This is from Payday Report:
Teachers Strike Increasingly Likely This Fall
In many cities and states, parents are pushing schools to re-open so that they can return to work or at least work from home without having to play stay-at-home teachers to their children.
This week, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that didn’t re-open, leading to cries that teachers unions may strike this fall. But teachers are fighting back.
“I double-dog dare Donald Trump to sit in a class of 39 sixth graders and breathe that air without any preparation for how we’re going to bring our kids back safely,” National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García told CNN’s New Day.
Now, mass strikes of teachers look increasingly likely.
Sending Betsy DeVos out to threaten teachers may backfire on Trump.
Do not expect Michael Mulgrew to lead or threaten any job action no matter what conditions are like. UFTers will probably need to stand up for themselves if the time comes when UFTers believe a school or many schools or all of the schools are hazardous to the health of students and adults.
90 comments:
HAHA. Who is striking in NYC?
All of us should.
I am striking! And its about damm time!!
Hopefully the majority of educators stand together. Hopefully.
This is our chance. 9% infections is crazy. It will be March all over again.
People need to go back to work, but let's be realistic. There are certain sites of employment that can accommodate far better than others. Schools are very dangerous environments. Cuomo wants contact tracing for school plans. This will be a challenge for the NYC DOE to execute. VENTILATION will disqualify most, if not all schools. DeVos needs to move her desk into a school - the least funded school. If she does not care about my life, I do.
Agree! This is our time. Make a stand as a collective group throughout the USA.
I am going to strike! And its about damm time! I emailed Mulgrew today and that Shmuck never replied to me!
You can chose to play Russian Roulette with your life at stake and the lives of your family
or you can chose to strike. The choice is obvious. WE WILL STRIKE!
I just read something disturbing in Chalkbeat. According to Carranza kids won't be disciplined for not wearing masks but only will be encouraged even though it is the state law. Also he said it is not likely a school will have to close if a positive case is confirmed there.
Nobody is striking. Get real. Nobody would take the risk. The uft wouldnt support it. Most idiotic teachers think the uft is wonderful. Not happening
If there are enough of us like in March, the UFT will be irrelevant.
When other states are remote only, pressure will mount. No more fu**ing around with our lives. The people who were sacrificed in March deserve better.
"If there are enough of us like in March, the UFT will be irrelevant."
Then why pay for their services?
Too late ahole. The opt out period is over. We are the real union proud teachers.
918, And what have you done?
People keep writing how they will strike and dont care about Mulgrew and we can do it on our own and the uft sucks but we dont need them...Not sure why paying $1600 for nothing makes sense.
Talking to me? I already dont pay dues. Now you can pay dues to get abandoned by your union.
Strike? I'd take that bet in a heartbeat if anyone thinks the UFT will strike.
Listen, we are NOT talking about a high quality government environment. The NYC DOE has always been undermining, sneaky and corrupt. The UFT has been somewhat silent. We as members cannot risk our lives. We don't know how our bodies will react to COVID-19 and mutations. Unfortunately, it is a very difficult situation. If my child was still in school I would be scared shitless to send my child to school. This virus could turn around and become more aggressive. This virus has the reputation that it does not affect children as much. How about if it catches everyone by surprise and attacks all age groups mercilessly. Scientists don't know enough about this virus.
A lot of things are not lining up to give a green light to open schools.
918...what union. You all just said you dont need the leadership. I read everyday on this blog that Mulgrew is awful.
NYC Educator wrote a revealing piece- Monday, July 13, 2020
"De Blasio to UFT, CSA, DC37, and 1.1 Million Schoolchildren: Drop Dead". It highlights how Carranza is being lenient on social distancing. A comment in this piece is: "I'm told that CDC recommends 65 square feet per student, but DOE wants to reduce it."
Members, don't expect the DOE to do the right thing. Don't kid yourselves. Once in the building, behind closed doors, it will be business as usual with added responsibilities and worries due to safety not being enforced.
In thinking about all possible scenarios, there will be students (rare) that will utilize this occasion to sneeze and cough as a weapon against educators and other students. There needs to be a plan to address this IF schools are open. Doubt that all the precautions will be met to reopen schools. A window will not do for ventilation.
Where is the link to this? I don’t see it in Chalkbeat.
"I just read something disturbing in Chalkbeat. According to Carranza kids won't be disciplined for not wearing masks but only will be encouraged even though it is the state law. Also he said it is not likely a school will have to close if a positive case is confirmed there”
These corrupt morons who put our lives at risk in March and killed some of us are at it again. No way if there aren't proper safety measures are we going in.
It's the top story on Chalkbeat. It's a quote said by Carranza.
Agree with you 10:33 PM. These corrupt morons are up to it again.
It says in the state requirements for reopening that both students and staff will be "required" to wear face masks. Required and encouraged are two different things. Encouraged to teenagers means screw you, I'm not doing it. Why is Carranza contradicting what the Governor said?
You gonna make them wear it?
I'd tell them wear it or get out of my classroom. Nobody has a right to make people sick. If the school won't enforce it, I will and I'll say screw you my health is more important than this kid's education.
News about the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD):
https://abc7.com/lausd-coronavirus-covid19-school-year/6315260
www.10news.com/news/local-news/san-diego-unified-school-district-to-start-new-year-online
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/07/13/lausd-students-wont-return-to-classrooms-in-the-fall
www.cbs8.com/article/news/education/san-diego-unified-schools/509-be5addef-3cc9-4218-b556-bc2e57c37e4d
www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/lausd-will-not-have-in-person-classes-in-the-fall-online-learning-to-continue/2395329/
www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/city-schools-students-not-returning-to-classrooms-to-start-year-will-study-online-only/2364459
https://timesofsandiego.com/education/2020/07/13/san-diego-unified-will-keep-campuses-closed-when-school-starts-aug-31
www.nytimes.com/2020/07/13/us/lausd-san-diego-school-reopening.html
So Carranza basically stands with Trump on schools. Don't close, don't enforce masks, don't shut down again with a spike. Hilarious.
Spring break pay? Severance for those who want to quit? Sabbatical for those you feel unsafe. Where is the uft? Being absent as usual.
There is not a damn chance you are forcing students to do anything, wear a mask, distance, etc. Wake up. Do you get students to put phones away or take hats off or get to school on time or come in prepared. What will happen? nothing, other than the safety of the teacher being threatened. Can we now stop discussing it. It will be the same free for all as every other year, except now many of us will actually die.
AR YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE YOUR LIVES TO WORK IN THE NY CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Everybody know remote learning was a complete disaster - - and taxpayers believe kids should be educated. So start with the idea kids will be in schools.
Kids don't die from this - in fact the seasonal flu is worse for them.
While extremely rare right now in NYC (none yesterday, BTW) it is still possible for older/compromised people to die from it. So those folks must be protected (wear a mask, wash hands, stay 6 feet from the kids, etc. ). Not rocket science to figure it out.
Students will listen in schools when nyc crime stops. Good luck.
So...No strike, wont stop paying dues, cant vote Mulgrew out, continue to get beaten to a pulp, sent to die in March, probably again in September...What is next? How would you like to proceed?
Don’t be reckless. Striking is not the answer. We cannot anyway under the Taylor Law. The city could conceivably fire us all while on strike (like what happened to the striking air traffic controllers in the 1970s). Also, if we do strike, and do not get fired, we could return to even worse working conditions since our contract would be null and void. No preps, longer days, free coverages, who knows......if you’re ok without a paycheck, please just take a leave of absence. Apply for a sabbatical. Don’t you say put pressure on people to cross a picket line right now with the economy the way it is.
TOTAL FAILURE: New York State and Governor Cuomo Had the Worst Coronavirus Death Ratio in the World - Higher than Any State and Higher than ANY NATION!
NYC DOE can manage just fine without Federal money. Exactly how much money does the Federal government provide? According to the DOE website 7% of the 34 billion dollar NYC DOE budget comes from the Federal government and other sources. The NYC DOE cannot figure out online learning with 93% of 34 billion dollars? Get serious. It makes no sense to keep feeding the beast!
The Federal government is part of the problem, not the solution. We, as teachers, should be demanding more of our local politicians and school leaders. I have given up on the UFT. Is it possible that Cuomo, DeBlasio and Carranza want the schools to open and let people to get sick and possibly die, then turn around and blame Trump? Using this logic, if the Federal money is not cut, the schools will be safe to open and everyone will stay healthy? This makes no sense.
Nobody can possibly believe that the NYC DOE suits cannot figure out how to manage online learning with 31.62 billion dollars. This would be the approximate money available without Federal funds. In addition, NYC DOE has an additional 17 billion dollars in the capital budget. There is no way the suits can figure this out without touching teachers or students? People should be outraged at our local leaders, not Trump.
Do Cuomo, DeBlasio and Carranza really think people believe that online learning is just as wasteful as in school learning? It should be billions less wasteful. Why would they think we are that stupid? When dependency on the Federal government is unnecessary and optional, why would you accept it? Oh, yes, money talks.
This should be a huge wake up call for everyone. When you are dependent and rely on other people's money, it is a good idea to have a plan, other than a tantrum, for when/if it is cut or not there at all.
"I'd tell them wear it or get out of my classroom." Oh, wow. I'm sure the 19 year old will be frightened. I'm sure they will listen. I hope you guys have a better plan.
Dont worry, the uft is on it. "It's pretty atrocious that in preparation for returning to school this fall, teachers are writing wills, getting medical power of attorney established and taking out extra life insurance," tweeted teacher Jessica Schwinn.
Cell phones and hats don't pose a risk to your life, but when my life is at risk, I would make them do something and 9:58, if you were a good teacher, the kid would listen to you.
I am so sick of these stupid comments saying "Remote learning is a disaster - students need to be in school!" A lot of these comments come from entitled lazy bums who don't want to admit being lazy bums while pointing the finger at teachers.
Remote learning was a disaster for the unmotivated students, who just don't give a crap. I logged in for 3 hours everyday and provided virtual office hours. In a four month period, only about 4-5 students took advantage. The rest just completed their weekly assignments online after constant reminders from me to do so.
It's long overdue that we question the utility of the public school system altogether. Real education always begins with a desire to learn, which most of the students I've dealt with in my career as a DOE high school teacher never had.
This whole crisis actually provides us with the opportunity to really reflect and potentially overhaul the entire system, but what these morons in charge, both left and right, want to do is just return to an old, outdated model that no longer works (and will never work moving forward).
The specialized high schools don't mean jack anymore. Neither do any of the precious "Ivy League" colleges.
Give high school kids an all remote option and let them do the work on their own time. Get rid of onerous standards and let them take coursework that is actually relevant to the real world. Let them get a job and work to make money. Take away outdated child labor laws.
Replace K-5 schools with community centers where these stupid parents can drop off their little kids, who can play and learn to read, write, and do arithmetic.
In principle, I'm against making the state responsible for taking caring of children. Parents need to be made to understand: if you can't take care of your own kid, then don't have kids. It's that simple.
It's nigh time that we divorce schools from the economy. This arrangement we have now simply can't stand.
I let it go another year, i didnt opt out, Im getting sick and tired of this. It is time that our union stood up for us. I have been a staunch advocate for our union throughout the year when our spring break was taken away from us. I told people that under the circumstances, the union was doing the best it could. In truth, I thought then and I think now, that the most important thing, the most important fight that the union really needed to take on and own, is for our safety and welfare in returning to school. This is not to say that the money is not important. Just for me, personally, I care less about that than other things. People argued to me at the time that if Mr. Mulgrew could not be strong about the money, he would not protect us now. I had hoped that wasn't the case.
This is not about beating up on the union and especially not about beating up on the idea of unions. They are incredibly important. I realize that without a union, we would have far less than we do. We would be in a much weaker position, overall than we are. I recognize that.
On July 2, Mr. Mulgrew issued a letter that was "reasonable." (Credit goes to Jonathan Halabi for getting all of the correspondence in one place and reminding me of it). Mr. Mulgrew said, in pertinent part: "School buildings should only reopen in the fall — even on a limited basis — if the safety of students, staff and families is assured." A list of things that needed to be considered was set forth.
On July 8.less than a week later, Mr. Mulgrew issued another letter. In this letter, while still appearing to advocate on our behalf. his opinion softens. He says in part:
"Reopening our schools will be a complex and difficult process so we must continue to plan and prepare, but we are not going to be careless with our students, their families and our members.
Strong safety protocols must be in place in all schools. Today, the city released more details about its safety plans..."
What is gone from this email is the language that says that school should ONLY reopen if safety is assured. That word only is very important and is not mere semantics.
In the July 8 correspondence, Mr. Mulgrew says that: "We do not believe that New York City can pull it off if Congress does not pass the U.S. HEROES Act this summer." He shifts the focus from our safety to money. Now, I do understand that the money to implement safety measures would come from the Heroes Act, but that shift now implies that the emphasis is now on getting the money than assuring our safety, which I did not see until the last few days. The reason why this shift is dangerous is that there is no guarantee that the influx of money will result in the performance of all the safety measures necessary to assure our safety. For example, it does not mean that all of the ventilation systems in school buildings will be revamped with the appropriate systems by the start of the school year. This is not just a matter of money but of manpower. In addition, how often have we seen government not effectively using funds with which it is provided? However, implicit in this correspondence is the assumption that if we only get the money, everything will be done right and our problems are over and we can all return safely to our buildings.
(2)
Jonathan Halabi rightly points out in the July 8th correspondence that this is the weakest point: "We believe a blended learning model, with students in class on some days and remote on others, balances our safety concerns with the need to bring students back." Compare this with the line in the July 2 correspondence where Mr. Mulgrew said: "School buildings should only reopen in the fall — even on a limited basis — if the safety of students, staff and families is assured." As an English teacher, I notice that Mr. Mulgrew shifts to a passive voice from an active voice. But there is the use of the words "we believe" instead of only, and he now says he is in support of hybrid learning protects our safety instead of saying that hybrid learning can only happen when and if our safety is protected. This may seem like semantics to some but words to matter and here they indicate that there was either a shift in Mr. Mulgrew's position from stronger to weaker, OR he intentionally tried to project a stronger image at the start and then showed his true colors. I am not sure one is better or worse. Neither protects us.
I want to have confidence that the union will protect us. I really do. But this is literally a matter of life and death. Some of us are older--old enough to be more at risk than those that are younger but not old enough without more to qualify for any medical exemption. Some of us live with family members that are immunocompromised. But all of us, no matter who we are, want to live to see another day. We all miss our students and would love to start the new school year with the excitement of a fresh start in person. Believe me, starting the year online is not something that anyone looks forward to. However, unless our safety can be protected and the buildings are made safe, I do not understand how we can return. Unfortunately, I now lack confidence in our union leadership that we will not be forced into unsafe buildings and unsafe classrooms.
Due to uft and doe failures I have to resign, I’ve been contemplating for a while but my mental health is far more important at this point. The system is so flawed and I honestly want out. My leave approval was denied however I already took the leave and I don’t want to wait until I’m out under disciplinary action or terminated. So I guess best option for me at this point is to resign so I maybe have 5 years to decide whether or not I want to come back.
This has been my dream job since I was a child but after being a sub and then being a teacher, then getting excessed, being an ATR has been my last straw.
You cant say that, when they see that asians and whites are doing fine and others arent, you are racist.
LOL. Then we must have a whole bunch of bad teachers, like 98% bad. Why is the college ready rate in the city 30%? "Cell phones and hats don't pose a risk to your life, but when my life is at risk, I would make them do something and 9:58, if you were a good teacher, the kid would listen to you."
11:01,
If you are an ATR, DON'T RESIGN!....yet.
Wait for the severance offer, then take the money and run.
11:11,
The college ready rate is at 30% because most of the students are criminally minded dumb asses, whose bad behavior is enabled by corrupt DOE administrators and bureaucrats.
I agree with Jess, when is that we've had enough. I hear all of you talk out of both sides of your mouth, it all sucks but dont opt out. The uft sucks, but...It all sucks but we are pro union. I got it. Im glad we have medical. Im glad we get a pension. Some would say we get a pension to make up for our low salaries in a high tax and high cost city. Anyway, I too bit my lip and didnt opt out, but we are getting screwed too often. All talk, nothing ever changes.
What severance? Another uft great job.
Why woryy?
Scott Gottlieb, MD Retweeted
Tatiana Prowell, MD
@tmprowell
·
21m
An asymptomatic child at an in-home daycare led to a #SARSCoV2 outbreak that has (so far) infected 16 in 4 families, incl 6 kids at the child care, 1 sib, 7 parents, & 2 grandmothers in case we’re wondering how school is going to go.
for a pro minority union we don't do a great job getting them educated or getting them a safe city to live in.
Agree with 10:53 AM. Having children is a huge responsibility. People should only have children when they can actually take care of them. There are far too many entitlement mentalities.
Learning remotely does take self-motivation. There is no way around it. The forced remote learning experience highlighted this issue.
Mulgrew will fold again and again like a cheap suit.
Everyone. Please email your reps!! Can we have another list, please, of emails that we can contact. I have one...but he never responds to me directly...mmulgrew@uft.org.
Since it doesn't seem like he listens to anything members write to him...to whom else can we write? I also email the mayor's office and the governor's office. Waste of time?
Contacts, friends?
The day we are told to return into the buildings, I am giving my 30 days notice for resignation. Just need to get my last retro on Oct 15. I feel really bad for the rest of you. Dont need the money. 40 years old and out.
I don't know where you're getting that 30% from? All students need to be college ready is a 75 on the ELA Regents. I don't know about other subjects and with how easy the Regents is and how liberal we grade it, 75 is easy to achieve even for the illiterates.
When even
@CNN
isn't buying your Dem spin you are in trouble.
Jake Tapper
NY state has lost more than 32,000 lives to COVID-19. So while it's great that the numbers have gone down, it's perplexing to see crowing, Cuomo going on Fallon, etc. No other state has lost as many lives, not even close. New Jersey is next with 17,000+
30% is documented, able to complete the most basic college class.
Show us your source please for 30%.If you mean AP, that's bullshit. Many kids get 1 or 2 and go onto finish college.
Are you joking? It has been on the DOE website for years.
STICK TO THE TOPIC. We are talking teacher strikes here. NYC teachers will NEVER strike. Mulgrew does not have the balls. Teachers will not be willing to loose 2 days of pay for every day we strike. Any teacher who strikes will loose tenure the following year. The UFT will never back it. Also, teachers are so disorganized that a possible wildcat strike is just impossible to get started and nobody would want to take credit for organizing it as that in and of itself is a crime. In other words, we either go in, or you take an unpaid leave to take care of your under age 5 kid or a sick relative. (Taking care of a sick relative under FML is only 3 months by the way) There is really NO ALTERNATIVE for the majority of teachers in this city. You gotta show up or get fired. It's a huge shit sandwich and we are all gonna have to take a bite.
Arizona teacher dies of COVID-19 as 2 colleagues also test positive:
www.aol.com/article/news/2020/07/14/arizona-teacher-dies-of-covid-19-as-2-colleagues-also-test-positive/24560522/
No. There is a section called college ready. You can look up every school and the city. Look at how some schools have 98% grad rate but 27% college ready. Fraud.
So it is some schools that have 27%. You have no source for the citywide college ready rate?
Teachers were ready to wildcat in March. It is what led to schools shutting down more than anything. Call it what you want. Our lives are more important than our tenure. We need to remember that.
"COLLEGE READY" rates are on the doe website. Yes, the city is in the 30s.
Additionally, despite the fact that a higher percentage of students are graduating citywide, less than half of city high school graduates are determined to be “college ready.” College readiness rates declined at about 16 percent of schools between 2011 and 2015, with the lowest levels of college readiness clustered in school districts in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Persistent racial gaps exist in college readiness levels as well.
Among the key findings are:
1. Diploma Mills are a serious problem.
There are 45 high schools with above average graduation rates that mask college readiness rates below 20 percent.
Every Diploma Mill on this list has a 50-point or higher gap between the graduation rate and the percent of students who are college ready.
Only one of the 45 Diploma Mills qualified for the Mayor’s Renewal program because theirhigh graduation rates masked the real problems.
The worst example of this is the HS for Medical Professions, which boasts a 95 percent graduation rate when only 15 percent of students are college ready.
2. College remediation in New York City is off the Charts
Only if you’re lucky enough to get into one of 34 high schools (of 428 with graduation statistics) do you have a decent shot to make it through college successfully.
3. The de Blasio administration has no clear plan for schools with the worst college readiness rates.
Of the 10 schools with the lowest college readiness rates, just two are in the Mayor’s Renewal program.
“A diploma should represent the culmination of a hard-earned journey, but the sad reality is that the system isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
From NYC.gov
The highest-ever college readiness rate – 51 percent of all students, and 67 percent of graduates, in the Class of 2018 graduated high school on time and met CUNY’s standards for college readiness in English and math.
Source Chalkbeat
In addition, the city said Thursday that 55% of students in the class of 2019 were deemed college-ready, which rose from 51% in 2018.Nov 21, 2019
Your source seems to be to pull numbers out of thin air. I give you mine.
Congrats. 50%. You are great teachers.
Now compare Asian vs white vs black vs hispanic.
Can I resign?
40 years old
380k tda
110k mixed roth and 457
Additional $1M savings.
Randi just said on fox that teachers and parents like cuomo's reopening plans.
Isn’t “college ready” based on how well they do on the regents. Don’t think how well kids do on a test or two will translate to success in college.
Well said Jess.
You guys are going off on tangents here. I think the college readiness rate has been verified. Whether this is a valid statistic or not, is an issue for a different posting. Please stay close to the issue of returning in the fall. Thanks
Why bother? We have no say.
Michelle-11:01,
Don't resign until you look at all of your options. Look into a sabbatical, a leave of some type, also see if you can retrain as a guidance counselor, librarian, reading teacher, speech pathologist- some job where you will see fewer students. You deserve this job as much as anyone. It may turn out that schools in NYC will only open virtually. I'm no doctor, but it seems that the virus travels more indoors. In the south, everyone is in air conditioning now-indoors-and the numbers are going up. In the fall, the northeast will start getting cooler and we will go inside. If the numbers go up I don't see how schools open. Don't resign prematurely, see how things evolve- but educate yourself on your choices.
Also I partly agree with 10:53. School needs to be re-thought. Why not have tents for classes? A NYC teacher suggested this on CNN. In the northern part of the country, school could be from March to October and in the south, from October to May. The school year is based on an agricultural schedule- kids used to be needed at home on the farm in the summer- that's why we now have summers off. Health is much more important than tradition- we need to adapt and re-think things.
How do you have outdoor tents in the city? Also the roof won't work because kids will throw each other off.
James, can you start a feature where people are encouraged to submit copies of their emails to Mulgrew and/or other UFT officials and staff for publication, and the replies, if any?
I heard that a reporter for New York Teacher witnessed a high-level UFT official delete several hundred unread emails.
The Daily News just had an op-ed for it. The author goes into detail-using school grounds and even closing streets.
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-coronavirus-schooling-outdoors-20200713-bd7llbkk3fbbzj7w63pagbadka-story.html
and another in today's paper
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-teachers-plea-for-outdoor-learning-20200714-53dhhpkbcnanhc74kgfaj35ze4-story.html
1. Scrap regents forever- revamp curriculum and enough with teaching to the test
2. If you cannot graduate- put in a feeder vocational school to learn a trade.
3.High schools could go remote and use HS for other schools to use and child centers where families and first responders should have access to if need to go back to work
side notes:
1. PE will be an ongoing issue since remote is a joke and boring since not physical
2. Teachers should have 30 min individual sessions with students which can be as helpful as having a class of 15 when in person teaching.
1:40,
Those are good ideas. I read a sad article about drownings on NYC beaches a few weeks ago. A reader wrote in that it was "unconscionable" that in a city made up of mostly islands that so many children aren't swimmers. The reader suggested that every month in elementary school, a class takes a day and go to the pool to become comfortable floating and even swimming. To my mind, it was a good idea. I'm sure that PE teachers have other excellent ideas as well.
This is the time to think big, both for what education will look like for the next 150 years and for teacher's working conditions. For too long the union has not promoted big ideas. Always a defensive position- "You're lucky to have a job." ; not pushing for an end to age related discrimination to higher paid older teachers; no pushback to unreasonable principals/administrators. If teachers are really writing wills and getting their affairs in order before schools resume, then we need a union that will address member concerns and working conditions.
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