The Official Website of the PJSTA

Tuesday Morning Links

On the coldest day of 2013 a few links to read by the fire…

DOE affirms parent right to opt out of standardized testing

Michelle Rhee hires a criminal attorney in response to her cheating scandal

Rethinking Schools on the new teachers union movement

Some people describe this new unionism as an organizing model. Others call it “social justice unionism” or “social movement unionism.” Regardless, the Chicago teachers demonstrated its main features:

Unapologetically defend wages and working conditions of public school educators. Teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.

Stand up for students, the teaching profession, and an equal and nurturing education that embraces the whole child.

Defend public education—the only educational institution in our communities that has the capacity, commitment, and legal obligation to serve all children.

Forge alliances with parents and community organizations to work for better schools and for social justice in the entire community.

Build democratic union structures that encourage members to be organizers and active participants.

In cities around the country, teachers and other education activists are strategizing how the lessons from Chicago’s strike can be applied to their specific situations. It is time to use the energy and lessons from Wisconsin and Chicago to refocus the national narrative on education, to strengthen and transform our unions, and to broaden the fight for quality education for all.

Sad News

Sad news from Beth Dimino regarding PJSTA member Jed Turner…

Jed Turner died Friday afternoon. His wife, Violet, told me that his
passing was peaceful and that he was surrounded by his family.
Violet will have a joyful celebration of Jed’s life at:
The Wesche Funeral Home, 495 Main Street, Center Moriches
Sunday – 7-9pm and Monday – 2-4pm and 7-9pm.
Jed will be cremated in a private ceremony after Monday.
In lieu of flowers, Jed wanted donations made to – The Fender Music
Foundation (fendermusicfoundation.org)

If you would like to contact Violet Turner, you can do so at vaturner@aol.com

Matt Damon and Mom Decline NEA’s Award

Matt Damon and his mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige declined an award from the NEA because of the NEA’s collaboration With TFA on an op-ed piece in the USA Today. Read about it here.

Here is Matt Damon in his Chicago Teachers Union hat…

Funny If It Weren’t True

Click on the picture to see it up close.

School Bus Drivers on Strike

School bus drivers in New York City, members of ATU Local 1181, are going on strike. Read AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento’s statement:

“School bus drivers and crews are going on strike for one reason and one reason only; the Mayor has decided to put his pride over the safety of New York City children. Rather than admit that he created this problem and can solve it simply by putting safeguards in the bid, he is hiding behind an unrelated court decision that he falsely claims is forcing his hand. The only hands that have been forced are those of school bus workers, whose only choice is to stand up to the City’s utter disregard for safety and demand that children are driven by the experienced and highly skilled workforce they deserve.

“No one is more disappointed by the need for this strike than the workers who have dedicated their careers to serving school children and their parents, but sometimes difficult and painful choices must be made in order to protect what is fundamentally right. The Labor Movement stands proudly with our brothers and sisters in ATU Local 1181 as they fight to ensure that New York City children’s safety comes first.”

Statement by New York City Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez:

“The impending strike has been a manufactured crisis from the beginning. This is a completely avoidable situation that the City could solve in an instant if it only had the willingness to do so. It is unconscionable that City Hall is putting our children’s safety at risk by removing contract language that has been in place for thirty years, and that the City has advocated for as recently as 2011. We need to make sure that only the most experienced and highly skilled workforce is responsible for transporting our most precious cargo day in and day out. At the end of the day that is what this strike is about.”

Bravo Garfield High School Teachers!

The faculty of Garfield High School in Seattle has voted unanimously not to administer reading and mathematics tests this year. Despite the fact that there will certainly be serious ramifications for these teachers, they have taken a stand, stating that these tests waste time, money, and precious school resources.

Shortly after word of this got out, more Seattle teachers have decided to follow suit.

The teachers are also being supported by their local union, the SEA as well as their school’s PTSA.

Via Diane Ravitch, Adam Urbanski, President of the NYSUT Local Rochester Teachers Union stated:

“In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Martin Luther King wrote, ‘There are just laws and unjust laws. And we are obligated to disobey the unjust laws.’ A nationwide movement of creative insubordination may be the only way to put a stop to the injustice now imposed on America’s public schools, teachers and especially students.” (emphasis mine)

You can sign a petition in support of the teachers of Garfield High School here.

Thank you Garfield High School teachers… your fight is our fight!

Barack Obama and the Destruction of American Public Education

You may remember Bill Ayers for the whole “Barack Obama pals around with terrorists” bit that the McCain/Palin ticket played during the 2008 election. Bill Ayers is actually a Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Last week he eloquently penned a letter to President Obama, calling out the president and many others for their destructive education policies. Every teacher should read the letter, given that it states much of what we would love to scream from the top of our lungs.

Keep in mind that Obama, endorsed twice by the AFT and NEA, has looked into a camera on multiple occasions and claimed that teachers need to stop teaching to the test. All of this as he hypocritically has pushed Race to the Top onto us, forcing public schools to become only about testing.