Ever wonder why the city closes so many schools which displaces so many educators and leaves multitudes of children, particularly those with special needs and limited English proficiency, behind?
The one individual who could publicize the folly of closing schools (the President of the UFT) says closing them is "not a bad idea."
On the Charlie Rose show, UFT President Randi Weingarten said she prefers to help schools first but she is not opposed to closing them.
It appears that all of those resolutions the UFT passed saying we want the Chancellor to stop closing schools until we can assess the impact were all for show for us.
In the early nineties, there were around 35 high schools in Manhattan. Now there are about 100. We at ICE are quite sure there will be many more new schools created as teachers continue to blamed for problems that are way beyond our control and this shell game of sending students all over the place to more and more new schools carries on. By her own admission, Randi does not oppose this policy.
Thanks a lot Randi from all Absent Teacher Reserves: past, present and future.
The transcript below is taken from the Charlie Rose show. We put in the entire section on school closings.
CHARLIE ROSE: And if a school doesn't`t do well over a certain period of time, you shut it down?
RANDI WEINGARTEN: Close it. Right.
CHARLIE ROSE: Is that a bad idea?
RANDI WEINGARTEN: So, we've closed and redesigned so many schools in New York City, some of them have done better after they`ve been closed and redesigned, some of them have not. I actually prefer to help it first, but, no, not a bad idea.
Need you guys say anything more? This says everything.
ReplyDeleteRandi really meant to say "not a bad idea to close schools at the end of the day when the kids and teachers leave to save on electricity and water," which by the way is part of Hillary's Green Platform.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, she said it just this way at the Unity Caucus meeting that night, which I know you guy must know about since you make it your business to know these things.
Typical ice distortion of my words.
I agree with Leo.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should watch the Charlie Rose clip. You can access it from the UFT homepage. It is stunning for both Randi's ineptness as well as Unity's desire to showcase it at uft.org.
ReplyDeleteIt makes you wonder.
So sad.
I
ReplyDeleteC omplain
E verytime
Pitiful!!!!
Randi said this. ICE didn't make it up or quote it out of context. Make everyone an ATR and who cares about students with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteThey put this on the UFT website? They want people to watch it? I don't believe it.
ReplyDeleteanon 9:05:
ReplyDeleteIt's still there! Go to uft.org
At the DA, Randi told us that many people said that she did a good job.
I for one think she "did a hecka of a job."
Wait that was Brownie.
Where is my Kool Aid?
You should get a DR job.
ReplyDeleteJames- slightly off topic but not really-
ReplyDeleteDo teachers who go out on the Family Medical Leave Act come off of the principal's payroll? A colleague of mine is being threatend because she took off 3 days to care for her husband who was just diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Many teachers took the time to write a comment about the show on Charlie Rose's site.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.charlierose.com/shows/2008/05/12/2/a-conversation-with-randi-weingarten
Leo Casey did you take your meds? Randy DID NOT SAY what you quoted in the Charlie Rose clip. She said what Mr. Kauffman wrote in the transcrip.
ReplyDelete17 more years-
ReplyDeleteI don't think so but I'll ask a payroll secretary. Im sorry to hear about your friend's husband.
James Eterno