Wednesday, May 31, 2017

RANDI ENDORSES CHARTER SCHOOLS YET AGAIN

AFT President Randi Weingarten wrote an anti-voucher op-ed in the LA Times with pro-charter advocate Jonah Edelman in which she yet again endorses charter schools.

Here is the latest smoking gun paragraph:
We believe taxpayer money should support schools that are accountable to voters, open to all, nondenominational and transparent about students’ progress. Such schools — district and charter public schools — are part of what unites us as a country.

Nobody should be in the least bit surprised that Randi supports charter schools even as they undermine public schools. Randi, after all, had the UFT open up two charter schools.

The reaction from Diane Ravitch  to the Randi-Edelman piece was to call the op-ed basically good except for the above paragraph we just copied.

Then Diane lays it out there:
It is public schools that unites us as a country, not charter schools. We have seen a steady parade of scandals, frauds, abuses, waste of taxpayer dollars, exclusion of children with special needs, from the charter sector.

Charter schools should be subject to democratic control (an elected school board), should be financially transparent, and should have the same requirements for teachers as public schools. They should be required to accept all children who apply, in the order of their application. They should not be allowed to exclude ELLs and children with disabilities.

Charter schools exist to bust unions and undermine public schools. They are a form of privatization. They should not be put into the same boat as public schools because they are not public schools.

Who again is our national union president?

The reaction in the comments section on Diane's blog from our friend Mike Fiorillo is worth a close look.

Michael Fiorillo says:

Ya gotta give it to Randi: though a willing tool and enabler of privatization for two decades, she can always be counted on to sink even lower, and do even more to prostrate herself before the Overclass and its rapacious appetites.

It wasn’t enough that she has betrayed the people paying her generous salary for years, and functioned as an “asset” (re: 2009 Broad Foundation annual report) of Eli Broad’s and his ilk, but apparently she now feels compelled to publicly ally herself with an avowed enemy of public education and s*%t-heel like Jonah Edelman, who can be expected to turn up shortly on another YouTube video, smirking and bragging about how he punked the teacher’s unions yet again.

After all, Edelman knows, even if Randi doesn’t, that charter operators will have their bread buttered on both sides by Trump/De Vos, while crying crocodile tears at how awful they are. They will be very, very happy circulating her agreement that charters are “public schools.”

I’d wish shame on her, but that’s pointless since, as with Trump, it’s a waste of time to try to shame the shameless.

Or is it that, having worked tirelessly to ensure that teachers didn’t fight the metastasis of charter schools (in fact, having partnered with crooks like Steve Barr), she now feels the need to distract and misdirect them from the consequences of her malefaction? After all, it’s been obvious for quite a while that charters were the camel’s-nose-under-the-tent for vouchers. Or should have been.

Go away, Randi; just go far, far away, and remain silent for a long time while you ponder your endless duplicity and betrayals. Think of the careers destroyed by what you’ve done, and the resulting misery experienced by schoolchildren, just so you could have the self-aggrandizement of “a seat at the table” with a group of well-dressed, well-spoken pigs.

I think I might surprise some readers here but I would not go as hard on Randi as my friend Mike Fiorillo does. Harsh, yes but not that hard.

Randi is the personification of the modern Democratic Party. Just like the party, she tries to be Wall Street and Main Street simultaneously. It is a contradictory position for sure but it is very mainstream.

Since it is virtually impossible to win a general union election in the UFT, NYSUT or AFT, we have to find new ways to say that this status quo is unacceptable to rank and file public school teachers. Mike makes the case well that Randi's policies have ruined many careers and provided misery for untold number of kids but how do we turn it around?

The answer can't be to stop paying union dues when teachers need a union more now than ever.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree 100% with Michael Fiorella. Weingarten should have resigned after the Trump election. Just pick any random teacher and she/he could do a better job with more integrity. She's a disgrace and most don't even know the depths of her descent, Bloomberg knows.

Michael Fiorillo said...

Thanks for passing my comment along, James.

For the record, as awful as Weingarten and Mulgrew are, I still intend to maintain my union membership and pay dues, since even a bad union (like the UFT/AFT) is better than no union at all.

Perhaps some day teachers will wake up and overcome Unity Caucus - the last of the big city political machines - its disastrous policies, loyalty oaths and groupthink; until then, we need blogs like this and Norm's to keep the flame of trade unionism burning.

Anonymous said...

We can all disaffiliate. Take a look at L.I.F.E, Long Island Federation of Educators, NYSUT will change or there are enough locals willing to leave and collapse what has now turned into a Ponzi scheme at the state level.

Anonymous said...

But will LIFE accept NYC teachers?

Anonymous said...

A bunch of NYC teachers in my school are very interested in LIFE? Can we sign up?

Anonymous said...

Randi and Hillary should both "wither away into the night". Comments made by both most recently substantiate the utter contempt they have for those who have supported them for years. NO LONGER, ADIEU!!!!

Anonymous said...

Randi who? Once Janus wins the supreme court case she will be praying to give $300.00 speeches at community colleges.

Anonymous said...

Randi was unqualified to take over the helm of the UFT. She had no education credentials. I did like her though. I used to have a vacation home on Fire Island and ran into her and Sandra Feldman while Sandra was UFT president. I talked to her length about her being totally unqualified and at first she gave me a song and dance about having once taught. (Unethical that Feldman would have presented Randi as her successor. Maybe Trump will present an unqualified friend as the next big appointment?) I knew it was bull, but she charmed me. I figured what the hell -she's a lawyer and impressed me. I talked many people into supporting her. For many years she did a great job. The 2005 contract had me change my opinion of her completely. It allowed everything we are currently living with - closed large schools, ATRs, charters, and mayoral control. Before that contract was presented to us, Randi had refused to meet with Bloomberg. She then had a secret lunch with him and presented the 2005 contract. She then went on to become AFT president.

Anonymous said...

Atr agreement official...

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew screwed us

Anonymous said...

Its basically retro owed if you take buyout, and if not, you get force placed.

Anonymous said...

What official ATR agreement?! Does that mean if I call Amy she'll answer my questions without her magic 8 ball?

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew sent email. 50k to resign.

Anonymous said...

He can stick it up his, I'm not resigning.

Anonymous said...

I didn't get an email. How are the placements to be done and what are the other details? The fucking UFT should hold a meeting for us!

Anonymous said...

Its a fake number made to look high. The minute you take it you lose that much in retro you had coming anyway, plus salary, upcoming raises, medical, lower pension, no tda contributions, etc.

Anonymous said...

Placements are by boro.

Anonymous said...

No reason for meeting, you get force placed in september in whatever boro you work in.

Bronx ATR said...

Doing what? Under what license? What if there are no vacancies in your license are? For example, there are hundreds of social studies ATRs and maybe fifty vacancies. How will that work? What are our rights? There is a HUGH reason to have a meeting, but I guess we won't have one because they don't want to questions? Common man, do better than that.

Anonymous said...

My point was, they will force place you at a school for the year and not much you can do. I dont question we are getting screwed. In August you will get an email and be stuck all year. Whats to explain? I assume fill vacancies first, if not, principal can utilize however...

Bronx ATR said...

You assume? I don't assume anything. If that's ok with you, that should be ok with everyone? Are you an ATR or do you work for the UFT? I don't want to insult you but you're not thinking clearly.

Anonymous said...

1125, what else could our job entail? if we get sent somewhere with no vacancy, they will have us cover classes, cafe, halls...They cant throw us in the street.

Anonymous said...

1206,Why are you against having a meeting with those that can answer our concerns? I don't want to be doing custodial work and want to know my rights. Bronx ATR is correct.

Anonymous said...

Yes, high school teachers should vote to disaffiliated.
Randi represents Randi

Anonymous said...

How can the UFT put together an ATR agreement without ATR input? This is a "secret agreement"! Is this legal? It keeps happening to us. We have had horrible agreements in the past. Remember weekly rotations? Recently monthly rotations and now forced placements. What is next?

Anonymous said...

I rather do custodial work. Lol

Anonymous said...

I'd rather see Mulgrew, Arundel and the rest of the pigs at the trough do custodial work. You can join them.

Anonymous said...

225

Weekly rotations in district were best case scenario