UFT Solidarity Jumps the Shark. Again.

Earlier this morning, the SBSB news team received an email with something quite interesting regarding UFT Solidarity. The email was turned over to The Crack Team for analysis and confirmation.

This blog post would have been posted much earlier in the day if two things did not happen. One, several members of The Crack Team laughed so hard that they became completely incontinent and had to be rushed to the Westchester Medical Center ER. They are back to work now after being thoroughly cleaned up, checked for injuries, and their clothes sent to the dry cleaners.

Second, when fed the information in the email, the SBSB computers completely went on the fritz and since our IT person was at the ER as well (For attempting to gouge his eyes out) we had to turn to our IT intern, Zippy the Brain Damaged Chimp, to get the computers up and running again.

Before we share with the SBSB readership, our legal intern, Zippy the Brain Damaged Chimp (Zippy wears many hats), has suggested that we blur out any images in which our readers might find offensive and to warn those with weak constitutions, heart conditions, small children, the elderly, to avert their eyes or wear the protective visor that Spock wore when greeting the Medusan ambassador Kollos.

Are you ready? Last chance. OK, here we go.

There you have it. And just in case anyone thinks The Crack Team created this, you are wrong so go here.

As usual the autocratic nature of UFT Solidarity allows room for only one voice, one face, one opinion, one idea.

A caucus or even a union us more than just one person, it is many people contributing many ideas, opinions, voices, faces, that when meshed together join and make one larger and more importantly, stronger voice that everyone will not only listen to but hear as well.

When you run a caucus in the UFT election you are part of a team, a slate. Why anyone would want to focus all the attention on just themselves is beyond reproach.

The community, the students, the education process needs to be emphasized in any campaign poster. As written about here, just focusing on teachers is counter productive to the cause.

Besides, is this not putting the cart before the horse? Would one not have to be on the ballot first?

From an aesthetic point of view this is a mess. My dad was in advertising, my wife an artist and graphic designer. The background color is a mess, along with the matted colors of the fonts. The fonts are a mess, all out of place, some bigger than others. There is nothing to catch your eye and there are just way too many words and promises that there is nothing that stands out and there is no substance. Too many promises that are just generic or no way to keep.

But this is reminiscent of a child that decides in November he is going to be Batman for Halloween the following year. By November 2, the child already is pestering mommy and daddy if he can be Batman, watching Batman to learn how to move and speak like him.

Again, a caucus is for the people, by the people, and of the people of the caucus. Of course this is discounting Unity. Egos and personal vendettas must be checked at the door and the common good is what must be the goal. Being president of the UFT is a democratic process not a coronation.

Where is Snowball when we need him?

If UFT Solidarity Has a Rally...Who Cares?

Throughout the summer the entire world had been hearing that UFT Solidarity was to have a rally in front of Superintendent Aimee Horowitz's office in Staten Island this past Wednesday, August 26. The world was ready.

Just an aside, Aimee Horowitz is High School Superintendent for Staten Island and Superintendent for the Renewal Schools. Aimee has also been in the news recently for several of her schools fixing grades and her ignoring the warning signs and the whistle blowers.

We do not condone Aimee Horowitz's actions and believe the world would be better off without her in education. But, this grade fixing credit recovery crud has been happening since Uncle Mike and we here at SBSB question where was the NYC media then.

Now back to the fun.

So all summer as mankind was awaiting the hordes of humanity emerging on 715 Ocean Terrace in Staten Island so that Aimee Horowitz would quake in fear of the Movement that is UFT Solidarity we here at SBSB awaited with bated breath for that day.

Sadly, I was in Lake George but news travels up I-87.

UFT Solidarity had planned not to have the rally in front of the campus of the Michael J. Petrides School on the sidewalk, but rather in front of the building itself. On the property.

The DOE put the kibosh on that and rightly so.

Your request for a permit to hold a demonstration at the Michael J. Petrides School has been reviewed and is denied. Chancellor’s Regulation D-180 does not authorize the issuance of a permit for such purposes.    

Sylvia Jamison 
Supervisor of Extended Use 
New York City Department of Education 
52 Chambers Street  New York, NY 10007 
212-374-6009 
sjamison@schools.nyc.gov

Hmmm, Chancellor's reg D-180.

Someone from UFT Solidarity wrote back. Can't say who, but someone did.

Good afternoon Ms. Sylvia,

 I’m in receipt of your email in which you notify me that our request for a permit to meet at the Petrides complex is denied. We read through CR D-180 and do not see how having an open civic meeting, to voice our objections on how Aimee Horowitz has been running her schools, is being denied.

Civic meetings/forums, as long as they don’t discriminate, and are open should not be denied according to section I.F and I.H if D-180.

In any case, we will continue with this civic gathering outside of the complex, on Ocean Terrace, on August 26th.http://www.uftsolidarity.org/rally-against-superintendent-aimee-horowitz-a-common-denominator-in-fixing-schools/

We are however appealing here to General Council Jackson-Chase. Our request is being unreasonably denied.

Thank you.

Just an aside. Shouldn't the woman be addressed as Ms Jamison, not Ms Sylvia? Are we living in 1962 Mississippi?

But UFT Solidarity thinks it made a case. We wondered that too so we decided to have The Crack Team's legal intern, Zippy the Brain Damaged Chimp examine D-180 and with a focus on I.F. and I.H. Here are the two lines in question;

Permits may be granted for civic forums and community centers in accordance with applicable law.
Permits may be granted for holding social, civic, and recreational meetings and entertainment, and other uses pertaining to the welfare of the community.  All such uses  shall be non - exclusive and open to the general public.

Zippy says;

"UFT Solidarity is not a community nor civic organization. UFT Solidarity does not represent the citizens. While it does have CITIZENS amongst its ranks, it is not representative of the community as a whole. Its focus is narrow and for a select few. UFT Solidarity is not open nor is it inclusive to the entire community. It is also not recreational in nature. It is amazing that UFT Solidarity can't get past their own self worth to see this!"

Zippy also added;

"However, UFT Solidarity should have attempted to try selling itself as an entertainment act. Their argument might have met with success."

So what became of this rally? As you can see in the photo, it set the world on fire (Again, identities were obscured by a photo of Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe. We apologize to Mr Lee.

Seven people! Horowitz must have been cowering under her desk.

Yes, UFT Solidarity is a movement. A bowel movement.

At PS 154 in the Bronx 80% of Students in 3rd and 5th Grades Failed State ELA Exams!

Baseball is a great sport. Think about it. What other sport are you considered great if you fail 70% of the time?

The .300 batting average is what hitters wish to attain. Hit over .300 in a season you did well. Have a lifetime .300 batting average over a career you are considered one of the finest hitters of all time. Of the 18,274 (Including pitchers) players to play Major League Baseball since 1876 only 178 have a lifetime .300 average (Based on 1,000 games played). That is less than 1%!!!!!!!

From the highest, Ty Cobb with a lifetime average of .366 to a lowest .300 on the dot for 11 players, that .300 average is a mark of success.

Even the last player to he .400, Ted Williams in 1941 when he hit .406, failed to get a hit in 60% of his at bats (When I was a kid my dad always said Williams would have hit 800 if he didn't miss 5 years due to military service).

The great Mickey Mantle finished with a career .298 average. Mickey always lamented playing his last two seasons, 1967 and 1968 in which he hit .245 and .237 respectfully (He hit .300 or better 10 times in his career). Take away those two seasons, Mick winds up hitting over .300 lifetime.

The point?

Why is it acceptable for a NYC school to have 80% of it's 5th graders and over 80% of its 3rd graders unable to read or write and then go into middle school where they have no skills at all.

This school? PS 154 in the Bronx, led by that purveyor of all things Lucy Calkin, DR Alison Coviello, Principal and Ed.D, this is what is happening the students on East 135th St in the South Bronx.

These are the scores that came out last week. Of the 57 fifth graders tested at PS 154 31.6% scored a 1 and 54.4% scored a 2. That is over 80% This is acceptable? Yes, 14% scored a 3, but this comes out to only 7.98 students. EIGHT STUDENTS!!!!


In 3rd grade 58 students were tested Of these, 55.2% of the students recieved a 1 and 29.3% a 2. This totals 84% of students out of a class who apparently weren't taught well from K-2 and especially 3rd grade. Again, to be fair, 15.5% received a 3 in 3rd grade, only 8.99 students. NINE STUDENTS!!!

WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE IN THE COMMUNITY???

The students and the community of PS 154 are being short changed by a failed writing and reading curriculum brought into PS 154 by DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.d of PS 154 in the Bronx. Can/should DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.d of PS 154 in the Bronx be trusted to impart the right reading and writing program into PS 154 when she has close ties to Lucy Calkins and her failed methodology?

The community of PS 154 needs to know that they can do something. Demand to whomever will listen that an 80 percent failure rate is not acceptable and demand accountability. This is your community, your school, and your children.

Would these scores be acceptable in Scarsdale? HECK NO! How fast would the Scarsdale superintendent clean house? Think about it. So why is it acceptable in the South Bronx?

Because they believe they have a compliant population that will not contradict what they are told and how they are told to think. 

The parents, the community of PS 154, are the only ones capable of taking charge of your child's education. The parents and community are the best and only advocates. But to do this parents must always question what they are told and come up with their own answers.

It is up to the parents and the community to put and end to the NYCDOE allowing a 80% failure rate to be seen as a success. 

If Mickey Mantle had failed to get a hit 80% of the time he would have been a .200 hitter. He would not have lasted in the Majors for 18 years and would not be in the Hall of Fame.

UFT Solidarity Whiffs Bernie Sanders Kickoff Event

One thing we here at SBSB have taken pride in is our ability to spot the proverbial pungent odors that emanate from those purveyors of road apples. Never has that odor been as strong as what has been wafting from UFT Solidarity.

Again UFT Solidarity has put its proverbial foot in its proverbial mouth when due to some inane insecurity it decided to make itself look big when in essence it was just no more than paper tiger.

As many remember there was a big Bernie Sanders kickoff event across this fine country of ours several weeks ago. People gathered around TV sets, radios, computers to join in support of Bernie Sanders.

Like a peacock so desperate to show off what it has the so called "Social Media Committee" of UFT Solidarity shared this on Facebook;

While we praise UFT Solidarity for sticking its finger into the wind and having that kickoff event we must remind UFT Solidarity that it is incorrect in several ways.

1. That other "socialist" caucus did have Bernie Kickoff, and 2) It kicked ass! Let's take a look see.

There were 300 people at the event led by MORE steering committee member Mindy Rosier and emceed by WBAI personality Julianna Forlano. By herself. And for something she actually believes in.

Look at all the TV's. Look at all the happy faces. Look at the bar. Look at the person in the foreground with notes. This looks cool.

 Now let's have a look at the UFT Solidarity Bernie Kickoff )Full disclosure. Rush bassist, lead singer and other "socialist" caucus supporter Geddy Lee, has been kind enough to allow us here at SBSB to use his face to to hide the identities, of the few at the UFT Solidarity Kickoff.).

 See the difference?

But wait! What is a Bernie Kickoff without media coverage? Surely, the "Social Media Committee" of UFT Solidarity put out a press release and the New York media was knocking down the door.

Sadly, no. All they had was someone with a camera phone.

On the other hand, the other "socialist" caucus had this. 

"A few hundred people gathered at a downtown bar in New York City on 4th Avenue in what was hailed as one of the largest gatherings. Prior to Sanders' speech the crowd shouted out the reasons they were supporting Sanders, citing paid family leave, free college and overturning Citizens United."

Along with banner Mindy herself created; 

The Crack Team suggests that there be a shake up in the "Social Media Committee" of UFT Solidarity post haste. God forbid UFT Solidarity starts losing credibility.

Is UFT Solidarity Student Friendly?

Sometime ago, when talk of UFT Solidarity was in its infancy I had had a discussion on what it's
name should be, where to stand on the issues, and even what the logo should look like.

Yes, there was this air of militancy and looking out for teachers, but that side needed (In my opinion) to be offset with what would this new caucus do for the communities of NYC.

The name needed to be education friendly and not appear militant. Even the logo should be professionally done and include those that we serve every day as educators. Remember, though this upcoming UFT election is about us as educators in the long run what is most important is how this election and its results will effect the communities.

Teacher abuse, teachers as ATR's, teachers resigning, testing, APPR, teachers sent to the rubber room, Common Core©, etc... can all be---and should-- what we as teachers are fighting against. But, we can take every issue and easily make it how it affects the students of New York City.


But it was not to be. This is not how autocracy works.

But this is not how UFT Solidarity works.

It just seems about revenge, Revenge to right some perceived wrong on somebody's part. Yes, there are many a teacher who has blindly joined UFT Solidarity and listened to the words of Harold Hill. Why not? Not when you are told all these lofty promises that are to come. Not when you learn how to FOIL. But a question remains. What does UFT Solidarity promise our communities?

Looking at the UFT Solidarity Jedi Council and Committees page (Before the ubiquitous cries of trolling, hey it's like watching a train wreck, you don't want to look but feel you must)  one can see many a committee listed.

These include; Member Support, Integrity and Corruption, Outreach and Social Media, Union Democracy. One can surmise this is taken from E4E, but no, E4E only makes you sign a loyalty oath at an event, not online.

I am a great believer in what effects teachers does trickle down and effect the students. We can and should fight for our rights, but in the larger picture (Such as in an election) we need as teachers to articulate how our right, or our lack of rights, effects the students system wide.

We as educators are not in a vacuum. We are in this for our students and the communities we serve.

We can't be in this for ourselves only.

Domo Arigato, DR COVIELLO Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx [どうもありがとうミスターロボット]

One common takeaway from all the people who had attended my 3020-a hearing was how robotic, how unemotional, how two dimensional DR Alison Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx came across.  Can DR Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx be the inspiration of Styx's 1983 song Mr Roboto?

Several sources deep within PS 154 in the Bronx shared with The Crack Team a email she had sent out to the sycophants and suck-ups thanking them for flowers she had been given at the end of the year. There is no emotion.

So The Crack Team was able to take the thank you email, put it through our Crack Computers and were unable to decode the email into what DR Coviello; Principal and Ed.D of PS 154 in the Bronx was really thinking. We also decided to add the lyrics from the Styx song, "Mr Roboto," of the the album "Kilroy Was Here."

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto [どうもありがとうミスターロボット],
Mata au hi made [また会う日まで]

Dear Colleagues Those beneath me,

I write this email with much gratitude and a deep sense of appreciation.  I feel so lucky to be able to come to work every day with a group of unbelievably committed and hard working people. You all should feel lucky and kiss the ground I walk upon that I have yet to turn on you. You are fortunate to be breathing the same air as me.  

You're wondering who I am (secret secret I've got a secret)
Machine or mannequin (secret secret I've got a secret)
With parts made in Japan (secret secret I've got a secret)

Over the past three years, you have all pushed forward valiantly even when things were really difficult. Over the past three years you have all managed to keep your sanity and stay silent as I have thrown many of your colleagues under the bus, control every aspect of your life, and you have all remained loyal to me out of fear as you know of all the nasty things I have done to people.

I've got a secret I've been hiding under my skin
My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain I.B.M.

 You have never given up on our collective agency and potential for huge impact. I like to throw big words in there so I can show off that I have a doctorate. 

I'm not a robot without emotions. I'm not what you see

 This year and last, we truly began to see some tangible results.  I am so proud to be a part of the work to make P.S. 154 great with you all! We haven't really. Test scores are not up. Our students, now in middle school, are barely literate.  I have no doubt that at the pace we have made progress over the past three years, we will be firmly counted among the best of the best in the not so distant future. Don't forget we are a renewal school and the charter is growing and growing. In 2018 we are done. Finis. Jump ship. Rats as usual first. 

I need control. 

Thank you for the absolutely beautiful plaque.  It is proudly displayed in my office.  When stressed, I look at it and remember just how lucky I am to be surrounded by such amazing professionals. When stressed I look at the plaque and realize what a bunch of sycophants I have working for me.  The letter, too, is proudly displayed and has the same effect on me. My family and I have enjoyed the absolutely gorgeous flowers for a week now and the words in your cards will forever be cherished. The flowers dies, they are in the garbage.

Machines to save our lives.
Machines dehumanize.

It is the team effort that truly makes us great. The team effort is nothing without me controlling all of you. Without phenomenal people working together towards an ultimate vision, our impact can only go so far. No one special. I care more about my control of all things first.  Together, we are unstoppable! We are only unstoppable because of me.  Please enjoy a wonderful, restful summer. You know once the school year starts I OWN YOU! In September, I look forward to coming back together in strength, as we always do, to move P.S. 154 to the next level of greatness! Greatness? With TC? HAHAHAHA!!!

 Domo arigato, DR. Coviello, domo...domo
Domo arigato, DR. Coviello, domo...domo

Come to MORE Summer Series This Thursday!

BREAKING NEWS!!!! UNBELIEVABLE BREAKING NEWS!!!

This Thursday, August 13......

The MORE Summer Series presents.......

What is the role of UFT Elections in Building a caucus?

What should a 2016 grassroots UFT election campaign look like ? Does MORE have the resources and activists to mount an effective campaign ? How can we use new tools and lessons learned to ensure that organizing for the election will build MORE? Come learn election nuts and bolts, brain storm creative election strategies…

All this to happen at.......

The Dark Horse, 17 Murray St. NYC  Near City Hall, Chambers St, WTC Close to the A,C, R, 1,2,3 trains. Discounted beverages available.

Tell MORE Frank Sinatra Jr sent you and get a drink on the house (I hope that someone gets this reference).


See you then!