Category: General

Bombshell Rocks NYSUT Officers

I came to school early to work in my classroom this morning.  I wasn’t intending to post a blog until later on.  But then I read Norm Scott’s bombshell over at Ed Notes that was posted late last night.

To summarize, in very quick fashion NYSUT got legislation pushed through the New York State Assembly, the New York State Senate, and the governor’s office that allows NYSUT to pay the school districts that current officers used to work in, to keep those officers on as active employees on leave from those Districts.This allows the officers to continue to accrue time in the New York State Teachers Retirement System. This would further allow the officers to collect not only their NYSUT pension when they retire, but also a much more lucrative pension from the State than they should actually be entitled to.

What is amazing (and alarming) is the speed in which this was all done and the fact that it was done secretively.  On June 9th the bill was referred to governmental employees.  By June 19th it had passed the assembly.  It passed the senate on June 20th.  It was delivered to the governor on July 11th and he signed off on it on July 22nd.  Astounding.  Andy Pallotta has had virtually no legislative victories to benefit NYSUT’s 600,000 members, yet in just over six weeks he had a victory that ensured double pensions for his cronies.  Additionally it seems to ensure that should Karen Magee, Martin Messner or Paul Pecorale, none of whom are close to retirement age, ever lose their NYSUT positions they will have teaching jobs to go back to.  Contrast this to former NYSUT Secretary-Treasurer Lee Cutler who lost April’s election and has no job to return to.  The officers are no fools.  They saw how that could happen and apparently made it a priority to ensure their jobs and double pensions within the first few months of taking office.

All of this begs a few questions:

What did the NYSUT officers promise to legislators to get them to sign off on this so quickly?  Is this why they endorsed a pro-charter, pro-voucher, reformy Jeff Klein?  Or why they endorsed the indicted Tom Libous?

What was Governor Cuomo promised, by NYSUT Officers, to get him to sign off so quickly?  After all, they have gone out of their way to tell us they oppose him.  Why would he want to help them? Is it in exchange for not endorsing Zephyr Teachout in the Democratic Primary and not donating VOTE COPE funds to her campaign?

Did NYSUT promise that they’d support the Common Core that is favored by so many politicians in order to get this done?  Curiously, the time when Cuomo received and signed off on the bill, was sandwiched right around the AFT Convention, where Karen Magee claimed that we would have no direction without the Common Core.

How much money in membership dues was spent to get this deal done?

How much VOTE COPE money will be going to elected officials who helped to move this bill through so quickly and quietly?

When will NYSUT release a detailed report of every dollar that has been spent since they took office, of every VOTE COPE dollar donated, and of the officer’s compensation packages?

This scandal is really just breaking.  Plenty more questions will arise. Who knows if we’ll get an answer to any of them.  What is blatantly clear, however, is that despite running on a platform of transparency, the NYSUT officers have secretly prioritized using our money and time to win a legislative battle that benefits only themselves.  It is a betrayal on the grandest of scales.  It is absolutely unconscionable behavior and may very well warrant a call for their resignation.

Ride for Life Seeking Volunteers for Community Ice Bucket Challenge

Former PJSTA President Christine Pendergast asked that we share this very exciting opportunity for volunteers…

Ride for Life is seeking approximately 20 volunteers to help coordinate a Community Ice Bucket Challenge to benefit ALS research on Tuesday, August 26th at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai.  The event will be held at 6:00 pm but volunteers will be needed all throughout the day to help assist with the event’s logistics.  Participants in the actual challenge will need to provide their own buckets.  There will be overhead photography to capture participants forming the phrase “ICE ALS” and tee-shirts for the event will also be on sale.

If you are interested in volunteering for this very worthy event please email rfloffice21@aol.com or linumom@aol.com and let them know what time of day you are available to help.

Former NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi with Ride for Life founder Chris Pendergast.

Katie Kleinpeter Takes the Challenge!

Earlier today we told you of Rob Pearl’s departure from the PJSTA.  The silver lining is that when leaders of an organization leave it opens a spot for new leaders to step in.  I have always viewed Katie Kleinpeter as a future leader of our union.  She contributes in virtually every manner possible, attending rallies and pickets, making phone calls, even attending our Diane Ravitch Book Club last fall!  This year Katie will begin her first full year on the PJSTA’s Executive Board as Clinton Avenue’s senior building representative.

It should come as no surprise that when Beth Dimino called out the PJSTA membership to take the #IceBucketChallenge Katie Kleinpeter stepped up to the plate.  Here is Katie…

Thank You Rob Pearl

PJSTA  1st Vice-President Rob Pearl accepted a job today as the interim principal at Norwood Elementary School.  Anybody who knows Rob knows that Norwood is tremendously fortunate to have him.  Congratulations to him.  There are few people I have come across who deserve good things happening to them as much as Rob.

Rob has been a dedicated member of the PJSTA’s executive board for several years.  Additionally he has served on the last negotiating team and on the PJSTA’s LAP team.  He has been a NYSUT and AFT delegate and has been the chair of the PJSTA’s grievance committee.  If you have been to any rally, picket, or event in support of public education over the past few years then you have certainly seen Rob Pearl there as he is the very definition of an activist.  Unofficially he has served as Beth Dimino’s chauffeur as well!

While he accepts the interim principal job Rob is resigning his position as 1st Vice-President of the PJSTA.  We wish him all the best and thank him for the tremendous amount of service that he has provided our membership!

Back-to-School: No Staples, No Walmart, No Testing!

It’s that time of year where teachers are busy preparing for their return to work.  Here in Comsewogue we return to school two weeks from today with the PJSTA Union Conference in the morning followed by a Superintendent’s Conference Day in the afternoon.  I stopped up at school today and was happy to see a few of my fellow PJSTA brothers and sisters (actually I only ran into PJSTA sisters today!).  Some of them people I have worked with for many years, one of them a brand new PJSTA member.  Seeing them reminded me that one of the things I enjoy so much about my job is the bonds that we form with the people we work with.

While we are on the topic of returning to school, there are a few things I’d like to remind everyone of…

In support of our brothers and sisters in the American Postal Workers Union we are asking every PJSTA member to boycott Staples when buying your back to school supplies.  Just as privatizers are seeking to destroy public education, they are doing the same with the postal service.  We are labor and we stand with our brothers and sisters in the APWU!

While you are crossing Staples off your list of stores to shop at, you may as well cross WalMart off as well, if you haven’t already.  There are few, if any, people who have done more harm to you, your profession, and your students than the Walton family, owners of WalMart.  As this article states…

Between 2005 and 2010, the Walton Family Foundation gave nearly $700 million to education reform organizations.  Specifically, the family provides lavish funding for voucher programs, charter schools, and policy and advocacy groups devoted to establishing and promoting alternatives to public schooling.

Voucher programs, charter schools, and “alternatives to public schools” generally mean that someone is looking to profit off the education industry at the expense of public school teachers, students, and the communities that they serve.  When you wonder why your profession is a shell of what it was ten years ago, WalMart is as good of a reason as any other.  So if WalMart comes to your faculty meeting this year looking to hand out gift cards, tell them you don’t support businesses that try to hurt you.

Finally, if you are a parent, no back-to-school list is complete without an opt out letter!  Danielle Boudet, Jeanette Deuterman, and Chris Cerrone collaborated to tell you everything you could possibly want to know about opting your children out of the abusive state testing agenda.

A Tale of Two Unionists and How Rank & File Teachers Lose

I’ve been meaning to link to this for a few days.  A great analysis of the Common Core from MORE’s Julie Cavanagh.

Via the Daily News… (emphasis is mine)

The truth is, these tests were designed to create a narrative of failure, and the trends are not so different from those we saw on the old tests: we are failing our children with special needs, our English language learners, our children who live in poverty, and a disproportionate number of black and Latino pupils.

It is no surprise that the results mirror the struggles and deep flaws in our society. Of course, the goal was never to actually fix our schools — there are no profits in doing that. There are no profits in providing small class sizes, experienced educators and services like counseling, tutoring and family support — proven reforms that would benefit all students.

Instead, the focus is on unproven standards and the tests that supposedly measure our student’s competency — written by the very people who profit from their use.

Julie Cavanagh says the Common Core was designed to create a narrative of failure.

Whether it is being quoted in the New York Times, appearing on MSNBC to discuss education issues, or co-hosting the movie The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman Cavanagh always does a remarkable job representing teachers.  Her track record of activism and her ability to articulately state what classroom teachers are feeling are exactly what we should expect out of our union leaders.

So it is extremely telling that there is a problem with the UFT and NYSUT elections when you consider the fact that a teacher and activist of Cavanagh’s caliber has, not once but twice lost elections to Michael Mulgrew.  She lost an election to him for UFT President in 2013 and then lost to him this past April when she ran against him for an at-large position on NYSUT’s board of directors.  You saw Cavanagh’s well stated opinion on the Common Core above.  Contrast that with Mulgrew who talks about punching people in the face and then pushing their face in the dirt if they take away his Common Core.  Keep in mind the UFT President is likely the most powerful teachers union position in the country.  Wouldn’t we be so much better off with someone like Cavanagh representing us in that position?

Two different takes on the Common Core, two different takes on unionism.  It’s a shame our leadership is on the wrong side in both cases.

Mike Mulgrew will punch you in the face and rub it in the dirt if you take away his Common Core.

The PJTA Accepts Our Challenge

Yesterday Beth Dimino and I took the Ice Bucket Challenge and pledged a donation to Ride for Life who works to find a cure for ALS.  We challenged  the PJSTA membership, Dr. Rella, the Comsewogue BOE, the MORE Caucus, and the Port Jefferson Teachers Association.  Shortly after issuing the challenge several PJSTA members accepted the challenge and the MORE Caucus is rumored to be planning their challenge.

 

Today the Port Jefferson Teachers Association accepted as well.  Additionally the PJTA announced that they will also be donating to Ride for Life as well and forwarded their challenge to Smithtown Teachers Association President Laura Spencer, the Port Jeff BOE, Port Jeff Superintendent Ken Bossert, and principal Tom Meehan.  If you are interested in donating moeny to Ride for Life you can click here.

Below is the PJTA Ice Bucket Challenge…

The PJSTA Takes the Ice Bucket Challenge!

One cause that has always been near and dear to the heart of the PJSTA is Ride for Life whose mission is to find a cure for ALS.  Ride for Life was started in 1997 by former teacher Chris Pendergast who has been heroically battling ALS for over 20 years now.  Anyone who has seen Chris (or Mr. P as the kids call him) speak at their school knows what an inspiration he is.  Chris is also the husband of former PJSTA President Christine Pendergast.

Given the recent wave of “Ice Bucket Challenges” that have swept social media, the PJSTA leadership felt that they could not let pass the opportunity to help further the cause of finding a cure for ALS.

Enjoy…