Friday, March 26, 2010

"WHERE THE HELL IS DAVID SANCHEZ AND THE CTA"

Firing of ALL Central Falls, R.I., Teachers ‘Illegal, Unjust, Disgraceful’(and just the beginning)

by James Parks, Feb 25, 2010




Educators find themselves put out into the street. On Feb. 23, the Central Falls, R.I., school trustees fired the entire teaching staff of Central Falls High School, supposedly because of declining test scores at the school, which is located in Rhode Island’s smallest and poorest city.
In all, 93 persons were put in the street—74 classroom teachers, plus reading specialists, guidance counselors, physical education teachers, the school psychologist, the principal and three assistant principals. Negotiations over ways to improve the school between teachers and the school superintendent broke down when school officials insisted that teachers add new duties, some without any extra pay at all.

In a rally before the trustees meeting, some 500 union members and community supporters called on the board to reconsider its decision. Rhode Island AFL-CIO President George Nee told the crowd:
This is immoral, illegal, unjust, irresponsible, disgraceful and disrespectful. What is happening here tonight is the wrong thing and we’re not going to put up with it.
Busloads of teachers from across the state came to show solidarity with the Central Falls teachers. Julie Boyle, an English teacher at another high school, told the Providence Journal:
I think the real goal is to bust the unions. Sometimes a teacher is the only touchstone in a student’s life. I’m sad for the students who will lose their touchstones.
AFT President Randi Weingarten criticized Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo, who has been at the helm for three years, for not accepting any responsibility for the situation at the school. She said in “their rush to make judgments and cast blame,” school officials ignored positive steps toward improvement that have been made, such as a rise in reading scores of 21 percent. Read Weingarten’s statement here.
Weingarten adds:
Central Falls High School faces tremendous academic and economic challenges, but firing all of the teachers is a failed approach and will not result in the kinds of changes necessary to improve instruction and learning.
The Central Falls debacle is another example of attacks on public services and public employees across the country. AFSCME members are lobbying their state legislators to raise more revenue to save vital public services at a time when they are needed most.

5 Comments

  1. jimdotcom on 25.02.2010 at 19:01 (Reply)
    WTF! Even Barack Obama’s basketball pal, Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, supports the firing. Again, he’s the secretary of EDUCATION! Are you kidding me? Where do we get these people? Firing the teachers in this very difficult district — a demographic with so many ESL and poor students — in these very difficult economic times, is heartless and stupid. How about I tell Arne I’m telling HIM to work extra hours. Do you think he might negotiate for more pay? Weingarten should be on the next flight to DC and in front of the cameras asking Duncan if he hates teachers.
  2. kmccook on 25.02.2010 at 23:48 (Reply)
    US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan applauded the Rhode Island decision Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers president stated, “We are disappointed that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan didn’t get all the facts—or even speak with teachers—before weighing in on the mass firing at Central Falls High School.”
  3. Dan Gallin on 26.02.2010 at 12:37 (Reply)
    Whatever happened to the Employees Free Choice Act?
  4. Phyllis C. Murray on 26.02.2010 at 16:41 (Reply)
    The firing of entire staff is nothing new to teachers in the New York City Public School System. It is a part of both Option 1 and Option 2 in the Plan For Restructuring.
    Therefore School Phase-out/Closure or Replacement of School Staff become options. However, there is an Option 3: Major Restructuring. This entails a dramatic change in school structure/organization or suspension of school based decision making authority.
    All of the above are a part of the Region/District needs assessment of each identified school and are in consultation with staff and parents. And lest we forget, the Region/District determination of appropriate options for restructuring identified schools requires consultation with staff and parents. The replacement of school staff must be consistent with existing contractual provisions.
    If “Negotiations over ways to improve the school between teachers and the school superintendent broke down when school officials insisted that teachers add new duties, some without any extra pay at all,” this should have been a signal for both parties to continue negotiations. Surely, the wanton firing of Rhode Island professionals in a democratic society is not a picture of democracy in action. Dissent does not mean disloyalty. It is merely a means to become a part of the process of a just government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Therfore, it is up to the union to ensure that its members voices are heard and justice is served.
    Blaming teachers for failures which occur within a school is unfair. It is time to look at how the schools are pauperized by the continued budget cuts: cuts which strangle education in inner city schools. It is unconscionable to even suggest further cuts to programs, resources and personnel in the already underfunded public schools. The failure of local and state governments to provide funding to economically poor citizens and their schools compromise the teachers’ efforts and the future of this great nation.
    Our quest must be to secure public schools that reflect democracy in action because…the children are waiting. They are waiting for their only chance to get the education they deserve.
    It is a dream that cannot be deferred.
    Phyllis C. Murray
    UFT Chapter Leader
  5. ChicanoWobbly on 26.02.2010 at 16:57 (Reply)
    Just goes to show you that a lot of Democrats certainly haven’t a clue as to what the needs of working people are. What’s worse, many of them don’t care.
    I can only wonder what Duncan’s “qualifications” are to be U.S. Secretary of Education? It certainly isn’t in support for public school teachers!

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Boycott "Whirl Pool Products" They have fired all their 1000 employess and moved their plant to Mexico. Besides, whirlpool products are poorly designed anyway.




"Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself." –Supreme Court Justice Brandeis

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This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out?

What's taking so long? This is the fight of our professional careers. Are You In or Out? "Hell has a special level for those who sit by idly during times of great crisis."
Robert Kennedy

The Art of SETTING LIMITS, Its not as easy as it looks.

Art of Setting Limits Setting limits is one of the most powerful tools that professionals have to promote positive behavior change for their clients, students, residents, patients, etc. Knowing there are limits on their behavior helps the individuals in your charge to feel safe. It also helps them learn to make appropriate choices.


There are many ways to go about setting limits, but staff members who use these techniques must keep three things in mind:
Setting a limit is not the same as issuing an ultimatum.
Limits aren’t threats—If you don’t attend group, your weekend privileges will be suspended.

Limits offer choices with consequences—If you attend group and follow the other steps in your plan, you’ll be able to attend all of the special activities this weekend. If you don’t attend group, then you’ll have to stay behind. It’s your decision.
The purpose of limits is to teach, not to punish.
Through limits, people begin to understand that their actions, positive or negative, result in predictable consequences. By giving such choices and consequences, staff members provide a structure for good decision making.
Setting limits is more about listening than talking.
Taking the time to really listen to those in your charge will help you better understand their thoughts and feelings. By listening, you will learn more about what’s important to them, and that will help you set more meaningful limits.
Download The Art of Setting Limits

SYSTEMATIC USE OF CHILD LABOR


CHILD DOMESTIC HELP
by Amanda Kloer

Published February 21, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT
category: Child Labor
Wanted: Domestic worker. Must be willing to cook, clean, work with garbage, and do all other chores as assigned. No contract available, payment based on employer's mood or current financial situation. No days off. Violence, rape, and sexual harassment may be part of the job.

Would you take that job? No way. But for thousands of child domestic workers in Indonesia, this ad doesn't just describe their job, it describes their life.

A recent CARE International survey of over 200 child domestic workers in Indonesia found that 90% of them didn't have a contract with their employer, and thus no way to legally guarantee them a fair wage (or any wage at all) for their work. 65% of them had never had a day off in their whole employment, and 12% had experienced violence. Child domestic workers remain one of the most vulnerable populations to human trafficking and exploitation. And while work and life may look a little grim for the kids who answered CARE's survey, it's likely that the most abused and exploited domestic workers didn't even have the opportunity to take the survey.

In part, child domestic workers have it so much harder than adults because the people who hire children are more likely looking for someone easy to exploit. Think about it -- if you wanted to hire a domestic worker, wouldn't you choose an adult with a stronger body and more life experience to lift and haul and cook than a kid? If you could get them both for the same price, of course you would. But what if the kid was cheaper, free even, because you knew she wouldn't try and leave if you stopped paying her. Or even if you threatened her with death.



Congress Aims to Improve Laws for Runaway, Prostituted Kids

by Amanda Kloer

categories: Child Prostitution, Pimping

Published February 20, 2010 @ 09:00AM PT

The prospects for healthcare reform may be chillier than DC weather, but Democrats in the House and Senate are turning their attention to another warmer but still significant national issue: the increasing number of runaway and throwaway youth who are being forced into prostitution. In response to the growing concerns that desperate, runaway teens will be forced into prostitution in a sluggish economy, Congress is pushing several bills to improve how runaway kids are tracked by the police, fund crucial social services, and prevent teens from being caught in sex trafficking. Here's the gist of what the new legislation is trying to accomplish:

Shelter: Lack of shelter is one of the biggest vulnerabilities of runaway and homeless youth. Pimps will often use an offer of shelter as an entree to a relationship with a child or a straight up trade for sex. In the past couple years, at least 10 states have made legislative efforts to increase the number of shelters, extend shelter options, and change state reporting requirements so that youth shelters have enough time to win trust and provide services before they need to report the runaways to the police. Much of the new federal legislation would make similar increases in the availability and flexibility of shelter options.

Police Reporting: Right now, police are supposed to enter all missing persons into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database within two hours of receiving the case. In reality, that reporting doesn't always get done, making it almost impossible for law enforcement to search for missing kids across districts. This hole is a big problem in finding child prostitution victims and their pimps, since pimps will often transport girls from state to state. The new bill would strengthen reporting requirements, as well as facilitate communication between the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway Switchboard

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women

We Must Never Forget These Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen and Women
Nor the Fool Politicians that used so many American GIs' lives as fodder for the fight over an english noun - "Communism"