Here's a key part of that quote:
It will be up to “compensation committees” at each school made up of teachers and principals supervisors to divvy up the money as they see fit. They could choose to distribute it evenly among union members or single out high performers.
Thus, if you slept with the principal, your chances of getting money are greatly increased. This also goes against Weingarten's repeated public claims that individual teachers should not get merit pay.
The possibilities for corruption are endless. Perhaps we should run a contest eliciting the many ways teachers will now be able to earn merit pay.
This is insane. It just encourages the "Enronization" of education: more fraudulent grading, teachers pushing up scores to get that bonus. I guess it takes the onus off of the administrators, right? I think, in the end, the money'll, like per session, will go to whoever is in with the principal.
Now, I'm completely convinced that Randi is coaxing her way to a national position, perhaps in the (nigh inevitable?) upcoming Democratic administration.
Given the lack of responses from readers of this blog on the other "Randi" stories, I doubt there will be an outcry against merit pay.
I will email Randi the same way I did back in '05.
This sends a message to all teachers that work hard to make sure their kids succeed that if you don't work in a "low-perfoming school", you are not worthy of any extra compensation.
And, what about those teachers that are left out of the compensation because they teach other subjects--what a way to divide a staff!
How will Leo spin this one????
Schoolgal's right - teachers don't seem to care what concessions Randi makes. They either reflexively vote w/ Unity-New Action or they don't vote at all and ensure Unity-New Action maintains its racketeering hold on the union (and all those yummy, yummy union dues dollars...)
I agree very divisive. Imagine the teacher who feels they worked way harder than that other teacher. Or the teacher that knows her co-worker is cheating and helping their students on the tests (like a teacher I know does this in my school). How much should para's get? How about the school aides? How much for the AP everyone doesn't like, or the one everyones quietly considers an idiot. Imagine the school where teachers in the same grade, with classrooms right next to each other where one is more liked or has higher performing students or just simply doesn't have that 1 kid that can ruin a class. Imagine when 1 gets more $ than the other. How about the teacher's in the non-testing grades? How much should they get for all their hard work in the previous grades? How about clusters? In my school I push into a classroom 1-2 periods a day to assist. I have to walk the hallways and watch the bathrooms on testing days. How much would that qualify me for?
Bloomkleingartner if your reading this do you get the idea here? I could go on forever with examples. Bad idea.
On another note think about the poor students (no pun intended) in those 200 schools. No doubt there will be more teaching to the test and test prep. Scores may go up, but real learning will not.
Unitymustgo!
I nearly gagged on my dinner when I saw this on the news tonight. Everytime I think things can't get any worse, they do.
I can't even imagine the corruption that will ensue over this. You just know that anyone not in the bowling league will never stand a chance of seeing one dime of that money.
This sucks. Classes will be stacked so that some teachers have harder kids to work with. It has been done before when nothing but kudos was involved. Now that money is an issue--look out!
Forgot to ask:
How come the rank and file don't get to vote on this??????
here is what i feel right now:
1. this is f***ing bulls***
2. i give up.
Leo had posted!!!
But it seems this "merit pay" came with the 25/55 carrot (that teachers would have to opt into and pay for) still to be signed. Do we know if this is really a "done deal"?
At the risk of exposing myself to brickbats, verbal and otherwise, I have to say I like this plan. OK, maybe not the specific plan, but the impulse behind it.
When I started at my school in 2002, it was the lowest scoring school in the lowest scoring district in NYC -- the worst of the worst, by definition. When I left last year, it was still no prize, but it was improved and with new leadership and new teachers, there is a promise of even better days ahead.
I support merit pay for one simple reason: my job was harder than teachers in less troubled schools. I broke rocks -- lots of rocks -- in the hot sun for five long years. Some of my colleagues would have been bargains at double the price. If something is going to put a few extra dollars in their pocket and recognize the degree to which they go above and beyond, well all I can say is, it's about damn time.
Let me hasten to add, the execution of this plan is far from perfect. As an analogy, standardized testing is to accountability as chain saw is to surgery--you can make it the only tool you use, but the results won't be pretty. So yes, I fully expect there will be abuses, including incentives to cheat. Until the laws of human nature are repealed, there will always be people trying to get something for nothing. But I'm actually pleasantly surprised that the UFT would acknowledge the effort of teachers in struggling schools and at least tacitly admit that our work IS tougher and that perhaps we are due a few more sheckles.
Forgive me, but the typical struggling school is grim, dispiriting place. If the incentive of merit pay creates a sense of shared purpose and espirit de corps, I fail to see how it can be a bad thing. So sue me.
after two years of finally getting the hang of teaching and enjoying it, this makes me want to move. not to another school, but to a place where teachers aren't selling out. hoorah to the continued decline of our educational civilization
The Daily News says the merit pay program starts in 200 schools this year and will be in 400 next year.
No matter what Randi SAYS about the merit pay being tied to 25/55, the mayor seems to think the merit pay is a done deal.
And count me cynical, but I still don't buy that the legislature is going to pass 25/55.
Anybody wanna bet those Repubs in the Senate Bloomberg is funding (he is the largest contributor to the GOP in the State Senate, btw) find a way to kill 25/55?
The 25/55 was a much ballyhooed aspect of the reprehensible 05 contract. On Edwize, they pimped the notion that the mayor had agreed to support it in the legislature.
Here we are, years later, and they're saying the 25/55 is contingent upon this merit pay scheme.
They think we have no collective memory. For the most part, they're probably correct.
Yes, I agree that teachers in hard-to-staff schools work their butts off.
Perhaps Robert may recall when teachers who worked in these schools got a higher salary until Klein pulled that plug. At least all the teachers were paid equally. But as JD points out on Edwize, the so-called "team" may not be union oriented.
What is a brickbat? If we get enough of them, can we drive Randi out of town?
Would it have made a lot more sense if Bloomweinklein used this money for setting up programs and lowering class size in these high need schools?
Are teachers suppose to "work harder" for the extra pay?
Incentive attracting experienced teachers? Does the principal have an incentive in hiring veteran teachers?
First of all get all of the facts straight. Try edwize.org to start.
Secondly, believe all of the press and you will follow into their hell. The real win is not the Bonus Pay program but rather 55/25 as an option for all who want it plus coverages are now pensionable retroactively to at least 6 years. This is at a time when EVERYONE else is losing benefits not getting them (see Detroit teacher, the airline pilots, UAW and even our great brothers in TWU). The Bonus program may not even work any of the schools (this was tried before in NYC) and no one looses a thing. The press jumped on the Bonus program. I, and my members will, jump on the 55/25.
Thirdly, NYC Educator has already condemned this and doesn't even know the details. The mayor wants the Bonus Pay program and THAT is contingent on 55/25 not the other way around. Everyone in Albany have historically supported it going up jointly.
Lastly, this should answer the fear mongering that was created by so many about "the secret deal" in the 2005 and 2006 contracts. "Health costs are going to go up!" - didn't happen. "Where is 55/025?" - here it is. Go to all of your colleagues that have been praying for 55/25 and see how much they don't like this either.
This is true union leadership.
Since when does Edwize give facts? It's all spin!!!
Of course we want a better pension deal. Wasn't that the reason Randi supported Pataki who later reneged on pension reform?
Yet every so-called gain comes with greater givebacks.
And, it was people on Edwize who stated that health costs should go up
(go back and read the comments)
Leo's last paragraph is the biggest joke of all:
"We will now continue to tackle class size, school safety, ATRs, and teachers who are in ‘rubber rooms.’"
"Continue"??? The ATR situation was created by the Edwize people. And those trapped in the rubber room were given little hope by this union.
Why must Randi act like a whore in order to achieve a goal?
I walked out of the assembly. This proposal is sickening on so many different levels. So sad to think that what could have been marked a true "victory" with 55/25 has been blemished with this inane deal.
This is a major defeat--the merit pay is a joke and will not be given to those who deserve it, but to those who kiss the principal's butt the most...
What the 25/55 shows is that senior teachers are not valuable and not wanted (by the way, it doesn't affect me as I will have 33 years at age 55)...the mayor himself said that 25/55 will be a great cost saver as older, costlier teachers will be replaced by newer, less expensive teachers....again, he wants teaching to be a job only for the young.
Anyway, 25/55 has to be approved by the Legislature and that just won't happen any time soon if ever. Another hollow victory for Randi Weintraitor.
Go to Edwize for the facts?
That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while.
Going to Edwize for the facts is like going to reality television for anything resembling reality.
You know, I used to believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the honesty and veracity of Edwize and the NY teacher until experience taught me they didn't exist.
As for health care costs not going up, the latest contract with the "cost containment initiatives" provision only went into effect on October 13, 2007.
I'm no math major but that adds up to a total of 5 days under the latest contract with the "cost containment initiatives" proposal.
There's plenty of time for Randi to cave on that too before she heads off to the AFT to do to them what she's done to us.
Since everything gets negotiated in secret anyway, we'll only know about it post-facto.
Stop referring to Weingarten as a "labor leader"; she's a "labor sellout". Under her "leadership", two very serious labor problems were CREATED: the ATR situation, and the infamous fascist "rubber rooms", once reserved for the lunatic fringe. Now anyone in the radar of an adversarial administration can be removed from their teaching (or supervision) position on trumped up, flimsy charges, or plain old lies. Yes, Rhoda, Bloomberg does like 'em young...he loves to sexually harass the young and make personal comments to them about their sex lives, etc. This is crap..."building wide" bonuses will only go to administrative favorites, further driving NYC teachers apart and creating a wedge. I still am asking, "How do teachers of special education students qualify for merit pay?" No answers yet, only the guise of "building wide" which would be determined by 2 administrators and which 2 teachers? The ones who socialize with the principal outside of school? This is a total sellout...we should now sue Randi for our union dues, since they are NOT being used to benefit us out there in the trenches. I know it's much harder to teach in a high needs school, I did teach in a high needs area years ago and got out via the coveted seniority transfers, since I really didn't want to be shot by drug dealers having a mid afternoon dispute as I left the building. I also had to cross a bridge for that privilege. I wanted to work in a safer environment!! Also, we gave up seniority, the perk and the reason civil servants settle for less money throughout their careers. I didn't bother posting this on Edwize since the union sellouts post there. Thank you, NYCEd and RBE!!
At the Delegate Assembly someone asked to delay a vote and the delegates,--representatives from virtually every single school said no. Some partisans would like to substitute their judgement for democratic principles. They believe they are always right---no matter how many disagree and walk away from their "lobbying" at Delegate Assemblies and elsewhere. So much for their respect for democracy. They are the ones spinning when the facts don't suit them. They just mischaracterize. Or downright lie.
A question for the next time one of you here sees a real Unity person up close and personal. If the $$$ for performance is, in Unity's words, for school wide performance, and if the agreement is with the bargaining agent for the tachers how is that supervisors have any voice in how the $$$ are distributed?
Even though it is our work that buys admin bonuses we are not invited to decide which supervisor ahould get what. If the money is for the members of the bargaining unit as a reward for a school's performance then no non unit member should have any say in how the bucks are distributed. No baseball manager decides how the playoff monies are divided. This committee of four cannot exist if the monies are ours.
Del Ass reality is that there are not people from all the schools. It is held in a room holding a max of 850 people while there are around 3000 delegates. I pretty know how many show each time from giving out leaflets.
All the seats were not filled so there were about 750-800 there.
DA math:
90 Unity Ex Bd (include the 8 rubber stamp New Action).
There are 300 UNity retiree delegates but assume around 100-150 show (the rest are pulled out only for crucial votes.)
There are over 1000 Unity Caucus members throughout the schools so assume there are at least a few hundred showing up at each meeting (Unity caucus meetings are often held the eve of a DA to draw them out.)
UNITY has a speakers bureau and prepares them to respond to any criticism at the DA and Randi makes sure to call on them.
Full time employees are in the aisles to drum up votes when necessary.
The most active opposition there is about 25 TJC/ICE people.
Opposition points of view can get 150 votes from independents. If there's any battle to take place it is to win over these 150 people but many of them still sit on the fence as the opposition has not figured out a way to make their points effectively in a millieu so controlled by Randi, who interrupts every speaker constantly and breaks a Robert Rule every 10 seconds, causing Robert to turn over in his grave.
Wonderful logic.
So 25 people (from TJC/ICE) should dictate the rest of the DA?! Talk about an insult to democracy!
Why should these 25 people trump the other 850 people you just admitted were there? Since when do those 25 really represent the "majority" of anything (except perhaps their school)? That doesn't mean they should sopeak for the other 100s ofg schools that are there.
PS - I thought you weren;t going to the DA anymore Norm?
No response, Norm?
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