Why Mayoral Control Needs to End (updated)

Lets tell the public we are giving them what they want.
Small Schools= In the press release we will say we are creating more schools but not tell the public just where they are going to be. What we will do is shove the small school into an already overcrowded school thus creating the illusion of small schools. Give some students relief at the expense of the others. Same rule of thumb applies to charters.

Test Scores= Lets tell the public that scores are up, by eliminating certain groups from the average. We won't tell anyone we did that but in our big power point presentation we will tell them things are great and when confronted with the facts we will lie and make up data.

Parent Surveys= We will at great expense hand out surveys to parents asking them just what they think of the schools their children attend. Then we shall lump together categories so it looks like parents want more test prep and additional testing, instead of small class size which was overwhelmingly chosen as the number ONE priority choice of parents.

Friends in High Places= lets ask our friends to donate to the cause. Ask them for money for our schemes (experiments) give them a large tax write off and a pat on the back.

$80 Million= Wow look we have $80 million dollars you know what we can do with this to increase student achievement. I have the greatest thing Joel look it is a computer lets call it ARIS. Principals and teachers will go into training to learn how to input all this data so we can track what students are doing. What help they might need.
We don't need to put it in the classroom at all. Then we can use the data to get rid of teachers and principals by saying that they are not helping the students.
We won't tell the public how stupid this idea is. How Principals have complaints about not being able to access the system, how passwords don't work, how Principals are calling to complain that it is not working and that we just send them more support.

Children First= Lets call this initiative Children First so it looks like we love children. Then in the middle of the school year we will yank money from the budget and tell Principals to suck it up and don't complain about it otherwise the parents might become riled up. After all it is an insignificant cut and is not going to hurt.

When questioned= go on the defensive and tell parents to shut up and belittle them further by saying that they don't know what they are talking about because we are educators er I mean lawyers.

Getting in Shape

I am feeling better, but being sick the way I was and taking off some weight got me started on a new regimen. That and the fact that my oldest said hey I joined a gym and I need some psycho to motivate me, want to join with me? Yes, I am very competitive but I did not join with him since the gym was so far away from me and I know I would find an excuse not to go. So this is what I did instead. I started a home gym, and have started to walk again. So on Saturday I dropped wee one off at tutoring and decided to walk while I had to wait for him. So I-Pod in pocket, cell phone in pocket I took off. Next thing I know wee one's half hour is up and I am about 2 miles away from my target. I called the house for someone to go get him and I kept going. 5 miles later I turned around. All I have to say is I thought for sure I would be in intense pain but nope. Which now has me off to Mapmyrun looking for new routes.

So now we are down 15 pounds. Wahoo! I am so energized.
Even if the kids are off this week and I know each and every day I come home from work I have a big gigantic mess to clean. I don't care because I am going to be grabbing those walking shoes and off to my new run.

Driving the middle class out

I have become convinced, oh what the hell I knew it and so did you, that the Kleinberg administration has decided that middle class has no place sending their offspring to public schools.
They have done everything in their power to ruin our schools.
The budget cuts are just another example. I would have liked to see them just tell the employees over at Tweed hey guess what we are strapped for cash how about we give all of you a 1.5% pay cut until things blow over.
Schools are now forced to cut spending and of course what is the first thing out the door?
Only by what I have heard (I am waiting on some documentation), Regent Prep, Art Programs, Afterschool Enrichment programs. Hey Joel, I have a question. How can our children score well without prep. Oh that is right we don't teach to the test. Well this will just show you what happens when you don't teach to the test.
Next question I have is this.
What the hell is with the new open Kindergarten enrollment? Have you people not learned the mistake with open enrollment of High Schools. I understand that you are trying to level the learning field but by overcrowding schools that sure is not going to be the answer.
I know how about you just litter open fields with trailers to teach our students instead I understand they are cheap. Just like your hair brained schemes.

Hey, its me

Remember me? I used to blog here.
Things for me are really hectic. I have been working on something since
the Christmas break that has taken up a big chunk of my time.
That and the fact I have three children and a husband, a mother that is like a child and work I have not had the time to blog, or come up with any other coherent thought that is worth writing.
Hopefully this other thing will wrap up soon and I will be back full force.
Not only that but I have been sick. The kind of stress related stomach issue sick. Lost 10 pounds though so I guess it has been a blessing.

I have a thought on the new 5 year Captial Plan. Lets fix all the school first that have electrical problems. You know those schools that if they put a printer and a copy machine on at the same time blow fuses. Yeah those schools.
I mean otherwise how do you think you are going to do full year schools without air conditioners. Not that you really care about the comfort of the students, just as long as they perform like little circus monkeys.

See you soon

Bone Head Move of the Year

In the bone head move of the year and wow it is still January. School Principals were told that they need to cut $70,000 from the school budget immediately. Do these people never learn I smell the same fiasco as the school bus crisis last year.
So while the Bloomberg administration continues to play games with our school children what does this mean to PUBLIC education as a whole. I tell you what it means it means we are doomed. As teachers rights are being taken away,( rubber room) parents being told to shut up and children well who gives a crap about them anyway. I know that the dynamic duo doesn't. Now I know I might take some grief for this but what the hell I am a big girl I can take it. Why in the hell are we giving homeowners money back when there is no money to stimulate a faulting economy. I know that money is going to do jack for me.
I wonder what that means for wee one's small school. I wonder just where in the hell my Principal is going to find in her bare bones budget to cut some more fat out of it. Oh I know there is no fat but the dynamic butt heads, wait strike that duo think we do.
Hey how about we cancel lunch that is a waste of money, how about gym we don't need fit children. How about we put a snapple machine in the schools. What that has been done already.
You know what Mike how about you just do what you want and privatize the system faster than you already are. We all know that is where you are going anyway.
Just give all the schools an F now because with this new slap in our face I don't see any schools grades going up.
Hey now I know how about we just cut every stupid test that you're administration wants to give that should free up some money to invest back into the system.
Do any of your big wig friends need a tax break ask them to give some money to the schools. I know you already ask them to fund your hair brained schemes for test scores, attendance and dentist visits. How about asking them to invest in true education reforms instead of that Charter (union busting) schemes.
Mike you truly make me ill and I have to tell you I have been pretty sick lately.

Path to Success

Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday his new 8th grade retention policy. Path to Success my ass. The Path to Success is not to leave back a student but help him or her while they are in the 8th grade to pass. That is hard to achieve though when your school's budget has been cut to shreds, and their are not enough resources to educate the child. Oh there are teachers in the classroom but there are also 32-36 other students in the class and they too might need help.

They also announced this plan but they also announced that they will bring it to the Panel for Education Panel. But why bother is this not a deal that has already been struck. What do you want to just watch Patrick pop a vein for your amusement, and watch Joel play with his blackberry in his show of ennui.

There is also to be the education tour, oh wait no not tour what is it called.....wait..... be right back.....oh that is right "conducting public engagement meetings", because our voice is CRUCIAL
in making sure this policy works.

Yeah right, my voice you don't care what I have to say, you only care that I listen to what you want.

I listen to what my children want you know the Playstation 2, the X-Box, the oh you get the idea, I listen and then I tell them why it won't work and we compromise they don't get it and they are saying how I am mean. Kind of the same thing isn't it.

I am tired of the two dunderheads making up new policy first, and then bringing it to the people who are supposed to vote for it first. Like the SLT regulations not being brought up to the CEC's.
The toxic schools being built without telling parents that their children are sitting on hazardous material. Which defeats the purpose of learning. You can not really learn when you are sick from the fumes coming out of your building. Oh that is right there are no harmful fumes or so say the DOE and their crack team of air quality specialists.

What is it going to take, that every single time a policy that is detrimental to our children is passed through without parental input we sue. Who has the time and energy to do this?
I know the lawyer in Klein knows parents don't.

The Path to Success is not paved in retaining a student. One TEST does not make the student.
ONE HIGH STAKE TEST.
You two should go back to school a nice Public High School, I say lets see ummm yeah Richmond Hill High School go sit in a trailer in the middle of a heat wave, when the toilet is not working, and the air conditioner is broken, in the middle of a lightning storm.

Another tale of woe

Yesterday's New York Times ran an article about Richmond Hill High School and their over capicity issue (article).
This situation has been happening again and again as the Dynamic Duo close schools and students are forced to be educated elsewhere, further making a bad situation worse. For children to have a lunch period at 8:59 is ridiculous at best. Why can't we just call it what it is breakfast.
This administration has not helped our education system but has debased it and lied time and time again on how well our students are fairing. I am surprised they haven't used the line yet "How am I doin' ".
It is time to fight back and take back or schools because the only thing in my eyes that I see is our Mayor and his "friends" making big tax breaks in trying to privatize the system. Charter school anyone???

Howdy do.....

My home computer is being tempermental.
Last night I tried to post two things and it froze up on me.
I am having loads of issues with blogger, some blogs freeze up my computer and others I have no problem.
With that said my very patient husband has to go get cracking on fixing it.
See you soon I hope.

Restore Parent Power

stolen from the NYCPublicSchoolParents blog:

Just do it: (to all apologies to Nike for stealing their saying)

On Dec. 31, Marie Pollicino, a parent and Community Education Council member from Queens, filed a class action complaint with the State Education Department on behalf of all NYC public school parents. Her petition says that the new regulations adopted by DOE that strip away the rights and responsibilities of School Leadership Teams to decide on school-based budgets and Comprehensive Education plans are unlawful and unwarranted, and should be reversed.
She also points out that the process of amending these regs was contrary to state law by not involving CECs or any other official parent group, and she asked for a stay, so that the previous regulations that provided real decision-making authority to SLTs should be retained until the Commissioner determines the propriety of the amendments.
Her petition is posted here; it makes a very compelling case. It follows an earlier letter to the Commissioner from the NY State Assembly Education Chair Cathy Nolan, who made several of the same points.
Given more resources and authority delegated to the school level, and the huge pressure put on principals by this administration to raise test scores and spend nearly all their discretionary funds on data analysis and test prep, to the exclusion of nearly everything else, it is more crucial than ever before that parents be able to provide a countervailing force to see that resources are invested properly – on reducing class size and improving learning conditions in our classrooms.
This regulation is yet another insidious way in which the administration is systematically trying to strip any ability for parents to have a voice in the way their children are educated.
Please contact the Commissioner Richard Mills, with a copy of your email to the Regents, Assembly Member Nolan, City Council Member Robert Jackson, Chancellor Klein and the Mayor, as well as your own elected reps in the Legislature and City Council – whose emails you can easily gather by plugging in your address here. A sample message along with email addresses is below; feel free to add anything relevant to your situation or that of your child.
To: richard.mills@mail.nysed.gov; djohnson@mail.nysed.gov;CC: jackson@council.nyc.ny.us; JKlein@schools.nyc.gov; mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov; nolanc@ assembly.state.ny.us (and your state and city council reps)
Dear Commissioner Mills and the Board of Regents:
I urge you to support the class action petition by Marie Pollicino of the District 26 Community Education Council, on behalf of all NYC parents, and reverse the unauthorized and illegal action of the NYC Department of Education to eliminate the authority of School Leadership Teams to collectively determine each school’s budget and Comprehensive Education Plan. This amendment to the regulations governing the rights and responsibilities of SLTs would remove the ability of parents to help determine the spending priorities of their children’s schools, and was done without consulting Community Education Councils and/or any official parent group, contrary to state law and regulation.
I urge you to restore the regulation to its previous version, which properly recognized the rights of parents to be full partners along with the principal and staff in decision-making at the school level.
Yours, [Name, home address, school, and leadership position if any.]