This past weekend I had the opportunity to submit my ballot for the WTU tentative agreement. It's about damn time. I remember two years ago when the first proposed teacher's contract was discussed, and was then ultimately killed. After two years of negotiations, I enthusiastically voted yes.
It's time for DCPS to be seen as a model of change and reform. This proposed contract is revolutionary. For the first time in the history of education, teachers are actually going to be able to earn the compensation they deserve. While I do not think that performance pay should be determined solely on test scores, I do believe in the concept of rewarding teachers who generate large gains.
I support the increase of benefits for teachers. I praise the additional funds for teacher resources. (And heck, with the extra money, it won't sting as much when teachers purchase supplemental materials out of their own pocket.)
Looking long-term, this contract will also generate greater interest in DCPS. We will attract more applicants and principals will be able to choose from the very best of the best candidates. The bottom line is, this contract is good for the students, too.
I hope those of you take the opportunity to truly read the entire contract proposal and make up your own mind, but I do think it's revolutionary. If this contract is ratified, it will have a large impact for teachers and students, not just in the District, but also throughout the United States. Get those ballots in!
Posts
75 comments:
I appreciate your views, Dee, but I think I'd have to disagree with you. I agree that the increase in pay will draw more teachers and I agree that better teacher can make a big difference in kids' lives.
Sphere: Related ContentBut I just don't trust the model of educational reform being followed here. If you take Rhee at her word, then everything sounds good. But none of the teachers I know in DCPS are getting the support they deserve to be the great teachers DCPS says it wants. With so many young and inexperienced teachers being brought in every year, and so little support being given, how many teachers does DCPS really expect to pay 130k? I'm also so very wary about allowing people like Broad and Gates (who clearly know nothing about education) such a great influence on our public schools.
I don't know. I hope you're right.
bad idea, this TA endorses IMPACT all over the place and embeds private foundation money.
Sphere: Related Contentbut what do you care? You're leaving DCPS anyway.
IMPACT is already in place and will be used next year regardless. Why not get recognized for your positive reviews?
Sphere: Related ContentImpact being in place and embedding it in the contract are two different things. If IMPACT were treated as it should be - a trial run to work out the kinks - that would be one thing. At least then it could be tweaked into the kind of tool it should be. As IMPACT exists now it is much like this contract, still in the larvae stage. This is one among many things in this contract that favors management at the expense of labor.
Sphere: Related ContentAs for the money, do you really think it will be there? Fenty is spending $400,000 a pop on dog parks when the city is facing a huge deficit. This contract was ratified at the expense not just of supplies for teachers but tutors for students, delaying the start of the after school program (for many parents this is a problem)and a number of TBD situations not named but, given the track record, will be cut as the need arises. I see a contract that will simply increase frustration when the money cannot be found to honor the contract. And since clause 40 gives the administration a huge out, there is nothing to force the city to honor the contract. You have voted for a contract where your employer can choose not to pay you. Choose is the right word when you consider that in the course of 5 months DCPS went from deficit to surplus back to deficit. A deficit is looming now and the insufficient funds clause gives your employer the right to say "sorry, chum, no funds." You could end up with a good rating and nothing to show for it except a nice spot on your resume. As much as I want a contract and would like a raise I am not about to vote for something that gives the illusion of both.
Dee... I so agree with you! I VOTED YES! It is LONG overdue!
Sphere: Related ContentThank you for this post, I too have voted yes on the contract!!! People who don't want to vote for it because of the Impact system of evaluation are not thinking rationally. Impact is already here...voting down the TA will NOT get rid of the Impact system!!! It blows my mind the logic some people utilize.
Sphere: Related ContentYou ultimately care about yourself because you are leaving. You have a financial reason why you voted yes. You can now quit with more dollars in your pocket. This is not good for children having a transient work force of quitters such as yourself.
Sphere: Related Contentbtw I read your April post 999,999 reasons why I'm done with DCPS.
Let me try and make a reasonable argument in favor of the TA. I know that many people don't like the Impact teacher evaluation system Rhee has implemented, I know that many people distrust her and even the mayor, but none of that will change by voting down the TA. Ratifying the TA on the other hand will definitively do a lot of good. Obviously there are the instant monetary incentives, such as the retroactive 11% raise and the increased amount of money given at the beginning of the year for supplies (that money is almost doubled!). There are also more protections against RIF's.
Sphere: Related ContentRead the contract, there is a lot of good stuff in there. On the other hand, voting it down will not solve any of the problems we are encountering. These are the reasons why I voted YES on the TA.
Welcome back, Dee. And you're singing my song. I'm a veteran DCPS teacher and not going anywhere. Except to the car showroom to get me a new car that I'll finally be able to afford, if this TA passes. So f**k u, all you morons who don't want this contract and will screw it for the rest of us. IMPACT is far, far worse than the contract and my scores have been fine. Still, the stress of 5 yearly observations, when back in the day we barely had 1. And no MEs. Half of us decent veteran teachers weren't even observed, as the principals knew our work, trusted us and just rated us at the last minute. IMPACT is supposed to just impact us out of DCPS, if we're not quickly adapting to it, which I am. I'm not letting it run me out of my school system. And this new contract will pay us closer to what we're worth. May it pass, God willing. I bet it will pass, 70% to 30% against. Weĺl see.
Sphere: Related ContentI have to agree with you Dee. I voted YES for the TA. Honestly people, what world are you living in. Have you seen the economical issues behind education. EVERY state is cutting teachers. Some are going to the extreme of not giving teachers raises or raising the classroom sizes from 20 to 30. Stop living in a fantasy world and look around you, unemployment is up, enrollment is down ( less babies being made) yet we are giving this great opportunity to make more money and more security against RIFS and you are still complaining! Stop focusing on Rhee so much and start focus on our country's economic reality and on how LUCKY ( yes Lucky) we are to have the opportunity to get a raise, have a job, and a TA in this economy. As for IMPACT get over it!!! It's about time we have a working eval. Are you seriously telling me you prefer the PPEP over this! If you are, then no wonder DC is the way it is! I have been here for 5 years and I am sick and tired of hearing teachers complain and complain and complain about EVERYTHING!!! I don't care about RHEE she has some good ideas and some really dumb ideas like EVERY other sup. My advice is Stop complaining and teach. If you would just do that, what a great district this would be!!!!! BTW I am a 5 year DCPS teacher. So don't act as if I don't know anything and I am young and brainwashed! I am my own individual and I see what's going on here! BTW if you don't like it LEAVE! why are you still here. If you are such a great teacher you can get hired ANYWHERE so leave. and don't use the excuse of the children, because there are needy children EVERYWHERE! Sorry so long but I'm tired of hearing people complain, complain, and complain
Sphere: Related ContentHow many of you TA-lovers are Group 1 Teachers?
Sphere: Related ContentI think the other thing to bare in mind is that IMPACT is here and it's here to stay. The Union had no control on the overhaul of the evaluation process. I do believe it will be tweaked after this year based on ME comments and experiencing some of the unanticipated issues.
Sphere: Related ContentI do not think IMPACT is flawless, but it's a hell of a lot better than PPEP.
Anon at 12:01, I know the majority of the teachers at my school are in favor of the TA. We teach in a very difficult school in Cluster III, but have fared well on our observations, both in-house and ME.
I am glad to see so many pro-TA comments. After reading several other blogs and talking to people, I've heard a lot of negatives and people planning to vote no. People voting yes may well be the silent majority. Do any of the Rhee is satan crowd really believe that they could negotiate something better? Plus, the 11% retro payment is absolutely unheard of in these economic times.
Sphere: Related ContentAnd yes, IMPACT is here to stay so we might as well get paid for the stress over it. Hopefully, we'll get more and more used to it. It has improved my practice, that's for sure. I'm conscious of using 3 or more learning styles in my lessons, always probing for higher order thinking as well as lower order and never giving up on my children. I too am in a rough school.
To: Anonymous @ 12:01
Sphere: Related ContentYou just don't get it do you?!?! Voting down the TA will NOT change the IMPACT system! I assume you work hard and care about your kids, so why not take a HUGE raise for how hard you are working!
Let me assume you make 60k and have been here at least 3 years. That will be a $15,000 pay check because it is a retroactive raise that went up over the last 3 years!!! How in the world can you be against this? Voting no will not change anything that you are upset about! Why not at least take the raise and then continue to hate on Michelle Rhee?!?! Again, voting no won't accomplish anything.
To all the pro-TA folks out there:
Sphere: Related ContentTry and convince at least one other person to vote in favor of the contract and try to get them to do it NOW. I think this is going to be a tight vote. Of all the people I have talked to, I would say it is about 50-50 (chance of going through). If you can get one person to vote yes, it really could make the difference.
I was talking to someone today who was unenthusiastically for the TA but didn't care enough to actually vote. I told her how close I thought it would be and she agreed to go online and vote. Apparently a lot of DCPS teachers are married to rich spouses because they don't seem to care about making the money they deserve. Think about this: an immediate 11% raise, another 5% raise next year, and your step up. That is almost a 20% raise from what you earning today to what you will be making in August.
PLEASE VOTE YES!!!
Doesn't sound like any of you are Group 1 teachers.
Sphere: Related ContentIf you want to work for Walmart or the Broad Foundation, or some other ultra-conservative group, go ahead, but don't cede control of our public schools to these private interests.
And regardless of whether you think IMPACT is here to stay in some form, there's no reason for our union to endorse it. That's just nuts!
I'm voting no, along with most of my colleagues.
VOTE NO, you really believe the money is coming your way after all we've gone through in the last few months. You people are nuts. We don't get support now, you think you are going to be around long enough to get the big pay out. TFA will take your jobs. And no I don't believe teachers should have a job for life, but this is a business model folks - read the small print.
Sphere: Related ContentRhee and Parker knew that if they dangled more money in front of teachers many would only be seeing green and thinking about what they could spend the $ on.
Sphere: Related ContentThere are a lot of problems with this proposed contract and having private foundations influence public schools and even DC politics is the worst of it.
Also, I can't trust that the professional development and supports will be there for us. Rhee promised almost the same thing with IMPACT and most teachers are not getting the help they need. If they can't do it now, what would make anyone believe that they will magically change next year and support teachers.
Finally, yes I agree we need higher salaries, but to give such large raises when DC govt is slashing the budgets for social services and safety net programs is just plain greedy. Yes we should get a raise but let's be fair and not suck so much money out of the budget.
The money is there folks, why do you think the CFO waited to certify the contract? He was making sure it really was all there and they proved that it was. The CFO of DC isn't messing around because his reputation would be on the line as well.
Sphere: Related ContentSo let me get this straight? You don't trust Michelle Rhee? You don't trust George Parker? You don't trsut the Union that you pay into to do what's best for you as a teacher? You don't trust the District's Chief Financial Officer (CFO)? You don't trust the Mayor? And after all that you think you know better than all of them combined? Well you should run for president then because you must know everything!
Still no Group 1 teachers waxing enthusiastically about the TA and IMPACT? Hmmmmm.
Sphere: Related ContentI don't want to run for president.
Sphere: Related ContentI don't think Michelle Rhee is Satan.
I do think she is untrustworthy.
I do think George is incompetent.
So I have no reason to believe that this contract will be honored in any valid way especially since, throughout the contract, Rhee has given herself outs to not honor the contract or at least what she says the contract will do. That is an important point - what they say the contract will do and what the contract actually says are two different things.
IMPACT being here as an evaluation system I have no problem with but it needs to be modified to be a more constructive process than it currently is (some aspects of IMPACT are and some aren't). I think it could become a valuable tool. I don't think it should be embedded in the contract as it stands (incomplete) now.
A contract needs to be a complete and finished document, with the stipulations for both parties clearly stated. This contract leaves open many things on the side of teachers - meaning that management can change the conditions you work under as they see fit. Get ready to jump and jump as high as they say because that is what you are signing on to.
I really find it hard to believe that teachers cannot understand a basic tenet of economics - you can't give what you don't have. The CFO is under pressure to ratify it as long as he sees a line item in a budget sheet that says it is there. Cut a few items, "shift some things around" as the mayor says, and, viola!, you have certification. This does not mean that the money is really there or that there won't be a cry of deficit come July or September. When there is such a cry you will find a salary freeze, no raises, and the city possibly reneging on other aspects of the contract. Oh, but it isn't reneging because of clause 40 - you are giving them this out.
If all you care about is the retroactive - well then sign then and hold on to that money. If you get it. Deficit cry could be heard not long after signing and you might not see a thing. Such is the contract.
No one has mentioned the new excessing rules, where if you get excessed (which can happen any time the admin wants it to) you have to win your job back - competing with people outside the system. If you can't get a position in a year's time, you're out. Meanwhile, you've been subbing for a year.
Sphere: Related ContentAnd this is the "deal" for people with good IMPACT scores. If they're not good, you're just plain out. If they are good, you get to compete with new unproven college grads with no IMPACT scores at all. Who do you think the principals will be pressured to hire - highly paid DCPS employees or first year teachers?
If you have good IMPACT ratings You can also "choose" to get bought out for $25,000 and spare yourself the year of subbing before you get canned for a newcomer.
I am voting YES! I believe it will be a 75- 25 split in favor of the agreement! YAY! We can all celebrate next Wednesday evening when we can finally break free from our really tight teacher budgets and maybe get some good dental work done without breaking the bank!!! Ahhhh.... how good will that feel? I am with you people... VOTE YES!!!!
Sphere: Related ContentYou people are crazzzzy! Selling your soul to the devil, as stated before this is a business model it is not designed to be a charity. Therefore, if you are expensive you'll get cut eventually, it is obviously cheaper to have to loyal TFA for 2 years than one more experienced teacher. If you think you're going to be around to reap the big rewards, just wait and see....
Sphere: Related ContentHa! Ha! -- The missy needing dental work (see previous comment) is quite obviously
Sphere: Related Contenta planted shill -- So, one of Anita Dunn's
(ie. Michelle Rhee's hired P.R. agency) flacks
is apparently in need of a freshened mouthpiece (after getting tongue-tied and caught up in
too much mendacity).
Many well-informed teachers who value integrity
& veracity are wisely voting NO
on the WTU
(WALMART - WALL STREET - "WAR
on U" & on U.S. workers) contract.
I VOTED YES! There is no way in this day and age I would pass up a 21% pay increase.
Sphere: Related ContentVOTE YES!!!
I absolutely voted yes. Everyone I spoke with, both veteran and new teachers, TFA, ed school grads, career changers, life-long teachers, early childhood, special ed, middle school, ELL and PE voted yes. Rhee lovers and Rhee haters. They voted yes, cause it took us 2 years to get this far, IMPACT is making more of an IMPACT on our working conditions than anything else and it can even be negotiated on. So if you haven't voted, do so and tell everyone you know.
Sphere: Related Contentmy bad above, second to the last line: and it can't even be negotiated on.
Sphere: Related ContentAnonymous 2:42 said:
Sphere: Related Content"Everyone I spoke with, both veteran and new teachers, TFA, ed school grads, career changers, life-long teachers, early childhood, special ed, middle school, ELL and PE voted yes."
You've left out Group I teachers who are unfairly singled out on IMPACT for 50% of their evaluation to be based on the mysterious "value added" formula. This leads me to believe that those who supported this TA are not Group I teachers, are unaware of how IMPACT affects Group I teachers, or don't give a damn.
Thanks a lot for your callous lack of empathy as demonstrated by your willingness to endorse an evaluation instrument that is fraught with inequities in exchange for a pay raise.
What the heck is a GROUP 1 teacher??? This same post continues to pop up again and again!! What is a GROUP 1 teacher??? Please explain!
Sphere: Related Content1:46
Sphere: Related ContentWhat kind of an idiot are you?
Do you work for DCPS?
Do you know anything about IMPACT?
ignorance is bliss, apparently
Sphere: Related ContentThe above "cheerleading" comments re:
Sphere: Related Contentthe 'WALMART-WALL STREET / DCPS contract'
(which were posted on May 30 at 1:49 PM
& also at 2:42 PM) were obviously
planted by ANITA DUNN P.R. flacks
(Michelle Rhee's hired P.R. agency) --
they are attempting to put rose-colored lipstick
on corrupt swine.
Don't get hog-tied or blindly pulled
to a reeking trough of bribe moolah
-- bribes that can precariously
be reneged at
any moment by the oligarchy
& privateers, political-financial
scamsters, & their lackeys
.
Teachers who've thoroughly read
this privatization-manipulated contract
and who've witnessed recent
corrupt & sleazy shenanigans by Rhee & Co.
(and who've wisely
considered the harmful ramifications
of the this contract)
have pragmatically & sensibly
voted NO --
in solidarity and with conscious integrity.
please be aware:
Sphere: Related ContentThe above "cheerleading" comments re:
the 'WALMART-WALL STREET / DCPS contract'
(which were posted on May 30 at 1:49 PM
& also at 2:42 PM)
were very obviously
planted by ANITA DUNN P.R. flacks
(Michelle Rhee's hired P.R. agency) --
they are attempting to put rose-colored lipstick
on corrupt swine.
Don't get hog-tied or blindly pulled
to a reeking trough of bribe moolah
-- bribes that can precariously
be reneged at
any moment by the oligarchy
& privateers, political-financial
scamsters, & their lackeys
.
Teachers who've thoroughly read
this privatization-manipulated contract
and who've witnessed recent
corrupt & sleazy shenanigans by Rhee & Co.
(and who've wisely
considered the harmful ramifications
of this contract)
have pragmatically & sensibly
voted NO --
in solidarity and with conscious integrity.
Well, DEE DEE, are you going to explain what a Group 1 teacher is? Do you care? Or is that just an inconvenient flaw in this "revolutionary TA" which endorses IMPACT with its numerous references to "effective" teachers.
Sphere: Related ContentAssuming most all posters here are DCPS teachers, I can't believe that people don't know what a group 1 teacher is. Group 1 teachers are those according to IMPACT who have IVA (individual value-added) data as part of their IMPACT score and are in the tested grades. I believe, but am not sure, that 50% of a group 1 teacher's IMPACT score comes from DCCAS data. Group 1 teachers are not in the majority in DCPS.
Sphere: Related ContentI'm in a group where 80% of my IMPACT score comes from the average of five 30 minute classroom observations and only 10% of my score comes from testing data, called NVA (non-value added), which could be DIBELS, DCBAS or a few other measures of student growth.
I'm not DEE but will answer this question.
Thank you 4:45 and it is 50%.
Sphere: Related ContentI strongly suggest that people read EdWeek to stay on top of what's going on in education outside DC and/or read the reports on teacher quality/teacher evaluation being released by think tanks like the Center for American Progress. (This type of research informs policy, which ultimately affects YOU.) Take a look at our RttT application and the criticism of it; understand what it says.
Sphere: Related ContentThis is YOUR profession -- for god's sake, please don't be ignorant about it.
Teacher evaluation systems, like Impact, that rely on student data are the direction that large school districts are going in. Right now, states are playing a "name that tune" game with how much data will be weighted, and 50% is the going weight. (Want to bet on how soon someone says, "60%"?)
Voting no on this contract is cutting off your nose to spite your face. The stipulations people don't like are now a fact of life. So you might as well get paid for what you're going to have to deal with anyway, with or without a raise. Me? I'd take the raise.
P.S. Group 1 teachers comprise about 20% of the teaching force.
Your fatalism is breath-taking and pathetic.
Sphere: Related ContentI know what the RttT grants says, I know what the noneducators who work in the think tanks say, and I'm not about to accept it, or vote for a contract that endorses it.
If teachers don't take a stand on this, we not only hurt our profession, but we allow uninformed and misguided policymakers and government officials, including Arne Duncan (Margaret Spellings in drag) and Obama to further degrade the quality of educational opportunities offered in public schools.
And thank you so much for supporting the 20% of us that have to live with the most inequitable aspect of IMPACT.
In general, there is a healthy societal trend toward accountability & outcome documentation for educational programs, including teacher evaluation formats that have begun to include data re: individual student assessment & achievement, along with whole-school effectiveness.
Sphere: Related ContentHowever, due to the questionable arrangements in the proposed DCPS-WRU contract, also the ongoing sleazy mendacity (pathological lying), financial shenanigans and corrupt, disrespectful & secretive tactics of Michelle Rhee & Co., teachers are pragmatically, sensibly, honorably & wisely
voting NO.
Teachers need to have useful & insightful input in devising a contract that enhances students' educational achievement & thriving school communities (for all participants, staff &
societal stakeholders). Teachers should not
& do not have to become manipulated whores
of Walmart, Hedge Fund gamesters/scamsters, Michael Milken (milkin' it"), corporate privatizer/privateers, unelected frontmen/women, and edu-profiteer schemes to raid & seize control of public agencies & government entities
(eg. Kaplan testing services/virtual ed. corp.
which is owned by the Washington Post).
Who are WALMART, the HEDGE FUND$ managers,
and the OLIGARCHY (as fronted by their spokesmodels, lackeys, shills, etc.)
accountable to (??? ) -- show me the
accountability !
I don't perceive anything healthy about applying the notion of test-based accountability to education.
Sphere: Related Content- the data is neither valid nor reliable
- since only a minority of teachers teach subjects that are tested, any plan to use testing to evaluate this minority of teachers would be grossly unfair
-there's no evidence that using test data to evaluate teachers improves teaching or learning
Read Diane Ravitch on the unintended consequences of using test data to evaluate schools and teachers.
What we could be doing, if we had the political will and desire, is to improve the quality of educational opportunities that we offer to the students that we teach. Of course, we would have to improve the very mediocre DCPS curriculum in order to do that. This is probably beyond the capacity of our money-grubbing non-Group 1 colleagues.
Dear teachers & members of the public,
Sphere: Related ContentPlease read the following eye-opening examples
which illustrate the pitfalls
of UNaccountable
privatization & edu-profiteering run amok !
(a posted comment on
WashPo) --
"I have first hand experience with FL (Florida)
Virtual Schools having had my son in a public
high school take advanced courses in
Macroeconomics & Microeconomics and,
get this, PE -- yes, PE on line in Florida.
My son is now a student at Harvard
but these online courses were not the reason.
He loves learning and his opinion was that
these courses were an absolute joke. The online instructor was never available to talk to students, and they would play phone tag for weeks.
This was the case for all 3 courses -- 3 different instructors. The answers were basically provided
in the materials and oftentimes the materials themselves would have tests with the answers
filled in already. This was in 2007 and 2008.
He re-enrolled in one of these courses in college and struggled through the first semester.
For PE, you had to stop what you were doing and run around the block?! Then fax a form that you did just that. Every parent of a child who was enrolled in Florida Virtual Schools despised the system and knew it was a travesty. Perhaps the courseware has improved, perhaps the flaws have been removed, but the bottom line is, the students need a teacher, they need stimulation, they need interaction real time to learn -- not another way
to game the system."
(Posted by: rsolnet | May 30, 2010 9:09 PM)
view source (recent article) --http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/05/technology_may_change_all_scho.html
==> also, a shocking, cautionary true tale
from California
re: "A Charter School Travesty" !
(click link) --
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/united-teachers-of-ara/a-charter-school-travesty_b_566487.html
some more propaganda
from the WashPo --
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032602224_pf.html
further info. (virtual learning topic) --
http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/washington-post-lets-move-learning-online/
To: Kat @5:33
Sphere: Related ContentThank you for posting the most logical comment yet.
Voting no on the contract is like taking 5 steps backward in order to take one step forawrd. The only reason I am hearing that people don't want to vote for the contract is that they don't trust michelle rhee and they hate the IMPACT system. Well guess what...wait for this one folks...voting no on the contract WILL NOT change any of that. So why not get a 21% raise to make living in DC a little more affordable?!?!
Well, that is why I voted yes on the contract. Thank you Kat, i agree with you 100%. I hope you are a voting member and have talked to everyone at your school.
People, people, people, vote yes and and the majority still won't see the raise. Does anyone read the small print, or care about what is happening to the school system. More and more articles, books, and postings are revealing the tying of teacher evaluations to test scores as a sham - although those behind the curve, administrators plow on forward. No one in their right mind could really think this is good for children or teachers, teacher are just so starved of anything they are voting for crumbs, dangling crumbs, cos the cake won't be there when you are hungry.
Sphere: Related ContentLogic has nothing to do with it, it's greed, pure and simple.
Sphere: Related ContentAs stated above, aside from endorsing IMPACT, there is the problem of embedding private foundation funding into the agreement.
If you don't understand why this is a bad idea, please take a look at Diane Ravitch's book. Oh, I forgot, that's not highly likely, since it would take time away from counting your pay raise and planning what you're going to buy at the Mall.
FYI:
Sphere: Related ContentIt is a well-known and documented fact
that the "AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION"
has long-standing, close ties with
and heavy involvement with FREEMASONRY.
The "American Arbitration Association"
is run by & controlled by high-level
(33rd degree, etc.) MASONS.
Haha holy Hell, did we just walk into a Dan Brown book? Seriously, are the Free Masons out to ruin public education?
Sphere: Related ContentWho cares if the Masons run the American Arbitration Association? Are you worried that a group of old men who believe in God and donate a lot of money to charity are going to bring down your career as a teacher?
Sphere: Related ContentIMPACT is not "here to stay" - it's simply not part of the contract -- except that results of IMPACT can be used against teachers who are excessed. Excessing is not part of the contract either. But what happens to teachers when they are excessed is.
Sphere: Related ContentSo teachers with high IMPACT scores can be excessed and then let go after a year because they've been replaced by teachers new to the system who have no IMPACT scores at all.
Either people don't get this, or they get this and don't care.
Dear colleagues, professional educators & school district staff, students + parents/families, and concerned members of the public community,
Sphere: Related ContentJust saying... FYI
(be an informed citizen --
with your eyes open):
Sam Walton
(founder of WALMART)
was a 33rd degree Freemason.
The Walton clan
are your wannabe overseers --
who's your Sugardaddy ?
Don't be a sucker .....
Don't let the privatization agenda
and the privateers/edu-profiteers
run amok.
Dee, the pay is not revolutionary: NY school districts routinely pay as much or more (including NYC), and many have better evaluation systems and better supplies for students
Sphere: Related ContentAnonymous May 31, 2010 6:40 PM:
Sphere: Related ContentHow are you taking a stand against the noneducators that have so much impact on our profession? At heart, I agree with you -- I attend CAP, Brookings, etc. events, and I come away disheartened and disillusioned. I don't think policy wonks are in touch with what goes on in schools. But they are to whom everyone turns when it's time to decide directions and make decisions.
This kills me to say, but the teaching profession is generally regarded by policymakers as lazy, unintellectual and unprofessional (despite what they say on the record). We are sheep to be led around by those who proclaim themselves to know what's best for us. So how are you taking a stand against that? Voting "no" on this contract ain't gonna do it.
I don't agree that testing should be 50% of a teacher's evaluation, not until we have decent tests. I'm greatly bothered by that part of the TA. But I've also been reading the tea leaves, and I believe testing will increase once common core standards are adopted...RttT is forcing testing to increase. (Obama fans, please take note of this.) That train has already left the station, my friend.
Voting no on this TA won't change the reliance on test scores. People's time is better spent getting involved in issues that will. Unfortunately, that can't be done through our union, so we have to find other avenues. But this battle, about this contract? Focus your energy and time on a bigger battle than this.
I think it is important to read that if the contract is voted down there is not going to be another one negotiated, at least for a long time. The next step is to have an outside party decide whether or not it is "fair" and then make the decision on whether or not to implement it regardless of the way you vote. And I don't see how that won't happen when all of the union literature is strongly encouraging everyone to vote yes as does everything from downtown.
Sphere: Related ContentSo if there's bad public policy, you choose to accept it rather than fight it. Much too fatalistic.
Sphere: Related ContentWould you have preached that logic regarding Plessy v. Ferguson? That the train had left the station? How sad that you have so little faith in the democratic process.
I agree with the comment directly above me. It is very interesting that should the TA be voted down, a third-party neutral entity comes in and decides whether or not it should be implemented. I find that interesting. I assume that is the way it works in this district, I assume that is nothing new and that it is written in the union bylaws that way.
Sphere: Related ContentUrban Dweller:
Sphere: Related Content"I service several schools. The teachers I have spoken with -- both new and veteran -- have said they have voted "No." .....
I have read the whole tentative agreement and there are far too many "holes" in it. The biggest is financing. There is a clause which basically states that if the money is not available, DCPS is not required to pay out. I don't trust Rhee at all. I believe, if it passes, she will manufacture a budget crisis, rescind the raises but put everything else in the contract in full-force."
Re: Michelle Rhee & Co., the Billionaire Boyz club
( Walmart, Arnold Foundation/ENRON $,
Eli Broad, Hedge Fund honchos & corporate raiders, et. al. and their toy think-tanks) --
"She's been a disaster." --
Unfortunately, the advent of Michelle Rhee has polarized parents, citizens, teachers, principals, the union and all other stakeholders. There is no middle ground. All agree that there needs to be reform. However, I have seen the havoc Rhee has wrought on this system soon after her arrival. I was in her camp early on but after I saw the kind of person she really is, I switched camps.
She plays with peoples' lives as though they are pawns on a chessboard. That is unacceptable in a profession such as education where first and foremost it is about relationships. If I have not established a rapport and a relationship with my students then it doesn't matter how excellent a teacher I am, no learning can take place.
If we want to save some money, we should start by slashing Rhee's $275k salary and firing all the middle management folks she has hired. They have no direct impact on student achievement.
In addition, test scores have been rising for the past decade. That has been pointed out innumerable times on this site but WaPo seems to ignore that.
The working environment in DCPS is more toxic than I've ever seen it. Everyone is more concerned with keeping their job and doing whatever it takes than really educating children. Rhee has done an excellent job of creating a culture of fear and intimidation. No one will speak out for fear of retribution. The management/labor mentality between principals and teachers has increased since her arrival, not decreased. That mentality is archaic, as is her dictatorial management style. We have moved backward, not forward. I had hoped for a culture of collegiality among teachers and principals but that has flown out the window.
I never thought DCPS could get worse but I can honestly say that under Rhee it has. We will see a mass exodus of teachers in a few weeks--both veteran teachers and many new teachers. People are tired and fed up and there are far too many districts in the DC area to stay in one that is as toxic as DCPS.
"So if there's bad public policy, you choose to accept it rather than fight it. Much too fatalistic."
Sphere: Related ContentNo, I chose to enter a PhD program in ed policy so I can influence decisions from a teacher's perspective, not an economist's or a politician's. Unfortunately, this will take me a few years; I'm working full time and paying for it myself.
In the meantime, what are YOU doing?
UrbanDweller wrote:
Sphere: Related Content"I service several schools. The teachers I have spoken with--both new and veteran--have said they have voted "No."
I agree with mike99541 and I also agree with
Parker that teachers are voting "No" as a referendum on Rhee. Teachers are also voting "No" because they are dissatisfied with Parker as well.
I have read the whole tentative agreement and
there are far too many "holes" in it. The biggest is financing. There is a clause which basically states that if the money is not available, DCPS is not required to pay out. I don't trust Rhee at all.
I believe, if it passes, she will manufacture a budget crisis, rescind the raises but put everything else in \the contract in full-force.
She's been a disaster."
----------------------------
Be aware with your eyes wide open:
A new teacher (two years
here in the Distrct) with high IMPACT scores,
but very concerned about Rhee, her
underhanded machinations (and the privatization agendas behind the scenes,
the power behind the corrupt Queen Rhee throne)
-- hey, we know she's
not even qualified to legally be a Superintendent.
I'm an educator motivated by integrity,
veracity and community teamwork
to help children grow and thrive,
academically & holistically.
Bribes don't work, I don't want to
be an induced Walmart prostitute-serf:
Like most of my colleagues
currently that I know about and have heard about,
I've voted NO.
=============
definitely must READ
the details:
"Three-Card Monte or
Why You Should Vote No
to the Contract" == />
http://conductingtheinnerlight.edublogs.org/2010/04/16/three-card-monte-or-why-you-should-vote-no-to-the-contract/
What am I doing?
Sphere: Related ContentAmong other things
• Teaching my heart out.
• Not selling out for a payraise.
• Keeping you honest.
• Protecting my students from the worst effects of a test-based educational philosophy.
• Providing my students with the same quality of educational opportunities that are offered to the children of President Obama (despite all the time-sapping mandates of our current leadership)
VOTE YES! VOTE YES! VOTE YES! I know that my entire school voted yes to this contract! You would be crazy not to!!!
Sphere: Related Contentre: see above mindless cheerleading
Sphere: Related Contentcomment from 3:07 AM --
PAID FOR BY ANITA DUNN public relations, INC.
-- on behalf of WALMART,
the Arnold Foundation/ENRON,
Eli Broad real estate magnate,
Wall Street jailbird Michael Milken,
and Hedge Fund scamsters --
all eager to be your
privateers
edu-profiteers & overseers !
Voting close 45 minutes ago. Hopefully we find out the results soon and it is my hope that the news is that the TA has passed!
Sphere: Related ContentThere are too many loopholes, financial shell games, & corrupt privatization slippery slopes in the questionable DCPS contract -- and also in Michelle Rhee's pattern of misconduct, grotesque malfeasance, mendacity & hypocrisy -- including covering up financial mismanagement of federal funds and sexcapades allegations involving her boyfriend with minor students & subordinate teens, "hush money", sudden resignations of staff & Board members at St. Hope charter school, etc.
Sphere: Related ContentU.S. Inspector General Report re: flagrant misuse of $800,000 federal grant funding & inappropriate sexual violations of school students & staff (an excerpt) re: teen Americorp staffer: "About 11:00 p.m., Mr. Johnson arrived at St. Hope and instructed [the girl] to gather her things and come with him. Mr. Johnson drove to [the girl's] apartment, which is managed by St. Hope Development and houses its AmeriCorps Members, purportedly so that they could review the students' grades. While in [the girl's] apartment, in which another AmeriCorps Member had a separate bedroom, Mr. Johnson laid down on [the girl's] bed. [The girl] sat on the edge of the bed to show him the grades, at which time Mr. Johnson "laid down behind me cupping his body around mine like the letter C. After about 2-3 minutes or so, I felt his hand on my left side where my hip bone is ..."
--- Read more at the Washington Examiner ---http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Exclusive-Congressional-Report-Rhee-did-damage-control-after-sex-charges-against-fiancee-Kevin-Johnson.html#ixzz0pfFvbbZ2
Was that voting close or voting closed? It must be closed, because this vote was no way close: it's a landslide.
Sphere: Related ContentEmail sent out from WTU at 12:50 saying the contract was ratified!!! HURRAH!!!!
Sphere: Related Contenthttp://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcschools/
Sphere: Related ContentArticle says it was roughly 1400 to 400. I guess the 'no' voters were just very vocal because based off of all the debate on here, i thought it was going to be closer.
The Washington Teachers Union (WTU) and AFT have a long history of corruption, embezzlement, fraud, vote-fixing,
Sphere: Related Content& election process irregularities.
Remember, that the AFT is part of the AFL-CIO (which has a sordid history of union thugs and malfeasance, dirty tactics & tricks.
It is definitely NOT a professional association,
like the NEA (National Education Association) which strictly represents teachers as
professional educators.
No specific vote counts are being given out yet, because the results (in terms of 'ballpark'
Sphere: Related Contentpropaganda numbers) were fixed ahead
of time (so the input ballots, phone/internet vote data
& computer reports just need to be fabricated, altered or manipulated/tweaked to fit the programmed,
pre-arranged results).
OMG!! We got the VOTES and it passed! Why all that stupid nonsense? Now you all are going to spend countless hours telling everyone how the VOTES were FIXED! OMG! Please give me a d*m break!
Sphere: Related ContentYAY for DCPS TEACHERS!! It is about time!
Congratulations to us, mazel tov, felicitations, yeah!!!,halleluyah, hallelujah and the negative haters also had me thinking it would be a close vote. Bring on that retro check.
Sphere: Related ContentAMEN! Bring on the retro check, celebrate then new contract! How awesome is it to get a raiase in this economy? I am already imagining the naysayers' next move: "It was rigged! They cheated! They fabricated the vote!"
Sphere: Related ContentThe vote was approximately 78% yes to 22% no. You really think they fabricated a landslide like that?!?! Guess what, they didn't. Despite your method of logic, teachers in DC wanted a raise because its an expensive city and we work hard. I am not worried about getting evaluated and having to keep my job based off of my evaluations instead of seniority. That is A-OK for me.
Today, I am actually proud of my union.
I am a veteran teacher, a long-time DCPS educator and also not afraid of my job being based on my evaluations. It's not just the newer teachers saying that. I'm so relieved this contract passed.
Sphere: Related ContentFrom: YOUR BOSS ("Mr. Big" to U)
Sphere: Related Contentcc: Billionaire Boyz cronies
TO: 'WTU' teacher-lackeys
WELCOME TO WALMART !
We hope you enjoy your new
workplace, which is modeled on ENRON.
My pit-bull mascot Michelle covered up
financial crimes & sexual violations
occurring at St. Hope charter school
run by her boyfriend Kevin Johnson.
Michelle was on the charter school's
Board of Directors at the time.
-- she did it for the kids !
(of course).
I own U (you're so 'pwned' now) !
You're my pawns that I can push around
or push out at whim,
just like my non-unionized horde of
undocumented immigrant construction workers.
truly mine,
Eli Broad,
real estate magnate
& edu-privateer
your BOSS
June 2, 8:30 P.M. You are sick! Find yourself a new job! We don't want you here and we proved that today. This is a new day for DCPS teachers. We want all teachers to do their jobs well and in turn be paid for it! Like they say...If you can't run with the big dogs, get off the porch! DCPS is only getting better and to do that we must get rid of the useless baggage! Congrats my fellow DC teachers! I am so proud of you! WE made a huge statement today for the children of DCPS! We want to make our school system the best in the nation!
Sphere: Related ContentYay for us! I'm a new (ish) DC teacher and am very happy about the contract itself and (I'll say it) about the direction of the schools in general.
Sphere: Related ContentYesterday I had a productive and helpful meeting with my ME from my evaluation-I did well by the way. I just taught like I always did and she recognized I was doing my job and doing it well. The things where I scored lower she had thoughtful feedback for me. Other teachers around me talk about pulling out a canned lesson when the ME walks in.... like it's not obvious. They also talk about how unfair the process is. Seriously? If you have ever worked in another job, there is such a thing as performance evaluations.
I'm very excited to be part of DCPS right now and see what happens when you hold teachers accountable.
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