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Conference: ELI: Summer Gray Fellows Movement Oct. 30, Live Leadership Transform Slow On In NYC Program Schools School Safety 3 4 7 9 June 2021 Volume 56, Number 10 American Federation NEWS of School Administrators, COUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERVISORS AND ADMINISTRATORS AFL-CIO Local 1 Remote Option Family Leave Policy Ending, But Other One For All And Questions Remain All For Onesies ratitude continues to BY CHUCK WILBANKS has said all schools will be able to accom- pour in from members modate all students. CSA has already told Gwho’ve been able to On May 24, Mayor Bill de Blasio the mayor and the DOE that this isn’t the avail themselves of the family and Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter case, if current social distancing guide- leave benefit that CSA negoti- announced that there will be no remote lines remain in place. ated in 2020. learning option for the 2021-2022 school What would be the rules on school Anna Nelson, Assistant year, and, as a result, the COVID19- closures, were there to be another out- Principal, Bronx Latin School, based remote accommodations that were break? What of Covid testing of students said, “Luke (left, top) arrived granted to DOE employees this year will and staff? in March and I am really grate- officially sunset on June 30, 2021. Below is the letter Mr. Cannizzaro ful for the generous family The announcement came a week after sent to Mayor de Blasio. At press time, leave policy CSA negotiated. CSA President Mark Cannizzaro had sent CSA was continuing to press the DOE It’s allowed me to spend the the Mayor a letter urging him to provide to provide information on a range of time I needed with him. Here outstanding issues and to communicate he is in his onesie - he loves them to CSA and its members clearly, and CSA and their support for his ‘Lack of concrete answers promptly. mommy!” • • • There was no family leave to critical questions policy in place when Ernest Dear Mayor de Blasio: Logan was a school leader, leaves principals unable I once again write on behalf of New but he shares the grati- York City’s school leaders, as I did in tude that current members to plan for reopening.’ the spring and summer of last year, have for the new benefit. urging you to immediately provide our Here (left) the former CSA educators and public school families President enjoys life with his school communities with essential infor- with essential information about the grandson, Grant Logan. mation, including a formal announce- city’s plans for the 2021-2022 school Stefanie Laursen, Assistant ment about remote learning. CSA was year. The lack of concrete answers to Principal, PS 41, The Stephanie pleased the mayor responded to our the critical and timely questions we’ve A. Vierno School, said, “My union’s concerns. raised in private meetings in recent family and I welcomed our But as one critical question was months leaves principals unable to baby girl, Emilee Drew, in answered, many more loom large on the plan for a successful reopening of January, during what was horizon. Heading the list is clarity about school in the fall. It also leaves our probably the craziest year we social distancing guidelines – the mayor Continued on Page 3 have ever experienced. I would be remiss if I did not thank you. Of all of the gifts that we have received for our daugh- ter, the gift of time that we CSA to DOE: It’s Time were afforded through our new paid parental leave policy was the best. It allowed me to be with her during her first To Honor Your Word! few months, which was even more important to me during BY CHUCK WILBANKS The circumstances under which the a pandemic. I returned to city hasn’t performed its duty makes school this week and everyone The Department of Education has the situation all the more maddening. is doing well! The best added failed to send lump-sum payments to When COVID struck, the ensuing bonus was the happy mail we a large group of recent retirees, forcing lockdown cast a grim shadow over the received with this CSA onesie!” CSA to file a grievance demanding that city’s finances. CSA, cognizant of the Have any stories you’d the city live up to its commitments. challenges facing the city, agreed last like to tell about how family The payment, due in February, was the November to split what should have leave impacted your life? first of two remaining checks guaran- been one payment into two. The first Drop a line to Chuck@csa- teed under CSA’s agreement with the half would be paid in February 2021, nyc.org. city signed in 2014. Continued on Page 10 2 CSA NEWS June 2021 PRESIDENT’S PAGE Looking Back At A Council of School Year Like No Other Supervisors & Administrators American Federation of School Administrators, AFL-CIO, Local 1 Against The Odds, We Accomplished Much. By Mark Cannizzaro 40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006 Phone: (212) 823-2020 t is too soon to know if the CSA’s new paid parental leave agree- Fax: (212) 962-6130 www.csa-nyc.org Pandemic of 2020-21 will trans- ment negotiated last year to give new form us to the extent the Great mothers and fathers 25 work days of President Depression of the early 1930s paid parental leave at 100 percent of Mark Cannizzaro changed our grandparents salary, while accruing annual and sick Executive Vice President or parents. Some of them still save leave. In this year of COVID risk, new Henry Rubio I string from bakery boxes and many parents have been writing us ecstati- First Vice President Rosemarie Sinclair remain frugal beyond what it would cally about the benefit, and the more I Treasurer seem their finances should dictate. I thought about it, the more I wanted to Christopher Ogno can’t yet say if the “elbow bump” will acknowledge their gratitude. So, we are Secretary permanently replace the handshake, bestowing on every CSA baby a new Steffani Fanizzi but I would wager that some of the school-leader onesie (see this month’s Vice Presidents Sam Akel, Jose Garcia, Ramon Gonzalez changes we have seen in education cover pictures). Don’t hesitate to send Lois Lee, Katiana Louissaint will remain. Will we finally prioritize more snapshots of our new CSA family Nancy Russo, Retiree Chapter smaller class sizes and less crowded members! Executive Director Operations buildings? Maybe attention will not Some former members have been Erminia Claudio drift from upgraded ventilation sys- propelled into top leadership posts. General Counsel David Grandwetter tems in all schools and offices. Perhaps, broadband With the sudden resignation of Chancellor Richard access for every child – rich and poor – will be a Carranza, a well-known veteran AP and principal Meisha Executive Director Field Services given. From dreams spring realities. Porter, took over at Tweed. A respected former NYC Sana Q. Nasser Memories will linger. Even when most of us are principal, Betty Rosa, was named State Commissioner of Field Directors vaccinated and our schools are fully open, we aren’t Education, and another former superstar principal, Lester James Harrigan Reginald Landeau, Jr. likely to forget the dizzying start of the past school Dorothy Morris year. Following an abrupt school shut-down the Frank Patterson previous spring, you hoped for a sane start-up in Mercedes Qualls Following abrupt shut-down in spring, Wanda Soto September. Instead, you got a crazy salad of hybrid you hoped for a sane Sept. start-up. Assistant Field Directors learning plans without enough staff to cover them, Beshir Abdellatif, Eleanor Andrew, and looming threats of layoffs. Common sense plans Millie Boyce, Dominic Cipollone, Instead you got layoff threats and a Brian De Vale, Peter Devlin, Nancy Esposito, from CSA and others were cast aside by City Hall. Roberto Flores, Ellie Greenberg, Premature school openings were announced, fol- crazy salad of hybrid learning plans. Ray Gregory, Joseph LaCascia, Kenneth Llinas, lowed by abrupt closings, and sudden re-openings. James McKeon, Monica McDonald, Beverly Pascal-Miller, Steven Resnick, Whipsawed, and watching our members forced to Sandra Solis, Yvonne Williams improvise on everything, CSA, by late September, Young, Jr., was named Chancellor of the New York State cast a unanimous vote of no confidence in the mayor Board of Regents. With the tumultuous national elec- Grievance Director and chancellor for their failure to lead New York City tion in November, a firebrand Bronx principal, Jamaal Dale Kelly through a safe, successful reopening of schools. Bowman, won the race for Congress from New York’s Assistant Directors Carol Atkins, Robert Colon, In the midst of this, you implemented safety proto- Sixteenth District. He soon headed to Washington, a Jermaine Garden cols, scheduled classes, and aligned staff towards crit- highly vocal champion of public education. Director of Communications ical goals. Our role was to protect you against layoffs In the last months, a cascade of good fortune has Craig DiFolco and get the AP hiring freeze lifted, both of which we rained down and we can’t help saying, “It’s about Director of Political Affairs did. We also were able to protect you against personal time.” These blessings erased some of the dread we Gabe Gallucci liability that might have come with opening schools felt in September. President Biden recently signed Assistant Director, Political Affairs Herman Merritt during a global pandemic. We had to convince the into law his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act, which Assistant Director city to stand by school leaders, providing you repre- means widespread access to vaccines.

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