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  1. in response to Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million

    It’s good to see my MORE pal and quasi son Mike Schirtzer still has faith. Between us we have 44 years of activism in union politics – me 43 and Mike 1. I’m going to check back with Mike in 43 years – in 2056 – when he has taken on my role of the old man of UFT opposition politics when I’m fully retired to my beach front property in the Catskills to see if he still actually believes there is a democratic process that exists in what will be the 96th year of Unity Caucus control of the UFT when they will still be tweaking mayoral control.

  2. nope, it’s about money to any non public school and outrageous comments that keep his name in the papers…since he can’t tweet.

  3. in response to Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million

    7 million from these guys is chump change…maybe he did mean to say logarithmic

  4. in response to Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million

    RE: We’re growing faster, it’s logarithmic”. Actually, Loeb probably meant to say “it’s exponential” otherwise his growth is slowing down. Or maybe he was just being unconsciously honest. Or maybe he should just go back and learn some math himself before he tries to start a school. Why do the words, “Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble” keep coming to mind?

  5. Ok. A cancer-ridden *tutor* (at a charter school!!) was busted for dealing meth.
    Just saying.

  6. in response to Remainders: Success Academy Network gala nets $7 million

    From the Bloomberg Business Week Article:

    ““Success is a completely disruptive business model,” Loeb said. “Not only does your money go to changing kids’ lives, but if we really succeed, we’ll set a higher bar for all schools to meet.”

    The Success model includes teachers whose intensity is a mix of Internet startup and trading desk, and a vast amount of training, maniacal attention to data and replicable processes, Loeb said.

    “It’s the Google of charter schools. We’re growing faster, it’s logarithmic,” he added, saying that 11,500 students will be enrolled in two years, up from 7,000 in August.”"

    -Are we sure we are talking about a school here? I know when I was a kid I wanted my teachers to have “trading desk intensity” and to pay “Maniacal attention to data”…

  7. The game plan is obviously gutted services. Every year individual school budgets get crushed worse than the last one. We’ve gone from a world where pension costs were about 3% of the city’s budget to one where they’re about 13%. And you don’t hear as many people these days saying, “Oh, it’s just a cyclical thing.” It’s a macro-cycle, and there is no way out, and although it’s hard to believe, things will probably get a lot worse, because healthcare costs are going to become an even bigger problem soon.

  8. in response to A top UFT endorsement criterion: Whether a candidate can win

    Hey turnaround, I clarified how the mayoral discussion was tracked. Leadership gave members a chance to continue the meeting or adjourn (after Egan’s presentation). delegates apparently said they wanted to adjourn.

    So it wasn’t an intentional shelving of the discussion, though I still think it’s unusual for them to make an important agenda item essentially optional.

  9. Do you really think this is really about the RC schools, or is it more about funneling money to private religious schools?

  10. He has decided to take the wind from the sails of Joe Lhota’s campaign and appeal to conservative Democrats who can’t put their hand on a Republican lever. He’ll run as an independent/Conservative/Liberal, not as a Democrat. Watch. Anyone of those parties will need him to get the votes so that the Party can stay on the ballot (s). Ray Harding (rest his soul) and Mike Long would be/could be very interested in this little maneuver.
    And it’s almost too late to save the RC system of schools.
    And outrageous was always his middle name.

  11. It’s pretty obvious, the comment about catholic schools, and his support of “choice,” is really about getting the Jewish Orthodox block vote. He lost me once he shrugged aside separation of church and state.

  12. in response to A top UFT endorsement criterion: Whether a candidate can win

    Timing is everything when you’re dealing with politics. Randi this week endorsed Thompson and she “is helping to host a Thompson fundraiser at Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch’s home on June 12…”. The event is the week before the June 19th Delegate Assembly.
    But, Thompson’s “relationship” with Tisch must be questioned, should be addressed, and should be disclosed before June 19th.
    As stated before, I was in favor of Thompson for mayor in 2009 because he was, at that time, the best candidate to run for mayor and to bring back some semblance of order to the school system. However, I have an uneasiness in my stomach because of his “relationship” with Tisch and her relentless focus on testing. Will the Bloomberg status quo of his school reforms and policies be thoughtfully reframed and restructured as a necessary change by Thompson? If Tisch is standing behind Thompson, I doubt it.
    I truly hope I’m wrong about Thompson. But, I still believe that our schools will show true improvement and move forward in the hands of DeBlasio or Liu.

  13. in response to UFT endorses 13 City Council candidates, including a teacher

    It is a good list. Many of the candidates have a strong relationship with their communities and they are very pro public schools. It is time to move our schools in a positive direction, away from the dictatorship of a megalomania mayor.

  14. in response to A top UFT endorsement criterion: Whether a candidate can win

    The question is this: what should be done to pay for the pension increases? Huge tax increases, and if so should public employees be exempted from the higher taxes, or just retirees? Gutted services, and if so are candidates promising to — for example — slash aid to the poor and eliminate libraries to prevent teacher layoffs?

    I guess people have finally decided to stop lying, to an extent. The latest report from the NYC teacher pension plan lays out all the pension increases for 15 years, and the decisons to defer paying for them for a decade or more (they were free, remember)? And changes from a method of evaluating how well funded it is of just assuming 100 percent every year.

    https://www.trsnyc.org/WebContent/publications/cafr.pdf

    Among the other amazing figures, on page 2.31, the percent funded. 2005 100% 2006 100% 2007 100% 2008 100% (25/55? No problem) 2009 100%

    2010 58.9%. As $25 billion is suddenly added to the amount the city admits it owes.

    I wonder what it was in 2012, when $4.5 billion was paid out but interest and dividend income was $1.3 billion? The city put in $2.7 billion, but $4.5 billion would have been more like it. It was selling off assets needed tomorrow to pay benefits today. Taxpayer contributions were about 33% of payroll but need to be 50% to prevent a death spiral. Just for THIS pension plan. Recent comparisons show the NYFD is now even worse off.
    Who benefitted from this? Was that really fair, compared with the other workers who live in the city? Who should have to sacrifice to pay for it? Who should have to sacrifice even more if the bonus rich on Wall Street, as opposed to the pension rich, are taken down a peg and pay less in local and state tax?
    What the endorsement is about is making sure the UFT and those who benefitted avoid the sacrifices AND the blame. The former is certain, the latter is up for grab once Bloomberg who was in on the deal is gone. And no matter what you think of school reform, or what you think school reform should be, it is OVER.

  15. in response to A top UFT endorsement criterion: Whether a candidate can win

    I certainly have to side with Norm on this one. The fact that they pulled the open discussion from the DA agenda tells you all you need to know. The UFT wants Thompson, who they believe has the best shot after Quinn, and with Randi’s blessing that is who they will endorse.

    Liu is the best choice, DeBlasio is the second best choice, and the person we should endorse since he has a shot to win. The other unions are backing him, so why aren’t we? How can we endorse Thompson, whose campaign manager is one of the biggest supporters of the testing madness in this state?
    I was very pleased with Thompson when he showed up to support the Moratorium on School Closures at the PEP back in March, and I truely hope he sticks with his no closure policy if elected. However can we really trust a man whose main supporter is one of the biggest ed deformers in the state? I don’t think so…

  16. in response to As UFT endorsement nears, Weingarten supports Bill Thompson

    “Why didn’t Randi endorse Thompson in June 2009 before leaving to the AFT in July?”

    25/55. And why hasn’t Bloomberg told the truth about why the schools have been cut, will continue to be cut, and how much worse off future teachers are than those who cashed in and moved out? The same reason. They’re all in on it. And you don’t read about it in the Times, other than support for the “screw the newbie” portion of the “screw the newbie flee to Florida” cycle, because it was all in with Bloomberg on term limits repeal.

  17. in response to Weiner enters race with education platform a big question mark

    Weiner replaced Schumer in the NYS Assembly and again in Congress, his mother is a retired teacher and he was very close to the union … he has 4 million in his campaign fund – buys a lot of TV time … to burnish his reputation and attack the other contenders … of course if the dems beat each other up the door could open for Lhota …

  18. in response to As UFT endorsement nears, Weingarten supports Bill Thompson

    The biggest problem right now if you don’t like Quinn is that her opposition is splitting the vote between Thompson, DeBlasio, Lui, and now maybe even Weiner. Quinn only has to be the only candidate to carry more than 40% in the primary to avoid a runoff, in which case she’s as good as elected Mayor. Her last poll numbers are in the high 30s (although that was couple month ago). Lui should drop out at this point, but even if he does, neither Thompson, nor DeBlasio (who just got the SEIU endorsement) will likely drop out, and no matter who the UFT endorses, the vote against Quinn is going to be split. So this doesn’t look good if you don’t like Quinn.

  19. in response to As UFT endorsement nears, Weingarten supports Bill Thompson

    I attended the UFT Brooklyn forum last week – standing room only – very diverse audience by race, gender and age … Thompson “connected” with the audience, today at the Delegate Assembly each boro rep gave a brief description of the their forum – and the results of the straw ballots – Thompson led in Brooklyn, Liu in Queens, and the Political Action Director, Paul Egan, gave a detailed explanation of how the union is assessing the candidates – seems very thorough – I could live with any of the democrats – remember in 2001 Bloomberg was polling the same as Lhota at this time in the process.
    If teachers don’t strongly support the union endorsement a well-funded Joe Lhota could give us another four years of Bloomberg policies.

  20. in response to As UFT endorsement nears, Weingarten supports Bill Thompson

    I love it…While rank and file teachers and other union members are marching for fair contracts on June 12, Randy will be hanging out with billionaire, and ed deformer, Tisch.

    Let’s get real people, Randy still pulls the strings for the UFT leadership, so we all know that Thompson, who is clearly moving towards the center, and will continue the testing madness at the behest of Tisch, is getting the UFT endorsement.

    All the forums were a dog and pony show. Why doesn’t the UFT actually publish the straw poll results by boro? I am sure that even though it was largely Unity attended, both DeBlasio and Liu were more popular.

    Also, what happened to that open discussion that was suppose to happen at the DA tonight? I heard it was taken off the agenda, and now the executive board will make the recommendation…yep, lots of democracy in our union for sure.

  21. in response to As UFT endorsement nears, Weingarten supports Bill Thompson

    He’s not gonna win! We all know the game is rigged and Quinn will win. As much as I despise her, I worry that when she takes office she will be vindictive. She will be. Then it’s just more Bloomberg. We are screwed.

  22. in response to As UFT endorsement nears, Weingarten supports Bill Thompson

    Because Randi endorsed Thompson that means the UFT will do the same. I never knew the UFT to be independent thinkers like CTU.

    I am not against Thompson; I was in favor of him in 2009. I was extremely disappointed when the UFT stayed neurtral. But I wonder the following: Why didn’t Randi endorse Thompson in June 2009 before leaving to the AFT in July?

    My greatest concern about Thompson is his relationship with Tisch and her beholden to Pearson and their testing mania. Teachers College graduates showed their displeasure with her and her flawed beliefs of tying teachers’ evaluation to student assessments.

    Will Thompson detach himself and actually divorce himself from Tisch’s education policies that are guaranteed to adversely affect the teaching profession?

    Four years with Thompson can imply four years of Bloombergism through Tisch. We need to think through this carefully. I truly hope, deep in my heart, I am wrong and Thompson is the right candidate for as mayor, especially for all who strongly believe in the public school system.

  23. in response to If NYC's Common Core Test Scores Mimic Kentucky's

    After months of not exercising, I decided for the sake of my health, to start running. I am really sore today. I mean, really sore. A few days ago, my body felt fine, my muscles were loose, but the state of my fitness was in a downward spiral. I know that the pain I’m feeling now, does not indicate that my health is declining, but rather, I’m pushing through because I know in time, I will be able to run 10x the distance that I can now. No pain, no gain. Right?

  24. Sorry I took so long to chime in. There seemed to be a lot about this Walton Family and other issues that for me does not matter. Yes, we want people of position and wealth to be fair and more amiciable for all people, but what they are doing is helping children that otherwise would not receive the education also advocacy they need for their communities. FES and the parents involved (I am one) are strivng to improve education- Period. Did anyone take the time to think by educating the children to today you lesson the possibility of them having to settle for low wages tomorrow.
    Public charter schools admit on a lottery basis.
    One child is denied or kicked out becuase of learning ability or otherwise. And, unlike regular public schools (i grew up in) the teachers actually teach and are not angry, tired or simply don’t care.
    IF WE ARE REALLY ABOUT THE CHILDRENS FUTURE- HAVING ADDITIONAL SCHOOL OPTIONS FOR THOSE LESS FORTUNATE CAN NOT BE BAD.

  25. in response to City will finish clearing PCBs from schools by the end of 2016

    Originally it was going to take 10 years to do this, now only 3. What a crock!!!! 223 days left. Thank the Lord.

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