TeacherX

Am I supposed to be surprised ?

This story sounds, on the face of it, pretty wild. Unfortunately, I don't think the situation is unusual in Chicago - there has to be a reason for  the low low quality of new housing and condo developments in Chicago and it make sense if developers and aldermen were and are as close as Alderman Shirley Coleman and real estate consultant Tracy Williams allegedly were.

Hmmmm

So, there's this story in the Tribune today. I dunno, maybe someone out there can help me to understand the complexities of the case.

So, apparently there is this company, Monahan's Landscaping, that has had a MONOPOLY on (get this) CPS landscaping. Now, I ask you, seriously. . . no seriously, has any ever seen a  Monahan's Landscaping truck and people at their school doing landscaping? Maybe they are busy over at 125 landscaping the sidewalk or the watering the potted plants in the lobby - help me out someone.

According to the Trib

Monahan's Landscaping has been paid nearly $18 million since 2000 to cut grass and maintain landscaping at some 600 schools.

In so many ways, that statement is funny. However that isn't the story (although perhaps it should be). Because you see, in 2003 the board decided that it would set aside half it's "landscaping" business for minority owned businesses which is a noble thing to do. Now, you won't believe this (I swear you'll bust a gut when you read this), but ONE company, Rohar, got the contract.

Monahan's retained half the contract, while the rest went to Rohar, a trucking firm that had never done any landscaping work. In the last three years, Rohar was paid $2.2 million by the district.

I ask myself, "self, why didn't a whole bunch of firms get the business instead of just one?"

"Well, self" I tell myself, "I can't answer that one, but I can do better, because you see - get this - Rohar was a front. Yes, can you believe it, a front for another business - guess which one?"

"Monahan's? Nooooooo. Don't tell me."

"Yep, believe it or not Monahans fronted money, helped with the bid documents and then did the work. This is what the tribune said. "

The investigation, which included interviews with company employees and a review of bank records and bid documents, revealed that Monahan's employees performed the work on Rohar's contract, Sullivan said. Bid records indicate about 30 employees listed on Rohar's documents are also listed as Monahan's employees.

Ok, enough with the internal dialog, but get this there is a THIRD company, Collins Maintenance.

Collins Maintenance, became part of the case after investigators discovered two "unexplained payments" from Rohar totaling $132,402. The president of the company is Deborah Collins, Aidan Monahan's girlfriend, according to district officials.

Isn't that special. The front company gave Monahan's girlfriend a little gift for his help in (allegedly) stealing money from the Board. Awwwwwww.

The district is seeking to bar the three firms from working for Chicago Public Schools for at least the next three years.

After that, we all can get back to business as usual, I guess.

Oh, yes the kicker to all of this (no one will be surprised)

The company is owned by Aidan Monahan, who since 1999 has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic Party officials, including Mayor Richard Daley and Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Don't send me nobody nobody sent!

When will it ever end?

Little Giants

Illinois should have great politicians. Should. Unfortunately tradition beats reality. Right now, outside of Obama, there are no towering political figures.

You might argue that Daley is a political giant, but if it wasn't for his armies of patronage workers who battle in the streets every four years to get out the vote - he would not be where he is. One could argue that he is politically astute - he has managed to basically buy the entire city council for the price of new condos and re-paved streets as well as pitting minorities against minorities (by class and anything else he could get his hands on). His re-elections are proof that political division and diversion work. Does that make him a giant? His history will be a rubber stamp city council, ever rising property taxes, the privatization of everything, hired truck issues, patronage army scandals, trees, flowers, bike paths and iron fences. Read John Kass when he doesn't go into neo con lame right-wing mode and you'll see. I don't think that he's a towering giant simply because he isn't larger than life, he is simple a made guy.

So, anyway, I keep watching the Judy and Rod show on tv. All of those commercials and I got to thinking, "so what?" Neither of these two are appealing. Rod, like Daley, is a made guy. Rod had presidential ambitions, but I think the 1500 dollar check as well as other issues might have cut that dream short. Anyway, Rod has been on the attack against Judy for quite some time and Judy joined in the game. My point simply is that neither of these two are giants - Rod isn't a governor who gets noticed in the big picture. Neither Rod nor Judy are towering political giants rather they are "little giants" battling it out over who lies more and who is more corrupt. I'm assuming that Judy is socially more conservative than Rod but she isn't governor now and won't be elected so whatever decisions she might make and might have made are pure speculation. In the larger pure-political picture, both of them are a part of the "combine" as John Kass has said many times - the DemoRepublican (Republicrat) company that runs Illinois, not for the citizens, but for the benefit of those in power. In my mind, the son in law of a powerful alderman versus an inner member of George Ryan's posse is an election in which I don't look forward to voting. I want to vote for someone whom I am confidant that will be greater than the job - not someone I think will be visited by the FBI.

This year's election of the cook county board president is just horrible. Who doesn't think that Urkel Todd Stroger will by simply a sock puppet for the Cook County/Chicago Machine? We all know that will happen. Todd was made by Daley when he was appointed to the "City Council" in 2001 Todd's dad was alone is his support for Daley in 1983 and so it goes full circle. Todd will just continue on his dad's legacy which is continuing on the machine's legacy.

So, what's the other Choice? Whatever his name is. Tony Somebody the far right wing dude. A moderate republican might have had a chance, but that guy - no way. No one is going to vote for the guy. Well, someone will, but the vote tallies will be bad and his concession speech will come early enough so that he can be in bed by nine.

Little Giants. That's who we are voting for. Why is no one who can walk with great strides over the Illinois political scene running for office? I want to vote for another Obama, another Simon - someone who I know will do good for the people if Illinois and not for themselves. Please someone in the next election cycle - please, please run - I can't stand it. I'll vote, but I am not happy about it.

 

Thomas Marilyn Reese Stewart

Chicago Teachers Speak Out, a blog (of which I am an occasional contributor) breaks a story that the CTU is sponsoring legislation in Springfield that would change how teacher evaluations are done. Now, I am not so sure it's a bad idea to have peer evaluation because as anyone in the system knows, many times principal evaluations are worth the paper they are printed on (at least as long as you haven't gotten a satisfactory or unsatisfactory). However (and it's a big however) the Union has apparently gone over the heads of the members to try to change the law instead of changing the contract. I'm not sure why they have done this, but the mere fact that the Union is in bed with the Board about anything frightens me a little. After all of this bluster about fighting the Board they are apparently working together without the knowledge of the membership. This of course begs the question - what exactly is in the contract proposal? If the UPC is already in bed with the Board (Thomas Reese is smiling somewhere) have they already cut a deal? Well know when the propaganda gets really heavy? Oh, wait, that's already started. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not holding my breath about this new contract.

Reading First Scandal

Fraud in the Bush administration apparently goes down even to reading programs.  Alexander at Dist. 299 has the details. This is really sad, and, as usual, in the long run, it's the kids who are punished for adults who want to make a buck rather than actually do their jobs. Wasn't Neal Bush involved (still involved) in some education thing that is raking in money?

I agree with Marilyn

Well, even a clock tells the right time twice a day, right?  The Tribune has an article titled "Teachers miss days; poor kids miss out." It should be retitled, "bad schools cause high teacher absenteeism." I have to say that although there is the usual bias against teachers (like in the title) as well as lines like this: " The district's generous leave policy gives employees three paid personal days and 10 to 12 sick days a year, depending on seniority." The article as actually kind of fair. It becomes clear in the article something that all teachers in the system know - there are "bad" schools and there are "good" schools. However those that are deemed bad can become instantly good and vice versa. The key? The principal. All teachers know what a good principal does to a school and what a bad principal can do to a school.

The lede of the article discusses what happened at Jensen

Teachers endured curses from pupils at Jensen Scholastic Academy last year, and one took a punch from a parent. They dodged puddles in classrooms caused by a leaky ceiling. Their principal ignored the problems, they say, and publicly punished those who complained.
 
So teachers started encouraging one another to take time off.
 
"If we saw someone who was just about to crack, we'd say: `Just stay home. Maybe it will get better tomorrow,'" said Claudia Pesenti, who taught 1st grade at the East Garfield Park grade school before quitting and moving to another West Side school. "We called them `mental health days.' We had people crying and breaking down in front of children. I took more days than I've ever taken in my career, even more than when I was pregnant. It was just horrible."

Many teachers know this type of school - many of us have taught at schools like this and then proceeded to get out as fast as possible. Then there is an interesting sidebar about Washington school and the fact that despite the fact that the demographics at Washington are the same as Jensen, the school has an extremely high teacher attendance rate

"Every day is a lost day when you're not here," said Sandra Lewis, Washington's principal for 16 years. "Attendance is a big deal on my agenda. If I value that and reward that and lift that up, my teachers will respond. I know I'm needed here, and my teachers feel the same way."

Seven of her 28 teachers last year had perfect attendance, an accomplishment she recognized with a trophy.

Now, Ms. Lewis might be an absolute tyrant and has frightened the teachers into coming to school. Maybe. I doubt it, but maybe - if you teach there, leave a comment (well, ok you probably won't if the principal is completely horrible). Anyway, if teachers want to come to school, they probably will. I think that teachers stay home not when they are sick of the school, but when they feel that they can't do their jobs effectively because of whatever is going on in the school.

Arne, of course, speaks out of both sides of his mouth when he says

he was struck by the vast differences between schools, particularly in neighboring schools serving the same challenging population of students. He wanted this data publicized in school directories not to stigmatize teachers, he said, but to highlight and learn from schools where teachers are so happy they rarely miss a day.

First of all, if Arne was suprised by this issue I'm wondering what he does all day - really - isn't this an important issue. SInce he appeared to be suprised, I guess it wasn't on his radar screen until now which is kind of frightening really. Sure Arne, tell us another one. Of course you want to stigmatize teachers. You probably aren't going to go after principals, so for you, stigmatizing teachers is like shooting fish in a barrel.

This is where I agree with Dear Leader Marilyn

it's unfortunate when teachers have to go into survival mode. But this [problem] absolutely rests with the principals.

As I said, a broken clock tells the right time twice a day.

 

Alexander notices a good one

"Don't send me nobody nobody sent" apparently applies to the Chicago Board of Education (who knew). Check out Dist. 299 for all of the gory details.

I Can't Stop

Ok, ok. This will be last post on the C.U.T. because there are other things to cover, but I just wanted to review Reeces Pieces the Presidents (apostrophe intentionally left out) Report. Anyway the editorial (ok, you got me here - the whole "newspaper" is editorializing everything - we report you decide?) by President Stewart concerns charters.

President Stewart says in the boxed quote in the middle of the article that "despite the hype, after 10 years, the charter school experiment in Chicago has produced not one iota of change in the school system." Ok, yes that's true - ten years. . .  ten years. . . who ran the union ten long years ago. Oh, oh, teacher I know, it was Thomas Reece (may he rest in peace). Thomas Reece? You mean the guy who is of the same "party" that produced our current glorious leaders? Yes, the very same one. Ahhhhh. Hmmmmmm.

There's a lot of blah blah blah that doesn't amount to much because she really isn't doing anything but stating the obvious until the end when she makes the following suggestion (which is one of three and the one I want to mention) - "let's unionize the charter schools". Yes Marilyn, let's do that IN FACT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE TEN YEARS AGO WHEN YOUR GROUP WAS IN POWER. That is all.

Other quick hits and then if I have time and I have rested from my gag reflex I'll dispense with more of the C.U.T.

On page 32, there is another hit piece on Deborah Lynch.

On page 12 there is the standard boycott charter school ad that mentions that Chicago International Charter school has 11 campuses and Youth Connections Charter School has 24 campuses. Isn't this news?

Cult of Personality

Thirty three pictures of Marilyn Stewart in the September issue of The Chicago Union Teacher. Only thirty-three, couldn't they have made it an even 40? I can't wait for the next election, her picture will be on every page, not just most of them.

A fun 15 minutes

As I said before. Instead of the usual five minutes and then the trash, I'm giving the Chicago Union Teacher fifteen minutes of my precious day. So away we go. . .

The "cover story" this month is, of course, "2007 Contract Proposals Officially Put on Table". Of course the story is really a non-story because of course that's what we are paying them to do. As usual here are some choice quotes.

The second paragraph is a precious piece of propaganda that really isn't necessary - in fact it points out how petty some people are, "President Stewart placed the proposals int he hands of the Boards chief negotiator. . . in the board room of the law firms plush 34th-floor offices in the South Loop." Did anyone catch it. It's so stupid - plush? - WHO CARES HOW PLUSH THE OFFICES ARE, IT'S A LAW FIRM. Besides, Marilyn, what does your office look like - I guarantee that it's not a hermit's cave that's for sure. Already from that quote - this article looks to be a piece of work.

It only takes two paragraphs for the blame game to begin and Deborah Lynch gets the blame in the fourth paragraph. More pettiness - hey Marilyn, if you don't like what Lynch did then move on and stop blaming her because if the negotiations turn bad then it will be your turn to get the blame.

In the fifth paragraph (please note that nothing has been said what about what the actual proposals are), the blame game continues with this quote: "we inherited a contract that includes horrible insurance costs for our members." Dearest, dearest Marilyn, do you think for a minute that the Board is going to back down on insurance. Do you, dear Marilyn think for a moment that Lynch and Co. didn't try to get a good deal on insurance? Do you think that just because your are somehow better than the Lynch administration that the board will back down. Compared to the private sector we have a great deal. I'm not saying that our insurance is great; however, dear Marilyn, what exactly do you want the board to do? I think your angle might be the co-pay requirements for prescription drugs. Of course, you might understand that the board is not going to move very much on insurance and you are doing this for political reasons so that you can blame Lynch when the next elections come around.

Now, I want to mention that I actually take no sides in this battle because I agree with the other general demands that include protection for probationary teachers and "too much power in the hands of principals to determine class size." However, when the Lynch contract was drawn up, I don't think that anyone expected principals to go on this yearly firing binge of new teachers. Don't blame Lynch because principals are playing stupid power games in their schools. Before this contract principals just wouldn't appoint (assign?)FTBs and literally whole schools would be full of FTBs, but now, principals won't let new teachers stay around long  enough to get tenure.  By dumping new teachers en masse, principals shot themselves collectively in the foot and now they are going to pay this.

"Obviously, we can not negotiate in public" President Stewart said, "or we will be giving away our strategy and be at a disadvantage at the bargaining table."

Personally Madame Stewart I don't care about negotiating in public. I just want to know if you are fighting for what I think should be in the contract or what you think should be in the contract. Are you fighting for the rights of all teachers, or just one segment of the 30,000 teachers? So, what exactly are the demands?

Co Vice President Theodore "Ted" Dallas said job security will be an important part of the contracts

Oh, thank God. Thanks Ted for telling us this - news we can use. Job Security. Duh. Anything else to tell us, nope? Why not. Why aren't you telling the membership what you are demanding in the contract. Why isn't it in the paper. Is there something that you aren't telling us about what you are demanding? Are you perhaps willing to give up something for job security. Maybe it's something pretty big. We won't know until you unveil the contract. Well, we'll wait.

Just one more thing CTU, don't screw this up. For all the noise you made during the Lynch administration, you had better get this right otherwise you won't be around the next election - I would hope.