Once again, New York City’s Panel on Educational Policy (formerly known as the Board of Education) rubber-stamped the closing of 22 schools.
After nearly a dozen years of mayoral control, the authorities showed how hollow “reform” is. The closings never end. Success is nowhere in sight.
The representatives from Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens propped a moratorium on school closings and “co-locations” of charters into public school space, but their pleas were ignored. Michael Mendel of the UFT eloquently opposed the closings.
The farce continues. Chancellor Dennis Walcott, who is said to have taught nursery school for a year or so, decades ago, but has never been a principal or school leader, had the last word. As reported here:
“Chancellor Dennis Walcott even boasted of his power and the uselessness of the PEP when he said this regarding closing schools, ‘At the end of the day, the decision is mine.'”
In short, it doesn’t matter what parents or teachers or communities say.
This is not what democracy looks like.
It appears that the NYC DOE doesn’t even pretend to know how to help schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Gee, does anyone see a pattern here?
Dismantling Detroit Public Schools – A Timeline
Maybe something like “The Bi-Partisan Conspiracy to Destroy Public Education”
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Who would need any more proof that it’s not about kids or communities, it’s about profit, political control, and social engineering. This is what our union money should be spent on: full page ads and billboards that name these people, show their faces, these quotes, (lack of) qualifications, along with the politicians and big-money donors that appoint and/or are joined to them in this road-to-**** agenda.
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I agree with you Dan, let’s shine some light on these sob’s.
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Why haven’t the teachers, parents, and the communities at large protested in front of Walcott’s residence? There has been plenty of protests in front of Bloomberg’s place. What’s stopping us from having a “shame on you” protest at Walcott’s residence?
We have nothing to lose since he has already made the decision, as a faux-educator, to phase out and close 22 schools.
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Zulma.
Mulgrew didn’t even make an appearance at this meeting. Yet, Randi had no qualms getting herself arrested in Philly protesting their school closings when she turned her back on NYC school closings. Yet I am seeing more people who claim to be anti-reform, anti-testing, anti-Vam, anti-charter, etc. praising her. It seems every one has a price.
Netflix has a show which is a remake of the British miniseries “House of Cards”. It stars Kevin Spacey.
It’s a about a crooked Southern Dem who takes over the education bill and convinces the newly elected Democratic president to include the end of collective bargaining. In this series, The NEA caves, but the AFT goes on strike. But Spacey wins in the end using a NYPost tactic. This show is very scary because it is so close to the truth.
A few days ago the NYTimes ran an article on how Jeb and his friends have formed charter school foundations with assets of $900 million trying to undermine the Texas legislature who in the past have modified charter legislation.
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As you know, it’s a real mess here in NYC -and you’re right about this being anything but a democratic process. The real stakeholders (parents and community members, teachers and (real) education leaders) have been supplanted by new stakeholders (consultants, publishing and testing companies, even vendors of things like school furniture and copy machines), and these new stakeholders see the school closure process as a real boom to their bottom line.
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Zulma, 1. Unless the main stream Media shows our rallies and protests no one (except us) will even know about it and we all know who owns the main stream media! 2. He Lies because at the end of the day he is not the one who decides, he is the puppet of the Billionaires who decide. They pull the strings and he nods his head! It is not just New York it is happening all over the country, It is the takeover of our education system by Huge Corporations. Education is the New ” US Cash Cow” I hate to say this but I really do not think that even Occupy the DOE in April will make much of a difference. The Parents ALL OVER the country will have to rise up as ONE, Occupy The Doe should not just be Washington it should be at every State Capital Building at the same time on the same day and then Maybe Just Maybe someone will notice!!
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Reblogged this on CENTURY21SCHOOLS.
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And Pharaoh Mike drove the underachievers from the public schools, and they were consigned to wander the desert for forty years, from failing charter school to failing charter school, in search of the promised land.
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Exactly, this is not school “reform.” It’s a business plan.
“Privatizing Public Schools: Big Firms Eyeing Profits From U.S. K-12 Market” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/private-firms-eyeing-prof_n_1732856.html
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THis is on its way to Prince George’s County, MD, located to the east of Washington , DC.
http://goo.gl/FjzB0
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Unfortunately this IS what democracy looks like in the age of Obama.
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The age of Obama, in regards to bashing public education started way back when (100 yrs ago) but really picked up steam under that “great” actor, oops I mean communicator Uncle Ronnie Raygun and has continued it’s upward (downward??) trend ever since. Obama is just doing the bidding of the monied oligarchs, much like yourself.
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If I’m doing their bidding, how come I haven’t seen a dime yet?
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This is all about Mayor Bloomberg who is a mediocre man who ” fell in good ” with his terminals and felt entitled to run and run and run for mayor when his opposition were almost entirely beneath mediocre. What was Walcott’s career arc from kindergarten teacher to chief bureaucrat? That should be explored. The city has succumbed to multiple educational fads over the past 75 years. Doesn’t matter. A smart kid and, possibly his/her parents together learn by reading, by museum visits, by travel near and or far, by going to the theater or dance programs or participating in them. What has to be cultivated in schools if it does not alredy exist is the habit of curiosity, of nosiness., (When I was in Edinburgh many years agao I sat next to a boy and asked if he was part of the Festival. “Noo.” Then what are you doing here, I asked. “I’m just noosy,” he responded. The best reason in the world. Ros Willtt
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