For those unaware there is an upcoming UFT Solidarity meeting this Thursday night, January 6, 2023 7 PM EST. The meeting is through Zoom. Here is the link.

 Smell that? It's fear. Desperation. It's exuding from 52 Broadway.

This is my fifth go round of being involved one way or the other with these union elections. What I've seen from the UFT Unity caucus this year is unprecedented.

The Crack Team assembled this afternoon to see if my hypothesis is correct. They crunched the data and looked back at the last two election cycles, 2016 and 2019, to use as a control group. They decided not to use 2010 because it was too far back and social media was still in its infancy and 2013 was excluded due to it being MORE was still in its infancy (I'm not trying to disparage MORE here, in fact I forget if MORE ran anyone in this election).

If we look at 2016 MORE was building up steam and was well organized. But there was also Solidarity which, if memory serves, was running in its first election. 

Both opposition groups were pretty much at loggerheads then and one could reasonably say they split ticket, however MORE did win the high school seats. But, could be seen as a wake up call for UFT Unity, but it wasn't. In the past, the opposition had won high school seats and in my opinion UFT Unity just dealt with it.

In 2019, was a real hullabaloo. MORE was in disarray and not really trying (Again, I am not disparaging MORE) and Solidarity was trying to pick up the pieces from... how do I say this? Shit happening. Yet, with all this Solidarity made a surprise second place showing. 

So this is the extreme brief take as well as history on the previous two elections. I am sure there are many who can fill in the missing pieces in the comments section and I welcome them to.

Social media started to "take off" as well in the previous two elections. Even on the UFT Unity side. The Crack Team did a search on Twitter for January 1-May 15 for both years. In both those election cycles the UFT Unity Twitter account was basically used to tout Unity and to get out the vote (Click here and here for search of UFT Unity tweets for those years). As you can see, nothing even mentioning opposition groups. 

This year, things apparently have changed. The UFT Unity twitter account seems to be mirroring the same type of tweets by United for Change in which executive board members and other candidates are introduced. Usage of Unity's "blog" and/or website to dig at the opposition. Mayhem at the Delegate Assemblies. UFT officers attacking the rank and file. Claiming others are not doing the work when others are not in power to. 

Even a plethora of disingenuous blog posts.

Why is UFT Unity running scared? Two reasons I have noticed. 

Anecdotally, in speaking with in service members I personally (Again this is from my personal experience. There is nothing scientific about this data ) am hearing from many disaffected members of the rank and file. Members are done with the lack of leadership from COVID, to constant abuse by administrators, to bogus AARP ratings, to justs a general mistrust of the union leadership in particular how out of touch Mike Mulgrew is. 

But that is not UFT Unity's biggest problem. Like a boil on the buttocks of the UFT that needs to be either lanced or popped the faction that was most loyal and actually votes is fed up. Care to guess? 

The retirees.

How the gosh darn does one turn against their most loyal votes as Mulgrew has by shoving Medicare (Dis)Advantage down retirees throats? Where is the logic? Why is this done without ANY input from retirees? Why is this done with nothing but, "Trust us, it'll be great," when there is nothing but a blank paper to show?

How can Mulgrew force retirees into Medicare (Dis)Advantage buy claiming, "You will be able to continue with your own medical providers," when there is no list of doctors, therapists, hospitals, that are on the plan! How does this make any sense? 

What does Mulgrew have to say to an 85 year old retiree who lives on a fixed income, as several medical ailments and is being forced to choose between Medicare (Dis)Advantage in which the retiree has no idea what to expect or paying $190 a month to keep their Medicare.

Yeah, I know a judge just sided with the retirees. But does anyone really trust Mulgrew? I know I don't. 

UFT Unity is in a lose lose situation. If the percentage of their vote dips below 65 percent there will be a bloodletting in Unity and if not we will have a hobbled union when contract negotiations start in earnest.

 On December 10 there was a UFTSolidarity/United for Change Happy Hour at the G Bar on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx.

I am there for a bit when I see a blast from the past. One of Lord Palpatine's Sith Apprentices. Hmm, I wonder thinking to myself, why would Darth Whatevertheirname be here? To spy? To chastise me for something I had written almost three years ago? 

It turned out to be the latter. I was confronted concerning the blog post I had written regarding how the Lunch Teacher was thrown under the bus by colleagues. I had moved on and wasn't obsessing about it for nearly three years. I have better things to do.

So later that night I called a meeting of The Crack Team and we promptly convened at the local Burger King. Over some fries and several Whoppers, we decided it was time to reach out to the Lunch Teacher and get an update on her what she has been up to. 

After commiserating with the Lunch Teacher not only myself and The Crack Team aghast, but quite faklempt as well. Seems her and food do not go well together. 

Seems that just before Thanksgiving the Lunch Teacher was being observed. In fact the students were so well behaved during the observation because they knew (and were looking forward to as well) there was to be a Thanksgiving celebration that day.

Regrettably, the class eats lunch first thing in the morning. One student was quite hungry. He had stomach pangs. Poor kid. He was hungry. He's little. He asked the Lunch Teacher for some food, like a cookie or a treat. Just something to tide his hunger over. Because the Lunch Teacher cares and loves her students so much she obliged. It turned out to be her undoing.

She got a developing for class management due to this act of kindness. So she should have the student to suffer? To starve? But if she had  refused the student's request, it would have been the same outcome. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. 

More to come on the Lunch Teacher.....

The Grim Reaper

Yesterday, Lydia Howrilka took the bull by the proverbial goodies and decided to show Mike Mulgrew how to lead. She filed an Article 75 on her on time and dime. 

Read on from Lydia:

Yesterday, I filed an Article 78 proceeding in NYC Civil Court protesting the reopening of NYC schools without adequate testing, mitigation measures, and allowing for a pivot of instruction to remote for January 3 to January 18, 2022. I have submitted the legal documents- a petition, a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), an affidavit, an Order to Show Cause (OSC), and a Request for Judicial Intervention (RJI)- and I am waiting for a judge to be assigned to our case. Many folks have been reaching out and want to know how they can help. A collective letter that we can send to the court with as many signatures as possible would be the best next step for members who want to support. Please click here and complete this form to e-sign the letter. https://forms.gle/h4QaqS9eedMpuzkK6 Important note- No teacher has been disciplined for signing a petition or letter when they are not on contracted time. It is not illegal to sign a letter or petition either. Your signature will only be seen by Lydia, the judge, and the City’s Corporation Counsel.

 

So sign up and sign on. Stay tuned for updates!

 

 It's that time of the year. No, not the traditional holiday season, but rather the UFT election season. And what does that mean? Plenty of opportunities to partake in adult beverages, fine food, and good people. 

For those not aware, UFT Solidarity, ICE/UFT, New Action, Educators of NYC, Retiree Advocate and the MORE Caucus have formed a coalition slate to run against Mike Mulgrew and his Unity caucus in the upcoming spring UFT Elections. Henceforth to be known as "United for Change".

United for Change is kicking off it's first Bronx Happy Hour on December 10, 2021, at the 
G Bar which is below Giovanni's at 579 Grand Concourse in the Bronx @149th St from 3:15 to 7:30. The entrance for the G Bar is on 150th St.

G Bar is easy to get to and easy to get home. The 2/4/5 trains are a few blocks away 149th St. If you are coming by car G Bar is just a few blocks away from the Deegan, Yankee Stadium, and the 149th St Bridge. And there is a dedicated parking lot on 150th St. Use this form (click here) to RSVP and let us know you are coming. The form just helps with the head count. If you don't want to fill out the form just show up and come have fun while hanging out with some great people. 

This is just a start. Thus far there is a Westchester County Happy Hour already being planned for January, as well as discussions on the possibility of a Saturday afternoon something in Orange and/or Rockland counties. So be on the look out for that!

Remember, Friday, December 10, at the G Bar which is below Giovanni's at 579 Grand Concourse in the Bronx @149th St from 3:15 to 7:30. The entrance for G B around the corner on 150th St.

The rumors are true. There is a coalition forming to take on Unity in next year's UFT elections. The details are being worked out. Nothing is official yet, but Solidarity, New Action, ICE, Educators of NYC, Retired Advocate, and MORE are in negotiations and discussions. It's still wait and see but one never knows. 

That being said, The Crack Team has received a copy of the joint statement draft put out by all parties involved. I am publishing it on these pages without editorializing, commenting, or making suggestions. However, anyone who is reading this is free to to add their two cents in the comments section and should feel assured that the comments will at the very least be read by all the caucuses. There is a lot that an be agreed on I am sure, And the disagreements can surely be turned into agreements. Please let the ideas flow

The Joint Announcement:

Are you feeling overworked and underappreciated?

Are you angry about a failed pandemic response that closed schools too late, and has failed to protect health and safety as we returned to work?

Are you upset that your union is complicit in so many of these dangerous decisions?  

Are you wishing there were more counselors, teachers, social workers, librarians, related service providers, and  just educators altogether?

Are you angry that the union instead settled for modest influxes of funds that can’t be spent on hiring long-term non unionized employees?

Are you angry about all the backroom deals, givebacks, and weakness on school segregation, healthcare, and standardized testing?

What about failing to file any grievances from rank-and-file members for almost 18 months while our rights, health, safety, pay, and overall power and respect in schools were under attack by a school bureaucracy that constantly disrespects the New York City community?

Do you wish our union would actually listen to us and organize us towards acting for change? It’s been proven to work in LA, Chicago, West Virginia, and many more regions. The opposite approach has been followed by our current union leaders. This spring, we have a choice for what union we can have.

We don’t want to settle anymore. Back to normal won’t be good enough. It never was good enough.

This spring, vote for A Better Union [placeholder phrase- Our UFT can do more and be better.].

We stand for a new union leadership that reverses the damage done by our current leadership and charts a new path forward. We stand for………

1. PROTECTIONS FOR EDUCATORS: Approximately 40% of new teachers leave within their first few years. Many of these teachers reach out to use and explain that they are being discontinued or are resigning because of the toxic work environments in their schools. If a young teacher is able to make it to tenure by “escaping” to a different school, often their probation is extended an extra year or too. Unity allowed the DOE to extend tenure to four years with extensions, if desired by principals. We need to bring back the three-year probationary period for all teachers. Unity has allowed pensions to be weakened through a 62 retirement age and continual staff contributions (Tier 6). We will support better pensions by restoring 30 year and age 55 retirements, with ten year vesting and an end to staff contributions at that time.
2. LOWERED CLASS SIZES: NYC public schools are fully funded and there is no reason why schools cannot earmark funds to reduce class sizes for the 2021-22 School Year. The City Council is proposing a bill that would reduce class size in schools starting in 2022 and continuing gradually over three more years.
3. ANTI-PRIVATIZATION (REGARDING HEALTH CARE AND CHARTERS): No private businesses or profit-motives in our schools, our union, or our benefits.
4. A MILITANT UNION- Taylor Law is contrary to Human Rights Law. We need a union who will empower its members by adding back the 'strike power,' which has been used successfully by educators in many other cities/states, by fighting to amend the Taylor Law.
5. RESPECT: Fair pay for all underpaid educators, including but not limited to paraprofessionals, school secretaries, and therapists. Hire more full-time classroom teachers and school counselors, instead of funding long-time substitute positions and allowing corporate outsourcing of related services. Full benefits and protections for all UFT members. Restore the right to grieve letters in the file and add a victim-centered definition of harassment to the contract. Add protections against retaliatory observations. Restore the culture of educators being able to apply for and receive sabbaticals and realistically expecting to be approved.
6. STAFF AND SUPPORT: More counselors and social workers, teachers and librarians, therapists and secretaries. These must be negotiated into our contract and made part of state law via caseload and class size caps, through concerted and aggressive action with statewide coalitions.
7. EMPOWERMENT: More emphasis on rank-and-file organizing in chapters and districts that focuses on knowing the contract and fighting for stronger contracts. No more top-down placating in our union. We want cuts to the salaries of upper management union bureaucrats and we want our dues, COPE dollars ^[a]and power reinjected into organizing rank-and-file members and chapters.
8. AUTONOMY AND EQUITY: End mayoral control. More worker control in schools and community control of the city school districts. Work with city and state communities, families, parents, and students to bargain for the common good. End school admissions segregation and standardized tests now. End the school-to-prison pipeline in New York City. Teachers should have control over their own curriculum and be given resources to make liberatory lessons that center student experience and provide culturally relevant and real-world context for the skills and knowledge they are learning. Fight for oversight powers, instead of just consultative tasks, to C30 committees and to make district executive positions elected by communities. Encourage more informal peer-to-peer classroom visits and lower the amount of evaluative classroom observations.
9. HEALTH AND SAFETY: Our union and city both failed us during this pandemic. Health and safety must be priorities permanently going forward. No more givebacks on healthcare and safety protocols. We want stronger contractual enforcement tools and more nurses, doctors, and other healthcare staff and resources to establish the 21st century schools we need, green-friendly and free of lead, asbestos, and other contaminants. These are our schools and we won’t let learning take place in dangerous conditions ever again.  

Educators of New York City: Let’s make a change in our union leadership. This spring, vote for A Better Union [placeholder phrase].

Oh joy, we walk into Death tomorrow. Three feet? What does that mean? Yeah, it's one yard or 36 inches. But what does it mean? In elementary school, is there no more mini lessons from the carpet? How do we conference with students? What are the guidelines in cafeterias? 

Must windows be open? What about these so called air purifiers? Word on the street is they are useless. 

Are schools supposed to be providing masks? Hand sanitizers? How can 10 percent of a school be tested every other week and there be a proper tally of who is safe or not? 

Who can answer these questions and more? One would think that in each school there would be a meeting led by the chapter leader in which concern and issues would be addressed. From my experience this has yet to happen. Several SBSB groupies have shared with The Crack Team that they do not know of any meeting with their chapter leaders concerning COVID safety. 

Worse, a friend of mine shared with me that she had called the UFT COVID hotline (or whatever it is called) and was hold an inordinate amount of time and just finally gave up. 

So what to do? Thanks to UFT Solidarity, we have somewhere to go. Read on...

Happy Night Before School!

This school year will be nearly unlike any we have ever experienced as UFT members. Now more than ever, UFT Solidarity needs all our members engaged and activated as activists and unionists in our schools. We have to power to protect each other and hold the UFT accountable.


Please make sure you and your chapter leader are familiar with the UFT's PPE Hotline. Ask your building rep, like NOW, if they've been in contact with the custodian, administration, and UFT regarding mandated PPE shipments to your building. If not, call the PPE Hotline immediately and make sure EVERY staff member in your school knows to wait outside your school until the UFT rep on the hotline gives the green light.


The UFT PPE Hotline is: 212-701-9677. 


Work with your colleagues and do your due diligence this week to document conditions in your buildings. Your video and camera applications will be your best friends. When in doubt, email your borough safety reps AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Then, submit a Google Form documenting conditions in your school. If the form does not work, email us at [email protected].


Make sure you follow our newly updated COVID Action Kit. This is well worth the read! 

Also, we are pleased to introduce our newly renovated UFT Solidarity website! Our website is now located at www.solidarityuft.org. Please share this website with your colleagues and, when you can, explore its features.  Our updated Toolkit and our Getting Involved Page are two must-read sections!

Finally, please mark your calendars for our Council Meeting on September 22nd and General Member Meeting on September 29th. You should have received Google Calendar invites. Look for a new email about these events next week.


Union means coming together as one, in solidarity. Let's boldly lead, let's boldly enforce the rules, let's boldly fight like heck for the living.





In Solidarity,

The UFT Solidarity Council

About this remote teacher vs in person teacher thing happening, we need to be careful. Being home teaching is not all that it is cracked up to be. 

There are other people home, there are babies, there are other children, and pets that need attending. You don't get a real connection with your students. You really can't work one on one. I can go on. But remember this. There wouldn't be remote teachers if there weren't
remote students. Parents have made the choice that they don't feel the schools are safe for their students. That is their right. And it is our right as teachers that are susceptible to COVID to take the DOE up on its offer to teach from home. Heck, there might be even less remote teachers if the DOE had a real plan back in September. 

We don't need the New York Post to fan the flames. We don't need the ignorant politicians and neo-liberals to create shit storms. Worse, we don't need one of our own to knife teachers in the back.

 We don't need a 4th year non tenured teacher with a fake Bronx accent throwing teachers under the bus.

The Crack Team found this tweet by Stephanie Edmonds (@classdisrupti0n) of Bronx Law High School at the Theodore Roosevelt Campus in the Bronx. Let's have a look see.I believe this tweet was on or around December 12.

Wow! So Stephanie agrees that we, I would assume the rank and file of the UFT, are privileged? Privileged how Stephanie? Privileged like having everything handed to us? Privileged having grown up in one of the toniest areas of Fairfield County? Privileged to go to an exclusive boarding school for high school? Please, explain. We don't understand. Most of us were only born with a plastic spork in our mouths. We don't have yachts on Long Island Sound.

As for as I know, I, and every single remote teacher is doing their ACTUAL job. You're doing your ACTUAL job too. You are remote. Are you better than us? Know more than us? We're in the same boat. But I am sure you're still looking down your nose at "the remote teachers." 

Denial? Excuses? What am I in denial of? What are other remote teachers in denial of? I'm not denying that this situation is rough for all involved. That it would have been better to have had a plan had its genesis back in March. I, nor my union brothers and sisters, are unable to control the incompetency of Mayor De Blasio and Chancellor Carranza.

Are we (and again to be sure we are talking about remote teachers) making excuses for remote teaching? Stephanie, answer this question. I spoke to a colleague over the weekend I had taught with back in 2003. Our children used to play together. She is remote. Why? Her daughter, the same age as my son, has cancer. When one has cancer the immune system tends to get messed up. My friend sought, and received, an accommodation (thanks to UFT Solidarity and Bryan Glass) so she would not have to worry about being in a school or the Bronx. Avoiding a situation in which she could catch COVID and, God forbid, infect her daughter. 

Speaking for myself, I am type 2 diabetic. My BMI is where it should be as is my A1C. But I am 56, and for some weird reason don't wish to die due to COVID. Maybe if I was 30 years old I might think differently. But I am not.

Deflection and blame? Again Stephanie, (check your scorecard, we are still talking about remote teachers) what is it we are deflecting? Explain yourself. Who are we blaming? I've been with the DOE 25 years. There is incompetency all around. I'll blame De Blasio and Carranza. Try your know it all energy on these two dunces.

Yeah, the UFT has been wishy washy and inconsistent, but the mayor and the chancellor are the ultimate fartheads. 

You know Stephanie, when I started teaching I was told to keep my mouth shut and my ears open. Sadly, it's been the opposite for you. Perhaps you should concentrate on teaching instead of what you think is a quasi-media empire on You Tube.

Want to curse the union all you want? Go right ahead I'll be there supporting you. But attacking teachers, your union brothers and sisters, your colleagues, on social media that's just wrong. Do it privately. 

But what's most disturbing is this attitude you have of knowing it all. You know jack. You are in a situation you never were in before. You think you are "down" with your students? Think about what they are saying about you in Spanish. 

Don't think you have cred because you believe you teach in the South Bronx and are the reincarnation of Mr Kotter. You're not. Remember this from September...?

You do not teach in the Boggie Down Bronx unless you teach in the South Bronx. But Damn! There it goes again!! People coming in and changing things!

You're on Fordham Rd. That is not the Boogie Down Bronx. 

Lastly, Stephanie, get rid of the phony Bronx accent. You're from the country club set of Connecticut, you should sound like William Buckley. 

Would love to hear from remote teachers in the comments section. Please keep it unprofane and professional.

"There is no such thing as reality. There is only perception." - said by so many


Since all this Corona Virus hazerai has gone down since March I have noticed that the UFT has been (at the very least) in a more proactive manner, as well as being a bit more forceful.

Speaking for myself I hope the town halls are permanent and once we are off restriction will becomes more of a traveling town hall with smaller audiences but more frequently across the boroughs, or once a month in each borough. But there is still work to do.

It was pleasing to read about Mulgrew in the Post last month ripping the bloated bureaucracy at Tweed as has been reported on these pages.

It was also not unpleasant to read how and hear from Mulgrew how pissed he was about spring break being cancelled.

And though the UFT was fashionably late to the party, it was at the forefront of the pressure on the DOE to close the school buildings and pivot to remote learning even though some fruity little caucus thinks they were the influencers.

Right now, I am giving the benefit of the doubt that the UFT will continue being proactive. We have been down this road before. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame of me. Once bitten, twice, shy. The devil is in the details. You catch my drift, no?

Maybe, just maybe, Mike Mulgrew is having a Pat Lynch moment(s), but without being the asshole that Pat Lynch is.

There is still more the UFT can do. Not only grab the DOE by the proverbial testes but give a good tight squeeze whilst twisting.

How about this? Leak the names of all CSA and non-UFT useless wastes of space in Tweed with their salaries and perks. That's a good start.

And go after the lawyers. How many lawyers are there working for the DOE are there to make teachers jobs and lives miserable? I think Solidarity came up with 300. Say these 300 lawyers average a salary of $85k. Getting rid of them all can save $25.5 million.

What's sad is this going after the lawyer thing could've and should've been done years ago when teachers were being sent to the Rubber Rooms for carrying a Coca-Cola.

Mike Mulgrew said at either a town hall or a DA recently (I conflate the two sometimes) that we won the teacher war. Well, to the victors go the spoils and the writing of history. Let's do it.

On top of yesterday;s blog post concerning former Mount Vernon High School teacher
Christopher Vasquez some more news about him came into the SBSB newsroom.

The Crack Team has confirmed that Chris was a teacher at Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in the Bronx. Chris denied tenure before he went on to Mount Vernon High School.

At the time of Chris' problems at Wildlife, he was introduced to several members of UFT Solidarity by another NYCDOE teacher who at the time was close with Solidarity but no longer is. This teacher ran with MORE in this year's UFT elections, and it has been speculated by some, yet not confirmed, that this teacher is enabling Chris by passing along information as well as helping him violate teachers Facebook privacy.

Another News12 Westchester story also came across the SBSB news desk today as well. This time, Chris bantered with reporter Rebecca Solomon in his backyard.

Accordinng to News12, "The district won't comment on personnel matters, but Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Hamilton ordered a lockout at all schools Tuesday because of a "disgruntled employee."

Yes, a disgruntled employee, not just of Mount Vernon, but the Bronx as well. But think, Chris caused a lockout of the entire Mount Vernon City School District. That's 15 schools in total!!! Chris disrupted the lives of so many children that he professes to care about.  

"He says a tenured teacher has been illegally selling food to students, but News 12 received an anonymous tip saying Vasquez orchestrated the cellphone videos of students to incriminate teachers."

NO! Christopher Vasquez is manipulating data to fit his warped sense of self as well as his warped sense of reality? The Crack Team is aghast. 

 "News 12 was told that Vasquez brought box cutters to school, but he explained that he brought them in one time to prep lab equipment."

Box cutters in a school? To prep lab equipment? Come on. 

In the video, Chris claims that he made videos of "students talking about school corruption" and then posting these videos on YouTube. But here is the question. Did the students know they were being filmed? Did the students give Chris permission? As we can see from Chris' track record, we don't discount the students were either lied to, not told, or were manipulated.

According to the video, the cell phone videos he took of students were manipulated specifically to incriminate teachers. 

Chris in the video also claims, "that other teachers have reached out to me" about corruption in the school, yet not one teacher has seem to have his back.

Chris denies at the end of the video that he was fired from the NYC DOE but rather states...

“I didn't like where the narrative at the school was heading, and what the new principal was doing so I left.”

Yeah, sure. 

Chris also claims that he is going to take legal action but as of this writing there is no evidence is has.

Again, we see Chris has no problem living in a special fantastical world and throwing other teachers under the bus.

Chris, get help. You're heading down a not good path.

I have been blogging for a little over 10 1/2 years now. I didn't expect to be blogging this
long nor did I expect all the good and bad that came with blogging. I just started out thinking I had an original idea (found out after about 24 hours many others had the same idea) and it took off. And here I still am.

One thing that has been constant is that I truly want to help those teachers that feel so alone and helpless in their struggles. I was quite fortunate that I had a fantastic support system during the time of my 3020-a and I want to pay it forward and do whatever I can to help those teachers who feel so alone and abused by the system.

Back in February at the last (Last ever?) ICE meeting, I gave an impassioned plea for ICE to rally around and do whatever it can to help out a teacher. But Norm was right, ICE as presently configured was not set up for that. And that I understand. The MORE Caucus was never truly interested in rolling up its sleeves and getting down on the dirt to help teachers in need. Solidarity? Yeah, they really are passionate about the same thing, and they got a set of balls (I say that in a good way) but I am not crazy about some of their tactics and the "one size fits all" method of help. And of course there are other things.

But I will continue to do whatever I can. And if I don't know the answer, I will find out or do what is necessary. If it warrants an attorney, I will send a teacher to Bryan Glass or Jordan Harlow.

I know how painful and stressful going through a 3020-a is. I learned from Norm Scott and (I don't think I have ever mentioned this name) Patrick Walsh. They talked me off the precipice several times.

The teachers I have talked to, or helped, I have taken , I don't know how to say this. A personal (I am trying hard not to make this seem about me) stake? Living vicariously? Something or other, in their cases, in the outcomes. My support is 100% unconditional. Sometimes it might not have seemed it. There were times, I put myself first (not in a horrible way) and it was not right. But one thing I always thought of, besides giving support, is that I want that teacher protected and to know that God will always see what is right and karma will come and bite those on that wronged them right on their ass.

I have learned much from  these teachers I have supported. Each and every single one of them means something to me.

I don't think I dropped the ball ever, but might have lost a grip for a split second, and for that I am sorry.

The new ballots are in!! The new ballots are in!! The new ballots are in!!

And just for the record I can see into the future and know that Unity will win.

This has been the first time since 2007 or so that I haven't voted slate. I picked good people that I know. My vote might not mean anything, but at least I can live with my values. I have yet to vote for Andrew Cuomo (always have used a write in), did the same with Hilary Clinton when she ran for the Senate.

I vote for candidates from Unity, New Action, and even Solidarity. I refused to vote for anyone from MORE. I even noticed that MORE's equivalent to Greg Marmalard (Mike Stivers click here) and Douglas C Neidermeyer (Adam Sanchez click here) are running. PUKE!

So here who is I voted for and why.

President: Lydia Howrilka Solidarity

We have had our issues. We have gotten by that, and I see she has grown. She truly wants to help teachers and education and is not driven by ego.

Assistant Secretary: Mike Sill Unity

Mike is a stand up guy in an impossible job. He has come through other ATRs as well as myself. He works hard.

VP Elementary: Johnathan Hinesley Solidarity

John is a great guy. Very dedicated and very passionate.  He'll make a good VP.

VP Special Ed: Quinn Zannoni

Quinn comes highly recommended. I admired that he showed up, as well as Lydia and John, to ICE meetings in an attempt for reconciliation. That shows guts.

Executive Board at Large: Mindy Rosier-Rayburn Unity, Amy Arundell Unity, Mary Atkinson Unity, Michael Shulman New Action 
 
Does Mindy really need any explaining? She's great. I am honored she considers me a friend. Mindy will be independent and do what is right. Amy, same reason as Mike Sill. Both Mindy and Amy got me through my suspension. Mary Atkinson is very accessible, and I know she will do right by a certain school in District 7. Shulman? I have met him once, and I like him. Impeccable dresser and showed restraint and did not invoke the Castle Doctrine when a crazy person showed up at his house.

Convention Delegates: In addition to the above mentioned who are already running as delegates I am voting for Jonathan Halabi New Action, Bill Woodruff Unity, Arthur Goldstein Unity, Mike Schirtzer Unity, and Jeff Povalitis Unity 

Jonathan is as smart as a whip, and I have seen him in action helping a teacher. He is extremely caring of the teachers in his school and wish he ran for an office position. Bill Woodruff is my district rep and has saved my ass a few times and not just me. This guy really gives a shit.,

As for Arthur and Mike. I can't vote for them for HS exec board, but I can vote for them as delegates. I really wish people will leave them the fuck alone. I do not believe for one iota of a second that power has gone to their head or that they have been seduced. Along with Mindy I believe that they can better affect change from within and will be successful. Think of them as a virus that has been implanted within Unity. Or better yet, there are guaranteed to be three people on exec boards that you know you can go to and they will listen to you and help you unconditionally. Can't beat that.

As for Jeff Povalitis, I like him even though he is Phillies fan. He likes busting principals balls and if memory serves he was behind this getting the UFT involved quite quickly.

One prediction. Going by slate votes from 2016 MORE had over 10k votes. My prediction is that MORE's slate vote will be less than 5k. Which MORE will claim as a victory. Hell, if they got 25 votes for their fruity little caucus MORE will be happy, twenty five sycophantic brainless followers can serve them well.

Oh geez, it's coming up to that time. The UFT elections. Here we go again.

ICE has been meeting contemplating whether or not to run in the upcoming UFT elections. Recently members of Solidarity have reached out to us hoping to form a joint slate. Most of us, including myself, were amiable to this.

At one meeting, speaking only for myself, I took the position that for any "joint slate" to move forward that Portelos cannot be involved at all, though I left room open for something for him running downslate. Even him politicking for the election did not sit well for me. But I was open. One pre-condition was for Portelos to actually show up at an ICE meeting and eat crow, mend fences, and be a mensch. But curiously, each meeting in which we were told he will be there something always came up for him at the last minute.

But the more things change the more the stay the same.

Here we go again with alternative facts and whining. I'm not well informed about Portelos' accusation about Shulman to comment. I do know that Portelos did creepily show up at his house in 2016 to whine about not getting his way. But Mike, remember this. New York State has the Castle Doctrine. But I digress. As for the second paragraph, it will be revisited later on in this post.

But bashing Arthur Goldstein? Come on. I have had my disagreements with Arthur. But to accuse him of wanting to be a Unity hack, come on.

If there is an offer for Arthur to join with Unity for HS executive board, it's fine by me and if he doesn't want to, again, it is fine by me. In fact, I hope if he is offered he takes them up on it. With Arthur on exec board I am sure he'll keep Unity's feet to the fire and teachers will continue to have a voice. Portelos, Arthur has something you want. Actually two things you want and will never have, Being on the exec board and integrity.


And being a hypocrite. Portelos, come with me down memory lane (click here).

"You miss the point. Unity is laughing at the Portelos spectacle - they know he is nuts but are happy to be using him to divide the opposition. They even brag privately how Solidarity is doing their work for them - and they also spill the beans that Portelos was asking Unity for a job and when he didn't get it he figured he could win favor by creating a caucus that could prevent MORE from winning executive board seats. Is that what the meeting with Randi was about? Play the tape."

No onto the second paragraph and this little whine from Portelos...


It is you. It is always about you. That's the way you want it. Yes, we heard the right things. "Portelos is not involved," "Portelos is too busy," "Yada, yada, yada..." But face facts. You are the face and heartbeat of Solidarity. And you love it. But even if it is not true this is the perception others have. Remember, there is no such thing as reality only perception. 

I spoke to a revered member of NA a while back. Under no circumstances will this person work with Solidarity as long as you are involved. There are many who share the same thoughts at MORE and several with ICE. Are you noticing a pattern? 

Portelos, if you truly, truly care about the welfare of teachers everywhere perhaps it is time you fall on your sword? Divest yourself of Solidarity. Ride off into the sunset and let those who are not seeking fame and glory take the reins. You have some good people at Solidarity, it's time to set them free. You are the one holding back Solidarity.

Is this about you, or is it about the teachers? 

This post is not an attempt at a reconciliation, nor am I looking for any gain. I just want to state what I feel. My opinion about something that happened to Francesco Portelos.

I have always felt that those who I have written about in what some might call a negative manner that if they do something right, or get screwed, I have no problem writing about them in a positive manner. I have done this with with Mulgrew, and I am sure I have done it with others.

To refresh. In June 2016 Portelos wrote a blog post outlining grade changing at DeWitt Clinton High School that seemed to be condoned, if not spearheaded by Principal Santiago Taveras. In June of 2016 Portelos posted copies of scores, grade changes, etc... I will not link directly to the page, just to the the UFT Solidarity site. Yes, names were redacted, but in my honest opinion not enough information was redacted. There was too much identifying clues,scores, teachers, etc... that if someone wanted to put real effort and roll u there sleeves a person can find out who is who.

I think he was wrong. I discussed this with a follow blogger and he agreed with me. But our conversation soon turned to what the DOE did.

To the best of my knowledge and from what I heard through the grapvine Portelos had a meeting with OSI concerning this breach if student records in or around October 2016. From the best of my knowledge he received a disciplinary letter concerning the incident in March of this year. Three months past the date of the meeting with OSI.

According to UFT Contract, Article 2, Section A, paragraph 1, it is stated....

However, an incident which has not been reduced to writing within three months of its occurrence, exclusive of the summer vacation period, may not later be added to the file...

This is grievable. This is wrong. I know exactly what this is like. In 2007 my principal wrote me up June for something that had occurred in January. We grieved it and before the hearing started the AP who came to the Chambers St told the hearing officer that they were not going to fight it. It was dismissed. My hunch tells me that the DOE did not want to set precedence.

This is winnable by Portelos. I heard he might go article 75, but I think he should grieve this. They screwed up and this is not winnable by DOE.

I might be missing some thing here and there in this post. I can be wrong about some thing. But 3 months is 3 months anyway you slice it.

But again, no student records or anything identifiable concerning students on a blog. I know another blogger who go a bit in hot water for this.

That's why when I write about students I give them Jewish names like Shlomo Rabinowitz. Avi Klein. What's the chance of a student in South Bronx having those names.

Let's get something out of the way. Your CAR is safe. The number of sick/personal days is safe. They are not being traded in for FLMA. There is no need to worry. 

Someone, David Irons, the author of the "Vote No on the UFT Contract" Facebook page  has started this rumor which Chaz was quickly able to disembowel.

Why would David start such a rumor? Perhaps someone within the DOE shared this with him? Maybe he was on the bowl in the UFT executive washroom and heard this? Who knows? What David fails to realize is it takes two to tango, and this could have  very well been an opening salvo from the DOE which the UFT promptly shut down. Yes, the UFT (if this offer was made) can be more transparent. This lack of transparency unfortunately allows the likes of David Irons to operate unfettered.

One must consider the source as well. David operates his Facebook page anonymously with zero accountability. We call on David to share post haste with all his readers who he is, what he stands for, and more importantly, who he stands with. 

What David doesn't share readily is that he suckles at the teat of the UFT Solidarity trough. Through UFT Solidarity David has learned the art fear and misrepresentation. David also has major issues (Seriously, MAJOR ISSUES!) with the UFT and needs to psychologically project (Oooh, who do we know that is that way??) with others.

But The Crack Team is surprised that David has only scrapped the very tip of what the UFT is currently negotiating currently. As we know the UFT is in negotiations with the NYCDOE concerning evaluations and ATR's. We here at SBSB wish to share with David Irons what The Crack Team has been able to learn from multiple sources as to the future of the ATR pool.

Starting in September 2017 each ATR...

Required to download an app onto their smart phone to be tracked.

Required to sign a agreement that they are worthless and weak.

Sign a waiver releasing the DOE from assigning bathroom keys. 

Must wear an obedience device like Captain Kirk (going shirtless is optional for male ATR's) did in "The Gamesters of Triskelion" .

Can not park their cars within one quarter mile of any NYCDOE school in which they're assigned.

Must eat lunch no later than 10:35 AM and must only eat food served in the cafeteria.

On days that school is not in session must show up and wait outside until given permission to leave.

Must leave home no later than 5 AM if the ATR takes public transportation.

Will not be required to sign in at the school safety desk. This will be replaced with a retina scan.

Must address all teachers with less than three years experience as either sir or ma'am.

When addressing all teachers with less than three years experience eye contact is forbidden. 

Must walk at least three paces behind any teacher with less than three years experience. 

Must give up their seat in any and all places where teachers congregate to teachers with less than three years experience. 

Must appear for mandatory interviews in which the ATR will be notified 15 minutes beforehand to attend.

And last but not least, must sign away their soul to the new NYCDOE ATR ombudsman which upon death will prevent the NYCDOE from a fulfilling afterlife but rather be rotated between Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven (There is one upside to this. Jews do not have concept of Hell or Purgatory so get ready for an influx of ATR's converting to Judaism).

Surprised David Irons has not found out about this possible ATR news. Surely, he would have reported this as he did his news about the CAR.

Oh Joe Concannon, your true colors just keep showing.

Friday's post, "Why Does UFT Solidarity Work With Anti-Black Lives, Pro-Trump, Tea Bagger and Pro Rudy Joe Concannon?" still leaves open the question as to why any "caucus" such as UFT Solidarity claims it is, or in fact any teacher, would associate with Joe. What The Crack Team has learned in the last 48 hours brings up more questions and more reasons why UFT Solidarity should do the honorable thing and disassociate itself from such a person like Joe Concannnon and why teachers all over NYC should have nothing to do with him.  Just read the comments written by some of Joe's sycophants.

In this video here with super right winger Steve Malzberg on super right wing Newsmax TV Concannon whines that shootings of black are up in Chicago, Baltimore, and New York. While wrong and not acceptable Concannon does not understand the difference is that those being shot in those cities are not being shot because they are black.

How about this Joe, how do you explain a cop putting a choke hold on Eric Garner for selling loosies? There were not better ways to handle this? As an NYPD inspector shared with me once on what makes a good cop, he told me, "A good cop is someone who walks into a bad situation and calms the matter down." Did we see this in the Eric Garner video?

What is also distressing about Joe is the people he associates with. As mentioned on Friday, Joe comes across as a supporter of police and when he was running for city council had several rallies in Queens and Brooklyn. Guess who liked that idea?

Everyone's favorite meshuga New Yorker (No silly, it's not Governor Andy)

#SupportTheShield pic.twitter.com/kde0s9B4B6

— Carl Paladino (@CarlPaladino) January 7, 2015

Yeah, Uncle Carl Paladino. Carl has said lot's of crazy things. One of his craziest is...

"The Tea-Party backed candidate reportedly sent an e-mail depicting a horse having sex with a woman and another that included a pornographic video and the headline "Miss France 2008 F[***]ing." He also reportedly sent out an e-mail depicting President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as a pimp and prostitute and one showing an airplane landing near black men with the caption "Holy Sh*t. run ni**ers, run!"

Way to go Carl! And kudos to Joe Concannon for being his pal.

Yes Pal. You see, Joe Concannon is 1st Vice-President of the Queens Village Republican Club. Now knowing this, would it not be safe to assume that Joe has some say in whom the QVRC invites to break bread with? Let's have a looksee.


 Guess who?????? He kinda looks like Gomez Addams without the mustache. But Gomez was wayyyyy cooler. And crazy in a cool way.

So with all this information today and on Friday one must ask themselves, why does UFT Solidarity, a "caucus" that purports to fight for teachers so we can better able to educate those who are being most damaged by the education deform movement, those children who are a vast majority immigrants, of color, support someone who believes in and associates with all what we as teachers are fighting for?

@SoBronxSchool @realDonaldTrump @NYCRepublicans @Thanks2Police On the economy, immigration, schools, National defense, Law and Order, etc...

— Joe Concannon (@Joe_4_NY) July 22, 2016

We here are calling on UFT Solidarity to cut it's ties with Joe Concannon and repudiate his message of hate and intolerance. It is time to step up to the plate.