Former Chicago TU Pres Debbie Lynch Calls for Arne Duncan Resignation.
Lynch, who was CTU president from 2001-04 and ran and lost in '07 and '10 and is now a delegate from a college, made a special resolution calling for Duncan resignation. This came as a surprise to Randi and pretty much everyone in the house it seems since there was already a planned similar reso, as pointed out by Randi, that she knew about in advance. She suggested they be combined. They are finishing the committee nursing resos.
I think I reported earlier that word was out that the leadership would not openly oppose this -- as some have pointed out - the AFT never likes to look less militant than the NEA, which called for the end of Duncan's reign. And so it is Lynch at mic captures the limelight. Needing a 2/3 vote to put on agenda tomorrow's calendar, it passes unanimously. Will be on agenda tomorrow.
Of course, since Randi Weingarten just spent last Monday standing next to Duncan as he trotted out his "Educator Excellence Equity Project," I don't think this resolution has any real meaning other than, as Norm says, the AFT leadership doesn't want to look less militant than the NEA's, and they want to throw a bone to the rank-and-file.
Frankly, I don't care whether Duncan stays or goes.
Duncan isn't the problem.
His boss, Barack Obama, and the billionaires who put him into office, are.
Whether Duncan stays or goes (and he likely stays for the next two years), nothing is going to change policy-wise out of the Obama administration - they're not turning back on six years of deform work.
So it's cool that the AFT seemingly will call for Arne's ouster, but it doesn't have any real practical effect on much of anything.
Now if they had allowed an anti-Common Core resolution to come to a vote and given the convention the chance to call for the "End of the Core," that would be something else.
But there's a reason why Randi and her AFT minions are allowing this Duncan resolution to come to the floor but killed the anti-CCSS resolution in committee.
That's because they know the Duncan one doesn't mean much, but the anti-CCSS resolution would have meant an awful lot.
The AFT should call for Randi's resignation. We do not control the ed reform movement. However we do have control over how we respond to them. If you are happy over how we have handled the reformers (givebacks which is resulting in the destruction of the teaching profession and public education) then vote for Randi. If you do not like being sold out (which Randi has done in NY and nationwide the last 15 years) then vote this lawyer who was barely in the classroom out of her leadership position at the AFT.
ReplyDeleteI agree- Randi should go. She totally screwed us in New York. Thousands of ATRs (yes, thousands) and hundreds of school closings are the direct result of her putting seniority transfers rights up for sale. Mulgrew is slightly better than her, ( in the same way Stalin was to Hitler).
ReplyDeleteThe NEA's call for Duncan's head was just political theater. The call should have been made 4 years ago and certainly before Obama's re-election. That was a missed opportunity!! Now, it's a moot point. And so meaningless because if Duncan does go, and Obama wouldn't do it anyway, another Duncan would take his place.
ReplyDeleteWhat both unions should have done is called out the new Democrats starting with Obama.
Why delegates don't see through this sham and call for more activism is beyond me.