New York State United Teachers President Karen Magee in an interview on WCNY’s The Capitol Pressroom knocked Cuomo and his administration for withholding the school aid runs — a line-by-line accounting how much school districts are projected to receive in the budget proposal traditionally released when the spending plan is announced — because much of the $1.1 billion spending increase is tied to the governor’s reforms.
“The governor has declared a war,” Magee said. “He’s declared a war on every single teacher in New York state.”
It’s potentially problematic for school districts considering they have to have their budgets before voters in May; the state’s budget is due March 31.
“It just again tells you the governor doesn’t understand how the school districts work,” she said.
“It’s criminal for the governor to try to strong-arm his agenda through this way,” Magee added.
Strong words from Magee - all well and good.
Now she should back those strong words up with a barrage of ads telling New Yorkers what will happen if Cuomo gets to tie 50% of teacher evaluations to student test scores.
She can start that process by running an ad featuring Sheri Lederman, the award-winning teacher who was rated "ineffective" by NYSED on her test component via their value-added algorithm even though Lederman's students all passed their state tests and scored well above the state average.
She can tell New Yorkers that Lederman is suing the State Education Department over this rating and that so far, NYSED has been unable to provide an explanation for why Lederman was rated "ineffective" even though her students passed the state tests with scores well above the state average.
She can note that if Cuomo gets his way, many more teachers will be rated "ineffective" via an inscrutable NYSED value-added measurement algorithm that nobody from SED or the Regents seems able to explain.
And she can end the ad with Lederman's principal telling New Yorkers that if Cuomo gets his way on the rating reforms, one more "ineffective" rating on the inscrutable, unexplainable NYSED VAM will have Lederman fired and her students losing a highly effective, well-respected teacher.
Strong words on an NPR radio show are one thing.
Backing those strong words up with an effective PR campaign to alert the public to what Cuomo is doing and what the consequences will be if he gets his way is something else.
Strong words from the union president without the effective PR campaign that seeks to win the public over are, in the end, meaningless.
Make your own commercial. It doesn't take a genius or an experienced computer whiz to make a 1 min video with Lederman and post to Youtube. It can go viral on our own. No one, including yourself, can figure this out?
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly are you doing and what idea have you offered? Pick fights with the right people not this blog writer.
DeleteYou know, I think Anonymous 2:24 makes a good point.
DeleteA semi-homemade ad, put up on You Tube, is a much better way to fight Cuomo then a professionally-made ad run as part of a million dollar NYSUT ad buy all across the state.
I mean, why should NYSUT counter the millions in ed deform ads that are currently running all across the state with an effective (and relevant) ad of their own when bloggers like myself can create semi-homemade ads and post them on You Tube?
Thanks for sharing, anonymous 2:24.
RBE, this is 2:24. I meant no disrespect at all. I actually love reading this blog. But honestly, if you take your own footage and have several other teachers, parents, etc, then edit it to a simplified 1 minute clip, you can easily make an incredible video for YouTube. Copy it for Diane Ravitch's blog, Chaz', and others and you will reach thousands. Copy it to Facebook and it will reach tens of thousands. I wasn't joking. You can do it. People RESPOND better to homemade video rather than million dollar edited pieces. It's from the heart and it's raw.
DeleteSo, almost three decades into the hostile takeover of public education, these folks have woken up to the fact that this is a war, after having conceded to the so-called reformers on almost every issue?
ReplyDeleteOr is this just some sham political theater to cover Unity Caucus, extract some empty promise from our Reptilian Governor, and then proceed to give him 90% of what he wants?
Do these people even know how to fight anymore, after decades of selling out our interests?
I'm going to put my money on the sham political theater option, Michael.
Delete“It’s criminal for the governor to try to strong-arm his agenda through this way,” Magee added.
ReplyDeleteIf NYSUT truly has come to the realization that what Cuomo is doing is criminal, then they along with the UFT, should be teaming up with this call here for an immediate investigation to his criminal acts:
http://www.nysape.org/new-yorkers-call-for-an-immediate-independent-investigation-of-governor-cuomo.html
Great point!
DeleteNYSUT were very supportive with agreeing to changes in our evaluations when Race to the Top came by a few years ago. I don't trust them anymore than I trust the UFT. Both of those unions can not be trusted. The only way to beat this is with PARENTS getting involved in the fight. I have a feeling they will as the testing machine is going to get much worse and little Emily and Liam are going to be crying all night complaining about school to parents Muffy and Teddy in Harrison very soon!
ReplyDeleteBehind the scenes Mulgrew and Weingarten were telling people the old system was indefensible. They may be saying the same thing about this current abomination - alas, not that it's a piece of junk but that it's not rigged far enough.
DeleteWords ... words .... words. Actions speak louder than words and anyone who followed the NYSUT "election" last Springand has been following NYSUT's leadership record since in office cringes at the hypocrisy of these words. The fact is that this president of NYSUT cannot be trusted nor can any of her opportunistic officers. She willingly sold herself to the UFT as did the other officers who are all propped them up as puppets of the United Federation of Teachers. We need leaders who earned their leadership title and leaders who lead with integrity and truth. These leaders fail in both of these areas and it is no wonder that the governor (a smart man as describe by Ms. Magee in a recent interview) recognizes that they really are the same as him, and as a result has no fear pushing through what just two years ago would have been unthinkable. Thank you Revive, thank you Michael Mulgrew ..... the buck stops with you and you know it. If this fight is won, it will be won because responsible and ethical union leaders and teachers throughout the state take over and engage in a true revolution all the while ignoring the empty rhetoric that comes out of the mouths of the likes of Magee and Palotta.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you say.
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ReplyDeleteTypical mistake on the part of Magee - Cuomo hasn't declared war on every teacher in NY State - he has declared war on every teacher, parent and student in NY State -- at least that is how to frame this -- don't isolate the teacher element because no one gives a crap if they kill teachers.
ReplyDelete