The New York Post ran a story about a public school in NYC that sounds more like a holding pen for hapless children than a school.
According to the article by Susan Edelman:
“Students at PS 106 in Far Rockaway, Queens, have gotten no math or reading and writing books for the rigorous Common Core curriculum, whistleblowers say.
The 234 kids get no gym or art classes. Instead, they watch movies every day.
“The kids have seen more movies than Siskel and Ebert,” a source said.
The school nurse has no office equipped with a sink, refrigerator or cot.
The library is a mess: “Nothing’s in order,” said a source. “It’s a junk room.”
No substitutes are hired when a teacher is absent — students are divvied up among other classes.
A classroom that includes learning-disabled kids doesn’t have the required special-ed co-teacher.
About 40 kindergartners have no room in the three-story brick building. They sit all day in dilapidated trailers that reek of “animal urine,” a parent said; rats and squirrels noisily scamper in the walls and ceiling.”
According to the story, the principal shows up irregularly.
The school has no curriculum, no reading program, no math program.
How is this possible?
The Bloomberg administration went through several reorganizations. In the latest one, schools do not have supervisors. the local districts were disbanded. schools join widely dispersed networks so they have wide autonomy. This is called “empowerment.”
The downside of autonomy and empowerment is a school such as PS 106 in Far Rockaway.
Now, here is a shocker. If this story had appeared in the past decade, it would have been swept under the rug or hushed up, but the new Chancellor Carmen Farina promptly issued this statement:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2014
N-39, 2013-14
STATEMENT OF CHANCELLOR CARMEN FARIÑA ON THE REPORT ON CONDITIONS AT P.S. 106
“Today’s report about conditions at P.S. 106 in Far Rockaway is deeply troubling. I spoke with the Mayor today, and am sending Deputy Chancellor Dorita Gibson to the school Monday morning to review the situation at P.S. 106 and determine what is going on there. The Deputy Chancellor will report back her findings as soon as possible, including an analysis of conditions, and recommendations on any needed corrective action. What was reported in today’s news account is unacceptable, and if true will be immediately addressed. Serving our children comes first and is our most urgent priority.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
How long has this school been ignored ??…This is a disgrace.. Very sad for those children… Where is the rigor and accountability …
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Accountability is only for the little people.
Michelle Rhee: Laughing all the way to the bank.
Beverly Hall: Crying all the way to the prison.
Michael Bloomberg is one of the most vile and reviled humans ever to exist on the face of this earth . . . . .
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Agreed. Disgraceful.
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“Now, here is a shocker. If this story had appeared in the past decade, it would have been swept under the rug or hushed up, but the new Chancellor Carmen Farina promptly issued this statement….”
Not really so shocking. She just took office, so she can’t be blamed for this mess. It’s a nice PR moment – “look at what the previous administration left for me to clean up”. I’m not faulting her, I’m just saying there’s nothing impressive about her response at this point.
Let’s see what happens if and when disturbing incidents like this come to light later on in her term when she could reasonably be blamed. I hope that she will be equally forthright then – we shall see. And I hope that reporters will stay on this story and see that this school gets the follow-up it needs, even after the story gets “stale” (about 24 hours from now).
But, yes, disgusting that the Bloomberg administration let it get to this point.
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The mayor sounds too good to be true. Even though I don’t know why there aren’t many people who want to do the right thing to edcucate our children. I watched a documentary last year about the incredible charter schools in New York run by Joel Klein. Of course, they carefully avoided talking about what’s going on in the schools in which they dumped kids they didn’t want. We have the exact same thing in Chicago as well with Emanuel: closing schools and sacrificing children by doubling them up and not educating them. Joel Klein, of course, went to Murdoch’s charter school foundation and you can imagine what kind of schools he has and will produce for profit. It’s the same story everywhere: there’s no money for public schools, but plenty of taxpayer money for charter school profits with no accountability. Disgusting.
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Well, I certainly hope no one gets fired (not even the negligent principal) and above all, this school should stay proudly open. Dr. Ravitch has pointed out that no public school should ever be closed, because such schools are “the anchor of community life,” “where parents meet, talk about common problems, work together, and learn the fundamental processes of democratic action.”
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Why is closing this school the only option? What will that solve? Why not improve it?
And please find me anywhere where Diane has ever said no one should ever be fired. This blog has been active nearly two years now, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding something, right?
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Dienne, if the subject ever comes up again, here is what I wrote, not on this blog but in “Reign of Error,” p. 127:
“It is the job of the state and the district to negotiate a fair and expeditious process to handle charges and hearings. The hearings should be resolved in months, not years. After a fair hearing, teachers found to be incompetent or guilty of moral turpitude should be removed without delay.”
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Dienne & dianerav: if only the charterites/privatizers who haunt this blog were even a little culturally literate they would have heeded an old dead Greek guy—
“Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid.” [Homer]
Then again, who am I kidding? They would be left with nothing to say…
Of that, I have a 98% “satisfactory” [thank you, Bill Gates!] chance of certainty that it will be much much less than ten years [thank you again, Bill Gates!] before we know if I am correct.
😎
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On her blog, Dr. Ravitch has one consistent theme regarding school closings and firings: she is against them. E.g., blanket statements like this: “We will not make our schools better by closing them and firing teachers and entire staffs. ”
Show me one occasion where she has conceded that any school closing or firing can ever be justified.
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You’re right, I believe, that Diane is consistently opposed to school closings – as am I. Again, I ask, what good does it do to close a school? Why not improve it? What happens to kids whose schools get closed? Studies have consistently shown that the vast majority end up going further away to schools that are just as bad or worse.
As far as firing teachers, you know you are taking words out of context. Of course Diane would agree that there are bad teachers in need of being fired, just as there are bad doctors, bad lawyers, bad janitors, bad politicians (plenty of those!), etc. in need of being fired. What she is saying, if I may be so presumptuous as to interpret her words, is that simply firing teachers at “failing” schools is not going to solve the problem without looking at the real reasons for such failure – mostly poverty. Sure, if teachers or principals are blatantly not doing their jobs, of course they should be fired. But only with due process, and not in reaction to poor test scores or other factors over which they have no control. Honestly, I think you really do understand that, and it’s pretty disingenuous (and shameful) for you to twist her words that way.
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I favor fixing the schools we have, not closing them.
If a principal or teacher is incompetent, he or she should be fired, after due process.
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WT – in NYS there is a turn around model which fires the principal and half the teachers if the school is not scoring high enough on the assessments. There is a school in Buffalo full of refugees, non English speakers, who do not do well on this test, for obvious reasons. Getting rid of the teachers, who provide a stable environment for children who have suffered throughout their short lives, is cruel and unusual punishment. Yet Commissioner King continues to threaten the school with closure.
The BPS did not fire staff, but used another turnaround plan. This senseless firing is what Diane is referring to in the passage you quoted.
At PS 109, it is not the teacher’s fault they have no textbooks or curriculum. It’s not their fault there is not enough staff to cover the basics and specials (their free period) consists of movies in the auditorium. It’s not their fault the building is overcrowded. They are spending their own money and time creating a viable program for their students.
Do you believe that if the assessments are low and their evaluations are poor, that they should be fired? Or should they be given the support and resources they need in order to have a chance at success.
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Ellen, I’d welcome your reactions to the questions I raised, earlier today. I think they should be answered before any decision is made about how to proceed. It’s about 13th from the top. I suggest a careful review of several factors.
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Who should be fired??? Please explain your position
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WT, I will say it again: The public school is the anchor of the community, like a public park. If the public park has broken benches and lots of litter, you fix the benches and clean up the litter. It is a park that belongs to the public. You don’t sell the land to a developer. The public school belongs to the community. It is the job of those at the top to make sure it is well-staffed, well-resourced, and has what it needs to supply a good education. You are correct: Public schools should not be closed; they should be improved.
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More Information needed before deciding whether to keep this school open or close the school:
a. What in the view of city inspectors, is the condition of the building? How deteriorated is the main building?
b. If there is significant deterioration, how much would it cost to fix?
c. How nearby are other public schools, district or charter? How much available space do they have?
d. What is the pattern of student attendance over the last 3 years? What is the pattern of faculty attendance over the last 3 years?
e. What is the retention of the school in terms of students and faculty over the last 3-5 years?
f. What does the outside investigation show about the allegations re regular showing ov movies? What efforts have been made to provide good staff development
g. What resources have been made available to the faculty in terms of computers, books, and other materials designed to help students learn.
Finally, What does the investigation find regarding the behavior of the principal (this speaks to whether the principal stays or is dismissed) I would not base a decision on closing the school solely on this issue. But if the assertions are correct, the school needs a new principal.
At least for me, information such as the above should be gathered before deciding what steps should be taken.
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The Buffalo Public Schools have been renovating their school buildings for over ten years. This included the purchase of computers, LCD projectors and smart boards. Several schools were closed and others were used as “swing schools” to house the staff and student bodies of schools which were in the renovation process – sometimes taking two years. (I packed and unpacked the entire library 4 times.) Schools were closed due to a reduction of students from 40,000 to 36,000. There is a combination of neighborhood schools and magnet schools (also private and charter schools). The school buildings belong to the city, not the board of education. Sometimes Charters Schools utilize a school which has been closed, including the parochial schools the Catholic Bishop has shuttered (Buffalo has a large Catholic Population).
Buffalo was once a thriving city especially at the turn of the century (Remember the Pan Am Exhibition of 1901 where McKinley was shot – Edison demonstrated the electric lights during the fair. Sometimes Buffalo is still referred to as The City of Lights.) The opening of the St Lawrence Seaway rerouted traffic from our Waterfront and thus Toronto became a major city and Buffalo declined. My main point is that the schools in Buffalo, some architectural gems (amazing architecture is another plus for our area), are one hundred years old or older. Many of the schools had to be converted from coal to gas (each of those schools had a designated fireman who had to stoke the “furnace” all night). I worked at one of those schools.
The better schools were saved or turned into district offices. It is very difficult to close a school, and neighborhood schools fought very hard to be restored instead of shuttered. If they screamed loud enough, they won the battle. In this case, the school board listened to the irate parents, and acted in their favor (on numerous occasions).
Buffalo is not a city like New York. There are not a lot of tall apartment buildings, but private homes with yards. Sometimes the houses are so big, they are split into three apartments. Many of the houses are old and abandoned, especially in the heart of the city. There is a resurgence as a medical corridor in downtown Buffalo is being built. New construction or remodeling is happening (creating loft apartments out of old warehouses is popular). This could change the dynamics of the BPS. The schools usually have some green space or are near a park (Buffalo has a lot of parks – many designed by Frederick Law Olmsted). Some of the recent builds or renovations have playgrounds and/or courtyards within the school, especially if there is no nearby land.
Student attendance is a big issue. Teacher attendance reflects teacher burnout. The more stress, the more absenteeism. Teachers are allowed to put in for a transfer each year. Their supervisor goes down the seniority list, offers the open slots, and the teacher can choose to stay or go somewhere else. The number of transfers is a direct reflection of the personality of the principal. Sometimes teachers flee to a school with a better reputation, but often they stay at the tougher assignments, banding together to help the neediest (and most difficult) students.
Staff development is provided by the department heads. There are also half days for the students with programs for the teachers in the afternoon. Once a week there are grade level or subject level meetings to discuss items of interest or provide common planning time. There is also a teacher center. Sometimes there are paid in services which teach new skills or approaches to teaching.
Movies are not used as babysitting services so that teachers can have their prep period. Videos of varying lengths are shown as a part of instruction. On occasion, a popular movie might be shown as a reward or before a holiday. This is also done in the suburban schools.
Textbooks are expensive. In some high schools there in one set of books kept in the classroom for in class use. Faculty are afraid to give them to students to take home because they often are not returned. When I did home instruction, I had to beg for a textbook and usually got xeroxed sheets. Even in home instruction, I often lost materials (some my own personal property) which I had loaned out. Elementary schools usually have class sets which stay in school, but workbooks or worksheets which may be sent home to be completed and returned. The major problem is copy paper. There is never enough and the copy machines are often broken or in use. Teachers often buy their own. Each teacher gets between $25 or $50 in petty cash – reimbursed with a receipt – but they spend way more than that on school supplies (just to make their lives easier).
There are good principals and ones to avoid at all costs. The best principals are often “stolen” by the suburbs. If they are not in the building, they are usually at an in service or program. Most schools have assistant principals or a designated teacher who can act as an administrator for the day. (A sub is provided). It would be difficult for an absentee principal to function as they have a really full plate. The new assessments require ALOT of work on their part, not counting their other duties.
The Buffalo Teachers Federation keeps a close watch to make sure substitute teachers are provided when a teacher is absent and that special education classes are in compliance. Teachers can file a grievance if the contract is breached. (It’s funny that the district is strict if the contract goes their way, but seems ignorant when the policy is in the teacher’s favor.)
I know this is long. I hope this answers Joe’s questions and supports Diane’s statement. I’m curious to see how Buffalo compares to other urban schools. Despite our complaints, there are many positive aspects of working here. It’s too bad student test scores don’t reflect this. I hope the readers found my comments somewhat interesting.
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Ellen:
For me, your comments are very helpful and the level of detail is much more helpful than vague generalities.
To what do you attribute the variance in the performance of BPS Principals?
The notion of not being able to take home a textbook is troubling. The current solution seems counter-productive. What alternative approaches have been tried in schools within the BPS and with what results?
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Bernie – Some principals are just plain evil. The power goes to their heads. I worked for one in an elementary school in another district and she makes the principal at PS 106 look like a winner. She took a wonderful faculty and tore them apart. Everyone ended up transferring out to another school in the district. To make matters worse, she was promoted to the high school and afterwards became superintendent. I went to Buffalo because of her. She would find teachers to harass, especially ones seeking tenure. She also took other people’s work and put her name on it. Believe me, she was a disciple of Satan. I still have nightmares.
Most principals in Buffalo come up through the ranks, teacher – assistant principal – principal. Some are born leaders who intuitively know what is best for students and staff, and some just have the wrong focus. Others have good intentions, but don’t have people skills. And there are those who are power hungry and like to manipulate their staff on a whim or as a punishment. Some push too hard, others not enough. In some schools, the assistant principal runs the show (they are supposed to share the work load). It’s all a matter of personality and intent. I worked for one principal who everyone hated, except me and a few others. I ran into her recently and she gave me a hug. We got along great. It’s like with my children – one teacher was fantastic with my oldest, but the next year we had to transfer her sister to another class due to a Mutual dislike between the two. I quickly learned not to judge a teacher’s ability simply on personality dynamics. Yet, there are those who simply haven’t got what it takes.
Principals also have to get tenure (their tenure year is a BIG deal – and the teachers are involved in the process). Not all principals get tenure. There’s at least one current principal who is not returning next year (I hear she’s disappeared – probably using up her sick days). Principals can also be removed if the test scores are too low. And sometimes principals are bumped up to administrative positions in the central office – not always the best ones. Everything has the potential to be political.
Sometimes textbooks are handed out. The trouble is, once they go home, they don’t always come back to school. That’s why the teacher likes a class set. Plus – those textbooks are HEAVY and EXPENSIVE. That’s one positive I see in purchasing students a tablet or even a simple Kindel, then if the textbook could be purchased as an eBook, it would be easier to transport. (I always wondered why the districts have to purchase expensive iPads, when they can buy much cheaper tablets that do the same things.)
I’m not sure what you mean by innovations. Buffalo is constantly trying out new ideas, and the magnet schools provide some unique programs. One school has a greenhouse and a horticulture curriculum. Failing schools close and reopen as a school with a new focus. Seneca Vocational school closed after ninety nine years (they had an avionics program) and reopened as MST – Math, Science, & Technology. It wasn’t elitist, students were enrolled without regard to their abilities. There’s a new school opening soon with an emphasis on the Medical Sciences. Some of the schools are top notch, others are more than difficult (but not due to lack of effort by the staff).
We often wonder if the teachers between the local suburban schools switched places with the urban teachers, (not whether the test results would be different, but) how long they would last. One of those high poverty inner city schools has gone through five or six middle school science teachers so far this year (the school with the “missing” principal), I can’t wait to see what magic those TFA staffers bring to the table.
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Ellen:
Good stuff. Very thought provoking.
Wrt Innovation I was thinking specifically about the textbook issue. Growing up, I never recall “lost or damaged textbooks” being a problem. Looking after stuff is part of growing up. Covering your books and keeping them in good condition was
As to the cost of textbooks, I remain puzzled at the expense of college textbooks. Are school textbooks equally expensive? Like you I am also puzzled at the slow adoption of technology solutions. Why can’t a school district, region or state self-publish? Perhaps Robert Shepherd can provide some insights into these issues.
Your “principal from hell” is an interesting case. Did parents see the same side of her as the teachers? Who was protecting her? To what extent was the district aware of her impact on her staff, beyond the turnover issue?
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About the principal – we all were perplexed on how she got away with her antics. Even the parents didn’t like her, yet she rose to be superintendent. Some of us wondered if she slept her way to the top, others thought blackmail was involved. Perhaps her skills were administrative (they definitely were not people skills). I have no answers. One teacher did sue her, I’m assuming it was settled out of court.
Textbooks are expensive. Last semester my daughter bought a college book for $300 and it wasn’t even bound. Of course, new textbooks can’t be purchased every year. They are kept in use as long as possible. There is a set per pupil budget for each school and textbook requests are made by the teachers (which doesn’t mean they are honored). Some replacement purchases are made each year. Sometimes the departments will purchase books – such as for a new reading or math program or a class set of books for the district – for example, The Great Gatsby for all Juniors or Pride and Prejudice for the Seniors. (Both books can be read for free online through Google Books). Each book is numbered, assigned, and hopefully returned. The student is required to pay a fee for a lost book. Depending on the policy, some schools are better than others on getting them back. Every year some of the books are thrown out the window. Sometimes we don’t find them until too late – sopping wet on the window sill. Bernie – life now is not the same as when we or our children went to school.
As for self publishing, HA! Textbook Publishing is a BIG industry. The new CCSS is a windfall, as all textbooks must be replaced with those which are “meeting the new standards”. Even scarier, is the fact that Texas, a large state, is responsible for some of the curriculum found in the textbooks. Since the book companies use the Texas curriculum as a guide, a small committee of Texans make decisions on what content is included in the science or social studies books. Now that Texas has opted out of CCSS, it will be interesting to see if this continues when the new standards are written for these subjects.
The publishing companies are also pushing library books which are CC friendly. Some titles from the “list” have been reissued and some of the articles from old magazines have been put into anthologies. You can buy a whole set for an exorbitant sum.
So you see Bernie, there is money to be made in all sorts of ways beyond the costs of tests and scoring. (We haven’t even mentioned the cost of computing the teacher “scores” on the APPR to see how “effective” they are.)
Oh Bernie – the world of education is so complex. My stories (ALL true) could make your hair stand on end. Yet, as teachers, we learn to deal with it all, hopefully with a sense of humor. One of my mantras – what doesn’t kill you, makes your stronger.
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Ellen:
My wife was a German and French teacher. She now teaches ESL at our local University to international students. I spend the start of each semester working the Internet to find deals for her and her students for the textbook she uses because the costs are so outrageous. She has built a library of level appropriate reading books for the students the same way – I use abebooks.com to find them and try to do a bulk purchase to minimize shipping costs. She has been very successful at getting them back at the end of the semester.
I do not blame textbook publishers entirely – except for new editions with only cosmetic changes. I do blame those who assign expensive books without recognizing what they are doing to the students. Some of her colleagues require the purchase of books and then hardly use them. The students understandably get annoyed and suspicious at such behavior.
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I’m sure your wife is grateful for your assistance. That’s my let peeve, too. Buying expensive books which aren’t used.
One innovation they do use in high school – The teachers take orders for Review Books for the Regents Exams (from a similar site or maybe the same site you used for your wife’s textbooks). They are inexpensive (about $5) and the teacher uses them at the end of the year to help the students prepare for their finals. This is up to the individual teacher and not the school or district.
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WT, your post is a prime example of why there is so little constructive dialogue about the education “reforms” currently underway.
Reasonable critique of the “reforms” is typically grotesquely mischaracterized, as you have done here.
Dr. Ravitch has NEVER claimed that no one should ever get fired. And the existence of a bad school in no way undercuts the reality of tens of thousands of schools that in fact serve as “anchors of community life” “where parents meet, talk about common problems, work together, and learn the fundamental processes of democratic action.”
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Diane never said anything about no one getting fired or the school closed. her implication is that during Bloomberg’s years, it would have been swept under the carpet. Now the abuses might be investigated and actions taken–that could be firing and replacing people, demanding accountability, revising how the children’s day is spent–and educating them–so you’ve twisted what she has clearly said–that we have some hope for improvement. And again, charters have not been proven to be the answer.
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As an Rockaway resident and education columnist for the community paper, The Wave, and on my blog I began reporting on the situation at this school in 2008. This story only scratches the surface as the principal was bullet proof and protected by lots of higher ups which we are in the process of exposing. Ironically she became the principal under the tenure of one of the 3 recent finalists for chancellor and was protected by that person. Read my blog from yesterday with links back to the 2008 articles. http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2014/01/farina-responds-to-ny-post-on-ps-106.html
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Norm:
Since you are a Rockaway resident and reporter, can you tell us if there was any parental or guardian effort to attempt to correct this situation? And, if so, what happened?
Thanks.
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There are other NYC schools with teflon principals who were allowed to destroy good schools despite many, many efforts by parents and local politicians to have them removed. I always thought that the DOE left those administrators in schools so that they could claim failure and close them.
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This is where THEY need to be held accountable! …and, where was the Board of Health?
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More on the principal of this school: http://nypost.com/2014/01/13/worst-principal-forced-poor-kids-to-pay-for-bizarre-bash/
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The allegations about this principal are truly shocking. As an animal lover I wish no one wore fur, but it is especially galling to read of a school principal wearing furs and ballgowns while her impoverished students languish in wretched conditions.
This whole situation is a great example of how our schools need more oversight and support, not more independence and autonomy.
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OMG….A school named with a Number is an insult in itself….I have never seen anything as bad as this is my entire career! What is going on and how did this happen…Movies all day…Dressing up like brides and grooms…Pathetic….No books…(none here either)…Movies all day….Rat infested…I can not believe NY would ever stoop this low……This is unbelievable…
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I believe most NYC public schools go by a number. I’m not fond of the practice, but it’s nothing unique to this school.
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Despite the number, kids become attached to the school. The middle and high schools often have names. I went to PS 249 in Brooklyn, NY and I repeat the number proudly. In Buffalo, all the schools have numbers, but most of them also have names. We refer to them both ways, but often by the number.
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Unfortunately, if this was allowed to happen here, it probably has been allowed other places as well. Let’s be glad someone is finally doing something about it and move forward.
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I’m sure it’s happened elsewhere. I’m also sure, but I’ll say allegedly, that if the New York Post is publishing the story, they’re hoping for a charter takeover. I hope I’m wrong. But this is an example of how we need to no just blame teachers and unions for our education problems, but the administrators, as well, of public, parochial, and charter schools. Let’s look at how they got to be where they are. I worked for some great administrator who truly cared about the kids and did a great job — and there were those who were downright paranoid, unqualified, cruel and vindictive, and became administrators because they really didn’t like children.
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Can we now openly say what vicious incompetents Bloomberg and his apparatchiks at Tweed were, and that subpoenas should be issued to expose the dirty dealings that went on in the name of “Children First?”
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Bloomberg as a “vicious imcompetent”?
GREAT phrase, Fiorillo!!!!!!!
Mind if I borrow it from time to time?
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Feel free, Robert.
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Kansas City Public Schools are on the chopping block, but a grassroots movements has sprung up to stop it from happening. Please help us get the word out. *** KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A draft report ordered and paid for by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recommends dismantling the long-struggling Kansas City Public School District and replacing it with networks of non-profit schools operated by educators largely independent from a central governing body.
The report, a copy of which was made available to 41 Action News in advance of its public unveiling, represents a radical rethinking of the local school district focused on two core conditions for success: educators run schools, and schools are held accountable.
It calls for replacing the top-down district structure with a much smaller, near purely administrative entity called a Community Schools Office (CSO). The CSO would retain some functions of the current district, including facilities maintenance, enrollment and transportation coordination, but its primary purpose would be to set accountability standards for schools, which would themselves be free to run largely independently, so long as they hit those standards.
Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/education/draft-report-calls-for-state-to-dismantle-kansas-city-public-schools#ixzz2qJ6PSZmF
*** CoalitionforQualityPublicEducation.org ***
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This is a fascinating early test for the de Blasio mayoralty and the Fariña chancellorship.
Failed principals in the Bloomberg era were far too often merely kicked out/up/over to network jobs, jobs in Tweed, or knocked down to AP. What happens with this principal will go a long way toward answering the question of whether Bloomberg was protecting his own, or whether the DOE was simply choosing the path of least resistance in the face of due process and/or arbitrators who do stuff like this: http://ny.chalkbeat.org/2013/09/19/ex-tapco-principal-back-on-city-payroll-after-arbitrators-ruling/
If you are a geography nerd like me, I highly recommend searching Google maps for “PS 106Q” and checking out the satellite and street view views of this school. I’m guessing it has to be one of the ten smallest buildings in the entire DOE system, and it certainly has a one-of-a-kind location.
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Tim:
You’re right about the failed principals. Having worked under two of those, I can vouch for what you are saying.
However, I’m wondering about whether the parents or guardians of those students that attended PS106Q protested, or attempted to try to change the deplorable conditions that their children faced every school day.
What seems to be absent here is their voice.
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Yes, where are the parents?
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On the other hand, a look at the most recent school survey would seem to report Fariña’s assessment. Even though responses can be influenced by principals (especially on the teacher side), this doesn’t paint a picture of a school veering between disarray and utter neglect.
Click to access Survey_2013_Q106.pdf
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. . . and, probably unsurprisingly, Fariña’s report from the visit is that the school isn’t as bad as the NY Post made it out to be, and while the DOE will monitor the situation closely, no sanctions are expected against the school or the principal.
. . . and checking out Rockaway-based Norm Scott’s blog (http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/), it appears that this principal is being protected by a city councilman and the district superintendent.
There is way too much smoke for there not to be a fire with respect to these allegations. If a quarter of what the Post reported is true, this is a lousy outcome for the families and teachers at this school.
Bad Guys 1, The New Sheriff 0.
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angie….help clarify who is what. The link to kshb gives a report from Garrett Haake which, if you know anything about Billionaire Rex Sinquefield, reads like a public relations puff piece. I get the feeling KC is being…..abused…….in the same manner, by some of the people who disenfranchised the voters of st. Louis regarding education issues with their takeover in 2008…..which has left them with worse scholastic achievement levels than Kansas City…..but better accredited because they have friends like Sinquefield and the supposedly democrat Mayor slay.
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Textbook billionaire privatization efforts going on in many states, including Missouri. Do not worry about public schools which need corrective action……..don’t just do something…..stand there!……and reap the benefits to your agenda from the public outrage. The same principle is being used in Missouri with the (four letter noun) of Kansas City.
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This is most troubling. Sandy victims saw only a fraction of the $60billion in aid passed by Congress. Yet our govt. keeps doling out billions to foreign govt. It keeps finding money to reward the states that signed onto the rotten CC.
And all the money wasted on high stakes testing and the CC when the CC has so many problems. (Teachers in some districts are under a gag rule – forbidden to talk about the CC. Do a Google search.) Then there is the high stakes testing which is destroying the self-image of so many children-cruel! (No other country tests their children like the US. Google for verification.) We have money for testing but not for teachers to teach, no money to clean up the schools suffering from Sandy but we have money to waste on insane tests and the rotten CC.
Besides wasting money on asinine testing add to that the Sequester that forced so many districts to lay off teachers for this present school year. When are we going to tell the corporate world and the govt. that we don’t want grants with strings attached. When are we going to stop this insanity. The money that the govt. is bribing states with should not be the govt.’s hands to play with- to withhold if they don’t sign on to the rotten CC. Release the the entire $60 billion to the Sandy victims immediately!!!!!
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There were many schools the Bloomberg administration forgot. This is only a drop in the the bucket. The only reason Farina is sending someone to investigate so quickly is because it ended up in the news.
Since some of the DOE bigwigs under Bloomberg who are still bigwigs now, do we honestly think they will do anything since they were asleep at the wheel all this time???
There was a failure at all levels. Farina needs to clean house at the DOE. All new Deputy Chancellors for a fresh new start and the promise that children WILL be put first once and for all.
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I would love to know how many teachers there were Teach for America teachers. My guess is there are many. They don’t know anything different and would probably be afraid to speak up.
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If this is not the epitome of educational neglect and child abuse, I don’t know what is. Someone in government must be held accountable for these past actions.
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Since it was former Mayor Bloomberg that had Mayoral control of the NYC schools, it is BLOOMBERG that should be held accountable for this atrocity.
Don’t hold your breath, however, waiting for any of the press in NYC to call our ex- Mayor out on this.
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Imagine if this was happening at a public charter school. Then the school should be shut despite being public, yet when its a zoned school, everything is ok, just fix it.
Double Standard!
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MS, charter schools are not public schools. They are operated by private corporations with contracts with the state.
Under the regulations of the NY State Education Department, charter schools are not required to provide Academic Intervention Services, because they are “nonpublic schools”
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As noted before, the public education program of many states includes a variety of schools, not all of them controlled by an elected local school board. These include
* statewide schools for special populations, such as students who are deaf, blind, unusually gifted in some field such as the arts or science/math
* colleges and universities, where students can take courses while still in high school, sometimes even earning an A.A. degree before graduating from high schools
* statewide virtual schools, sometimes operated by a state agency
* charter schools
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DIane By law, charter schools in NYState are public schools. I have provided the text of the law to you on this site and you have willingly ignored it for the obvious purpose of protecting your failed argument.
Charter schools are public schools, they can not charge tuition nor make a profit by law, they also operate on public funds with a student base made up of public schools children.
Interesting though, if a success academy was in the ps 106 building and getting their spectacular results you would want to shut SA instead of 106. Very obvious whos on the wrong side of this debate.
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MS: I repeat: Charter schools are not public schools. They say in federal court that they are not public schools. They say before the NLRB that they are not public schools. When a married couple who ran a charter school was convicted in a California court of misappropriating $200,000, the California Charter School Association entered an amicus brief saying they should not be convicted under state law because charter schools are not public schools.
I get it: They are public schools for getting the public’s money, but nonpublic schools when it comes to obeying state law.
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As noted previously, states have different arrangements for schools that are part of their public education program.
* state sponsored schools in the arts or math/science, for example, don’t follow all the same rules as district public schools
* colleges and universities that provide courses for high school students don’t follow all the same rules as district public schools
* district public schools don’t follow all the same rules. Some are allowed to have admissions tests. Some must accept everyone who wants to attend.
* state run virtual schools don’t follow at the same rules as district run schools.
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MS, I didn’t hear anyone clamoring to shut down PS 106, just to look at the issues which plague it and see what needs to be done to fix things. What is happening there is not a normal scenario.
Right or wrong, the funding of Charter schools is hurting public education. The first order of business is to find a different money source to finance the charter movement, not on the back of the public school system. Whether charters are public or private, or a combination of the two, they need to be regulated, so that they cannot be accused of inappropriate behaviors. I am not necessarily referring to Success Academies, but to charter schools in general, especially for ones that are “for profit” institutions.
I am sure there are many community charter schools developed to meet the needs of a special population. Not all charters are nationwide conglomerates. But, as in any new concept, the charter movement needs to be monitored for both effectiveness and accountability.
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Diane, you can repeat whatever you want over and over, that does not make it true. What you need to do is stop believeing your own fallacies and education yourself on the reality. I will help. Here is the NYState Charter Law:
http://law.onecle.com/new-york/education/EDN02853_2853.html
Just go three paragraphs in and you reach this little nugget of information that utterly debases your claim that public charter schools in this great state are not public schools:
“(c) A charter school shall be deemed an independent and autonomous public school, except as otherwise provided in this article. The charter entity and the board of regents shall be deemed to be the public agents
authorized to supervise and oversee the charter school.
(d) The powers granted to a charter school under this article
constitute the performance of essential public purposes and governmental purposes of this state. A charter school shall be exempt to the same extent as other public schools from all taxation, fees, assessments or special ad valorem levies on its earnings and its property, including property leased by the charter school.”
So, unfortunately for you, this belief that public charter schools in NY are no public schools, is pattently false. Why do you continue to parrot a clearly incorrect belief? Is it that you know you are wrong and choose to ignore the facts to pursue your agenda, or are you actually ignorant of the fact that you are wrong on this?
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“A charter school shall be deemed an independent and autonomous public school, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE.”
What happened MS, didn’t you think we’d read what you posted? Or did you think we’d been taught by TFAers?
That “otherwise provided” stuff merely has to do with minor details like governance, responsibilities regarding government mandates and accountability.
Try again, please.
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Micheal, Clearly you did not read the law, or you did and do not grasp it, or you do and are being wilfully ignorant of it like so many on this blog. The exemptions in the law need to be granted by the Dept of Ed based on issues like transportation or private ownership, something that does not exist in charters like Success. If you are truly lost on the meaning I suggest you take more time and reread the law, perhaps it will ‘sink in’.
The law is very clean in this regard, Public charter schools like Success Academy, by legal definition, are public schools. The truth is this fact proves the anit-charter movement really cares little about the children and more about maintaining their perch in power. If this isnt proof positive then why does the anti-choice extremist left oppose public charters being involved in the pre-k program that the mayor is proposing? Its for the children, but only in the schools the anti choice folks control. Some double standard.
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Nice try, MS, but you’ll get no traction here when you try to claim charter schools are public schools, especially when court cases have clearly established they are not. Charter schools only claim to be public to get money. When they have to account for that money or follow the rules set for true public schools, they start whining and claim they are not public schools, therefore they do not have to comply. There’s your double standard. But troll on!
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Charters like Success Academy are regulated by the NY State Board of Regents as well as the Department of Ed. The BoE receives independent audits of SA’s finances annually and their tax returns are of public record. SA has never claimed that it is not a public school. They also face the threat of having their charter pulled if they do not meet specific academic standards they set forth.
In reality, you do not care about the tremendous oversight that charters like SA have, you just want to initiate withchunts to try to drain their resources.
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If the story in the NYP is reasonably accurate then there appears to be a whole slew of folks who are culpable to some degree. While the Principal is the obvious focal point the District Superintendent and anybody else in the chain is also responsible for either knowing and not doing anything or not knowing. I am also interested as to what if anything the Union had to say about what was happening. In short a rapid and thorough investigation is needed.
Finally, WT’s comments are simply ludicrous and pitiful.
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Bernie – perhaps WT was playing devil’s advocate. If not, then he is either uninformed, purposely deceptive, or an idiot (as per definition previously given in one post or another – I think by Robert).
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Everyone
This is a must read
http://stopcommoncorenc.org/2014/01/13/must-read-letter-school-board-member/
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“A charter school shall be deemed an independent and autonomous public school, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE.” This reminds me of the multinationals who argue the laws say they should have tax loopholes to avoid taxation; of course, because they wrote the laws through high-paid lawyers and lobbyists; it’s the same for charter schools–they wrote their own laws with their favorite politicians to their own benefit. Why should charters be autonomous while accepting tax-money and having tax-exempt status; they want public teachers and unions to be held accountable for performance, but not for them. We have real double standards here. These are private schools taking public money. We don’t know the curriculum in many cases, the teachers aren’t certified in many cases, CEO’s are making a profit for themselves while avoiding taxes. What is truly amazing to me is that we have no money for our public schools, but somehow we have plenty for charters. It’s also the same argument we here everywhere today by the privatizers: no money for pensions or Social Security, but we should hand over whatever we do have it to Wall Street for profit.
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Sharsand2013,
Don’t forget that the NYC Charter School Association fought in state court to prevent the NY state comptroller from auditing their use of public funds. They won. The state legislature momentarily defied the hedge fund managers whose campaign funds they crave and changed the law to permit public audits of public funds.
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LOL, you really dont have your facts strait. THe NYC CSA won because dinapoli’s audit was a union backed witchhunt. NY Charters are already auditted annually and reviewed by the Board of Regents as well as the Dept of Ed. Why didnt dinapoli simply ask them for the results instead of demanding an individal audit of one specific school.
The attempted audit was frivilous in nature and rightfully defeated in the court of law. The CSA never argued that they are not public schools in the suit, only that they are not to be audited on sepcial exemptions (translation=political witchhunts) by the comptroller.
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IMagine living in PS 106 zone and having a child go there, then imagine being lucky enough to get your child out of the disaster of a school and into a charter that opened up nearby or possibly in the same building. Now imagine your child growing educationally and seeing them actually enjoy school, see their skill sets in every area taught develop much faster, see real results and a future for your child. This is what public charter parents citywide are feeling by the tens to hundreds of thousands.
Now imagine waking up and hearing your new mayor tell you that he wants to shut down your life saving public charter school and force your child back into the ps106’s of the city Now realizing that the top notch education you have been receiving will be taken away from you by those who oppose you having a choice for your child. Being told that it is really the public charter school that is the enemy. This is the sad reality the parents of 70,000+ students are realzing with this humiliation of a mayor taking over.
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“life saving public charter school ”
Paid troll?
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Now that a new administration has taken over, what has happened with this school?
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Followup in NY Times to this story:
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