NY City Government Offers Peanuts to ECE Members
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
oocCSA News Jan 2015.qxp_2012 CSA News 1/12/16 1:58 PM Page 1 Logan: Bad Recipe for Renewal Schools. P.2 Cannizzaro: Don’t Eliminate Suspensions. P.4 Jan. 2016 Volume 49, Number 5 American Federation NEWS of School Administrators, COUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERVISORS AND ADMINISTRATORS AFL-CIO Local 1 CSA’s PAC: NY City Government Offers Ensuring Peanuts to ECE Members Our Voices BY CLEM RICHARDSON amount, and there is little optimism AND CHUCK WILBANKS ‘It has been a decade about how much the box actually holds. The most concrete offering so far from Are Heard CSA’s efforts to get a contract and a now with no wage the de Blasio administration has been a raise for Early Childhood Education (ECE) one-time, 2.5 percent cost of living members continued through the end of increase, no contract.’ increase, or COLA, to ECE members. BY MARIA SMITH 2015, but a recalcitrant city government While DC 1707, which represents many has offered little that educators and their Early Childhood employees, decided to CSA officers frequently encourage unions can accept. Community Affairs Commissioner accept the COLA as it continues to seek members to donate to the union’s polit- Union officers and Early Childhood Marco Carrión, himself a former commu- a more substantial deal, CSA has rejected ical action committee. Why? What is it members, as well as management, had nity organizer, had little to say on the the offer as a nearly meaningless distrac- for? In the face of giant, well-funded high hopes that the city would present a issue during his minute-long talk in CSA’s tion. lobbying efforts by opponents of organ- meaningful proposal for a raise and a Founders Hall, other than to reiterate a In fact, 1707 members were openly ized labor and those committed to contract at a pivotal meeting held just vague support for ECE members, who calling for a strike at a Dec. meeting, “reforming” public education, is such before Christmas at the Office of Labor have worked for a decade without a con- according to people who were present. an effort even worth it? Here are some Relations. They were disappointed. tract or wage increase. CSA President Ernest Logan, Executive answers to those questions. Similarly, a meeting of CSA ECE members The Office of Labor Relations Vice President Mark Cannizzaro, First Vice The CSA Political Action Committee Dec. 11 had been billed as a chance to Commissioner Bob Lynn has said there President Randi Herman, CSA General (PAC) is the union’s non-partisan polit- hear City officials discuss the group’s long is an “economic box” for ECE members, Counsel David Grandwetter, and Assistant ical action fund. It’s an important tool overdue contract. That too was a letdown. but has not been forthcoming with an Continued on Page 5 CSA uses to ensure our elected officials represent our need for strong educa- tional policies, competitive salaries, ade- quate pension funding and smart class- room practices. The ‘Greening’ of Greenpoint Since federal law prohibits union funds being used to support political Continued on Page 5 Ecological Program Launched in 4 Brooklyn Schools BY MARIA SMITH “Greenpoint Eco-Schools,” a major conservation and recycling program launched in four Brooklyn schools last fall, is the latest step forward in reclaiming the neighborhood from one of the worst envi- ronmental disasters in US history. The pro- gram’s announcement was held in the PS 31 schoolyard with educators, students, parents, community members and guests including Chancellor Carmen Farina and Retiree NYS Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The environmental program, overseen by the National Wildlife Federation in MARIA SMITH Chapter cooperation with the DOE, is funded with n PS 31 celebrated the new program in their schoolyard on Nov. 31 with ecological a $1.75 million grant from a $25 million exhibits, demonstrations, free apple cider and doughnuts. settlement obtained from ExxonMobil in Spring 2010. The New York State Attorney ing a full-time “sustainability coach. ” and studying the marine biology and General’s office sued the oil giant in 2007 “What we are doing is taking money monitoring the pollution of nearby for leaking millions of gallons of oil and from one of the worst environmental dis- Newtown Creek. contaminants into nearby Newtown asters in America to create the next gen- Building sustainability is another goal Program Creek for more than 50 years. The oil eration of environmental stewards,” said of the program. Each school is aiming to giant also agreed to clean up the damage Mr. Schneiderman. reduce waste by 25 percent, decrease 8-PAGE PULLOUT caused by the underground spill. Indeed, before the ceremony began, energy use by 10 percent, and reduce Settlement funds have been dispersed guests watched as 8th-graders observed water usage by five percent annually. SECTION to improve Greenpoint’s environment, mitosis through individual microscopes, “We are able to incorporate environ- through competitive grants such as the paid for courtesy of the settlement funds. mental studies with concrete math, sci- (in Centerfold) DOE proposal. MS 126 students recently built model ence and technology lessons,” said PS31 With the award, local schools PS 31, truss bridges to replace the crumbling Principal Mary Scarlato. “This program PS 34, PS 110 and MS 126 – now have a Kosciusko Bridge over Newtown Creek. not only benefits students but the whole robust environmental curriculum includ- Students are monitoring the pollution Greenpoint community.” Workers Tell Queens School Deductibles Remembering Energy Business Their Stories ‘Rewarded’ Reset in 2016 Irving Natter Scholarship 3 4 6 7 8 oocCSA News Jan 2015.qxp_2012 CSA News 1/12/16 1:58 PM Page 2 2 CSA NEWS Jan. 2016 PRESIDENT’S PAGE What Happened to the Promise? Council of School Supervisors & Administrators The Renewal Schools Plan is a Bad Recipe By Ernest A. Logan American Federation of School Administrators, AFL-CIO, Local 1 hen Chancellor Fariña 360 degrees, but that isn’t all. While the 40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006 Phone: (212) 823-2020 included “trust and a sup- Renewal Principals are doing all this paper- Fax: (212) 962-6130 portive environment” work, they are also being pulled out of their www.csa-nyc.org among her metrics for the schools to DOE and District meetings President city’s 94 Renewal Schools, designed specifically for Renewal Schools. Ernest A. Logan Wyou didn’t find me laughing at her “soft sen- And while in their schools, they are com- Executive Vice President timentality.” After years of being flagellated monly called on to entertain various visiting Mark Cannizzaro by the corporate types at Tweed, educators monitors who want to discuss data from the First Vice President Randi Herman, Ed.D welcomed her promise of “collaboration, not aforementioned alphabet soup. Treasurer competition” and “a culture of continuous At the same time, they are required to Henry Rubio learning and trust.” They were crying out for make sure their schools provide rigorous Secretary respect. Their morale had to be restored if instruction. To help with this, they were sup- Sandy DiTrapani the overall system was to move forward and posed to be supported by a Leadership Vice Presidents the most troubled schools were to succeed. Coach and/or Ambassador AP to fill the Debra Handler Lois Lee It wasn’t easy for me to speak out last year voids. This was to happen in Sept. The Chris Ogno about how glacially the city was moving on a “ambassadors” would be educators who Ronald Williams plan for these struggling schools. It wasn’t would introduce best practices from their Nancy Russo, Retiree Chapter easy for me to tell you in Nov. about how the own schools. To date, only one Ambassador Executive Director Operations belated plan was already faltering. Right AP has been placed in a Renewal School. Erminia Claudio now, it’s actually painful for me to let you know I think this A few coaches have recently appeared, but their roles have General Counsel David Grandwetter School Renewal Plan could be headed for the dead letter file at been perverted. Coaches were to be experienced educators who Comptroller Tweed, which could soon become as bloated as the one they could support Principals as professional colleagues. Instead of Phil Fodera had on Livingston Street. being confidential supports of the Principal, some have been CSA voiced uncompromising support of a Chancellor who turned into accountability officers, engaged in public shaming Executive Director Field Services came out of our ranks and a Mayor devoted to an agenda of Sana Q. Nasser equity. When it came to the hard work of turning around our Field Directors lowest-performing schools, we applauded their campaign to To keep a challenging initiative on Juanita Bass, Stephen Bennett, bring together school leaders, teachers and community part- Mildred Boyce, James Harrigan, Christine Martin, Daisy O’Gorman, ners to transform these schools into community schools that track requires focus and clarity, a Mercedes Qualls would provide a quality education for each student. Assistant Field Directors But to keep such a challenging initiative on track requires streamlined process, and trust. Eleanor Andrew, Mauro Bressi, Laverne Burrowes, Kenneth Llinas focus and clarity, a streamlined process and principal discre- Charles Dluzniewski, Nancy Esposito, tion. Sadly, in the timeworn tradition of the DOE, there are so Aura Gangemi, Ellie Greenberg, many cooks running around the kitchen, the chefs don’t know Ray Gregory, Robert Jeanette, Kate Leonard, Monica McDonald, what kind of dish they’re concocting. So many ingredients and denigrating of Principals to the Chancellor. This has pro- Dorothy Morris, Ralph Santiago, have been tossed into the Renewal recipe, all we have is a duced massive mistrust.