The New York Mills Teachers Association recently passed a resolution asking NYSUT’s Dick Iannuzzi to lead a statewide boycott of the grade 3-8 state assessments. Here is the full resolution…
RESOLUTION TO BOYCOTT NEW YORK STATE GRADES 3-8 ASSESSMENTS
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
WHEREAS, the New York State Grades 3-8 assessments have proven to be sub-standard, unreliable measurements of student achievement and learning; and
WHEREAS, the New York State Grades 3-8 assessments require unreasonable amounts of testing time (700 minutes each spring), not reflective of best practice pedagogy; and
WHEREAS, the New York State Grades 3-8 assessments interrupt valuable instruction/learning time which can never be replaced or retrieved; and
WHEREAS, the New York State Grades 3-8 assessment contents are not reviewable to use as a guides or supplements to instruction; and
WHEREAS, the New York State Grades 3-8 assessments require the excessive expenditure of tax dollars without providing commensurate educational value, quality test construction, content or design;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the New York Mills Teachers Association calls upon the President of the New York State United Teachers, Richard Iannuzzi, to lead the NYSUT membership in a statewide boycott of the Spring 2014 New York State Grades 3-8 assessments.
We’ll keep an eye out to see if there is a clear response from Iannuzzi. Additionally we should be looking in a direction other than just Dick Iannuzzi. Given the way NYSUT elections are run, there stands a very good chance that NYSUT delegates will have elected a new president by the time the state assessments in math are administered. Given that fact I would think it’s important to know how NYSUT Presidential candidate Karen Magee feels about leading a boycott of state tests. Should grade 3-8 teachers be preparing to boycott the math assessments if Magee is elected president? This is a significant question that needs to be answered as NYSUT delegates wade through the rhetoric to make their decisions before voting on April 5th. Unfortunately it is tough to know pretty much anything that Karen Magee thinks. She has seemingly entered the Witness Protection Program since declaring her candidacy in mid-January. It’s an odd tactic for a “grassroots” challenger to take. Of course when you have the reformy Mike Mulgrew’s curiously immediate endorsement and it’s accompanying 800 delegate votes maybe your best bet is to lay low and allow yourself to be propped up as though this were a scene from Weekend at Bernie’s.
Many locals are coming together to form a huge voice within our state union!
This is not the faux grassroots, top down, Mulgrew led unionism. 120 local presidents are now publicly showing their support for Dick Iannuzzi, Maria Neira, Kathleen Donahue, and Lee Cutler.
Via the Stronger Together website…
Ben Alexander, Co-President, Jordan Elbridge Teachers Association
Jim Baldwin, President, Homer Teachers Association
Thomas Barry, President, East Islip Teachers Association
Nancy Baker, President, Dunkirk Teachers Association
Juliet Benaquisto, President, Schenectady Federation of Teachers
Jeanne Bennett, Co-Presidents, RC12
Irene Bielski, President, East Ramapo Teachers Association
Ted Birch, President, Deposit Teachers Association
Antoinette Blanck, President, UT Northport, ED 23 Director
Sandy Bliss, Co-President, RC12
Carol Blumrick, President, Royalton Hartland Teachers Association
Joseph Borgisi, President, EPEA
Robin Brennan, President, North Rockland Teachers Association
Tim Brown, President, Valley Central Teachers Association
Joe Cantafio, President, West Seneca Teachers Association
John Canty, President, Ramapo Teachers Association
Jason Carter, Wayne Teachers Association
Edward Carutis, President, Chautauqua Lake Teachers Association
Beth Chetney, President, Baldwinsville Teachers Association
Kim Christensen, President, Chenango Valley SRP
Bob Claps, President, Amityville Teachers Association
Tracie Clark, President, OCM BOCES
Seth Cohen, President, Troy Teachers Association
Kevin Coyne, President, Brentwood Teachers Association
Ralph Cross, President, Saranac Teachers Association
Darlene Darch, President, Bayshore CTA
Paul Davis, President, Bainbridge-Guilford Teachers Association
Joan Deem, President, Hicksville Teachers Association
Pasquale Delli Carpini, President, Wappingers Congress of Teachers
Dave Derouchie, President, Fulton Teachers Association
Rosemarie DiBernardi, Co-President, Greenwood Lake
Beth Dimino, President, PJSTA
Mark Dwyer, President, Chatham Teachers Association
Roberta Elins, President, UCE of FIT
Mike Emmi, President, Solvay Teachers Association
Paul Farfaglia, Co-President, Jordan Elbridge Teachers Association, ED 8-9 At-Large Director
Jo Ann Fastiggi, President, Nanuet Teachers Association
Tony Felicio, President, Connetquot Teachers Association
Eileen Fitzgerald-Spurhs, President, Cortland Teachers Association
Regis Foster, President, Port Jervis Teachers Association
Michael Friscia, President, Rocky Point Teachers Association
Frank Gannon, President, Florida Teachers’ Association
Anthony Gibson, President, Hauppauge Teachers Association
Larry Grisanti, President, East Aurora Teachers Association
Ron Gross, President, William Floyd Teachers Association
Richard Haas, President, Half Hollow Hills Teachers Association
Chris Harding Grosfelt, President, Trumansburg Teachers Association
Nathaniel Hathaway, President, Malone Federation of Teachers
Trevor Herzog, Co-President, Endicott Teachers Association
Jennifer Higgins, President, Amherst Teachers Association
Matt Hill, President, Haverling TA, ED 46 Director
Bill Hughes, President, South Orangetown Teachers Association
Eric Iberger, President, Bayport Bluepoint Teachers Association
Carmine Inserra Jr., President, Indian River Teachers Association
Lisa Jackson, President, Carmel Teachers Association
Kevin Jaruszewski, President, Lewiston Porter Teachers Association
Maureen Joseph, Co-President, Greenwood Lake
Andy Kavulich, President, RC11
Sean Kennedy, President, Yorktown Congress of Teachers
Jeff Kuemmel, President, Cheektowaga Teachers Association
John Kurlya, President, North Syracuse Education Association
Joseph Kwiatkowski, President, Fredonia Salaried Support Staff Association
Deb Kydon, President, Rockland Boces Staff Association
Michelle Licht, President, Williamsville Teachers Association
Mike Lillis, President, Lakeland Federation of Teachers
Karen MacIntyre, President, Brocton Teachers Association
Michael Mallon, President, Highlands Teachers Association
John Mansfield, President, TA of Lindenhurst, NYSUT Board of Directors
Liz McCheyne, President, South Seneca Teachers Association
Carla McLaud, President, Pine Bush Teachers Association
Mary Lou Megarr, President, Plattsburgh Teachers Association
Bob Meir, President, Arlington Teachers Association
Linda Meredith, President, Central Teachers Association
Elias Mestizo, President, Hempstead Teachers Association
Cheryl Miskell, President, Auburn Teachers Association
Pamela Modzel, President, Wayne-Fingerlakes BOCES EA
Nate Morgan, President, Hastings Teachers Association
Stu Napear, President, President, Freeport Teachers Association
John Nichols, President, East Syracuse Minoa United Teachers
Kevin O’Connell, President, Pearl River Teachers Association
Marietta O’Malley, President, Holland Teachers Association
Linda Oryhon, President, Binghamton Teachers Association
Chris Philp, President, Kings Park CTA
Adam Piasecki, President, Ithaca Teachers Association
Lois Piscitelli, President, Gowanda Teachers Association
Art Plichta, President, Newburgh Teachers Association
Tim Potts, President, Monticello Teachers Association
Kim Pritchard, President, Syosset Teachers Association
Arlene Reese, President, Lockport Teachers Association
Michael Romano, President, Central Islip Teachers Association
Donna Ramundo, President, Nyack Teachers Association
Dan Rupert, President, Hannibal Faculty Association
Eleanor Russell, President, Rosylyn Teachers Association
Bruce Sander, President, Deer Park Teachers Association
Nancy Sanders, President, Miller Place Teachers Association
Kathy Sarafin, President, Frankfort Schuler Teachers Association
Ellen SchulerMauk, Faculty Association of SCCC
Ron Sesnie, President, Tonawanda Education Association
Mark Shanahan, President, Sweet Home Education Association
Ken Smith, President, Broom-Tioga BOCES, ED 11 Director
Brian Snow, President, Port Jefferson Teachers Association
Tim Southerton, President, Sayville Teachers Association
Laura Spencer, President, Smithtown Teachers Association
Jen Stevenson, Co-President, Endicott Teachers Association
Tris Stewart, President, Commack Teachers Association
New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi today called on school districts to abandon educationally unsound and unconscionable policies that force students whose parents have decided to opt them out of state testing to “sit and stare” instead of providing them with a constructive alternative.
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“NYSUT strongly condemns the policy of ‘sit and stare’,” Iannuzzi said. “This policy aimed at students whose parents elect to ‘opt out’ their children from state standardized testing is unconscionable. It would be spiteful and counter-productive for any school district to require an administrator or teacher to direct a child to ‘sit and stare’ at a blank desk while other students are taking exams because of a choice made by a parent.”
Iannuzzi added, “This is cruel to those students not taking the exam and a distraction and disservice to those who are attempting to complete it. Punishing or embarrassing children because their parents exercised their right to choose not to have their children participate in tests they consider inappropriate is, frankly, abusive.”
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Iannuzzi said the union would provide guidance and support to parents – or parent groups – unfairly singled out or harassed for advocating the right to opt out and added, “We will vigorously defend any NYSUT members who are subject to any negative employment considerations for choosing to opt out their own child or who advocate, to the extent permitted by law, for others who opt out of state standardized tests.”
This is very strong language from Iannuzzi in support of students, teachers, and parents. It also continues his trend of taking more aggressive stands against damaging reforms from SED. Ironically some locals are opposing his re-election bid, and supporting the slate that wants to play nice with Cuomo, because Iannuzzi wasn’t previously aggressive enough.
Today’s comments seem to be further proof that an Iannuzzi no longer beholden to Michael Mulgrew is an Iannuzzi who will take NYSUT in the direction that most NYSUT members want.
We are proud to serve as the Honorary Reelection Committee and to endorse the reelection of Dick Iannuzzi for President, Maria Neira and Kathleen Donahue for Vice President and Lee Cutler for Secretary-Treasurer of NYSUT!
We have been involved in framing the NYSUT mission and vision from its inception. Along with many great unionists from across New York, we’ve watched our union grow and evolve in ways that place NYSUT at the forefront of the teacher union movement — in fact of the entire labor movement. Dick and his team have a vision that is inclusive of every constituency group and local regardless of region or size. They have made leaders feel and know that they are part of a union that cares about and advocates for every member. They understand that leadership is about making the tough choices in tough times to save our members’ jobs, and about recalibrating our budgetary priorities and restructuring our organization to better meet our members’ needs. They know that leadership is about leading and taking responsibility for decisions, not finger-pointing or scapegoating colleagues when times are hard.
Like each of us, the STRONGER TOGETHER team understands that a union best serves its members with a long-range strategy and vision that supports real change, but not change for the sake of change.
The future of NYSUT depends on a team whose vision looks toward the future with new ideas that engage a collective voice, and not one that seeks to look backwards and fails to recognize the value of every member. Dick, Maria, Kathleen and Lee have the vision and experience to lean into the future on your behalf, and that’s why we are proud to actively provide our support.
Why should NYS teachers and representatives care about what Michael Mulgrew or his proxy Andy Pallotta say or think? Pay close attention to what Mulgrew said for months last year: apologies for some of the worst policies that are destroying teachers’ working conditions and their spirits. Reading Mulgrew’s words, aren’t you unsettled by what Mulgrew did in New York City? Would you for a minute risk his disastrous policies’ being shoved over to the rest of New York State?
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And which teachers union leader clearly has been the figure that has been committed great damage to the teaching profession in New York State? Hmm. Make no mistake, Saturday’s NYSUT board vote was not just a repudiation of Comm. King but also a repudiation of Mulgrew who has not stood up to John King in his worsening of teacher working conditions. Never forget: Mulgrew supports Cuomo. This is a major political point of political dispute between Mulgrew and Iannuzzi.
Don’t forget who the King-supporting, Cuomo-loving, democracy-squashing, debate-avoiding Michael Mulgrew is backing in the NYSUT elections…
“We support the Revive NYSUT Unity slate. We have heard the voices from locals across the state and agree with their call for change.”
The state’s largest and most powerful teacher’s union on Saturday issued a declaration of “no confidence” in state Education Commissioner John King, a symbolic but unprecedented gesture calling for King’s removal from his post by the state Board of Regents.
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The resolution states that the board declares “no confidence in the policies of the Commissioner of Education.” Earlier this month, NYSUT president Richard Iannuzzi announced that he would seek the action in an interview on Time Warner’s “Capital Tonight” program.
NYSUT’s board also withdrew its support for the state’s new Common Core learning standards “as implemented and interpreted in New York” until the State Education Department “makes major course corrections” and “supports a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.”
“SED’s implementation plan in New York state has failed,” said Iannuzzi in a statement. “The commissioner has pursued policies that repeatedly ignore the voices of parents and educators who have identified problems and called on him to move more thoughtfully.”
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UPDATE: Education Commissioner John King and state Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch issued a statement Saturday afternoon in response to the NYSUT vote. The statement follows, in entirety:
“Every year more than 140,000 New York students leave high school without the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college or the workplace. Many are essentially trapped in a lifetime of economic despair. Together with the Board of Regents, the Governor, and legislature, we will make necessary adjustments and modifications to the implementation of the Common Core, but now is not the time to weaken standards for teaching and learning. Our students are counting on us to help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life. The higher standards the Common Core sets will help them do just that.”
This is a huge step in the right direction for NYSUT. Of course Tisch and her puppet John King don’t care. We have known for quite a while that they are not listening to anybody and that they are planning to steamroll forward with their agenda. Tisch and her plutocrat cronies, after all, have far too much money to lose should this privatization scheme fail in New York State. She isn’t going to let hoards of teachers, students, and parents get in her way. Which of course is why it is exceedingly important to keep the pressure on your state legislators and the governor. Let them know that if there is not a full withdrawal from Race to the Top, they will pay with their jobs in November.
But there’s also chatter that what this is really all about is an effort by the UFT to wrest control of its parent union once and for all. This theory is primarily being pushed by the pro-Iannuzzi faction, which thinks Mulgrew, who has a close relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is particularly miffed that Iannuzzi is apparently unwilling to even entertain the possibility of endorsing the governor for re-election this fall.
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“I will be in this until the end,” Iannuzzi replied. “I’ve been part of NYSUT for 40-plus years, and I know what NYSUT is. It’s an organization that has a really delicate balance between New York City and the rest of the state. It won’t be NYSUT if this crowd takes over.”
We told you earlier of this week of the war brewing inside of NYSUT between NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi and Executive Vice-President Andy Pallotta, who is believed to be backed by UFT President Michael Mulgrew. This morning we have a few more layers of intrigue to add. In response to things posted on the Revive NYSUT Facebook page (and subsequently removed), Iannuzzi was quoted on the Revive NYSUT Slate Lies page (Yes, there is a “Revive NYSUT” and a “Revive NYSUT Slate Lies”).
Via Revive NYSUT Lies…
BREAKING: Dick Iannuzzi responds to lies posted on Revive NYSUT
Carla McLaud, at large nysut director, called Dick directly to seek the truth regarding the NYSUT table at Cuomo’s fundraiser. Dick asked to be quoted on the misinformation being posted on Revive NYSUT.
“This is a lie. Either the writer or his source is lying. Andy authorized the table without consultation with the officers or the approval of the V/C committee. In fact, as of Friday, a request still has not been forwarded to the V/C Committee. For this reason I have frozen all contributions over $5000 to statewide parties or candidates without prior approval. This lack of judgment is why officers that provide a variety of views and insights (not 4 hand picked by one officer) is the checks and balance needed at NYSUT. This is not micro-managing, it’s good common sense. Had this come to the five officers, I am confident Maria, Lee, Kathleen and I would have opposed a $10000 contribution to Cuomo’s reelection fund.”
Richard Iannuzzi, NYSUT President
In addition we came across the memo below, distrbuted by Pallotta. A memo with plans that Iannuzzi apparently didn’t have knowledge of…
MEMORANDUM
TO: NYSUT Board of Directors
FROM: Andy Pallotta, Executive Vice President
DATE: January 15, 2014
RE: NYSUT’s Legislative Reception
On Monday evening, January 27, 2014, NYSUT will host a Legislative Reception and briefing in the Observation Deck of the Erastus Corning Tower at the Empire State Plaza. The reception will be held between6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
The Governor and his executive staff, members and the executive staff of the Senate and Assembly will be our invited guests.
Light refreshments will be served and a cash bar will be available.
A copy of the invitation is attached. If you are interested and your schedule allows, please RSVP to Karen Rhatigan at (518) 213-6000 x6626 or by e-mail, krhatigan@nysutmail.org.
On Saturday evening PJSTA President Beth Dimino delivered the following message to the members of the PJSTA…
For the record, the PJSTA will NOT endorse a slate of NYSUT Officers, led by Andy Pallotta, that endorse and use our vote cope money to pad Cuomo’s war chest! The PJSTA is leading the charge against this heinous act and will support individuals that oppose Pallotta and Cuomo!
Those of you who monitor your statewide union via Twitter will have noticed a flurry of activity this week that is sure to continue until the elections at the NYSUT RA in April. It began Tuesday evening with the creation of the @ReviveNYSUT Twitter account. Originally and anonymously dubbing themselves a “grassroots” group seeking change within out parent union, they were later revealed to be led by current Executive Vice-President Andy Pallotta (who has been largely ineffective in regards to his role as director of legislative action… see Tax Cap, Tier V, Tier VI, etc.). Pallotta, frustrated with NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi’s resistance to allowing Pallotta to have unlimited access to Vote Cope funds, apparently cobbled together a slate to run against the current NYSUT leadership. To add gasoline to the fire it has been revealed that Pallotta used $10,000 in Vote Cope funds to purchase a table at King Andy Cuomo’s birthday bash. In addition to the expected Pallotta and Ianuzzi, members of the slate Pallotta is running against Iannuzzi also attended. They include Karen Magee (President of the Harrison Teachers) who is running against Iannuzzi for NYSUT President. The $10,000 paid for the table went to “Cuomo 2014”. There has been some discussion that Pallotta’s slate would seek a Cuomo endorsement, or at the very least contribute further Vote Cope funds to Cuomo 2014 should they win.
This situation reminded me of Pallotta’s trip to the PJSTA’s Union Conference Day a couple of years back (2012 I believe?). When a PJSTA member questioned whether he could be assured that NYSUT would not endorse Cuomo for re-election in 2014 Pallotta was non-committal. That exchange may very well prove to be prophetic.
In a separate, but possibly related story, at the UFT Delegate Assembly on Wednesday evening, the UFT’s Unity Caucus voted down a motion “that the UFT not endorse Cuomo’s reelection nor provide him with any COPE money.” (Thanks to James Eterno for making the motion and blogging about it on the ICEUFT Blog. Reality-Based Educator chimes in with “Why The UFT Will Probably Back Cuomo“) Where this connects to Pallotta is that he is a former UFT member who was, in essence, tapped by UFT leadership to take the NYSUT Executive Vice-President position (traditionally this has always been held by a UFT member, dating back to Albert Shanker). Additionally in the profile of their @ReviveNYSUT Twitter account, they are now admitting who they are and that they are “Unity Caucus members.”
It is a twisted and tangled story that is only getting started. Norm Scott of Ed Notes Online does a much better job than I do of explaining it so be sure to head on over to his blog to read about it. Mike Antonucci wonders about Revive NYSUT’s viability here.
The Official Website of the PJSTA 