Things

pardon the interruption, but my bitchometer has been broken. I have been annoyed by the shenanigans over at the DOE but my snarkiness has been held down while I have been pondering the following:
Wee one's schools funding or budget has been slashed (like his is the only one), with about a dollar left for toilet paper. With the loss of the funding we now have lost our art program. Yipee now more time for test prep. Which we all know is all important since not only are students going to be graded, so are teachers. Nice job there Randi.
The DOE has decided to cut budgets, freeze spending unless you work at Tweed. Uh just how the bleep does that work? That is like me, my hours were cut at work, because we all know that Real Estate rocks right now. But the silver lining in this all is I got a hefty pay raise and my salary has not changed one iota. Uh, wait, that only happens in the world of Mayor Mike and Uncle Joel (or Lehman executives, and I am neither).
So, since budgets have been cut and spending has been curtailed the geniuses over at Tweed thought it would be grand for CEC's to take out of their measly budgets, raises for the AA's. They can't pay out if the DOE budget since it has to look like spending is down. Hey just like the graduation rates are up and so are test scores. Oh and while you are giving the raise you also have to pay for the incidentals. Nice little scheme you have going there,. Tell me how do I sign up?
Next item:
Term limits. It seems to me a few years back there was this little referendum on the ballot to ask New Yorkers to vote on term limits. You7 know to see if we wanted them, and by golly we did. But all of a sudden Dictator Cesar Bloomberg and his billionaire friends ( the same or different) who have Charter schools, etc. decided Mike still needs to be be Mayor because they have not lined their pockets with enough tax breaks or whatever else they have been taking from us mere peons. So the City Council things this is a great idea. Screw us and our voice. Seems to be the same scenario that is being run over at the DOE. Just remember to sit down and shut up is the new motto.

The first cut is the deepest...

I had a conversation with little one's Principal , it was brief, but it concerned the new budget cuts. I have told you it is a small school and any cut is too much of a cut. Actually no school should receive a cut but this one is deep. Since we lost so much in the last cut we truly could not afford another one. Not like Klein cares. I asked her so what are we losing. She said that she was happy that the classes would stay intact, and good news is we have 40 incoming Kindergarten students. She also said that the first thing that would go is our F status teacher, the children would no longer be able to access the library. Hmm a school, and no library. That is okay though the kids don't need to learn how to love literature, it only broadens their horizons and we can't have that now, can we?
She also said that we would lose art programs, we don't need those either, since we all know that art is stupid anyway. You can't test the kids on art, well at least not yet.
The other evening at the PTA meeting the budget cuts were presented again and one thing that she told the parents was that we were good except for the same points above. Then she went on to say that a few of our children will be showcased at the big Art Fair that Joel has been touting as wow look at us we have these great students and teachers that have the arts.
When I got the email telling me about this art fair I just looked at it and said to myself, damn Joel you are such a hypocrite. You want us to believe that our schools are well rounded but I am sure that you don't know that the PA's. and PTA's have to whore ourselves to get those art programs to be a mainstay in our schools, and you know what else you big asshat (love that word) the economy is not only bad for the school budget, but it is also bad for us parents that don't have two nickels, or with this economy pennies to rub together. Stop funneling money from Mikey's friends into hair brained schemes like hmmm the Leadership Academy, fire Alvarez and Marsal, and all your consultants. Ask them to fund programs like the Arts, ask them while you are at the Met, or Lincoln Center, or Carnegie Hall. While you are at it ask them to also fund After school programs, tutoring and mentoring to high risk kids. Then and maybe then we can salvage what is left of our public schools, before they all go into the toilet

I am angry

that could be a good thing or a bad thing. It is also the reason why I haven't posted in a while.
I am sick of the continual crap coming out of the Department of Education. The fact that they Dynamic Duo are experimenting on our children with new initiatives and cutting money from the budget and making snide remarks that the schools really are being over funded so taking crumbs away won't make a difference.
I am ill at the thought of the 8th grade retention policy that was put forth without any public input. Not like public input was ever listened to by these two butt heads.
When Klein speaks about education reforms I want to throw up. Kind of like whenever I see Bush talk about anything (the economy does suck you jackass) I get physically ill and just want to smack that snarky look off his face.
Oops I digress again.
I was around and had a 3rd grader when the first 3rd grade retention policy was thrown at us. With no extra money to fund the program and no extra resource room teachers, tutors, after school programs, what exactly are we supposed to do with our children that need that help. Just let them fail take away the self esteem. We all know that they won't be able to make that touted Charter School because the Charter Schools don't want them.
Now our new governor for however long he will be there since sex is such a crazed topic this day. Oh sex oh I quiver giggle. The fact that it is all over the news and I needed to kind of explain to my 7 year old what a prostitute was. I guess though that was better than when middle one was 7 and I he asked me what a blow job was, Monica Lewinsky.
Anyway since sex is the topic of the day, Paterson came out and said he would like to help education downstate (us), but without taxing the wealthy for it, but you know what I think Charter Schools are the answer, yeah that's the ticket. More Charters, private solution with public monies.
Hey you know what Paterson this is my idea, how about you do more charter schools, private solution with PRIVATE MONIES. Why the hell should I finance a Charter School that I don't believe in. One that only wants to dismantle the union. Oh that's right who needs a stinkin union anyway. Otherwise who will protect our wonderful teachers. Oops I forgot we don't care about the teachers. They suck anyway. It is all their fault that our children is stupid. That is right I wrote that wrong for a reason. I know why you all want our teachers gone, you don't care about educating the public. We need more lower wage earners. I don't know why because their are no more manufacturing jobs. Unless retail is the way to go.
As for the Parent Surveys you sent out again. I noticed that all the questions were the same. So since the questions were the same I just tossed mine in the trash. I don't feel like you really give a shit what I have to say anyway.
So once again I have some advice for you. Get rid of the surveys and all those other useless functions at the DOE that should free up some money. Do we really need the Office of Parent Engagement. It is not like you really want to engage the parents anyway.
Stop taking money out of our schools already. You can't close them all for failing yet. I know that is the grand scheme.
Oh and please stop asking your clueless friends to tout you on what a wonderful job you are doing Brownie errrr I mean Joel. When was the last time Barbara Walters had a child in a public school or has been in one for that matter. I challenge all these big mouths that say they are your friends to spend a month in a low performing school and then come back and tell me what a great job you are doing.
Rant over.

Cellphones again

Yipee, students are now allowed to bring their cellphones to school. They are allowed to bring them TO school, just not into them. Huh, color me confused. What kind of hair brained scheme is this? Where exactly are the children supposed to leave the cellphones? Psst, mister can you hold my cell phone for me, I will be getting out at 4:15 meet me here so I can have it again.
In the last month there was an incident at the Glen Oaks Campus with threats that caused the school to go into Lockdown. Lockdown what is this Rikers? Can we not think of a better term than lockdown? If the Dynamic Duo could only get their heads out of their rear ends or each others oops lets not go there, maybe they would see that their is a need for cell phones, and a cellphone notification system. But we don't need that, what we need instead are surveillance cameras placed inside high schools, yeah that's the ticket. We will install cameras during the Christmas break and then not tell the children that they are going to be spied on whilst walking down the hall. My son told me that his dean told him that there were 86 cameras installed in his bigovercrowded high school during the break. Whatever the f**k for? Was I asked permission for this intrusion. What is next tiny microphones recording the events of the classroom, because I pity the teacher who decides to instruct the children anything else besides what is being taught on the high stake test. Oh that's right we are not supposed to teach to the test.
Transparency my ass.

The Dynamic Duo Strike again

In the attempt of trying to understand "Why our children isn't learning", the Dynamic Duo have decided that the only way to engage students is to dangle a fat carrot. or cell phone and some money at them. A cell phone that they can't bring to school but I am sure in their minds it makes perfect sense.
They say that our children are not engaged and had a "focus" (or unfocused group as I call them),to find out just how we can engage our students. Make them more test worthy maybe. How much money did that cost? Maybe if the Dynamic Duo would listen to us in the trenches they would already know how to engage our students. But then after all, what do we know, we are not businessmen we do not know what it is like in the "real" world. So I have some advice (yes once again) for Kleinberg, stop spending money on focus groups, run by millionaires that have no clue what a Public Education is about, on school report cards, what a total waste of money that turned out to be. Not one parent I spoke to are giving any credence to the grades. Stop giving our children more high stake tests and telling them pass them or else you won't get your big fat pay check, and stop wasting money on tracking our students cough $80 million ARIS cough.
Start spending money on small class size, building more schools, hiring more teachers and retaining the ones that we already have, Because any idiot can do that but YOU.

Police State

When did it become acceptable to treat our students like prisoners. When they walk through a school police walk the halls with them? When an announcement is made during the day that for now on they will subject to search and may be scanned and all "non essential" paraphernalia will be confiscated. Non essential meaning cell phones, I-Pods, electronics.
One day I would like someone to walk up the the Dynamic Duo point to them and say hey I think you are carrying a cell phone, a blackberry, and a half a brain, slam them into a wall, make them do the stance and pat them down. Take away their dignity for a day, and a day, and another day.
Their is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON FOR THE POLICE TO BE IN OUR SCHOOLS PERIOD
It is a place for education not intimidation. But then again intimidation is what these two chuckle heads do best. To our teachers (ATR, crappy raise, merit pay), to our students (police in the schools, toxic schools, high stake tests) to our Parents (sit down an shut up).
By the way Principals do you know you have the right to tell the police to get the hell out of your school, well you do, why don't you start exercising it.

The more you become involved

the more you get pissed off. I was at a dinner during the week with educators and parents. I said I would not become involved in a higher level again but well my inner voice was screaming to come out. So back to the topic I was at this dinner and I was listening to questions from parents and most of them had to do with this underlining theme. I can't get my Principal to give me an answer. We ask them questions but they just tell us that is the way it is, and no answer comes. So Klein decided that is would be all dandy to give Principals all the power, but he forgot one important thing. Principals are not the only people in the building. Principals do not teach the class, teachers do. Teachers know what is happening in the classrooms, Parents know what is specifically happening with their child. You just can not leave the two out of the equation with what is occurring with our children.
So the majority of Principals are now dictating policy and changing the dynamics of a classroom without really knowing what has been happening in the classroom.
During the dinner as I sat across from two teachers I asked them a few questions. I asked them how they felt about the new testing regiments? If they felt that they were being graded unfairly if the student does not show any marked improvement, and if I child in the class was already scoring a 4 how much more do they think that that said child could improve?
They said that yes, they did feel that it was unfair for the teacher to be graded, that their curriculum has not changed, but that the if the class is larger it is difficult to help the child that is falling behind to get their individual attention.
Wow back to that large class size.
It was mentioned that their is teaching to the test, and everyone shook their head yes, teachers and parents.
In five years time after this little experiment fails, I wonder what the new position in education will be?

Toxic Schools & Overcrowded Classes..oh my

Wow, so class size is down only 4,300 classes are overcrowded, hey lets celebrate. I bet the Mayor and the Chancellor congratulated each other with some champagne and cigars. Saying look at those suckers they will believe any web we spin and then hand us the Broad Prize. Aren't we just the greatest?

An overcrowded classroom is an overcrowded class room whether or not the numbers are down to4,300 hundred class rooms that number mean that there are still 4,300 classes packed to the rafters. Really what does that matter to Kleinberg? Not really since they truly don't understand the concept of small class size unless it is for one of their relatives. A person that does not send a child through the Public Education system does not understand what a Public Education consists of except that it is sucking up to much of the budget's monies.

Toxic Schools.

I have discussed this scenario before and knew then how well the toxins would be blown back into the school, and as long as this toxic loophole exists more schools will be built on toxic sites with no independent contractor testing the level of toxins in the building. Wouldn't be prudent now would it. To have someone actually enter the building with the premise of appeasing parent's concerns that the findings of the Information Technology High School (fitting name huh?) in Long Island City is safe for the population. We can't spend any extra money to do a test to make sure a building is not hazaradous to the people inside it. If I was a parent my child would be in a new school come tomorrow. Probably in that big overcrowded high school that could not fit just one more child in it. Oh wait yes it could we don't care about no stinkin' overcrowded classrooms.

The more things change.......the more they stay the same

The Mayor and the Chancellor of the largest school system in the nation want you to believe that all the changes they are making in our school system are doing wonders. That the new Children First, Fair Funding, hold harmless monies, new LSO's, PSO's, Empowerment schools,are all for the greater good. What the greater good is no one knows. Why? Well two days before school is to open, the rules are still changing. The bureaucracy has been made bigger, and if you thing that people were confused before well you have not seen anything yet folks. I thought that the whole thing about Mayoral control was to cut through the bureaucracy. Was it not? That the people who no one knew what they were doing over in Brooklyn would end.
To me it does not seem that way. New names were given to people in new positions that I believe were meant to make parents think that the DOE cares about you and your child. Accountability Office, Parent Engagement Office etc.
How about this new title Blow Smoke up Parent's butts?
New Superintendents are now going to be spending time overlooking 20 schools not in their own district. Why? To give pointers on how to succeed.
Why in the hell do they need to do that? Would the superintendent of that said district not know how to do that. Is that not why they were hired in the first place?

I say we start to lobby to end Mayoral control, because in my opinion the only thing that has happened since Mayoral control has taken effect is create a bigger mess and a weaker school system. But then again I guess that was the point after all. How else can we have more charters.

The Problem with Charters

Charter Schools take up room in existing NYC schools. NYC schools are already overcrowded adding more students to it just does not do the trick, no matter what you think cough Joel cough Mayor Mike.
Take the case of yesterday's school that made the attention of the media because it was booted out of the school they overtook in a coup. What not a coup? To me when a school comes into another school uninvited because our leaders say that the way it is, it is a coup.
Now lets read between the lines from yesterday's Daily News article entitled,
Our School full, booted Brooklyn Charter told
lets start shall we?
"All though it was promised a school for 2 years, Although it was promised a home at Public School 158 in East New York, Brooklyn, for two years, the East New York Prep charter school was forced out over the summer and must move temporarily to PS 323 in Brownsville"

okay so it was promised a school, how about some raw space Joel
not a school already being used by students? So now you are going to inconvenience another school and make parent's scramble for alternative ways to get to yet another school. Anyway hear the small voice in their heads school bus scandal?

There are tensions between parents.
I can understand this. How would you like it if you child was in a school receiving an eduction and then all of a sudden you are told that 200 additional children would be brought into your school, but it would not be your school but a Charter, and with that your children could not use certain rooms because they are for the charter.
Its a classic example of dividing the classes so to speak.

My favorite part of the article is this:"While the charter's parents point out that PS 158 has been nearly 300 students below capacity for several years, the Education Department said the school saw an "unanticipated spike" of 60 students in its enrollment."

Now remember I used to be a PTA President, a former SLT member and I remember vividly when the BOE, before Klein, came into our school
to see if our elementary school was under capcity. They were looking to see where children can be sent since Queens needs more seats.
Our school was also found to be under capacity. Why? Well there was a bathroom or two and an attic space that was not being utilized as classroom and it was found that we too could add 300 more students.
We already were full, we had Pre-K in the building and Reading was taught in the auditorium but there was a closet somewhere we could teach a class or two.

So the under capacity theme has to be taken with a grain of salt. 60 more children can break your school if you don't have a place to put them. Oh I forget class size of 40 is acceptable.
If P.S 158 was not over capacity then why was the speech teacher, teaching in the bathroom? Because the principal was trying to boot out the Charter? I don't think so.

The DOE is playing a shell game with our children's future. While they want more Charters there is no room at the inn for them. Oops wrong story.
Joel and Mike please stop sacrificing the education of children and start to realize that ALL of our children matter.

It is not cheating when it is the DOE

There was a poll up at NY1 asking New Yorker's to rate Klein's performance as chancellor. I voted, did you? If you are a regular reader of this blog I am sure you know how I voted.
There are now allegations that the DOE has tried to rig the poll to get Klein's numbers up. Isn't that called Cheating? What example are you portraying to our children. It is all right to cheat when our bosses head is on the line. The man who is running your education system into the ground. The man who really only cares about privatizing the system. The man who says small class size does not matter for you, but only for the privileged few?
If this was a "real" job with "real" punishment there would be call for a reprimand, but since it is the DOE the only people here to be punished are the students and the teachers.

Link to the Article below:
http://www.nypress.com/

Did The DOE Try To Rig A Poll For Klein?

Small class size prevails again

The reading and math scores are in. Scores fell but only because we let those pesky ELL students screw it all up. Sheesh Joel can you find blame with everyone else but yourself and YOUR policies.
All except this magnificent school Grand Concourse Academy Charter School, where the whole, that's right folks the whole 4th grade passed the exam. 93.1% scored a 3 and 6.9% scored a 4. While those numbers are impressive, lets get to the heart of this story. The student teacher ratio is 14:1. That is a great student to teacher ratio. You see Joel, Mike are you listening? If the rest of our students had the same student to teacher ratio, all of our children would be scoring a 3 or a 4. But that can only happen in a charter school, correct?
Since the teacher (Jabari Sims) who was highlighted in the Daily News article is quoted as saying

Only 10% of the current fourth-graders were at grade level upon enrolling in school when it opened three years ago at E. 169th St.
"We received students who were poorly educated elsewhere," said Principal Ira Victor, who grew up around the corner from the Bronx school. "They came in barely knowing their letters."
The part about 10% reading upon grade level I do find believable. Could have been the over sized classroom they were in prior, and the limited amount of resources they were able to receive in their former schools.
I am still against Charter's as they take away from existing schools.
What I am not against is the small class size ideology. That is always the prevelent issue in all of the charter success stories.
Jane and John in the new charter school _______________ are doing so well in the class of 14. It is always some ridiculously small number, unlike the rest of the children that ARE LEFT BEHIND.
No child left behind my eye.

Children First... the first slash

What do you do, when your Principal informs you that teachers in your school are retiring but you will be using that money elsewhere since we are strapped for cash? You don't want to sacrifice the arts now, do you?
It is okay if we have a class of 40 because they are older children and they will be just fine. Hey I broke my finger the other day and I don't need to go to the doctor for an x-ray because it will heel and it will be just fine.
I truly don't believe (okay I do but I am playing devil's advocate) that BloomKlein or (as I am going to steal the phrase) Tweedledee and Tweedledum. knew what was going to come down the pike when Principals chose this we need the money alternative.
I believe they chose this route so they can come up with another convoluted plan that will SUCK!!! Then they will blame it on KPMG, or Alvarez and Marsal, or the Principal or the parents but they will never blame themselves.
I have already heard the rumblings that are going to occur and why not at a better time than May and June when the parents can get all worked up and then be left holding their collected breaths over the summer hoping that somehow it will work out and 30 children will mysteriously move into your neighborhood over the summer and more money will appear.
It is time for the parents of ALL schools to get together and hold a rally, or a press conference or whatever just to let the politicians know what we know, no matter how many times you spray deodorizer on the garbage, it is still garbage.

Oh and those of you that say this is not my problem wake up and smell the coffee, because what happens in my school today happens in yours tomorrow.

Small School

If a school historically has a low enrollment rate, what is the role of a Principal to try increase enrollment so class size does not become large? Should they ask the District Superintendent to allow the neighboring overcrowded school to re-route some of their children to your school? Should you hold open houses to encourage increased enrollment, or should you appeal to the Chancellor to allow your school to be a model for a small class size initiative that he says can not occur in the current climate. If this is a small school with a small enrollment why not take the chance? Can this be done in a New York City School, with an enrollment of 34 children in a grade, or should you just have the one class with 34, if the cap is 32. Is it acceptable to have a teacher and a para professional in an upper grade class (in an elementary school) with today's high stake testing requirements? What happens when your school starts to slip behind in the standardized testing, what is the ultimate price to the student, or are students not even in the equation anymore? Is it just data in an $80 million computer that matters.
On the other hand what is the role of the parents on this issue? They are the ones who paid money to move to the neighborhood to let their children go to the excellent school.
The parents need to fight for the right for their children to receive a decent education in NYC. What is the middle ground? I know work together for the greater good.
You can not ask schools to continue to succeed if you are going to increase class size and take teachers out of the classroom. It just does not add up.

Update on the Charter School

The Principal of The International Leadership Charter School resigned yesterday after students and parents protested outside the school and walking out, after the Principal made working conditions intolerable for the teaching staff.
She did a fabulous job in just one short year (never made it to the end)
I just have so much faith in the charter school system. Where do I sign up?

Hey, Mike and Joel

where in the hell is my survey???
You launched a big press conference to tell the city that you are issuing one. A lot has been said about parental influence and all I got today was a stinking postcard to tell me to be on the lookout for one starting April 30th. Well here we are May 3rd and no survey in my child's backpack.
No automated call from the overcrowded high school, nothing, zip, zilch, nada you get the point.
By the way love your slogan When one parent speaks schools listen, when one million parents speak schools change.
What a bunch of bull. We have been speaking but you never listen.

Name Calling

Why when the Mayor faces opposition he has to revert to name calling?
Funny that he uses name calling like a elementary school child to parents who are trying to call attention to the fact that he is a major bonehead. Oops would that be name calling, silly me.
So when a group of parents asked for us to ask for real parent input on the new surveys sent to parents his only response was that they are trying to
“subvert the system and sit around and complain and not make it any better.”
Now these parents that signed the letter do not just sit around and complain and not make it any better.
They are parent leaders, people who have gone out and tried to make it better, but our Mayor thinks that he is much smarter than parents who children are being educated in the public system. Who would know better the private school parent (Mayor Mike and Joel Klein) or the actual parent who has a child being screwed by the system. Now I know I am saying that the system is broken and that the Mayor wants to fix it, but his fix is not a real fix. It is set up for failure. I have cited why many times before. Just wait until September and our I told you so's become fact.
Then Mayor Mike is going to have to truly listen to the parents when they realize that once again their child is being screwed by the system.

Survey Says....

The DOE is starting a new campaign to ask parents & students what they think is wrong or right with their schools. Like we need a survey, what is this Family Feud?
The initiative is called Learning Environment Surveys. This is a gigantic waste of money. Parents have already been screaming about what is wrong with the system but as usual it is ignored. I believe the main reason for this initiative is so the Mayor and the Chancellor can say we asked the parents and they said we are doing a wonderful job. You know they are going to ignore all the negative comments since that has been what they have been doing all along.
They will come up with the everything is rosy approach just like the great graduation rates and the test scores improving.
The New York Times are reporting that a group of 8 parents are urging parents to cross out the questions and send back the message real parental input. Let's make that 9 parents, and I am sure that their is a long line of parents right behind me.