Tuesday, January 23, 2018

MULGREW ADMITS DOE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT IS OUT OF CONTROL

Arthur Goldstein's Executive Board minutes are must reading for UFT members. Last night, according to Arthur's report, UFT President Michael Mulgrew responded to a question about the new chancellor search by conceding that Department of Education middle level management is out of control.

What was that Mike?

Here are the minutes from this part of Arthur's report:

6:15—Mulgrew arrives

Having conversations—slim pickings for chancellor—not offering names, but telling them where to look and what we want. Need someone who wants meaningful collaboration. Middle management is problematic. no quality insurance. We want a teacher. Mayor agrees.

Lists are amusing. Post and Times almost identical. Half list fired by current admin. Most names pushed grads of Broad Academy. We are not fans.

Mayor has clear plan and policies. Based on research so they don’t write about that. They have to follow mayor’s benchmarks. Mayor puts ten year plans forth. Does not seem to be time line. Could take months. If we get right person, fine, but middle management out of control. Probably not looking internally. 


If middle management is out of control and problematic, where the hell has the UFT been the last four years?

Hasn't Mulgrew been touting how wonderful the NYC schools are? Aren't we a model school system?

What are we doing now to reign MIDDLE management in?

We also learned from Arthur's report that the UFT is attempting to bring Regents marking back to the schools. That would not make people who earn money doing per session marking exams happy but I think it does make sense for the school system overall as most of us are professionals who mark fairly.

However, we do have to be careful here because there are too many schools where administrators pressure teachers to pass everyone no matter what. They would turn up the heat on teachers on Regents marking. Also, our ratings and the principals' are tied to these grades. That needs to end.

Here is what Arthur asked and the answer from HSVP Janella Hinds:

Arthur GoldsteinMORE—Some people here know that my school and others are now giving midterms during this week, which is Regents week. Some schools are holding classes while they’re doing that, and while all English teachers are out of the building grading. It seems like Queens principals are having contests over how many things they can make their teachers can juggle at one time.

Not too long ago, we graded our own Regents papers and the city didn’t need to pull our teachers out of the building or pay for who knows how many hours of per session. Then Merryl Tisch decided we must all be a bunch of crooks and forbade us from grading our own students on standardized tests.

I can understand why they might suspect dishonesty. The state lowers standards and declares Michael Bloomberg a genius, then raises them and says all the teachers must be incompetent.

A bright light, for me, was when Janella proposed we move grading back into our own schools. An even better move would be to remove the ban on us grading our own students. I’d argue that if we were not fit to grade our own students then none of us should ever been hired.

So my questions are whether we’ve made any progress toward placing grading in home schools, and also whether we might move to make the geniuses in Albany reconsider a regulation that stereotypes us as a bunch of crooks. Just because they are, it doesn’t follow that we are.

Janella Hinds—Should not have both education and assessment moving. Conversations in process. Believe it would be more economically sound to keep teachers in school. Will talk with state to see about this.


Hey Arthur, at least the Unity crowd let you ask your question this time. That's progress.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, so they will find another way to make our job worse, lose the small break, regents week. GET OUT IF YOU CAN. Let the hit parade continue.

Anonymous said...

Keep paying dues? Stay in the job at all?

Anonymous said...

As an atr I want to do this job as long as I can.

Where else can I make 100 k a year to coast?

Anonymous said...

First you have to be an ATR.

Anonymous said...

The union's failure to protect their senior teachers is disgraceful and for the UFT to allow Tweed to practice ageism in the teacher removal process is aiding and abetting the DOE practice of age discrimination.

Anonymous said...

Is middle management code for principals? Like '45' is Trump? How can a union leader be such a wimp? I guess he feels he's being brave saying middle management - Farina's on her way out, so what the heck? PATHETIC

Anonymous said...

Janella has been having discussions about bringing grading back to the schools for 2 years now. How about just say we've asked and they said no instead of pretending like this is some big negotiation.

Anonymous said...

What are they going to say? We asked for grading in schools; DOE said no and state said no too. We said ok. Now move on Arthur.

Anonymous said...

And get some per session to grade papers too. I was at a pension consultation where that was a recommendation. If we had a union, pressure would be put on teachers not to grade.

Anonymous said...

With contract negotiations coming soon, even if DC 37 sets a poor pattern, the union should be addressing the problem with to be done.

Anonymous said...

Too little too late Mulgrew. The rank and file might be dumb, but they are not stupid. Since the big shaft of the last contract, we know that the blame is right in your lap. One more garbage contract and at least 30-40 percent of the rank and file are gonna say goodbye to paying dues. Ball is in your court now Mulgrew. Make no mistake, your job is on the line now.

Anonymous said...

Contact Chuck Schumer and demand Maxine Waters for Chancellor.

Anonymous said...

What a sad joke.
Mulgrew supplies "middle management" with the tools to beat our brains in and so when they actually do he finds that to be problematic?

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew has allowed the DOE to target and disrespect its most experienced teachers. He is a disgrace.

Anonymous said...

3020A and bogus charges have become the norm because of a Union that does nothing. Shameful. No accountability of the abusiveness of supervisors.

Anonymous said...

They are removing experienced teachers from our schools, and replacing them with new teachers. Neglecting our students by robbing them of a quality education. Shame on Mulgrew and the UFT.

Anonymous said...

One of these days you will be targeted and harass because of that argument.

Anonymous said...

They like to make back door deals.

Anonymous said...

He’s obviously not an ATR. Just a POS who wants people to think we have it good. Lol

Anonymous said...

You only need 29 points now to pass geometry regents since they got rid of one 6 point question. So instead of needing 42 points out of 86, you now only need 29 of of 80 or roughly 36 percent to pass. Sounds like a good idea right?

Anonymous said...

As a former atr(forced placed recently) you guys got it good.

Anonymous said...

Sill said ATRs were supposed to rotate 1/26. Anyone know what’s going on? I can’t get any info from the UFT. (And they expect me to keep paying dues!)

Anonymous said...

It's up to the DOE, not the UFT.

Anonymous said...

I emailed HR. No response on atr rotation.

Sesis not updated either.

Is this last rotation?

Anonymous said...

Why happened? Is there any way out?

Anonymous said...

Probably another week to get W2s. The UFT and Sill knows - they don’t give a shit about keeping us informed. Sill makes Amy look like SuperWoman.

Anonymous said...

That makes sense. A lot of ATRs did not opt into getting w2s sent electronically

Anonymous said...

Hahaahhahah

Anonymous said...

Notification will be at same site til April or til further notice. With barely anymore rotations, the ATR unit should decrease its staff. There's no more work. Will they become ATRs?

Anonymous said...

ATRs,

What are your thoughts on the assignments extended ?

Anonymous said...

Great news!

Anonymous said...

I was going to retire next month now I’ll wait.

ed notes online said...

How about UFT middle management?

Anonymous said...

Love them they’re the best!

Anonymous said...

UFT middle management is as useless as UFT upper management.

Anonymous said...

Fair student funding is responsible for age discrimination , including but not limited to : negative observation ratings, being told harassing lies during your post-ob , being over-scrutinized on a daily basis as administrators look for anything they can call a problem even when it isn't a problem, being treated differently than younger teachers and told you didn't do enough of something during the lesson, false accusations, principals having derogatory conversations about you with parents in an effort to gang up against you, closing schools and dismissing only older teachers who have to go on interviews that they will never win, being unfairly targeted for termination charges, being ATRed and therefore sent like a bag lady or man from school to school. And the list goes on. And this is ALL the result of Fair Student Funding

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew should be harassed and rated U by those Field Supervisors he secretly agreed to in classes of students he just met.

Anonymous said...

If they are old they will become ATRs.

Anonymous said...

The UFT is responsible of all this chaos.

Anonymous said...

ATRs can put a complaint for differential treatment with respect to other regular teachers. All teachers should have a regular program according to Article 7. The ATR pool has become a dumping ground for the most experienced teachers. ATRs are also observed under a different rating system despite not having a regular program, being setup for failure. Also ATRs are not getting per session, and are not being permanently placed. The DOE has taken the positions of these ATRs away, and has hired les qualified and inexperienced teachers. Because of the fair student act an ATR will never be able to find a permanent position again as he/she used to have. Also ATRs are subject to observations out of license, and observations on students they just met in circumstances that the UFT has agreed to that are not equiparable to a regular teacher, and are totally unfair. As an educator we know that we need to know our students and their learning styles to plan and prepare a lesson succesfully. The rating officer that rates ATRs are usually someone an ATR never met. Also the Field Supervisor may not have a license to teach the subject for which the ATR has, so how can the Field Supervisor help the ATR. The whole observation process agreed by our Union that was not voted for is geared to push and harass ATRs out of the system. A complaint should be filed against the National Board of Labor Relations against the UFT for not acting in good faith, and for negotiating behind the backs of ATRs. The UFT keeps looking the other way while they know Field Supervisors are harassing ATRs to quit or retire.This whole ATR pool has been discriminatory since its creation, and the UFT needs to start defending its most experienced workforce.
https://www.eeoc.gov/