Comments on: More than 3,500 “turnaround” school staffers getting pink slips

By: Newtown student

Newtown student — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:00:00 +0000

It seems that the “powers that be” (of which there are many) seem intent on ripping out whatever heart and soul remains in the DOE; heaven only knows what will happen with the arbitrator decision tomorrow.

Though as far as that is concerned, I’m keeping the light burning…

By: someone who cares

someone who cares — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 23:43:00 +0000

Teachers from my school got their letters on Thursday that they would not be coming back to the school. I was one of the so called “lucky” ones who received his/her letter on Friday as a job offer. My school was never so dark on Thursday and Friday. I saw people crying all day long. Great teachers who dedicated their lives to students, some with over 25 years in the school were told not to return. I’ve been to funerals that were less gloomy. The retirees are all upset at a time they should be happy. Also, those who got the offer letter had to wait 24 hours after the rejection letters went out to find out they had the job. We were basically held hostage. Coming to school Friday was having to hear a list of war casualties. This treatment is inhumane and demoralizing. Even people who received the offer letter were depressed and felt guilty for getting the job thinking we’re betraying our friends and colleagues. I just have hope one day that there will be pride and integrity once again in teaching.

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 02:34:00 +0000

Under Ms. Dwarka W.C. Bryant High School is becoming a nonsense school, maybe she should do something else because she is destroying everything that this school was about.

By: shocked and devastated

shocked and devastated — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:16:00 +0000

No one is talking strike. Everyone is too scared. We have no leadership to organized against this insanity.

By: Shocked and Devastated

Shocked and Devastated — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:08:00 +0000

Dozens of people at my school received “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” letters today. We are all devastated and shocked at some of the good, dedicated teacher who were let go. What is the criteria of these interviews? Most depressing, not a UFT person in sight to offer some modicum of comfort and encouragement. Not a word by e-mail from Mulgrew or others about this issue. The UFT and the members are letting us down. Today it is our turn, who is next?

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 03:02:00 +0000

Many of the small schools have had “Leadership Academy Principals” in charge and quite a few of them lack the necessary classroom skills and mentoring to help their teaching staff. Furthermore, these principals have been taught to not collaborate with the teaching staff and will use intimidation tactics to get their way. The result is high teacher turnover and an unstable school environment. Finally, many of these principals tend to ignore student discipline issues and staff morale suffers. More than one Principal has told their staff that they will call in any student accusations to the investigative agencies OEO, OSI, and SCI no matter how frivolous it may seem to be. It sounds like the principal in W,C, Bryant High School.

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 02:58:00 +0000

They should turnaround TWEED because they are just creating more chaos with the closing of so many schools.

By: Elihu Fleury

Elihu Fleury — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:35:00 +0000

First of all, this has to be said: this horror show just gets worse with every passing day, and in my opinion, is a symptom of the direction of the nation in general. Personally, throughout this whole process, I don’t know what made my mouth drop more:
*The fact that this turnaround came around through purely political means (the DOE clean it up in their official reports)
*The fact that this option came in the middle of the year and took everyone by complete surprise
*The fact that the “powers that be” are pushing this through in seeming obliviousness to the other opinions in the city, paying no heed to the extremely loud complaints of students, parents and teachers
* The fact that two schools previously on the list were saved ONLY because they have politically powerful alumni defending it (though it’s still good two were saved regardless)
* The fact that they will throw away decades worth of history in the school so unceremoniously and contemptuously
*The fact that they gave our new schools ridiculously long names. For example, my school’s new name will be “College And Career Academies at Newtown Campus” – which, in case you haven’t noticed, abbreviates to CACA at Newtown Campus. Because of how it abbreviates (and its extreme length among other reasons), the name is one of the biggest running jokes in the school right now among everyone who learns and works there.
*The fact that the DOE are willingly reeking so much havoc in all our lives, and no one with enough power to stop it seems to care
I can’t help but think in horror about the future of New York education; I predict that in 10-20 years from now, it will be the cesspool of our city.

On that note, does anyone have any idea how the arbitration is going? I know that the decision comes out on the 26th (the day before the last day of school), but I’d like to get some hint as to where the decision will land.

By: burned

burned — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:27:00 +0000

The new school must accept “qualified” staff from the closing school for 50% of the positions in the new school. The 18D committee decides upon who is “qualified.” By declaring applicants “unqualified” they can disqualify them from the new school. That’s the loophold in 18D.

By: N33wt

N33wt — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 04:44:00 +0000

abject scum. somebody should excess Duncan

By: John todras

John todras — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 03:05:00 +0000

I smell a work slowdown and massive filings of grievances against not only principals of schools, but the Depat of ed, which means Pharoah Bucksberg himselfr. The uFT will not allow these firings, and migith even have to call a strike.

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:54:00 +0000

Bloomberg’s small schools only have 11 percent college readiness rate and 65 percent graduarion rate. In W. C. Bryant High School we have more that 23 percent college readiness rate, and good results with the regents results. We are becoming a turnaround school, so the new teachers that are hired can be intimidated to pass more students even though they may not be ready. They control the message so everybody believes Bloomberg is doing a good job.

By: Turnaround and see the truth

Turnaround and see the truth — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:16:00 +0000

I don’t even know what to say. We worked so hard to improve our school, once the state added the magnificent Dewey to their dreaded PLA list. You say something enough times and the public starts to believe. Over and over –”failing schools … failing schools …” We 24 are all actually in improving schools. We were already given SIG monies under the Restart model. Our numbers (at Dewey) surpass the city average in several areas. But they say, “Failing schools… failing schools.” Bloomberg, Klein, Black, Walcott, Sternberg (the very excited one) are the colossal failures. They are out of touch with the communities and students who pled with them to keep these schools open. SHAME!! And shame on the UFT who like to boycott the PEP meetings, but are participating in this sham of a process. These schools should not be shut down and we deserve to continue serving our students under our names carrying our proud past into the uncertain future. STOP THIS MADNESS.
Bloomberg, Sternberg and Walcott, by the way, could you bring in your portfolios and educational philosophies tomorrow. Oh yeah, we are your educational philosophy, close schools and get rid of experienced educators.

By: Joseph Moses

Joseph Moses — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 01:40:00 +0000

An ”EXPANSIVE game of musical chairs”? Is that a typo? Shouldn’t it be “expensive”?

By: TeachmyclassMrMayor

TeachmyclassMrMayor — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:49:00 +0000

Save, straight out of the Bloomberg/Klein playbook.

By: FromaTurnaroundSchool

FromaTurnaroundSchool — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:49:00 +0000

Its not phase out, its school closure, two different things.

By: A Brooklyn Turnaround Victim

A Brooklyn Turnaround Victim — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:47:00 +0000

Got my letter today, first one in 18 years working for the DOE….in a shortage area…..and I ask again, where is the media? Where is the UFT? What is being done to help us all caught in this game the Mayor has played all year? I have decided that this letter should be the first page of my portfolio that I had to create in order to interview for the job I already have and have been very successful at for 18 years…..This has passed disgraceful and and moved towards a living nightmare for those of us in Turnaround schools.

By: Copernicus

Copernicus — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:31:00 +0000

I would imagine Emperor Bloomberg is off somewhere giggling in orgasmic delight as he finally begins to realize his dream of shuffling off tenured UFT members and replacing him with the Zombie Corp. Meanwhile, Mulgrew is evidently having trouble figuring out the door handle on his office door and is trapped in the room unable to do his job as UFT President.
I believe this is where Larry and Fler jump in with thier usual diatribe about pension costs.
All in all another happy day for NYC teachers in the h e l l that NYC schools have become.
@Excessed, so very sorry to hear what is happening to you.
@Math Teacher, welcome to Emperor Bloomberg’s kingdom of smoke and mirrors.

By: Save our schools

Save our schools — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:22:00 +0000

On top of everything else, the principal of W.C. Bryant High School who was named recently under a C-30 is ordering Aps to rate unfairly unsatisfactory a certain amount of teachers in each department. They want to demoralize their workforce and humiliate them.

By: Excessed

Excessed — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:58:00 +0000

I hope someone reads this and gets it to the right people. I WORK IN A SCHOOL THAT IS “PHASING OUT.” Article 18B states that any new school or schools that start up in the “building” that is being refigured MUST accept AT LEAST 50% of the staff for a position or positions that arise within the new school. In other words, if you work in a phasing out school, the new school(s) which take the place of the existing school should hire you by rule. THIS IS NOT THE CASE!!
These principals are ignoring this rule and hiring BRAND NEW teachers off the street. The rule clearly states that staff from the phase out school should be hired by seniority in their licensed area. THIS IS BEING OVERLOOKED and the UFT is NOT AROUND!!
Who’s monitoring these “New Schools” and their HIRING practices? What are the CONSEQUENCES if they don’t follow this 18B ruling? My guess is that there is no penalty, it’s a bunch of nonsense on paper and the principals know it. This sucks because it’s TOTAL CHAOS!!! Teachers are being overlooked when the rule is clear and was in the last UFT paper as well.