Randi is a political animal. In order to secure her future if Hilary should win, she will need the votes of republican senators. Being as savvy as she is, she is playing to republican interests. She did it in such a way as to make the open market look like an opportunity instead of what it really is...the end of seniority rights. And her hacks who will follow her to Washington (either as a member of the cabinet or as leader of the national union) and continue to make big bucks.
While I was not surprised by the teachers who hide their heads in the sand and put total blame on the DoE for treating experienced teachers badly, I am surprised at the parent organizations for not standing on their own and seeing this for the political hay it really is.
In this life you get what you pay for, and Randi, Klein and the mayor have figured out a way to cut the salary budget by making sure principals hire cheap. Experienced, qualified teachers with 5 or more years in the system beware. Your chances of getting out of your present school (for whatever reason) diminish with each passing year your salary increases.
Randi has taken a page from Bill Clinton's playbook. It wouldn't surprise me if Hillary's people are managing her decisions, and the thought of it may change my mind in the next primary.
i read somewhere there will be an alternative rally that day.
Parents who are opposed to Randi's deal are planning a press conf on steps of city hall at 5pm on May 9. Some teachers are going to go to voice a symbolic "no-confidence" in BloomKlein. There will be a UFT delegate assembly that day. We hope some delegates will not stay to hear Randi talk for an hour and a half and go over to City Hall instead.
In the meantime, the Manhattan high school chapter leaders voted 18-1 for some kind of resolution calling for a demo and a fightback against the reorganization.
The one vote against was Unity's Greg Lundahl, who one of the 6 elected Unity/New Action people to replace the ICE/TJC members of the Ex bd starting July. He's playing the typical Unity role. Maybe one day he will be rewarded with a full-time job.
The Manhattan HS CL have been dissidents to Unity for over 15 years and when district reps were elected by CL before Randi started to appoint them, they consistently chose a non-Unity DR. The current DR is a legacy of that system and the only non-Unity DR and holds onto the position at Randi's pleasure. That this vote could take place certainly will not please the madam but TJC's Nick Licari and Ellen Schweitzer led the way.
Don't generalize. I am a conservative and I do not feel comfortable with Randi. Let's say I have an aversion to a finely choreographed performance in which she and Bloomie and Klein play their roles. And BTW has anyone noticed Unity chapter leaders engaging in the same kind of Kabuki with their principals? The CLs avowing their resistance to the principal's machinations and then a compromise being reached that is no compromise at all.
I know one trick our Unity CL uses are monthly meetings that are so agenda driven that there is no room for teacher concerns, as the bell for HR rings just as she gives out the raffle prize. Anyone notice anything similar?
I thought this resolution passed overwhelmingly at the DA. Isn't that democratic?
Word is that the parent press conference on May 9 is on hold.
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