After 3 years my trailer finally got running water in its bathroom. That's not too bad. The chancellor is being very kind to us public school people!
In my trailer, the water sort of walks, and that would not be so bad if the soap were restocked. Of course, I fully expect to have another 3 week supply in September, unless the Ross kids need it.
You have to stay clean in places like that, you know.
If you recall, the parents of NEST put a lot of their own money into their school. The mayor, Klein and Ross had the final FU because Ross does not have to put one dime of her multi-billions into fixing up her little charter. Meanwhile, schools have to deal with holes in walls, floors and ceilings, roach and rat infestations, poor bathroom facilities, lack of school supplies, etc.
The teachers at Ross on the other hand may not make a fair salary, but will be treated to whatever they need to be successful, including a bathroom with adequate toilet paper and soap. How lucky can you get?
As for the other article, I had to laugh at the fact that conservative private Christain schools do not do as well as public schools in reading and math.
Well, they must have a different take on "Higher Order" thinking skills than we do. What the hell?
You gotta wonder what they omit. Besides evolution, of course.
Do you ever feel like the soap and water in the DOE bathrooms makes your hands dirtier after you wash? I've taken to washing my hands in the bathroom with DOE soap and water and then using hand sanitizer to clean the DOE soap and water off.
I think the private, conservative Christian schools also omit anything having to do with dinosaurs. (Unless you count the role of women ...)
First of all, let's remember that charter schools are public schools. I guess Carmen Colon - clearly an objective observer, by the way, since she's tying up the courts right now with a frivolous lawsuit over a cell phone policy she disagrees with - hasn't figured that out yet.
In any event, here's another take on the whole situation. The DOE said NEST was the only site on the LES with the capacity to host Ross. Priveleged, overhwelmingly white NEST parents decided to put the interests of a few kids over the interests of all the city's kids and forced Ross out. Because the DOE was right that there's nowhere else Ross could go, they had to put Ross in Tweed.
Not as fun as a conspiracy theory with Bloomberg and Klein at the center, but I think it makes more sense, personally.
Personally, after having lived through 9/11 in a public school, your characterization of parents wanting to stay in touch with their children as "frivolous" is not only offensive, but preposterous.
As for the NEST parents, who put hundreds of thousands of their own money into a school for their children, which would be preserved for others, they had every right to protect their kids from having their school degraded in a fashion that is a matter of policy under this mayor.
As someone who teaches in a building designated for 1800, which houses 4200, I am not highly impressed by your assertion that it was these parents putting the interests of "a few" over "all." This sort of parental concern should be replicated, not punished. Bloomberg likes to boast of how he includes parents, but the reality is shown precisely by cases like that of NEST and the cell phones.
It's the mayor putting the needs of "a few" over "all" by placating a very rich woman and ignoring the overwhelming majority of public school students, including the kids with whom I work. He's been doing that quite consistently, ever since he's been in office.
It's regrettable that you must toss around words like "conspiracy theory" to make your point.
This is not the first time "annon" has used the race card to make a point on this situation. Or, spin facts around as with the LAUSD contract, which btw NYC Ed was quick to refute.
There's a reasonable case to be made against the cell phone ban, and I agree 100% that Bloomberg couldn't antagonize parents more effectively on this issue if he tried. The point is that it's the mayor and the chancellor's call. You can't sue public officials every time you disagree with decisions they have the authority to make. That's why the lawsuit is frivolous.
As for NEST, again, the utilization data speaks for itself, as does the fact that the principal suddenly decided to admit a few hundred more students for next year after she found out Ross was moving in. And schoolgal, if you don't think the demograhpic disparity between the two schools (remember, by the way, that NEST is screened, while Ross and all other charters admit students via a lottery) played a big role here, you're living on another planet. If you oppose charter schools philosophically, that's a separate debate, but it seems clear that Bloomberg and Klein have the authority to choose sites for charters that have been authorized.
anon:
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Let's see NEST parents are white racists who use their own money to fix up a building to give their children a proper learning environment. Along comes that poor oppressed minority (billionares) Ross, who does not want to use her money to buy and fix up a building. The result, another of that minority class (billioners) Bloomberg, allows DOE to give up prime space in the Tweed building for the Ross Charter School. What's wrong with this picture?
I seem to remember reading that NEST was 52% white, higher than the average certainly but if true not the "Priveleged, overhwelmingly white NEST parents" as anon claims.
As to the lottery charter schools hold, don't parents have to enter the lottery? In my experience parents aware enough to do that is a form of creaming. Do you think there will be even a hint of the kinds of problem kids so many public schools have to contend with? So many schools get kids who are suspended from other schools. Think any will be going to Ross?
By the way, check out Connie Bruck's bio of Steve Ross architect of Time Warner. Courtney Ross, the quintessential trophy wife, may have learned her skills in wrangling around the DOE bureaucracy in the battles over the pickings after Ross died.
Ross represents the gneral view of "Hey, I went to school, therefore I am qualified to run one." Sort of like, "I've been sick, therefore I can treat medical problems. Maybe even open up my own hospital." I suggest she try nursing homes - much more lucrative.
Anonymous, have you ever been a parent? Every parent puts the interests of their own child above others, and we do behave in what could be perceived as a selfish manner sometimes when we think we can do better for our own child. Carmen Colon is such a parent. This lawsuit is far from "trivial". This mayor is overstepping his bounds as the "head" of education. (That's not the body part I think of when I think of the job he and his sidekick have done so far) The ISSUE should have been trivial, not the lawsuit. He managed to make a tempest in a teapot. Hard and fast rules could have been established early on instead of initially leaving the schools and the parents to deal with the problem, and then declaring cell phones tantamount to AK47's and criminalizing their use and then even their possession. As NYCeducator stated, this is not only offensive to parents, it certainly also is preposterous. As a teacher in a horrifically overcrowded (220%+) outer borough high school, I experienced September 11, 2001. We also live in that same outer borough. I will most certainly have my child carry a cell phone when I deem him ready and the time is right. That will occur before my child is in high school. No mayor, especially one who treats the hardest working people in the city with such contempt and derision, will make that decision for us.
You can't sue public officials every time you disagree with decisions they have the authority to make. That's why the lawsuit is frivolous.
You're certainly free to infer that this parents' group has sued public officials "every time" they disagreed with them. You're also free to decide public officials are not answerable to the public in a democracy. I've no doubt many public officials share that view.
However, parents have had scores of complaints about the deaf ears of this administration.
To suggest that every single complaint has resulted in a lawsuit is absurd. Your argument is more on the lines of "Shut up and sit down," which is hardly persuasive.
As you have chosen to ignore the rights of parents who placed hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a school for their kids, which would be preserved for others, I suppose it's rather simple to mount a defense.
Your point that these parents have no right to protest because of their skin color is also curious. Still, it's but another variation on the "Shut up and sit down" approach.
You've also chosen to ignore the vast overcrowding of schools like mine, and I don't blame you at all. It's tough to mount an argument over something you strongly believe in when those nasty realities on this planet argue otherwise.
If Bloomberg cared about NYC's public school kids he'd help them all, not only those who happen to be represented by a billionaire, another fact you conveniently ignore.
Why on earth should Ross's kids have better facilities than mine? Or the 1.1 million other kids who attend city schools?
And let us not forget that Klein himself makes sure students are "selected" for his own small-schools initiative.
When the city council asked Bloomberg if he would be willing to compromise with the parents on the cell phone issue, he hung up on them.
Great line, Schoolgal.
So what's your solution then, NYC? Not put the charter anywhere? That's not an option - the state authorized it. It's possible to build new schools and renovate others (which the city is doing at a record pace now that the state has actually decided to fund its half of the capital plan) while helping charters at the same time. The "you can't walk and chew gum at the same time" argument is one you hear a lot from people who philosophically oppose charters but don't want to argue the issue on the merits.
As for parents - it's interesting that you, who employs sarcasm and exaggeration in nearly every post, chooses to take every single word I write literally. I wasn't trying to say that CPAC has really sued Bloomberg every time they've disagreed with him. And I agree with you completely that public officials are accountable to citizens. However, the correct method of accountability isn't usually bringing a 14th amendment claim that invents a new civil right to carry cell phones. In this case, parents would be better served lobbying the city council or the state legislature on the issue, which, to their credit, they are. My guess is the lawsuit is just an attempt to make sure the media doesn't get tired of the issue.
But let's remember, too, that elected officials do have certain powers. They have to make decisions that not everyone will be happy with. And just because a lot of people disagree with a certain decision doesn't necessarily mean it's an "abuse of power," as the lawsuit characterizes the cell phone ban. The fact is that under the current education law, the mayor and the chancellor don't need to get the approval of parents to make most education policy decisions, even if it would be a good idea to do so. You call that a "sit down and shut up" approach, but it's the law. If you don't like it, you should go talk to the state legislature when the mayoral control law comes up for reauthorization in 2008. Personally, I think it's tough to find the right balance - public officials should consult the public on decisions, but we don't want to turn every decision into a plebiscite, either. Authority that's too widely dispersed leads to no accountability at all.
Yet, if space is an issue for charter schools, why is this administration asking for more charters?
And, some laws that are outdated or in need of revision do get changed. If media attention and lawsuits are the only way to wake up pols on this issue, then this is not the first time such a strategy has been used by all sides of the political spectrum. So why find fault with this strategy now, unless your real target is Ms. Colon?
And your right, we all should fight mayoral control.
Schoolgal, just being anti-mayoral control (you and NYC are like the anti-everything tag team) is a copout. What you're saying in effect is that the old system of authority spread among all the community boards and the BOE and a chancellor not tied to any elected official is better than what we have now. I disagree, because I think it's better to have an elected official who's clearly accountable for the schools, even if the school system is a bit more politicized as a result (and let's face it, education is ALWAYS going to be a political issue regardless). But it's still up to you to propose what you think would be a better alternative. Maybe you think mayoral control would work under a different mayor - clearly you don't like Bloomberg. That's fine, but I've never heard you float a name of someone you think could do better. Any ideas there?
And for the record, I wasn't "spinning the facts" about the LAUSD mayoral control proposal. If you think that plan gives the mayor (or anyone else, for that matter) lots of clear, concentrated authority, you've either horribly misread the proposal or not read it at all.
Anti everything?
Let me tell you some of the issues I support:
More teaching and less test prep
Smaller class sizes
Being able to adjust my lessons rather than always following mandated curriculum
Clean and well-maintained working conditions
Supplies
Meaningful professional development
More collaboration between teachers and administrators
Improved discipline code
More parental involvement
New school construction
A mayor who respects his workers and constituents
As for your other assertions, I went on both the UTLA and LAUSD sites as well as School Me and know that the proposal has underwent many changes. And, I never said I supported it. I said that the rank and file have every right to vote on it.
I am not the only commenter here who has answered you, yet you seem to single me out. Interesting.
Perhaps you will do best to start your own blog since it's clear to me you are anti NYC teachers who btw are doing a pretty good job since we outperform private schools.
And, on behalf of my tag partner, who I respect as a dedicated educator, I am glad to consider him my friend and I know his blog is one of the best, otherwise you wouldn't be reading it.
Anonymous,
As a parent with children in the NYC system, I read this blog everyday because it's one of the few places where the things that matter most are championed: teachers, the environment we give them to teach and parental support for the process. If you have not heard that message, then you are not paying attention.
Patrick,
Thanks for your kind words.
Andy,
Schoolgal doesn't need to propose a better system. CFI did that, and won in the Supreme Court, which this mayor openly refuses to obey if it costs the city one dime.
Your selective adherence to the rule of law mirrors that of the mayor.
I wasn't trying to say that CPAC has really sued Bloomberg every time they've disagreed with him.
In fact, that is precisely what you suggested, with no hint of sarcasm,and that is why you first suggested the case was frivolous. Modifying your rationalization to suit the situation is not altogether effective, even if the president happens to favor it.
just because a lot of people disagree with a certain decision doesn't necessarily mean it's an "abuse of power,"
You're certainly entitled to your opinion. Suggesting that others appealing it is "frivolous," however, implies they have no right to appeal. That's a very weak argument, tantamount to "Sit down and shut up." It's particularly weak in view of 9/11, which you handily ignore.
And if the lawsuit is to keep the issue in the public eye, which I doubt, I'd characterize it as highly effectve, not "frivolous."
So what's your solution then, NYC? Not put the charter anywhere?
I do so enjoy your forays into mind-reading.
My solution is not to give it blatantly preferential treatment. I've been quite clear about that. The courts also said students like mine could get good teachers, small classes, and decent facilities. I think that's far more important than placating the whims of billionaires.
Let them squeeze into an unfit building at 250% capacity like everyone else.
Why are billionaire Ross's students more important than mine? Clearly this mayor thinks they are.
I seem to have missed your response.
Wow!
According to the Village Voice (http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/
0625,lombardi,73592,15.html), the Ross School has recruited predominantly black and Hispanic students, most of whom qualify for a free lunch. (NEST is majority white and middle class and open only to "gifted and talented" students.) Ross started a private school for her daughter, now grown, 15 years ago and wants to extend the teaching ideas to low-income children on the Lower East Side. The charter school was developed by NYU and the Ross Institute. Ross is spending her money to get the school started and will need to subsidize the school to offer the enriched program she envisions.
It's time to stop generalizing! I have worked at horrible public schools and terrific private ones. My best friend has worked at a horrible private school and is currently at a wonderful public school! You can take the data and average the results, but it really just comes down to each individual school or district.
I work at a private Christian school that uses the same textbooks as the public school district, follows all the state and country guidelines, offers more electives and smaller class sizes, only hires experienced, certified teachers and gives large, and sometimes total, tuition discounts to foster children. It is a joy to work there, and not just because I am allowed a lot of spending money for my classroom. Well, maybe PARTIALLY because of that.... 
Joanne,
I've read the Voice article. I fail to see, however, why this school gets preferential treatment to mine, which happens to be a good one.
We've got 4200 kids in a building designed for 1800.
AprilMay,
Thanks for commenting. I found your blog through the School Me teablog things. I love your writing, and the way you find outrageous humor in everyday activities.
I've no doubt there are schools of varying quality in both the private and public sectors. I'm also certain that any kid you teach, wherever you choose to do it, is very lucky.
Hey NYC Educator,
I found you also through the teablog awards! I love reading your blog because your world of education is so far from my private school in the boonies. Yet, we have the same concerns for our kids!
As for finding the humor in everyday things; well, if I can't find something to laugh about each day, I might as well stab myself with my dry-erase marker! Only that would leave a horrid stain...
Thanks for your kind words, AM.
As for finding the humor in everyday things, I think that's a wonderful thing to instill in kids--I don't want to get too corny, but people like you can help them see the joy that could surround them every day. That's the sort of role model I see far too little of.
While standardized tests can be important, I really do believe that there's something more to teaching than that.
4200 students in a building designed for 1800 is criminal!! Klein and Bloomberg should be carted off to jail.
I agree. Too bad we don't have Ms. Ross working for us.
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