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Weingarten Condemns Firing of 241 D.C. Teachers |
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The announcement today that 241 District of Columbia public school teachers would be fired under the school system’s new evaluation process raises questions about Washington, D.C., School Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s “penchant for firing teachers rather than providing supports to develop their skills,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said. This brings to nearly 600 the number of district teachers Rhee has fired in just over a year.
Weingarten said:
Firing teachers en masse may sound to some like strong action is being taken, but in the absence of real professional supports and valid teacher evaluations systems, it simply perpetuates a destructive and failing strategy.
She said she hopes the recent contract with D.C. teachers, which calls for teachers to receive professional development and other supports throughout their careers, will bring “much-needed changes for District schools.”
Weingarten urged Rhee to follow the lead of school systems that successfully use other tools to develop highly skilled teaching forces “rather than stubbornly adhering to the destructive cycle of ‘fire, hire, repeat.’”
You can read Weingarten’s full statement here.
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I live in DC and across the street from one of the effected schools.
Another piece of Rhee’s plans to remove the WTA and other teachers unions from the DC school district.
The contract was a ploy to make it eaiser, and legal for her to fire these teachers. I’m sure there are plenty of Fenty’s and Rhee’s around the country, and trust me, people are looking at this as a model for how to get rid or teachers unions.
I hope the other unions out here wake up and start supporting before we all continue this abysmal slide to below 10% union density..
Michelle Rhee is a product of the Broad Superintendents Academy. To understand Michelle Rhee, you need to understand Eli Broad. I suggest that readers of this blog learn about him. He gave an interview in the Bloomberg News Letter which is particularly informative. It can be accessed on the web.
Eli Broad, who started his career as an account, is an advocate of the free market. After all, it made him a billionaire. He wants to turn public education into a free market enterprise. Broad believes that a top-down business strategy is the way to do it. The purpose of the Broad Superintendents Academy is to create top-down managers like Michelle Rhee, Debra Gist, and Robert Bobb.
Eli Broad is attempting to dismantle public education. I’m a bean counter just like Eli Broad. I assure you that a public school system which offers teachers $20K to $30K bonuses on top of a 21% salary increase is not sustainable. Such pay-outs will not generate the revenue necessary to continue future salary and bonuses. Schools are not Fortune 500 corporations.
Furthermore, mass firings based on an unproven evaluation tool such as IMPACT seriously threatens to deplete the district work force, as well as draw attention away from factors, other than teacher performance, that are causing students to fail.
Michelle Rhee fired 241 teachers this year and gave 737 teachers notice that they will be fired next year if they don’t improve. The D.C. District teacher work force is only 4,000 teachers. It will not survive such a continuous turnover of personnel.
Parents, your kids are in jeopardy. Wise up before it is too late!
The fact that the Obama Administration, which by the way is located in Washington, D.C., supported the firing of an entire high school teaching staff in Rhode Island and is all for charter schools and other attempts at union busting should not be surprised by this development in D.C.. We should not forget that the leadership of the AFT and the AFL-CIO spent millions (read over 500) of rank and file dues money to get Obama elected and are doing all they can to contain the ranks while jobs are bleeding from union controlled industries. Anyone who still believes that the Democrats are an answer to the capitalist control of the country are either fools or traitors.
Hey! I’m a 3rd generation 37 year, UA Union Plumber, and a 2nd gen combat veteran so I think my labor credentials are as bona Fide as anyone but it’s my opinion that Teachers Unions have been mostly a bad thing for American Labor. This is mostly because the enforcement of negotiated contracts have to be supported by leadership no matter how bad the Teachers performance. After 30 years of right wing anti-labor conspiracy most moron Americans have no knowledge about how Unions have to operate within the contractual confines or suffer legal jeopardy. So as a result most teachers managers are too lazy or stupid or cowardly to do the “hard part” required by a Management position to get rid of the sociopaths and incompetents. So, UNIONS GET THE BLAME! At least Rhee was smart enough to inlude some substantial raises and hopefully this type of accountability will improve the maligned status of teachers and our unions!
In New York City,King Bloomberg, I mean Mayor Bloomberg & the New York Daily News which is run by Mort Zuckerman. They think that this idea would work miricles in NYC. Randi Weingarten was the head of the UFT in NYC>
Merrick Firing of Teachers: Illegal, Unjust, and Disgraceful
By Phyllis C. Murray
On February 20, 2010 the firing of Rhode Island Teachers was termed “Illegal, Unjust, and disgraceful” by columnist James Parker. He stated that “In the middle of the worst job crisis since the Great Depression, more than 90 dedicated professional educators found themselves put out into the street.”
Today, history was repeated as UFT President Michael Mulgrew reported that 25% of the Merrick Academy Staff was recently fired via Fed Ex. Mulgrew referred to this action by Merrick’s board as a grave injustice which was perpetrated against union supporters, union activists, members of the negotiation team, and the chapter leader of Merrick Academy.
“UFT President Michael Mulgrew, joined by parents and dismissed staff of Merrick Academy, today announced the union would seek to have the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) overturn the mass-firing of 11 Merrick staff members in the middle of the employees’ negotiations for a contract. ” http://www.uft.org
“No employees should be fired because they want to be treated fairly. No teachers should be fired for fighting for their students, their colleagues and their community,” said Mulgrew.”
Visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxocGajjRUA&feature=player_embedded
“The Taylor Law grants public employees the right to organize and elect their union representatives. It defines the boundaries for public employers in negotiating and entering into agreements with these public unions. The law also defines the terms for the foundation of the Public Employment Relations Board, a state agency that administers the law in matters related to public strike negotiation.” See: The Taylor Law (Public Employees’ Fair Employment Act) Civil Service Law, Article 14
Furthermore, this law states that public employees shall have the right to be represented by employee organizations to negotiate collectively with their public employers in the determination of their terms and conditions of employment, and the administration of grievances arising thereunder. Therefore, PERB establishes procedures consistent with the provisions of section two hundred seven of this article (which certifies or recognizes an employee organization) upon and after consultation with interested parties, to resolve disputes concerning the representation status of employee organizations.
Thus, PERB was enacted for the purpose of such hearings and inquiries, to administer oaths and affirmations, examine witnesses and documents, take testimony and receive evidence, compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents by the issuance of subpoenas, and delegate such powers to any member of the board or person appointed by the board for the performance of its functions. And the subpoenas shall be regulated and enforced under the civil practice law and rules.
Visit: http://www.perb.state.ny.us/stat.asp#org
UFT President Mulgrew has every right to call upon PERB as he seeks redress for the Merrick Staff whose basic human rights were taken away. And with the tenacity of President Michael Mulgrew at the helm of the UFT: a union that never sleeps, we can be assured that justice will prevail. Press on. Adelante!
Phyllis C. Murray,
UFT Chapter Leader
District 8