PRESS RELEASE
Date: Tuesday June 12th, 2012: 5:00-6:30 PM
Contact:
Michael Solo, Teacher at John Dewey High School: 917-750-7510 (mmvs1226@aol.com)
Kevin Kearns, Teacher at Lehman High School: 201-314-6914 (kevin@lehmanuft.org)
33 Schools United: City-Wide Rally Against School Closures and to Defend Teachers in Turnaround Schools.
On Tuesday June 12th, 2012 at 5:00 PM at Department of Education Headquarters (52 Chambers Street, New York, NY) teachers, parents, students and community members will rally to protest the DOE policy of closing schools, and to support the rehiring of all teachers in the 24 Turnaround Schools. Hundreds of these teachers through no fault of their own have been deprived of their positions.
This year Mayor Bloomberg has slated 49 schools for closure. Next year it is rumored that another 50-100 schools will be closed. At the same time, a record number of non-unionized charter schools are being opened to replace the closing schools. Many of the schools being closed this year were opened under Bloomberg. Clearly this is not a policy that improves student achievement. These policies are simply designed to erase data and weaken the UFT.
“Turnaround” is a failed policy because it is disruptive and distracting to the entire school community. It is a model that has been borrowed from the business world and we all know how well the American business model has fared during the past decade. Turnaround destroys bonds between students and teachers. It demoralizes the entire school community when instead the school community should be bolstered and strengthened.
All of the so called “Persistently Low Achieving” schools have endured years of neglect and threats from the NYCDOE. We have worked hard to move our schools forward and we were making great strides in overcoming the tremendous obstacles that were put in our path by the NYCDOE. The staffs at the turnaround schools are now completely demoralized. Right now we should be preparing students to pass finals and regents exams. Instead we will be spending the next few weeks interviewing for our own jobs.
Bloomberg’s policy of school closure has gone on too long. In three terms of Mayoral Control, Bloomberg has now closed over 100 schools. The policy of closure, phase-out, and now turnaround, has not improved our school system in any way. Bloomberg continues this policy only to hide the data that would paint him as a failure on education. He is ruining the lives of a generation of students all for his own political gain.
As recent research has demonstrated, having a consistent set of teachers increases student success. However, a huge turnover in staff will have a negative impact on the students who remain at the affected schools, decreasing the likelihood of students' graduation and achievement. Furthermore many of the programs that are successful at these schools, including electives, clubs, and AP courses, many not run when the majority of the new staff is untrained. Many of the best teachers at these schools are already accepting positions elsewhere. Turnaround will in no way improve these schools.
Mayoral control of the NYCDOE under Mayor Bloomberg has been a colossal failure. The very idea that one person has been granted the authority to close any school without input from teachers, parents, and students is a mockery of the concept of democracy. What lessons are our students learning about how this city and our nation work if the voices of affected communities are shut out? We need an end to mayoral control of our public schools.
Bullies depend on their victims to be unprepared to defend themselves. A coalition of chapter leaders, delegates and members from many of the original 33 Turnaround schools have decided to fight back. We are tired of being used as pawns in Mayor Bloomberg’s bid to cripple our schools and public education. We will continue to push back until the policy of school closure has ended, and all of the teachers at the turnaround schools are rehired into their current positions.
For further information see:
stopturnaround.blogspot.com
