New York Badass Teachers Association
For Immediate Release – October 29, 2014
Information Contact
Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager
Melissa Tomlinson, Asst. General Manager
contact.batmanager@gmail.com
NEW YORK BADASS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OUTRAGED AT CUOMO’S COMMENTS TO “BREAK” PUBLIC EDUCATION!
The New York State Badass Teachers Association, an organization of over 2000 educators, was enraged today to read comments made by Governor Cuomo to the Daily News editorial board [http://m.nydailynews.com/…/cuomo-vows-bust-school-monopoly-…]. It was reported that Governor Cuomo stated emphatically that he would “break” the state’s public school system. His plan to end this “public monopoly” would include expanding charters, tougher teacher evaluations, and a continued agenda to punish the children and families who choose to attend New York’s public schools.
We have already endured a roll-out of evaluations Cuomo himself has called “a disaster.” Its byzantine algorithms fraught with inaccuracy and called “arbitrary and capricious” are in a legal challenge announced this week. Even more absurdly, the current evaluations actually attribute student test scores in Math and English Language Arts to teachers of other subjects, such as music, art, gym, foreign language, and others.
Schools that struggle with high poverty rates have been hit hardest under Cuomo’s education agenda. This needs to be investigated fully as a civil rights violation mandated by Cuomo towards our children that attend these struggling schools.
NY teacher Jamy Brice Hyde stated, “Public schools are not a business therefore not a monopoly. The monopoly is in the Charter school movement where public tax dollars go to private business. THIS IS TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.”
“Charters do not in any way get held accountable by any objective evaluation or standard–nor are they compelled to follow Common Core or any other state mandate. That’s like having a race where one runner has to carry a cannon ball while the other gets to use roller skates,” stated former NY teacher Steve Corso.
Bronx teacher Aixa Rodriguez and BAT DREAM Manager commented strongly, “Cuomo is once again giving into special interests and attacking public education, teachers unions, and therefore parents and children.”
Cuomo’s choice of words shows a distorted understanding of public versus private enterprise. Matt Steiniger adds “To call public education a monopoly is to presume that education is a marketplace. The implication here is that there is profit to be gained. Education is a public good. The only people that should be allowed to exploit education for personal gain are the students.”
Finally, NY BAT Sue Parla commented, “ I wonder why Cuomo is fighting so hard against teachers when he could be opening a dialog with us to find out what will truly help our schools. The underlying issue is those who are funding his campaign. He puts their desire to make money off privatization over the needs of children.”
New York teachers go to the polls on Tuesday to vote. No teacher in New York State should vote for Cuomo. NY BATs have officially endorsed the Hawkins/Jones Green Party ticket for their support of public education, its children, parents, and teachers. VOTE GREEN!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Voter turnout matters. Do it.
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The “monopoly” refers to the fact that most neighborhood schools get students and money because there is no other choice. In that sense of the word, most district schools are monopolies within their towns or neighborhoods
As for “taxation without representation”, it is true that charters don’t have elected Boards. However, the elected Boards are the ones that set their budgets, and our parents “vote” for our schools with their most precious assets, their children.
Contrary to what was stated above, charters in NY have to follow the same curriculum and take the same tests as district schools.
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Here comes another “Dear John” letter:
Charters also get to “counsel out” children who are not a good “fit”.
No locally elected board means far less transparency and far less of a say in how the charter allocates and manages money and other resources. I am not talking about mandates the charter has to meet with the state or federal government, but an referring to answering to tax payers and parents within the municipality.
Charters can also hire people without full degrees or full credentials.
And it is perverse to characterize children as a symbol of voting or to refer them and objectify them as an asset. If you really want to get into semantics here, John, assuming you are cognitively adept enough at parsing out nuances, everyone is precious. My intern and cardiologist are precious to me, and they are not children, nor do I think it would be prudent if they were and I were under their care.
Most humans and living things are precious in different ways and under different circumstances.
Please don’t use children as a shield to deflect the philosophical and moral bullets hurled at you.
If you feel that strongly about children as human capital, please consider stuffing yours into a portfolio and mailing him/her to Wall Street and let the free unfettered tax loop holed market determine his/her future.
It’s a child, right? So, John, isn’t the asset worth a gamble?
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Robert,
My point was that a parent deciding to send their child to a charter school is much more valuable a “vote” than a taxpayer voting for a school board candidate.
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In theory that sounds nice. But in practice charters cut corners in terms of who they accept and keep. Moreover, even if they are technically non-profit – although many are for profit- they do not have the over-sight of public schools, and the profit motive “creeps”; Wall street has found the new, $500 billion dollar honey pot. This was done in Bolivia and the end game was poor kids losing out. If a public school does not work well then the public can change that.
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John,
I know exactly what your point was, and . . . . .
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Robert Rendo: keep fighting the good fight, although it can be hard to make any clear points when one is deluged with word salad.
Let’s get REAL, not RHEEAL (even in a Johnsonally sort of way)…
Midyear dump. Charters choose to do it to public schools; public schools can’t do it to charters. Great how “choice but no voice” [thank you, Chiara!] works out in practice as a one-way street to immoral and unethical behavior…
😡
For one small sample of this charter practice, see this blog, comments section—
Link: https://dianeravitch.net/2014/02/15/reader-offers-a-dose-of-common-sense-about-high-test-scores/
And don’t forget the paltry sums that charter operators like, say, Saint Eva M of $tudent $ucce$$ fame, get for their herculean labors on behalf of the kids. At this point, according to latest info, for one twentieth the number of students that NYC Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña has to look after, she gets 2 1/2 times the salary. According to the latest charter/privatizer math, that’s 20 x 2.5 = Eva M is 50 times better than Carmen F!
😱
And let me refer shills and trolls to a blog posting of 11-16-2013 on this blog, “Ohio Charter Schools: Are They Accountable?” The entire posting follows. *I refer interested readers to google this blog, comments by Chiara on the 150 exemptions.*
[posting start]
The invaluable blogger Plunderbund in Ohio posted a description of the 150 state education laws from which charter schools are exempt. Are charter schools more accountable than public schools? Well, that depends on how you defend “accountable,” and how you define “public.”
The question remains for Ohio’s leaders: If exemption from state laws and regulations and mandates is such a good thing, why don’t they get rid of unnecessary laws that apply to public schools?
[posting end]
😏
But then, charters are inherently gooderer [charter spelling, like charter math, is very ‘flexible’] than public schools so of course it’s not hypocritical and self-serving for there to be different requirements/onerous burdens/straightjackets for charters and public schools. At least, not when one is affected by Rheeality Distortions Fields. One standard for mine, another for thine. Or as George Orwell put it:
“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
And if one even thinks of challenging those double standards?
“I reject that mind-set.” [Michelle Rhee]
I knew she would say that…
😎
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Krazy and Robert:
Don’t you think it boils down to what’s trendy and what’s popular? Americans tend to have a sophomoric mindset if we find something to be appealing because of peer pressure and keeping up with the Joneses.
In my town, I have witnessed caving into the man-made storm clouds of charters and I perceive it as nothing more (and nothing less) than trendiness. No different than buying the latest Pokemon cards or gel bracelets.
We have to keep fighting. But I am learning to avoid the weeds on talking with crowd followers. They know they cool!!! (Just like they were cool when they got their new Vans or their first pair of Aviator Ray Bans). Marketing has reached a new high (or low) in American life.
And you are so right, Robert, about every life being precious. Hiding behind children as a rationale for following trends is desperate.
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And by man-made storm clouds I mean the ones that have both contributed to the impulse of leaving public schools behind, and the ones that are not forcing public schools into a corner (RttT and the hysteria that A Nation At Risk brought). To many, charters look like shelter in a storm and that’s exactly what the plan was. Also, the storm clouds of decade-old racism that created undesirable neighborhood schools for many.
I didn’t mean charters themselves are storm clouds (although some of them are twisters!! And some do block out the sun).
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Now forcing public schools into a corner (not “not”–autocorrect)
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There seems to be some concern about which students traditional public schools in New York will accept: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/nyregion/rules-and-paperwork-keep-long-islands-immigrant-children-from-classroom.html?_r=0
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Every day, there’s a line of Hondurans going halfway down the block waiting outside the NYC consulate. Women and children, mainly. Pedestrians find it very annoying to have to navigate through them while looking at their phones.
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TE, here is a recent example of a $25,000/student district that did a massive sweep to check the papers of kids it had already enrolled!
Click to access Re-registration%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Mind you, this was all done in the best interests of children.
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I was on the BATs page earlier and I am stunned by the number of teachers in support of Astrorino. I was also saddened by how uninformed some of my fellow educators are. Maybe they are so stressed from their duties and lack of time (I know I was when I was working) that they have not taken the time to educate themselves. We all have the right to our opinions, but Astorino’s record is just as bad as Cuomo’s.
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Please someone explain why this is not covered by regional and national news outlets. Where are you Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper etc. This issue is massive and even though the groundswell of disgust is growing, it is not strong enough. It’s the same in California. HELP!
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This should be a national scandal. Unfortunately they are all in bed together, frolicking in huge pile of cash. Its the plutocrats version of Omerta. The great green ($) wall of silence.
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I would agree that the lack of coverage of charter school corruption and unethical behavior is really disheartening. The NYT chose to run a fluff piece on Eva Moskowitz, while it took a teacher/blogger to publish the names of the donors to these “grass roots” charter organizations. Sadly, this information seemed fairly easy to get. The NYT’s lack of attention to this issue makes me wonder what underhanded back room discussions may be going on there.
I wish someone would run ads against Eva Moskowitz using all the various attrition stats, etc. and horrible stories from co-located schools and “counseled out” students. I think that would turn the tide on her schools very quickly. The ads she runs appeal to those ignorant of the issues, but I think that if these ads informed people of the reality, public opinion would turn more aggressively against her and her schools.
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Same problem in Ohio, Fordham gets lots of space, in newspaper columns, but the oligarchs, that fund them, like the Waltons, never get identified. The middle income workers who pooled resources to research the failure of charters (Knowyourcharter.com) get a little newspaper space and a headline that references their critics. Then, to add insult to injury, the reporter quotes Fordham about the unfair treatment (of plutocratic initiatives).
The Plain Dealer endorsed Kasich, removed the media’s video, that showed Kasich acting like a petulant child. Then, the PD threatened the group that reposted the video.
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Thank you Diane Ravitch, for writing what is important!
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Thank you for all your support Diane!! We are working hard to get the message out! ^0^
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Diane, Thank you so much for your continued support of educators everywhere! BATs appreciate you! ^0^
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Brian Williams is busy interviewing singer John Legend about the benefits of charter schools.
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Brian Williams introduced NBC Education Nation a couple of years ago by saying,”Bill Gates is paying for this show and we are using his facts.” Words to that effect.
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Taylor Swift announced yesterday she is giving all the proceeds of one of her latest songs to NY City Public Schools. I don’t know that much about Taylor Swift, but it was really encouraging to hear that there is actually one performer out there speaking in favor of public schools. I hope with her celebrity status, she’ll also be interviewed and the public will learn more about her concern for public education. I will remain hopeful of her intentions until I learn more. John Legend’s music is great, but very unfortunate he isn’t giving his attention to our public schools. I hope he becomes more informed.
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I’m glad to have both of them paying attention to education and supporting public schools.
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I am so proud to be a BAT!! Thank you so much Dr. Ravitch for all the support!
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Thank you so much for acknowledging what we educators see every day. I am so confused; how does Leave(ing) No Child Behind square up with these horrible measures that only increase the gap between families of wealth and families in poverty?
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Thank you so much for your support of public education employees and students. ^0^
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Thank you Diane! We are blessed to have you fighting for and with us!
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Thank you!!!
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Much gratitude to you for keeping the spotlight on what the true fight is about.
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Thank you, Diane Ravitch, for printing this and supporting public education! ^0^
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Thanks Diane for posting this. You are a true teachers friend.
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Thank you so much Diane! Once again, like countless times before, your support is the rallying cry for so many teachers whose voices have been squelched by corporate reform corrupting public education!
You are my inspiration!
Dan Leopold,
Music Teacher in District 75 in the Bronx
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As one who gre up in NY & was educated in better days, wish I could vote. I would definitely vir Green party. I could not in good conscience vote for Astorino no more than I could have voted for Romney despite loathing Obama’s ed policy), knowing that Astorino’s ed policy is at least as bad as Cuomo’s. At least a vote for Green sends a message to Cuomo that he doesn’t have a mandate.
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Thanks for your support Diane. I’m going Green Tuesday!
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Cuomo is really not a deep thinker and the media have not held him accountable for the glaring inconsistency in his thinking and message. At the same time he tells us that we have “too many governments” and that their inefficiency drives up local property taxes, Cuomo spouts off about greatly expanding Cheater Schools. Each one of those Cheater School Boards represents one more governing entity don’t they Mr. Cuomo?. Each one of those Cheater Schools contributes to a less efficient “system” for providing education don’t they Mr. Cuomo? Many of our current NYC Cheater School students are housed in facilities for which taxpayers are paying $18,000 in rent per pupil–now that is efficient right Lil’ Mario? During his first year in office Cuomo used Superintendent salaries to distract the media–but he seems to have not problem with Eva Moskowitz being paid in excess of $500K while dealing with fewer than 3% of the students Chancellor Farina is responsible for (Farina is paid $212K)! If media began to ask Cuomo any of these questions he would look even more foolish than he does based upon his last remarks. We do not have realistic options to take Cuomo out–best vote for all educators (and there families) next Tuesday is to fly with the Hawk. We need to send this hard headed, and hard hearted megalomaniac as strong a message as possible!
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The “BATS” should be thankful: if somehow New Yorkers didn’t know where Cuomo stands on public education, now they do. Tuesday’s election is essentially a referendum on the issue. If the citizens of New York–all of whom are stakeholders in public education–reject his views, they will reject his bid for a second term.
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Your premise is ridiculous. As if this is really a one issue election in a state as diverse and complex as New York. Nice try setting up your strawman election. Cuomo wins and you will conclude that it will be a mandate for ALL of Cuomo’s positions and policies, including his desire to “bust the monopoly” of the public schools. Labeling every single voter as a stakeholder in public education may not be technically wrong, but it certainly is not the only factor influencing their votes. Your false assumption that all voters/stakeholders are properly informed on this latest rant is just one more flaw in your overly simplistic and rather naive conclusion. My guess is you do know better and just like to stir it up around here. Cheers T.
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There is a Stop Common Core ballot line, for crying out loud. Education is a big part of this election.
I wouldn’t interpret a Cuomo win as a mandate. He can’t make substantial changes without the legislature. However, he is sending out this message–monopoly, high-spending–precisely because he believes it will appeal to voters. If he is wrong, it should be reflected in the election results.
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Cuomo is way ahead in the polls (spread is > 20 points on most major polls)
He certainly did not need to say what he did about “busting the public education monopoly” to get re-elected .
Even if the election were close — and it’s not — it’s not at all clear that what he said would be a winning gamble. It might gain him some R votes but will almost assuredly lose him a lot of D votes.
So it is probably safe to assume that he is setting the stage for his second term.
And while proclaiming his re-election a “referendum on busting public education” would certainly not be justified, that will not prevent Cuomo from making such a claim, or at least claiming something to the effect that “if people really had a problem with my plan to bust public education, they would have voted me out”.
The latter claim would not be justified either, but again, that would not prevent Cuomo from making it.
My guess is that Cuomo is setting the stage so that he can use the election result to claim (unjustifiably) that the election result supported his policy on public schools and charters , which, of course he could not do if he had not made the policy clear before the election.
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All true, but the sad fact is that the average NY voter who will cast a vote for Cuomo likely doesn’t even know where he stands on education. Zephyr Teachout was saying at her appearances that stakeholders (parents, teachers, taxpayers) really have to get more involved in education policy and understand the nuts and bolts because it’s being hijacked right before our eyes by industry just like health care was during the 80s and 90s.
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SomeDAM Poet, I’ll just point out one last time that while this statement represented a new high (or low) in terms of the intensity of Cuomo’s rhetoric on education, nothing at all is new about the fundamentals, and it isn’t much of a change from whatever stage was set in the first term.
The property tax cap was the centerpiece of his 2010 campaign and the signature accomplishment of his first term. While I don’t have any recent public opinion poll data to cite, I believe the majority of New Yorkers view the law positively. The rate of districts that have attempted overrides is low (and it is mostly outliers–the usual wealthy suburban suspects and rural low-cost-of-living ones).
The highlight of his education platform in 2010 was to raise the state charter school cap to 460 and to expand choices for parents. In that campaign a standard line in his stump speech was New York’s high school spending and relatively poor (non disaggregated) results. today overwhelming majority of New Yorkers, including Democrats and even union households, either support or don’t object to charter schools.
I guess you could make a reasonable argument that New Yorkers are in the dark when it comes to charter schools or reform. I don’t think there’s a case to be made that they are being hoodwinked or suckered on the financial issues. They know what they are paying in income and property taxes.
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“A Drew in Mario’s Clothing”
A Drew in Mario’s clothing
Is what the governor is
And really worth the loathing
From Mario and Chris
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After watching Cuomo speak about his educational policies in his recent television campaign ads, I simply, wanted to gag. I can’t wait to vote for Howie Hawkins on Tuesday.
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The reason why I am so against Success Academy is because I fear the limitless arrogance and avarice of both Eva Moskowitz and the billionaires (Gates, Waltons, et al). I believe that ultimately they want all of our children to attend their metric-driven, authoritarian schools. That is except if you can afford to spend $40K for private schools, then of course your children are entitled to a nurturing, standardized test-free environment.
When I heard about the cap NY state has on charter schools, I was somewhat relieved. Then, I remembered how Eva Moskowitz has bought and bullied her way to expand her schools this year, and I realized that if we aren’t vigilant and active, someone is going to ask for charter caps to be lifted. Sure enough it has happened:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/james-merriman-finally-shred-charter-school-cap-article-1.1986372?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+nydnrss/lifestyle/education+(Education
Success Academy tweet:
Success Academy @SuccessCharters Oct 27
Let them learn! It’s time for New York to ditch the charter school cap. http://ow.ly/DoQni #DontStealPossible
This is scary. What can be done to stop these people before they completely ruin public education in New York City?
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NYC schools like mine are in a new crisis because low test scores prevent them from attracting good teachers.
They never should have attached teacher ratings to test scores, but after they did, the inaccuracy was stunning. Cuomo is the biggest critic of the numbers produced by his policy, after 96% of teachers came back with high ratings.
Teachers told him the evaluations were not going to be reliable, we knew he was wasting tax dollars, stealing from schools to pay the testing firms. Now that the evaluation scheme has failed, he vows to spend more tax dollars to paint teachers as the problem.
But teachers are leaving anyway – because of the conditions, high stakes and hostility. The teacher drop out rate has exceeded the student drop out rate.
There are severe shortage areas and hiring difficulties in the schools that need the most support, and Cuomo is making it even worse, stuck in the belief that inner city teachers can magically overcome all of the obstacles to learning if we just threaten them more.
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Reblogged this on 21st Century Theater.
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