The week is coming to an end and it's time to do a little review. Two teachers and two students from Jamaica attended the Joint Public Hearing at Norman Thomas in Manhattan on Monday. I was able to speak in defense of that school.
On Tuesday night, my wife, my mother in law, about seven teachers from Jamaica and another student went to Campus Magnet in support of our friends at BCEA High School there. Calvin Whitfield from Jamaica spoke, one of our students took the floor and I had to follow my wife Camille who was excellent.
On Wednesday evening, five teachers from Jamaica, a counselor and two students were at the Citywide Council for High Schools meeting where they unanimously passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on school closings. The UFT was well represented as the Chapter Leaders attending a High School Committee meeting walked to Tweed from UFT headquarters to attend the council meeting.
Later that night I hurried back to Queens to attend the Planning Board 8 meeting where there was a great deal of discussion on Jamaica and that board is planning on adopting a resolution in support of the school. There was a contingent from the school including parents, students and teachers at that meeting also.
It was good to see that Gotham Schools published a piece I co-wrote with Francis Lewis High School Chapter Leader Arthur Goldstein.
Tonight I am catching up on emails and getting reacquainted with my daughter Kara. I understand students from Jamaica are going again to one of the schools proposed for phase out in the Bronx to work with pupils there on their student alliance. That's great stuff.
Saturday morning, I will be speaking at the emgergency parent meeting on school closing and charter invasions of public schools at the School for the Future in Manhattan.
There were a couple of negative points that were a little depressing. School closings were relegated to pages 26-30 in the NY Teacher. That's not exactly a priority story. Also, at Wednesday's UFT High School Committee a new Chapter Leader suggested that the UFT was capable of shutting down all the schools and he was met with a response of, "Grow up." When a call for some kind of major union action is dismissed as blasphemy by a member of the ruling caucus, it shows you the state of our union better than anything I can say.
26 comments:
James,
I was at Wednesday's UFT High School Chapter Leader meeting when a new Chapter Leader made the statement to take action by shutting down the schools. I don't remember people saying grow-up but I do remember that the chapter leaders did not agree with his notion of a strike.
Understand the severe repercussion of a strike. Many of the members who under the Taylor Law would never vote for a strike. However, once the union and legislators have made some form of concillatory changes to the Taylor Law because of the city's unfair practices during contract negotiation and the penalty for being on strike is one to one and any existing contract is NOT destroyed, then I would be the first one on the picket line.
In the meantime, we as a union need to inform the "newbie" chapter leaders of why it is not feasible to strike.
There you go. The job action off the table before we even start and then you wonder why they can abuse us so easily.
First anon would not strike if they said ATR's have twelve months and then are gone. What good is our Contract then?
James,
Will you next say that the UFT has not engaged in a tremendous fight side by side with all members in all groups. Your screaming at Jamiaca HS was salvaged by a UFT staff person and you got what you wanted which was to present the most boring and uninfluential powerpoint believable. But it was your union that saved the meeting from turning into a riot. That is, unless that is what you intended to have happen. When can you put on your glasses and see that groups can agree to disagree but the fight over the closing schools is a joint fight with all members. Your union is not the enemy....
Thanks for that Unity update Washington. Keep them coming.
There were no ICE members at the 332 hearing in Brooklyn. No comments here either. Zero press from ICE of what was a fantastic display of protest. I guess 332 just wasn't important enough.
Give me a break Mr. Unity. How many of these hearings was Mr. Mulgrew at?
Mr. Unity it says in the Queens Chronicle that one of Eterno's quotes evoked thunderous applause. Were you even there?
The comment above yours was not directed at one person, it was addressing your vast and militant group of ICE, GEM, etc. Not a single member at Brownsville for the only elementary school slated to close, a school that services some of the neediest children in NYC. Why was no one from ICE there?
Eterno's speech received thunderous applause from the students in the auditorium that would have loved to have seen chaos and a riot.
Mr. Unity is making what I think is a racist comment. It is certainly implied. Since the kids at Jamaica are mostly African American and other minorities, they can't just appreciate a speech in their favor and not be thinking about a riot. How low can you go?
Above, aka James posting anonymously, nice try using the race tactic.
I am not James Mr. Unity. I am a black American and I am deeply offended by your bigoted comments about Jamaica High School's students. If you are an educator in NYC, I expect better. You should ask that your comment be removed at once and you should cease and desist making comments that can be seen as racially charged.
Anon above, you don't see that the poster was refering to the dynamic of how all grade school kids (regardless of ethnicity) tend to gather around and goad on a fight?
ICE, way to pull the race card on something dumb.
Agreed, stupid playing the race issue.
Mr. Unity is a full-time union employee with a double pension. And by tracking which Unity jokers attend which meeting, you have been outed. And frankly, it is not surprising at who you are. You were a lousy chapter leader who sucked up but they wouldn't even give you a district rep job. Your bosses even thinks less of you than ICE does because they don't think you are very smart. And you prove it here every day.
"Eterno's speech received thunderous applause from the students in the auditorium that would have loved to have seen chaos and a riot."
Tsk tsk, Looks racist to me.
Who are you talking about?
Typical ICE ploys. Tonight's act includes the usual blame Unity game with a sprinkle of you must be a racist if you didn't think James spoke magnificently.
Delusional hacks.
The comment was dumb and supposed at it's very most, stop the racist labelling. We all need to fight the DOE on this.
We don't have hacks Mr. Unity. You have made a racist statement and then to back away, you insulted all students saying they want to goad fights along. Small wonder the Unity Caucus does not want to support the kids protesting at the Mayor's residence on Thursday.
ICE seems so intent on battling everyone. It's amazing that a poster here is being ganged up on with accusations of racism when his/her statement doesn't have anything to do with race. ICE posters, grasping at straws.
Everyone that disagrees with the initial post here gets labelled "Mr. Unity"?
Forget about it Mr. Unity. You have been exposed for making a racist comment and then an anti student statement. Give up this losing battle.
A typical Unity schmuck. You are the only one disagreeing here and making dumb statements. Don't you know about IP numbers to trsck site visitors? A dumb schmuck at that.
Who is mr unity
Someone tried to out him.
The ominous vote on NYC closures is coming.
NY1.com is broadcasting the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) vote (on school closings) on Tuesday, Jan. 27. (I'm wondering: by scheduling the vote for Tuesday, not Monday, are they inherently indicating that they are feeling some pressure from the community?)
Unfortunately, no word on exact time, --day or evening?
See their site at: http://www.ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/news_beats/education/112494/without-paul-robeson--many-students-will-have-their-needs-unmet/
Signed, http://nycityeye.blogspot.com
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