GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

rsvp

July 22, 2011

Top DOE official proposes happy hour to celebrate lawsuit news

by Philissa Cramer, at 4:08 pm

The Department of Education official in charge of opening and closing schools has proposed drinking to the news that some of his plans can go forward.

In an email to at nearly 80 top-ranking DOE employees — but not to Chancellor Dennis Walcott — Deputy Chancellor of Portfolio Planning Marc Sternberg announced a happy hour to celebrate last night’s State Supreme Court ruling in the lawsuit filed by the UFT and NAACP. He wrote:

Last night:

New York Supreme Court Justice Paul Feinman denied the UFT and NAACP’s request for a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Education from moving forward to close 22 failing schools and co-locate 15 public charter schools in DOE buildings. The judge’s ruling allows the DOE to move forward with the closings and co-locations.

Tonight:

Come join us for a drink to honor this important moment for New York City’s public school families! Please forward —all are welcome!

The email was sent just before 1 p.m. today and was later posted to the NYC Education News listserv run by parent activist Leonie Haimson. Natalie Ravitz, the DOE’s chief spokeswoman, confirmed the message’s authenticity.

“We have no problem with our employees getting together with friends after work for a happy hour, as people do in companies and organizations across America,” Ravitz said.

The full email, including its addressees, is below.

—–Original Appointment—–

From: Sternberg Marc

Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 12:52 PM

To: Sternberg Marc; &DPP All Staff; Best Michael (Legal Services); Grimm Kathleen; Suransky Shael; Thompson Saskia; Greenberger Sharon; Conforme Veronica; Gibson Dorita; Rodriguez Laura; Weiner David; Thomases Joshua; Bell-Ellwanger Jennifer; Tyack Justin; McNally Courtney; Stuart Rosemary; Chase Johannah; Buher Andrew; Tragale Michael; Guinan Elizabeth; Gawkoski Krista; Friedman Anna; Vasiliou George; Weiss Emily; Lopatin Adina; Thompson Ashleigh (Nikki); Connelly Katherine; Ulevitch Anne; Wang Candace; Pimentel Chad; Pancholy Ritu; Chan Annabelle; Singer Robin F.; Greenfield Robin; Jackson-Chase Courtenaye; Feijoo Laura; Conyers Donald; Kleinhandler Sarah; Shear Jeffrey; Taratko Thomas; Khan Rana; Fetter Sarah; Sobelman Jenny; Speiller Lenny; Okezie Nnennaya; Morgan Barbara; Mittenthal Matthew; Ravitz Natalie; Thomas Francis; Miller Deidrea; Brack Ryan; Teitel Rachael; Konstan Elayna; Orzo Anthony; Rampersant Mark; Allen Keishea; Hall Ojeda; Kurzweil Martin; DSouza Simone; Ashton Eric; Feinberg Rachel; Becker Lawrence; Brodsky David; VanderVeen Arthur; Gillett Stacey; Cannon Joanna; Brawer Sandy; [Zarin-Rosenfeld Jack]; Marlin Carrie; Ades Emily; Crane Stephanie; [Shepherd Toby]; Kulig Antoinette; Argudo Theresa; Billington Louise; Greats Chantell; Moore Alma; Chasan Rebecca; Jackson-Thomas Dawn

Subject: Happy Hour!

When: Friday, July 22, 2011 5:00 PM-7:00 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).

Where: Tribeca Tavern, 247 West Broadway

Last night:

New York Supreme Court Justice Paul Feinman denied the UFT and NAACP’s request for a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Education from moving forward to close 22 failing schools and co-locate 15 public charter schools in DOE buildings. The judge’s ruling allows the DOE to move forward with the closings and co-locations.

Tonight:

Come join us for a drink to honor this important moment for New York City’s public school families! Please forward – all are welcome!

Print Print
  • I noticed that…

    How blatantly arrogant of the DoE to celebrate when the lawsuit is not over.  The UFT and NAACP still have the rights to pursue other steps in the their lawsuit.  The DoE is worse than vultures.  At least vultures wait until its prey is completely dead.  The lawsuit is not dead; the UFT and NAACP will get its second breath and will fight back.

  • Pogue

    Close schools!
    Move kids around! 
    Crowd kids together!
    Test the crap out of kids!
    Fire teachers!
    Show favoritism!
    Practice ageism!
    Create bogus tests!
    Use dirty oil till we’ve run out! 
    Bedbugs rule! 
    Let the PCB’s sit in our lighting fixtures for ten years! 
    Get ripped off in no-bid contracts!
    Screw accountability!
    Destroy public schools! 

    C’mon, everybody, IT’S A PARTY!

  • Marat

    Who is paying for this?

  • TruePublicSchools

    This is not surprising, but thoroughly disappointing.  How are the NYC public school families at the phase-out schools supposed to be ‘honored’ by this moment?  These decisions don’t affect people in a vacuum.  For all of the ‘winners’ (ie, charter school parents who win the lottery and aren’t counseled out / don’t have SPED kids) there are ‘losers’ (ie, ELL / SPED / struggling public school parents in phase-out schools). 

    These are not the same two populations.

    So the appropriate tone would be more along the lines of:  “There are no winners here.”

    I’d drink to that.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Philissa; but perhaps you might have included my intro as well:

    Marc Sternberg and company
    celebrating their court victory tonight over the thousands of NYC parents,
    teachers and students who begged them not to close their schools and/or squeeze
    their students out through damaging charter-co-locations.

    He phrases it as “an important
    moment for New York City’s public school families! Please forward – all are
    welcome!”  But it was instead an important moment for arrogant and
    heedless Tweed educrats.

    Apparently Tribeca Tavern is the
    venue, at 5 PM at 247 West Broadway, in case others want to go and share in the
    merriment.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Philissa; but perhaps you might have included my intro as well:

    Marc Sternberg and company
    celebrating their court victory tonight over the thousands of NYC parents,
    teachers and students who begged them not to close their schools and/or squeeze
    their students out through damaging charter-co-locations.

    He phrases it as “an important
    moment for New York City’s public school families! Please forward – all are
    welcome!”  But it was instead an important moment for arrogant and
    heedless Tweed educrats.

    Apparently Tribeca Tavern is the
    venue, at 5 PM at 247 West Broadway, in case others want to go and share in the
    merriment.

  • Landparent

    Notice how top heavy these 6 figure educrats are. Why don’t we close down some of their jobs? Then we could save teachers jobs and save the school system.

  • guest

    where did they learn this one from – Casey Anthony’s lawyers  - they are really sick the people who work for the DOE – they are absolutely sickening

  • Philip Nobile

    Admire your list, but I would add: Mayor’s fraudulent “historic” 2010 graduation rate of 65% that undoubtedly did not control for massive Regents tampering.

  • Kimwalton1a

    The DOE makes me sick!

  • Michael M. (parent still)

    Cathie Black has offered free rides for the tipsy.

  • Michael M. (parent still)

    Annually cut annual budgets.
    Cut the capital plan, even in areas facing rising enrollment.
    Ban cell phones – while lauding their value for keeping in touch with your kids.

  • Michael M. (parent still)

    Rupert Murdoch and Klein are eyeballing a $500B education privatization opportunity in the U.S.

    Bar bets tonight on how much Bloomie can fork over during the balance of his term.

    Tweed needs to be purged.

  • Anonymous

    Here’s some video from a Happy Hour crasher at Tribeca Tavern: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx-UHgJYWWI

  • Parent

    Fabulous, only thing missing was a creme pie.

  • http://profiles.google.com/sinksfelines Kitchen Sink

    How will the students be affected?  If the plan works, they will attend a better school next year than they did last year.  I’d drink to that.

  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous

    Very few of these students will be allowed to transfer to a better school.  There are no plans for under-credited students in the closing schools (which are the majority), except to be discharged, drop out or given substandard credit recovery. 

  • ASTRAKA

    “Very few of these students will be allowed to transfer to a better school.”
    How does he know it would be a better school?
    He may drink to anything he wants but not “to that”.

  • Drockeducation

    Non educators, celebrating their victory over education and their destruction of democracy. This is a disgusting and shameful moment for the United States of America.

  • http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/ Norm

    Actually, KS, you would hoist one for anything smacking of ed deform.

  • Edwina Hawkins

    Sternberg is another rich kid who never knew what a public school looked like until his family connections got him this job.

  • lifetime_educator

    Marc Steinberg has, at every step, proven himself to be the WRONG choice for children in NYC, beyond perhaps being a school principal. His selection as a Deputy Chancellor is puzzling even within the DOE itself, especially as he continues to demonstrate a level of ignorance that is off the charts. This is a horrendous, but very sadly indicative of our times. I urge everyone to push for Marc Steinberg to be removed from his position or abuse.

  • MHaber8643

    Maybe these swine can get in touch with Joel “Follow-The-Money” Klein, whose big bald noggin featured so prominently on global TV behind his hero Rupert Murdoch- we can be sure Joel will NOT “go down with the shi”p, only sniff out where the $ trail leads to next: “Schools for the Future”-formerly “Greendot” – perhaps?)

  • Old Fella

    I’m throwing a keg party when Blommie is gone? Any takers?

  • I noticed that…

    Throw in an extra keg for me!

  • Anonymous

    Only if Cathie Black’s not DD

  • Anonymous

    Only if Cathie Black’s not DD

  • Guest

    They let their own schools die. Why do they celebrate their failures? Black and Latino orphans cannot apply for charter schools.

  • bee

    This is the epitome of appalling. Don’t they realize how absurd it is to celebrate the failure they perpetuated?  Can no one stop these Tweed chupacabras? How can these Tweedsters look at themselves in the mirror everyday? I have nothing but contempt for these unethical, out of touch, Bloomberg toadies.

  • bee

    By the time he’s gone, the kegs will have already been depleted by the King of Greed and his henchmen.

  • ASTRAKA

    “We have no problem with our employees getting together with friends
    after work for a happy hour, as people do in companies and organizations
    across America,” Ravitz said.

    Well, you should have a problem when co-location allows charter schools to cannibalize public schools.  What are you celebrating? Have you no shame?!
    You and E$E behave the same way. I wonder why?

  • ASTRAKA

    “We have no problem with our employees getting together with friends
    after work for a happy hour, as people do in companies and organizations
    across America,” Ravitz said.

    Well, you should have a problem when co-location allows charter schools to cannibalize public schools.  What are you celebrating? Have you no shame?!
    You and E$E behave the same way. I wonder why?

  • Tansallman

    what a bunch of buzzkills y’all are. lighten up and go celebrate something. 

  • http://twitter.com/BNiche B

    Here’s a clear difference though: When I celebrate, I celebrate a great accomplishment that would, in turn, benefit me and many other people in positive ways. My last three recent celebrations? Graduating with my Masters in Students with Disabilities this June, meeting up with friends who came from across the country for the first time last weekend, and celebrating my students’ successes throughout the entire year with a fantastic field trip and ice cream in June.

    Last time I checked, I haven’t celebrated the public collection of failures that lead to schools closing, communities shattered, and hundreds of children left in educational limbo. Celebrating the fact that the mess the higher-ups caused allowed for those failures to occur and not being held accountable for any of the failures… sure, go ahead and celebrate for your hands are being washed clean of any accountability by the media (Daily News and Post, to name a few).

    Just don’t expect people to allow you to celebrate off the backs of hundreds of children, parents, and teachers without some backlash.

  • Iwant2know

    Marc Sternberg from what I understand is a patronage appointment. Marc’s dad is supposedly an UBER rich man with investments in Charter schools who runs in the circles of Bloomberg, Klein, etc. 

    This needs to be investigated. If you try and google Marc Sternberg there is very little information out there. 

    Who is Marc Sternberg, and what does he have to gain by the closings and colocations. 

    Gotham do tell.

  • flerpo

    they might have the view that beating a motion to enjoin the shutdown of the worst performing schools is something that’s worth celebrating. but then they’re not UFT members, presumably. 

Take the GothamSchools Survey

Tips, questions, feedback?

Contact us at .

Follow GothamSchools

RSS

Chalk It Up

Recent Comments

0 comments so far today
View all comments »

Events Calendar

RSS Feeds

Newsroom posts Community posts All GothamSchools content

Our Twitter Updates

Archives

May 2012
M T W T F S S
« Apr  
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  

Copyright Notice