Saturday, May 31, 2008

Should The Length of Our School Year Be Dependent on the Vicissitudes of the Calendar?

Next School Year Starts August 28

Next year, we will have to return to school at the earliest date ever: August 28. The kids are coming back on September 2.

The overall calendar is a little better than the last couple of years only because certain holidays fall on the right days. (Unity will probably claim this as a major victory.) However we are still working a week longer than many of the surrounding districts. If we had a fixed number of days like they do, we would be much better off knowing in advance how many days we are expected to work and not depending on where holidays fall.

There will be 187 school days for teachers and paras but 189 for guidance, secretaries and others.

33 comments:

  1. Longer day and longer year. Thanks Randi.

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  2. We've become nothing more than babysitters for the parents who have to work. What about our own children? Grandchildren? What about working in the awfully hot classrooms?

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  3. Rumor has it that Randi will be issuing another teacher survey next week. If so, let's all write in "Start the school year after Labor Day."

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  4. Not one local suburban school district goes back until after Labor Day. We are working longer but not one more sick day in our bank and in some schools use 5 by January and you're in for an interrogation and a warning.

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  5. BORING BORING BLOG.

    I'd have more respect for you Icesickles if you did something other than write write write.

    This blog is icy!

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  6. Check out how many ICERs are working on stoppiing privatization of healthcare. We are helping to lead the fight on this issue.

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  7. Leading? Un-Norm-al and two other drones. Strength in numbers huh?

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  8. It's always illuminating to read the vacuous and juvenile name-calling that passes for argument from self-serving, double-pensioned Unity supporters. Interesting to see they don't give a golly goshdarn how much time working teachers have to sit and listen to mind-numbing propaganda from the Tweedies on training days.

    It's very clear, though a little sad, that real problems of real teachers mean nothing to them. And frankly, this waste of time is nothing compared to what they've done to the ATRs.

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  9. Yo I-C-E let's kick it

    ICE ICE babies
    ICE ICE babies

    All right stop, they collaborate to speak misery
    ICE is back with a brand new conspiracy
    Something
    grabs a hold of me frightfully
    ICEsickles babbling at the DA nightly
    Will it ever stop?
    yo I don't know
    Turn off the lights and maybe they'll go
    To the extreme they rock t-shirts and bowties
    Bore the whole crowd as their B.O. attracts fruitflies
    Don't ever
    give them a mic in the room
    Their nonsense will kill your braincells like a poisonous mushroom
    So dull
    when Jeff Kaufman gets to speak
    Even at his best he's putting me to sleep
    He rambles on
    and it feels like all day
    But he never has anything important to say
    If there was a problem yo they are it
    Cut them off so the DA can solve it

    ICE ICE babies
    Gorilla ICE ICE babies
    Fat gorilla ICE ICE babies
    Whiny gorilla ICE ICE babies

    Now that the DA is jumping
    With momentum and the agenda pumpin'
    Clear to the point to the point no faking
    A lot of important decision makin'
    ICE comes along neither quick nor nimble
    I go crazy when I hear the Newcommers guy
    In a plaid shirt with a souped up ego
    He's on a roll, and it's all about the babble
    Babbling
    Nonsense real real slow
    The ICEsickles all standby giving each other high-fives
    Dishing out again more conspiracy jive
    Randi plotted;
    to kill JFK
    She bombed Pearl Harbor and put fluoride in toothpaste
    She murdered
    Princess Di and Kurt Cobain
    She's made crop circles from New Jersey to Spain
    It's more nonsense, flat out untruth
    ICE fabricates stuff and never has any proof
    They're jealous
    'cause nobody gives them time
    Cause they never bring action, they just always feed lines
    Like a pimple
    on the butt of the DA
    ICE will cut off it's nose just to spite it's face
    If there was a problem yo they are it
    Cut them off so the DA can solve it

    ICE ICE babies
    Gorilla ICE ICE babies
    Boring gorilla ICE ICE babies
    Smelly gorilla ICE ICE babies

    Take heed 'cause James Eterno's not a lyrical poet
    He'll ramble on with nonsense and he won't even know it
    Norman Scott's only good for making sounds
    You'll start dozing off until your head hits the ground
    Then there's bowtie
    who's corny and outta style
    Make you laugh hardy with a mocking smile
    Crushing you with boredom
    ICE is a hell of a concept
    They're all hype and you want to step away
    Cause their hygiene's not great
    Stamberg's in Cuba wants to be the Commie Mayor
    Kit Wainer dissappeared cause he's got no flavor
    Keep my composure, when Swerdlow says we need to be"spiritual"
    She's a bit ridiculous but still better than Scott who's un-Norm-al
    If there was a problem yo they are it
    Cut them off so the DA can solve it

    Talky talky ICE ICE babies
    Gorilla ICE ICE babies (oh-oh)
    Dumb gorilla ICE ICE babies
    Pathetic gorilla ICE ICE babies
    Gorilla ICE
    Yo man kick them out of here
    Word to your mother
    ICE ICE babies too cold
    ICE ICE babies too old too old
    ICE ICE babies like mold like mold
    ICE ICE babies

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  10. Mr. Unity please come up with something original and funny. Your stuff is stale. We know they pay you your double pension to say yes Randi but can't you do anything else?

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  11. It's great that Jeff doesn't omit your stupid comments Mr. Unity. It shows everyone who reads this how totally devoid of ideas you are.

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  12. Unity man uses personal insults because he can never argue facts.

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  13. From the Chief Newspaper, New of the Week June 6,2008

    MLC Has New Doubts About Advisability Of HIP-GHI Merger

    By ARI PAUL

    The Municipal Labor Committee May 29 asked State Superintendent of Insurance Eric R. Dinallo to halt consideration of merging the two giant health-insurance firms for city workers into a for-profit entity until the group meets with the state to voice its concerns.

    RANDI WEINGARTEN: Fears premium rise, benefit fall.
    The Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP) and Group Health Incorporated (GHI) provide more than 93 percent of city workers with health insurance, and some worker advocates have said that the conversion would result in higher premium rates and lesser benefits.

    Concern About Execs' Salaries

    "The new information involves allegedly exorbitant executive compensation and creates a possibility that any sale of the newly created for-profit entity could lead to higher premiums and reduced health-care benefits," United Federation of Teachers President and MLC Chair Randi Weingarten said in a letter to Mr. Dinallo. "Given this new information, we are prepared to oppose the conversion. We request that no action be taken until we have been given an opportunity to explain our serious concerns."

    Mayor Bloomberg previously voiced his opposition to the conversion to Mr. Dinallo last month, calling it "bad policy."

    The Coalition Against Privatization, which includes rank-and-file UFT and Transport Workers Union Local 100 members, held a rally against the merger outside of GHI's Manhattan headquarters May 30 and planned to stage another one this month. It had previously been critical of union officials who had stayed quiet on the issue.

    "I think it's very good news," said coalition organizer Billy Wharton of the MLC's move. "I think for us it's a victory breaking through the silence."

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  14. It's always illuminating to read the vacuous and juvenile name-calling that passes for argument from self-serving, double-pensioned Unity supporters.

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  15. It must be wonderful to be a Unity Hack. You work in air-conditioned surroundings. As long as you lick the Unity back-side, you can be as incompetent as ever.

    And, from your comments, it is clear that the problems teachers face mean nothing to you Mr. Fatted Cow.

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  16. The Coalition against privatization scored a major victory with this one. Great work from a growing grassroots group.

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  17. Hah, that ICE parody is funny beacuse it's true.

    The author should receive an award.

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  18. Open Letter to Leo Casey,

    Leo Casey, former member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and once extraordinary teacher, how do you sleep at night?

    What are the things you tell yourself in those quiet, dark moments of sleepiness?

    This is not a note of hate, just a call to check yourself and to reconsider the state of your conscience.

    The next time you begin with, "Brothers and Sisters," at the DA, think about your concessions and your betrayal to schoolworkers across NYC.


    -The Future

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  19. Marjorie is a Spartacist and ran as their candidate for Mayor of New York in 1985.

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  20. Stop with all the name calling and comment on the post. We have one of the longest school years around and we start in August. How can we fix this?

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  21. you're kidding...

    how can we fix it?

    was that the purpose of the blog/story?

    what exactly does this blog accomplish?

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  22. This blog is not supposed to accomplish anything...that's Randi's job and she's not doing it.

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  23. This blog comments on issues impacting on UFT members. Hopefully, people will read it and spread the word about an alternative vision of what a Union can accomplish if we mobilized

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  24. plans for mobilization include.........?

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  25. Having someone in most if not all schools who could spread the word about a rank and file movement for change. That would be a nice start.

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  26. This blog is hypocritical in regard to calling names and the information spread here is partial (in both sense of the word) if not out and out false.

    The people who post the messages here complain endlessly yet never actively participate with their union colleagues at actions.

    As Klein tries to pit parents, teachers, and administrators against each other, the purpose of this blog is to pit teacher against teacher. That's just sad.

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  27. How do you know people don't participate in union actions? All you know is that the people here aren't paid to participate like many Unity folks.

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  28. Could Mr. Unity please provide some specifics on where ICE is wrong. Did they write the calendar improperly?

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  29. Good question. Mr. Unity will you please tell us if we will be going back to school on August 28 or not?

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  30. You ICEsickles are wrong in the sense that all you will do is complain here, you won't join your fellow educators in action at rallies and at townhall meetings. The loud mouths from the DA are never at those.

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  31. So we do have school on August 28. I guess ICE is right on that one. How do you know ICERs aren't there along with all of the paid Unity people at rallies and town hall meetings?

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