DC teachers vote to give Chancellor Michelle Rhee more power. They need Arne's money.

Florida teachers gave up as well, and agreed to go along with school "reform" because the state needs Arne's Race to the Top money so desperately.

The Washington Post tells of the vote by the teachers' union that happened yesterday. But the columnist really only touches on the situation.


The contract strikes a "balance," says D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, who negotiated away very little of what she sought. (Bill O'leary/the Washington Post)

D.C. teachers' union ratifies contract, basing pay on results, not seniority



It sounds good, doesn't it? All that merit pay money?

Where is Michelle getting the money?

She is getting it from corporations who already demand she stay on as chancellor. If she goes, they will take back their money.

Walmart, Eli Broad, others paying DC teacher bonuses...say do it our way or we pull the money.



I agree with what Susan Ohanian said at her blog



Will the teachers accept the contract? Yes, they did accept it. I wonder if they realize just how very big a role Michelle Rhee plays in their newly accepted deal.

This move to bribe states to do things Arne Duncan's way will mean the end of a tradition in America...career teachers who loved their jobs and stayed no matter what the pay.

DC teachers made their decision. Rhee stays or the money goes.

That Race to the Top money is talking big.

that comes to mind is that we are letting Arne Duncan, with Obama's blessing, destroy education in this country.

I feel sorry for the youth of America for they will not be able to compete in the world and will be left behind.
I have trouble understanding what they are trying to accomplish.

Someone tell me where I am wrong.

And looks like Rhee is very well paid to get the job done.

2007 DC school leader Michelle Rhee: $41,250 signing bonus, $275,000 annually, $27,500 annual bonus.

Plus, she has more power now.

Those billions of Arne's are working.

I will assume you are talking about profit for them, the administrators.

the companies like Teach for America, Rhee's Teacher Project, EMOs, CMOs, testing companies, test-grading firms.

Just not much for the humble teachers. They are easy targets, having been taught all these years to stay in their place for the good of the children. Now the "reformers" are using the "good of the children" to take over education and turn it into a profit making machine.

I would love to tell you that you are wrong, but you are not.

in the world and are being left behind today. Allowing that travesty to continue would be the ultimate in dereliction of duty. Education professionals got us to where we are today - millions of American kids graduating from high school unable to even compose a decent job resume; many of those who make it to college have to take remedial English and math classes just to get the "start" line - pathetic.

The drive for reform is not driven by politicians - they're simply followers. The drive for reform is being driven by millions of parents who are going to great lengths to keep their kids out of failing public schools.

Will all the reform ideas work? No, but many will. The successful ideas will be replicated. I find it curious that some question whether the DC teachers "knew what was in the contract". Seriously? Are these people suggesting that public school teachers lack critical thinking skills?

Bottom line.

The teachers should not vote for such stuff, but then again there are negative ads being run by the powerful "reformers" and there is serious union busting going on.

I think Obama and Arne lack "critical thinking skills" quite frankly. They don't even seem aware they are turning the education community against them....they are in a bubble.

Now I really am concerned since Obama just said that a hurricane would help the Gulf oil mess. Really? Indeed?

Maybe some of our leaders need to think before speaking. Maybe he should talk to the locals who will see their shores devastated.

Perhaps some Democrats on forums should think before putting down teachers.

Maybe he and Arne should stop, take time to talk to those in the classroom instead of just hanging out with privatizers.

I post a well-reasoned, well-articulated response to some of the nonsense that is posted on this board involving education, I hear from teachers - SUPPORTING REFORM. They obviously feel intimidated by folks such as yourself, otherwise they would be more assertive in voicing their support for reform. The fact that they choose to remain silent in public forums means little however; they vote for reform by union ballot.

Your quote:

"I post a well-reasoned, well-articulated response to some of the nonsense that is posted on this board involving education, I hear from teachers - SUPPORTING REFORM. They obviously feel intimidated by folks such as yourself, otherwise they would be more assertive in voicing their support for reform. The fact that they choose to remain silent in public forums means little however; they vote for reform by union ballot."

You should meet me in real life. I am very intimidating.

:rofl:

point out the obvious shortcomings and failings of public education. It's natural for most people to avoid confrontation, thus they remain silent when they know their views and opinions will be attacked in a public forum.

I'm sure you're a wonderful person. Your take on public education is simply biased to the point where you're blind to reality.

I am a retired public school teacher. I see teachers being treated now with contempt, and they are fearful to speak out.

Please list those whom you consider "my ilk"...I assume I would be in good company.

willing to continue accepting a failure rate that exceeds 30% in many urban districts, thus depriving those kids of any chance at a decent future. You're willing to deprive America and the world of the contributions those kids would have made had they received a decent education. You and those like you are the reason millions of parents are opting to educate their children outside the public school system, thus depriving the public schools of a balanced student body - kids from all socio-economic groups. You and those like you are really no different than people who would refuse to allow a fire department to put out a burning house.

I'm aware that you're a retired public school teacher; you mention that often. I'm sure there are hundreds of successful adults who can trace the origins of their success back to you. That said, the educational train who were on has jumped the tracks. There are millions of parents, taxpayers, politicians, local school boards, and yes, professional EDUCATORS, desperately trying to get the train back on the tracks, while you and others like you are hellbent on impeding their efforts.

This administration with Arne Duncan leading the way is turning education over to companies that manage schools, private companies.

It is being done in the guise of lifting the cap on charter schools in order to get the much needed federal money.

There is no proof they work any better than the traditional schools, but they are hellbent on getting it done while the Democrats are in power.

Charters are the new vouchers. The Democrats wised up and saw that vouchers were not going to get it done, too obvious.

You can stay just as angry at me as you want. I think others will wise up on the issue soon.

Your accusations toward me are really a little scary to be frank. Here are your words...a little over the top.



You are comparing me to a sort of arsonist who won't let the fire dept. do their job. I taught all those socio-economic groups in one classroom every year. I did it well.

You are using talking points to try and discredit me.

More of your words that are very angry, very accusative.



I figure I must be making a little difference in the exposing their agenda of privatizing the schools. Otherwise what I said would not upset you so much.

he would have been trying exactly the same stuff. The difference is that if he had been republican, he wouldn't have gotten away with it. The Democrats who are now supporting this would have shut it down in a second.

Did they make her Superintendent-for-Life or something? :eyes:

Guess you can't blame them, the propaganda from the "reform" side is so powerful. They have made teachers and their unions into the enemy, and there is not enough money to fight back.

Guess the ads blaming teachers and unions were so successful that they had to give in. The unions now support getting the money from Arne. Just like in DC most of the concessions are from the teachers.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-05-30/news/os-race-to-top-second-try-05-26-10-20100530_1_teachers-unions-federal-education-florida-education-association

The TV ads have been awful against teachers.

For us it was, "Don't you care about the patients?" Yeah, and overworked, underpaid, stressed out nurses aren't good for patients. Same with teachers and students.

She said they made it sound like nurses did not care. Same thing they are doing to teachers. The media is on board and so are the Democrats.

It's a shame.

:-(

The whole nursing shortage was, for the most part, a crock. What we had was a shortage of nurses who would put up with the conditions. Rather than return to safe patient ratios and decent pay, they brought in nurses from other countries (who did have desperate shortages) for lower pay and who would work with the unsafe ratios. Ain't capitalism wonderful?

The Obama administration is doing more damage to public education than even Bush did. Giving states education money only if they hamstring public education.

Worse yet, in the end it is the students who will suffer the most.

In 15 years there will be no public education system left as we know it. Maybe sooner. They had a plan and they executed it, like an invasion.

I don't think most of us really saw it coming. Like a steamroller. Planned for years.

It make me sad, mad, depressed to see this happen.

Of course it is all voted on and over with...just like everything else that is being pushed through before anyone has time to think about all the implications.

A Chancellor without ethics accountability?



SO..they knew that order from the foundations to keep Rhee...was wrong.

But there was no questioning from her loyal media friends.

In order to give merit pay? Have they refused the money from corporations entirely?

Too many questions.

This passing of the awful DC contract really shows some masterful planning by Rhee and her supporters.

When, Rhee and the union came to terms on what the contract would entail. The media and Arne Duncan began talking about how it was a done deal.
A week or so later, it had failed to be certified by DC Chief Financial Officer Ghandi because of the glaring flaw that DC did not have the money to fulfill its obligations should the charitable foundations pull out. After about five weeks, magically Ghandi had reversed his position. They suddenly now had the money to certify the contract.

Meanwhile, teachers and their unions, as a whole, were being blasted in the national media as lazy people who exploit children for their own gain. In DC, The Washington Teacher's Union President George Parker sent his minions into the schools to sell the contract. At the same time, AFT President Randi Weingarten improperly exerted her influence on the WTU elections on Parker's behalf. (It turns out George Parker didn't submit the necessary forms by a deadline imposed in the bylaws of the WTU Constitution.)

So what's the result of the constant bashing, the sense of inevitability, and union infighting? Apathy. According to the Washington Post, only half of the teachers even bothered to vote. Rhee and her pals controlled the discourse, and effectively muzzled disaffected teachers. Thereby the reformers achieved an overwhelming victory for their agenda.

I've read some anecdotes by teacher's who claim many of the people who voted for the contract don't plan to stay anyway. The majority of young teachers who are looking to leave in a few years, and retiring teachers looking to earn some much needed cash voted yes.

The teachers who have chosen education as a career and could see the contract for the farce that it is, and the students who lack the mobility to leave the system indelibly get screwed. Teachers must spend their careers teaching to the test, and students must spend their education in an environment of narrowed curricula and pressure to perform.

This really goes to show the proponents of comprehensive education the type of challenge we are up against. Unless, we start thinking how to counter the reformers false arguments, and change the perception of the educational profession in the national discussion, people like Rhee will continue to manipulate policy toward their favor, and public education will die district by district.


By the way, if you don't think that Weingarten and Rhee are on the same side, think again. Before going to the AFT, Weingarten screwed NYC's teachers with all sorts of contractual givebacks. The result is hundreds of teachers who have been excessed from schools closed by Mayor Bloomberg in his quest to open more charters. These mostly veteran teachers are basically no longer able to get hired back into schools as classroom teachers and are now relegated to full-time subbing in an Alternate Teacher Reserve because of the way Bloomberg changed the accounting practices in regards to salaries and individual school budgets.

It used to be that teachers were paid from the DOE's budget, so a school could hire higher-paid experienced veterans and it would not count against the individual school budget. Now, the incentive for a school is to hire lower paid inexperienced teachers. So even though there has been a two year hiring freeze in NYC, and principals are supposed to hire only from the ATR, they don't. This is because the Mayor lets them recruit from Teach for America (which Michelle Rhee is an alumnus)and Rhee's baby The New Teacher Project.

I've met and spoke to Weingarten on a few occasions. She is a very smart person and a successful politician. There is no doubt in my mind that she knew what was coming. That makes her complicit in all of this horrible "reform".

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/5989

"ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2002 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

Participants in the academy will not need to leave their current jobs immediately. They will attend trainings for a number of weekends over a ten-month period in locations across the country. Fellowships, including tuition, travel and all program-related expenses, will be fully covered by The Broad Center. At the end of the training, The Broad Center will help place participants in urban school districts as administrators and superintendents.

The Fellows received guidance from leaders in business, education and the non-profit sectors. Faculty at the Academy included:

* Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education
* Henry Cisneros, CEO, American CityVista
* William Cox, Managing Director, School Evaluation Services
* Chris Cross, Senior Fellow, Center on Education Policy
* Chester E. Finn, Jr., President, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
* Frances Hesselbein, Chairman, The Drucker Foundation
* Don McAdams, Founder, Center for Reform of School Systems
* Donald Nielsen, President, Hazelton Corporation; Chairman, 2WAY Corporation Hugh B. Price, President and CEO, National Urban League
* Paul Ruiz, Principal Partner, Education Trust
* Adam Urbanski, Director, Teacher Union Reform Network
* Randi Weingarten, President, United Federation of Teachers

And she has stood with Rhee and company all the way.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/5985

They infiltrated the teachers' unions, all the while telling teachers to think of the greater good.

Besides teachers are not known for militancy, but they will from here on be known for sitting on their hands at election time.

I've been reading a bit on what was going on with UTLA, and they posted this video about a month ago showing her putting them down and talking up charter schools and merit pay. We're screwed.

http://blip.tv/file/3519531

Breaking the Teacher Unions' Monopoly

"As a result of a revolutionary new contract, teachers in Washington DC who are rated incompetent can be fired immediately—a practice common in industry but unheard of in American public schools.

While the contract, closely watched by reform advocates and school officials across the country, has gotten considerable media attention as it was ratified this week, the extent of the reforms detailed in its 120 pages have clearly been underestimated. Tenure and seniority have been largely obliterated, and student test scores will have a bigger impact on a teacher’s evaluation than in any other school district in the country. Meanwhile, the contract allows for highly effective teachers working in the city’s toughest schools in the hardest-to-staff jobs to earn pay and bonuses that will top $140,000 a year. The result could be a district undergoing the biggest shakeup ever.

"It’s now clear that DC was able to press the union so hard for change because the district was given free rein by Congress in the mid 90s to create a comprehensive teacher evaluation system of their own design—something unheard of in most states, and something Rhee has taken full advantage of. Union leaders acknowledged that their negotiations faced unique challenges, but stressed that the final deal gave their members a big pay increase and more teacher training and resources aimed at helping them improve. The five-year 21.6 percent pay raise (which boosts average teacher pay from $67,000 to about $81,000, the level of area suburban teachers at a time when other districts are cutting pay and staff."

Also the head union leader was a teacher at the Broad Superintendents Academy.

"ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM 2002 PRESS RELEASES, ETC.:

Participants in the academy will not need to leave their current jobs immediately. They will attend trainings for a number of weekends over a ten-month period in locations across the country. Fellowships, including tuition, travel and all program-related expenses, will be fully covered by The Broad Center. At the end of the training, The Broad Center will help place participants in urban school districts as administrators and superintendents.

The Fellows received guidance from leaders in business, education and the non-profit sectors. Faculty at the Academy included:

* Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education
* Henry Cisneros, CEO, American CityVista
* William Cox, Managing Director, School Evaluation Services
* Chris Cross, Senior Fellow, Center on Education Policy
* Chester E. Finn, Jr., President, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
* Frances Hesselbein, Chairman, The Drucker Foundation
* Don McAdams, Founder, Center for Reform of School Systems
* Donald Nielsen, President, Hazelton Corporation; Chairman, 2WAY Corporation Hugh B. Price, President and CEO, National Urban League
* Paul Ruiz, Principal Partner, Education Trust
* Adam Urbanski, Director, Teacher Union Reform Network
* Randi Weingarten, President, United Federation of Teachers"

it will be because of Arne Duncan. That guy needs to go, and now.