Saturday, June 13, 2015

Proposed Recommendations On Teacher Evaluations Make Clear Collective Bargaining Agreements Can Be Broken

This shows up a couple of times in the proposed teacher evaluation plan the Board of Regents released last night:

The alignment of these subcomponents among each other and with Student Performance category will be subject to audit and corrective action that may require changes in a collective bargaining agreement .

And:

If a district’s system does not result in meaningful feedback for teachers and principals, the Department may impose a corrective action plan that may require changes to a collective bargaining agreement.

They want to make sure everybody knows that NYSED has the power to take "corrective action" on the parts of the APPR system that are locally negotiated.

In short, you have the freedom to locally negotiate an evaluation system that meets exactly what they want or they will take "corrective action" and change it.

So much for local control or collective bargaining.

12 comments:

  1. Those quoted passages say "may require changes..." not "notwithstanding..." What they mean is the CBA's will have to be renegotiated to allow for the action plan, and that only the renegotiation would have to take place.

    I feel like I've said this a bunch of times to a bunch of people. Doesn't seem like many folks agree, but ill say it again as long as RBE doesn't mknd. This law is 90% the UFTs making. They want the matrix instead of the 0-100. They want to 50/50 rule (because they can a lot with it). They wanted 4 years for tenure (because that KILLS the lawsuit). And they want independent evaluators (because it gives UFT jobs and undermines the authority of the principal). One other thing they want? Thy want "meaningful feedback" for teachers and If that doesn't happen, they want the ability to drag the DOE back to the table to renegotiate (by convincing NYSED to take corrective action).

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    1. I see your point about why the UFT would be happy w/ this system.

      Not sure the "corrective action" is meant to drag the DOE back to he table however - it says the NYSED may "impose a corrective action plan" that requires renegotiation. I don't read that as being in the favor of the locals over the districts. Seems to me more likely that's there because Cuomo thinks the districts and locals were in cahoots to create something where everybody skates.

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    2. What lawsuit does 4 year tenure kill?

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    3. I think the key phrase here is 'meaningful feedback'. I think that's a dead giveaway as to what's going on up there. If you ask yourself who wants meaningful feedback, you'll realize it's the teachers union who wants to make sure that happens in eval systems (so 'teachers can grow'). This means the union had a hand in creating this clause you shared above. Which tells me the union is vey much at the table asking that CBA's can be renegotiated is SED steps in.

      (Campbell Brown's lawsuit is now dead, as it is predicated on a law that no longer exists.)

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    4. What can UFT do with 50-50 matrix? Tests make up half the score. How is that a UFT gain?

      Please make me feel better about any of this.

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  2. The Independent Evaluators will conduct drive-by observations and will be tasked with coming up with as many Ineffectives and Developings as humanly possible.

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  3. Yeah, the independent evaluators are a hit squad. Why the f@ck isn't the public with us in this. They just want to b&tch and moan about education, but, won't support their teachers as who work so hard? Seriously, I love the kids in NYC, but, the lack of political support from parents around here is making me really resent the parents.

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    1. How can you say that parents don't support us? 200,000 of them opted their kids out of the tests this year, and they did it protect their kids and support their kids' teachers. Have you joined them yet?

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    2. I said NYC parents. Those 200K were upstate and in Long Island. For some reason NYC teachers are the boogeyman to the families we serve. I mean, at parent teacher night it's all smiles and nicities. But, at the ballot box they consistently say, "screw you, Teach." Really sick of it. Get a clue, parents! You want to know why the suburban schools do so well? Because they support their teachers!

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    3. Many of the superintendents from Long Island and the upstate counties either sent letters home with students or e-mailed parents advising them of the process for opting out.

      Unfortunately for New York City, Carmen Farina did not do this for the students in the five boroughs and did everything to ensure that opt out rates would be kept at a minimum.

      It's not that parents of New York City children did not want to opt out...many were simply kept in the dark regarding their legal and constitutional rights.

      One could make the argument that parents should know of the dark agenda against public education, but Farina played her role for her corporate masters and chose not to inform the parents of New York City's children of their rights.

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    4. I am a New York City parent and I opted my kids out. This was the process at my school. I sent the form letter by email to the,assistant principal. I met with the assistant principal in the morning for a half hour to explain why I am doing this. My refusal was accepted by the assistant principal. Then I was emailed a note to meet with the principal and the entourage in another morning meeting. This lasted for twenty minutes where I was told that I was selfish and that my refusal would cause the school to lose funding. They talked but I stood my ground and opted my children out. This is all intimidation to NOT LET NYC CHILDREN OPT OUT. There was no need for all these meetings. They didmore to prevent children from not taking exams then they do to prevent children from getting vaccinations. That is why the refusals were low in NYC. People do not have time to attend all these meetings. The school a few blocks away had the letters at the front door where people signed their child out of exams no questions asked. But that place is a very special place.

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  4. Already seeing a drop in young people wanting to sub in my district. Just the beginning??

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