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| Hamburg Union Guy Chris Cerrone Resists the APPR hoo-doo by Feigning Sleep |
New York City said no. Hamburg said no. Somehow Buffalo said yes and union leader Phil Rumore admits he feels "like an accessory to a crime." I have made it a policy here to save my criticism for more deserving parties than the head of my union but I admit I am baffled by this. Furthermore I admit I was baffled that the 50% stupid game of musical chairs with teachers was settled when the district dumped out its piggybank and teachers were allowed to scramble for an extra thousand more than the original offer. Wasn't this about integrity and continuity and relationships with our students? How did it turn into an extra thousand bucks? That in itself stunned me and knowing it was only done so we could proceed to sign our own termination orders with these weaponized APPRs has me completely flummoxed. Why did the ONE union everyone expects to drop a deuce in the punchbowl go along quietly to the slaughter while another in suburban Hamburg stood up and said no? I am tempted to say leadership as I have watched Chris Cerrone in action over the past year and anyone who didn't expect Hamburg to be an outlier wasn't paying attention. But have they finally cowed Phil? I don't believe that's true but I can't explain how this happened. And how does New York City saying no tilt this entire game of walk the plank away from the smug ending the Kingdumb in Albany was expecting? Doesn't NYC account for something like a third of the teachers and kids in the entire empire? Wee mayor Bloomburg wanted to get his greasy little control freak mitts on the firing scepter so badly he turned his Lear jet into a kamikazee plane and flamed out terribly. Not to be outschmucked however it's been reported that the nutless, spineless p.o.s. who also holds the titular position of head of NY teacher's union was still trying to go around Bloomers and frag a deal with Lil John in Albany so the VAM junk science and all the rest of their testing bollocks could still be used against teachers in their evaluations even after the million were forfeited. This guy is a union president? Who the fuck would ever elect him again? As a commenter here remarked the other day "There is no good APPR." I am thinking if you sign off on one you deserve what you get. And now that we're getting all of this money -- $59 million according to DrPamelaCBrownPhDHarvard on the BPS website while the Buffalo News reports a figure $20 million lower -- I guess our test scores will soar and City Honors will have to open up Satellites all over the city to take in these newly improved students. This blows for Buffalo. Congratulations to Hamburg and New York City. Solidarity with those few places who are taking up the fight.
Hats off to Chris and the Hamburg teachers. Do you think the News Ed board will start spanking them now?
ReplyDeleteFor the rest of us, it feels like the beginning of the end.
And while Dr.PCB is counting the millions coming in from Albany, how much do you think she is spending on all the new sources for her beloved data - "Acuity" tests are probably just the beginning. Have we seen a price tag for this one yet?
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about stock, but I do know that Edutechnopreneurial stock is doing very well in these current times due to edudata-lust. I checked out today's market price for McGraw Hill, producers of Acuity. Trading at upwards of $54.. Great investment!
Here is a blurb from their 2011 annual report:
"Poised for growth during good economic times and a countercyclical value investment opportunity during recessionary periods when enrollments often rise, McGraw-Hill Education will continue to deliver value for shareholders."
Times are GOOD for McGraw Hill due to RTTP and the never ending need for junk data. Call the broker!
OMG. Too funny! Commissioner King has extended the deadline for NYC to submit an eval plan to Feb 15th. He is DESPERATE!
ReplyDeleteThis makes Cuomo's "line in the sand" speech from yesterday sound as whiny as his voice has sounded lately.
Seriously, the emperors have no clothes. I am hoping that NYC and Hamburg hold out. Sadly, they are both very close to coming to agreement on this. It is simply minor matters that are holding these APPR's up.
After all, NYC is approx. 30% of the teachers in the State operating without an APPR. King CANNOT have this happen. His manhood is at stake. He must deliver the entire State to Arne and Obama. He will look weak and incompetent if he can't.
There is POWER in numbers. Hold strong, NYC and Hamburg.
PS The Buffalo APPR has not been brought to vote.
King blinked. It's a game-changer!
Karen, I can't wait until Pasciak realizes she can blow up the district by reporting on how much they waste on this crap. I love how the News cut her loose for a month to write a story about a misspent $330.000 but they couldn't find Resultech with both hands when they were busy fleecing the district for $7 million and abusing our city's most at risk kids in a shitty program that didn't even bother to get the curriculum straight.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Ah, Resultech. The good ole days. If only we had a real paper in this town (in this country?) who would report on what percentage of RTTT cash money goes to classrooms and kids and how much is wasted on data people. It is amazing. I have a serious case of the sads. I was hoping hoping that we (BTF) would hold out and be the hero. No chance.
DeleteMorale at my school is at an all time low. We are closing a school after this school year. It has already been announced that about 17 teachers will lose their jobs. My principal called our teacher with lowest seniority into her office this week to tell him he will probably lose his job. My grade level is losing one teacher/class so our class size will go up next year. It is so early to be starting this.
ReplyDeleteMost of us have had our administrative observations and must now have our walk through. However, my esteemed union also decided it didn't want administrators to hold all the cards so they slipped in a peer review, video, or portfolio option that we must also complete. We must rotate through each of them over the next 3 years. More paperwork on our part. We didn't get to vote on our APPR plan, per se. It was included in our contract vote. I admire Hamburg, NYC teachers, as well as the teachers in Seattle and wish we had the backbone to do the same. Although tired of it all, most at my school still talk about APPR as a game we must play until the State abandons it because they can't realistically keep up with the paperwork!
Has anyone heard about a NYSUT "Tell it Like IT IS" Town Hall Meeting at UB Center for the Arts at 6:00 pm on February 13th? My union sent us a notice last night. It is free but you need a ticket to attend. We can get tickets from our union. Dick Ianuzzi and Maria Neira will be there to share NYSUT policy and political analysis for our profession according to the flyer. I am planning on going.
Well since slippery Dick dissed Phil on an endorsement that Phil should have been given the right to make since it's his district I would assume we will continue to attempt to speak volumes with our silence and nobody in any official BTF capacity will be there/
ReplyDeleteAs things stand though it's tempting to attend unofficially and sneak in a couple of dead cats if you will allow me a Huck Finn reference.
ReplyDeleteSean,
ReplyDeleteI would like to be optimistic that the majority of people that go to the Town Hall Meeting will hammer Ianuzzi and Neira for the way they threw teachers under the bus with APPR instead of fighting for them as the State coerced us into submission. I am probably showing my naivete though.
Bring dead cats or any other critters you wish. (And although I read Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn when I was much younger, I am embarrassed to say I cannot reference the scene that you are referring to). There is no doubt in my mind that you would be the victor in any kind of discussion/debate with Ianuzzi. I hope everyone that does go stays angry and lets him know it. I just want teachers to let him know that we are not fooled by his sell out and if we can make him uncomfortable for the evening by pressing hard, not backing down, and not showering him with adulation, then maybe we'll feel a little bit better. I don't know what teachers have left to fight this. The life is being sucked out of us. As much as I would love to say, "This is it, I'm not giving any more tests," the fear of being fired for insubordination is always present. In that respect, I guess I am a coward. The best I can do now is to stay informed, to support those who forge the way for the rest of us, and to go to the meeting to listen to the drivel he will spew and speak against HST.
Unless all of the elected "leaders" have been "purchased", I can't figure out why they allow the funding of schools to be used for blackmail! Denying schools money that has been collected for their support is criminal. KIng did blink! So, now we know how effective non-compliance can be if everyone sticks together in defiance of dictatorial behavior.
ReplyDeleteIf he were a real leader, he would be leading the march against NCLB and RTtT himself. ( But then he wouldn't get a better job later.)
King and Cuomo are well aware that their evaluation requirements are a pile of dung, but they relish the power that we have given them. Their kids are not in play here, so they don't give a rat's a**. Getting money for the next election is their primary focus.
The Superintendents are the ones who should be standing up. Their teachers would back them for sure. But the teachers can't be sure of administrative support
Posing children in the background of political campaign publicity stunts should come back to haunt the Governor, ( and the President). Passing bills into law in overnight sessions without following the law in the process, demonstrates that we are stuck with lawbreaking con artists.
They'll be busy for a while trying to weedle their way out of the political grandstanding mess they created with their over the top gun restrictions. Some would have been good... but they got carried away by gonadal elephantitis and tight shorts.
Maybe while they are busy ,it is time for lots of noise from us. Hamburg and NY City teachers need the rest of us to grab the limb they have gone out on.
Old German saying: "Too soon Old, und too late Schmart..."
@Karen, the News has already started spanking Hamburg. But kudos to the Hamburg teachers. I'm really bummed Phil agreed to the APPR. Now I have to write that damned SLO.
ReplyDelete