New York Teacher

Statement of Censure Against Superintendent Reyes Irizarry

Jan 20, 2005 1:32 PM

Mr. Reyes Irizarry
Regional Instructional Superintendent
Department of Education, Region 4

December 2, 2004

Statement of Censure
Against Superintendent Reyes Irizarry

Whereas, the pedagogical staff members in Region 4 have been subjected to working in an atmosphere that stifles their professional judgment and impedes their ability to provide the safest environment and the best possible education for their students; and

Whereas, at one time teaching in Region 4 was a professional, creative and rewarding experience that has now turned teachers into automatons who are required to regurgitate exact scripts, on cue and in unison, in mathematics, writing, reading lessons and in all other subject areas;

Whereas the design of classrooms and bulletin boards must conform to a single cookie cutter mold, and all resourcefulness with regard to meeting the needs of individual students is discouraged; be it

Resolved: that we reject the Region 4 lockstep prescriptions outlined below:

• Mandated use of the “workshop model” on a daily basis in all subject areas
• Prescribed arrangement of classroom furniture
• Posted “flow of the day/agenda” with the demand that the teacher must be “on point” at all times
• Mandated use of rugs in elementary schools classrooms without proper health care precautions
• Posted names of superintendents and all administrative staff in a standardized form
• Posted Word Walls/Math Walls
• Mandated use of “parking lots” and “noise meters” in America Choice schools

Resolved: that Curriculum Concerns in Region 4 be addressed, such as

• Lack of guidance for teachers trying to help students meet the Regents Core curriculum and NYS standards
• Inadequate provisions for the needs of ESL, Bilingual and Special Education students
• Elimination in the Early Childhood grades of rest periods, snacks, activity centers, painting, any celebrations, etc., resulting in lack of all socialization
• Lack of teachers’ input in the Early Childhood curriculum
• Advanced placement classes are mandated to follow the “workshop model” instead of teacher’s professional judgment
• Limiting the ability of English teachers to determine appropriate books and mandating the use of inappropriate textbooks
• Textbooks are unavailable and insufficient for an entire class
• Misuse of instructional time, i.e., escorting students to restrooms

• Insufficient time for:

a. Planning and preparation for Everyday and Impact Mathematics
b. ECLAS administration and Record Keeping
c. Accessing online Grow reports, Princeton Review Assessments and results, Department of Education e-mail, etc. and often a lack of computer hardware to access these programs
d. Providing student conferences and record keeping
e. Ongoing preparation of mandated charts and display
f. Creating level libraries
g. planning with SETS, ESL, and push-in reading/mathematics teachers
h. making math/literacy checklists

Resolved: that Professional Development provided by Teachers’ College in Region 4 be modified to eliminate the following abuses:

• Excessive travel requirements with no reimbursement for parking costs
• Teacher’s College is not presenting during the 100 minutes of professional development time but requires teachers to be released during instructional time
• Teachers’ notes from Teachers College professional development sessions are being collected by principals
• The demand that preparation periods, lunch periods, and in some cases professional periods be coercively “volunteered” rather than used in the way teachers or the contract intended
• Teachers have to pay out-of-pocket for required Teachers College materials needed for the program
• A lack of professionalism and respect on the part of the Teachers College staff
• The Teachers College approach is not appropriate for every student but no alternative program is permitted

Resolved: that the following Professional Development problems in Region 4 be rectified

• Participants in the so-called voluntary Lunch & Learns/Chats & Chews/Study Groups are being held accountable by principals for what transpires at these lunchtime gatherings
• Preparation periods should not be assigned
• Quality Professional Development should be provided during the 100 minutes extended time
• Travel time for Professional Development should be provided
• Staff members should not be mandated to present at Professional Development workshops
• Blanket demands should not be made to use the workshop method in all subjects
• There are not adequate funds to provide substitute coverage for Professional Development resulting in an inordinate number of coverages and the breaking up of classes
• Lack of security in buildings during the 100-minute professional development periods
• Pre-observation conferences are not always conducted on agreed upon specified lessons for evaluation
• There are few functioning professional development committees in the schools
• Professional Development meetings should be announced in a timely fashion, not the night before
• Professional Development needs of the staff are not being addressed

Resolved: that Bulletin Boards be the purview of the classroom teacher and the following practices be eliminated:

• No commercially prepared materials, even holiday materials – student work only
• Standard based Bulletin Boards which must contain Rubric, Title, Task, student work with teacher comments etc.
• Bilingual displays in specific colors – i.e. Blue for English, red for Spanish
• Mandated and prescribed bulletin board format eliminating topical themes –

Resolved: that the following general concerns in Region 4 be addressed:

• Guidance Counselors are being given inappropriate assignments
• School Secretaries’ workload has increased
• Substitute coverage is not being provided in a CTT class
• Teacher Performance Review is not being implemented by the administration
• There is a lack of an adequate number of attendance teachers
• There is a lack of budget for Leadership Teams and meaningful collaboration is not taking place
• Superintendent’s and administration’s inability to reorganize schools
• Censure and removal of teacher’s personal educational materials
• Lack of implementation, by the administration, of the Department of Education discipline code/SAVE legislation

The non-supervisory pedagogical staff in Region 4 schools have voted overwhelmingly to censure Reyes Irizarry, Regional Instructional Superintendent for his arbitrary use of authority, poor judgment, general disregard for the personal and professional well being of the professional staff and the children they teach. The above stated resolution expresses their loss of confidence in his professionalism and his ability to lead.

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Rosemary Parker, D.24

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Jeff Zahler, D.30

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Kathy Sharko, D32

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Anthony Sclafani, High School, R4

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Rona Freiser, High School, R4

C. Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Chancellor Joel Klein
UFT President Randi Weingarten