Friday, October 23, 2015

"State Of Our Union, State Of Our Schools" Conference At PS 58 In Carroll Gardens This Saturday

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If you are a parent with children in the New York City school system, you may be interested in a conference/ workshop on the state of our teachers' union and of our schools that will take place at PS58 this Saturday, October 24.

The Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE), the Social Justice Caucus of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), New York City’s Teachers Union, are proposing "a positive alternative to the current union leadership, fighting for the public schools we all deserve."
M.O.R.E. members are is fighting for less standardized testing for kids, more teacher/ parent/ student input, more music, art and playtime in our schools, and more union member voice in the UFT.
Everyone is welcome to attend the conference. Childcare will be provided. Suggested donation is $10.

Spots are still available by registering here:

From M.O.R.E.

Fed up with classroom overcrowding, overuse of standardized testing, and understaffing? New York’s hardworking educators are coming together with the community to continue building a broad-based movement for change – in their union and in our schools.

The State of our Union, State of our Schools Conference will gather rank-and-file educators, community allies, parents, and students to shape a new vision for high-quality public education and craft a platform for the upcoming UFT elections.

Saturday, Oct. 24
10 am – 6pm
PS 58 The Carroll School (330 Smith St, Brooklyn – F/G to Carroll St. – 
Everyone Welcome – Suggested Donation $10 - Childcare available)

Featured Speakers:
Liza Campbell, Seattle teacher with an participant’s report on recent strike
Jia Lee, Chapter Leader of the Earth School, high stakes testing conscientious objector
Lauren Cohen, Chapter Leader at PS321K
Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters
Ismael Jimenez, WE Caucus, Philadelphia Teachers Union
Joe Burns, Author of Strike Back: Using the Militant Tactics of Labor’s Past to Reignite Public Sector Unionism Today
Alan Singer, Hofstra University, Social Studies Educator
Charmaine Dixon, Parent, Change the Stakes
Benita Rivera, The Many
Akinlabi McCall, Coalition for Public Education

Our schools are under assault by corporate reform efforts, standardized testing, and a governor who is eager to fire teachers and close schools. As working and learning conditions deteriorate, our union leadership has neither put up an effective resistance nor been a force for change for better schools.

The Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE) invites all UFT members, parents, students, and friends to help develop a strategy to create a more democratic and more proactive UFT that can be a force for change in education in New York City.

Endorsing Organizations:
NYCORE, Change the Stakes, NYCOPTOUT, The Teacher Diversity Committee of New York, NYS Stronger Together Caucus, Bad Ass Teachers Association, Coalition for Public Education.






1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"help develop a strategy to create a more democratic and more proactive UFT" ?

But what about the complete lack of any democratic process, exercised by the community to effect school programs? The community is not part of the UTF.

As long as the community has no real way to exercise a consensus position around the goals and functions of community schools, does it really matter what the UTF is doing internally? UTF is a self serving organization that represents the teacher interest.

Where does the real representation of the community's interest and the interest of our children's come into play in any of this? While UTF may give a nod to community and children, those issues are not their primary organizational focus--just read their mission statement; but the community doesn't even get to vote on the UTF positions on community and children.