You almost have to feel sorry for Cathie Black. Almost. All she wanted to do was run the New York Department of Education in peace and instead all she gets are boos, angry parents and, now, threats her new job might not be hers for long. Remember how she had to get a waiver to take the job because she wasn't qualified? And how parents swore they'd appeal when she got it? Well, it looks like they're living up to their threat.
A group of lawmakers and child advocates, the Deny the Waiver Coalition, are planning to announce tomorrow from the steps of the Tweed Courthouse that they are appealing a lower court's decision on Black's waiver, hoping to push her out of the job.
If they succeed and Black's waiver is revoked, she'd have to step down immediately. Which doesn't really have the Coalition worried. Their lawyer makes the sound argument to the Observer that by design Bloomberg and the Department have "surrounded her with a bunch of people who are qualified to run the school system. If they're all as qualified as they say they are, which they certainly seem to be, then they can last for a couple weeks while they find a replacement for her."
The appellate court will decide on the appeal on March 15th. The Ides of March.
Beware.
You do almost have to feel sorry for her. I was talking to my UFT friend in their break room yesterday. We couldn't understand why Cathie Black would want this job where everyone is against her. She had a decent job before becoming chancellor with not this kind of drama at least where she is constantly in the media spotlight.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why she is not voluntarily stepping down on her own. She looks foolish for staying in this position.
I don't feel sorry for her at all. She took the felicitations of her cocktail party friends and Oprah, of all people, and judged with confidence that it was the equivalent of the approval of the public at large. She has not a single thought or opinion about public education that didn't come from someone else's (ahem, cough, BloomKlein), and her "op-ed" today in the Daily News is fraught with factual errors. She carries herself with no grace, comports herself with no dignity, and condescends to the very public to which she is in service. If I had an ounce of sympathy for her, which I do not, I might forgive her transgressions in recognition of the fact that it's BloomKlein's fault. It's about time that the bloom came off the berg (pardon the pun), tat NYers are finally taking their rose-colored glasses off and seeing him for the noxious, toxic, bastard that he is. No, I don't feel sorry for Cathie Black. She knew or should have know what she was getting herself into. Now let's see if she can gracefully get herself out of it, or if the judiciary will finally do the right thing and boot her out for us. Given the crimes that BloomKlein has committed, let's see if there are any legal specialists out there willing to bring criminal and/or civil charges against them on behaof the parents, schoolchildren, and teachers who have been hurt under their watch. Screw 'em all.
ReplyDeleteI say, screw 'em all - in case others misread it - screw Bloomberg, screw Klein, screw Black, and all their cronies. The parents, schoolchildren, and public school teachers of NYC deserve much much better.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a post about what makes a qualified and effective teacher, and how its not about age.
ReplyDeleteWould it be all right if you helped this publish this post? I am trying to convey a point here and hope the message be spread.
Thank you.
http://talesofasweetgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-makes-effective-and-qualified.html
@Tracie - if you're anti-union and anti-seniority, then it's all bullshit. If you're a young "effective" teacher then you have nothing to worry about because you should be able to get tenure on time. The job protections that the "young, effective" crowd want to abolish are the same job protections that the "young, effective" crowd will want some day when they are no longer "young" but hopefully still "effective." But by that point it won't matter because you will have screwed the generation above you out of their jobs, just like the generation after you will screw you out of yours.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel one bit sorry for Black--but I hope she stays around to embarrass Bloomberg for a while. God knows who he would pick for her replacement too.
ReplyDelete