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So Commissioner King, closing 33 schools and replacing all the principals and half the teachers is an acceptable plan …does New York State have a recall procedure for State Commissioners of Education?  The current one is not acting in the best interests of children – just satisfying the political ambitions of a mayor and governor.

To repeat again, the UFT must not let the threat of the turnaround model scare them off.  If indeed the Emperor and his lackey impose this plan, the 1/2 of teachers not re-hired cannot lose their jobs under current law as long as the UFT doesn’t cave without a 3020A hearing.  These teachers are excessed which means they go into the ATR pool.  Let the ATR pool grow larger and larger.  Yes I know it might be demeaning but at least one retains his or her job and even this Emperor will not rule forever.  When he is gone, we can work on putting the school system he is so intent on destroying back together.  Now if the UFT caves, then the Emperor and his lackey will use the new evaluations to impose quotas on Principals just like they did on tenure decisions the same way they do for cops.  It doesn’t matter if half the summonses issued in this city are bogus.  Gotta issue those summonses.  Same thing as most of the Principals in this city are either Leadership duds or power mad like Ms. Reidy.  Few of this new breed of Principal has the ability to properly evaluate a teacher’s performance or the you know whats to stand up to the Emperor and his lackey.  Allow them to impose this draconian ev aluation system with no right of appeal and it won’t be the ATR teachers end up with still on the payroll, still with their health and pension benefits.  It will be on the umemployment lines forever banned from teaching in New York City again while they bring in scabs.  The UFT has just got to see this is the Emperor and his lackey’s polan to further destroy the school system.

And if the city loses the money, no harm done.  The vast majority of that money will never find its way into the classrooms.  It will be used to help develop the assessments they will try to use to get teachers.  Not that it should matter to me; I’m long since retired.  But I feel for all the teachers who just don’t get it and hope they understand the importance of standing firm against the Emperor and his lackey.

I can’t wait until all the teachers who get fired go to court.  I know I would go to court and skip all the other steps.  I would walk out of school and right into a lawyer’s office.

Who cares what the public thinks?  Who cares what the Emperor thinks?  Who cares what Lackey Walcott thinks?  the courts will tie thing thing up until long after the Emperor has been forced to step down (unless he tries to buy himself another term to further destroy the school system).

“Who cares what the public thinks.” Sadly, the quote exemplifies the fundamental reason the schools must be taken away from the unions. Jeff, in case you never realized it while teaching, you worked for the public. How selfish and pitiful a statement you have made. Thank you for demonstrating the real problem here.

In regard to poor teachers in the New York City school system, I believe there is one aspect of the problem in which few are recognizing. A supervisor/manager in the NYC DOE has 3-5 years in which to determine whether a teacher belongs in the classroom, requires further development, or should be removed. Mayor Bloomberg believes fifty percent of the teachers should be let go. Interestingly, due to the high turnover rate in the profession, the Mayor and the DOE are responsibile for hiring most of the teachers presently within the system. Additionally, the DOE is given up to five years to pinpoint a “dud” in the classroom and have the teacher removed. Why is the union getting the blame for something that is actually fully in control of the Mayor and the DOE? It is they who are: 1) responsibile for the hiring; 2) responsibile for the direct supervision and training of the new employee; 3) have the power to deny tenure to the teacher up to five years. Therefore, it is possible that the problem for employees that should not be teaching lies more with the hiring, training, and supervision policies of the DOE. They need to look at the hiring process not blame the union. Can we imagine any business organization having at the minimum up to three years and, if necessary, up to five years the ability and power to determine whether to keep an employee or advise the employee to find another career, but not doing so?

Yes, this is so obvious. Teachers do not hire, grant tenure or fire. Administrators do.