You know who Campbell Brown is: she is the former CNN anchor who wants to get rid of teacher tenure. She apparently thinks that teachers should be fired if someone in charge wants to fire them
You may not know Mike Mignone. He is a veteran middle-school math teacher in Belleville, New Jersey, and also president of his union.
When the school board awarded a contract for $2 million to install a surveillance system (not a security system) to a relative of a school board member, Mike Mignone blew the whistle on the deal.
JJ wrote:
“As Mignone’s lawyer puts it: in October, he found out; in November, he spoke out; in December, tenure charges were filed against him. Mignone, who had always had excellent reviews, suddenly found out he would be up on charges that included (get ready for this one) answering students’ questions about the surveillance system. According to Mignone, his students asked him questions about whether they were being monitored; he took a few minutes out of class and gave them some honest answers. That, in this board’s and this superintendent’s minds, counts as a fireable offense.”
JJ wrote: “Mignone was suspended without pay. The only reason he wasn’t fired on the spot was that he was entitled to a tenure hearing. Last night, the results of that hearing were announced at the New Jersey Education Association’s annual summer meeting: Mignone was cleared of most changes, reinstated, and has been awarded back pay. I can think of no better example of why teachers need tenure than Mike Mignone. This courageous teacher and labor leader stood up for the rights of students and teachers, all while saving the taxpayers millions of dollars. But the only reason he has a job today is because he had earned the right to a fair hearing — the very definition of tenure.”
JJ hopes that Mike Mignone is invited to debate Campbell Brown on national television.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is an excellent example of how tenure gives teachers a chance to stand up and tell their side. It is also important to mention that NJEA organized visible support for Mike reaching out across the state to all members to attend a rally for him. We were all pulling for Mike to persevere in the face of injustice. Thanks for the update! I’m going to summer lead session 2 today with a little more spring in my step.
Mercedes Schneider just posted an in-depth expose of fellow Louisianan Campbell Brown’s background, connections and motivations.
A MUST-READ:
I don’t understand this educ-rats disguising themselves as pro-students. Teachers unions do not hire teachers. The government does the vesting and hiring…so Ms. Brown is barking at the wrong tree.
She should create, with her “power”, a hiring commission to filter candidates that meet criteria to become teachers as per her ” Wall $treet $tandard$”…let see how she does.
It is pathetic that some parents allow these foolish people use them.
Has this made national news?
I’m not holding my breath.
Chris Christie has a sacred mission to destroy tenure, seniority, LIFO, the pension and health benefits. He claims that schools across the nation and in NJ are teeming with ineffective teachers who must be fired now, NOW, blah, blah. Never mind that NJ schools are highly rated by any number of measures and are always in the top tier of schools in the US. Without tenure, falsely accused great teachers would be cast into oblivion. Even with tenure, falsely accused teachers go through hell to get their names and reputations back. Mike Mignone did go through hell for being honest, ethical and forthright. For the rest of his career, he will have to be ever alert to efforts to sabotage him.
Mike should sue the individuals who caused this pain and suffering.
Non-related to my above comment, the word on the street was that there were colleagues who did not support him for fear of retaliation from the board and administration. If this is true, hopefully, they have learned something. I’m really hoping it is not true.
I am sure there are colleagues that could not openly support him who were more vulnerable. Probationary teachers are obvious potential targets who have no union recourse. I would also be watching to see if any teachers get transferred. Vocal support was critical in this case, but is frequently absent. Unions write off probationary teachers and are often slow to respond when they should unless poked. You can’t be a teacher for too long before you hear about or see someone being quietly ushered out the door. “Quiet” is the key word although everyone likes to present it as being “professional.” If you go quietly, it may be easier to find another job. If you make a stink, you had better hope you win because that may be the only place where you can teach, win or lose. Districts do not like “trouble makers.”
I was quietly ushered out the door in my first job in NJ. It was recommended that I resign instead of burning the bridge of recommendation. It led me to a terrific position in another district.
Every admin in the system understands that resignation could mean many things and they also know this tactic, but they cannot hold against you what they don’t know about your situation.
It is better for a non-tenured employee to bow out of a non-permanent position if they face non-renewal. Nobody likes this practice b/c yes, everyone should be given a fighting chance, but the system is not perfect. I, for one, was fortunate to get out of that horrible district when I could–just didn’t realize it at the time.
I would like to see that debate.
Job protections also save the time and expense that it would take for good teachers to fight false claims too. Diane generously wrote about my current situation of being involuntarily transferred to a different teaching position. Had I had no protections, it’s possible I’d have been fired. But, because of them and the fact that I AM a good teacher, they choose not to engage in what would have likely been a lengthy and losing battle. I like to think that me still being in the classroom is what’s best for kids, but if Campbell Brown had her way, I’d probably not be.
Good news for Mike! One brave guy. I’m so happy for him. I’ve been following his story.
This is consistent with much of what is happening in our country now. What ever happened to our Constitution?
THIS is education?
Where is the charterite/privatizer crowd that screams “we can make do with less than those wasteful public schools!” when such an example arises?
A teacher’s job protections were critical in a situation demanding “fiscal responsibility.”
I don’t think this will get aired widely—or at all—by the MSM.
But taking money out of classrooms to advertise the latest and greatest charter franchise—whatever it takes to ensure $tudent $ucce$$.
😡
The loss of Tenure would be another nail in the coffin of excellent Public Education and the corporate money sucking deformers are counting on that! They have already dug the hole in NJ and with their financial control of Chris Christie they were able to first take the schools reserves then cap any increases at 2% along with capping the Superintendent salaries. With increased costs the schools are being squeezed for money and face a decreased pool of quality candidates for Superintendents. The State already chose unqualified puppet Superintendents to run the schools they control and gave us a Broad grad Chris Cerf as commissioner of Education until he found a more lucrative position with the money suckers.
The NJEA has recently awoken and are beginning to fill the hole with full fists but the money suckers are using a backhoe! Hopefully our numerous fists will win out for the sake of Public Education!
New Jersey seems to have a pretty solid whistle-blower law: http://www.nj.gov/health/irb/documents/cepa.pdf.
Watching the interview again, I just caught something telling. In the middle of the interview, Brown makes a quite damning contradiction. I call attention to her use of the pronouns “we” and “our”.
Watch the interview again at, paying attention to the following:
http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2014/08/campbell-brown-lame.html
Pay attention to these two snippets:
(NOTE: CAPITALS for “WE” in the first, and for “OUR” in the second clip, … are mine, JACK)
—————————————————————————————-
00:55 – 01:05
CAMPBELL BROWN: “First, let me just correct something you said. WE (Parents for Educational Justice) are not filing this lawsuit. Seven parents who have kids in public schools in New York state are bringing this lawsuit.”
—————————————————————————————-
Now, here come Brown’s slip-up
—————————————————————————————-
03:47 – 03:52
CAMPBELL BROWN: “Can I just mention some of OUR plaintiffs are out here tonight, too (she gestures to the audience). They’re very happy to be here.”
—————————————————————————————-
Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold on here, Campbell. Three minutes ago, you said that “we”— your group “Parents for Educational Justice”— were not filing the lawsuit, as in that it’s not “our” lawsuit, it’s the plaintiff parents’ lawsuit, and that you’re just giving them a little help. Suddenly, you’re referring to those same plaintiff parents as “our plaintiffs.”
Woopsie-daisy!
Again, notice Brown doesn’t say “the” plaintiffs, as in “the plaintiffs to whom our group is lending support.” She says, “our.” If only Colbert had been quick enough to catch her on that.
Campbell Brown was hoping for a heart-warming, Oprah-show-like cut-away to those minority children plaintiffs sitting in the audience.
No such luck.
However, her attempt to effect that cut-away backfired on Brown as she let loose with the slip-up just described.
Wow, watch this video of billionaire “corporate reformer” Reed Hastings, who openly professes the corporate reformers’ goal of eliminating all democratic control of public schools—via democratically-elected school boards—-and replacing it with private control by him and his allies, where he freely admits there will be so much better off when these private entities provide ZERO transparency to the public, ZERO accountability to the public, etc.—- just give us all the control, leave us alone and trust us, folks….and education will then be so much better… like it is in say, New Orleans… NOT!
Another MUST-WATCH:
Corporate reform does not acknowledge conflicts of interest: We make money, we bring in relatives and friends to make money; what’s the problem?
So, they might need a mini-lesson on why Mike was upset to begin with. It’s called integrity. Not as fancy as “anachronistic” (see Brown-Colbert interview), but much more substantive.
Daily Kos identifies all of the rule exemptions that Ohio’s politicians gave charter schools, in a July 31 article titled, “At What Point Do We Return to Prioritizing Students over Markets”. The article quotes the Cols. Dispatch as saying, 87% of Ohio charter students attend a charter with a ranking of D or F in state performance standards.
Have been watching this story, as well (having been able to do quite a bit of whistle-blowing “in the day,” w/nothing of consequence occurring due to…TENUUUUUURE!!!!
Congratulations, Mike! And, BTW, Campbell Brown would NEVER debate anyone like Mike, just as she-who-must-not-be-named would not debate Diane!
Whistle-blowing and nepotism policies are important to have in place, and they need to be backed by administration and boards. I escaped the public school sector, for now, to go to the private school sector. OMG! The private school sector is 10x more unethical than any public school.