Puppets

John King and Arne Duncan

It is well known in these parts that John King is merely a puppet for Merryl Tisch and Andy Cuomo.  A mouthpiece to spout off their talking points and take the heat coming their direction.  He is nothing more than their marionette as they pull the strings.  The same can be said for Arne Duncan, who plays the puppet to puppet masters Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, Jeb Bush, and a whole host of ed deformers.  It’s not that guys like King and Duncan have skills or are at a superior intelligence level that has helped them to rise to their positions.  They simply make good lap dogs.  Stroke their egos, give them scraps of good food and they will be happy.  More than willing to be loyal to your agenda, even if that agenda is one of child abuse.

For years this sort of existence has worked like a charm for both the deformers and their puppets.  The deformers have gotten to use the media to spout their propaganda about how bad our schools are, how we need accountability and choice, even going so far as to say that our schools are so terrible that they have become a threat to our national security!  The media of course has eaten it up at every turn and have feted Duncan and King as though they could do no wrong.

But this year a funny thing happened.  Parents stopped buying the nonsense they were being fed by Fox News.  They stopped paying attention to the plaudits that MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough heaped upon Duncan.  They no longer paid attention to Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post as it pounded our state’s public schools.  This all started to change, of course, because their kids started to be picked on.  Their kids were the ones who wanted to stop going to school.  Their kids were the ones who were slamming their heads against their desk during last spring’s ELA or breaking down into tears in the midst of the math test.  All of a sudden their children were the vicitims of bullying.  That’s where the tide began to turn.

Since that time a lot of questions have started to be asked.  A lot of motives have been called into question.  The parents, whose children are being abused, are no longer content to sit idly by as they listen to rehearsed talking points.  That’s when things begin to fall apart for the deformers.  Because stooges like King and Duncan are ill prepared to offer any real defense of the Common Core.  Because there really isn’t a good defense for it.  Instead you get John King complaining of “special interests” and taking his ball and going home.  Or you get Arne Duncan crying about “white suburban moms” whose children “aren’t as brilliant as they think.”  Of course anyone with half a brain would know not to incite an angry mob.  But this is King and Duncan we are talking about.  They don’t have half a brain combined.  So their words have only served to fan the flames and in New York State we now have a full blown revolution on our hands.

It is now time for us to move our focus to the bigger guns.  Move on to the puppet masters.  In New York State Andy Cuomo and Merryl Tisch are behind the curtain, writing the script for John King.  They are the ones to go after now.  Tisch is put in place by the state legislators who are all up for re-election next year.  So is Andy Cuomo who has his sites set on the White House in 2016.  It’s time to ratchet up the pressure.  To put the full court press on.  Make sure the deform agenda is attached to the people who are really pushing it and make them pay next November.

They are Listening, Keep the Pressure On

Still a bad man.

For years it seemed as though our frustrations and concerns were falling upon deaf ears in Albany.  State Ed would impose new and harmful reforms and our protests would disappear into a black hole somewhere.  But they aren’t anymore.  As Beth Dimino likes to say, “They have awoken the mommies” now and our voice has become a collective roar.  All around us are signs that our elected officials are beginning to pay attention.

These are no small accomplishments for those of us who support public education.  We should feel good about the seeds of change that we have sown.  But we must be careful.  We can’t falsely believe that these accomplishments are enough.  They are not.  They are movement in the right direction, sure.  But they are a far cry from where things should be.  Now is not the time to rest on our laurels, but rather to ratchet up the pressure we put on our elected officials and the intensity of our message.  I will repeat what I said earlier this week, nothing short of a full withdrawal from Race to the Top, the Common Core, and test based evaluations is acceptable.

If John Flanagan thinks that he can make a few small changes to appease parents after a sustained period of pushing an abusive reform agenda through the senate, he needs to think again.  It’s not nearly enough.  Not if he wants to be re-elected next year.  Go back and try again Senator Flanagan.  This is your baby and anything other than a complete 180 means you will continued to be attached to this boondoggle.

If Governor Cuomo, who famously declared himself the “lobbyist for students” before pushing his reform agenda onto New York’s public schools thinks that now he can distance himself from this issue he is dead wrong.  This is Cuomo’s baby.  The entire reform agenda was to be the trophy he would tote around the country as he prepared to run for president in 2016.  Now, sensing the push back, he wants to run from it and leave it all in the lap of his puppet, John King.  Cuomo badly wants to win re-election with huge numbers next November so that he can take his “man of the people” act across the country.  Sorry Andy, it’s not going to work.  The education reform agenda in New York State is your agenda.  You are the one who wanted to give schools the death penalty.  You are the one who wanted to sell off New York State’s students to the highest bidder to fund your dreams of the White House.  You are the one who pushed for test based teacher evaluations and giving the death penalty to schools so that you could open more charters and give more control to politicians.  You can’t run from this.

Teachers, parents, and students, keep the pressure on.  Ratchet it up.  Keep the phone calls, emails, and faxes to your elected officials coming.  Continue to take to the streets.  Shout your message loud and clear at every chance you get.  Tell your family, your friends, your neighbors to do the same.  Work towards a full scale refusal of the Common Core tests this spring.  These are our schools.  They belong to us, not the money hungry child abusers in office.  We will take care of them in November.  Don’t let up until every last thread of these reforms have been expunged from our schools.

Keep it up!

Power in the Rank and File

Last year, when this blog was in it’s infancy, we covered the plight of the Chicago Teachers Union as they went on strike.  As we look back on the past year in education we have seen tremendous momentum in the push back against the privatization of public education.  Much of that can be directly attributed to the CTU who were the first real organized group to push back.  In the 14 months since their strike they have continued to be a leading force in the fight for public education.

Check out their recently released video, “Power in the Rank and File”…

More Coverage of Tuesday Night

Speaking of our very own Beth Dimino, Diane Ravitch wonders, “Is this how a revolution begins?”

Norm Scott of the famed Ed Notes says “The Slugs are on the Run”.  Speaking of PJSTA President Beth Dimino, and taking a well deserved shot at our parent unions, he says, “You mean there ARE union leaders who stand up instead of seeking a little stool at the table?”

Describing Dimino’s words for Tisch, King, and Flanagan, Sean Crowley of B-LoEdScene says “Beth Dimino unloads on them with all the subtlety of Ray Lewis going unblocked on a zone blitz.”  He then says that “Port Jeff (we gather he means Port Jeff Station!) has a kick ass blog”.  Thank you very much Mr. Crowley, your blog is a kick ass blog as well…. and one every PJSTA member should be reading daily.

Dimino: “You have awoken the mommies!”

In front of 900 in the Ward Melville High School auditorium, and several hundred more in the overflow cafeteria, PJSTA President Beth Dimino shredded NYSED Commissioner John King, Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, and New York State Senator John Flanagan.  She first called out King for what his agenda is: child abuse.  Then she urged Tisch to fire King, citing the 350 letters she has collected supporting this stance.  Finally she warned Flanagan that he had “awoken the mommies” and that “The mommies in New York don’t abuse their children and they’re not going to let bullies do that either!”  She walked off to a rousing standing ovation.

Tisch later stated to the crowd, “I know you are passionate.  We hear you, we get it.”  But of course we know she doesn’t.  We know that as currently constituted, NYSED, the New York State Board of Regents, the state legislature, and the governor have no plans to abandon their abusive reform agenda.  Plutocrats like Tisch stand to make far too much money to abandon the agenda.  Instead they may make minor alterations that change very little.  They will claim these alterations are examples of them listening to parents, students, and educators.  Nobody will buy it.  Their agenda is now crystal clear.  Too many people can now see what’s going on here.  That’s why nothing short of a full withdrawal from Race to the Top, the Common Core, and test based evaluations is acceptable.  Not waivers for special needs students.  Not a three year moratorium.  Only a full withdrawal from the entire agenda is acceptable.

Community members like the ones who filled the auditorium last night can’t fire the puppet John King.  We also can’t fire puppet master Merryl Tisch.  But next November we can vote out John Flanagan.  We can vote out Andrew Cuomo.  Then we can let a new state government deal with Tisch.

Flanagan, who hid in his office two weeks ago when 1,000 people rallied outside, looked like he wanted to slither away and hide under a rock last night.  Don’t let his arrogance fool you.  He knows the days of shoo-in victories in his senate district are over.  He knows, that palling around with John King and taking big money from Michelle Rhee have now attached him to this agenda as much as anybody else.  He knows that next November he will have to answer for the child abuse that he has supported as the chairman of the New York State Senate’s Education Committee.  He knows now that he has awoken the mommies!

There was a slew of coverage of last night’s event.  Just a bit of it is below…

YouTube sensation Dimino:


Fox NY’s coverage.

Newsday’s story.

News12’s coverage.

Perdido Street School’s story.

Diane Ravitch’s story.

PJSTA President Beth Dimino Speaks at Ward Melville High School

PJSTA President Beth Dimino calls NYSED’s agenda “child abuse”, calls for John King’s firing, questions whether the cowardly John Flanagan is really hearing us, and receives a rousing standing ovation from 1,000+ people at tonight’s forum at Ward Melville High School.  More follow up to come tomorrow.  Enjoy the video below…

Election Day Roundup

Election Day roundup…

PJSTA endorsed John McManmon lost in his race in the 2nd Assembly District.  Given his stance on public education, here is hoping that Mr. McManmon runs for state legislature again.  Like maybe next year when his opponent, Anthony Palumbo will be up for re-election in the Assembly.  Also when noted enemy of public education, Ken LaValle, is up for re-election in the State Senate.  Next year is a very important year for us and the PJSTA will be working dilligently to get the right people elected.

Running as a progressive, Bill de Blasio won the mayoral race in New York City.  He will take over for the plutocrat Michael Bloomberg who wielded his power and money to do great harm to NYC’s public schools over the course of his twelve year reign.  Still, over at Peridio Street School, Reality-Based Educator warns, “Don’t get too excited.”

Chris Christie won re-election last night.  This after last week’s incident featuring Christie yelling at a teacher, saying, “I am tired of you people.”  When asked by the teacher why he continues to spread the myth than New Jersey’s schools and teachers are failing (sounds like Andy Cuomo, right?).

Bully Chris Christie yelling at a teacher.

 

Nearly 1,000 Rally Against Senator Flanagan

The PJSTA’s thoughts on Flanagan.
click on a picture to enlarge

This afternoon, approximately 50 members of the PJSTA stood with nearly 1,000 people total at a rally outside of Senator John Flanagan’s office.  Joining their teachers today were many Comsewogue parents and students, along with Superintendent Joe Rella and other district administrators.

Senator Flanagan is not just a representative of a portion of the Comsewogue School District, but also the chairman of the New York State Senate’s Education Committee.  We have detailed Senator Flanagan’s failings many times before on this site.  To recap, he has known ties to ALEC and accepted large amounts of out of state money last year from Michelle Rhee’s group, Students Last First.  Along with others such as Andrew Cuomo and Merryl Tisch, he has been at the forefront of the movement to privatize public education in New York, using his position in the Senate to push legislation through the Senate that has inflicted great damage upon New York students.

The Patch has PJSTA President Beth Dimino calling Flanagan’s reforms child abuse.  Flanagan attempts to deflect criticism in the article, citing his role as a parent of students who are through school already.  But Flanagan’s actions tell the whole story.  While 1,000 voters stood angrily in front of his office demanding to be heard, Flanagan cowardly hid in his office, refusing to come to the phone or come outside to address concerned constituents.  But perhaps that’s because he and fellow coward John King are giving districts four minutes each (and not a second more!) to share their experience with the Common Core and high stakes testing at a forum at Ward Melville High School on November 12th.

Following the rally approximately 20 members of the PJSTA, along a member of the Port Jefferson Teachers Association decided that if Senator Flanagan wasn’t going to come out to hear them they would go in to visit him.  Dimino very calmly shared with one of Mr. Flanagan’s aides a few of the concerns that we have after being told that Flanagan was “in a meeting.”  It’s pretty laughable that as 1,000 constituents were rallying outside Flanagan’s office he had a meeting that was more pressing.  Towards the end of the conversation the aide seemed to pretend that he knows nothing about the money that Flanagan received from Rhee.  But let’s be clear, Rhee’s Sacramento based Students First group contributed $10,300 to Flanagan last November, topping the list of Flanagan’s “Top Contributors”.

Below is the video of the exchange (Thank you Michele Smith of the PJTA!)…

Comsewogue Returning RTTT Funds!

Via the Port Jefferson Patch…

Beth Dimino, president of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association (PJSTA) said she thinks Superintendent Joseph Rella made the right call to ask for the boards support in sending the funds back.
“The PJSTA stands in solidarity with Dr. Rella and the Comsewogue BOE’s decision to return the RTTT funds,” said Dimino. “The strings attached to those monies serve only those groups that are working to destroy public education.”