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| Merryl Tisch, Carmen Farina |
After Tisch attacks Renewal goals, city says school closures possible next year
Outgoing state Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch took a swipe at New York City’s school-improvement program Thursday, saying the city is permitting “failure” at certain troubled schools and setting “ridiculous” goals at others.
Her comments came after Chalkbeat reported that the city has quietly given the 94 struggling schools in its $400 million https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/john-j-flanagan three years to hit one-year targets. One of the schools, M.S. 53 in Queens, has until 2017 to boost its students’ average reading score from 2.14 to 2.15.
“At some point, everyone has to stop being ridiculous,” Tisch, New York’s top education official, said in an interview Thursday. “2.14 to 2.15? I mean, give me a break.”
She went on: “If that’s OK, then their definition of OK and my definition of OK are two very different definitions.”
Even though Tisch’s influence over state education policy is waning — she announced a few weeks ago that she will step down from her post in March — city education department officials were quick to fire back.
Spokeswoman Devora Kaye said the city’s Renewal school goals are more demanding than ones the state has mandated for schools in its “receivership” program, which puts outside groups in charge of low-performing schools that fail to improve.
“The concrete targets we’ve set exceed those set by the state for its receivership program, established under Chancellor Tisch,” Kaye said in a statement. (The state has not yet publicly released the receivership goals.)
Mayor Bill de Blasio and city schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña have repeatedly said they will consider closing any schools that continue to flounder after receiving extra student services and teacher training. Kaye emphasized that point Thursday, and even implied that officials are considering shuttering some schools next year.
“We will make the difficult decision about where that is necessary for the coming school year,” she said. “We are demanding sustained progress, and will hold schools accountable if it’s not made.”
Tisch, who has said she intends to weigh in on contentious education issues before leaving her role, has expressed doubts before about de Blasio’s approach to struggling schools.
This spring, she called it a mistake not to shut down certain chronically low-performing schools, and last year she said the state would move to close such schools if necessary.
On Thursday, she ratcheted up that critique, saying that it is “deeply frustrating” to watch certain schools go through round after round of interventions without making real progress.
“If you sit with persistent failure and you tolerate it, then by definition you are destroying the educational pathways for some kids,” she said. “At some point, you’ve got to pull the plug.”
Tisch is not the only state official to clash with de Blasio, a Democrat, over how to improve troubled schools.
State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, a Republican, questioned whether de Blasio had a convincing strategy when lawmakers were debating earlier this year whether to extend his control over the city school system. And de Blasio forcefully rejected Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s receivership scheme, arguing that the city is best qualified to revamp its schools.
John King, who recently left his position as state education commissioner, rejected the de Blasio administration’s initial plans for two of its lowest-performing schools. He demanded that the city establish a process to replace ineffective teachers and administrators at schools, which it did through a deal with the teachers and principals unions.
King’s replacement, MaryEllen Elia, has signaled that she will give the Renewal program a chance. During a recent tour of a Renewal school, she said the city had put in place supports at the school that have the potential to “make a huge difference.”
“Now,” she added, “we have to watch and see what the outcomes are.”
2 comments:
Renewal schools are another ploy by politicians and the DOE to hide the massive inequities in urban education. They are also a way for the Chancellor and her slew of obedient superintendents to bring in friends and cronies as consultants and partners who promise to improve schools that have historically failed. They are paid a ton of money and are never evaluated on their educational effectiveness. They'll even bring in principals who were forced to resign from the DOE for breaking the law, such as Anthony Lombardi, who was removed as a principal in Queens after a founded sexual harassment claim from a special education teacher who worked at his school. Mr.Lombardi now works for educational consultant Generation Ready (formerly AUSSIE) at IS 123 in the Bronx,a renewal school whose principal is Richard Hallenbeck, Lombardi's former Asst. Principal in Queens. Hallenbeck was assigned to 123 by Superintendent Karen Ames, who was assigned in October 2014 to the Bronx district by her old friend...Chancellor Farina. Btw...Karen Ames supervised Lombardi's school as a former Network Leader in Queens. He also consults for a school in Queens where Hallenbeck's wife is the principal. Please dont believe the promises. Smoke and mirrors.
At The Hunts Point Middle School, in the south Bronx, Dr. Karen Ames District 8 Superintendent and her team announced to the entire administration, paraprofessionals support staff and teachers, "NY1 reported fake news and anyone who supports this slanted media spin garbage would be dealt with". She continued to say, " As superintendent of District 8, I and my team write and control the narrative of what happens at this school and anyone who doesn't share our views should re-think their career in education". She then continued to threaten all the staff, " Those one or two people who sent the story of 'fake news' to NY1 will soon be dealt with. Don't think for a minute that transferring from this school on the Open Market hiring system, or becoming an ATR will save you. I sign every paper I look at every transfer. That won't happen. That boat has sailed. My team and I, we believe in cleaning up our own messes. We won't allow you to mess up anyone else's school children. We will deal with you right here! Your days are numbered". "If you look at your neighbor PS 48, we did just that installing a new team". "Look around you, those who did not share the same narrative as we prescribe are no longer among us and we will continue to shape the narrative for the remaining 90 days of this school year". The UFT rep was not present and teachers have now become intimidated by Dr.Ames. The school is out of compliance in both special Education and ELL by not providing proper federally mandated services to school children. It's a crime. Follow the money and you'll have Them all arrested for misuse of federal funding.
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