Comments on: Top UFT official to leave for union’s Washington, D.C. think tank

By: Jjman36

Jjman36 — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:33:00 +0000

The fact that Leo went against Diane Ravitch speaks volumes about his “intellectualism.

By: Jjkemp

Jjkemp — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 01:22:00 +0000

Is there really that much competition?

By: Clay

Clay — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 23:47:00 +0000

You miss the point of my comment, Gideon Stein.

What the heck do you know about the internal workings of the UFT that you should be quoted in this article saying “Leo is their leading intellectual and probably best writer”?

Simply silly.

By: Philip Nobile

Philip Nobile — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:45:00 +0000

My crap? Did I tell you about the time that Klein’s bumpkin cops found me guilty of sending “racist” Obama XMAS cards to chapter members. The card was a reproduction of Barry Blitt’s New Yorker illustration parodying the First Couple as the father and daughter in Grant Wood’s “American Gothic.” The not bright at all OSI guy was so flustered that he walked out of our interview without hearing my defense including the New Yorker’s splendid history of race writing and editor David Remnick’s friendly Obama bio. DOE lawyers were so embarrassed by OSI’s cultural illiteracy that they shredded the finding. Is that what you mean by crap?

Brought up on charges? For what? Don’t get your point. Yes, I could have laid off Leo, but let’s not pretend that he’s anything but a party-liner.

By: Philip Nobile

Philip Nobile — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:21:00 +0000

It is counterintuitive that Condon’s team of attorneys, detectives, and interns under the supervision of Special Counsel Eileen Daly would dish out a brazenly fraudulent report that covered up the original Cobble Hill crimes, acquitted sure as shooting wrongdoers, bleached Superintendent Lyles’s obstruction of justice, ignored the suspect amnesia of Deputy Chancellor Farina, harshly censured the OSI team of Director Theresa Europe, Deputy Tom Hyland, and Investigator Lou Scarcella, and painted me as a false accuser without or recommending reprimand of any kind. Why would an agency set up to root out corruption in city schools corrupt itself via a rigged review that shockingly skipped the basic step of auditing the disputed exams and interviewing George? SCI’s motive eludes me, the rest is speculation.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 19:38:00 +0000

One more point. Those who received Tier I pensions did not get an inflation adjustment. They contributed far more to their pensions than those who suddenly got 25/55 retroactively. And their life expectancy was shorter. So the 2008 deal, multiplied by the 2000 deal and perhaps other deals, was for more lucrative for the retired than Tier I.

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 19:36:00 +0000

As a valedictory, here is Leo’s end zone dance celebrating the recreation of the educational devastation of the 1970s by securing 25/55 after decades of focusing primarily on that, while pretending to care about the actual quality of the schools. (Some of that is me reading between the lines).

http://www.edwize.org/the-lessons-of-55-25

“In the late 1970s, at the height of New York City fiscal crisis and before many of today’s teachers were born, the law governing the pensions of New York City public school educators was changed for the worse.”

So what caused the fiscal crisis? Debts yes. And problems in the economy. But also something else. What was it?

“For the better part of three decades, the UFT fought to bring equity to the different pension tiers and to restore the Tier 1 pension benefits — especially 55-25 — to all New York City public school educators. On two previous occasions, we were successful in passing legislation through the NY State Assembly and State Senate, only to face a gubernatorial veto. Each time we suffered a setback, we renewed the battle. Now, at a moment when few would have predicted it and against the larger trends in American society, we have been successful.”

The fact that other workers are losing retirement benefit, reducing the cost of goods and services an increasing the relative standard of living of retired teachers, makes it all the sweeter.

“Our success shows the importance of the savvy use of collective bargaining, starting with the inclusion of 55-25 in the 2005 contract and concluding with a contract implementation agreement last fall which made the implementation of school-wide bonuses contingent upon the passage of 55-25 legislation.”

That is, the best time to become better off at other people’s expense through a retroactive pension enhancement is when some New York politco (Lindsay, Pataki, Giuliani, Bloomberg) wants to run for President. The state legislature never cares about public services, since they are owned by producers.

“Together, all of these levers of power, painstakingly built through union solidarity, brought victory.”

So who lost? And where was the solidarity with future members? I guess we are finding out. AGAIN! Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Believe that more funding will provide decent schools a third time? In the meantime, shame on me.

By: Promiseteach4231

Promiseteach4231 — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 12:32:00 +0000

If you didn’t have such a sexy bald head I would call you a jerk. Jerk!

By: WinniePooh4u269

WinniePooh4u269 — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 12:23:00 +0000

This article was about Leo but yet Nobile brings up his crap once again. Get some medication please. you are making a clear case why you should brought on some charges. Godspeed Leo- hopefully you encounter less nutbags ( that you tried to do the right thing for but obviously couldn’t keep themselves out of trouble) in DC.

By: Corey

Corey — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 11:32:00 +0000

I don’t know much about Leo. However, I did read his blog regarding the new NY State teacher evaluations a while back. He seemed like a master spin doctor for Unity by saying how it is such a “good” deal for teachers. Even though the new evaluations have not been finalized in NYC, all thoughts are pointing in the direction that it is not going to be a “good” deal for teachers at all.

By: KitchenSink

KitchenSink — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 09:08:00 +0000

It sounds like a spy novel. I can’t say if it’s true or not, but your words feature an omniscient third person narrator with a lot of insight into the thoughts of individuals.

By: Just wondering.

Just wondering. — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 05:07:00 +0000

The UFT’s “intellectual voice?” What an oxymoron! While we’re at it, here are a few more: Reagan memoirs, cafeteria food, Justice Thomas and…union workers! Yes, seriously.

By: Philip Nobile

Philip Nobile — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:41:00 +0000

I wish I knew. I think Condon wanted to queer OSI more than exonerate the drop dead guilty Cobble Hill gang. The best way to do that was to smear OSI’s probe that dared to treat Region 8 Superintendent Marcia Lyles and new Deputy Chancellor of Instruction Carmen Farina as suspects in the cover-up. Another mystery is why Klein kissed Condon’s corrupt report and wiped out OSI’s top management as punishment for backing my oh so true and substantiated allegations. Thanks for asking

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:55:00 +0000

What was Condon’s angle? Why would SCI protect a principal that OSI was willing to go after?

By: bee

bee — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:23:00 +0000

And Hakeem, by pandering to charter schools, is hateful to public schools. Many of us won’t be voting for charter enablers. We’re sick of the destruction and exploitation of neighborhood and magnet public schools.

P.S. Gotham Schools, this is the third time I’ve posted this comment because the prior ones “vanished.” Why?

By: Philip Nobile

Philip Nobile — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:19:00 +0000

At risk of repetition, my parting thoughts on Leo’s relocation: He was my mentor when I was Chapter Leader of the Cobble Hill School of American Studies (’03-’09). I respect some of his hardcore stands against ed deform. When he’s good, he’s very good, but his soul belonged to the corrupt Unity gang and his Godmother Randi. One keen example: in 2007 I asked Leo to help me fight a corrupt SCI report that overruled OSI’s solid substantiation of my allegations of Regents tampering and cover-up at Cobble Hill. He pooh-poohed my 142-page, point by point annihilation of SCI’s ludicrous re-investigation. In contrast, Michael Mendel, NY TEACHER reporter Jim Callaghan, and NYSUT attorney Chris Callagy enthusiastically endorsed my j’accuse. I pressed Leo to explain his inexplicable dismissal, but he shrank from citing a single objection.
His shocking refusal to admit SCI’s obvious fraud was stupefying. Special Commissioner of Investigation Richard Condon claimed that Cobble Hill’s principal did not cover up my allegations even though the principal failed to report them to SCI as required by city law and SCI’s own Reporting Obligations. Instead the principal conducted an illicit internal investigation with the connivance of LIS Kathy Pelles. No surprise, no Regents cheating was found. This breach of the law disturbed Leo not at all. “Principals conduct investigations all the time,” he said with a straight face. “Not criminal investigations in their own schools,” I replied. “They can’t even investigate corporal punishment without OSI’s okay.”
What was behind Leo’s intellectual dishonesty and betrayal of solidarity? Randi gave the order to stonewall me because she owed Condon a favor for squelching Chancellor Klein’s smear campaign against her when she was still in the closet.

By: bee

bee — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:21:00 +0000

And Hakeem, by pandering to charter schools, is hateful to public schools. Many of us won’t be voting for charter enablers. We’re sick of the destruction and exploitation of our neighborhood and magnet public schools.

By: bee

bee — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:23:00 +0000

And Hakeem, by pandering to charter schools, is hateful to to public schools. Many of us will not be voting for charter enablers. We are sick of the destruction and exploitation of our neighborhood and magnet public schools.

By: Gideon Stein

Gideon Stein — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:15:00 +0000

Oops. That got mangled. Meant to say that it’s a bit ridiculous to compare me to anti-Semite Charles Barron. I’m looking fwd to Hakeem beating him next week. Barron’s hated will not and can not be tolerated. -Gideon

By: Gideon Stein

Gideon Stein — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 03:09:00 +0000

Hinestly, no one cares what Looking fwd to Hakeem beating him next week.