American International School.

For example, five years ago, the school was 57 percent Asian-American, but this year it is only 49 percent Asian-American, said Sharline Chiang, its spokeswoman, adding that more non-Asian-Americans have been applying in recent years. Andrew Corcoran, the head of the school, said that in the last three to four years, applications from white and Indian-American families have more than doubled, though he declined to give exact figures.

Ms. Chiang also said that this was the first year in which the prekindergarten class had more white children, 36 percent, than Asian-Americans, 32 percent.

School officials attribute the changes largely to a growing awareness of China as a global economic force, and to a strong sense among parents that learning Chinese could help their children professionally. As Mr. Corcoran said, studying Chinese “is looked at as a long-term benefit.”

I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of this.

They're Here

When MacDonald's rejected meat as substandard, it was redirected and used for years in school lunches. Mayor Bloomberg, in yet another canny moment of sheer pragmatism, has decided to take "brownfields," clean them up as best he can, and use them for new schools.

What's a brownfield? According to the EPA:

With certain legal exclusions and additions, the term `brownfield site' means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

Where do I sign up? That sounds like precisely where I want my kid to go to school. It's a good thing the mayor is closing schools and building condos in former school buildings so that NYC's 1.1 million public schoolchildren can have such unique opportunities.

What's next? Ancient burial grounds? Haunted houses? The Neverland Ranch?

Thanks to Patrick

Guilty Till Proven Innocent

Carodozo science teacher Leonard Brown has been removed from his classroom, after a student accused him of having touched her breast during a physics demonstration. Mr. Brown maintains his innocence:

"Assuming I wasn't moral and ethical, I'm not stupid," he said. "Do they think I'd be stupid enough to molest a girl in front of 34 witnesses? To me, this is absolutely insane."

Not to the DoE, though. And thanks to the new UFT contract, which is up for renewal, Mr. Brown can look forward to a 90-day unpaid suspension, whether or not the charges are ultimately sustained.

Tired of Homework?

Why don't you go to the free school, where you can examine the heritage of your favorite video game characters in great depth?

Or why not just stay home, and learn about real-world activities from the comfort of your living room?

Get that Contract

The CSA, which represents administrators, has been without a contract for three years, as it thus far refuses to knuckle under to Chancellor Klein's draconian demands. Now it's running a commercial, featuring the voice of a principal, but the one they happen to have chosen has not been active for two years.

That's the difference between the UFT and the CSA. When our union ran a highly inaccuarate piece hyping the worst contract it's ever had, it chose a teacher who waited till the year was out to leave his job. Also, it changed his name so we wouldn't know he was bought and paid for. When called on it, the commenter promised to stay till Karl Rove was indicted, but went and got himself a patronage job instead.

Why does our union have a contract while CSA doesn't? Because when our patronage hacks lie, they go all the way.

The Mayor's View

Mayor Bloomberg just wrote an op-ed in the Queens Courier which is notable mostly for its omissions. It's not as though he's the only one who's forgetful, but as always, the devil is in the details.

The mayor talks about how inspirational his history teacher was. I don't doubt it. However, Mayor Bloomberg has also said the needs of teachers should be put last, and he's done a good job keeping them there.

Perhaps that's one reason the mayor did not see fit to enroll his kids in public schools. My daughter's suburban teachers, for example, are well taken-care-of, and that in no small part accounts for their consistent excellence.

Mayor Bloomberg also points to improvements in the graduation rate, but that was likely to be the case, since he elects not to count dropouts among those who've failed to graduate.

Most notably, though, is this:

As Mayor, I'm pleased to have now negotiated three contracts with the UFT, raising starting teacher salaries by 43 percent during a period when our City has had to overcome both a fiscal crisis and a national recession.

First of all, the city is sitting on a huge surplus, partly resulting from its determination not to share it with working people (The cops and firefighters are big heroes, but we don't want to pay them!). Second, those percentages are not accurate, as these salaries will not be in effect for a few years yet.

But like our union leaders, Mayor Bloomberg consistently neglects to point out that at least 10 percent of that represents additional time, and is, therefore, not a raise at all. The Mayor, like UFT President Randi Weingarten, also fails to acknowledge that perpetual lunch duty represents extra work, that teaching a sixth class represents extra work, or that severely cut prep time necessitates that many teachers finish their work at home.

For new teachers or laypersons unfamiliar with this concept, a raise is when you receive more money for doing the same job. It's very disturbing that UFT leadership shares the mayor's view that our time is worthless. The mayor continues:

That's clear proof of how we're continuing to work hard to put more money into our schools even as the State has failed to fully address its responsibilities identified in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case.

What the mayor forgets here is that Governor George Pataki offered to shoulder 60% of the CFE cost when it would have brought 4.7 billion dollars a year to NYC schools. CFE felt the state should pay 75%. Bloomberg's people refused to negotiate, and said they'd say "No, thank you," to the award if forced to pay a single dime. This resulted in Pataki's appeal, and an award cut to about 2 billion a year. The mayor can blame the state, but were it not for his inflexibility, CFE would have been resolved, and resolved better, years ago.

Governor-elect Spitzer has promised to provide more, but the mayor still insists he will not contribute. It's remarkable politicians are permitted to get away with such logical pyrotechnics. Sadly, they seem par for the course nowadays.

Thanks to Norm

Yes, Virginia...

...there is a Santa Claus (but there's no teacher shortage). Of course there's a Santa--how else do you explain the opportunity to take a six-week paid program that allows you to start working almost immediately as a New York City teacher?

You get all the benefits of a union--salary, health, dental, due process--you even get to come in August to listen to all the speeches and notifications that preclude the extended Labor Day weekend teachers used to have. Nor only that, but if your school gets reorganized, you join the Absent Teacher Reserve and get to sub for full-time pay. But wait--what's this?

Dear Virginia,

If you don't find yourself a job by next Friday, you're fired. Also, we're kicking you out of your college program.

Have a nice day.

Love,

Santa

Well, that can't be good. It's odd, because even as they send such notes, New York City is running costly ads soliciting new teachers. I recently clicked an ad on the NY Times site that brought me here, offering me, among other things, a chance to join the very program Virginia's being kicked out of.

Is it wise to solicit candidates for a costly program, and then dump them like so much trash? And why, if there's no shortage, are we running these ads?

Well, it's all about your criteria. According to Mayor Mike and Uncle Joel, if we find one single candidate for each job, we don't have a shortage. Also, it doesn't make any difference which teachers we get rid of, as long as they don't stay around for those costly pensions.

Good teachers are good, because they help us to show we're doing a good job. And bad teachers are good too, because we can blame everything that goes wrong on them.

Don't even bother mentioning those schools in nearby Nassau County, where they get hundreds of applications for each opening, ensuring kids there get very good teachers. That's not cost-effective. So what if we lose good teachers? We can replace them with other good teachers. Or we can replace them with bad ones.

In New York City, it makes no difference whatsoever. It's made no difference for thirty years.

And that's why Mayor Michael Bloomberg, despite all the hoopla, will make no difference either.

Go Figure

Tweed's graduation rates appear artificially inflated. Apparently, Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein don't count dropouts as not having graduated.

The state, on the other hand, counts them unless it can establish they've enrolled in other schools. Personally, I'm shocked and stunned. Does this mean we can't trust the figures coming out of city hall?

When are they gonna stop this blatant prevarication and get back to blaming the teachers?

Reasons to be Thankful

Mayor Bloomberg should be a happy guy today. Though NYC schoolchildren have lost almost 3 billion dollars a year in the CFE verdict, the court has re-asserted his right to do whatever the hell he likes with the remaining 2 billion a year. That's a good thing for several reasons.

First of all, his recent collaboration with UFT President Randi Weingarten has freed the mayor from even having to pretend he's using the money to attract or retain quality teachers. Once those pesky teachers accept yet another contract that fails to meet cost of living, their goose is cooked, and there'll be no seconds, thank you very much.

Second, City Hall's precious tradition of no-bid contracts remains protected. Just as it's vital to our national security that Medicare have no right to negotiate drug prices, the most efficient way for the city to award contracts is that of Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein doing whatever the hell they feel like, whenever the hell they feel like doing it. After all, their educational programs have repeatedly stressed the importance of kids being able to do whatever the hell they like whenever the hell they want to, and it behooves good role models to be consistent (except when dealing with teachers, of course, who need to be told what to do every damn minute).

Finally, their vision and insight is vindicated by the 15.8 million contract they signed with Alvarez and Marshall. While critics complain that 10 other firms competed for that job in St. Louis, they never point to the fine work A and M did reforming the exemplary New Orleans school system. And what the hell do people from Missouri know anyway? Show me? Yeah, we'll show you right here, pal.

So it's vitally important that we continue to allow Mayor Bloomberg to do whatever the hell he wants with NYC money. After all, that's why we gave him absolute power to control city schools with no checks or balances whatsoever, and from everything I read, he's doing a heckuva job.

Don't Miss

...the Thanksgiving edition of the Carnival of Education which you can find right here at the Education Wonks' place.

Watch Where You Point that Thing

It's very tough to be a gym teacher, particularly in Brazil. Nearby military police are suing the local gym teacher, because his students keep landing soccer balls around their base.

It appears to be a crime to be a bad football player in Brazil. I'm glad I don't live there (though when it gets a little colder, I may reconsider).

Tough Talk

Jon Swift says it's time to stop fooling around. Tell the Prez not to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey this year, but execute him immediately.

That'll show those terrorists we mean business.

CFE Lawsuit Cut

NYC will receive less than half of the aid promised by the 13-year-old CFE lawsuit. This is thanks to the legal maneuverings of Governor George Pataki, whom the UFT endorsed, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom it declined to oppose. Fortunately, as UFT President Randi Weingarten has settled a sub-cost-of-living contract, none of those funds will be frittered away on teacher salaries.

Now Mayor Bloomberg will have more money with which to pretend he's reducing class size.

I have fond hopes that our 250%-capacity school will not rise beyond 300% under his stewardship.

On the brighter side, Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer promises to fund schools beyond minimum requirements. We'll see.

Bloomberg made it clear, however, that he will fight any calls from Spitzer to demand the city pony up more.

It's refreshing to see Mayor Bloomberg reiterating his principled stand to fund schools as long as the money doesn't come out of his budget.

Update: Leonie at Class Size Matters comments:

Perhaps the most infuriating response to yesterday’s court decision on CFE was from the Mayor, who didn’t seem much to care that the courts had just shafted our kids out of at least $2.7 billion a year, as long as the judges did not require any more accountability:

"The courts ruled as we had asked that there be no further oversight. If you remember, the state and the plaintiffs had wanted another level of oversight. I think we're doing a spectacular job with the school system right now, and the last thing we need is more bureaucracy," he said. http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=64475

Unity Visits our School

Yesterday, a Unity hack came to our lunchroom. My Unity CC felt it was necessary, since I got up and spoke for five minutes at a union meeting, to present the other side. He did this by sending a Unity employee to our lunchroom for three or four hours. Also, he forgot to tell me the guy was coming.

The Unity hack had set up a table, distributed handouts, and was talking very fast. I asked him why we couldn't get cost of living. He said we were bound by the pattern. I asked why we needed the union if we were bound by the pattern, and he then claimed we beat the pattern (the one we were bound by) set by DC37. I said our contract was four months longer than theirs, and that was why our raise was higher.

He immediately started discussing the transit workers, and how they had had to go on strike and eventually go to arbitration. I told him we'd done neither, and that our situation was not like theirs at all. He said he didn't want to talk about the transit workers. I asked him why he brought them up then.

At this point, he stopped responding to my questions, refusing to see my hand go up. After trying three times to get a word in, I interrupted him with a question, a supervisor stood up, saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa," or something, I concluded I was wasting my time and started walking out.

As I was doing so, I heard another teacher screaming at the supervisor, "You're not UFT and you've got no business here."

It did my heart good to hear such a comment, particularly since she was absolutely right and the thought hadn't occurred to me.

On Manliness

Lots of people ask me, "Gee, NYC Educator, what's it like to be a real man?"

I tell them, "It's hard work."

After a hard day being a real man, I really need to unwind. Sometimes, I do this by reading School Me, the LA Times education blog. They found a story that says we teacher men are outnumbered by teacher women three to one.

Now here's the thing--I would never ask to be paid more simply because of sex--that would be discriminatory. Consider, though, that many of the male teachers that constitute the 25% of the teaching force may not be real men. Do they have their credentials?

Tough to say. That could explain why there's no pay differential thus far for real men in the new UFT contract. But this morning, I must confess, despite being a real man, I'm racked with self-doubt. After having worked very late last night, I'm leaving for work again in a few minutes. Not only that, but I'm working again tonight.

Why the doubts? Well now, a little voice in my head keeps saying, "A real man would stay home." So the question now becomes, "Do real men listen to the voices in their heads?"

There are just too many things those teacher classes don't cover.