Dear Vice President Biden:
As the Democratic Party presumptive nominee, you have the power to fight for the public schools and colleges and universities that our students deserve. We are concerned educators, public education advocates, union members, parents, and students, writing to request that you demonstrate your commitment to that agenda.
Over the past decade, politicians on both sides of the aisle have made devastating cuts to public education, while privatizing public schools, scapegoating educators, and providing massive tax breaks to corporations and the rich. These attacks have resulted in a national teacher shortage and reduced educational opportunities for many of our students -- especially students of color, those from low-income households, LGBTQ students, and students with disabilities.
The public health and economic emergencies resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have only made public education more vulnerable. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of public education itself is at stake.
To reverse this offensive against public education, we call on you to pledge to appoint a Secretary of Education publicly committed to reversing this failed billionaire-backed “education reform” agenda and we call on your campaign to immediately adopt the following policy planks:
* Implement a Federal Emergency Education Program that would:
Provide direct federal aid to ensure that school districts and public higher education institutions are able to prevent budget cuts and maintain pre-crisis staffing levels.
Empower educators to determine how best to utilize remote learning education technology when it is deemed necessary for health and safety reasons and how best to teach those students for whom remote learning is not feasible or appropriate.
Suspend all federal requirements relating to the use of high-stakes testing for the duration of the emergency.
* Triple Title I funding to ensure that at-risk schools get the funding and resources they need and invest in broadband so that students have access to critical resources.
* Repeal high-stakes testing mandates that force educators to “teach to the test.”
* Address the school-to-prison pipeline by investing in public schools and calling for the elimination of zero tolerance policies and over-policing.
* Ban for-profit charter schools and for-profit colleges and universities.
* Support the NAACP’s moratorium on public funds for charter school expansion until a national audit has been completed to determine the impact of charter growth in each state.
* Eliminate the $440 million annual federal subsidy for new charter schools, which have a failure rate of 40 percent and currently subsidizes billionaire-funded corporate charter schools.
* Give teachers a much-deserved raise by setting a starting salary for them at no less than $60,000 (pegged to the cost of living), expanding collective bargaining rights and teacher tenure, and funding out-of-pocket expenses for classroom materials.
* Strengthen the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by ensuring that the federal government provides at least 50 percent of the funding for special education.
* Provide year-round, free universal school meals, increase funding for Community Schools and after--school programs, and implement universal child-centered pre-kindergarten for all children beginning at the age of 3.
* Guarantee tuition-free public colleges, universities, HBCUs, Minority Serving Institutions and trade-schools to all, not just those who qualify through means-testing.
* Cancel all student loan debt and place a cap on student loan interest rates moving forward.
Signed
1. Diane Ravitch, education historian and activist
2. Jonathan Kozol, National Book Award-winning author and advocate for children
3. Danny Glover, Actor, Social Justice Advocate
4. Michael Moore, Academy Award-winning director
5. Alex Caputo-Pearl, President, United Teachers Los Angeles
6. Cecily Myart-Cruz, Vice President, United Teachers Los Angeles, NEA
7. Cornel West, Professor of the practice of public philosophy at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University
8. Senator Nina Turner, campaign co-chair, Bernie 2020 and former Ohio State Senator
9. Shaun King, CEO, The North Star
10. Debby Pope, Chicago Teachers Union, Delegate and Executive Board
11. Arlene Inouye, United Teachers Los Angeles Secretary
12. Carol Burris, 2013 NYS High School Principal of the Year, Executive Director of the Network for Public Education
13. Angelina Cruz, President of Racine Education Association
14. Demetrio Gonzalez, President of United Teachers of Richmond, CTA/NEA
15. Jesse Hagopian, Teacher; Editor, Rethinking Schools; Co-Editor, Teaching for Black Lives
16. Juan Ramirez, UTLA/AFT Vice President
17. Julie Van Winkle, UTLA Secondary Vice President-elect
18. Ari Bloomekatz, managing editor of Rethinking Schools
19. RoseAnn DeMoro, Former Executive Director of National Nurses United
20. Steven Thrasher, Professor, Northwestern University
21. Larry Cohen, Board Chair of Our Revolution and past president of the Communications Workers of America
22. Frank Holmquist, Professor of Politics, Emeritus, Hampshire College
23. Jane F. McAlevey, Organizer, Educator, Author
24. Cynthia Liu, K12 News Network
25. Eric Blanc, author Red State Revolt
26. Adolph Reed, Jr., Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania
27. Nikhil Goyal, former adjunct professor at New York University and PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge
28. Charles Palermo, Professor of Art History, William & Mary
29. Bob Peterson, Rethinking Schools editor and Member, Milwaukee Board of School Directors
30. Eleanor J. Bader, English teacher and freelance writer
31. Kilynn Lunsford, National Organizer, Labor for Bernie
32. Annelise Orleck, Professor of History, Dartmouth College
33. Gordon Lafer, Professor, University of Oregon and Member, Eugene, OR Board of Education
34. Corey Robin, Professor, Brooklyn College, CUNY
35. Michael Lighty, Leading Advocate for Medicare for All
36. Joanna Wuest, Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer, Princeton University
37. Jennifer Ashton, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
38. Penny Lewis, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
39. Stephanie Luce, Professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
40. Steve London, Professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
41. Douglas A. Medina, Instructor, CUNY, Guttman Community College
42. Thomas J Adams, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney (US Citizen)
43. Cedric Johnson, University of Illinois at Chicago
44. Samir Sonti, Assistant Professor, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
45. Steve Striffler, Professor, UMass Boston
46. Allen Cholger, Sub District Director, USW (retired) and former Executive Assistant to the President, APWU, (retired)
47. William Mello, Associate Professor of Labor Studies, Indiana University
48. Nomiki Konst, Director, Matriarch
49. Nancy Fraser, Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of Philosophy and Politics, New School for Social Research
50. Liza Featherstone, Adjunct Professor, New York University and Columbia University
51. Bruno Gulli, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Kingsborough Community College, CUNY
52. Christian Parenti, Associate Professor of Economics, John Jay College CUNY
53. Rebecca Tarlau, Pennsylvania State University
54. Glenn Kaplan, filmmaker, Member IATSE Local 600
55. Rick Armstrong, Associate Professor Department of English, Kingsborough Community College, CUNY
56. Heather Lee Compton, Studio Zahiya
57. Meg Kallman Feeley, Adjunct Lecturer English, Kingsborough Community College, CUNY
58. Merlin Chowkwanyun, Donald Gemson Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
59. Jim Zogby, Founder of the Arab American Institute
60. Daniel Moak, Assistant Professor, Ohio University
61. Wamiq Chowdhury, Attorney, Member NC Piedmont Democratic Socialists of America
62. Sarah Cate, Assistant Professor, Saint Louis University
63. Rebecca Garelli, Lead Organizer, Arizona Educators United
64. Marquita Walker, Interim Chair and Associate Professor of Labor Studies, Indiana University
65. Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania
66. James Counts Early, Board Member, Institute for Policy Studies
67. Steve Presence, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of the West of England
68. Colleen Mihal, Professor, College of Marin
69. Lisa McLaughlin, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Department of Media, Journalism and Film and Department of Global and Intercultural Studies, Miami University-Ohio
70. Christopher R. Martin, Professor of Digital Journalism, University of Northern Iowa
71. Karyn Hollis, Villanova University
72. Adam Safer, Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
73. Bryan Wagner, Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley
74. Janice Peck, Professor, Media Studies Department, University of Colorado at Boulder
75. Paul Prescod, Political Liaison in Philadelphia Federation of Teachers
76. Kevin Howley, Professor of Media Studies, DePauw University
77. Eric Cheyfitz, Ernest I. White Professor of American Studies and Humane Letters, Professor of American Indian and Indigenous Studies
78. Carlos Figueroa, Ithaca College
79. Gino Canella, Assistant Professor and filmmaker, Emerson College
80. Daniel Brenner, Teacher, Eastern Suffolk BOCES (retired)
81. Michelle Strater Gunderson, First Grade Teacher, Chicago Public Schools, Trustee, Chicago Teachers Union
82. Robert Vitalis, University of Pennsylvania
83. Max Page, University of Massachusetts Amherst
84. Nathan Godfried, Adelaide & Alan Bird Professor, University of Maine
85. Inger Stole, University of Illinois
86. Philip Fiermonte, Former Burlington City Councilor
87. Joel Jordan, former Director of Special Projects, United Teachers Los Angeles
88. Rich Potter, Assistant Professor, American Jewish University
89. Kevin Gotkin, Visiting Assistant Professor, New York University
90. Lee Artz, Purdue University Northwest
91. Dr. Eileen R. Meehan, Professor Emerita, Department of Radio, Television and New Media, College of Communications, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois
92. Jay O’Neal, West Virginia teacher and strike leader
93. Emily Schnee, Professor of English, Kingsborough Community College, City University of New York
94. David Duhalde, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Fund
95. Roxana Marachi, Associate Professor of Education, San José State University
96. Jeffrey A. Winters, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Equality Development and Globalization Studies Program, Northwestern University
97. Rod Metts, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, California State University, San Bernardino
98. Nino Gulli, Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland Global Campus, UMGC
99. William Riordan, History Instructor at the University of Colorado
100. Nicole McCormick, President, Mercer County Education Association
101. Mary Summers, Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania
102. Doug Henwood, Journalist
103. Herbert G. Reid, Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky, Department of Political Science
104. Christina Dunbar-Hester, 2019-2020 Berggruen Fellow, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
105. Hadrian Predock, Associate Professor of Practice, University of Southern California School of Architecture
106. Robert M. Saltzman, Emeritus Professor of Lawyering Skills, USC Gould School of Law
107. Howard A. Rodman, Professor, University of Southern California, Past President, Writers Guild of America West
108. Larry Gross, Professor, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California
109. Mark Jonathan Harris, Distinguished Professor, School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California
110. Kathy Smith, Professor, School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California
111. Miki Turner, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California 112. Sean T. Mitchell, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Rutgers University, Newark
113. Rebecca C. Glasscock, Professor Emerita, Geography and Peace Studies, Bluegrass Community and Technical College
114. Priya Kapoor, Professor, Portland State University
115. Carlin Meyer, Prof. Emerita, New York Law School
116. Rianne Subijanto, Assistant Professor, Baruch College, CUNY
117. Janet Poppendieck, author, Free for All: Fixing School Food in America
118. Tulia Falleti, Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor of Political Science, Director of Latin American and Latino Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania
119. Marisa Chappell, Associate Professor of History, Oregon State University
120. Micaela di Leonardo, Professor, Northwestern University
121. Judith E. Smith, Professor Emerita of American Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston
122. Julie Van Winkle, Secondary Vice President-elect of United Teachers Los Angeles
123. Lawrence Blum, Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Education, Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston
124. Michael Schwartz, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Emeritus, Founding Director, College of Global Studies
125. Richard Lachmann, Professor of Sociology, University at Albany SUNY
126. Keith Brooks, retired educator, NYC alternative high school division
127. Richard Strier, Sulzberger Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, Department of English, University of Chicago
128. Laura Anker, Distinguished Service Professor, American Studies, SUNY Old Westbury
129. Alan Gilbert, Distinguished University Professor, Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver
130. Susan Jhirad, retired Professor of English from North Shore Community College
131. Bill Bigelow, Curriculum Editor, Rethinking Schools
132. Kathy Hall, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania
133. Jane Kauer, Consulting Scholar, Physical Anthropology Section, University of Pennsylvania Museum
134. Ilana Gershon, Ruth N. Hall professor of anthropology, Indiana University
135. Karen Koran, retired educator, School District of Philadelphia
136. Ana Croegaert, Assistant Professor, Anthropology + Sociology, University of New Orleans
137. Amy Stornaiuolo, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania
138. Brenda Beaudette-Kaim, French Department, University of Vermont
139. Kathryn Moeller, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
140. Bonnie Urciuoli, Professor Emerita, Anthropology, Hamilton College
141. Christy Schuetze, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Swarthmore College
142. Fran Ansley, Professor of Law Emeritus, University of Tennessee College of Law
143. Frederick Erickson, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Los Angeles
144. Arléne Amarante, Assistant Professor of Law at Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law
145. Karen Weinstein, Peralta Community College District
146. Alessandra Visconti, assistant professor of instruction, Northwestern University
147. Polly Murphy - Retired teacher TN School for the Deaf
148. Alan Spector, Professor of Sociology, Purdue University Northwest
149. Maria Catalfio, retired member, OPEIU Local 494
150. Ann Jefferson, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Lecturer, retired
151. Piotr Axer, PhD Candidate in Slavic Studies at Brown University
152. Bonnie Blustein, Professor of Mathematics, West Los Angeles College
153. Frances Maher, Professor Emerita, Wheaton College
154. Matt Witt, Editor, World Wide Work
155. John C. Berg, Professor Emeritus, Suffolk University
156. Ana Celia Zentella, Professor Emerita, UCSD Department of Ethnic Studies
157. Arleen Llanes, Middle School School Teacher, Bay Area
158. Daniel Merin, Climate and Culture Coach, Office of School Climate and Safety, School District of Philadelphia
159. Sylvia Lester, Child Psychologist, NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
160. Julia A. McWilliams, Lecturer, Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing, University of Pennsylvania
161. Monica Emerich, Instructional Designer/Project Manager, CSU Global Campus
162. Judy Norsigian, Co-founder and board chair, Our Bodies Ourselves
163. Rachel Rubin, Professor and Chair, University of Massachusetts Boston
164. Danya Lagos, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Texas at Austin
165. Elizabeth Manley, Kellogg Endowed Professor, Associate Professor of History, Xavier University of Louisiana
166. Gianmarco Savio, Assistant Professor, County College of Morris
167. Andrea Reyna, public middle school teacher; California Democratic Party Executive Board, San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee
168. Maia Cucchiara, Associate Professor, Urban Education, Temple University
169. Jeffrey Melnick, Professor of American Studies, UMass Boston
170. Sherene Seikaly, Associate Professor of History, University of California Santa Barbara
171. Nelson Lichtenstein, Distinguished Professor of History, University of California Santa Barbara
172. Alice O’Connor, Professor of History and Director of Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy, University of California Santa Barbara
173. Eileen Boris, Hull Professor and Distinguished Professor of Feminist Studies, University of California Santa Barbara
174. Linda Burrows, Public School Teacher
175. Laurie Katz, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Ohio State University
176. Wayne Au, Professor, University of Washington Bothell
177. Susan Fountain, Adjunct Professor, CUNY School of Professional Studies
178. Robert Farrell, Associate Professor and Chair PSC-CUNY Chapter at Lehman College, CUNY
179. Elizabeth Hovey, John Jay College, CUNY
180. Glenn Kissack, Retired Mathematics Teacher, Hunter College High School
181. Leo Parascondola, Adjunct Lecturer, William Paterson University
182. Michael Spear, Assistant Professor of History, Kingsborough Community College, CUNY
183. Jonathan Buchsbaum, Media Studies, Queens College, CUNY
184. Sigmund Shen, Associate Professor, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
185. Dwight Billings, Professor Emeritus, University of Kentucky
186. Richard Maxwell, Professor, Queens College, CUNY
187. Stan Karp, Editor, Rethinking Schools
188. Lori Rothstein, CUNY Graduate Center
189. Carol Stabile, Professor, University of Oregon
190. Eileen Moran, Queens College, CUNY
191. Phaedra Pezzullo, Associate Professor, Dept. of Communication, University of Colorado Boulder
192. Philip Barnett, Professor, City College and Graduate Center, CUNY
193. Priya Kapoor, Professor, Portland State University
194. Rachel Youens, Adjunct Assistant Professor, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
195. Vincent DiGirolamo, Assistant Professor and PSC Chapter Chair, Baruch College, CUNY
196. Ryan Bruckenethal, New York City Special Education Teacher, United Federation of Teachers
197. Gabriel Winant, Assistant Professor, University of Chicago
198. Ruth Wangerin, Department of Anthropology, Lehman College, CUNY
199. Kathleen Offenholley, Professor of Mathematics, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
200. Olga Steinberg, Professor, Hostos Community College, CUNY
201. David Gerwin, Professor, Dept. of Secondary Education and PSC Chapter Chair, Queens College, CUNY
202. Eric Freas, Associate Professor of History, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
203. Jocelyn Wills, Tow Professor of History and Affiliated Faculty Member, American Studies & Women’s and Gender Studies, Brooklyn College, CUNY
204. Marc Kagan, Graduate Assistant, CUNY Graduate Center
205. Ruth Milkman, Professor of Sociology, CUNY
206. Nelly Tournaki, Professor of Special Education, College of Staten Island, CUNY
207. Adam Sanchez, Teacher; Editor, Rethinking Schools; Zinn Education Project
208. Blanca Vazquez, Adjunct Associate Professor (Retired), Film and Media Studies, Hunter College, CUNY
209. Lisa Rivera, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston
210. Josh Staub, Director of Restorative Programming, School District of Philadelphia
211. Rachel Buff, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
212. Christopher Zurn, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Boston
213. Eric Fishman, Elementary School Teacher, Boston Public Schools
214. Susan Kang, Associate Professor of Political Science, John Jay University, CUNY
215. Sarah Soanirina Ohmer, Assistant Professor, Department of Latin American and Africana Studies, Lehman College, CUNY
I paid cash for college and grad school, i want my money back if all student loans disappear.
ReplyDeleteWhy is there no school to prison pipeline for asians?
ReplyDelete@4:22 pm: Okay i will bite, Why is there no school to prison pipeline for asians?
Delete"elimination of zero tolerance policies and over-policing." LOL. Because the doe really works well with no discipline code.
ReplyDeleteI am a certified asshole and idiot. I much prefer the Trump, DeVos, Obama, Bush destruction of public education plan to this one to save it and promote teachers.
ReplyDeleteThey are asking for LESS discipline. How is that good?
ReplyDeleteIt's not. There should be a balance. There were too many bad apples doing bad things. The pendulum then swung widely to the left. Damn laws and rules aren't bad, it's the sickos who abuse the positions. We need a happy medium.
DeleteYes, I should get all my money back too. They should have to pay off their debt just like we did. They will have to forsake luxuries for a while.
ReplyDeleteCertain commenters here are the reason NYC teachers are called NY's dumbest. You prove it time and time again. NY's most selfish too. My 8.25%, my transfer to Staten Island, my raises, my parking placard, me, me,me, me, me, me, me, my loan, my dues. Does the selfishness ever cease?
ReplyDeleteI will trust the assholes here over Ravitch and Burris. Not!
ReplyDeleteThese aren't good ideas?
ReplyDeleteGive teachers a much-deserved raise by setting a starting salary for them at no less than $60,000 (pegged to the cost of living), expanding collective bargaining rights and teacher tenure, and funding out-of-pocket expenses for classroom materials.
440pm, those complaints apply to all of us, not just 1 person. Those harm all staff.
ReplyDeleteThe UTLA president signed this. It is the alternative vision to Mulgrew's type of union. Sorry right wingers, you may as well take your dues and go home. If we listen to you, we will have no union and only jobs in charter schools.
ReplyDeleteI think 440 is mike mulgrew or sill. Who wouldnt want to keep 8.25, get a fair transfer one has been waiting on for decades, get a parking spot in nyc?
ReplyDeleteWhat are you doing to achieve 8.25%, and fair transfers? Writing anonymous comments and emails.
DeleteIf it is the alternative to mulgrew, why do you support mulgrew? Which do you want?
ReplyDeleteNeither Mulgrew or you right wing nuts. If you want to get anywhere, you need community support. That will really come our way if we talk about upping the TDA interest. What planet do you live on?
DeleteThese assholes won't organize and wouldn't strike. With each comment they show how self centered they are.
ReplyDelete@4:51pm...why do you keep using the word azzholes? However I hate to admit it, It's funny as heck.
DeleteYou have a better word than asshole to describe these right wing nuts Waiting?
DeleteThey are Koch inspired. If they aren't on the Koch payroll, they are also stupid as they should get money for selling the rest of us out.
ReplyDeleteMy point is, only certain groups are involved in the school to prison pipeline they complain about. Why cant those just emulate the ones who aren't? As in, stay out of trouble, don't break laws, there is no more prison...
ReplyDelete@5:01pm...you didn't answer your own question.
DeleteGreat idea 459, we should all take minimum wage then we will have community support. See how dumb you sound?
ReplyDeleteSo you hate mulgrew so much that you pay into him running your union?
ReplyDeleteHi Mr Koch, Let me talk in a language you may understand. If you hate Obama, you work hard to get someone in power who does not have Obama's policies. You don't leave the country.
DeleteSincerely,
A democratic unionist
The LA teachers had community support in their strike last year. They average more than NYC Teachers in terms of salary. The Chicago teachers had community support in all 3 strikes since 2012. They make more than us too on average, especially when you consider the cost of living of Chicago compared to NY.
ReplyDeleteNo support from the communities you serve and that TDA goes down to 0% and you get Eva working conditions. You can at least acknowledge that public support for our cause is essential if we are to make gains.
This list is one of the problems of teacher unions. We should be a bread and butter union and work on things that directly affect us. As one of the other commenters said it asks for less discipline. How is that good for classroom teachers? Class size, salaries, pensions, health care. Everything else is a liberal wish list that will never happen and hurts our movement overall.
ReplyDelete5:20, Check out our contracts. We are a bread and butter union. We don't look out for communities and what has that gotten us? Shit.
DeleteAlso I count about 10-12 active working k-12 teachers on this list and that is a generous count as many of the ones I included in that count are retired or union officials.
ReplyDeleteCool. Post your email address so i can reach out and we can discuss your plan to unseat unity.
ReplyDeleteYou realize the unity term never runs out? This isnt the federal govt. We have Dem and GOP presidents. The uft election, as james has stated many times, is unwinnable for a variety of reasons.
ReplyDeletePutting money into nyc schools has never helped.
ReplyDeleteBiden and democrats don't care how many sign such letters because all of them will vote blue no matter what Biden does. Sort of like how uft won't change because no matter what, teachers will keep paying dues. The wheel keeps spinning.
ReplyDeleteagree with 555. what is the red line?
ReplyDeleteHAHA, less discipline in public schools. Tolerate everything. Is that what that list asks for?
ReplyDeleteUnity trolls and anti union trolls. No winning here. This is a great letter. I would gladly sign on.
ReplyDeleteThese are not public school supporters here.They are selfish losers who work in a public school who want to starve those schools but just keep pay and benefits for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'd sign on for sure. I would be a little angry at people who got debt forgiven but not enough to outweigh all of the great k-12 stuff here. Where do I sign?
ReplyDeletePlease explain how Michael Moore knows anything about what day to day teaching is like. And most if the rest of the signees don’t have that experience either. Just what I want to be lectured to by a queens college professor. Give me a break
ReplyDeleteI would sign too.
ReplyDelete7:02 there are some really good ideas in this letter my problem is it gets muddled when you ask for too many diverse things at once. These high minded ideas like school to prison pipeline let’s focus on getting smaller class sizes and more resources for our students. At one point the letter says that this point I totally agree with.
ReplyDeleteWhat about all of those UTLA people? A real union that won a strike that has more balls than you feckless right wing opt outers will ever have.
ReplyDeleteAnything Diane Ravitch backs is usually first rate. She should be ed secretary.
ReplyDeleteThe idiots here would prefer Betsy DeVos to Ravitch.
ReplyDeleteYes but 7:11 we focus too much on social justice issues. It’s unsolvable by us alone poverty crime homelessness etc uft is not going to solve that. If we want to symbolically say we are against that fine but any further efforts for that are not the purpose of a union. A union does or should have their MEMBERS interests at heart first and foremost.
ReplyDeleteComments here make me wish Cuomo would just put you all out of your misery and turn the entire system over to Eva and her charters. Most of you wouldn't last a minute. Get rid of Caranza and install Eva now.
ReplyDeleteUFT Update: Which Came First - the leadership or the membership? Are teachers in LA and Chicago different than NYC? --
ReplyDeletehttps://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2020/05/uft-update-which-came-first-leadership.html
Yes I have respect for ulta people but they took care of bread and butter issues also. I can agree to disagree with them on social justice stuff because they are on the right side of economic issues for teachers. Not right wing just realistic.
ReplyDelete7:18, Looking out for the community helps your members. Read about all of the teacher strikes over the last two years. I came back to blogging because I was inspired by the UTLA strike. They got lower class size, a raise and pushback against charters. Militancy works a whole lot better when there is public support.
ReplyDeleteAnd at least I know DeVos is the enemy. The neoliberals on this list would sell out the middle class teachers in a heartbeat to serve their neoliberal ideologies.
ReplyDeleteLower class size, a raise and pushback against charters are bread and butter issues. You are making my point for me ty.
ReplyDeleteIt is a needless argument on what are bread and butter or social justice issues.If the public supports us on these issues, we will win them if we are militant. In Seattle they fought for mandatory recess. In Chicago, for social workers and nurses. Law says they are only allowed to strike in Chicago over wages. They beat that law and went way beyond salary which was increased substantially. Community support is crucial.
ReplyDeleteUft gonna say anything about this fraud, or it fits the social narrative? The DOE wants opponents of competitive school admissions to "make noise," emails obtained by
ReplyDelete@selimalgar
show.
@nycschools
denies trying to manipulate the debate. But it suggests the fix is in. https://nypost.com/2020/05/26/nyc-doe-wants-competitive-school-admissions-opposers-to-get-louder/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons via
@nypmetro
As always, there are positives and negatives to every referendum. I think eliminating Student Loan Debt is a monstrosity. 18 Year Olds making decisions that affect the next 20-30 years of their lives should not be given a free pass. They should either go to a school they can afford, and/or make a decision that is best for them and their family. We have also seen Mayor DeBlasio aka Mayor Minority, and Chancellor Carranza aka Chancellor Come After Whitey and Asians, DUMP MILLIONS of dollars into lower functioning schools across NYC to eventually close them due to lack of improvement.
ReplyDeleteThe DOE has a habit of throwing the money around and expecting results. They did that to the lower production schools and not much happened. They then did it for us moving to Remote Learning. We were thrown onto Zoom, kicked off Zoom, set up for Google Meets, and then let on Zoom again after changes were made. All of the Remote Learning occurred with ZERO guidance from the bosses at the top.
I am a 33 year old Physical Education Teacher in Queens, a 2 time Cancer survivor and almost hitting my 10 year benchmark in Tier 4. This blog gives me hope that we can make some actual change moving forward. There are a lot of intelligent individuals in here who bring up a lot of good points. For example, how will we go back to work without proper safety conditions? Could I get penalized for not wanting to go in due to my Immune System being compromised?
Once again the Democrats are putting in a terrible candidate who is losing it by the day. Whether he thought it was Super Thursday, sexually assaulted someone (who knows?), or called out your Black Card, the Democrats cannot find a candidate to defeat probably the worst President of my lifetime. I hope we continue to fight, organize, and vote out Mulgrew. I cannot take someone making decisions for us, and the rest of the sheep allowing terrible contracts to go through.
I feel terrible for anyone in Tier 6 or anyone NOT in Tier 1-4. How can you teach until 62 Years Old coming out of college by paying dues all the way through? Thank you for your time, and I look forward to being in touch throughout.
Carol Burris and Diane Ravitch vs right wing nuts here. That is not difficult. I will stay with Diane. Each one of the re opting right wingers should be sentenced to a year in Success Academy. As someone stated earlier, they wouldn't last a day in a school run like they so desire.
ReplyDeleteThat should say opting out right wingers
ReplyDeleteNina Turner signed.She used to be a charter school supporter. That's amazing.
ReplyDeleteWhat does prison have to do with a teaching job?
ReplyDeleteWhy you any teacher say ok to less of a discipline code?
ReplyDeleteWho said there should be less of a discipline code? Just flexibility. We need students to buy in that their education matters. Many do but we lose too many. We incarcerate more people than any other country. It has gotta end. We have to try something new.
DeleteI didn't say less discipline. Rules must be followed. I would for students to believe there are no consequences for not following rules. You know what else I hate, sickos who abuse their position in order to ruin lives. They contribute to the mess.IMO
DeleteWaiting for Support said middle ground on discipline. I agree. There is a midpoint between Eva and Carranza.
ReplyDeleteAddress the school-to-prison pipeline by investing in public schools and calling for the elimination of zero tolerance policies and over-policing.
ReplyDelete@8:22: Si.
DeleteIt says, basically, no rules, when there are already no rules. So they want more of a free ride. Maybe if we enforced rules and taught discipline the prison numbers would decrease.
ReplyDeleteWhy has 45% of teachers who started in 2013 already quit?
ReplyDeleteMy letter :
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Potato Head,
I find your candidacy as absurd as The Toddler’s. Worse in many ways. You’re only there as a mindless puppet for those that could not aBide with the thought of Bernie Sanders as President. Nancy Pelosi will be the de facto president. You are accused of getting your point across to one female worker. Easily forgiven by the Democratic Party, a capitol offensive otherwise. You are not a Black man, although you may play one on TV and much as you’d like to be one for the election. You can barely string two coherent sentences together. Most people hope if you pick a strong VP, you will leave or drop dead after being elected. Sorry still not enough reason for me to vote for you - I remember the Anita Hill hearings vividly. This country is fucked with either you or your orange soul brother.
I still haven’t heard why I should substitute my hard earned experience over a Queens college professors views about what happens in hs teaching. I guess because there isn’t an answer to that one right?
ReplyDeletePlenty of real life k-12 teachers on this list. I would sign on too.
ReplyDeleteNot really James. I counted about 10 out of 200 something. Arguments are made all the time that DeVos is unqualified to be sec of ed. I agree. By the same standard Danny Glover and Michael Moore are not experts by any means on education either.
ReplyDeleteThey have important name recognition. There's close to ten from UTLA alone. Those aren't teachers?
ReplyDeleteDanny Glover and Michael Moore are not going to be secretary of education. Arne Duncan was unqualified too.I get it.
ReplyDeleteI happened to have attended a forum where Jill Biden spoke at LaGuardia. I have some hope that Joe Biden will listen to his wife on education.
16 total I counted. And yes I included utla leadership although how many classes do you think they teach. These are the numbers.
ReplyDelete5,6,10,11, 14,16,17,30,81,92,122,127,167,174,196,213. Again these are some very respected people like Ravitch for instance. However they don’t have real world experience in k-12 classrooms and therefore their opinions should be taken with a shaker instead of a grain of salt.
Democrats, Liberals and the entire LEFT is so cringe!
ReplyDeleteIt is k-16. Lots of college people signed. If this was opened up, I am sure many teachers would sign on in a second.
ReplyDeleteCringe to your MAGA heart's content D75. Or are you a Green?
ReplyDeleteOpen letter to the numbskulls who wrote to addle brained Biden:
ReplyDeleteTHE COUNTRY IS BROKE.
Signed:
The U.S Taxpayer
P.S: The ability to print money does not make you wealthy.
An interesting debate here that, again, Danny Glover and the other the celebrities aside, is down to educators battling educators, educators objecting to the cultures of students and families.
ReplyDeleteWe will need all educators, families and students to unite if we are going to defeat our enemies.
Experience is important. Remember Cathie Black? She’s what we get all the time now.
Who has more time in real world teaching and is therefore more qualified to lead and decide the future direction of education? Or, should classroom teaching time count when putting together an advisory team that will decide the future of our profession, or when vetting and culling signatures for a letter advancing a pro-public education agenda?
Even those with years of experience, who have risen to the level of prestige in the eyes of the public and the powerbrokers are not qualified to speak to what is going on in classrooms today. We need classroom teachers (I might even disqualify Chapter Leaders who teach fewer than three classes each day in a typical high school because too often they are quasi-administrators). As some have noted, college professors often make the worst teachers (the high school teacher usually does a better job teaching college now and AP to high school students). Most tenured faculty have never taken a course in education and did not get a tenured position because of pedagogical skill, not even in education departments. While the publish or perish culture has waned under the waxing of technology, full tenured faculty, the type most likely to be on advisory boards or teams, hand off teaching to adjuncts (many of them high school teachers) and graduate students because they have no interest in teaching basic stuff to young people, are too busy doing research and writing, and going to conferences and symposium, reading a reviewing what their colleagues are writing. We should demand that classroom teachers from every grade and discipline be on those lists.
The classroom teacher (defined in our Contract as one who teaches a full program (usually 5 classes/day in a high school) is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. The students are empowered by a recycled progressive/critical pedagogy that has been dressed up in a new edu-speak (like SEL--social emotional learning, differentiated instruction...etc.), bastardized by technologies, and forced on the pedagogue, disrupting the hard won control and routine, habits established for the purposes of democracy and getting the job done.
Privileges and Rights, foregrounded by students and their advocates, have been disconnected from the pragmatic and democratic foundation that gave them meaning. Rights and Privileges are Rules. Yes, we must have rules. The rules or rights or privileges protect us so that we can learn without the interference of someone who will exercise power over us, prevent us from study, force us to their bidding. If everything teachers do is viewed by students, families, and their advocates as violation of students’ rights or as preservation of someone’s privilege (ours, perhaps), we will have, at worst, anarchy, at best a constant disruption, disrespect and abuse of the rules. We can’t conduct our schools without rules, so we need to re-connect rules with rights and, at the same time, re-define the notion of privileges. It’s a mutual process of liberation, for teachers, students, families, and communities. Our mutual oppressors have great power and the crisis has strengthened them while it has weakened us. Their strength is also their weakness, their Achilles Heel is technology. Ironically, and tragically, computers are systems of rules or protocols. These rules are not democratic, though the machine and its software are peddled as the great leveler, democratizing the world by giving open source and free access to knowledge. Though there is no doubt that the so-called digital divide exists, technology programs individuals, especially the disadvantaged, to rigid conformity, to its rules and protocols.
ReplyDeleteNow, the so-called phones, the handheld super machines are in classrooms. With smartboards and laptops and tablets and cameras and the internet. Once introduced they are not simply an addition to the school environment. They are like an invasive species. And there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. But we need to push back hard against the protocols, the rules of the technologies, the programming of students by our enemies and their enemies. How will do this? We need to take control of all technology used in schools. We need to do this while we explain how technologies that purport to liberate and democratize, and close the digital divide, and that appears to be aligned to what students and families view as their rights and not our privilege, is a set of rules made by and in the interest of the powerful elite that after amassing trillions at our expense are setting us against one another.
lol Biden who cannot even speak a sentence coherently. Like when Obama was in office for 8 years education wass soooooooooooooo much different.
ReplyDeleteWE have crazy dems all over here in NY all we need is another dem president to make changes haha. Joe Biden has done nothing n 40 years except be on the wrong side of history.
Biden would fit right in with the DOE all his cheating scandals and plagiarism lol. Was a loser in the 80's why would we want him in 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBlahhX0e4Y
Decriminalizing everything serves what purpose?
ReplyDeleteBad news, it doesnt matter. It wont change We have no ability to make it change. We go in, move the time card, babysit, move the time card, get paid, studnets pass through, repeat.
ReplyDeleteBiden may be senile but that beats Trump's horrible presidency a d poor education record any day of the week.
ReplyDeleteAmerica on cusp of haunting 100,000 virus dead milestone; Trump may be the worst president ever.
ReplyDeleteAgree there. Worst of all time. No coherent response in a crisis. Dead bodies all over and the best he can do is push malaria medicine which does not cure COVID-19 and pretend the media is making it up.
ReplyDeleteBecause certain people cant follow rules in school, we must get rid of the rules and tolerate everything?
ReplyDeleteWhy exactly did we water down the discipline code so much?
ReplyDeleteCode still gives plenty of leeway. It is when de Blasio wanted fewer suspensions that it became a joke.
ReplyDeleteAll the recent “decarceration” has done is provide a useful real-world test of whether freeing criminals increases crime (spoiler alert: the answer appears to be yes). And the coronavirus death rate in US prisons is actually lower than the overall US rate...
ReplyDeleteWrong 1119, you used to be able to suspend for repeated level 1, not anymore.
ReplyDeleteMy school still suspends when necessary. It is not that difficult to work the new watered down code.
ReplyDeleteProblem is administrators more than the code.
ReplyDeleteIn house SAVE room has the same impact and can be used without an OORS Report.
ReplyDeleteCriminal or police reform means...Let people out of jail early and let people get away with more. That is not good for society. That is why suspensions are down at record lows...And why the school system is garbage now. Students come and go as they please, phone in hand, ear buds in ears, etc...That then leads to no attendance policy, and "he didnt do anything but did enough to pass."
ReplyDeleteEasy way to fix things that will please those right-of-center who disapprove part or all of the original post, and those left-of-center who do not like the Trump Admin. particularly DeVos:
ReplyDeleteAbolish the Federal Department of Education.
It's this easy: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/899/text?r=7&s=1
Great idea, libertarian bullshit to abolish federal DOE. We leave it all up states.That means it will be up to Cuomo. We will do much better then. You can't make up some of the nuttiness here. J
ReplyDeleteJust please go work for Trump-Cuomo supported Eva Moskowitz where there is zero tolerance discipline you so desire.
No, you want big government pay and benefits but lower taxes.
Why cant doe have a normal discipline code? It doesnt fit the racial narrative. Stats show who gets suspended.
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting the #McResistance TM and unhinged, virtue-signalling liberals to actually fight for public schools. After all, where were these people when Obama/Duncan were attacking us and funding our enemies? They claim to be on our side now only "Because Trump," and are as wedded to charter schools and privatization as ever.
ReplyDeleteAlso keep in mind that these are the same people who squandered over three years peddling a preposterous conspiracy theory (Russiagate) that has completely collapsed, vindicating everything the Orange Man has ever said about Fake News. If Trump is re-elected, you can thank Rachel Maddow and her ilk for their ludicrous, 24/7/365 Russia-is-infiltrating-our-precious-bodily-fluids "news" coverage.
There are many good people who signed this petition, and I'm not attacking them (although Diane Ravitch, God bless her, still exhibits intense Trump Derangement Syndrome and belief in Russiagate, which makes it impossible for her to think clearly), but the dirty secret of the #McResistance TM is that they prefer Trump's re-election (he's enriched them greatly, after all) to a Sanders-type getting the Democratic nomination, which might end their neoliberal grifts.
Trump will likely destroy Biden in November, and we can thank the #McResistance TM and unhinged liberals for much of that, with their magical thinking that Russiagate and Zombie Son of Russiagate - impeachment, which led to Trump's highest poll ratings - would return us to that status quo ante that we all loved so much. Rather than actually fighting Trump, they deluded themselves into thinking that a bunch of CIA/NSA spooks and a mainstream media that gave Trump billions in free coverage and helped elect him would magically lead to the hand of Archibald Cox rising from the grave and making Trumpm disappear...
How's that been working out for us?
I dont know where you see trump destroying biden. On what basis? Polls dont say that now. If you just use 2016 as the template, if trump loses 2 large states he won, he loses the election. Or any other combo of losing at least 37 electoral votes. Certainly possible, maybe very likely...In a recession, with all who hate him, he cant lose some combo of Florida, Wisconsin, michigan, PA, NC?
ReplyDelete*N.J. AUTHORITY VOTES TO
ReplyDeleteRAISE HIGHWAY TOLLS AS MUCH AS 36% ...here we go. Money is NOT free and its not goig to sit well as to who pays for this... #WheresMyBailout
Susan Edelman liked
ReplyDeleteleonie haimson
@leoniehaimson
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1h
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@kallos
asks if it is equitable for everyone to have a keyboard rather than a tablet? Yes, says Ramirez. Can we get to that point in Sept? We may get state funding thru Smart School Bond Act. [why did they purchase 300K ipads when they could have gotten mix of laptops as well?]
I see, so if want discipline, control...You must quit and go to Eva???
ReplyDeleteNo, influence your school safety committee or SLT. Be active in your school. It is doable 2:48.
ReplyDeleteAdministrator you should shut the comments down. You have fools, trolls and jackanapes pushing bullshit here. Shut them down. Now is not the time for careless partisan and just plain stupid speech. The lucid and free understand. We’ll always be here. Close comments.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
ReplyDeleteWhich comment is false?
ReplyDeleteI know orangemanbad and all but why do liberal/socialist/democrats always revert to autocratic methods to silence and control those who disagree with them? Is it due to some limit on their cognitive dissonance? If I listened to the msm for the past 4 years I suppose I couldn't deal either. I feel y'all
ReplyDeleteNo teacher calls the union in my district bc they know my principal finds out everything and it’s terrifying. She uses fear and she knows she’s untouchable, it’s so sad. Regardless, she’s doing pop in obs and saying it’s for development and support purposes and they are requiring us to go live. I find it so incredibly upsetting how some principals in the DOE can be connected and sick.
ReplyDeleteIs there anyway to have someone else call the union for you and make a complaint?
I am feeling so burnt out. Really really stressed and tired. And crying? Yeah. How’s this for my first year of teaching
ReplyDeleteI agree with Michael Fiorillo 100%. There are Democrats praying for a depression and second wave of the virus to get Trump out. Trump will trounce Biden if neither of those scenarios materialize. The hatred is astounding from both parties. Trump is spectacularly incompetent and unworthy of the presidency. Yet, he was elected. If he remains in office there will be untold damage done to our democracy and the environment. We are on the precipice as a country. We are Ancient Rome. We need a president who can bind us together and stop the continued polarization of the nation. Trump revels and relishes in that polarization and it is the sole reason he got into office.
ReplyDeleteHow about a name and school requirement to comment with a verifiable email that won't be published? This blog is growing but the kill public schools trolls are here.
ReplyDelete@4:54 we have been on the precipice of a socialist/totalitarian takeover of the country since the last potus. I fear the 90%+ of the media and educational "useful idiots" will destroy the country and constitution if given another chance. They have already divided us through their relentless use of identity politics. But instead of Rome I envision something more like China.
ReplyDeleteOne leftist mantra:
ReplyDeleteIf it moves, tax it.
If it still moves, regulate it.
If it stops moving, subsidize it.
Please put in a name and school requirement to comment. 5:13 and 5:15 will be gone forever after their fake names would be shown to be fake and we would not have to hear from them. I could live with not commenting any longer.
ReplyDeleteI dont know where you see trump destroying biden. On what basis? Polls dont say that now. If you just use 2016 as the template, if trump loses 2 large states he won, he loses the election. Or any other combo of losing at least 37 electoral votes. Certainly possible, maybe very likely...In a recession, with all who hate him, he cant lose some combo of Florida, Wisconsin, michigan, PA, NC?
ReplyDeleteStudent breaks rule, teacher says something, teacher is the problem.
ReplyDeleteYou are the same two or three idiots who constantly comment here but add nothing to conversation. Same comments too. Do something about it and grieve.
ReplyDeleteBILA, wingate campus, brooklyn
ReplyDelete622 pm, everyone runs from that school. District Rep Duncan doesn't help. A bunch of teachers years 1-4. Vets stay a year and leave.
ReplyDeleteHow about 1 year of pay buyout? I would immediately forfeit the final retro payment because I am too young to retire. Fair?
ReplyDeleteTo the guy accusing me of censoring comments: Stay somewhat near the topic. I couldn't agree with everything here as all sides are represented but comments should be somewhat related to the topic please.
ReplyDeleteAgree with 834 pm. If you are pre-retirement, you automatically forfeit retro, lose your medical, lose your salary for many years, lose all the other benefits and get a tiny pension, a long time from now, because you leave so early. That has to be worth 1 year of pay.
ReplyDeleteJames is lying, my comments are always on point but James is clearly afraid of the truth.
ReplyDeleteFirst I've met James, and second, my views are some of the most right-of-center here, and I've never been censored. James has fought big battles for his chapter members and has helped countless teachers outside his building. He stuck his neck out and put his name, job, etc. on the line. That's not someone who's afraid.
ReplyDeleteSo the same pollsters who said Hilary would win in a landslide now say trump losing ground with seniors. Yawn.
ReplyDeleteA painful milestone for the United States: More than 100,000 dead now is the best estimate and most certainly an undercount. But it represents the stark reality that more Americans have died from the outbreak than from the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.
ReplyDeleteIt's also more than double the reported deaths in the next worst-hit nation, Britain, which has just under 38,000 dead to date.
Great response Trump, Cuomo, de Blasio.
Remember, de blasio swore to never close schools. That is our friend.
ReplyDelete@10:03 prob watch crazy rachael maddow.
ReplyDelete1. nUmbers are inflated anyone dying basically they say its covid
2. would have been 1-2 million if trump did not help close borders
3. dems all worried about impeachment you stupid monday morning quarterback
4. Fauci and all scientists were WRONG!! because the WHO lied and is in china pockets!
If oBama was president and people dared to blame him you would be a racist. China china china is to blame, you prob believed Russia and Kavanaugh crap too, moron.
Do me a favor and watch Andrew Ross Sorkin tell off Joe Kernen on CNBC. Trump fucked up coronavirus badly. Get over it. Look how many more people are dying than normal. Right wing talking points are so lame.
ReplyDeleteScrewing around with the numbers doesn't change how all this plays out. Florida can call the deaths "pneumonia" instead of "covid19" all it wants - dead people are still dead people and the virus will still spread if authorities refuse to deal with it correctly.
ReplyDeleteIt is undercounted, not over counted 3:58 pm.
ReplyDeletePolitical Wire
ReplyDeleteFederal and state officials across the country have altered or hidden public health data crucial to tracking the coronavirus’ spread, hindering the ability to detect a surge of infections as President Trump pushes the nation to reopen rapidly,” Politico reports.
“In at least a dozen states, health departments have inflated testing numbers or deflated death tallies by changing criteria for who counts as a coronavirus victim and what counts as a coronavirus test.”
I had a cousin who died recently. He was showing Covid symptoms but never got tested. He died in his sleep apparently of a heart attack. They only did an external autopsy because there was no foul play. Our family thinks it was Covid but it was never fully determined. I'm sure he was one of many. I think the deaths and cases are overly underreported.
ReplyDelete