With all apologies to our friend who always accuses me of being Jamaicacentric, please allow me to introduce two press pieces on my potentially closing school.
The first is from the Huffington Post. It is a great piece written by my colleague Marc Epstein about separate and unequal schools.
The second is a summary of my appearance before Queens Community Board 8 last week from one of the local Queens papers.
As my friend Marc says, the story of Jamaica is a cautionary tale. If you don't think what is happening to us can happen to you, you need to open your eyes.
What is depressing is the UFT's lack of a response.
17 comments:
James, it's not that you mention Jamaica's plight, it's that you ONLY mention Jamaica's plight and never mention any of the other schools that the DOE has painted a bullseye on. Since you ran for UFT President, and those of us in TJC endorsed you, we expect you to have a more global view.
Just as the election was beginning James got smacked with his closing school. I don't blame James for one minute for his focus. Where are people from the other schools writing about them? Do you think the ICE blog would not print them? Do you want James to go to them to tell their stories? Sometimes you just have to stand up (which you clearly aren't commenting as anon). In fact James from ICE and Dave Pecoraro a Unity guy from Beach Channel have shown as much fight for their schools as anyone in the city and it was their schools that were screwed by the UFT. Ed Notes and GEM who are partners with ICE take on that load. Show us who else has been standing up as prominently to defend his school?
And by the way, it was TJC that suggested James run in what was clearly a thankless task and in the midst of James becoming a father for the first time. He should be thanked for taking that on in the midst of all this instead of these little snipes.
It was James that got the organization going to stop the closings, and yet when Mulgrew came aboard, the NYTeacher left any mention of James out of the paper.
What did Mulgrew do? He fought the closings and gave Bloomberg the go ahead to do what he wants.
Where are the other voices? Where are the old voices that seemed to have abandoned this fight now that more schools are on the chopping block??
Effective writers use what they know, and James knows Jamaica. And frankly, anyone who doesn't see Jamaica as a symbol for every closing school in the city has not thought things through.
Anyone whose first thought at reading posts like this is to personally attack James Eterno has an agenda on which saving schools takes distinctly second priority.
I had written about Jamaica High School for the last five years about how the DOE targeted it and the terrible principals they had and have. However, very few commented on the school's closing, except those that really cared and saw the big picture that what was happening to Jamaica was a blueprint to attack other large traditional schools.
Jamaica High School's closing was preordained by the DOE whostarved it for funds and discouraged students from going their. When the union had a say in keeping Jamaica High School open as a turnaround school, the union sacrificed it for other schools.
James Eterno is a hard-working Chapter Leader and organizer and he has single-handedly tried to advocate for the school and the students only to be stabbed in the back by the UFT leadership.
To blame James Eterno for his focus on Jamaica High School is just plain wrong.
Send the stuff from the other schools and we will gladly post it.
James Eterno
The articles are good; forget the personal stuff.
I'm going to have to speak with Megan, Peter, and Kit before the next election because we expected ICE to look beyond it's immediate concerns and concentrate on the system as a whole.
Anon - You're a bigger asshole than I thought. You have as much connection to TJC as Mulgrew.
You shouldn't comment on my anatomy. I am a lifelong card-carrying member of TCJ.
Anon
You don't deserve to be a card carrying member of TJC
Positive news converage is important but is it enough to help Jamiaca High School? Will the change in leadership at the DOE make a difference? It is a good start but a long way to go in getting Jamaica out of the situation it is in.
Sorry, but the changing face of chancellor does not reflect a change in leadership. Mayoral control precludes a real chancellor and leaves NYC's 1.1 million students with a stooge, or stoogette as it may be, as the public face of Mayor Moneybags.
Any change will have to come from grassroots, because the mayor has his mind made up, and being repeatedly proven wrong has not made a dent in his opinions, nor those of his buds on the editorial boards.
Exhibited are just two of the many differences between ICE and TJC.
We in TJC look at the bigger picture. Also, there's a certain abrupt, gruff quality in several of these posts which are uncalled for.
Time for ICE to cut the ties to TJC--please!!!!!
Jeff puts the stuff on Rikers closing up because he worked there and nobody complains. Can't understand this controversy here.
The school is like a sinking ship right now (aka titanic high school). THe DOE is in a very strong position because it can select one of four models from the Obama Administration. If it cannot close the school it has three other choices. The staff with James leading the way has done a terrific job in standing up for itself. However when you have politicians from both sides of the aisle supporting charter schools (even prominent democrats) that cards are becoming stacked against us.
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