Tag: Opt Out

Senator Flanagan in Hot Water

Lots of news involving Republican New York State Senator John Flanagan, who represents the residents of the Comsewogue School District.  First, Flanagan stated that if too many people opt-out we will lose federal funding…

 

That is an outright lie.  You can read here and here about how we will NOT lose funding do to opt-outs.  Senator Flanagan, who is the chairman of the senate’s K-12 ed committee is either misinformed or lying.  I’m not sure which is worse.

The Senator Flanagan news isn’t finished though.  Today’s Daily News features an article claiming that Flanagan voted on bills that benefitted clients of the law firm that he makes in excess of $100,000 working at.

Via the NY Daily News…

ALBANY — A veteran Long Island state senator voted on a host of bills that benefited clients of a law firm for which he works, the Daily News has learned.

In addition to being a longtime state lawmaker who chairs the Senate Education Committee, John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) is “of counsel” at Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo & Terrana in Uniondale, where he reported making between $100,000 and $150,000 in 2013.

A number of the clients listed on the law firm’s website have business before the state, including Cablevision, Chase Bank, and Citibank.

The firm also lists as clients different colleges, governments and other groups with matters before the state.

The crossroad between the outside income of lawmakers and their public duties has been a hot-button issue in recent months in scandal-scarred Albany. Gov. Cuomo and other critics complain that many lawmakers who are also lawyers are making big money at firms without having to disclose exactly what they do to earn it.

Government reform advocates say there is at the very least an appearance of a conflict of interest that should have led Flanagan to either recuse himself from votes impacting clients of his law firm or publicly disclose the ties.

“There should be a desire to avoid even the appearance of impropriety and undue influence,” said Susan Lerner, of Common Cause/New York.

In a number of cases, Flanagan voted in favor of bills on which public records show clients of his law firm had lobbied.

Cablevision, for instance, reported as having lobbied on at least six bills since 2011 that Flanagan voted for, records show. One sought to exempt electronic news sources and periodicals from sales and compensating taxes, while others had to to do with ticket scalping.

Another half-dozen bills that Flanagan supported were sought by Chase Bank.

In a statement released by his Senate office, Flanagan said he did not represent any company with business before the state.

“These are clients of the firm and I have no involvement with them,” the senator said.

But one critic argued that when lawmakers don’t disclose their specific clients, “it actually means they are responsible for all the clients in the firm.”

A law firm spokeswoman had no comment.

Flanagan’s biography on the law firm’s website highlights no legal accomplishments, focusing almost exclusively on his legislative background. It lists his legal practice areas as municipal and real estate.

Blair Horner, of the New York Public Interest Research Group, said Flanagan should have vetted any potential conflicts with the Legislative Ethics Commission and received an opinion on how to deal with them.

A Flanagan spokesman would not say whether that was done.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara has been aggressively investigating the issue of lawmakers’ outside income and the nexus between their public offices and private employment. And Cuomo is pushing legislation to require full disclosure of outside income and clients.

Bharara recently charged now former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver with using his public office to help pad his pockets through two law firms.

Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau County) is reportedly also under investigation by Bharara over his outside income.

Skelos made as much as $250,000 in 2013 serving as “of counsel” at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek.

That law firm not only has clients with business before the state, but also has a government lobbying component.

Skelos has said he does not personally represent anyone with business before the state and has no connection to the firm’s lobbying arm.

Horner argued the inherent potential conflicts of working for firms whose clients have business before the state is why lawmaker income should be capped, an issue Cuomo has raised.

“It’s the problem of serving two masters,” Horner said.

Comsewogue Hero Ali Gordon: We will starve the testing machine

Over the course of the fourteen years that I have spent in the Comsewogue School District, I have met countless people who I have come to admire greatly.  I often refer to these people as “my heroes.”  One of the biggest heroes of mine has been Alexandra Gordon.  I first knew Ali as a parent and then later as a classroom aide when I transferred to Terryville.  I watched as she gave up her job to run for a position on Comsewogue’s school board and serve her community in ways that few are selfless enough to do.  Ali has been the very definition of the word activist in her never ending quest to provide the students of Comsewogue with the top flight education that they deserve.  It was with tremendous admiration that I read the words that she posted on Facebook tonight.  I have posted her message below.  Emphasis is mine.

A Different Perspective

This is my fourth year serving as an elected trustee of the Comsewogue School District Board of Education.  Trustees are elected by their community. The position is voluntary- there is no pay. There are no hidden perks, no allowances. It is time-consuming, with multiple meetings and events monthly, dozens of documents to review in preparation for the meetings, as well as correspondence between trustees and administration and of course with the community. In order to fulfill these responsibilities, I miss out on time at home with my husband and four children. It is stressful- particularly as we work to develop an annual budget. No matter what decisions we make as a board, there will always be someone disappointed. But I love every minute of it because I love my community- and I take very seriously the responsibility entrusted to me by the community.

I’ve been talking about the issues facing public education for a long time, but it’s not enough to talk. I am suggesting practical solutions could be implemented now. At this point, I want to make clear that the opinions I express here are mine alone- I do not speak for the Comsewogue School District, or the rest of the Board of Education.  I can’t stay quiet for fear of retribution from NYSED anymore. I have been warned that a Trustee who speaks out could be removed by the State Education Commissioner. But this is too important: our schools, our children, OUR FUTURE depends on those of us who were elected to represent the best interests of our communities doing exactly that.

This is a particularly difficult time for public education, especially in New York. Governor Cuomo and the Board of Regents are pushing ahead with education policy in which the ends do not justify the means. There has been tremendous criticism of Governor Cuomo, and his recent decision to withhold state aid runs and extort the Legislature to pass his education reforms. Our legislators are stuck between agreeing to terrible reforms, and getting more funding for their local schools, or refusing the Governor, which would lead to a late budget and a potential loss of millions of dollars for those schools.

The reforms Cuomo is pushing on public schools are disingenuous, dangerous, and wrong. He is working out of the privatization handbook- attempting to dismantle unions, turn the public against educators, and make us believe our schools are absolutely awful. He uses inflammatory statistics to support his claims. In the process, our students are the ones suffering. The obsession with standardized testing has taken on a life of its’ own. It seems the federal and state government cannot think of any other way to move forward in education.

But they are not the ones who were elected to determine what happens within your school district. Governor Cuomo was not on the ballot last May when you voted for your local district budget and elected your Board of Education Trustees. Each of Cuomo’s education policies reflects a desire to remove local control from schools.The reason for local control is simple- those who have familiarity with a community are better situated to determine its’ strengths and weaknesses, and to know what works. The needs of an urban school in a high poverty area will differ from that of a rural school upstate. Even on Long Island, schools not far from one another have very different needs. Governor Cuomo and the Board of Regents are searching for a one size fits all answer to a million different issues. They will never work for every community. In the meantime, an entire generation of students is being sacrificed for testing data.

Case in point, Gov. Cuomo is now insisting on an investigation into the evaluation procedures (APPR) of Long Island districts because he thinks the system is skewed to favor teachers. He is demanding NYSED look into these evaluations because he cannot believe so many teachers were rated effective, or highly effective. Those APPR plans were negotiated (as per labor law) and submitted for approval to NYSED. So the very entity which approved the plans is now asked to investigate them. Here is the point Cuomo cannot fathom: teachers on Long Island were rated highly effective or effective in large numbers because they are effective. If Long Island was a state, we would rank #1 in the nation for high school graduation rates, with 90.8% of our students receiving their diploma. In addition, Long Island would rank #1 in Intel Semifinalists and #2 in the nation in Siemens Semifinalists, behind California. Cuomo prefers to ignore these statistics because they do not fit his narrative.

So what is the answer? It’s not enough to complain. Name calling isn’t helping. We must propose an alternative vision for our public schools. There are several things that can and should happen now in order to stop the destruction of public schools with misguided education policy.

First, Governor Cuomo must separate his education reforms from his Executive Budget Proposal. If he believes strongly enough in these reforms he should be willing to let them stand alone as legislation and allow a healthy debate in the process. The Legislature would then be tasked with evaluating these reforms based on their merit, through committee hearings and public input. Our democracy has three branches of government in order to prevent one person from having too much power. Cuomo should not be allowed to circumvent the separation of powers established by our Constitution.

The Legislature should ensure that new appointees to the Board of Regents have knowledge of and experience in public education. There are four Regents whose terms are expiring, and interviews are being held now, with Legislators expected to vote in early March. The Board of Regents establishes education policies for the state, and it is imperative that they understand public education in order to fulfill these responsibilities.

Parents must educate themselves as to what is happening in their schools. They should ask questions, attend Board of Education meetings, local education forums, and contact their representatives. Every parent must make an educated decision regarding state testing in grades 3-8. This will be the 3rd year my children have refused to take the state exams. I believe this is the strongest weapon parents have in the fight to save public education. As the number of test refusals grows, the reforms dependent upon those numbers will falter. We will starve the testing machine.

School districts must respect a parent’s right to refuse testing on behalf of their child, and Boards of Education must adopt a policy to outline what accommodations will be made for students who are not taking the tests. A sit and stare policy is cruel and unacceptable.

Every one of us has a vested interest in public education. It’s not just cliche to say that these students are our future- it is reality. We must work together in order to move forward and find solutions to elevate public education without destroying things that are already working.  I can’t sit by quietly anymore and hope that someone else will make it happen. I have a sworn duty to represent the interests of my community, and that includes speaking out against policies and people who endanger the well being of our students and faculty.

If you want to hear Ali speak, and really who wouldn’t want to, then you should jump at the chance to see her at the Students Not Scores forum on March 7th!  I know I wouldn’t miss it for the world!  Be sure to RSVP for the forum by emailing our friends at Students Not Scores at studentsnotscores@gmail.com.

Another Heroic Superintendent

The heroic actions of our own Dr. Rella are well documented in our school community and a few weeks ago we told you of another heroic superintendent from Western New York, Dr. William Cala.  Now we can add Shoreham-Wading River’s Dr. Steven Cohen to the list.  Check out the letter below that was sent home to parents today…

State Testing

Heroic PTA

We have seen organic opt-out movements over the past couple of years from parents in different parts of the state.  We have seen a few heroic teachers, including our very own Beth Dimino, refuse to administer state assessments in the spring.  Now it appears as though PTA’s are stepping up as well.  The Bennett School PTA, located in Shandaken New York, up in the Catskills region is now “encouraging our parent body in grades three to six to refuse the state tests in ELA, math and science this spring.”

Via the Daily Freeman…

Boycott state tests

Dear Editor:

There is growing frustration with the amount of testing our young children are subjected to. I have noticed a significant loss of instruction time, an increased level of stress in the classroom and a poor message to our children about the importance of tests.

The average fourth-grade student is 9 years old and is required by the state Department of Education to prepare for three state exams in the spring: English Language Arts, math and science. These tests total eight days of administration, as well as three to six weeks of test preparation. In total, our children are losing four to six weeks of in-class instruction time per test.

Our children also take ELA and math tests three times a year to monitor their progress. They also take pre- and post-assessment tests in art, music, library, physical education and social studies, totaling 21 standardized tests annually. The numbers are the same for grades three to six, with the exception of the state science test.

It is no wonder we are seeing a loss of hands-on, inquiry-based learning in our classrooms. With the emphasis on math and ELA testing, we are witnessing the erosion of science and social studies from the curriculum.

Excessive testing teaches our children that there is only one right answer in academics and in life. It takes the joy out of learning and minimizes the value and importance of taking a test when it really counts. And it is ruining public education.

As an immediate solution, members of the Bennett School PTA are encouraging our parent body in grades three to six to refuse the state tests in ELA, math and science this spring. These tests are inappropriate for our children, are unfair to our teachers, take away valuable classroom time and are not part of our child’s overall grade or individual assessment.

We intend to send a message to the state.

Heather Roberts, Vice President

Bennett School PTA

Shandaken, N.Y.

This is really great to see.  I hope this starts a trend among local PTA’s in the state!

How to Contribute to NYSAPE Opt-Out Billboards

NYSAPE has started a campaign to purchase “Refuse the Tests” ads on billboards placed strategically around the state.  This fall all PJSTA members reduced their VOTE-COPE contributions to $0 for the year.  Please consider putting some of that savings towards NYSAPE’s very worthy cause.

Via NYSAPE…

Our kids are being hurt by excessive testing that has taken over and replaced learning in our schools. And yet our elected leaders, including Gov. Cuomo, are doubling down on these damaging high-stakes tests.  More than 60,000 kids refused to take the state tests last year.  Help New York State Allies for Public Education, a coalition of more than 50 parent and community groups, pay for billboards in key areas of NY state to urge even more parents to opt their children out of these exams this spring.  Whether you can  donate $5, or $100, please help us reach our goal of $8,500.

Click here to contribute.

Heroic Teacher Jia Lee Once Again Refuses to Administer State Tests

Last year we directed you to the Teachers of Conscience position paper.  Teachers of Conscience, a group of New York City public schools teachers concerned about market-based reforms and the future of public education, was the group referenced by Beth Dimino in her letter to the Comsewogue School District indicating her decision not to administer state assessments this year.  The group includes Jia Lee.  Ms. Lee, of the MORE Caucus, was in Washington DC this week to testify in the U.S. Senate on NCLB.  Lee, who once again will be refusing to administer state tests this year, was articulate and brilliant in her heroic sppech.  Have a watch below.  It’s well worth the five minutes.
http://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?c4524583

Sheldon Silver Arrested

Sheldon Silver, who likely would have provided the only resistance to Cuomo’s agenda that will destroy public education, has been arrested today on federal corruption charges.

Silver, the long time speaker of the New York State Assembly, will likely be replaced with a Cuomo ally.  With the Republican controlled Senate backing Cuomo’s agenda, it is now reasonable to expect that the governor will get everything he demanded yesterday.

The last layer of defense for students, teachers, and citizens who value locally controlled schools is the opt-out movement.

A Message From Beth Dimino

A message from PJSTA President Beth Dimino…

Governor Cuomo is wrong. He used junk science today to support his nonsensical theory that public education in NY is broken and that he alone has the “fix”. We can and will dissuade him of that opinion by each of us doing some or all of the following;

1) Refuse to allow your child to take the 3-8 tests.

2) Convince everyone you know to refuse to allow their child to take the tests. Last year, 60% of the students in Comsewogue did not take the tests and therefore the teachers could not be judged based on the student’s scores. No students take the test = No data to judge teachers. The opt out movement is the single best option to stop Cuomo’s testing agenda. Direct people to nysape.org for answers to their questions and a printable version of the IREFUSE letter.

3) Go to your local school board meetings and demand that your BOE pass resolutions against testing and in support of teachers and parents who refuse the tests.

4) Write letters, call, fax, and/or email your representatives and tell them some or all of the following;
Cuomo’s public school agenda is wrong, how public education is working in your district, that you will not support them if they do not support local control of your  district schools, that funding should not be tied to testing or a teacher evaluation system, that you are refusing to allow your child to take the tests because they serve no educational purpose, and that forcing children to sit through developmentally inappropriate tests for the sole purpose of evaluating teachers is hurtful to students and an ineffective way to judge effective pedagogy.

5) Get on Face book and Twitter daily for the purpose of staying up to date on current educational issues and to push a pro student, teacher and public education agenda. Go to thepjsta.org and read my emails daily for current PJSTA happenings.

I appreciate your support of me and my choice to refuse to administer the tests. I took this stand in defense of you and our students and yes I am fully cognizant of the personal risks that are attached to this choice.  Together, we can and will stop the Governor and the deformers!

In Solidarity,
Beth Dimino

Dimino Refuses to Administer State Tests

PJSTA President Beth Dimino has notified the Comsewogue School District that she is refusing to administer state tests this spring.

Via the Long Island Press…

“I find myself at a point in the progress of education reform in which clear acts of conscience will be necessary to preserve the integrity of public education,” she writes. “I can no longer implement policies that seek to transform the broad promises of public education into a narrow obsession with the ranking and sorting of children.

“I will not distort curriculum in order to encourage students to comply with bubble test thinking,” continues her letter. “I can no longer, in good conscience, push aside months of instruction to compete in a state-wide ritual of meaningless and academically bankrupt test preparation. I have seen clearly how these reforms undermine teachers’ love for their profession and undermine students’ intrinsic love of learning.”

Dimino hopes other local educators will follow her lead and oppose subjecting their students to the tests by refusing to administer them.

“The next logical step has to be the movement of conscientious objectors,” she tells the Press. “I believe, and I said this to [New York State Education Commissioner John] King and [state Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl] Tisch and [state] Senator [John] Flanagan at the Three Village Rally [in November 2013], that this is child abuse. I believe that it is child abuse. I believe that giving these tests to my students makes me culpable in the abuse of children and I can no longer do that.”

Dr. Rella supports and respects her decision.

“I have known Beth for over 20 years,” he says. “This was not something she has done lightly. There was a lot of soul searching that went on and she said to me, as a matter of conscience, she cannot participate. She cannot proctor this test. And I support that.”

…

To help clarify this, she’s also putting forth a proposal before the New York State United Teachers Federation (NYSUT) asking that all teachers who have school age children refuse to let them take the exams.

This resolution, which Dimino co-authored, passed her union unanimously, she says, and will be brought to the NYSUT general assembly meeting in April, and aims to coordinate local teachers unions across the state in opting their children out of the tests in solidarity.

Be sure to read the full article at the Long Island Press.  More to come on this.

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.