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Delegates debate, then endorse accord
Oct 18, 2007 3:42 PM
Delegates on Oct. 17 voted overwhelmingly to endorse the union’s decision to enter into the implementation agreement.
But first, they engaged in a spirited discussion of the voluntary schoolwide bonus pilot program.
To ensure a full airing of views, UFT President Randi Weingarten alternated between delegates who were for and against the bonuses.
Lisa North, chapter leader at PS 3 in Brooklyn, expressed concern that the bonus program would intensify the focus on raising test scores at the expense of students.
“It creates collaboration, but collaboration to get higher test scores,” North remarked.
Weingarten responded that No Child Left Behind, the state’s Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) list and the Department of Education’s school closures were all negative accountability systems pegged largely to test scores.
Tabio Da Cruz, chapter leader at JHS 8 in Queens, says the bonus program turned a negative into a positive.
“This is the only thing that might actually balance that in a positive manner,” she said.
Kit Wainer, chapter leader of Leon Goldstein HS in Brooklyn, said the bonus system would set people up to blame one another if a participating school does not meet the benchmarks for receiving bonuses. He contended that the UFT should not have accepted any form of performance-based pay.
“When we are under attack, we don’t try to thwart the assault,” he said. “We just try to figure out how to make a small concession and call it a victory.”
UFT Vice President Michael Mulgrew disputed the claim that the UFT did not fight back. The key, he said, was to “fight smart” to take the steam out of the push for individual merit pay. Mulgrew reminded delegates that the bonus program was tied to the 55/25 plan, a pension enhancement that he called “unheard of” in these times.
In exchange, Mulgrew pointed out, the union agreed to a bonus program where “no one is penalized” and participation is voluntary.
Tabio Da Cruz, chapter leader at JHS 8 in Queens, said the bonus program turned a negative into a positive.
“Merit pay and testing are all around us, and the union is facing it head on,” he said. “This gives the school the opportunity to participate wholeheartedly together and everybody benefits.”
