Thursday, December 03, 2009

JAMAICA HS SLATED FOR PHASE OUT

We've been worried about it for a long time but it still was a shock today when the DOE announced to us that the 117 year old Jamaica High School would be phasing out.

I spent the afternoon meeting with the Chapter, union officials and the press to make the case for our school.

We hope the readers of this blog will join us and all of the other schools that are on the chopping block to work to organize to oppose these crazy school closings.

18 comments:

ForrestalFoto said...

Hi Mr. Eterno...a Jamaica alum here...

What would be the best way to reach you? What can we do to help? In an effort to reach you I just wrote to another teacher at Jamaica and asked her to pass my contact information to you...anything I can do to help, it's yours. In addition to me, i know of quite a few community members interested in fighting the closing...

Marjorie Stamberg said...

This is outrageous, and I am sure it is directed against James as CL and the whole chapter which has long advocated for the rights of ATRs, to lower class size, and many other crucial issues affecting teachers, kids and the whole school community.

We need to bring the whole union into a struggle to keep this school open.

Unitymustgo! said...

I wish you and your family all the best during the trying times to come. Maybe you'll actually win your presidential run and you can do more about it. You will receive my vote.

On a side note, how is your little girl doing? I feel a certain camaraderie having a new little baby girl as well.

Unitymustgo!

Eternomustwin!

James Eterno said...

Hi Kathy- I emailed you. It is always great to hear from former students.

Thanks for the support Marjorie.

Unity Must Go- Thank you very much for the kind wishes. My wife and daughter are great. All the best to your family. I'm sure your daughter is a joy just like my Kara.

James Eterno said...

We are attempting to mobilize like the DOE and UFT have never seen before against the closing of Jamaica. Stay tuned for more details.

Anonymous said...

They are "phasing out" my school, Charles Houston, too. We had a group of union officials at our school yesterday and today. Together we started formulating an action plan.

Fight like hell Jamaica we plan to do the same!

Anonymous said...

SAVE OUR SCHOOL



OUR SCHOOL IS A



LANDMARK!!!!!!!!!


Call 311; and complain about this stuff that is going to happen to our school; we have a right to know what they're planning on doing; please bring your parents on December 16, 2009 at 6:00 pm; We need to fight for our school; To support Jamaica HS; FIGHT FOR WHATS RIGHT!!!!





Location: Jamaica High School
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Anonymous said...

SAVE OUR SCHOOL



OUR SCHOOL IS A



LANDMARK!!!!!!!!!


Call 311; and complain about this stuff that's going to happen to our school; we have a right to know what they're planning on doing; please bring your parents on December 16, 2009 at 6:00 pm; We need to fight for our school; To support our School; FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!!!!





Location: Jamaica High School

Anonymous said...

BLOOMBERG IS TRYING TO SHUT DOWN JAMAICA HIGH SCHOOL IN 2013 AND MAKE IT INTO 3 OR 4 SMALLER SCHOOLS! THE MEETING TO CHANGE HIS DECISION IS ON DECEMBER 16 AT 6:00 P.M.
WE NEED ALL THE PARENTS AND KIDS TO GO THERE AND TELL THEM WHAT WE THINK.!



Location: JAMAICA HIGH SCHOOL

Anonymous said...

We did everything you guys did at Tilden H.S. a school that has been one of the greatest and oldest highschool in Brooklyn. We went to the newspaper and told them how they set-up our school to fail! We showed proof that we were inmproving, that we were forced to take at risk kids from other schools in Brooklyn that were shut down and how that it was not fair that the the so-called better schools like Midwood and Brooklyn Tech were not forced to take these student. These students counted aganist our ratings. We were force to take students that were over aged and under credited. We went to our State Senators, City council members, and town hall meetings. You name it we did it! Even Randi W. came to our school and made a speech with Dist. Rep Charle Turner. Of course that was an election year for Randi and she want some of the attention we generated. And of course as soon as she won Randi and Charles Turner forgot about us! But anyway nothing worked. The bottom line was that we had a strong union at Tilden, even though we had a chapter leader at the time that our school was closing that was in bed with the principal and the adm. Joe Cook. The staff fought back agianst the Principal and the D.O.E. but like Carnarse H.S. where they kicked Charlie Turner out of the Building when he came over there to comfort the Carnarse Staff by telling them that your lucky all you ATRS have jobs. So what if they move you to another school which you have no choice in going and that it is usually an underisrable school. So what that you are forced to teach out of your licenced area! So what if you have taught at Carnarse and Tilden for over 20 years. Your lucky Randi and I(Charlie Turner) and her unity pals signed a great contrack in 2005 so you still have jobs as ATRS. Well Charles Turner regreted those words and never stepped foot at Carnarse or Tilden again! Same problem with Jamica H.S. Your Union is too Strong! Its a hotbed for ICE members.You speak out against Blooomberg, Klein, and even the UFT! You stand up for what is right! Bloomberg and the UFT cannot afford to have you around. You must be destroyed! Divide and Conquer! It is also a distraction for Mr. Eterno who is running for UFT President. Don't you think Bloomberg and Klein know what will happen if Mr. Eterno wins! There dreams will come to an end! So they must keep you busy so that Mr. Eterno cannot get the word out to the other UFT members that do not know what Mr. Eterno and ICE are about! Hell many UFT members don't even know ICE exists! Bloomberg and the UFT want to keep Jamica High School Busy so that they will lose focus on the election and spend more time and money on saving Jamica High School. Which cannot be done!, unless we have a new UFT leader! If you want to really save Jamica High School Win the UFT election! Get word out there to our members that there is another choise! Let them know about ICE and what they stand for! Again! Like Bill Thompson know body in our union
know your alive! And then after you win make sure you fire phonies like Charlie Turner, John Settle, Michelle Daniels and many of the other dead beat unity memebers that have sold our members down the river for there own advancement. Best of Luck
Blue Deivl

Anonymous said...

It is unbelievable how the DOE operates. They are going to close Jamaica H.S. where you have great experienced teachers and create new 3 or 4 smaller schools with 22 year old Teach for America or Fellow Teachers? That is TERRIBLE.
Where is the UNION?

Anonymous said...

In Bed with Bloomberg and Klein.

Anonymous said...

Remember, the mayor barely got re-elected against a guy that didn't even really campaign. He is weakened and we should take advantage of that. Let's fight back for a change. Parents, teachers, and students are sick of the mayor and the chancellor. No more of these ridiculous small schools that don't offer kids much choice in terms of electives, art, music, and sports. We need to come out in force and take back our schools. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

Anonymous said...

We think its outrageous that Chancellor Klein is closing Jamaica after spending the last four years starving the school of funding. Denying us services we need to support the most vulnerable children of the city. The number Special Education Student, English Language Learners and English as Second Language Students which our schools educates is far above the norms. Just remember Charter Schools and new Small Schools do not serve these populations.
Jamaica's campus and location make our two of its greatest assets. Klein wants us out so charter schools and small schools can benefit from these facilities. Why should our students be denied the opportunity to have world class facilities.
As December 6 New York Times reporter Nancy Hass states in her article "In NY, space issues have exacerbated the conflict. The city allows some charters to share space with under-used public schools;new desks, computers and small teacher-student ratios paid for by private donors draw envious stares." Why should only a small select group benefit from the largess of private donors when the Mayor and Chancellor claim every child has a right to world class education?

Anonymous said...

As an ATR I was forced to teach in one of these phoney high schools last year. The principal was a 90 day wonder from the academy with no clue how to run a school.I was the one of two teachers with tenure and the uft rep. was untenured. How could the UFT let this happen the rep wopuld not gop against the principal for fear of not getting tenure.
From my experience there I can tell you that the inmates are running the asylum. The students called the principal by his first name. What is wrong with this picture? And the principal was trying to come after me since I was an ATR and give me a U rating. This is the Klien Bloomberg plan to drive out senior teachers.
And now the new "rule de jour". You can't fail a student unless you call their parents. Did you ever try to call a parent with the phone numbers that a student gives you? Usually disconnected.

Anonymous said...

TO JAMAICA HIGH SCHOOL.

A few years the DOE tried to close DeWitt Clinton HS. The alumni's response was if you close the school we will not contribute to the school anymore. The DOE did not close DeWitt Clinton.

AS for Michelle Daniels she lost every case in which she represented me. John Settle is a waste he is always wrong and he never gets back to anyone who calls him. Charlie Turner stated that the union is not concerned with the changing of grades and all the phoney test scores, he stated that the union is only concerned with teachers. This came back to kick the UFT in the ass.

Anonymous said...

Close out one of the historic schools in Queens? They're nuts! Sure sounds like the system management and the UFT are after the CL.

Look around the neighborhood, some of the schools have two seats for every kid. Sick game!

Anonymous said...

FRANCIS LEWIS HS AND BAYSIDE WILL GET THE "LEFT BEHIND" KIDS FROM JAMAICA AND OVERBURDEN THOSE SCHOOLS!! KEEP JAMAICA OPEN!!!

DEMOCRACY IS DEAD IN NEW YORK CITY AND NEW YORK STATE!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO OF, BY, AND FOR THE PEOPLE???????