feature stories
Conferees welcome straight talk from Regents
May 22, 2008 9:31 AM
Elizabeth Perez, a teacher at PS 160 in Brooklyn, raises the issue of English Language Learners being treated unfairly.
Joyce Baldino, from IS 383 in Brooklyn, asks about a timeline for revision of standards.
Breakfast with the Regents, this year’s theme for Operation Soapbox, left members cheering the straight talk that was on the menu and wanting the discussion to last through lunch, dinner and dessert.
Pleased by the contrast with the obfuscations delivered regularly by the Department of Education, UFTers heard from three members of the New York State Board of Regents, who shared their views about the current system.
Regent Meryl Tisch hit a nerve when she decried the Bloomberg/Klein habit of taking a combative, rather than cooperative, tone with the UFT, which, she said, speaks to the “affluence of arrogance,” drawing loud applause from the audience.
Regent Meryl Tisch, flanked by (from left) Weingarten and Regents Lester Young and Betty Rosa, makes a point.
Regent Lester Young said it was “ridiculous” that there are so many ways of calculating graduation rates. He said the city, state and federal governments all had their own record-keeping system and asked rhetorically: “What is the number? If we can’t get it right, how can we make improvements?
To enthusiastic cheering, Young said, “We must understand who young people are and how they learn,” and decried the emphasis on test scores as the only measure of academic success. He also said there wasn’t enough clarity in the system of rating schools, adding that, “I’m confused when I hear talk about school progress.”
Young also commended the UFT for stressing class size as a meaningful strategy to improve academic performance in schools.
Regent Betty Rosa said she quit her job as District 8 superintendent in January 2003 because “I was not big on mayoral control.” She told the audience that the reorganization “was shared with us one-half hour before the public was told.” She said she could not abide a school system where the public was cut out of the decision-making process.
In her remarks, Rosa said early-childhood class-size reduction was still a priority for her and that attention should be paid to middle school transition issues.
“We also need to focus on the high school dropout rate,” she added. Rosa said that “the most wonderful” teachers she had in the public school system were those whose “passion and commitment I could feel.”
Tisch praised Young and Rosa, the two newest members of the Regents, saying “the posse has arrived.” She reminded her listeners that the “gotcha” mentality “that permeates the halls of your schools and the streets of your districts has not gone unnoticed.”
She also said that state monies allocated under the Contract for Excellence process “has not gone to the intended areas.” She promised the group that “there will be no second year of funding until we get a dollar-by-dollar accounting” of where the money went, a comment greeted with a standing ovation.
“We need to know that we have people across the table who honor their obligations to the youngsters and parents,” she added.
After their opening remarks, the Regents were peppered with questions from UFT members. Gregory Lundahl, chapter leader at Washington Irving HS in Manhattan, said that a five-year plan for graduation made more sense than the current system.
Jackie Bennett, the UFT special representative from District 31, mentioned that a recent survey showed that teachers were using five hours of class time per week for test prep. She wanted to know what the Regents could do to ensure that students get a balanced education.
Nina Tribble, who teaches at JHS 190 in Queens, said more money is needed to reduce class size. John Amato, of IS 259 in Brooklyn, wanted to know how the new Contracts for Excellence would be monitored.
James Vasquez, UFT Queens high school district representative, also mentioned English Language Learner services in small schools, saying “there is no way” students in smaller schools get the same attention as those in larger schools.
Christine Rowland, a Teacher Center staffer at Christopher Columbus HS in the Bronx, complained about the scheduling of nine straight hours of Regents exams on June 20. Tisch said she would look into it for next year and “maybe” something could be done before June.
