Tag: Comsewogue

Comsewogue BOE Adopts Resolution to Oppose Betsy DeVos

Last night, at their regularly scheduled meeting, the Comsewogue Board of Education unanimously adopted the resolution below.  We thank them for their advocacy for our students and the broader public education world.

Whereas, the Board of Education of the Comsewogue Union Free School District has been elected by the residents of the Comsewogue Union Free School District to determine policy and approve programming for the students of the district, within the confines of both federal and state statutes governing education, and

 

Whereas, this Board of Education, on many occasions, has expressed its displeasure with the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act, as well as the implementation of the Common Core and Annual Professional Performance Review and the high stakes testing which accompany these mandates, and

 

Whereas, the Board of Education envisions the inauguration of Donald Trump as the President of the United States, on January 20, 2017, as an opportunity for a renewal and re-visioning of public education in the United States of America in a way which creates opportunities for students of all ages to learn in a way which is beneficial and in a way which recognizes the whole student, and

 

Whereas, the Board of Education wants all of our students, regardless of ability, background, race, or gender, to feel secure, focusing on the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and relational growth of our students, and

 

Whereas, President-Elect Trump has called for the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education of the United States, a candidate apparently lacking any credentials as an educator, experience in the administration and management of public schools, demonstrating a pre-disposition towards and long-history of support for charter schools and school voucher programs, which by their very nature eviscerate free and appropriate public education for specific economic, social and racial groups, and

 

Whereas, Ms. DeVos has been at the forefront of the establishment of the Detroit charter school initiative, by all accounts an abject failure which hurt students and enriched the coffers of private companies, therefore be it

 

Resolved, that the Comsewogue Board of Education hereby, based on this record, opposes the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, and until such time as the incoming Trump administration presents a formal vision for the future of public education in the United States of America

 

and will continue to oppose such a nomination, and calls upon the incoming United States Senate to stand firm by opposing this nominee and affirming this serious need, and be it further

 

Resolved, that the Board of Education invites the president-elect, the nominee for secretary of education or representatives of the incoming education team to meet with them to conduct a forthright and meaningful discussion about the future of public education and their strategies to affect the necessary changes.

State Budget Fallout

Tuesday evening was a night that will live in infamy for public education advocates in New York State.  It was a night that saw the New York State legislature pass legislation that will certainly prove to be more damaging to our state’s public schools than any other legislation passed in our history.

The governor is certainly the chief villain in all of this, but numerous others emerged as well.  Senator Ken Lavalle, for example, is one of many legislators with blood on his hands.  Lavalle, who along with John Flanagan represents portions of the Comsewogue School District, was one of the dozens of legislators who ignored the pleas of his constituents in order to vote for the budget.  For legislators like Lavalle it was a grand betrayal.  One that is abusive to children, will ruin the careers of educators, and strips local control from our communities in order to pass it off to people who have never once stepped foot in Port Jefferson Station.  These legislators surely assume that it was early enough in their new terms to stick a knife in the back of their communities.  “The people will certainly all forget by the fall of 2016!” they are telling themselves.  This is clearly one of the many places they have gone wrong.  Because people won’t forget this.  Voters won’t forget the day their state government overstepped their bounds and forced it’s way into school districts.  Parents won’t forget the day their elected officials responded to calls for less testing by doubling down on high stakes testing.  Teachers won’t forget the day that tenure was obliterated and they were given a mandate to “teach to the test.”  Our brothers and sisters in other labor unions certainly took note as the state eroded due process rights and the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

Dozens of these legislators will pay the price in November 2016.  Many of the senators and assemblymen who haven’t yet been arrested for corruption will certainly be voted out by communities.  However that won’t help us in the short run.  Now we are left to pick up the pieces and figure out what direction to go in next.  Parents in our community have already done that as the “Comsewogue Parents in Action” group has not only formed but swelled to over 100 in just two days.  Local teachers unions will begin to configure their next steps while refusing to allow their own children to take the tests.

A few more take aways from this week…

  • One point that can no longer be argued is that Mike Mulgrew is clearly either actively working against his own membership or is the most incompetent labor leader in history.  I am not sure which would be worse.  Mulgrew, who declared the budget a “victory” will be up for re-election next spring.  When he is re-elected an enormous spotlight will shine on the rigged system of “democracy” that governs the UFT, the nation’s largest teachers local.  That can only be a good thing.
  • NYSUT Executive Vice-President Andy Pallotta, whose legislative record impresses nobody, got crushed again.  His failure to prevent this atrocity seriously calls into question the votes of the NYSUT delegates who last year re-elected him, deeming him the only incumbent officer worthy of re-election.  Pallotta, whose only legislative victory this term was securing a double pension for Karen Magee, Martin Messner, and Paul Pecorale (at what was possibly an enormous price) earns a large salary and a healthy number of perks from our membership dues.  The NYSUT officers even helped themselves to a 2% raise last August.  These are things that should stick in the minds of NYSUT delegates when they vote in 2017.
  • A local hero emerged this week.  Several legislators cast their vote against the budget this week.  These are the legislators with a conscience.  The elected officials who will at least be able to sleep at night as this debacle is rolled out over the next few months.  We thank these members of the legislature for standing for their communities, our children, and our profession.  From a local standpoint, Steve Englebright was chief among the supporters.  Not only did Englebright vote against the budget deal, he bucked his party in the process.  While most Assembly Dems were busy sticking a knife in the back of their community, Englebright stood tall for ours.  It was a vote that took courage and conviction and the Comsewogue community is fortunate to have such a devoted public servant as a representative.  We will fondly remember his vote when we head to the polls in November 2016.

I will leave you with an extraordinary video created by one of our students.  Chelsea Smith is a Junior at Comsewogue High School.  As part of her video production class she created a short film called, A Common Voice- Cutting to the Core of What’s Important in Education.  It features appearances by Dr. Rella and several PJSTA members.  Share it widely.  Enjoy…

A Letter from a Comsewogue Resident to Governor Cuomo

A really terrific letter written here…

Dear Governor Cuomo and the State of New York,

When we moved into the Comsewogue School District 16 years ago, it never occurred to me that my kids would grow up in such an amazing school district. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking much past having to get my kid enrolled.

Fast forward to now. My kids have received education’s as different as they are. Teachers who have gone above and beyond to engage and teach. An administration who supported and included us in decisions and processes involving my children. A school board and a superintendent who are always available to talk and share and explain.

With that in mind, knowing that the children who are the future are being so excellently educated, how can you have the audacity, the unmitigated gall, to threaten to take Dr. Rella away from us and replace him with SOMEONE OF YOUR CHOICE simply because he stands for our kids!!!! Do you see the numbers? Do you read the statistics? Do you know how fantastic we, and hundreds of other Long Island districts, really are? Do you really think that firing Dr. Rella and sending your own lackey will stop us from fighting for our kids???

You can’t possibly come close to knowing what’s best for our kids. You, who have never stepped foot into one of our buildings. You, who have never spoken to one of our children. You know nothing about our superintendent, except that he’s standing for our kids. What have you done for our kids lately, Governor Cuomo?

Sincerely,
Jessica Glass

Comsewogue May Consider Refusal to Administer NYS Tests

Comsewogue’s Board of Education

The Comsewogue School District’s Board of Education will be discussing at the board workshop on 3/26 the possibility of adopting a resolution that would have them “seriously consider not administering the New York State standardized ELA and Math exams in grades 3-8, and the Science exam in grades 4 and 8.”

This follows the Kenmore-Tonawanda School District’s resolution that was very similar.  In that district, located right outside of Buffalo, the school board tabled the resolution until their meeting tomorrow, seeking to have more input from the community.

Here is the resolution in it’s entirety…

The Board of Education of the Comsewogue Union Free School District has serious concerns about current and proposed New York State education policy. We believe as elected representatives of the Comsewogue community we have an obligation not only to provide our students with a sound, basic education, but to provide them with a supportive and encouraging environment in which they can develop at their own pace. This environment also seeks to support the dedicated educators of our schools, encouraging best practices and collaboration, as opposed to competition. The current funding and evaluation policies, as well as Governor Cuomo’s proposed reforms are contradictory to that intent.

Unless Governor Cuomo and the State Legislators establish a fair and equitable state aid funding formula which adequately provides funding for ALL school districts throughout the state so they can provide for the educational needs of every child in New York State

AND

Comply with the court ordered removal of the Gap Elimination Adjustment thereby providing school districts with the necessary funding already owed to them

AND

Unless Governor Cuomo and the State Legislators suspend the current teacher and administrator evaluation regulations using student test data for 20% of the total score

AND

Abandon Governor Cuomo’s proposal to expand the use of student test data to 50% for teacher and administrator evaluations

AND

Without these efforts, The Comsewogue Board of Education believes that New York State leadership is proceeding with policy that is detrimental to our students, faculty and administrators. These misguided funding and evaluation policies seek to further an agenda of blame and punishment, instead of support and development.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED

The Board of Education of the Comsewogue School District will seriously consider not administering the New York State standardized ELA and Math exams in grades 3-8, and the Science exam in grades 4 and 8.