The Offical Website of the PJSTA

Posted on August 20, 2014 by thepjsta

Katie Kleinpeter Takes the Challenge!

Earlier today we told you of Rob Pearl’s departure from the PJSTA. The silver lining is that when leaders of an organization leave it opens a spot for new leaders to step in. I have always viewed Katie Kleinpeter as a future leader of our union. She contributes in virtually every manner possible, attending rallies and pickets, making phone calls, even attending our Diane Ravitch Book Club last fall! This year Katie will begin her first full year on the PJSTA’s Executive Board as Clinton Avenue’s senior building representative.

It should come as no surprise that when Beth Dimino called out the PJSTA membership to take the #IceBucketChallenge Katie Kleinpeter stepped up to the plate. Here is Katie…

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Posted on August 19, 2014 by thepjsta

Thank You Rob Pearl

PJSTA 1st Vice-President Rob Pearl accepted a job today as the interim principal at Norwood Elementary School. Anybody who knows Rob knows that Norwood is tremendously fortunate to have him. Congratulations to him. There are few people I have come across who deserve good things happening to them as much as Rob.

Rob has been a dedicated member of the PJSTA’s executive board for several years. Additionally he has served on the last negotiating team and on the PJSTA’s LAP team. He has been a NYSUT and AFT delegate and has been the chair of the PJSTA’s grievance committee. If you have been to any rally, picket, or event in support of public education over the past few years then you have certainly seen Rob Pearl there as he is the very definition of an activist. Unofficially he has served as Beth Dimino’s chauffeur as well!

While he accepts the interim principal job Rob is resigning his position as 1st Vice-President of the PJSTA. We wish him all the best and thank him for the tremendous amount of service that he has provided our membership!

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Posted on August 19, 2014 by thepjsta

Back-to-School: No Staples, No Walmart, No Testing!

It’s that time of year where teachers are busy preparing for their return to work. Here in Comsewogue we return to school two weeks from today with the PJSTA Union Conference in the morning followed by a Superintendent’s Conference Day in the afternoon. I stopped up at school today and was happy to see a few of my fellow PJSTA brothers and sisters (actually I only ran into PJSTA sisters today!). Some of them people I have worked with for many years, one of them a brand new PJSTA member. Seeing them reminded me that one of the things I enjoy so much about my job is the bonds that we form with the people we work with.

While we are on the topic of returning to school, there are a few things I’d like to remind everyone of…

In support of our brothers and sisters in the American Postal Workers Union we are asking every PJSTA member to boycott Staples when buying your back to school supplies. Just as privatizers are seeking to destroy public education, they are doing the same with the postal service. We are labor and we stand with our brothers and sisters in the APWU!

While you are crossing Staples off your list of stores to shop at, you may as well cross WalMart off as well, if you haven’t already. There are few, if any, people who have done more harm to you, your profession, and your students than the Walton family, owners of WalMart. As this article states…

Between 2005 and 2010, the Walton Family Foundation gave nearly $700 million to education reform organizations. Specifically, the family provides lavish funding for voucher programs, charter schools, and policy and advocacy groups devoted to establishing and promoting alternatives to public schooling.

Voucher programs, charter schools, and “alternatives to public schools” generally mean that someone is looking to profit off the education industry at the expense of public school teachers, students, and the communities that they serve. When you wonder why your profession is a shell of what it was ten years ago, WalMart is as good of a reason as any other. So if WalMart comes to your faculty meeting this year looking to hand out gift cards, tell them you don’t support businesses that try to hurt you.

Finally, if you are a parent, no back-to-school list is complete without an opt out letter! Danielle Boudet, Jeanette Deuterman, and Chris Cerrone collaborated to tell you everything you could possibly want to know about opting your children out of the abusive state testing agenda.

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Posted on August 19, 2014 by thepjsta

A Tale of Two Unionists and How Rank & File Teachers Lose

I’ve been meaning to link to this for a few days. A great analysis of the Common Core from MORE’s Julie Cavanagh.

Via the Daily News… (emphasis is mine)

The truth is, these tests were designed to create a narrative of failure, and the trends are not so different from those we saw on the old tests: we are failing our children with special needs, our English language learners, our children who live in poverty, and a disproportionate number of black and Latino pupils.

It is no surprise that the results mirror the struggles and deep flaws in our society. Of course, the goal was never to actually fix our schools — there are no profits in doing that. There are no profits in providing small class sizes, experienced educators and services like counseling, tutoring and family support — proven reforms that would benefit all students.

Instead, the focus is on unproven standards and the tests that supposedly measure our student’s competency — written by the very people who profit from their use.

Julie Cavanagh says the Common Core was designed to create a narrative of failure.

Whether it is being quoted in the New York Times, appearing on MSNBC to discuss education issues, or co-hosting the movie The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman Cavanagh always does a remarkable job representing teachers. Her track record of activism and her ability to articulately state what classroom teachers are feeling are exactly what we should expect out of our union leaders.

So it is extremely telling that there is a problem with the UFT and NYSUT elections when you consider the fact that a teacher and activist of Cavanagh’s caliber has, not once but twice lost elections to Michael Mulgrew. She lost an election to him for UFT President in 2013 and then lost to him this past April when she ran against him for an at-large position on NYSUT’s board of directors. You saw Cavanagh’s well stated opinion on the Common Core above. Contrast that with Mulgrew who talks about punching people in the face and then pushing their face in the dirt if they take away his Common Core. Keep in mind the UFT President is likely the most powerful teachers union position in the country. Wouldn’t we be so much better off with someone like Cavanagh representing us in that position?

Two different takes on the Common Core, two different takes on unionism. It’s a shame our leadership is on the wrong side in both cases.