Perdido Street School:
Have a Zephyr Teachout Petition Party
Meritocracy, American Style
Perdido Street School Week
Have a Zephyr Teachout Petition Party
Here's how:How To Volunteer To Get Zephyr Teachout On The Ballot By July 7 So She Can Primary Andrew Cuomo You can get in touch with Zephyr Teachout's campaign here.Petitions can be downloaded here - these directions go with the download:Help get Zephyr on the ballot! To make sure Zephyr's name appears on the November ballot we need 15,000 signatures of registered Democrats turned in to the NY Boa
Meritocracy, American Style
Everybody who makes a lot of money or enjoys great wealth worked very hard to get that - everybody knows that.Take the example of Chelsea Clinton, for example:Chelsea Clinton earned an annual salary of $600,000 at NBC News before switching to a month-to-month contract earlier this year, sources with knowledge of the agreement told POLITICO.Clinton, who joined NBC News as a special correspondent in
How To Volunteer To Get Zephyr Teachout On The Ballot By July 7 So She Can Primary Andrew Cuomo
You can get in touch with Zephyr Teachout's campaign here.Petitions can be downloaded here - these directions go with the download:Help get Zephyr on the ballot! To make sure Zephyr's name appears on the November ballot we need 15,000 signatures of registered Democrats turned in to the NY Board of Elections (in person or by mail) before July 7th. Just download the PDF below, fill out the informat
Tax Deadbeat Andrew Cuomo Offers Lame Excuse For Barring Tax Assessor From His Home
Keep an eye on this story - it's something opponents of Andrew Cuomo will hit again and again during his re-election campaign:Gov. Andrew Cuomo addressed the controversy over whether he and his live-in girlfriend, Food Network star Sandra Lee, dodged property tax increases on their $1.2 million New Castle home for the first time Thursday but claimed not to know too much about the process.The gover
YESTERDAY
More Bad News For Christie
Another week, another criminal investigation:The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said this week that it is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, adding to the series of inquiries that have been ordered since the lane-closing scandal at the George Washington Bridge last year.The disclosure came in a 228-page report on Thursday to potential buyers of the agency’s b
Working Families Party Desperate To Keep Zephyr Teachout From Challenging Cuomo In Democratic Primary
In case you haven't relinquished all support for the Cuomo-toadying Working Families Party, this news ought to get you there:The Working Families Party, which launched Zephyr Teachout’s New York political career, is now trying desperately to prevent her from moving forward without its support in opposition to the candidate it chose over her: Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Since Teachout lost the WFP endorseme
Quid Pro Cuomo Raises Millions From Real Estate Interests And Other Donors Through Campaign Finance Loophole
Here's your champion of public campaign finance, Working Families Party:When he ran for office four years ago, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo pledged to close a loophole in the state's campaign finance regulations allowing corporations and individuals to pour unlimited amounts of money into politics.Instead, he's become the loophole's biggest beneficiary.New York State forbids corporations from giv
Cuomo: I Am Not A Tax Deadbeat
From Politics on the Hudson: Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today he didn’t know that an assessor wasn’t allowed into the Westchester County home he shares with TV cooking star Sandra Lee. “I don’t know how the town system works itself,” Cuomo told reporters this afternoon in Peekskill, Westchester County. “But generally the way it works is the town does an assessment, the homeowner then reviews the asses
Zephyr Teachout Looks To Primary Andrew Cuomo
Game on:It looks like Gov. Cuomo will face a Democratic primary in his bid for re-reelection.Liberal professor Zephyr Teachout told a Manhattan Democratic club that petitions to advance her candidacy will be circulating beginning Friday.Teachout challenged Cuomo for the Working Families Party ballot line last month. Cuomo beat her surprising insurgency but only after much arm twisting by Mayor de
Cuomo Says No Delay To Teacher Evaluations
In the Daily News: ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo on Thursday said he’s willing to adjust, not delay, the implementation of teacher evaluation systems throughout the state. After the budget was enacted in late March, Cuomo said he believed there should be a delay in tying the results of the controversial Common Core education testing to teacher evaluation. He said Thursday on public radio’s “The Capitol Pres
JUN 12
SUNY Chancellor Says She's Not On Common Core Payroll
Behind a Capital NY paywall, but the Common Core-shilling SUNY chancellor answered the question I had this morning:SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said she’s not getting paid for her participation in a national campaign she joined this week to promote the Common Core standards.Of course the next question that comes to mind, if we take Ms. Zimpher at her word that she's not taking cash to shill for C
NYSUT President Magee Says Evaluation Moratorium Talks In "A Better Place"
Don't they often say people who have died have gone to a "better place"?Well, that's where the teacher evaluation talks between NYSUT and Cuomo are according to NYSUT President Karen Magee:ALBANY—The president of the powerful statewide teachers union said talks about a moratorium on using Common Core-aligned tests scores in performance evaluations are “in a better place” than they were e
De Blasio Defends Teacher Tenure System In NYC
It's behind a paywall at Capital NY, but this much was up at State of Politics:NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the city’s teacher-tenure system after a California judge ruled yesterday that the Golden State’s teacher protection laws were unconstitutional.I would expect corporate education reformers and their hedge fundie backers to attack tenure here soon, but probably wait until the California
City Council Passes Bill Requiring Charter School Data To Be Made Public
Erin Durkin at the Daily News: The city will be required to publish reports that reveal the demographic mix and academic records of every charter school sharing space with a district school under a bill the City Council passed Wednesday. Officials will have to list the number of kids who get free lunch, the proportion of special ed kids and students who are learning English, the racial breakdown a
SUNY Chancellor Shills For Common Core
As criticism and opposition to the Common Core mount, the SUNY chancellor is doubling down on her support:A coalition of higher education institutions Tuesday waded into the national debate over Common Core education standards, arguing that the higher standards in math, reading and writing will help remedy the problem of too many unprepared students entering college and universities.State Universi
JUN 11
De Blasio Approval Rating Up In New Quinnipiac Poll
Mayor de Blasio seems to have recovered much of the support he lost in that dust-up with Eva Moskowitz:TREND: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bill de Blasio is handling his job as Mayor? Jun 11 Mar 18 Jan 16 2014 2014 2014 Approve 51 45 53Disapprove 28 34 13DK/NA 21 20 34 S
Eva Moskowitz Wants 14 More Schools
And so the charter school rent is going to get very, very expensive or NYC:Success Academy Charter Schools officials said Tuesday they were applying to open 14 more schools in New York City, just months after a high-profile battle with Mayor Bill de Blasio over space in crowded city buildings.The network run by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz said it wants to grow to meet the demands of tho
Landlords Say NYC Rents Not High Enough
No, seriously:Panicked landlords are trying to do the impossible — convince New Yorkers that the rent is too damn low.With the Rent Guidelines Board mulling the first freeze in city history, the Rent Stabilization Association — which represents 25,000 landlords — has launched a six-figure ad campaign called, “A rent freeze hurts everyone.”The ad blitz began over the weekend and comes just as the g
JUN 10
The Lesson For Liberals And Progressives In The Eric Cantor Defeat
Buh-bye, Eric:House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was defeated Tuesday by a little-known economics professor in Virginia’s Republican primary, a stunning upset and major victory for the tea party. Cantor is the second-most powerful member of the U.S. House and was seen by some as a possible successor to the House speaker.His loss to Dave Brat, a political novice with little money marks a huge victor
No Court Case On Teacher Tenure In Works For New York - Yet
From Politicker:A California court ruling striking down teacher tenure laws as unconstitutional prompted an outpouring of applause from education reform advocates–and a chorus of boos from supporters of public school instructors. ...“It is fantastic news,” said TV anchor-turned-public education critic Campbell Brown. “The parents in California clearly felt the same frustration that many parents ar
Pro-Reform Propaganda Juggernaut And More Court Cases To Follow California Teacher Tenure Ruling
Get ready for millions of dollars in propaganda in the wake of a judge ruling teacher tenure laws in California unconstitutional:A court ruling on Tuesday striking down job protections for teachers in California deals a sharp blow to unions — and will likely fuel political movements across the nation to eliminate teacher tenure.Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu found five California la
Highly Visible Gates Foundation Gets Less Visible After Washington Post Common Core Expose
Anya Kamenetz at NPR:Speaking of millions of dollars, the money behind the Common Core was the topic of a that focused on Microsoft founder Bill Gates' role in the creation of the standards and in encouraging their implementation. The story detailed how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent some $200 million on the development of the standards, political lobbying, and grants to organizat
Diane Ravitch Calls For An Investigation Into Bill Gates' Common Core Coup
How did the richest man in America buy himself the public education system?The story about Bill Gates' swift and silent takeover of American education is startling. His role and the role of the U.S. Department of Education in drafting and imposing the Common Core standards on almost every state should be investigated by Congress.The idea that the richest man in America can purchase and -- working
JUN 09
Teacher Evaluation Changes Said To Still Be On Legislative To-Do List
Buried in Ken Lovett's Daily News piece about the UFT threatening IDC head Jeff Klein if he doesn't stop governing with Republicans was this bit of news: As the legislative session enters its final two weeks and with the Senate politics now dominating at the Capitol, few believe much will get accomplished before lawmakers leave town for the year. But some issues are still percolating and could be
UFT Threatens To Pull Support For State Senator Jeff Klein
From Ken Lovett at the Daily News:ALBANY — Two influential labor unions are threatening to yank their long-time support of Senate co-Leader Jeffrey Klein if he and his group of breakaway Democrats don’t begin conversations to realign themselves with the chamber’s mainline Dems.The unions representing the city’s teachers and the hotel and motel workers threw down that gauntlet late last week to Kle
Get Ready For Another NYSED Commissioner King Speech
Last time he gave a big speech, he compared the Common Core to the Civil Rights Movement.This time, given the venue for the speech, we'll hear more about how his education reform agenda is indispensable for making New York State into an economic powerhouse in the 21st Century economy:Also at noon, state Education Commissioner John King delivers remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Manhattan Institu
UFT President Mulgrew Takes On The Test
From State of Politics:At 10 a.m., UFT President Michael Mulgrew will be joined by Sen. Adriano Espaillat, Assemblymen Karim Camara, Ron Kim, and other legislators to announce the introduction a bill that would mandate the use of multiple academic measures rather than the current single multiple-choice test, Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers St., Manhattan.There are no other details about the
JUN 08
The "Unintended Consequences" Of The Common Core And The Education Reform Movement
An editorial from the New Hampshire Union Leader:Kids and cursive Common Core falloutUnintended consequences are beginning to sprout in the wake of U.S. education decisions. For one thing, there is the move to do away with any concentration on handwriting other than in kindergarten and first grade. For another, there is the federal overreach on common standards.A lengthy New York Times report last
Bill Gates As Bond Villain
Bill Gates responds to criticism that he's making money off the Common Core:“This is about giving money away,” he said of his support for the standards. “This is philanthropy. This is trying to make sure students have the kind of opportunity I had . . . and it’s almost outrageous to say otherwise, in my view.Sure this is about giving money away - and getting an agenda promoted in returnGates gets
Bill Gates Exposed For All To See As An Arrogant, Whiny Elitist
Okay, it's official:We're onto a new phase of the fight against the CCSS. News media outlets are no longer buying and using pro-Common Core boilerplate rhetoric in stories on the Common Core, they're no longer framing the CCSS the way CCSS proponents want the standards framed, and they're no longer buying into the marginalization of proponents strategies that CCSS proponents and supporters have us
JUN 07
Why Wasn't Michelle Rhee Investigated For Taping Children's Mouths?
From the Daily News:A New Jersey substitute teacher is in a sticky situation after she allegedly slapped tape across loud-mouthed third-graders as part of something she called the “quiet game,” school officials said.The teacher has been removed from a list of possible substitutes used at Winfield Scott School No. 2 in Elizabeth after the May 29 incident, when five children told their parents, who
Zephyr Teachout Wants To Make Testing/Teacher Evaluation Protest A Centerpiece Of An Anti-Cuomo Campaign
Jummy Vielkind at Capital NY:ALBANY—Zephyr Teachout says it will be at least another week before she decides whether to mount a left-flank challenge to Governor Andrew Cuomo. “My decision is based on whether I can put together the resources to mount a credible challenge and to get on the ballot,” Teachout, a Fordham law professor, said Friday during a trip to Albany. Teachout said she is not ready