LAST UPDATED:
February 2, 2012
Topics on the this page:At SED's door, union demands release of SIG funds
- Did you know that lawmakers in Albany want to turn school funding into a game?
- "Tell Albany the Truth About Pensions"
- Special NYSUT Leader Briefing on the budget and beyond
- Why are Albany bureaucrats intimidating our schools?
- WHAT'S IN THE NEW HOUSE ESEA REAUTHORIZATION BILLS?
- SED issues guidance on Student Learning Objectives
- At SED's door, union demands release of SIG funds
- NYSUT: Gov's statements on APPR are just wrong
- Teachers, Public Employees: Are You Being Hit by Budget Cuts? Money Magazine Wants to Know
- Rockland BOCES will be offering a Summer School
- BOCES Family Annual Food Drive for People to People
- NYSUT Member Benefits new Level Term Life insurance - pet insurance and Dental Plan
- Mobilize voters now for special elections and budget votes
- SED's shocking move to yank SIG fund
- In the wake of Gov. Cuomo's State of the State speech this week
- Districts can't enact special ed mandate relief
- What are your thoughts on the Iowa Republican caucus
- Regents budget plan nowhere near enough
- Dick Iannuzzi Discusses Education Funding
- Common Core Standards: Getting it right!
- Rockland BOCES Family Giving Back To our Community
Did you know that lawmakers in Albany want to turn school funding into a game?
$250 million in this year's Executive Budget for school aid is carved out as a competitive grant program that will benefit only a select few districts.
Tell lawmakers in Albany: Competitive grants are inappropriate and unfair.
Moving the proposed grant funding back into general operating aid will allow all school districts greater flexibility as they work to restore critical programs and student services hit hard by last year's devastating cuts and the new property tax cap law.
Sign the petition.
Share it with friends, family, colleagues and others interested in our kids' futures.
It's part of NYSUT's campaign to tell Albany that supporting education shouldn't be based on a competition.
"Tell Albany the Truth About Pensions"
We are all in this together. Pensions benefit the economy as a whole. Retirees spend their money in their communities supporting local businesses and supporting jobs. We need to think about pensions as an economic stabilizer for middle-class families and their local economies.
Unfortunately, a financially secure retirement is slipping away from American workers. More than half are at risk of not being able to maintain their standard of living in retirement, according to the National Retirement Risk Index. Not coincidentally, this retirement insecurity comes at a time when the number of people with defined benefit pensions is declining.
If we want to ensure that all workers can retire with dignity while at the same time supporting our economy, we must bolster wage replacement in retirement for all, not diminish retirement security for those who have some semblance of it through their pensions.
Finally, we must remember that what our state really needs is jobs, jobs, jobs. This is the shared agenda of all New Yorkers.
Adding yet another pension tier will not produce one job and is simply a distraction.
Public pensions are not the enemy
"Tell Albany the Truth About Pensions"
N.Y. SENATE
Call 1-877-255-9417
Special NYSUT Leader Briefing on the budget and beyond
The threats are significant and our work is urgent. During the next 30 days we must:
- Fight for greater restorations in a state budget that uncouples school aid from a competitive process;
- Stop a dangerous Tier 6 proposal from moving forward;
- Defend the teacher evaluation law against any attempts to strip it of collective bargaining; and
- Counter the relentless anti-union scapegoating that's flooding the media.
Here are the low lights of the past week and, most importantly, next steps:
Gov. Cuomo rolled out as highest priority in his budget speech the need to reform the so-called education bureaucracy, a catch-all term he repeats endlessly when he lumps together the State Education Department and NYSUT. His budget was a combination of (little) carrots and (big) sticks. He said he would deliver on his promised restoration of education funds, but then announced restorations would be dependent on districts completing their teacher evaluation plans in a one-year drop-dead time frame.
Although he said education restorations would total 4 percent, his budget actually carves out $250 million of that amount for grants that would be awarded competitively. This approach, Iannuzzi said in a press release, creates "an uncertainty that districts cannot afford." Cuomo's budget, meanwhile, remains essentially flat for public higher education — despite laudatory words for the engine that drives New Yorks economy. We will have to push hard for CUNY, SUNY and our community colleges to get the investment they deserve.
The one positive: there are no holes in the higher education budgets that would have to be filled by additional cuts or layoffs.
For a detailed budget briefing prepared by NYSUT Legislative staff, go to K-12, Higher Education, Health Care, and Pension and Retirement.
For NYSUT's budget press release, click here.
NEXT STEPS: NYSUT Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta will present NYSUT's testimony at legislative hearings Monday scheduled on a stepped up time frame that seems to signal the budget is on a fast track.
Another bad Tier 6 proposal
Cuomo outlined a second attempt at a Tier 6 proposal that is far worse than even last year's failed plan. Just two years after New York state instituted a Tier 5, Cuomo is pushing for another downgrade of pension benefits. And while a Tier 6 would apply only to future employees, it would also undercut the stability of the current pension system, by siphoning off thousands of new hires into a Defined Contribution plan that would do nothing to support the health of pension funding. State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento made the point well: "We disagree with the contention that the current defined benefit pension is unsustainable. What is unsustainable is a society where each generation of middle class worker retires with less financial security than the one before."
NEXT STEPS: NYSUT is mounting a full-scale campaign in concert with the AFL-CIO to tell our legislators why they must say no to another tier.
For starters, leaders are asked to blanket your local legislators with fliers that put a personal face on retirement security. NYSUT is developing a video and other materials as part of our concerted campaign. Meanwhile, tell your members to go now to the Albany Times Union's Capitol Confidential blog and leave your comment praising Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who is quoted as saying that dismantling current defined benefit plans is not a solution, noting that it would actually cost the state cost more to go to defined contributions and hurt the state's economy.
Threats on teacher evaluation
In speaking about implementation of the teacher evaluation law, Cuomo issued an ultimatum, threatening to impose his own process if NYSUT and SED cannot reach agreement on evaluation language in 30 days. The next few days will be critical as NYSUT presses SED to correct its regulations that the state Supreme Court found were in violation of the law. (See NYSUT press statement on discussions with SED.) NYSUT members have buried the Regents in an avalanche of e-mails criticizing SED Commissioner John King for threatening to stop federal School Improvement Grants to needy districts if teacher evaluation plans aren't done to his satisfaction. NYSUT board members are sending letters to the editor, fueled by NYSUT talking points developed as part of our campaign, that hold King accountable for his decisions. For an excellent example, see Dona Murray's letter in the Binghamton Press. We need to keep up the pressure on SIG grants, so ask your members to keep e-mailing Regents through this link.
NEXT STEPS: A NYSUT ad campaign is in the works on evaluations. And NYSUT is recommending to local leaders that, if you can complete negotiations with your district on an acceptable evaluation plan, now is the time to do it. Meanwhile, NYSUT is calling on local leaders to contact your Regent in your home district and give them a clear and simple message (so short it could be Tweeted): Tell Commissioner King to do his job and work with NYSUT to move forward with implementation of the law.
Why are Albany bureaucrats intimidating our schools?
State Education Commissioner John King's dictatorial tactics are blocking millions in federal School Improvement Grants from reaching local schools and depriving some of our neediest students of tutoring, AP classes, and other help they need to succeed in school. As advocates for students, we urge you to stand up on behalf of our children.
E-mail the state Board of Regents today and urge them to do what's right. They must tell Commissioner King and the State Education Department to stop playing political games and fund the educational support our students need and deserve.
Act now. Send your e-mail to the Board of Regents.
WHAT'S IN THE NEW HOUSE ESEA REAUTHORIZATION BILLS?
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has released two new draft ESEA reauthorization proposals – the Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act. The proposals are expected to be considered by the Committee in a "mark-up" (where they will debate and amend the draft), which could take place as early as the end of this month.
NEA is very concerned that the drafts walk away from the traditional federal role of ensuring that every student has equal opportunity and access to a quality education regardless of where he or she lives. We must find an appropriate balance of federal and state roles by refocusing on strong state accountability systems while continuing to maintain a sharp federal focus on equity across state and district lines. Overall, we are concerned that the drafts tip the balance too far toward the states by failing to provide for a clear federal role in ensuring equity for students most in need, namely children living in poverty, English language learners, and students with disabilities.
Specific pros in the drafts include:
- Continuation of the disaggregation of data to track achievement of minority students and students with special needs
- Reduction in some of the federal micromanagement of accountability systems
- Allowing more locally-developed models for turning around struggling schools, rather than a narrow, prescriptive list from a federal level
- Allowance for more appropriate testing of students with disabilities so an IEP team can decide what assessment is educationally appropriate for a particular student
- Better alignment of academic standards and assessments for English Language Learners.
However, the drafts also have some very troubling provisions, including:
- Allowing the potential for federal funds to flow to private schools through vouchers
- Eliminating requirements that states maintain their level of spending on K-12 education
- A continued reliance on standardized testing to measure student achievement without consideration of the multiple measures needed for an accurate and effective accountability system
- Capping the amount of funds that can be used to reduce class sizes
- Problematic federal mandates in the area of teacher evaluation
- Eliminating almost all language protecting collective bargaining and the ability of educators to have a voice in teaching and learning condition.
- NEA believes that any reauthorization proposal must be judged by how well it focuses on equity, supports educators, supports struggling schools, and helps ensure that public education thrives.
Take Action Today: Educators working in schools and classrooms across the country are the best and most effective voices to ensure a good ESEA reauthorization bill. Your experience and expertise are critical to the debates in Congress and policymakers need to hear what you have to say. Contact your Representative today to give your thoughts about what will work best for your students and school.
SED issues guidance on Student Learning Objectives
SED has posted guidance on Student Learning Objectives on the engageny.org website. Student Learning Objectives will be used by SED to determine the 20 percent state growth scores for all non-tested subjects. The guidance was designed for the school districts. Once again, SED is using a top-down approach to a process that should start from the bottom up. When done right, Student Learning Objectives are a collaboration between a teacher and her or his principal. Additional information will be developed by SED to be used at the building level by principals and teachers. Network Team training by SED on Student Learning Objectives will begin next week. NYSUT is developing materials on Student Learning Objectives for local leaders.
At SED's door, union demands release of SIG funds
In a conference call with the Board of Directors late last week, President Iannuzzi updated leaders on the events of the last few days and discussed an action plan for moving forward and pushing back against attacks that cross the line in attacking us, our members and our workplaces.
First up, the state Board of Regents: Iannuzzi and fellow NYSUT officers Maria Neira, Kathleen Donahue and Lee Cutler were joined Monday by union leaders from as far as Buffalo and the New York City area on the steps of the Education Building. While the Regents met inside, the unionists, joined by school administrators and parents among our coalition partners, demanded the release of School Improvement Grant funding arbitrarily frozen by SED last week.
"The State Education Department has allowed its own bureaucracy to needlessly jeopardize millions of desperately needed dollars intended for the state's most vulnerable students," Iannuzzi said.
The event drew a crowd including many journalists. Coverage appeared in dozens of papers and on many cable and broadcast outlets.
Let the Regents know where we stand!
An email blast went out immediately following Monday's news conference to more than 100,000 NYSUT members, urging them to email the Board of Regents immediately. The action campaign to unfreeze the SIG funds has resulted in 50,000 messages so far, with more being sent every day. If you haven't yet sent one, go here to do it now, and urge your members to do the same today.
NYSUT: Gov's statements on APPR are just wrong
NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi took the union's message to the airwaves this week to rebut criticisms of the teacher evaluation law. He appeared Wednesday on the statewide television show "Capitol Tonight" to defend the fair and rigorous law adopted in 2010, and to criticize SED's bureaucracy for hindering its implementation. His appearance followed the governor's public mischaracterization of the law earlier in the week.
Within moments of receiving word of the governor's statement Tuesday, in which he labeled New York's teacher evaluation law "a favor" offered to unions by the Assembly, NYSUT began drafting a response that went out to statewide media that evening and was picked up overnight by a number of bloggers and news outlets.
In a strongly worded statement, Iannuzzi said, "This legislation was not designed to protect unions but, in fact, was jointly supported by NYSUT and the State Education Department, and had strong bi-partisan support in the Assembly and Senate. The law has been recognized as a national model precisely because it emphasizes the value of collaboration. ... The failure lies not with the law, or with teachers and local school districts, but with SED's lack of capacity to provide what's needed to move implementation forward."
Iannuzzi assures leaders that NYSUT will be aggressive in exposing any mischaracterizations of the teacher eval law. He said NYSUT is adamant that "the 2010 law is correct and that SED has failed to provide the data system needed to meet its responsibilities."
He added that NYSUT "will continue to use the media to get the truth out."
APPR "report card" gives Albany an Incomplete
We usually do not reference Newsday, but this one they got right. An editorial in the paper this week outlines and itemizes many of the obstacles and failures that have prevented implementation of the evaluation law. It bemoans casting aspersions and advises, "it would be wise for Cuomo and his committee (commission on education) to approach this as a challenge rather than a brawl."
Teachers, Public Employees: Are You Being Hit by Budget Cuts? Money Magazine Wants to Know
Money magazine is seeking possible subjects for an article on the effects of government budget-cutting on public employees. This would include teachers and anyone else who works for a public entity. The magazine is looking for people whose long-made plans and assumptions about working and retirement have been upset by budget cuts and other actions driven by government revenue shortfalls. The deadline is January 23.
In exchange for participating in the story, employees who are selected would receive a free financial review and "makeover" by a financial planner. The magazine is looking for particular household demographics (see below). ANYONE CHOSEN TO BE IN THE STORY WOULD HAVE TO AGREE TO THE PUBLICATION OF PERSONAL, HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL INFORMATION.
If you're interested in participating, the magazine's deadline for potential subjects to interview is JANUARY 23. Contact AFT public affairs staffer Tom Lansworth at 202-393-6351 or e-mail him at Tom.Lansworth@aft.org
Rockland BOCES will be offering a Summer School - Please be aware that the application deadline is February 10, 2012 at 4:00 p.m
Rockland BOCES will be offering a Summer School program for eligible students during July and August of 2012. An application for employment and the guidelines for hiring will be posted on the Rockland BOCES website. This information can be accessed by logging onto the Rockland BOCES website (http://www.rocklandboces.org) and clicking on QUICK LINKS. The Summer School Application will be available to read, download and submit on January 26, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.
BOCES Family Annual Food Drive for People to People
 
BOCES Staff Association President Debra Kydon and members Kevin Connell, Eric Kurz, Rich Siddi and Breda Purdy Brave the 13 degree weather on Sunday to Kick off the BOCES Family Annual Food Drive for People to People (Sponsored by BSA) at Shop Rite in Garnerville. 474 lbs of food was collected in 3 1/2 hours.
Member Benefits has new program endorsements
NYSUT Member Benefits has endorsed two new programs and has enhanced an existing endorsed program.
Mobilize voters now for special elections and budget votes
This is an important year to mobilize voters among your membership, their families and supporters of labor and NYSUT issues. Plan ahead!
March -- Special elections will be held in a number of Assembly and Senate districts. Dates have not been set, nor has the NYSUT Board of Directors decided whether to endorse in any of these races.
April 24 -- Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.
Also -- Election for delegates, by congressional district, to both Republican and Democratic national conventions.
May 15 -- School budget votes.
June, August or September -- The primary election day for Assembly and Senate races is currently under debate. All 150 seats in the Assembly and all 62 seats in the Senate are up for election. We will update.
Nov. 6 -- General election nationwide for President and a variety of state Assembly and Senate races and one U.S. Senate seat.
Union protests SED's shocking move to yank SIG funds
NYSUT strongly condemned the "dictatorial" behavior by SED following Commissioner John King's suspension of all School Improvement Grant funding to 10 districts statewide.
King said he was not satisfied with their progress on teacher evaluation plans. This decision jeopardizes much needed funds for student services. Given that the evaluation is a small component of school improvement plans for what are some of the state's neediest districts, it is also unconscionable and illogical. President Iannuzzi and VP Maria Neira observed this is just the latest in a series of epic failures by SED that have prevented effective implementation of the APPR law it developed in 2010 and distribution of federal Race to the Top funds.
It is "shocking," Iannuzzi said. "SED and Commissioner King have demonstrated that they have totally lost their way in shepherding real, meaningful reform — reform aimed at helping New York's most vulnerable students with support and encouragement, not NCLB-styled sanctions ... SED is obviously more interested in being a bully than providing leadership."
NYSUT is pressing this issue through a blitz of media appearances by President Iannuzzi, which will include a press event planned for Monday on the steps of SED. Watch for an email alert Monday telling you how you can join in and speak out against these bullying tactics.
Here's NYSUT's statement in reaction to the SIG decision, and here's SED's announcement.
An aggressive NYSUT media blitz addresses the State of the State
In the wake of Gov. Cuomo's State of the State speech this week — which called for a new "commission on education" and creation of a Tier 6 -- NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi spoke to more than a dozen media outlets to hammer home key points on behalf of our members and students. With the governor vague on what a commission's eventual "blueprint for education" could mean, Iannuzzi said NYSUT at this point welcomes working with a commission to advocate for what students and educators need to advance learning. "As long-time advocates for our students, we invite the governor to work shoulder to shoulder with us in ensuring all children receive a quality public education," Iannuzzi said.
Other NYSUT points: There's no need to redo the law on teacher evaluations -- as Cuomo suggested in his remarks -- because it is a sound law that appropriately relies on collective bargaining to develop local plans. The concern is a potential to strip collective bargaining. Nonetheless, the union shares the growing frustration with SED's inertia and would welcome the governor's leadership in getting SED to support districts and locals in developing their plans. Encouragingly, Cuomo's proposal for a Tier 6, which the union adamantly opposes, generated no response from the legislators or from journalists in questions after the speech.
Here are links to:
A summary of Iannuzzi's responses to the speech.
A synthesis of what Cuomo said (and didn't say) on education and labor topics with relevant excerpts from the State of the State.
Districts can't enact special ed mandate relief
The recent action of the Board of Regents regarding special education mandate relief was an endorsement of proposals, but not a change in special education requirements. SED must now pursue a change in state law in order for those mandate relief proposals to become reality.
However, some districts have begun to act as if those changes have already occurred. As a result, SED sent out a field memo this week to school districts noting that "none of the mandate relief proposals that were discussed are in effect and the state's current rules relating to Committee on Special Education and Committee on Preschool Special Education membership, evaluations, and planning and reporting requirements must be followed."
The complete SED memo can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/mandaterelief-dec2011.htm
In the meantime, NYSUT is moving forward with its advocacy partners to coordinate activities and make sure the Legislature clearly hears our concerns regarding these proposed special education changes.
These Republican presidential candidates do not stand with us on the issues that are important to AFT members and our families.
The 2012 presidential nominating process is officially under way with yesterday's Iowa caucuses. At various times over the past several months, at least seven different Republican candidates led in the pre-caucus polls, but last night Mitt Romney narrowly defeated former Sen. Rick Santorum, with both candidates receiving approximately 25 percent of the vote. Ron Paul finished third with 21.5 percent, and Newt Gingrich finished fourth with 13 percent. This race continues with the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday, Jan. 10.
Despite the fluidity of the Republican race, one thing has remained constant: These Republican presidential candidates do not stand with us on the issues that are important to AFT members and our families. Here's a sampling of what Romney, Santorum, Paul and Gingrich have been saying on critical issues, including the recent fight in Ohio:
Mitt Romney: "My friends in Ohio are fighting to defend crucial reforms that the state has put in place to limit the power of union bosses and keep taxes low. I stand with John R. Kasich and Ohio's leaders as they take on this important fight to get control of government spending." (Facebook; Politico.com, Oct. 25, 2011)
Rick Santorum: "I do not believe that state, federal or local workers … should be involved in unions. And I would actually support a bill that says that we should not have public employee unions for the purposes of wages and benefits to be negotiated." (Fox News/Google debate, Sept. 22, 2011)
Ron Paul: In an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace, Paul reiterated his belief that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are all unconstitutional, saying, "Technically they are [unconstitutional]. … There's no authority in the Constitution. Article I, Section 8, doesn't say I can set up an insurance program for people. What part of the Constitution are you getting it from?" (Fox News interview, May 15, 2011)
Newt Gingrich: "You say to somebody, you shouldn't go to work before you're, what, 14, 16 years of age—fine. You're totally poor. You're in a school that is failing with a teacher that is failing. I've tried for years to have a very simple model. Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they'd begin the process of rising." (Remarks, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Nov. 19, 2011)
What are your thoughts on the Iowa Republican caucus results, and which issues would you like the Republican candidates to address as this nominating process continues?
Regents budget plan nowhere near enough
The Regents approved a 2012-13 budget proposal calling for an $805 million (4 percent) increase in state aid. This would include $755 million in increased school aid, plus $50 million for the first year of implementation of performance improvement and management efficiency grants authorized in the 2011 budget.
To ease the expected budget pain, the plan recommends expanded use of BOCES, multi-district reorganizations, regional high schools, mandate relief and support for options addressing health insurance costs for school district employees.
The Regents recommended 73 percent of the $755 million increase would be targeted to high-need schools. Click here for the Regents plan. The governor is expected to present his proposed budget Jan. 17. Lawmakers have until March 31 to approve a new budget. NYSUT will continue to strongly advocate for more than the 4 percent increase. Schools and higher education are still reeling from $1.7 billion in cuts in this year's state budget.
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Dick Iannuzzi Discusses Education Funding
Education funding has traditionally caused big battles in Albany. After New York City schools successfully challenged the way cash is distributed, small city districts filed a lawsuit of their own. That's now before the state's highest court. The teachers union is supportive of that suit, and is mulling taking it one step further. NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi sat down with Liz Benjamin to discuss. Click on image below to view the video.
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Common Core Standards: Getting it right!
The Regents approved the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards in January, with introductory phase-in to begin this school year.
According to the State Education Department, this is a transitional year, with school districts providing support and professional development on how to incorporate the new standards into instruction. SED has posted a handful of exemplary lessons and Commissioner John King has urged teachers to try aligning at least one unit per semester with the common core standards.
While a recent NYSUT survey shows members are aware of the Common Core State Standards, too many districts are not providing members with the professional development that is needed. We're hearing reports from the field that some principals and superintendents are trying to require teachers to submit lesson plans aligned with the new common core standards. This is NOT a state requirement this year. Nothing is mandated until 2012-13. (In fact, this spring's state assessments in ELA and math will continue to be based on the 2005 learning standards.) It's also important to keep in mind that many collective bargaining agreements include provisions about lesson plans. The introductory phase-in does not supersede collective bargaining agreements. Local leaders are encouraged to bring to their labor relations specialists any concerns about contract violations or unilateral changes in working conditions in connection with the common core standards.
"Our position is very clear. We support the common core standards because they are deeper, clearer and, if implemented appropriately, can improve student learning," said NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira. "However, in order to make this sea change in planning for instruction, we need quality professional development, adequate time and collaborative teams working on capacity-building."
Once again, Neira noted, SED is rushing the transition and not getting the sequence right. SED is planning to leapfrog to new assessments on the common core standards in 2012-13, before all of the curriculum modules are ready. "We are continuing to advocate for a meaningful transition so this effort can be successful," Neira said.
Neira urged local leaders to ensure practitioners are involved with district and school-level committees working on realigning instruction. For background information, SED has set up a new Web page, EngageNY.org, with exemplar lesson plans, a video and an overview of the 12 major shifts in instruction. In addition, the union's Education & Learning Trust and the state's Teacher Center network are partnering to offer professional development opportunities to help educators with the transition.
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Rockland BOCES Family Giving Back To Our Community
Up-Coming events:
Food drive:
January 9-Feb 3 2012 Did you know: in the month of Oct. People to People’s food pantry serviced 1229 families in Rockland County. Out of that number 134 were emergency cases and 139 were senior citizens. With the holidays coming they predict all of their numbers will be at an all time high. Members of BSA will be collecting non-perishable foods from our BOCES Family Members as well as outside local grocery stores during this drive.
Youth Fest:
March/April 2012 This event is held at RCC and is full of fun and information for all families. More details to follow.
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