Its a low down dirty shame....

when 3rd graders have to beg, that is right beg, the Mayor to restore budget cuts to schools.

When PTA's have to plan fundraiser, after fundraiser, to continue art programs, music programs, gym, build libraries in their schools and Professional Development for teachers.

It is a shame that Mayoral Control has done not one thing to improve education for our children.

All he did was make the bureaucracy larger, by dismantling checks and balances for the system. With a school system as large as this one peeling the layers off the onion for better terms did nothing but give parents no voice, no Superintendent, nor region to turn to. No support for our Principal’s which also means no support to schools as a whole.

Little by little, year by year, another right was stripped away from us. It all started with the mass firing of the "Board" of Education, that was run by people that did not sway to the whim of the Mayor (my apologies to Patrick who is the sole voice, I believe for parents), wiped away local school boards and replacing them with another group (CEC's) which ultimately have absolutely no power to change a thing. Sure they know what is going on, and they draft up resolutions, even file “arguments” against your decisions (that in itself is a shame that it has to come to that) but in the end has anything truly changed.
The Chancellor sits on his throne and plays with his blackberry at every single meeting that he attends. His hand is continuously moving over that blackberry, which leads me to believe he is texting the Mayor. And then you wonder what the cellphone ban is all about? ( big shrug)

The Union, I believe does not support teachers the way they should. The teacher’s days are longer, U ratings, rubber rooms, larger class sizes, a high number of grievances, ATR’s, F-Status I don’t think I need to go on.

Schools’ have been closed, but reopened again with new staff and students, which makes surrounding schools have a new problem, which leads to those schools ending up (according to the fiefdom) no good also and we close that one, and the next one, and so on and so on. Until every single High School is taken over by robots, that allow camera’s into the schools to record students, and teachers every move. Have morning raid’s to confiscate cellphones, and frisk the students, all in the manner of keeping order. I mean we can’t have children recording what is happening in the school and posting it on You-tube before dismissal.

And when we are not closing school’s we are taking “existing” schools that are working wonders, (Julia Richmond Complex), and then decide that this “architecturally” beautiful school needs to be given to Hunter College because they lack space. So Joel are one students needs greater than the other students needs? I mean, are you going to cram those students into an existing high school and then make the children already attending, have larger class size to sacrifice for the “chosen” ones.
For those of you who say class size does not matter? Well you have no idea what you are talking about. I am sure you have heard of this little report in Tennessee that proves it does work. But you would not know that because I am sure that your, precious darling had an education at some fancy overpriced “Private” Prep school being tutored in Latin, while our students are lucky to get Spanish as their main choice.
All you have to do, is read a bit into the archives and read what small class size did for
my children, who were continually screwed over by the BOE and now my little one is getting the shaft from the DOE. Nothing has changed fellows.
Only thing that has changed is I am older, wiser, and have more patience than I did before, so this time I am not giving up, no matter how many times I say why do I bother.

The other day it came to me like a big ray of sunshine over my head (okay I lied about that part, sarcasm rears its ugly little head), I wonder if I did not give up 10 years ago while I was fighting for my oldest son on almost a daily basis for 2 years for him to be given mandated help that was issued in his IEP, I was constantly ignored.
I wonder if I kept up with it and helped would things have been different? Would the system be changed? Probably not, but I know this now, I am not giving up until, okay maybe long after, too, Mayoral Control is done, gone, adios, don’t let the door hit you on the ass.

My middle one, the Senior, is counting the days until he is out of ‘Doza, me too, I sure hated that place, maybe even more that him. I do have a great screw up story from that school and it will be in my final report.

Which leads me to my last point;
When my oldest boy graduated from his fancy schmancy $15,000 a year private school. The Principal told a story about two brothers, one that was given the fancy education, and the one that was not given the same chance. Both brother’s worked hard and graduated high school and were accepted to the same Graduate school.. The moral was supposed to be you have to make the best out of the situation you are handed. That no matter what if you work hard you too can achieve your star status at the same fancy Graduate school too.

You know what, hogwash. Yes you do have to work hard to achieve your dreams, but the inequities between the Private and Public Schools are vast, believe me I know children in some of those fancy schools and I see what they are learning, compared to what “our children” are learning. This might be just me, but I see our children at a huge disadvantage, our curriculum is inferior compared to a Private Schools. I am not saying we don’t have a talented teacher pool, because we do, but not enough emphasis is placed on teaching but more on making sure the children are aware on how to pass a test. Like a good worker bee.

How many more months until 2009? Hmm that gives me an idea, a count down until how many days Mayoral control ends sticker on my blog.

Coming Soon to a school near you....

with a full big thumbs up from the union Green Dot, a charter school that has met nothing but criticism from Los Angeles where they have originated from.
Why would the Union be in favor of a charter school coming in and take up space in an already established over crowded school? I thought the union was pro teacher. How can that be if they would allow teachers to have to take on an extra burden of teaching in a large class. Especially in a High School. NYC Educator and Norm at EdNotes have been blogging about this issue for some time now and it does not seem favorable for our students to be placed in a Green Dot school. BUT our Mayor does not seem to care what happens to teachers, time and time again he proves that he just does not have a firm grasp on the realities of Charter Schools and that they really do not bode well for our students.
An ever increasingly large overturn of staff, who are not valued at the schools, but why should they it is just a business after all.

Concessions

The DOE has made some concessions with the UFT & (Parent Groups) on some of the provisions in the Children First reforms.

The first that was a major sticking point for parents and educators alike were teacher's salaries, especially teachers with seniority.I see it as a great thing that teachers with experience will be protected, what I do not like is the back door provision that when the teacher retires or leaves that said money can be spent on a a teacher with a lessor salary and the remainder of the monies can be spent as the principal sees fit. Now I know the Principal should be able to choose the best person for the job, I don't argue that point, but.....if a school is strapped for cash what will the Principal ultimately choose?

The Rally for May 9th has been cancelled. Well I say that we should still hold this rally. To show that we still disagree with the reforms, hey can we can agree or disagree right Randi? I say we DISAGREE!!!!

I am happy the UFT spoke up for the teachers and the Mayor has conceded on salaries, but at what sacrifice to the child?

I am still wondering what parents were available on the meetings, it was not CPAC or CEC you know the parents who disagree with the funding, the parents who have been drawing up resolutions AGAINST the funding. The ones who oppose what Kleinberg are trying to do.

I have no faith in the DOE and any new reforms they are trying to pass, I remember them all. It is just business as usual

suggested reading

EdNotesOnline

NYC Educator

NYC Public School Parents

and the New York Times article

I am sure there are more and I would love to see the links