SUE EDELMAN EXPOSES ANOTHER OUT OF CONTROL DOE ADMIN SALARY

Sue Edelman, this time joined by Mary Kay Ling, wrote another piece exposing an out of control salary at the Department of Education.

From the NY Post article:

A little-known bureaucrat on the Department of Education payroll will make more money than Mayor de Blasio this fall after receiving a raise so “off the reservation” that it’s sparked a city investigation, The Post has learned.

Daniel Miller is the deputy director of the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS), the smallest of the city’s five pension plans with only 53,000 members, including aides, cafeteria workers, nurses, central DOE staffers, and crossing guards.

He is currently the highest-paid DOE employee after schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, who pulls down $352,763.

Last November, Miller, 38, received a 17 percent raise, boosting his salary from $217,125 to $255,000.

Miller now makes $26,000 more than his boss, BERS Executive Director Sanford Rich, and tens of thousands of dollars more than the heads of the four other city pension systems for cops, firefighters and other civil servants.

He takes home $67,000 more a year than his counterpart in the NYC Fire Department Pension Fund.

Even more jaw-dropping, Miller collects more than the heads of city agencies, including Police Commissioner James O’Neill and Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, who get $236,000 a year.


“That’s crazy,” said John Murphy, former executive director of the 360,000-member New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS), the largest pension system.


“This guy getting this kind of money has ramifications citywide. It’s going to create tremendous problems,” Murphy said, explaining it will generate a ripple effect of salary demands in other departments.


Rich gave Miller his latest pay hike in November, sources said. One insider said Rich gave the fat raise after Miller received a “lucrative offer” in Ohio.


Is anyone even remotely surprised?


Here is my favorite part?

Murphy said that Rich’s decision was “way off the reservation.”


“If he didn’t go to the trustees for this, he’s crazy,” Murphy said. “And if he didn’t clear this with the mayor’s office, he’s out of his mind.”


Welcome to our DOE world Mr. Murphy. It's anything goes for those that are part of the in crowd. Sanity is not a job requirement. Being out of your mind or crazy is not seen as a negative as long as you have the right friends. That is until Sue Edelman discovers what's going on.

TEACHER'S CHOICE ALLOCATION FINALLY REVEALED FOR 2019-20

The New York City Department of Education has released the 2019-2020 spending amounts for Teacher's Choice. Why rush? School starts in a week.

If the funds are allocated by the City Council in June, why does it take the DOE two months to figure out each person's allocation? It seems like simple division: Divide the total allocation by the number of eligible employees. Then prorate for non-classroom teachers. It's not rocket science.

Spending according to the UFT website is retroactive to August 1. The end date for spending has not yet been released but is some time in mid January.

The allocation for this year by job title:

Title	Amount
Teachers	$250
School counselors	$110
Social workers and psychologists	$110
Universal literacy coaches	$110
Single Shepherds	$110
Occupational and physical therapists	$95
School nurses	$95
Lab specialists	$85
School secretaries	$60

ARE ATRs BEING PERMANENTLY PLACED? (Updated that ATRs are not being Permanently Placed)

Francisco Portelos sent this out this morning on Facebook.

I just spoke to the principal of the school that SESIS states I'm going to. He just informed me that ATRs are being permanently placed so I am permanently placed as a science teacher in his school. They are matching vacancies with ATRs but no longer provisional. Permanent.

We have also seen full 100% subsidies for certain schools who hire ATRs to pay their salaries. The central DOE will pick up the cost of the teacher for as long as she/he stays at that particular school according to what was sent to us.

Is there any further clarification on ATR placements?  We have seen very little officially coming from the UFT or DOE.

Update with apologies to anyone who had their hopes raised by what we were reading on Facebook and posted here.

We asked for clarification and we got it. Our friend South Bronx School has put up a detailed and credible piece on ATR placements for 2019-20.  It seems that little has changed for ATRs.

Here is much of his post minus the personal insults:

Instead of waiting until October 15 to fill a vacancy you can now fill a vacancy on the first day of school. We knew that. Fact is a fact jack.

Yes, SESIS is a good indicator of where you will wind up but it is prone to inaccuracies. Remember your email is what is official.

NOTHING has been changed where ATRs can be placed. The DOE can always place you in a permanent position you in district. But they have yet to do so. Which renders the following statement moot:

 He just informed me that ATRs are being permanently placed so I am permanently placed as a science teacher in his school...

We can't confirm, but Central has told principals that if they want someone specific, they must hire that person.

Rotations are still possible. You can be at your school a week, a month, several months, or the year.

No field supervisors. Principals will rate you.

You will be rated under S/U unless you are in an official position for 6+ months.

The 100% subsidies are for special situations, like obscure licenses. If there is a steno teacher, or a Merengue teacher, or something like that who won't or can't get a permanent position then the DOE will pay for those people. 

TEACHERS SPENDING ON SCHOOL SUPPLIES (Uprdated with NY Post Piece on Hoarding of Supplies))

Valerie Strauss writes The Answer Sheet blog for The Washington Post. She is a public education supporter. She sent this out on Twitter earlier.

TEACHERS: if you are buying school supplies or getting them anywhere other than from your schools, please email me andd tell me what you are getting and why your school isn't providing them. thanks.

Valerie.Strauss@washpost.com



Do the teachers reading the ICEUFT blog spend money on supplies?  Considering the interest we get whenever we write about Teacher's Choice, my guess is many go beyond the allotment.

My opinion is that it is normally unnecessary to spend so much on supplies. NYC has plenty of money. I learned my lesson for good in 2012 when Jamaica High School was phasing out. For years we were told there were shortages and little or no money in the school's bare bones budget for  supplies. Many times we had to fight like crazy for teachers and students to get our fair share.

Then in 2012 my friend COSA (Coordinator of Student Activities) Steve Heiss and I (College  Advisor) were moved to a basement office as phasing out Jamaica High School was relegated to the first floor and basement in the huge building. The room next door to our "new" office had a door administration did not know was connected to our office. This room was the excess supply room.

Steve explored the room and later called me in. We looked at each other like we discovered hidden treasure when we looked around. The room was fully stocked. There were enough supplies such as copy paper to open a Staples store. What a waste. We ended up being a bit angry because having to fight for supplies was so ridiculously avoidable.

The real shame was how there were unused ink cartridges from machines that were obsolete and so the cartridges were never used. Also, the Expo markers sat there for so long that they dried up almost instantly when we finally used them. Still, we had few shortages in our last two years before we closed in 2014.

Are there other schools out there struggling with supplies because they are being hoarded by the powers that be or was that unique to us?

Update: I got my answer Saturay evening by looking at yet another Sue Edelman piece in the NY Post. An excerpt:

One mom of a former PS 333 student said she stumbled across a storage room in the school basement that was jam-packed with parent-purchased supplies.

“When I walked in, I said ‘Whoa! What’s all this stuff?’” recalled Ingrid Flinn.

An ex-worker at the school described closets on the fourth and fifth floors, including one so stocked with donated paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and Ziploc bags, “It looked like a grocery store.”

Another closet was bursting with pencils, crayons, notebooks and other classroom staples, the former employee said.

“They had a ton of stuff — a lot more than they needed,” she said. “But they keep asking parents to buy the same things every year.”

With the Department of Education’s $24 billion annual budget, some parents wonder why schools ask them to buy pencils.


DOE tries to scam parents just like teachers.

NO PROGRESS ON EXPIRED TRANSIT WORKERS UNION CONTRACT

1. Transit Workers Union Local 100 is the one government employee union in NY where militancy is a possibility even though the memory of the 2005 strike might be holding them back.  In the past, TWU, would have at least been threatening some kind of job action the day when their contract expired. TWU's contract with the MTA expired in May. The TWU is the sleeping union giant that just may have been awakened after the MTA's presented their latest insulting contract offer.

Transit workers are being blamed in the press for the subway system's failures. However when one digs a little deeper, usually we find managerial ineptitude is the biggest cause of this ageny's troubles.

In the recent past, TWU has used their alliance with Governor Andrew Cuomo to further their cause.  That might not be enough now.

The TWU Local 100 executive board rejected the MTA's latest contract proposal unanimously (see below) on Monday. Will TWU now threaten real militancy? If the answer is no, expect Local 100 to join with most of the other public unions in NY by accepting concession after concession in exchange for minimal raises.

The full TWU motion on MTA's contract proposal.

Motion to Reject MTA's Contract Offer

The members of the Executive Board of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, representing the 40,000 workers who operate and maintain the New York City Bus and Subway system, emphatically reject the MTA’s contract offer presented on August 14, 2019.

The “offer” is wholly inadequate and insulting to the men and women who have worked tirelessly to provide

New York City its most essential public service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

It completely ignores the union’s legitimate contract proposals – presented to the MTA more than four months ago – on main table issues and Departmental concerns. 

Worse, it seeks a series of unacceptable giveback demands that would turn the clock back on decades of hard fought gains.

This Board also rejects the MTA’s recent negative media campaign that shamefully paints its workers as overtime thieves and pampered no-shows. These are despicable and intentional attacks on the character of thousands of honest, hardworking men and women of TWU. 

The MTA offer also purposely overlooks the remarkable job the transit workforce did in implementing the Subway Action Plan. The MTA’s top leadership recently boasted of major improvements in on-time service. This would not, and could not, have happened without Local 100 transit workers.

Furthermore, the MTA offer continues to minimize the fact that this City cannot function without our bus and subway system. Transit workers provide the incredible mobility that makes New York an economic giant and the world’s greatest center of art, culture, finances, technology and tourism.


Transit workers know that there is no down time on the job. The pressure to produce is intense. We work through snowstorms, hurricanes, power outages, freezing temperatures, and brutal heat. While the rest of the City is asleep or hunkering down during weather emergencies, our members are keeping service moving, protecting the equipment, and assisting the public.

Whether we are driving a bus, operating a train, fixing the signals and track, or maintaining the rolling stock, the lives of millions of New Yorkers – every day – literally depend on the dedication and professionalism of the transit workforce. This enormous responsibility falls squarely on our shoulders and adds to the pressures of our members’ jobs.

Transit workers are without question the most productive labor force in the City or State. But remarkably, we are also the most under-appreciated, and that disrespect disgracefully flows from the MTA itself.

Transit workers are the targets of assaults on a daily basis, both physical and verbal. The intimidation factor can be overwhelming. Recent outrageous assaults on our members are symptoms of an unacceptable situation that is only getting worse.

No other workforce in New York has to put up with this level of abuse, threats and bullying.

Then there are the many life-threatening dangers transit workers face on the job. Three transit workers were killed in horrible accidents in the system during this contract period. One worker recently lost a leg. Another lost an arm. 

Hundreds more are injured in all sorts of mishaps due the hazardous conditions we face across the system on the tracks, in our depots and barns and while operating on the road.

None of these harsh realities are reflected in the MTA’s offer.

Transit workers take their jobs seriously. They know that what they do is critical to the City. They enjoy their jobs, enjoy their co-workers, and feel a part of a team, despite the criticism from on high; despite the ridiculous levels of discipline from the MTA’s management structure; despite the venom from the media, and despite all the other issues that plague the system that are born of age and social crises that transit workers did not create but have to deal with.

As such, the Local 100 Executive Board calls for the TWU Local 100 leadership to deliver this message of categorical rejection of this contract offer to MTA Chair Patrick Foye, and we call for the entire TWU Local 100 membership to stand as one with this leadership to support any and all efforts deemed necessary to achieve a fair and equitable contract.

The Local 100 membership has earned it, and deserves it.

WHEN DOES TEACHER'S CHOICE SPENDING START FOR 2019-2020? (Updated)

Teachers return to school two weeks from tomorrow on September 3, 2019. I noticed the ICEUFT blog is getting a bunch of hits this week on last year's Teacher's Choice piece when we wondered why the Department of Education and the UFT hadn't announced the amount of the Teacher's Choice allocation or the start date for spending which was traditionally August 1. Last year's allocation was $250 for teachers.

I just asked my wife if she has received an email from the UFT about Teacher's Choice for the upcoming school year. She told me she has still not seen a text or email on the start date for spending this year or the allocation amount. Therefore, I just checked the Teacher's Choice page on the UFT website and here is exactly what it says:

Please check back soon for information on funding for the 2019–20 school year.

As we said, spending usually starts on August 1. Why should the UFT or DOE announce when teachers can make purchases and this year's amount?  Because it's August 19!

We do know the City Council approved Teacher's Choice funding in the current budget. We have no idea why it seems to take longer and longer each year to figure out when teachers and other school based UFT members can start spending for supplies and how much the allocation will be as well as then to update the website. UFT has no shortage of well paid staff nor does the DOE.

If the amount and date when spending can start is already out there and I missed it, please send us the information.

Update August 28th. The allocation for 2019-20 has finally been released. We have a new posting.

AOC TWEETS ABOUT WORKER POWER

I find Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to be quite genuine in her support for working people. Her recent battle with Barstool's David Portnoy is revealing. Portnoy threatened to fire anybody on the spot who was even discussing forming a union.

AOC responded on Twitter:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC

If you’re a boss tweeting firing threats to employees trying to unionize, you are likely breaking the law & can be sued, in your words, “on the spot.” ALL workers in the US have the protected freedom to organize for better conditions. See @NLRB & union orgs like @AFLCIO for tips.

Another Tweet on worker power from AOC:

Bosses don’t wield all the power. Workers have plenty - yet many don’t know it! Study up & search the history of labor rights in America. School doesn’t teach the history of the US labor mvmt, but we have weekends bc of it. & We risk losing rights if we forget how we earned them. 

I don't agree about not teaching labor history as my colleagues and I certainly covered it but otherwise AOC is spot on. If NYC teachers en masse would stop just complaining on social media and start organizing for a better union instead of waiting for Michael Mulgrew to do something, we could win our rights back and cut the influence of the overpaid bureaucrats that the NY Post's Sue Edelman, not the UFT's NY Teacher, exposed today.

MORRISON OUT AT HILLCREST HS

The Department of Education has pulled the plug on David Morrison as principal of Hillcrest High School. Our source on the inside tells us Morrison was a decent guy who was well liked by a good portion of the staff.  Hillcrest was Jamaica High School's sister school and we used to marvel how they managed to graduate almost everyone with basically the same population that we had.

It turns out Hillcrest was pushing the kids through to graduation with bogus classes that didn't even have teachers. That was substantiated by the DOE but since when did passing kids through any means necessary land a principal in trouble? Evidence we have seen from the DOE is that passing everyone is encouraged.

As for the lawsuit for sexual harassment filed against the English Assistant Principal who was allegedly rewarding female staffers for sleeping with him, the AP has been tenured and continues in his job while the suit continues in court. That sounds like the DOE we all know.

Who did Morrison tick off?

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA TRYING TO PENETRATE NYC UNIONS

Politico New York has a story on the NYC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America attempting to take over the unions and move them to the left politically. Infiltrating unions is a classic left wing strategy.

Here is the general introduction of the article:

NEW YORK — A left-leaning political organization that publicly backed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her insurgent victory last year was also quietly plotting to penetrate another New York City power source — labor unions.

The New York City branch of the Democratic Socialists of America presented its members with a strategy last year to gain entry into some of the city’s most powerful labor organizations and ensure they are adhering to the “militant” principles that the group felt had been diluted over time. POLITICO obtained a previously unreported, 37-page memo laying out a follow-up plan that identified 10 unions to target.

The members approved zeroing in on six of those labor groups during a January meeting and have since begun pursuing the effort.

In its memo, the DSA makes clear its dissatisfaction with some of the same unions that were once regarded as a bedrock of left-leaning Democratic politics. The tension resembles the national strain between left-flank Democrats, who want to capitalize on the energy in their wing of the party, and centrists aiming for broader appeal.

“We will focus our branch resources on recruiting NYC-DSA members to take jobs in these sectors and on developing a strategy for militant, democratic, classwide struggles based in these sectors,” reads the introduction to the plan.

It goes on to detail what DSA sees as the shortcomings of each of the six unions and why each is ripe for a shakeup. The organization also identifies ways outsiders can access jobs that would allow them entree into the labor groups.

Okay so you know we are going to dive down to where they get to the UFT. Politico has a spot on paragraph prior to discussing the UFT on the lack of union democracy:

“Unions that aren’t democratic oftentimes fall into the trap of not being able to fight back against concessions that an employer is asking for,” Bianca Cunningham, co-chair of DSA’s city chapter, said in an interview Tuesday. “When you don’t have democracy in unions, they might endorse candidates that are not enacting an agenda that’s beneficial for most working people in the city.”

No problem here Ms. Cunningham but then Politico writes about the UFT and it's cringe time.

Another target is the United Federation of Teachers, a nearly 200,000-member union representing teachers, social workers, secretaries and other school employees.

“UFT is the largest local of one of the largest unions in the country. It has the potential to be extremely influential in electoral politics,” the group wrote. “It is extremely internally undemocratic, but there is a reform caucus, MORE, which has many active DSA members.”

MORE refers to the Movement of Rank and File Educators, whose website leads with a July post criticizing the union’s internal election process and calling for voting reforms.

The union “fails to exercise the full potential of its power” and ends up backing centrist or conservative Democrats, the group added.

“With more DSA teachers, we could bolster and significantly support the internal movement for democracy and militant organizing within the union but it will likely take years to reform the UFT,” it concluded.

Through a spokesperson, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said his union “has been fighting for students, teachers, families and progressive causes since the day it was founded.” He did not comment on anything else in the strategy memo, which references the prospect of school shutdowns over contract negotiations.

Mulgrew's words are a joke. Look at who the UFT has endorsed and given money to over the years, the Union's opposition to opting out from standardized testing and the UFT doing nothing in half a century to lower class size to see where the UFT is at politically. The critique of the UFT from DSA has plenty of validity.

While I have no problem stressing "democracy and militant organizing," those DSA folks in MORE are not going to have much credibility on the democracy issue until they clean up their own undemocratic house.

From our February 2019 endorsement of rival Solidarity's Lydia Howrilka for President of the UFT:

Another opposition caucus calls itself the Movement of Rank and File Educators. They will be running a slate in the 2019 election. I ran with MORE in 2013 and 2016. MORE talks about member involvement and making the UFT more democratic. Unfortunately for MORE, the caucus in the last year has not practiced what it preaches. An organization that calls itself a rank and file group must provide rudimentary due process and MORE badly fails the due process test.

MORE suspends people from their steering committee and caucus without ever giving them a chance to defend themselves. They practice totalitarian style steering committee show trials where people are convicted without ever being allowed to confront their accusers at a trial. The caucus does not respect basic rights. MORE Steering suspends members without even first interviewing or charging them.

MORE in their bylaws say they use Robert's Rules of Order. Here is what Robert's Rules says about disciplining members on page 656:

"A member or officer has the right that allegations against his good name shall not be made except by charges brought on reasonable ground. If thus accused, he has the right to due process--that is, to be informed of the charge and given time to prepare his defense, to appear and defend himself and to be fairly treated." Is it due process if someone gets an email saying they have already been sentenced before they have even had a trial? This is no way to run a caucus, let alone a union.

MORE voted against working with any other opposition group in 2019. It appears they are more interested in pushing their political views than in changing the UFT. It is impossible to defend MORE's indefensible lack of fairness. While I can still work with members of MORE on individual issues like opposing the contract, it is very difficult to support their candidates for union office under these circumstances. I don't want my union to be run like this caucus.

We stand by those words. MORE's vote totals for President in the 2019 UFT election fell off a cliff compared to 2016 from 10,743 to 2,700. Karma justice? Perhaps.

If the Democratic Socialists of America want to be taken seriously inside the UFT, they should work on having their people live up to that democratic part of their name. 

IT TAKES A VILLAGE ACADEMY IN BROOKLYN PRINCIPAL REMOVED

This is from Sue Edelman in the NY Post. Another school where the staff voted that they have no confidence in a principal has succeeded in having the principal removed.

The principal of a Brooklyn high school where out-of-control kids threatened and injured staffers has been removed, The Post has learned.

Sybil Girard, interim acting head of It Takes a Village Academy in Flatbush, will not return in September, but will start a new job as an assistant principal — with lesser pay — at a school nearby, the city Department of Education confirmed.

“Everyone is so relieved,” said a teacher at ITAVA. “There are tears of joy, literally, among the remaining staff. A lot of good people have left because of her.”

Girard is now under investigation for allegedly firing five teachers who openly wrote letters of complaints, the DOE confirmed.

Among horrific incidents at the school, which reeked of pot, one teacher found a note warning, “I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE BITCH!” with her home address obtained by a kid who gained access to an office computer.

A school safety agent trying to break up a fight fell and broke his arm. A pregnant paraprofessional who asked a student not to shove her was told by the girl: ‘I will f–k you up.”

Besides safety concerns, teachers said Girard let the once highly regarded school slide academically.

The school’s robotics team fell by the wayside. Teachers who left were not replaced. Not a single student graduated this year with an advanced Regents diploma, because the required courses in math, science and Spanish were dropped.

In June, the frustrated faculty took a vote of no-confidence in Girard, with 48 of 63 staffers approving it.


The staff no confidence votes seem to be working. First, Forest Hills, then LaGuardia and now It Takes a Village. Three principals removed after no confidence votes. Chapters don't need 100% support. This school had 76% vote no confidence. A big majority of a staff can have a huge impact. Try to convince your colleagues of the need to stay together to have a real voice.

Please note that none of the ousted principals are unemployed. We do not advocate for terminations except in the most extreme cases and think teachers should be treated as professionally. At It Takes a Village Academy, hopefully those five teachers who were allegedly fired for complaining could have a real chance of being reinstated.

MULGREW CONTINUES TO FUNDRAISE FOR DE BLASIO

This email was forwarded to me yesterday. I don't know what is more pathetic: Bill de Blasio's campaign for president or Michael Mulgrew's shilling for the Mayor. I didn't bother putting in the links. Sorry, if anyone's offended by that.

Dear _________,

While opponents of public education continue to attempt to undermine its successes, our New York City public schools have a story to tell that the rest of the country should hear: rising academic performance, universal pre-K and the city’s highest high school graduation rate in history.

That’s where you come in.

The Democratic National Committee raised the bar again for presidential candidates to be on the stage in the September debates. Candidates have to reach 2 percent in four approved national polls and have 130,000 unique contributions.

Until our national union, the American Federation of Teachers, makes its official endorsement, we want to make sure there are candidates in the debates who will amplify the voices of our members.

A $1 contribution to Bill de Blasio, who as mayor has made it clear that public education is an investment rather than an expense, can help ensure that voters get to hear from a candidate who has supported teachers and who initiated the nation’s largest pre-K program.

This is not an endorsement of any candidate. But I want to make you aware of how to contribute to de Blasio if you so choose.

Donate to Bill de Blasio »

See a complete list of candidates and contribution resources »

Read about the AFT endorsement process »

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew
UFT President

POLL FINDS OVER HALF OF TEACHERS WOULD STRIKE AND PARENTS WOULD OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORT US

Education Week covered an annual PDK poll on education. The results that teachers are unhappy should come as a surprise to nobody. However, the poll also found parental support for teachers striking is huge.

From The Education Week article on the poll:

More than half of the country's teachers say they'd go on strike for better pay if they had the chance, and half are so unhappy that they've seriously considered leaving the profession in the last few years, according to a poll released Monday.

"I work 55 hours a week, have 12 years' experience, and make $43k," one teacher told researchers for the PDK survey. "I worry and stress daily about my classroom prep work and kids. I am a fool to do this job."

For the first time since 2000, PDK included public school teachers in its annual poll of attitudes toward K-12 education, and their voices came through loud and clear: They're exhausted and resentful. Topping teachers' list of complaints: low pay and inadequate school funding, issues that ignited a wave of strikes starting last year and boosted public support for their cause.

"We absolutely need to take note of this. Teachers have legitimate grievances. This indicates we're going to see continued agitation," said Lawrence Mishel, a labor market economist who studies teacher compensation at the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank supported partially by teachers' unions.

Further down in the piece are some very promising numbers:

Parents in the poll resoundingly support teacher strikes, even though they'd be acutely affected by a walkout. In fact, parents expressed more support for teacher strikes than teachers themselves did: More than three-quarters of parents would back a teachers' strike for higher pay. Parents were even more inclined to support a strike aimed at getting teachers a bigger say in academic matters or more money for school programs. More than 83 percent backed job walkouts for those reasons.

We make a decent salary in NYC so striking primarily for money might not be too popular here although the cost of living in NYC is very high so we could make a case. When it comes to non-economic issues, there has never been a better time or more of a need for teacher union militancy in NYC.

We have an unpopular mayor and governor in NY. We need to dramatically change flawed state tests and teachers should have a real say in academic matters. Schools are funded in NYC at around 10% below what the city considers Fair Student Funding. The PDK Poll says 83-84% of parents are on our side. While this is a national poll, I can't see the results in liberal NY being much different. With that kind of overwhelming parental support, we could demand that Taylor Law penalties of fines of two days pay for each day on strike be waived. Let's start preparing.

Oh wait, Michael Mulgrew is the UFT President who basically controls the state union NYSUT too. The UFT negotiated an early contract with our unpopular mayor for peanuts and few non-monetary gains. At the state level, NYSUT wouldn't even back a bill to make opting out of state tests easier. Our conciliatory bargaining strategy is so behind the times.

Can we at least start preparing now to have a real threat for some type of militancy in 2022 when the contract ends?

UFT HAS TO GRIEVE TO GET DOE TO PAY PER SESSION FOR SUMMER WORK

I sometimes am stunned by how little pull the UFT has with the Department of Education. If teachers are promised per session pay in a posting, the UFT should not have to file a union initiated grievance to get the money.

This is from the latest edition of Gene Mann's The Organizer:

UFT to file grievance over summer training

The UFT is filing a union-initiated grievance over the rate of pay for members participating in enVisionmath curriculum training this summer.

When members registered for the training, the posting indicated they would receive the per-session rate of $51.13 per hour. However, the city Department of Education is now stating that these members will instead receive the staff development rate of $23.30 per hour.

“Members have a right to get what they signed up for,” UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr said, “and we are going to fight to see that they get it.”

The training was open to common branch teachers.

This may be one of the many grievances the DOE knows they will lose but takes it through to arbitration to clog up the process so legitimate grievances are delayed and delayed.

UFT SAYS LEAD PAINT IN ALL CLASSROOMS SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF THIS SUMMER

The press and parents may be worried about  children being exposed to lead in classrooms but the UFT is not overly concerned.

From Gene Mann's Organizer:

Lead

Custodians did visual inspections in LYFE/3K/Pre-K/K and first grade in late June. If damaged paint was noted, DSF third-party inspectors went out and tested the paint for lead. If the paint was not lead, students stayed in the room and custodians will paint. If lead, students were moved and the School Construction Authority is remediating. Rooms will be cleaned and dust wipe samples will be taken. All of this will will be done by first day of school.

This is not really all that different from what typically done every summer, but now the DOE is increasing the frequency of the inspections and custodians are required to document this centrally. So in theory, there is some more transparency and accountability in this new process. In addition, the results will be posted online.

This should have low impact on most members and students as this is happening in the summer and the goal is to have every room ready in the summer. 


More transparency and accountability?

• The UFT is echoing the DOE once again.

If this is something they do every summer, then the parents' question needs to be asked to the UFT as well as DOE.

Here it is from last week:

Which brings up the question, if they had remediated them last year, as they claimed, how effective is the process by which they address this?

WILL UFT EXPOSE LEAD IN SCHOOLS?

NYC Public School Parents Blog has a piece on peeling lead paint found in hundreds of city schools.

A portion:
The DOE found peeling lead paint at 486 schools  built before 1985, including over 938 classrooms serving kids in 3-K, Pre-K, Kindergarten and first grade. More on this at Gothamist [with a WNYC radio sound file],  Chalkbeat and NY Post.

The ramped up inspection is a result of investigative reporting by Christopher Werth of WNYC , who wrote in Gothamist earlier this summer how he had found lead paint in classrooms  here and here; and a letter sent by members of Congress to the DOE as a result of his reporting.

A little further down:

The DOE says they plan to remediate all these classrooms before Sept., by covering the peeling paint with a “certified primer” and painted over twice.

Yet it doesn’t appear that DOE also checked for lead dust on the floors, which can also be quite toxic, especially for young kids who sit on the rug for “circle time”, as pointed out by Werth in the WNYC interview and earlier Gothamist articles.  And they haven’t checked any classrooms for kids over six, or common areas.

The Chalkbeat article also has a searchable list of the 500 schools that still have water outlets that were found to have lead levels still above the “action level” of 15 parts per billion, though the DOE claims to have “remediated” all but 15 of these outlets once again.

Which brings up the question, if they had remediated them last year, as they claimed, how effective is the process by which they address this?


Good reporting by Christopher Werth and others on this and a good question there for sure from the parents.

Two additional questions:

Will this be a front page story in the UFT's NY Teacher? I just checked the news page on the UFT website and I found nothing yet on this story.

Will the UFT threaten to have teachers and students walk out if there are toxic conditions in schools? When the UFT functioned as a real union, we used to publicize unhealthy school environments. We didn't just work behind the scenes to correct them. Anybody remember the asbestos closings in 1993?