2010 CSA News

The Myth of ‘Superman’ 3
November 2010
Volume 44, Number 3
Local 1, American
Federation of School
Administrators, AFL-CIO
Stop the Assault on Unions 5 New Faces at CSA 9
CSANEWS
COUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERVISORS AND ADMINISTRATORS
Enrollment Drops
in City’s Day Care
ANNE SILVERSTEIN
he number of families
receiving city-subsidized
childcare has dropped 12
percent since 2006, according to
a new report by the NYC
Independent Budget Office (IBO).
The report outlines the
numerous shifts in city-subsidized Day Care services since
1999 in response to changes in
funding trends and cost-cutting
efforts implemented by the
Administration for Children
Services (ACS). Families receiving
childcare services rose from
T
89,000 in 1999 to 116,000 in
2006, a 31 percent increase. But
since 2006, the number of children has dropped to 102,000.
Despite the decline, spending
continues to increase due to rising costs of labor, insurance and
rent.
“At a time when unemployment in NYC is above 9 percent,
and many parents are struggling
to find jobs, having a safe place
for their children is not a luxury
but a necessity in a job search.
How are you going to make
appointments for interviews if
Continued on Page 4
On Stretching
Kids’ Imagination
Scott Noppe-Brandon is the
Executive Director of the Lincoln
Center Institute, one of the sponsors of CSA’s Educational
Leadership Conference on Nov. 13.
LCI has been involved in creating
curriculum for schools designed to
stimulate a child’s imagination
and will conduct an in-depth
immersion workshop at the
Conference on imagination. CSA
interviewed Noppe-Brandon.
We live
in a
time of
squeezed
budgets
and
highstakes
testing.
What
role
n Noppe-Brandon
should
the arts play in preparing
a child for college or a
career?
The arts, as they focus on
developing capacities for imaginative thinking and creative
actions for the betterment of
innovative results, are key to a
child’s successful college and
career development in the 21st
century.
How is the LCI approach to
arts in education different
from traditional programs?
We start with the arts, but
our approach is designed to be
fully integrated across all
teaching and learning. It is an
inquiry-based approach that
serves the study of any subject.
Do you believe we can
teach our children to be
more imaginative? It’s been
considered a character
trait that some people
have a lot of, and some
people have none.
As discussed in our book,
Imagination First, imagination
belongs to all of us, not just
artists and so-called visionaries. While we certainly can’t
predict how one individual
will use imagination in life, we
believe that all children’s imagination, leading to creative
actions, can be developed to a
much greater degree.
What’s your expectation
for our members who participate in the Imagination
Conversation immersion
session at the Conference?
We expect that they will
consider imagination, and its
role in teaching and learning,
in a new way. We hope to
introduce our work to supervisors and administrators who
were previously unfamiliar
with our approach to teaching
and learning. Further, we will
introduce our “Capacities for
Imaginative Learning” and
Continued on Page 8
Preview
Conference Program
46th CSA Educational Leadership Conference, Nov. 13, 2010
8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Registration, second floor promenade
8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Instructional Materials Exhibits
8:00 – 8:45 A.M.
Continental Breakfast in the Exhibit Halls
8:00 – 8:45 A.M.
President’s Club Breakfast, Admission by Ticket Only
9:00 – 10 A.M.
Plenary Session: Developing Imaginative Thinkers and
Creative Students in the 21st Century, Grand Ballroom, 3rd Floor
Dr. Joseph Polisi, President, Juilliard School
10:00 – 10:30 A.M.
Coffee Break and Instructional Materials
Exhibit Halls, Exclusive Viewing Time
10:30 A.M. – 1:10 P.M.
Professional Development Immersion Seminars: Session C
10:30 – 11:45 A.M.
Professional Development Seminars: Session A
11:45 A.M. – 12:05 P.M.
Break: Instructional Materials Exclusive Viewing Time
12:05 – 1:10 P.M.
Professional Development Seminars: Session B
1:20 – 3:30 P.M.
In the Grand Ballroom
Recognition of Congresswoman Yvette Clarke
CSA President’s Report to the Membership
Gala Luncheon
Plenty of time for fun with friends and colleagues!
For workshops and Retiree Chapter Program, see Pages 6-7.
‘Good Schools,
Bad Schools’
n Sept. 30, a panel Good Schools/Bad
Schools was held at Columbia
University to discuss teacher training
programs, effective usage of technology in
school, the ramifications of NCLB and the
changing role of Principals. The panelists
were CSA Executive Vice President Peter
McNally, (right); Merryl Tisch, Chancellor, (not
pictured) and Ryan Hill, Executive Director,
(left),TEAM Schools, a network of KIPP public
charter schools in NJ. Elizabeth Green, (center)
the editor at gothamschools.org, moderated.
O
YURIDIA PEÑA
2
CSA NEWS
November 2010
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
Why Teach
Imagination?
Council of School
Supervisors & Administrators
American Federation of School
Administrators, AFL-CIO, Local 1
16 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11241-1003
Phone: (718) 852-3000
Fax: (718) 403-0278
www.csa-nyc.org
President
Ernest A. Logan
Executive Vice President
Peter J. McNally
First Vice President
Randi Herman, Ed.D
Secretary
Mark Cannizzaro
Treasurer
Laverne Burrowes
Vice Presidents
Jermaine J. Garden,
Robert Kazanowitz,
Richard Oppenheimer,
Henry Rubio, Nancy Russo,
Irwin Shanes, Retiree Chapter
Executive Director Operations
Anita Gomez-Palacio
General Counsel
Bruce K. Bryant
Counsel
David Grandwetter
Charity Guerra
Comptroller
Phil Fodera
Special Assistant to President
Gary Goldstein
Executive Director Field Services
Audrey Fuentes
Field Directors
Juanita Bass, Stephen Bennett,
Phyliss Bullion, Bernard Lopez,
William Meehan, Kathleen Murphy,
Daisy O’Gorman, Steven M. Rosen,
Margaret Williams
Assistant Field Directors
Mary Aloisio, Mildred Boyce,
Mark Brodsky, Joseph Costa,
Charles Dluzniewski, Martin Fianscanaro,
Joanne Frank, Aura Gangemi,
Pat Glassman, Ellie Greenberg,
Ray Gregory, James Harrigan,
Robert Jeanette, Kate Leonard,
Christine Martin, Monica McDonald,
Lena Medley, Thelma Peeples,
Mercedes Qualls, Cynthia Sanders,
Shelli Sklar
Grievance Director
Robert J. Reich
Assistant Directors
Carol Atkins, Robert Colon,
Marlene Lazar, Ph.D,
Phyllis Casolaro Williams
Director of Communications
Chiara Coletti
Assistant Director
Antoinette Isable
Director of Political Affairs
Herman Merritt
Assistant Directors
John Khani
Sondra Peeden – Political Affairs
Alithia Rodriguez-Rolon – Governmental
Affairs
Innovation, Creativity Are Keys to Nation’s Future. By Ernest A. Logan
T
wo very different recent experiences have turned my thoughts to
that beautiful word: imagination.
One was reading Jennifer Medina’s
Oct. 11 New York Times story “Red
Flags on State Tests” and the other was meeting Scott Noppe-Brandon, Executive Director
of the Lincoln Center Institute, and a coauthor, with Eric Liu, of Imagination First.
Ms. Medina swiftly tore back the curtain
on the sad truth about New York State standardized tests and Mr. Noppe-Brandon
reminded me that there is a deep well of
imagination in every one of us, which can
deepen over the years. Ms. Medina’ story and
Mr. Noppe-Brandon and Mr. Liu’s ideas intersect: giving lots of mind-numbingly predictable tests is one of many ways we drain the well of imagination in our children and, by the way, in our school leaders and
teachers, too.
These experiences inform my thinking about “embracing
imagination, fostering creativity,” the theme of CSA’s upcoming Leadership Conference. From Imagination First, I learned
that we jumble the meanings of imagination, creativity and
innovation when it’s more useful to separate them. The authors
Imagination is the capacity to conceive
of what is not, which leads to creative
thinking and, perhaps, innovation.
tell us that “If imagination is the capacity to conceive of what
is not,” then creativity might follow and the creation might or
might not lead to innovation – something that is new – an
invention or a totally original act!
• • •
M
ost of us won’t create a new style of painting like
Picasso, or change the world view of anthropology
like Margaret Mead, or win the first victory for civil
rights like Martin Luther King, Jr., or come up with a scientific
theory like Einstein, or virtually connect the world the way
Mark Zuckerberg did with Facebook. Only geniuses do those
things. But imaginative people, who are smart in one way or
another, are the authors of plenty of interesting or great deeds.
Usually, imaginative teachers have nurtured them.
AFSA News
Director of IT
Egal Sanchez
CSA Conference Chairman
Pierre Lehmuller
CSA Retiree Chapter
Neil Lefkowitz, Chair
Mark Brodsky, Director
CSA Historian
Jack Zuckerman
CSA NEWS
Editor Anne Silverstein
Editorial Assistant Yuridia Peña
Production Consultant Michele Pacheco
Production Assistant Christine Altman
Design Consultant Louis Silverstein
CSA News (004-532) is published 10 times
a year for $35 per year per member by
CSA, 16 Court St., Brooklyn, NY, 11241.
Second Class Postage paid at Brooklyn, NY
and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CSA NEWS,
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MOLLY FUHS
n The American Federation of School Administrators held a
Regional meeting at Foxwoods Resorts Casino. In addition to the
General Executive Board meeting, AFSA offered a daylong agenda of
workshops on Saturday that included presentations by CSA General
Counsel Bruce Bryant on union organization at the local and
national levels. Above center is CSA President Ernest Logan and
AFSA President Diann Woodard.
If we acknowledge different styles of learning, we’re much more likely to recognize the
original thinkers and budding artists in our
classrooms, and, yes, even the rare geniuses.
To keep imagination alive and strengthen it,
in these and all children, we’ll have to stop
giving more tests, with increasingly meaningless scores, that discourage the critical thinking needed to foster imagination.
This is not to say that we should do away
with tests, but we should develop more reliable ones, administer them less frequently.
As NYS Regent Betty Rosa suggests in Ms.
Medina’s story, until we straighten out the
mess around state tests, we might go as far as
waiting before we release scores that misjudge
school leaders, teachers and children.
Our school leaders and teachers have taken a terrible beating lately, especially since the debut of the documentary film
Waiting for “Superman”, which suggests that hardly any imaginative, committed educators have set foot inside an urban public school since the 1970s. The truth is that most of our educators understand and care about children in all their varieties.
Most of us know that types of intelligence and learning styles
are stunningly varied. In a totally data-driven system, it’s many
of the most “different” children who will be left behind. There
will be far less time to discover the original thinker who might
not be able to focus on every routine task, the risk taker who
might be mistaken for a trouble maker, and even the occasional
genius who may seem maddeningly bored or defiant.
• • •
T
here are idiot savants and wise fools among our students
and most of us are capable of discovering them. We educators have known about them since we first read
Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot and Shakespeare’s King Lear. We don’t
need Superman to tell us that a strict diet of drilling and memorization and a lack of time to recognize and encourage
extraordinary children might send those children running
from our schools into private schools or into dead-end jobs and
worse.
“We cultivate imagination and make its exercise possible
when we create permission to nudge what had once been foolish into the realm of the OK,” say Mr. Noppe-Brandon and Mr.
Liu. Unfortunately, during periods of test score mania and economic austerity, we have increasingly less opportunity to
nudge youngsters into that realm and “encourage the pursuit
of new possibilities” among all our students.
In times of austerity, there also is an “understanding” that
the arts will be axed first. The most accountable educators
among us remember that an arts and science education was,
until recently, an American ideal. The arts didn’t take a back
seat. We know that it’s not right to suggest that Apple’s founder
Steve Jobs has been more important to our culture than Nobeland Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison. We understand that artistic imagination is as important to the preservation of society as scientific imagination and we do everything
in our power to save music, dance, theater, creative writing and
visual arts in our schools. We will never abandon this because
we realize that arts education is essential to the intellectual and
emotional survival of our children. In fact, the arts are often
what keep them interested in school even though “it isn’t on
the test.”
For centuries, the arts have been a civilizing force in society.
Imagination, whether in the arts or any other sphere, has elevated us above all other creatures.
The theme of this year’s CSA Educational Leadership Conference,
Embracing Imagination, Fostering Creativity, will be developed
with an in-depth immersion session run in conjunction with the
Lincoln Center Institute following the 9 a.m. keynote address on the
subject by Juilliard School President Joseph W. Polisi.
For more information on the Conference, see story and program
on Page 1 and full workshop descriptions on Pages 6-7.
November 2010
CSA NEWS
3
COMING
EVENTS
(
The Inconvenient
Truth About ‘Waiting
for Superman’
BY ANITA GOMEZ-PALACIO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OPERATIONS
ecently, the education conversation
has been dominated by praise for and
critiques of Waiting for Superman, the
new documentary on American education.
I usually do not become involved in
these public discussions on schools, which
happen often now that education has
become a “hot” topic for celebrities and billionaires. But the current hullabaloo over
this movie caused me to reflect that the
charges in this movie could not be left unaddressed.
For those educators who haven’t seen the
movie, I can sum up the plot easily enough:
Unions are to blame for most problems in
the schools and charter schools are the solution to all the ills. Poverty, drugs, absentee
parents and other inner-city issues with
which we’re all familiar, well, as the kids say,
“Not so much.”
Such a facile, silly charge shouldn’t even
merit a response, but unfortunately, many
non-educators, who haven’t set foot in a
school in years, are taking the movie’s indictment as gospel.
I am a firm believer in pointing out problems that need to be addressed. No Child Left
Behind and Race To The Top helped raise
awareness that many school systems were
failing, among others, English Language
Learners and special education students.
Waiting for Superman is successful in that it
has helped focus the general population on
problems within school systems, which most
of us, I think, believe is a good thing. After
years of inattention, the spotlight is welcome.
R
• • •
Rebutting Simplistic ‘Superman’
Charter School
Propaganda
Gerald N. Tirozzi, NASSP
Executive Director
Social Inequities
Play a Huge Role
Every school the film vilifies
is a mainstream
public
school,
from which the
only hope of
escape is a charter
school. Contrary
to the movie’s
depiction, there
are lots of highGerald Tirozzi performing public
schools out there
… These are high-poverty, highperforming middle and high
schools – mostly comprehensive
neighborhood schools – that
have found a formula for high
achievement. Yet these schools
become lost in an agenda-laden
narrative of public schools as
Rick Ayers, Adjunct Professor,
University of San Francisco
Waiting for Superman ignores
overall problems of poverty.
Schools must be made into sites
of opportunity, not places for
the rejection and failure of millions of African American,
Chicano
Latino,
Native
American, and immigrant students. But schools and teachers
take the blame for huge social
inequities in housing, health
care, and income.
Income disparities between
the richest and poorest in U.S.
society have reached record levels between 1970 and today.
)
NOV. 9, 5 PM:
Association of Black
Educators of NY
But the problem is
this: The movie is
being seen by people
who don’t understand
the subtext of the conversation, or how complicated education is.
The movie’s message is
easy: Public schools are
sub-par. Teachers are
awful. Charter Schools
are the salvation. Easy
charges, easy solutions.
Well, I do hope that
this conversation continues, but I certainly
want it to become
deeper than the one
Waiting for Superman is
generating. The movie
panders to people’s
emotions. It’s oversimplified and un-balanced.
We
must n The movie offers easy solutions because it skips over the hard parts!
broaden the conversation without conmentioning that they, too, are unionized.
demning all of our public schools. Many
The movie also fails to point out the dispublic schools nationwide, contrary to pop- parity of resources. The Harlem Children’s
ular myth, are flourishing. Many public Zone is practically anointed the messiah of
schools outperform the local charter schools school systems, yet we never learn about the
despite the fact the public schools must Wall Street millions behind the scenes,
admit all children, which isn’t the case for money that is unavailable to our public
all charter schools.
schools. This inequity can’t be brushed away,
The movie glosses over facts that would and yet, it was.
complicate its message. For example, it holds
Good ideas are welcome, but let’s stop
up Finland as a nation with a model school perpetuating the notion that no one before
system. Not once, does the movie mention the present-day group of reform-minded
that teachers are unionized in that country. educators ever noticed we have issues reachThe movie tips its hat to the successful ing our at-most risk children, and that only
Green Dot charter schools without once they have the solution. It simply is not so.
educational pits of despair from
which charter schools are the
only lifeline.
Events are at CSA’s
Brooklyn Headquarters,
16 Court Street, unless
otherwise noted.
Poor communities suffer extensive traumas and dislocations.
Homelessness, the exploitation
of immigrants, and the closing
of community health and
counseling clinics, are all factors that penetrate our school
communities. Solutions that
punish schools without addressing these conditions only
increase the marginalization of
poor children.
If Only Solutions
Were Simple
Beth Fertig, WNYC education
reporter
Many of the reforms referred
to in the movie have yet to be
tested. Particularly the goal of
measuring which teachers are
most effective by using student
test scores. No district has yet
come up with a perfect formula.
Stop Blaming
Unions
Gail Collins, columnist for The
New York Times
…There’s no evidence that
teachers’ unions are holding our
schools
back.
Finland, which is
currently cleaning
our clock in education scores, has
teachers who are
almost
totally
unionized. The
states with the
Gail Collins
best student performance on standardized tests tend to be the ones
with the strongest teachers’ unions
… The best charter schools are laboratories for new ideas. But the
regular public schools are where
American education has to be
saved. We can do better.
NOV. 13: CSA’s 46th
Educational
Leadership
Conference,
Hilton NY
NOV. 15, 5 PM: Irish
American Heritage
and Culture
Committee
NOV. 17, 5 PM: CSA
Executive Board
NOV. 18, 10 AM:
Retiree Chapter
Executive Board
NOV. 18, 5 PM:
NYCESPA Executive
Board
NOV. 18, 5 PM: CSA
Latino Caucus
NOV. 19, 8 AM: ELI
Workshop for Day
Care Members
DEC. 1, 4:30 PM: CSA
District Chairs
DEC. 6, 5 PM:
Association of
Assistant Principals
Please check with the event
organizer to confirm times
and dates
Show
Support for
CSA and Win
an iPad!
If you follow CSA on
Facebook or Twitter and
also attend CSA's 46th
Educational Leadership
Conference on Nov. 13,
you may win an iPad,
the most sought after
gift of 2010.
We’ll announce the
name of the lucky
CSA member at the
Conference Luncheon at
the Hilton NY.
Join us on Facebook
and/or Twitter, and at the
Conference for your
chance to win!
(Contest for CSA
members only!)
Register for the
Conference at:
www.csa-nyc.org
4
CSA NEWS
November 2010
The Grievance Corner
Bob Reich
CSA Awaits Decision on Arbitration on Bonus Earnings
he collective bargaining agreement
between the Department of
Education and CSA reads: “It is the
declared objective of the parties to
encourage the prompt and informal
resolution of employee complaints as they
arise and to provide recourse to orderly procedures for the satisfactory adjustment of
complaints. A resolution should occur at the
earliest possible step in every case that can
reasonably be resolved.”
Unfortunately, this clear statement is one
the DOE has failed to respect or follow.
Many members earned performance
bonuses for the school years 2007-2008,
2008-2009 and 2009-2010. Unfortunately,
many have not been paid. Here’s why:
The Chancellor has, in our opinion, arbitrarily determined that an excessed supervisor is not entitled to a performance bonus
despite service in a school where other
administrators received one.
Think of this: A supervisor is placed in
excess because a school is downsizing – in
other words, through no fault of his or her
own – and is placed in a school selected by
the Chancellor or his designee. There, this
excessed supervisor performs all the work
assigned to him and did not receive a negative rating, and yet when the school succeeds, the DOE denies this supervisor a per-
T
We’re
fighting
for
excessed
members
to get
what they
earned.
We await an arbitrator’s
decision which, if just, will
end a foolish policy.
formance bonus.
CSA filed 50 grievances. Unfortunately,
again, the DOE did not attempt to resolve
them, even the easy ones, at the earliest possible step, as per our contract. CSA had to
demand or schedule arbitration hearings
before the DOE took a serious look at our
demands. For 25 members, this resulted in
payment of their performance bonuses. But
about two dozen still are unresolved.
In mid-September, CSA, with the approval
of the union’s Grievance Committee, moved
ahead to binding arbitration for these outstanding cases. You would think, in this time
of fiscal hardship, the DOE would not want
to incur the shared cost of arbitrations when
arbitrations are unnecessary. But that is not
the case.
We now await the arbitrator’s decision
that will, if there’s any justice in this system,
put a stop to this foolish policy.
There is another lesson to be learned here
that goes beyond the specifics of these per-
Bob Reich is the Director of the Grievance
Department at CSA. He writes a monthly column
for the CSA News on contract issues. You may
call him at (718) 852-3000, x 1023.
Advancement for Latinos
Letters
passionate and caring
educators! I am so
very grateful!
Due to the generosity of my colleagues, I remained on
payroll, which sustained me throughout
treatment and recovery. Having endured
two surgeries, four
months of chemotherapy and six weeks of
daily radiation, I have
finally been given
medical
clearance
n Vicki Paul is happy to be back at work after battling cancer.
from my doctor to
Here she is with her son, Joshua, a college senior, and her daugh- return to service as of
ter, Joy, a high school junior.
Oct. 4. I am excited to
be getting back to my
normal life!
A Thank You to CSA as Well
Thank you again for your intervenas to a ‘Family of
tion. Even though the battle with cancer was difficult, at least I didn't have to
Compassionate Educators
worry about how I would provide for my
family. And at my final checkup, the
To the Editor: I want to thank you for
oncologist told me that we are no longer
the request you sent out on my behalf
talking about cancer, but life after cancer.
asking CSA members to donate their CAR
I'm
thrilled.
days. I had been diagnosed with breast
cancer and could not afford to stop working for the many months of treatment.
I'm a single parent and didn't have
enough time in my CAR to carry me all
the way through – I would have had to
wait until September to take a medical
sabbatical since a sabbatical taken earlier
would not have given me sufficient time.
I would have run out of days before completing treatment and recovery.
The response was overwhelming!
Days poured in. Some came from people
I knew, but most were donated by those I
had never met. I am blessed to serve
alongside an awesome family of com-
formance bonus cases. If you do not file a
grievance in a timely manner when you
believe you have been incorrectly paid, you
may lose your claim to the money forever.
We know it’s a time-consuming process,
but the DOE is obstinate in its handling of
these relatively simple cases. The DOE refuses
to schedule grievance hearings or issue grievance decisions in a timely manner. Many
cases aren’t settled until just prior to or actually at the arbitration. It may be predictable
but it isn’t efficient.
CSA will continue to take cases to arbitration, despite the cost, to protect your rights
and get you money to which you are entitled.
N.B. A grievance must be filed within 20
school days following the actual knowledge
of the act or condition on which the complaint is based.
Per session grievances must be filed within
five days after the employee has knowledge
of the act or condition that is the basis of the
complaint.
Questions about your contractual rights or
salary should be asked! Contact me at
[email protected].
–VICKI PAUL
Supervisor of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Brooklyn East and Staten Island, D-75
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Please submit letters of
no more than 250 words
to Anne Silverstein,
CSA News Editor,
at [email protected].
AUDREY FUENTES
n The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement held a meeting in August in Las
Vegas from Aug. 3 to Aug. 6. From left, Cesar Moreno (AFT), Evelyn de Jesus
(Manhattan UFT rep), CSA Executive Director Anita Gomez-Palacio, Assistant Principal
Charles Hernandez, IS 166, D-9, Bronx; AFT President Randi Weingarten, Principal
Robert Flores, PS 106, D-32, Brooklyn, Maria Portalatin (AFT), Jose Vargas (Bronx UFT
rep), and CSA Field Director Bernard Lopez.
Day Care Enrollment Drops
Continued from Page 1
you have to take care of your children?
How are you going to go door-to-door if
you have children by your side?” asked
CSA President Ernest Logan.
The report outlines the cumbersome
funding streams from the city, state and
federal government that finance the
city’s childcare services. “This makes it
difficult to account for all the dollars,”
said CSA First Vice President Randi
Herman.
As the economy faltered, Mayor
Bloomberg ordered cuts in all city agencies. Reducing enrollment was a significant way to attain this goal and, without irony it seems, ACS named the costsaving program “Project Full Enrollment.” Centers receive funding for only
the number of children who are actually
present regardless of fixed costs including staff and utilities.
ACS also eliminated services for fiveyear-olds, saving $15 million annually
and plans to close more than a dozen
Centers, most of them in Brooklyn. (CSA
and other advocates won a reprieve on
these closings which were originally
scheduled for earlier this year.)
Clarification of an October CSA
News article: ACS slated some Centers
for closure by Oct. 1. A new state law, however, provides a six-month notification window for closing a Center and the law was
retroactive. Centers told to close last spring
were given a six-month reprieve from Aug.
31. But the damage was irreversible; ACS
froze enrollment at these, and other Centers,
prohibiting parents from returning to their
site of choice.
November 2010
CSA NEWS
5
‘As Go the Unions, So Goes the Nation’
End the Assault On Public Sector Workers
—Op-Ed from The Daily News
BY DANIEL MORRIS
bad job is still a job: Lately,
some hiring managers have
been exploiting the desperation
of the unemployed to force
workers to accept this logic and
the worst deals possible. Now pundits and
politicians across the country are getting in
on the action by claiming that public-sector employees must sacrifice more and act like
private sector employees
who supposedly feel
blessed and thankful to
get a paycheck, any paycheck.
Welcome to the new
race to the bottom - a
race that is doing terrible harm to many
Daniel Morris
Americans. The absence
of well-funded pensions,
reasonable hours and decent pay in many
precincts of the private sector is being used
to stir up rage at the presence of those
standards in the public sector. Teachers,
firefighters, cops and sanitation workers
are derided as privileged compared to
"everyone else." They recklessly pursue
financial gain and swindle taxpayers!
How absurd. I mean, really, really,
absurd.
The truth is hardly tabloid material:
Most public sector workers earn a modest
middle class living and are as worried as
anyone else about the economy.
A
But the perverse argument gaining traction is that what public-sector jobs provide
- fair compensation, adequate benefits and
dignified retirement options - sets the bar
too high for everyone.
It's enough to rouse the labor leaders
and activists of the past from the grave people who fought for eight-hour days,
weekends off and other basic employment
standards now once again under attack.
We forget how recent - and still fragile some of these victories are. Consider retirement. "Until the 1950s," New School economist Teresa Ghilarducci has written, "only
the wealthy could expect to retire." Now
guaranteed pension income is getting
assailed as lavish, as long as its recipients
are unionized employees, not CEOs with
golden parachutes.
But when anti-government anger is
expected to translate into lots of swing
votes, attacking the public sector is a surefire electoral strategy for Republicans and
Democrats. Republicans want to discredit
the federal stimulus package as a special
interest sop to unions, while Democrats
want to look like independents who don't
answer to the labor lobby.
Such posturing does nothing more than
harm our prospects for national recovery.
The Economic Policy Institute estimates
that every 100 public sector layoffs result
in around 30 private-sector layoffs, because
the subsequent loss of income dampens
consumer spending and thus weakens the
economy.
And if public-sector workers become
cheap, expendable labor, they will contribute less to the tax base and spend less,
blunting private-sector job creation. A
healthy public sector is just as good for the
investment banker as it is for the unionized electrician.
If the march against the unions and the
public sector continues, the recession
could hang around like an unwelcome
guest, costing businesses and government
more over time through vanishing growth,
productivity and demand. The ranks of the
working poor will swell and public assistance rolls will expand.
Upward mobility and shared prosperity
cannot be created this way. In earlier eras,
a robust middle class was built and sustained not by making jobs worse for more
people but by making them better:
Standards improved across industries and
occupations.
Rebuilding the middle class today will
be difficult. But ending the plight of
American families who see their livelihoods
under assault must be an imperative.
The race to the bottom is a callous
attempt to lower expectations for employment at a time when millions of people are
counting on them to be raised. No victory
worthy of the name can be achieved on
those terms.
Daniel Morris, director of communications
at the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy,
is co-editor of "From Disaster to Diversity:
What's Next for New York City's Economy?"
This article was reprinted from The Daily
News.
Official Notice
Open Enrollment for Dental Plans
Every November, members of the DCC/CSA
Welfare Fund, CSA Welfare Fund or CSA Retiree
Welfare Fund may change their dental plans for
the coming calendar year. If you wish to change
your coverage as of Jan. 1, 2011, call the CSA
Welfare Fund at (718) 624-2600 and request a
dental selection form. If you are happy with
your dental plan, do nothing!
Dental plans are similar to medical health
plans. They offer a selection of benefits, usually
require you to select from a list of participating
dentists, usually have a small co-pay and have a
set schedule of fees.
The SIDS dental plan is similar to the popular GHI-CBP health plan offered through the
Department of Education. SIDS has both an inand out-of-network benefit. If you use a participating dentist, you have little or no cost for
most procedures. If you prefer to go to a nonparticipating provider, you are reimbursed according to a fee schedule. The amount of
benefit you receive is the same that a participating dentist receives.
The Healthplex/DentCare and Delta Dental
plans are dental HMOs, and work the same way
as a medical HMO. In these plans, you pick a primary care dentist from a list for your dental
needs. If you require specialized care, such as
N.B. Members in the Healthplex
Dentcare or the Delta Dental
plan may change primary care
dentists at any time if they are
dissatisfied with their dentist.
oral surgery or endodontics (root canals), your
dentist refers you to a specialist who is also in
the HMO network. If you have a dental emergency away from home, coverage is limited to
pain relief, and reimbursements generally will
not exceed $100.
Here are the plans, in summary:
SIDS DENTAL PROGRAM
For in-service and retired members: This
CSA self-insured dental program is administered by Self-Insured Dental Services (SIDS).
You select a dentist of your choice from a list of
participating dentists OR one who is not on the
list and reimbursement is based on a set schedule of fees. Using a participating dentist, however, will probably reduce your costs because
many of them accept the CSA schedule of allowances as payment in full (except for a small
co-payment where indicated in the schedule).
HEALTHPLEX DENTCARE
In NY, NJ and PA, for in-service and retired
members: This is a pre-paid plan (HMO) which
offers you a unique arrangement with no claim
forms or outlay of monies (except for a $50 copay to cover some lab charges for crowns and
$125 for orthodontics). Members select a primary care dentist from a list. This dentist provides total care at no additional cost and, when
necessary, arranges for treatment by participating specialists including surgeons, endodontists and periodontists - also at no cost.
Dentcare dentists are private practitioners in
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
DELTA DENTAL/DELTACARE USA PLAN 2A
For retirees only: For an annual fee, this
HMO provides no-charge dental care for preventive services such as cleanings, x-rays and
exams. Basic services, such as fillings, are also either free, or cost substantially less than regular
charges. Major work such as crowns, bridgework, and orthodontic care cost about half the
usual charges for these services.
This is a good choice for members who live
where there are few SIDS or Healthplex participants. A large number of participating dentists
can be found in Arizona, Florida, California, New
York, New Jersey, Washington DC, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Maryland, Massachussetts and Virginia. A list of dentists in your
area is available upon request. (Note: This plan
requires a minimum of five member enrollees in
a state or it is unavailable.)
HEALTHPLEX S200 FLORIDA PROGRAM
For retirees living fulltime in Florida: The
new Healthplex S200 program covers more procedures than the previous plan offered with
CompBenefits, and had a greater number of participating providers. With over $2,300 participating providers plus hundreds of specialists in
Florida, you may select any participating
provider without a referral. Some procedures
have a defined co-payment and no additional
reimbursement is provided.
Dr. Hathaway is the Administrator of the
CSA Welfare Funds. Please call him if you have
questions about your dental plan at (718) 6242600 or email him at [email protected].
Math
Supervisors
Plan Events
The NYS Association of Mathematics Supervisors (NYSAMS)
will host three events in conjunction with the 60th Annual
Conference of the Association of
Mathematics Teachers of NYS.
Suzanne Libfeld, NYSAMS
President-elect, the Director of the
NYC Mathematics Project at
Lehman College and a retired
NYC
school
supervisor,
announced the following events:
n Nov. 10, the NYS Mathematics Educators Hall of Fame
will honor three outstanding NYS
mathematics educators: Lynn
Richbart, Bureau of Mathematics
Education, NYSED (retired); Dr.
Frank Gardella, Hunter College;
and Dr. Stanley F. Taback,
Lehman College.
n Nov. 11, NYSAMS will hold
its annual leadership summit.
n Nov. 12, NYSAMS will hold
its annual breakfast and meeting.
The AMTNYS Conference
runs from Nov. 11-13, at the
Saratoga Hilton Hotel and
Conference Center, Saratoga
Springs, NY. For more information please visit www.nysams.org.
25 Years Ago
(1985)
How times have changed!
In November 1985, CSA
President Ted Elsberg began
his monthly column with
this: “The federal government
appears to want no part of
public schools. President
Reagan’s first
Commissioner
of Education,
the
distinguished Dr.
Terrell Bell,
was appointed
with a mandate to get rid
of the Department of
Education.” Mr. Elsberg continues by pointing out that
Dr. Bell failed to reach that
goal and that a new head of
the department, Dr. William
Bennett, “intends to succeed
where Dr. Bell failed.”
Twenty-five years later, we
now have a national program
of common state standards,
and a federal government that
hands out money depending
upon how well states align
education with federal government requirements.
Teachers’
Retirement System
OCT. 2010 UNIT VALUES
Diversified Equity: 53.481
Stable-Value: 19.260
International Equity: 9.117
Inflation Protection: 10.680
Socially Responsive Equity:
9.500
Visit www.trsnyc.org
6
CSA NEWS
Upcoming Conferenc
N AT I O N
Labor
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:
One Nation March
Creating jobs and fixing the economy top the list of priorities for
this country: that was the
resounding message of the One
Nation Working Together rally.
Thousands of people converged
on the nation’s capital on Oct. 2 to
emphasize the need for jobs, justice and quality public education.
Union leaders energized the
crowd, encouraging everyone to
work together to overcome corporate greed and to vote on Nov. 2.
(Workers Independent News)
46th Educational Leadership Conference
Nov. 13, 2010 | Hilton New York, 6th Ave. and 53rd St., Manhattan
Session A 10:30 – 11:45 A.M.
A-1: ADVANCING WRITING INSTRUCTION
WITH 21st CENTURY TECHNOLOGY
Presenter: Dr. Naomi Cooperman, Director of Curriculum
and Instruction, Teaching Matters, Inc.
Dr. Cooperman will introduce strategies and content
contained within Writing Matters, a web-based program
that supports teachers in implementing writing instruction. Writing Matters offers seven innovative literacy units
that incorporate both professional development and comprehensive classroom materials, including a simple free
online tool that makes student publishing easy and fun.
A-2:
ILLINOIS:
Teach For America
Twenty-five Teach For America
teachers were hired by charter
schools run by the United
Neighborhood Organization
(UNO). Teach For America recruits
recent college graduates to work
two years in high-needs public
schools. This year, 155 Teach For
America teachers were hired in
the Chicago public schools.
Chicago Teachers Union President
Karen Lewis asked, “How do you
lay off people and then hire people. . .?” (Chicago Tribune)
PENNSYLVANIA:
Union Support
According to the National Institute
on Money in State Politics, teachers
“Unions’ political organizations
and employees have devoted a
combined $8.2 million to
Democratic candidates. . .at the
state level” in this election cycle.
They are giving grassroots support
to candidates who will fight to protect school funding. There are 37
governors’ races, seven state superintendents’ contests and more
than 6,000 state legislative seats at
stake. GOP candidates have reportedly collected $938,000 in donations thus far. (Education Week)
NEW JERSEY:
Tenure Talk
Gov. Chris Christie revealed details of
his education agenda recently which
includes taking away tenure from
“ineffective” teachers and linking
pay raises to student performance
rather than years of service or level
of education. Gov. Christie plans to
appoint a task force to make recommendations on an evaluation system. He also plans to create a faster,
alternative route for increasing the
hiring pool of effective principals.
(The New York Times)
MARYLAND:
Agreement Reached
Baltimore and the teachers union
reached a landmark agreement
that reportedly will end giving
pay raises for years of service.
Instead, skill and effectiveness will
likely be the determining factors.
Baltimore is one of only a few districts that has linked teacher pay
to performance to improve
schools. (The Baltimore Sun)
— COMPILED BY
CHRISTINE ALTMAN
November 2010
CBJ SNYDER: THE MAN WHO CHANGED
THE FACE OF NYC’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Presenters: Nancy O. Russo, President, High School
Assistant Principals Association; Jean Arrington, Assistant
Professor, Borough of Manhattan Community College.
We’ll examine the career of Charles B.J. Snyder, the
NYC Board of Education architect, who probably designed
a school that you attended or in which you worked! His
legacy changed how children and communities viewed
public schools and public education.
A-3: RESCUING FAILING READERS USING
YOUR CURRENT SCHOOL STAFF
Presenters: Anissa Chalmers, Principal, PS 132, D-9,
Bronx; and staff from her school.
A Tier 2 intervention model provides a method for how
paraprofessionals can provide skilled tutoring for first
graders who can’t learn to read in groups. We’ll describe
the staff training as well as the screening procedures for
identifying students, the modifications in scheduling to
accommodate tutoring, the instructional half-hour that
RETIREE CHAPTER
PROGRAM
The CSA Retiree Chapter holds a breakfast, meeting and workshops for its members. Of course,
Retiree Chapter members are welcome to attend any
of the workshops listed on this page.
9:15 – 10:45 A.M.
Meeting and Breakfast
Recognition: State Sen. Diane Savino
Retiree Chapter Chair Report to
Members
11:00 – 11:50 A.M.
R-1: Museum for African Art
Presenters: Dana Elmquist, Educational Director;
Lawrence Ekechi, Outreach/Community Coordinator
This newest addition to the pantheon of NYC
museums will open on upper Fifth Avenue next
fall. The museum is dedicated to the arts and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora. Presenters
will give Retiree Chapter members an overview of
the museum’s mission.
R-2: Legislative Update and Report
Presenter: City Councilwoman Debi Rose
Ms. Rose will discuss the impact local legislation
can have on the city’s retirees and how members
can effectively influence the shape of new laws.
12:00–12:50 P.M.
R-3: New Health Care Developments
Presenter: Douglas V. Hathaway, Ph.D,
Administrator, CSA Welfare Funds
Dr. Hathaway will discuss the 2010 federal
health care reform legislation and its impact on
CSA retirees.
accelerates bottom quartile students to grade level, and the
programs impact on student achievement. This presentation will include a PowerPoint slide show. Attendees will
gain enough information to evaluate if this model can
help them rescue failing readers.
A-4:
MAKING THE MOST OF SCHOOL-PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Presenter: David Shuldiner, Principal, High School for
Public Service, Brooklyn.
Participants will walk away with practical suggestions
for improving professional development. We’ll discuss
methods to empower teachers and administrators in taking hold of their own learning. Specific suggestions will be
made for each participant’s individual setting.
See Page 1 for
Overall Schedule
A-5: SCHEDULING INNOVATIONS
THAT PROMOTE STUDENT SUCCESS
Panelists: Angelo Ledda, Principal MS 399; Magalie Alexis
Principal, PS/MS 282; Angel Fani, Assistant Principal,
MS 399; Dr. Joel Brodsky, educational consultant.
Moderator: Anthony Stiffler, Director of Youth
Development, Cluster 6 Childrens First Network 608.
School administrators will share their successes in
implementing scheduling innovations aimed at raising
student achievement, promoting instructional coherence
and maximizing staff utilization. An in-depth discussion
will allow for an analysis of their efforts. A PowerPoint
presentation will highlight the structural changes implemented. Participants will identify common scheduling
issues and brainstorm solutions that focus on individual
students as well as the 2010-2011 Quality Review.
A-6:
THE POWER OF INTERGENERATIONAL
INTEGRATION: A UNIQUE MODEL FOR
WORKING WITH DISENGAGED YOUTH
Presenters: Maxine Nodel, Principal; Iris Witherspoon,
Assistant Principal; Elisia Downing, Intergenerational
Programs Director, Millennium Art Academy, Bronx.
An overview of the intergenerational programs at
Millennium Art Academy, a high school, that are
designed to motivate and educate disengaged youth via
rigorous academic, artistic and social/emotional engagement. We will share models/artifacts related to our intergenerational program including academic, artistic and
service learning components. Participants will engage in
experiential activities such as role-playing and presentations. Curriculum, as well as a short film, will be shared,
and a brochure will be provided to all participants.
A-7:
TRANSFORMING EDUCATION WITH
21st CENTURY DIGITAL CONTENT
Presenter: Peter Scott, Curriculum Manager, Cengage Learning.
As a board member of the Partnership for 21st Century
Skills, Cengage is leading a national movement to address
the changing needs of schools. Classrooms, content and
curriculum must adapt so information becomes more
accessible, relevant and useful to students and teachers. We
will explore the role digital resources will play in the
future. We will highlight innovative projects from school
districts nationwide. Come learn about how schools and
districts are transforming the educational process as they
strive to move into 21st Century learning environments.
A-8:
THE SUPERVISORY SUPPORT
PROGRAM: WHAT SSP CAN DO FOR YOU,
AND WHAT IT CAN’T
Moderator: Nancy Westerband-Brown, SSP Coordinator
Panelists: Mildred Cordova, Education Administrator;
Janet Elliott-Leah, Education Administrator; and Carolyn
Murdaugh, Assistant Principal, Bronx Academy HS.
Three former SSP panelists will discuss the SSP and the
program’s impact on their lives as supervisors. A
PowerPoint presentation will cover the specifics of the program, and participants will have time to ask questions.
November 2010
CSA NEWS
7
ce Sessions and Workshops 2010
A-9: TRS BENEFITS WORKING FOR YOU
Presenter: Monique Providence, Supervisor, TRS.
The Teachers’ Retirement System will provide a
PowerPoint presentation that will highlight the benefits of
membership in TRS’ Pension and a Tax-Deferred Annuity
Plan as offered to members of the TRS.
SESSION B 12:05 - 1:10 P.M.
B-1: THE PRINCIPAL’S POOL – AN OVERVIEW
Presenter: Jacqueline Foster, Supervisory Support Program
Intervenor.
We’ll provide an overview of how the Principal’s Pool
works. Participants will receive a handout including samples of an effective resume, cover letter, questions for the
moderated and unmoderated discussions. In addition,
we’ll explain the observation that is a part of the process.
Participants will have time to ask questions.
B-2: STAYING SAFE AT SCHOOL – WHAT
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS MUST KNOW
Presenter: Assemblyman Rory Lancman, Chair of the
Subcommittee on Workplace Safety; Allison Weingarten,
Legislative Director, Subcommittee on Workplace Safety.
School administrators are responsible for maintaining
the health and safety of the school community. This workshop, guided by a PowerPoint presentation, will discuss
health and safety risks in schools, how to identify and mitigate those risks, what laws protect school administrators and
the school community, and what bills have been introduced
in the state legislature to improve a school’s health and
safety. This presentation will also give administrators a
chance to share their work-related health and safety concerns and experiences with Assemblyman Lancman.
B-3:
USING TECHNOLOGY TO ACCELERATE
LITERACY AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Presenter: Talmadge Eyre, Sales Manager, Imagine
Learning
This program will illustrate how Imagine Learning
English accelerates literacy development and language
acquisition, builds student confidence, and increases test
scores. Principals will share their experiences with
Imagine Learning English, highlighting how the program
has helped their students’ success in acquiring literacy
skills. We’ll also provide a demonstration of the program’s
adaptive curriculum, strategic first-language support,
ongoing assessment and detailed reports. More than 150
NYC elementary schools have chosen Imagine Learning
English to reach English language learners, struggling readers, students with disabilities, and pre-school students.
B-4:
EXPANDED LEARNING TIME/NYC
Presenter: Chris Whipple, Vice President, The AfterSchool Corporation; Andrew Topol, Principal, PS 182,
Queens.
An exciting new initiative, Expanded Learning
Time/New York City (ELT/NYC), meets school goals
through a longer school day and a partnership with a
community organization that will put a school’s staff and
resources to work under the principal’s leadership. Andrew
Topol’s school was an original ELT/NYC pilot site. He and
Mr. Whipple will provide an overview of the initiative,
including core elements, model design, implementation,
and results.
SESSION C: Special Immersion Sessions
Pre-registration is mandatory. Space is limited. Register online at www.csa-nyc.org.
CSA is offering two special immersion sessions. Each session will have a 20-minute break at 11:45 a.m.
10:30 A.M. – 1:10 P.M.
C-1 IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES WITH LINCOLN CENTER
Part 1 – Imagination Conversation: A panel discussion
Presenters: Stephen Noonan, Principal, High School for Arts, Imagination and Inquiry; Maria Herrara, Principal,
Renaissance High School for Musical Theater and Technology; Dr. MAK Mitchell, NYC DOE; Ronald Thorpe, Vice
President and Director of Education, WNET-TV; Scott Noppe-Brandon, Executive Director, Lincoln Center Institute.
Moderator: Sade Baderinwa, WABC-TV news anchor.
The panelists will discuss these and other questions: How does imagination function in your field/work/sector?
How is it cultivated and sustained in your context? What are the imaginative processes? What will it take for society/us to cultivate these or comparable imaginative processes throughout education?
Part 2 (12:05 p.m.) – Arts, Imagination, and the Common Core Standards
(Facilitated Roundtables)
These discussions will be introduced by LCI’s Educational Development Director, Madeleine F. Holzer, and
facilitated by an LCI staff person or NYC educator who has partnered with the Institute. Following Dr. Holzer’s
presentation, which will include video documentation of teachers planning for and implementing imaginative
learning, the small groups will discuss LCI’s “Capacities for Imaginative Learning” and the new Common Core
State Standards. They will create action plans for convening an Inquiry Team around these topics.
C-2 USING DATA TO INFORM SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Presenters: Dr. Nancy Brogan and Laura Winter, Executive Leadership Institute Coordinators.
Part 1 – Using Data to Drive Decision-Making
This session will enhance your understanding and use of data to drive decision-making at your school. We’ll provide an overview of the Progress Report, its structure and the different components that are measured in the categories of School Environment, Student Performance, Student Progress and Closing the Achievement Gap. This informational session will also cover all the changes enacted this year.
Part 2 – Understanding Progress Reports
In Part II, participants will gain a more detailed understanding of the data used to generate Progress Reports, how
they’re organized and scored and the comparisons across peer schools and the city. By viewing data available via ARIS
(e.g. ITT, Progress Report Data file and ARIS views), participants can better analyze the trends and patterns of student
performance at their schools and gain strategies on using data to set learning goals and develop plans to improve student learning both at the school and classroom levels.
B-5:
NETWORKS – CULTIVATING
PRINCIPAL INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP
Presenters: Mariah Cone, Program Director, School
Leaders Network; Dr. John Jenkins, Regional Program
Director, NYC.
Discover the necessary components needed to support, sustain, and develop principal instructional leadership skills. Learn how Principals shift their leadership
practices as a result of their ongoing collaborative learning. Discover the delicate balance between social networking opportunities and inquiry-driven learning needed to
create meaningful professional learning opportunities for
principals. Explore the role inter-member accountability
and critical dialogue plays to generate changed leadership
practice. Participants will engage in a network-like experience, followed by a conversation with a panel of Principal
participants and facilitators capable of responding to
questions and sharing experiences.
B-6:
IS THERE TIME FOR THE ARTS IN THE
AGE OF HIGH STAKES ACCOUNTABILITY?
Presenters: Richard Kessler, Executive Director, The Center
for Arts Education; Ramon Gonzalez, Principal, MS 223,
Bronx; and Carol Fineberg,
educational consultant.
Plenary Session
9 – 10 A.M., Grand Ballroom
Developing Imaginative Thinkers and Creative
Students in the 21st Century
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Joseph Polisi, President, The
Juilliard School. Introductory remarks by Scott NoppeBrandon, Executive Director, Lincoln Center Institute.
n The role of imaginative thinking and creativity at
n Dr. Joseph Polisi
a conservatory: in developing students’ artistry as
well as life and career skills following the conservatory years.
n Why imagination and creativity are important for
all students and future citizens; and related to that,
why imagination is important to public education.
School leaders face
greater pressure around standardized tests and other performance measures than ever
before. In an era of School
Progress Reports, performance-based pay, competition
for enrollment and school
closures, can time and space
really be afforded for subjects
like arts education? Join
Principal Gonzalez as he discusses the details of how he
and his colleagues have partnered with The Center for
Arts Education and the U.S.
Department of Education to
build the capacity necessary
to provide all students with a
well-rounded education that includes the arts, while at the
same time becoming the only school in NYS to win a 2010
Intel School of Distinction Award. The program will
include a short video.
B-7:
COOKSHOP – A PARTNERSHIP THAT
PROVIDES FREE NUTRITION EDUCATION
Presenter: Jennifer Byrd, CookShop Classroom Manager;
Natasha Anderson, CookShop for Families Manager.
CookShop, a nutrition education program of the Food
Bank for NYC, is offered free to NYC public schools to help
low-income students and families learn to make healthy
food choices. Funded through the USDA’s Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program Education, CookShop
Classroom for Elementary School offers curricula using
hands-on cooking for children in grades K-2. CookShop for
Families, a complementary component for caregivers,
imparts the knowledge and skills needed to prepare nutritious, affordable meals. CookShop schools are provided
with all required materials, training and food.
B-8:
MEDIA PROJECTS IN EDUCATION
Presenter: Tim Plumer, Jr., Senior Solutions Engineer,
Adobe Systems, Inc.
As the Partnership for 21st Century Learning has determined, employers are looking for people who can take
complex information and share it in an easy-to-understand
way. The student who can synthesize a set of concepts into
a cohesive message and then deliver it will have a leg-up in
any job or college application process. This presentation
will provide a roadmap to understand how to incorporate
images, sound, and video into the classrooms in a way that
supports all subjects. You’ll see how to create a project that
promotes outcomes including better retention, increased
graduation rates, or better job/college placements.
B-9:
PARTNERSHIP OPTIONS FOR EARLY
CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS
Presenter: Gary L. King, Day Care Director.
We’ll define the objectives of a partnership between a
community organization or a business and an early childhood education center as well as identify potential partners. A panel of professionals will review the ins and outs
of developing a partnership for your program.
Pre-register for workshops online at www.csa-nyc.org.
8
CSA NEWS
N AT I O N
Education
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:
ELLs Need More
Race To The Top did not place
enough emphasis on the needs of
English Language Learners (ELL)
according to three civil rights
groups. In response, federal officials
indicated they plan to focus on ELLs
via technical assistance to the 11
winning states, which have 873,000
ELLs, approximately 16 percent of
ELLs in the U.S. (Education Week)
GEORGIA:
More Charter Funds
The Charter School Growth Fund
plans to create 335,000 slots for
children in charter schools over the
next decade and has begun a $160
million fundraising campaign to do
so. More than half the money has
already been raised. In addition,
charter school groups in four
states – including KIPP schools in
Atlanta – will receive a $20 million
infusion. The funding will allow the
Atlanta group to triple the number
of students served to 3,300 and
open twice as many schools by
2015. (Associated Press)
COLORADO:
Visiting Teachers
Teachers in one of Denver’s poorest schools are making house calls.
At Fairview Elementary School,
teachers visit the homes of each
and every child to connect with
families, learn more about their
students and forge important relationships. A grant from the
National Education Association
covers the program’s cost. Denver
Superintendent Tom Boasberg
plans to offer $50,000 a year to
pilot the program at four other
schools. (Denver Post)
NEW JERSEY:
Slowing Down
Singapore Math, named for its country of origin, is gaining popularity.
Singapore Math allows for the varied learning styles and promotes a
through understanding of basic
concepts, such as the numbers one
and two, before tackling more complex skills. The program guides students through three learning steps concrete, pictorial and abstract.
American Math programs often
omit the middle step. Proponents
say by slowing things down in the
early grades, students can eventually grasp difficult problems more
quickly and can be a year ahead of
students in other math programs by
4th and 5th grade. (New York Times)
MISSISSIPPI
It’s Economics
Lamar County School District has
been named a state model for its
economics curriculum which incorporates financial lessons in all subject areas on all grade levels. Other
districts will be encouraged to
adopt this extensive program. The
initiative began three years ago
with a grant proposal to Cisco Corp.
(hattiesburgamerican.com)
— COMPILED BY
CHRISTINE ALTMAN
November 2010
Q&A On Imagination
Continued from Page 1
prepare members to conduct Inquiry
Teams around these Capacities, either in
partnership with, or independent of a formal relationship with Lincoln Center
Institute.
The next three questions pertain to
your book, “Imagination First:
Unlocking the Power of Possibility.”
You and co-author Eric Liu say that
it’s possible to develop and cultivate
imagination, and that we “have no
choice but to do so.” What do you
mean, we have no choice?
The capacity for imagination cannot be
outsourced and is our greatest domestic
renewable resource. There is no such thing
as instant innovation. Imagination must
come first. Innovations will be fewer if we
don’t collectively develop our imagination.
You also write, “Life is full of
QWERTYs” a reference to the keyboard that most of us use that was
developed to solve a 19th century
problem no longer an issue in the
21st century. Can you expand on
that?
Each of us lives in a world of what
social scientists call pathway dependence,
which is what happens when an institutional agreement gets locked in and
becomes self-reinforcing. The “QWERTY”
keyboard is the classic example of this.
But, what would it take to change it now?
It’s too expensive, so the premise is that
we stick with the old way of doing something. We think that this lock-in effect is
the great enemy of imagination.
You write it’s a mistake to use the
words imagination, creativity and
innovation interchangeably. Why?
Because we believe they reference different parts of a continuum. Imagination
is the cognitive process that can and
should be developed; creativity is imagination enacted through language or the
formal elements of a discipline; innovation is the tangible product of imagina-
tion and creativity. For us, an innovation
is achieved not just when something new
is created, but when it truly advances the
form.
Pre-registration for the “Imagination
Conversation” immersion session at the
Conference opens Nov. 1. Register online visit
www.csa-nyc.org. For more information about
this, or any of the workshops, see Pages 6-7.
Going Over the Issues
YURIDIA PEÑA
n CSA President Ernest Logan spoke at the District 14 member meeting on Sept. 22 at La
Piazzetta, Williamsburg. Conference Chair Pierre Lehmuller, center, also spoke to CSA members about the upcoming CSA Conference on Nov. 13. At left is Brian DeVale, CSA District 14
Chair. Seated is Liza Caraballa, NYCESPA Vice President. Last year, District 14 had the highest
percentage of CSA members at the Conference, thanks to Mr. DeVale and Assistant Chair
Celina Napolitano.
In Memoriam
n EMILIA G. CARDONA, 71, died on July 16 in
Madrid, Spain, while vacationing with her
daughter. Ms. Cardona attended George
Washington High School in Manhattan and
earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees
from Hunter College. She retired in 1999 as an
Assistant Principal-Foreign Languages at
Norman Thomas High School, Manhattan. Ms.
Cardona was an active member of the CSA
Manhattan Retiree Chapter Regional Unit.
She was also active in her community as a
member of the Puerto Rican Educators
Association and Vice President of Community
Board 12. She is survived by her husband,
Louis, and two daughters Deborah, a NYC
teacher, and Leslie. Condolences may be sent
to the family at PO Box 58, Audubon Station,
NY, NY 10032.
n HENRY I. CHRIST, 94, passed away on May
15. Born and educated in NYC, Mr. Christ
retired in 1970 as the Chair of the English
department at Andrew Jackson High School
in Queens. He was the author of many articles
and more than 100 books including the
Modern English in Action series. He lived in
Brevard County, FL, since 1973. He is survived
by his wife Marie of 71 years and their sons,
Robert, William and Thomas. Condolences
may be sent to Mrs. Christ to 235 E. Edgewood
Pl., San Antonio, TX 78209.
n ROBERT COHEN, 78, a former elementary
school Principal, died on Aug. 7. Mr. Cohen was
the school leader at PS 247 for more than two
decades, and served 32 years in the school system, before retiring in July 1996. He is survived
by his wife, Harriet; condolences may be sent
to her at 4711 Capstar Dr., Boynton Beach, FL
33436.
n DAVID NEWMAN, 81, passed away on June
24. Mr. Newman retired as Assistant Principal
of Mark Twain JHS for the Gifted and Talented,
Brooklyn, in 1991 after serving the NYC school
system for more than 30 years. He began his
career as a music teacher in Brooklyn in 1957.
He was also the Director of the Brooklyn
Boroughwide Salute to Music Orchestra and
Centers for 10 years. After retirement, Mr.
Newman stayed active in the music community, and performed a series of live concerts. He
also lectured at Brooklyn College from 1992 to
2009. Condolences may be sent to his wife,
Sheila, a retired teacher, at 1478 E46th St.,
Brooklyn, NY 11234.
n HAROLD MARGOLIS, 86, passed away on
Jan. 2. Mr. Margolis retired in 1981 as an
Assistant Principal at Park West High School,
Manhattan. Condolences may be sent to Helen
and Martin Wachs at 670 Harbor St., Apt. #3,
Venice, CA 90291.
Don’t Forget!
DOE members: Send in your Compensation Accrual
Fund Enrollment Form. Questions? Call PRG, the Fund
Administrator, at (212) 779-4760.
n NATHAN QUIÑONES, 79, the former
Schools Chancellor of the NYC school system during the mid-1980s, died on Aug. 2.
The cause was a stroke.
M r. Q u i ñ o n e s
worked as a teacher
and school administrator for 27 years before
he became Chancellor
in 1984. Mr. Quiñones
served 3½ years,
resigning six months
n Mr. Quiñones before his term ended.
“I think we’re losin 1985.
ing a first-rate chancellor,” former Mayor Ed Koch said in a 1987
interview with The New York Times. “… I
think he was on the right track. I only
regret that others were not supportive of
him.”
Born and raised in East Harlem, Mr.
Quiñones graduated from CCNY in 1953,
working his way through school. He was
an Army veteran and served in Korea. In
1957, he became a foreign language
teacher in the NYC public schools. He also
attended Columbia University and
Hunter College where he received,
respectively, a master’s degree in
Hispanic literature and a master’s degree
in education.
Prior to his becoming Chancellor he
headed the Division of High Schools. He
also served as the Principal of South
Bronx High School and as an Assistant
Principal at Benjamin N. Cardozo High
School in Queens for 10 years.
Condolences may be sent to his wife,
Romana Martinez, at 18-05 215th St., Apt.
11E, Bayside, NY 11360.
November 2010
9
CSA NEWS
16 COURT STREET
CSA Welcomes New
Staff to Organization
YURIDIA PEÑA
SA recently welcomed a number of new
department heads and staff members to
its fold.
The Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) said
farewell to Executive Director Ada Rosario
Dolch who retired last month after a three-year
stint leading the professional development
branch of CSA. Under Ms. Dolch, ELI more
than tripled the number of workshops offered,
developed relationships with other professional
development organizations and began a feefor-services program.
New Executive Director Eloise Messineo
comes to ELI after a nine-year tenure as
Principal at Louis D. Brandeis High School,
Manhattan. She is excited about leading ELI,
and looks forward to creating even more workshops and programs for CSA members. “I plan
to meet the needs of all levels of school administrators,” Dr. Messineo said.
Sept. 1 brought the retirement of Supervisory
Support Program (SSP) Coordinator Herman
Merritt from the Department of Education; he
immediately began work as CSA’s Director of
Political Affairs. Mr. Merritt has been politically
active in his community for years and regards
social justice an integral part of his life.
SSP’s new Coordinator is Dr. Nancy
Westerband-Brown, who spent the last three
years as an SSP Intervenor. Prior to coming to
SSP, she was Assistant Principal at the High
School of Hospitality Management, Manhattan.
SSP provides confidential support for the
school administrator who is having difficulty
with aspects of his or her job as well as for the
administrator who wants individual attention
C
to hone his or her skills. “A lot of people feel
in order to be in the program you have to have
a U rating, which is not true. Anyone who is a
CSA supervisor with the DOE is entitled to our
services,” said Dr. Westerband-Brown.
CSA hired JHS Principal Sonia Nieves to fill
Dr. Westerband-Brown’s former spot. Ms. Nieves
knows how well SSP works first-hand; eight
years ago, during her first year as a Principal,
she was a participant of SSP and enjoyed confidential support as she learned her craft.
Last month, the Retiree Chapter welcomed
Mark Brodsky as its new Director and said au
revoir to Gary Goldstein who has become the
Special Assistant to CSA President Ernest Logan.
Mr. Goldstein has been with the Retiree Chapter
since its inception in 2004. Mr. Brodsky joined
CSA six years ago as an Assistant Field Director.
CSA has also added four new positions to
its field teams to better serve the needs of its
members.
New retirees Joseph Costa and James
Harrigan joined the staff as Assistant Directors.
Mr. Costa will be assisting Steve Bennett in the
Bronx, Mr. Harrigan will assist Kathy Murphy
in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Mr. Harrigan
and Mr. Costa had been district chairs.
Assistant Field Director Bill Meehan has
taken the helm of the Field Services team serving Brooklyn and Staten Island high schools
switching places with former Director Lena
Medley. Recent retiree Mercedes Qualls fills out
the team as an Assistant Director.
CSA also hired Brooklyn native, Jessica
Jeudy, as an office assistant. Ms. Jeudy is a recent
graduate of St. Joseph’s College.
Contact information for new staff is available
online at www.csa-nyc.org.
The Welfare
Fund
Douglas V. Hathaway, Ph.D.
Fund OKs Dental Plan
for Florida Retirees
he Trustees of the CSA Retiree
Welfare Fund, at their October
meeting, have agreed to participate
in a new dental program exclusively
for retirees living fulltime in Florida.
The increased number of dentists there combined with this plan’s flexibility in selection
of a dentist make this a vastly improved program compared to the previous plan.
With the new Healthplex S200 plan,
Florida retirees may select a provider from
more than 2,000 participating dentists and
hundreds of specialists all throughout the
Sunshine State. There is no “gatekeeper”
dentist with the new plan, and you may
choose a different dentist each time you
need services if you so desire. Another huge
improvement is that the plan covers many
more procedures. (Some procedures still
require a modest co-payment as with the
previous plan. Neither the Welfare Fund
nor Healthplex will provide reimbursement
to cover this copayment.)
The Trustees are pleased to offer this
plan to our CSA retirees living in Florida.
T
The new
Florida
program
offers more
flexibility.
UESTION: I am a retired Supervisor of Special Education. My
husband suffers from dementia. He recently broke his hip requiring surgery. After surgery, I could not leave him alone in the hospital
because he required constant attention so I hired help. Can I be reimbursed for a home health aide even though he isn’t home?
ANSWER: The purpose of our home health aide benefit is to help
you cope with just such a situation. As far as we are concerned, home
care is where the patient is. If you need medically justified assistance,
and it is obvious your husband does, we will provide the coverage if
he is home, in the hospital, or in a nursing home. The key to receive
this benefit is the answer to these questions: Is the service necessary?
Was it provided by a trained professional? Remember: If he is to be
moved to a rehab center, the Fund will reimburse the ambulette costs
since your Medicare or health plan does not.
Q
UESTION: I am a 38-year old Assistant Principal, married with
three children. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My husband is
self-employed and we have no health coverage but mine. I am obviously concerned, not only with my health, but the financial effect on
my family. What happens if I can’t work for several months?
ANSWER: First, you must think positively. Your concern should
be directed to getting the best treatment possible not the financial
issue. You have great coverage. Your hospital bill will be fully paid by
Blue Cross except for a $300 deductible. Your surgeon and other
medical practitioners will be covered by your GHI plan and if any of
your medical providers are not participating in your GHI plan, the
CSA Welfare Fund will protect you from expenses greater than
$1,500. Just keep copies of bills and the corresponding explanation
of benefits paid by either Blue Cross or GHI and send them to us.
Should your unreimbursed medical expenses, including your hospital
deductible start adding up beyond $1,500, the Fund will reimburse
such costs at 80 percent until we have given you $1,000. Thereafter,
we will cover additional expenses at 100 percent to an annual maximum of $50,000.
As for leave time, call Monica McDonald, Special Assistant Field
Services, at (718) 852-3000, x 1058. She will assist in obtaining sick
time and/or sabbatical leave with pay and ongoing coverage as per
the contract.
Please concentrate on getting well. We care and stand ready to
assist you anyway we can. Call me at (718) 624-2600 if you have a
problem with which we can help.
Q
Eloise Messineo
Herman Merritt
Nancy Westerband-Brown
Sonia Nieves
Gary Goldstein
Mark Brodsky
Bill Meehan
Joseph Costa
Pre-Retirement Workshop
James Harrigan
Mercedes Qualls
Jessica Jeudy
CSA will conduct a workshop on Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. at 16 Court St.,
Brooklyn, for all DOE CSA members who are considering retirement. To reserve a seat, call the Welfare Fund at (718) 624-2600. (If
you reserve a spot, and can’t make the workshop, please contact
us so we may offer your seat to another person.)
CSA NEWS
10
November 2010
RETIREE
CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Neil Lefkowitz
Chapter
Legislative Training
Finger-Pointing At
All The Wrong Places
T
his year's election is proving one of
the most bitter in recent memory.
Last January’s Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v Federal Election
Commission, gave free rein to independent
political committees to use enormous sums
of money to support candidates.
These committees are producing ads
filled with misinformation, personal attacks
and half-truths about the opposition. They
are also creating ads that attack the new federal health reform law, government
employee pension systems, and even the
“untouchable” – the indexing of Social
Security to inflation. Of course, the number
one issue in the country, the lack of jobs,
has added enormously to the frustration of
American voters.
These organizations have lost no time
blaming the Obama administration and the
Democrats, conveniently forgetting the
Bush administration’s policies as well as
Wall Street’s chicanery that caused the
downturn. In the present climate Democrat
incumbents – as well as some Republicans
who aren’t playing ball with the vocal
minority of the Tea Party – will have a difficult time getting re-elected.
In addition, we now see growing resentment and anger over municipal employees’ benefits and pensions.
It’s hard to pick up a newspaper or magazine without reading about
those wicked unions and their thieving minions. (See related story,
on Page 5.)
Wall Street Journal columnist William McGurn recently
reported that the Manhattan Institute estimates the present liability
created by teacher pension systems nationwide is $933 billion,
much of which is essentially unfunded. McGurn claims that pensions help encourage all teachers to stay in the profession, the good
ones as well as those who should find other work. The claim is too
many bad or burned out educators stay in the system to retire early
and get their pensions.
Unions and
pensions
are blamed
for the
state of
our
nation’s
economy.
• • •
n Clockwise from lower left: Judie Shyman, Rene Hollander, Sid Hollander, RC Legislative Liaison DeeDee Goidel, Unit Leader Maishe Levitan, Roberta Levitan, Unit Outreach Coordinator Ed Melnick, and
Unit Legislative Coordinator Henry Telfer. (Ms. Goidel is holding a COPE/PAC sign-up form.)
The Wild,Wild West!
BY DEE-DEE GOIDEL
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – What a difference a
state makes. It is truly the Wild West out here
in the Grand Canyon State where federal programs are regularly dismissed as unnecessary
because the state doesn’t want to match
funds. Programs that we take for granted back
east, such as Access-A-Ride, are unavailable.
(And of course, the state’s anti-immigrant law
has made headlines across the nation.)
I met with the newly formed legislative
committee of the Retiree Chapter Arizona
Regional Unit to provide some legislative
training. The members will be working on
federal issues that impinge on retirees and
education.
For example, a Medicare issue that should
be corrected: Presently, physical therapy and
speech therapy are considered under one payment cap. Each one needs its own cap, especially since the government may phase out
a doctor’s ability to extend benefits (called
exceptions.)
We spent a great deal of time on how to
be proactive as well as effective in lobbying in
a state that is known for its anti-union stance.
The American Federation of School
Administrators, the national union for school
supervisors, will help us set the national legislative agenda for the Retiree Chapter.
This will help Arizona coordinate their
activities with CSA central as well as among
the many Regional Units in the northeast as
well as in the south and in California.
Therefore, with this approach, we will guard
against “shooting ourselves in the foot” or
“from the hip,” two cliches which seem apropos out here in the frontier.
When we lobby our NY legislators, we are
often preaching to the choir in that NYC is
still a labor town. But there’s plenty of work
to be done with those legislators whose minds
still need to be changed!
S
everal weeks ago, RC officers Aaron Stern and Bill Pinkett
attended a breakfast sponsored by the Association for a Better NY
featuring Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson. He said NYC must push
Albany to change the state’s pension system from a defined benefit
pension benefit to a 401K-style of defined pension contributions.
He also implied that city employees and retirees should contribute
to their health insurance premiums. “Unless we make real change,
NYC government is in danger of becoming a pension fund that
occasionally delivers city services,” he is reported to have said.
Our Chapter’s main purpose, in conjunction with our in-service
colleagues, is to protect what we fought for – and won – in the past.
This wholesale attack on middle class benefits is unseemly, an idea
that multi-millionaires and billionaires are perpetuating to ensure
Americans turn on each other. What we should all be fighting for is
defined pension benefits for everyone – not dragging everyone
down to the lowest common denominator of living standards.
Fortunately, we do have lawmakers who understand the need
for financial security for all, and we work hard to reach those political leaders who need to be educated on the subject. We depend
upon our members to be politically active at the Chapter level as
well as with their local Regional Units to ensure we have members
out in force meeting with lawmakers. Your voices must be heard.
Come to the CSA Conference!
Nov. 13 | Hilton NY
The Retiree Chapter
will honor state Sen.
Diane Savino of Staten
Island at the Retiree
Chapter’s meeting at
the CSA’s 46th
Educational Leadership
Conference.
Ms. Savino is the
Chair of Senate Civil
Service Committee,
n Diane Savino
and as such, has considerable oversight of legislation that has an
impact on retirees in the state.
The Retiree Chapter breakfast begins at
9:15 a.m. The doors will not open until then,
so if you arrive early, you are welcome to visit
the Exhibit Halls, which open at 8 a.m., and
have a complimentary cup of coffee and danish. (The registration form for the Conference
is online at www.csa-nyc.org. The price is
$85, a reduced price for retirees.)
A mailing containing program details - and
the registration form - was sent to all members
in the metropolitan area last month.
Among the workshops will be a presentation by CSA Welfare Fund Administrator
Douglas V. Hathaway on the new federal
health care law and how it will affect CSA
members.
For details about the Retiree Chapter
program, and other workshops, please see Page 6.
Download a registration form at www.csa-nyc.org. No onsite registration allowed.
November 2010
CSA NEWS / RETIREES
RC Regional Units
BRONX
SUNCOAST, FL
At our October meeting, RC Chair Neil
Lefkowitz updated us on matters affecting
retirees. Welfare Fund Administrator
Douglas V. Hathaway reviewed benefits
and fielded questions. MetLife reps introduced the new CSA-sanctioned catastrophic medical insurance plan.
–LENNY ZAVLICK
The Unit will meet on Jan. 11, 2011
and March 3. We’ll mail details to members in December. If you are new to the
area or plan on visiting, contact me at
(941) 383-0408.
–MICHAEL NEMOYTIN
LONG ISLAND
Our Unit’s membership stands at 305,
an 86 percent renewal rate in less than two
months. The fall issue of EMERITUS was
mailed to members as well as our legislators. Our website’s address is longislandretireeunit.com
–VICTOR RAVENS
PACIFIC COAST
We look forward our Dec. 7 meeting at
Carrows in Laguna Hills at 11:30 a.m. Our
guest speaker is RC Chair Neil Lefkowitz
who will review the Chapter’s work including its political activities. Questions? Call
me at (310) 858-0558 or Gil Gotfried at
(310) 521-0329.
–MANNY BIERMAN
QUEENS
We’ll hold our Nov. 19 luncheon at
the Park Side Restaurant, Corona, followed by a visit to the NY Hall of Science
in Flushing Meadows. The cost is $30 for
Unit members and $35 for non-members.
(You must attend both events.The Unit
is subsidizing part of the cost.)) The lunch
starts at noon; the tour is at 1:45 p.m.
We’ll mail a reservation form. For info,
contact me at [email protected].
–LEN STERMAN
NEW JERSEY
Many have said that our Crown Plaza
breakfast was the best to date.
Congratulations to Gary Goldstein on his
new position and to our new RC Director
Mark Brodsky. (Story, Page 5.) Don’t miss
our Nov. 10 bagel meeting at the
Manalapan Library at 9:30 a.m. with
Outreach Coordinator Felice Hannah.
Questions? Call me at (732) 431-1081.
–STEPHEN PORTER
PALM BEACH
Jan. 10, 2011 – Health and Welfare
Meeting, 1 p.m. at the South County Civic
Center, Delray Beach. Speakers include
Welfare Fund Administrator Douglas V.
Hathaway and RC Chair Neil Lefkowitz.
Feb. 17, Health and Welfare Meeting, 10
a.m., at Benvenuto's Catering, Boynton
Beach. Feb. 17, Gala Luncheon, noon,
Benvenuto's Catering. March 4, Health
Fair, 1:30 p.m., South County Civic Center,
co-sponsored by the Retiree Chapter.
–ROSE BENNETT
BROOKLYN
Our next meeting is Dec. 7 featuring is
Welfare Fund Administrator. We will also
recognize members of the Brooklyn Unit
who served in WWII, The Korean War,
and/or the Vietnam War. Contact me at
(718) 832-3309 or [email protected].
–RON JONES
ROCKLAND, ORANGE, BERGEN
The Unit was to meet on Oct. 26. Unit
Executive Board member Jay Cohen
focused on little-known benefits from
organizations including CSA, the Welfare
Fund, TRS and others, and provided websites and addresses to find out more. RC
Outreach Coordinator Felice Hannah discussed changes in Medicare and Social
Security as a result of the new federal
healthcare legislation. We’re trying a new
format for our newsletter; a digital version to send via email to about 80 percent
of our members. This enables us to
include more pictures and info. Those
without email will receive a somewhat
smaller version by way of regular mail.
–BART BOOKMAN
ARIZONA
Our Dec. 6 Luncheon/Conference is
at 11:30 a.m. in Casa Grande will feature
RC Chair Neil Lefkowitz, who will discuss
changes in health care as a result of the
new federal legislation. The year’s first cultural event was arranged by docent and
Unit member Stef Thier: a private tour of
the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary
Art on Feb. 4. We’ll start with lunch and
then visit the museum. Questions? Email
me at [email protected].
–MAISHE LEVITAN
LOWER HUDSON VALLEY
Our Executive Board will meet this
month to set dates for future meetings and
explore a spring Welcome Back reception.
Contact me by email at [email protected]
or call me at (914) 238-5266.
–JOHN GENTILE
MANHATTAN
Our next Unit meeting is at 1:30 p.m.,
Nov. 19 at Manhattan Comprehensive All
Night and Day School, 240 Second Ave. The
topic: Getting Your Papers in Order presented
by Outreach Coordinator Felice Hannah.
RSVP Terry Goldstein, (212) 472-8090.
–STANLEY WILSON
Teachers Group
Honors Students
Etta May Ladson, who
retired as an Assistant
Principal in 1984, presented l4 high school graduates with awards from
the African Christian
Teachers Association on
June 8. Ms. Ladson is on
n Etta Ladson the Board of Directors. The
award honors the memory of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Students receive a certificate and $100.
Moments of a Lifetime
BY VICTORIA SUE NELLIE
This self-published
novel, the first for retired
Assistant Principal Arlene
Taudel (written under the
pseudonym Victoria Sue
Nellie), looks at a special
relationship between a
woman and her Siberian Husky, and how
the dog fits into the family’s life, helping
them through good times and bad.
(Available at www.borders.com.)
11
Travel Desk
GARY GOLDSTEIN
A Year of
Fabulous Cruising
Mediterranean Magnifica
Jan. 15-26, 2011
Sail on the Magnifica, MSC Cruises
newest deluxe ship. Fly from New York
City to Venice, Italy on Jan. 14 and
sail to Bari (Italy), Rhodes (Greece),
Alexandria (Egypt), Limassol (Cyprus),
Haifa (Israel), Katakolon (Greece),
Dubrovnik (Croatia), and Trieste
(Italy). Return to NYC from Venice on
Jan. 26 or extend your visit in Venice.
Airfare not included in price.
RATES (based
on double occupancy): Inside
cabin, $1,136.70;
w i n d o w ,
$1,336.70; balcony (standard),
$1,536.70; balcony (deluxe),
$1,666.70; suites
from $2,636.70.
Rates are inclusive
of taxes and government charges, n The Trevi
based upon dou- Fountain in Rome.
ble occupancy and
are subject to change anytime.
Insurance, extensions are extra.
A Royal Caribbean Cruise
Feb. 20-27, 2011
This cruise just became available at
incredible all-inclusive rates. We’ll fly
to San Juan and board Royal Caribbean’s Adventures of the Seas. Itinerary
includes Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua
and St. Maarten.
RATES: From $1,279 per person
plus $219 for taxes and fees.
The Jewels of Asia
March 29, 2011
Join us in Hong Kong as we board
the elegant Azamara Quest and sail to
Hue (Vietnam), Ho Chi Minh City and
Ko Samui, Bangkok and Singapore.
This luxury vessel holds only 650 passengers.
RATES below include cruise, taxes,
and port charges. Airfare is not
included as some of us will use points
or purchase tickets to suit individual
preferences. Inside, $3,247.34 per person, double occupancy; window,
$3,697.34 per person, double occupancy; balcony, $4.497.34 per person,
double occupancy.
A $450 deposit per person holds
your stateroom without penalty until
90 days prior to departure.
The British Isles
and Normandy
July 16-28, 2011
Embark on the Crown Princess
(Princess Cruises) from Southampton,
England, and sail to Normandy (with
access to Paris), Edinburgh, Inverness/Loch Ness, Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool, Dublin, Cobh, and Guernsey.
Return to London on July 28.
RATES per person: Inside,
$2,072.19; window, $2,672.19; balcony, $3,172.19; mini-suite, $3,822.19.
Rates include all taxes but do not
include air fare. Suites, singles, triples,
and quads are available on request.
Insurance is optional.
Early bird special: Book a balcony
or mini-suite by Nov. 15 and receive
a $100 discount.
Australia/New Zealand
Nov. 30-Dec. 12, 2011
Celebrity's Century will depart from
Sydney, on Nov. 30 and sail to
Tasmania, Milfor Sound, Doubtful
Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin,
Christchurch, Wellington, Napier,
Tauranga, Bay of Islands and
Auckland. You may return from
Auckland or book a post package (or
depart earlier for a stay in Sydney!)
Visit the website www.celebritycruises.com for descriptions of these
ports of call and come along to be
pampered in the Celebrity tradition!
RATES: Inside, $1,769.77 per person; window $2,069.77; verandah,
$2,609.77; sky suite $4,039.77.
Book by Dec. 30 and earn $150 onboard credit per cabin. (Note window
and inside cabins earn $75 on board
credit per cabin.) Add taxes of $140.77
per person. Luxury suites/triples/quads
and singles upon request. Rates do not
include air. Best air value 11 months
prior to departure.
Crossroads of Sicily
Sept. 16-26, 2011
Featuring Palermo, Siracusa, and
Taormina. All-inclusive tour includes
roundtrip airfare from NY, hotels,
sightseeing, 15 meals (nine breakfasts,
one lunch, and five dinners), porterage and transfers.
RATES: $3,365 per person double;
single, $3,845 and triple, $3,336.
Aloha CSA!
Aug. 20-27, 2011
Join us Aug. 20-27, 2011 as we fly
to Honolulu and board the beautiful
Pride of America sailing to Maui (two
days), Kauai, and the "big island" of
Hawaii including Hilo and Kona, site
of the Mauna Loa Volcano. Full cruise
services including select dining and
an array of activities in the NCL style.
The program includes roundtrip air
from NY, cruise accommodations and
all taxes. See www.ncl.com for details.
Pre and post Honolulu packages are
available. Suite, single, triple and family rates on request. Add optional
insurance.
RATES per person: Inside,
$2,545.47; window, $2,743.79; balcony, $3,001.62; large balcony,
$3,071.04. Save $100 per balcony
room and $50 per window/inside
when deposited by Dec. 1, 2010.
For more information or an itinerary
of any trip, contact Gary Goldstein by
email at [email protected].
NOVEMBER 2010
Council of School Supervisors & Administrators, NYC
New York State Federation of School Administrators
Local 1 AFSA, AFL-CIO
16 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11241-1003
Periodicals
US POSTAGE PAID AT
Brooklyn, NY 11201
and Additional Mailing Office
Borough Briefs / In The Schools
Queens
Compiled
by Yuridia Peña
(DIST. 24-30)
Safe School Gets
Honored for Efforts
n Principal Dorothy Morris and three of her
students at the awards ceremony at
Crimson. (See story at left under Queens.)
The National School Climate Center
recently honored P.S. 155, D-27, Principal
Dorothy Morris, its students and staff, for
creating a safe environment and preventing bullying. Jonathan Cohen, the
Council’s Co-Chair, presented Ms. Morris
with a certificate for the strides the school
has made in creating a positive safe and
supportive learning environment. The
event was held at Crimson in Manhattan.
PS 155's fifth-grade students spoke about
the many projects they participated in
during the school year that helped shape
their strong sense of commitment to their
school and their community. This year PS
155 will continue its campaign to prevent bullying in schools.
n PS 255 Principal Linda Singer, top left, with her school’s Students of the Month for
September. (See story under Brooklyn.)
Brooklyn (DIST. 13-23, 32)
Celebrating
Exemplary Students
Each month, PS 255, D-22, names its
“Students of the Month.” Those honored
are students who have served as exemplars in school work, thoughtfulness, and
kindness to others. Students are selected
from each grade. Principal Linda Singer
sent in the above photograph.
Imagination
School Awards
The Lincoln Center Institute has
created an annual award to recognize
and highlight imaginative thinking in
the teaching and learning practice of
New York City’s public schools. In 2011
the $5,000 award will be given to a
deserving NYC middle school. Two
teachers from the school will also
receive scholarships to attend LCI’s
professional development workshops.
In addition, LCI will provide materials
and merchandise for the whole school
as well as a display banner.
Applications are available at www.lcinstitute.org. The deadline is Nov. 29.