Mayor Bloomberg said he’s not going to offer senior teachers a retirement incentive. (Daily Politics)
He also said it’s likely the city will have to make more cuts. (State of Politics)
A Department of Education official is leaving to kick anti-gay marriage legislators out of office. (Times)
Bloomberg get a “D” for letting Albany compromise Klein’s charter authorizing power. (City Hall)
President Obama is relying on the Senate to save Race to the Top from millions in cuts. (WaPo)
Thirteen senators have written a letter in opposition to the cuts. (Edweek)
Jonathan Alter says cuts had to be made, but Obey pulled from the wrong places. (Newsweek)
There could be a silver lining to cutting funding from RttT: more qualified winners. (Flypaper)
A parent says her school is squeezed but the city says it can enroll more students. (NYC Parent blog)
A teacher wonders what Bill Gates will say to a teachers union convention. (NYC Educator)
In time for CA’s upcoming budget fight, a report says its schools are underfunded. (Educated Guess)
And Stephen Sawchuk promises coverage of the new teachers union conventions. (Edweek)
Finally, we’re extending our long weekend through Tuesday. Enjoy the break and see you next week!
CarolineSF
I’ve subscribed to Newsweek my entire adult life — probably at least 30 years. But my husband and I have let our subscription permanently lapse. It’s not from a fit of pique, but because their clueless, misleading and harmful education coverage demonstrates how badly the magazine’s quality has slumped.
http://nyceducator.com NYC Educator
Are you upset by it the propaganda aspect, the lack of background knowledge, or the blatant plug for Alter’s upcoming book, which clearly must contain the first two elements? Aren’t they all typical elements of modern American journalism? Don’t you want to be “with it?” I’d wager President Hopey-Changey has none of your professed problems with Newsweek.
Waiting for a REAL Documentary on Education, instead of Tabloid-Level Crap-aganda
I Keep tellin’ you, it’s President Hop-along Drillwell Econosedive Ignatz Changeroo!
But what’s with Mikey Bloomberg saying, in defense of the DOE’s side in the lawsuit against closing the 19 schools, that nobody could have dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s and that that’s what the lawsuit was all about. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the judge’s ruling on this (and the reason the NAACP got involved and why Scott Stringer, the Manhattan Borough Pres., was at the PEP saying, “This is illegal on its face!”) makes it clear that the DOE failed in the spirit of the law more than the letter of the law. That seemed to be the problem; the DOE tried to perfunctorily satisfy the letter of the law via totally hollow, insubstantial gestures.
He sounded more like a petulant 5th grader than a Harvard-educated billionaire NYC mayor. It’s been my experience that oftentimes very brilliant people just don’t really know what’s going on. Case in point: Bill Gates. Why not have Bloomberg and Gates throw in their hats at fixing the economy? Well, neither are really qualified to do that; however, they are far less qualified to understand how minds help other minds to think while dealing with all sorts of economic and social adversities. WAKE UP PEOPLE, WAKE UP!! ESPECIALLY YOU FEW TEACHERS WHO ARE BEING DUPED!!! REFORM SHOULD FEEL LIKE A RENAISSANCE, NOT A BARELY CONTROLLED DISASTER!!!
http://nyceducator.com NYC Educator
I hadn’t heard Mayor Mike’s complaint about being unable to follow the rules. It’s ironic they couldn’t manage it, particularly considering that Joel Klein is a lawyer in educator’s clothing. The fact is, though, they waltzed through those hearings, and I was at some of them, with utter disregard for what everyone and anyone said. When challenged by Patrick Sullivan, the Mayor’s rubber-stamp PEP was unable to stand up and argue for the school closings.
The fact is the city is moving ahead as though they’d won the lawsuit, ignoring the laws, which seem only to apply to the little people, especially those ornery ones who happen to be unionized.
Akademos
It was a recent complaint, his reaction to the DOE’s defeat on the appeal.
Datawonker
Data:
08-09: For High School Level Grades 9 through 12, there are 184 aidable days in all boroughs
09-10: For High School Level Grades 9 through 12, there are 184 aidable days in all boroughs
10-11: For High School Level Grades 9 through 12, there are 185 aidable days in all boroughs
Question:
Can they extend the school year without discussing this with UFT?
Why did UFT argue regarding the whole Sept.8th 1st day instructional, but make no word about this hidden day?
http://highschoolmathideas.blogspot.com/ Math Teacher Bklyn
The UFT argued cause they wanted each school to make their decision on their own to best suit their own needs. Also, the chancellor never had to ask the UFT in the first place to change the calendar at all.
Jeff S
There is no number of work days specified in the contract; just the starting day and the ending day….the pattern of holidays affects the specific number of days by a day or two, for example if 23 December is a Monday, generally they don’t make kids and/or teachers come in that day and start the holiday recess then (that’s usually the best of all worlds as you don’t have to come back till Thursday 02 January…..but the interesting thing on this whole calendar fiasco remains the lies told by Klein to the media. In blunt fact, by state law classes may not be held in Brooklyn and Queens on Anniversary Day. It is a state law pure and simple….the whole idea of a Conference day on that day was sort of a give back by the UFT due to the complaints of teachers in the other 3 boroughs that the teachers in Brooklyn and Queens had an extra holiday. But the union never had the right to bow down to Klein and tell him he could hold classes on Anniversary Day, at least in Brooklyn and Queens. But why miss a chance to blame the union for your incompetence, eh Joel.
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