Council of School Supervisors & Administrators
local 1: american federation of school administrators, afl-cio
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Member Headlines
Children's Health Survey
CSA and the Children’s Health Fund (CHF), a nonprofit organization supporting healthcare for underserved children, have partnered together to raise awareness of asthma and other health problems that impact student learning. In many of our classrooms, particularly in schools serving children from very low-income families, educators and health practitioners see how undiagnosed and untreated health problems affect students and the learning environment in dramatic ways.
The first step in our partnership is a citywide survey to provide a snapshot of what school leaders are seeing in schools, help us identify what the issues are, what needs deeper study, and where we should concentrate our efforts to work towards solutions. To build a case for increased services and resources, we must accurately diagnose the problems. Your experience and observations are invaluable, and we hope that you will join with us to consider the...
CSA Applauds All of the NYC Public High Schools Honored as the Best!
Congratulations to all of the NYC public high schools recognized as Best Public High Schools by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek.
Click HERE for the list of NYC public schools recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Click HERE for the list of schools recognized by Newsweek (select NY to see the NY schools).
Appellate Division Upholds CSA/UFT Suit Against DOE to Close 24 Turnaround Schools
CSA is pleased that the Appellate Division First Department today upheld Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Joan Lobis’s July 24, 2012 decision ruling that arbitrator Scott Buchheit had acted within his authority on June 29 when he ruled in favor of the CSA and the UFT against a Department of Education attempt to close and immediately reopen 24 school so-called turnaround schools. The unions had argued that the DOE’s plan was an attempt to avoid negotiations over evaluations as well as to replace school staff. Today, the Appellate Division ruled against the city’s latest appeal.
Once again, we are gratified that our contractual rights have been upheld and improper excessing has been deterred.
CSA Wins Multiple Communications Awards!
The CSA Communications Department won five awards in the Metro NY Labor Communications Council’s 2012 competition. This year, CSA earned four first-place and one second-place awards.
The CSA News received first place for general excellence in its circulation class. CSA’s 50th anniversary video (watch HERE), received first place in its class for best video. The CSA News also shared a first place spot for CSA President Ernest Logan’s column entitled “The Daily Miracle on Palmetto” (May 2012) for best editorial/comment. The piece was a poignant look at Bushwick Community HS, a transfer school that works tirelessly to transform the lives of troubled students.
Former CSA News Assistant Editor Yuridia Peña won first place in the best feature category for her piece “Back...
2011-2012 Performance Differentials
The Department of Education has announced the list of schools eligible for the 2011-2012 performance differentials. The lists includes elementary, middle, high school, transfers and district 75 schools. Performance differentials should have been paid on the 3/29 and 4/15 payroll, with the majority of winners being paid on 3/29/13.
Please note schools must meet all DOE criteria to be eligible for the performance differential. Principals and Assistant Principals whose Progress Reports scores are in the top 20% citywide are eligible. Awards range from $7,000 up to $25,000 for Principals, and from $3,500 up to $12,500 for Assistant Principals.
Performance differential criteria can be found on the Principals' Portal through the DOE intranet.
Click HERE to review the list for...
Culture of Testing: This is Nuts!
With hundreds, I attended the TED Talks on education at BAM’s spectacular Harvey Lichtenstein Theater, an event being taped for a May 7 airing on PBS. Hosted by John Legend, the gathering included Sir Ken Robinson, Rita F. Pierson, Geoffrey Canada and Bill Gates. I was having a good time, but I felt the shadow of the Atlanta cheating scandal that had the media screeching about the arrest of former Superintendent Beverly Hall and 34 other educators. I’d known Beverly since she was superintendent of District 27; the state Regent next to me had grown up with her. We’d liked and respected her. So when Mr. Gates, Sir Robinson and Mr. Canada began talking about the over-emphasis on testing that has invaded this country, I paid attention.
Testing had little to do with what the speakers considered teaching and learning. There was Geoffrey warning that tests had never been meant to be used for...
CSA Leadership Scholarship Now Accepting Applications
CSA has established a $1,500 scholarship for college-bound students. This scholarship is open to all students graduating from a NYC public school who will be attending any college, including community college, in the fall of 2013. Five scholarships will be awarded later this spring.
The scholarship is intended for a student who shows leadership in school or outside school, and who might have overcome hardships to reach graduation. The award is not based on a student’s GPA or SAT scores; CSA would like to choose a student who shows academic promise.
One scholarship per borough will be awarded; the formal presentation will be at a dinner at Marina del Rey, Bronx, NY, on June 12. Applications are due at CSA no later than May 3, 2013. You may download an application form and instructions...
Mayor Bloomberg Turns Truth Upside-Down
CSA President Ernest Logan sent the following email message to members late this afternoon in response to Mayor Bloomberg’s testimony before the Assembly and State Senate in Albany.
Dear Colleagues,
Today, I listened to Mayor Bloomberg deliver astonishing testimony before the Assembly Ways and Means and State Senate Finance Committees in Albany. With all due respect, the mayor turned the truth upside-down.
It was little more than a week ago that I explained to you that after six intensive final weeks of a one-year negotiation with the DOE on a Principal evaluation system, the CSA and the DOE were closing in on a final agreement on January 16, just before midnight. But moments later, the Mayor intervened, demanding an agreement for an indefinite period of time. All prior discussions with DOE negotiators had been about a one-year accord. The majority of...
Victory - CSA Retirees Win Pay Disputes
CSA went to bat for two retirees recently and won substantial settlements, worth thousands of dollars, for each of them. The first case involved an Education Administrator (Special Education) who reverted to an Assistant Principal’s position during the reorganization of special education some years ago. During that reorganization, CSA fought for a number of Education Administrators who were excessed. A lawsuit was settled with the stipulation that these EAs would continue to receive their current salaries even if they moved to lower-paying EA jobs.
In this case, however, the CSA member reverted to a 10-month Assistant Principal’s job from a 12-month Education Administrator’s position. She continued working for several years, taking school vacations and summer vacations earned by any 10-month AP.
But when this member retired, her final...
Pre-Retirement Workshops Scheduled for May & June
Pre-retirement workshops have been scheduled for those members considering retirement this spring and summer. Six workshops are scheduled for May and June.
These workshops explain what you need to know as a retiree about your city-provided health benefits and Welfare Fund benefits. We will also review the process for converting from in-service to retiree status. Seating is limited depending upon the session requested, so please email reservations@csawf.org, including your name, social security and/or file number, and a phone number in case the schedule changes, to reserve your seat early.
If you find you cannot attend your scheduled workshop, please call or email the Welfare Fund as soon as possible so we may make your reservation available to a fellow member who may be on a waiting list.
...
Whole Nation Mourns Sandy Hook Tragedy
"As the unspeakable news about Sandy Hook Elementary School breaks in the press and over the airwaves, all of us at the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators feel our hearts breaking. The school in Newtown, Connecticut could have been in any community including ours and we consider these children our own. Surely, the whole nation of families, educators and all good people feels the same way. We mourn almost beyond bearing the slaughter of these innocents at the hands of deranged gunman. We pray for these babies, their distraught classmates, families, friends, neighbors and educators. Our heads are bowed."
Ernest Logan, President of CSA on behalf of all of CSA
DOE, CSA & UFT Agree to Make Up Lost School Days
Statement by Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott, CSA President Ernest Logan, and UFT President Michael Mulgrew:
“We are pleased that the City, the CSA and the UFT reached an agreement on making up school days lost as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Teachers, principals, and the school community made an extraordinary effort to get our schools back online after the storm, and by working together, we were able to open most schools with minimal disruption. It is just as important that we recover the time lost, and this agreement will provide students with additional class instruction. In order to make-up the days students lost and to retain our eligibility for state funding, the last three days of winter break (February 20-22) will become full school days, and the June 4th clerical half day will also become a full day of class instruction.”
Ernest Logan Rejects NRA Proposal
“The NRA's proposal in answer to the massacre at Sandy Hook School is so unbelievable and cynical that educators like me will have trouble responding to it with restraint. Suffice it to say that the nation's largest gun rights lobbyist's proposal to place armed guards in every school in the nation will expose our children to far greater risk from gun violence than the very small risk they now face. Such action would turn our schools into armed camps while enriching those who make assault weapons and the most devastating types of ammunition. Instead, we must fight to ban assault weapons and the bizarre forms of ammunition now used with them.”
Ernest A. Logan,
President of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators
Deferred Program Planning Initiative Update
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott sent the following notice to school leaders about the Deferred Program Planning Initiative. This is great news for our students.
Yesterday, I testified before the City Council Committee on Education to discuss the preliminary budget for FY 2014. As you may know, the State reached a preliminary budget deal this week that did not include restoration of $250 million in State aid related to implementation of a teacher evaluation agreement in New York City.
In February, I asked you to prepare for this anticipated funding loss by eliminating the Deferred Program Planning Initiative (DPPI), which allows schools to roll a modest amount of money from one fiscal year into the next. I am pleased to update you today that we have found a way to avoid cancellation of this program...
CSA VP Randi Herman Stresses the Importance of Student Health & Safety at City Council Oversight Hearing
On Monday, April 15, CSA First Vice President Randi Herman testified before the New York City Council committees on education, public safety and juvenile justice. In her testimony, Ms. Herman stressed the importance of opening the lines of communication between school safety agents, school staff and students in an effort to avoid criminalizing our youth. She also echoed concerns, similar to that of parents and local elected officials, about the health issues posed by PCBs.
You can read the full testimony HERE.
New Member Benefits
CSA is very excited about two new benefits available to our members through a partnership with Guardian. The first is a long term disability insurance that will allow you to insure your most important asset - your ability to earn an income. This is the first time we are offering this protection and we know it is an important piece of financial planning. The second benefit is a voluntary term life insurance program. Life insurance needs will vary by member but we wanted to make sure you had access to more protection at competitive pricing based upon our total membership. Both of these programs will be on a Guaranteed Issue basis during open enrollment only, therefore, it is very important to review the materials we will be sending you in the future.
If you have questions regarding enrollment, please call the Employee Benefit Hotline at (888) 600-1600. Representatives will be able to assist you...
Trying to Reach the CSA Welfare Fund?
Because of Hurricane Sandy, the CSA Welfare office is closed until further notice. CSA Welfare Fund Administrator Douglas Hathaway has set up a temporary email for Welfare Fund questions and concerns. The email address is csawelfare@verizon.net.
If you are experiencing a true medical emergency, contact Dr. Hathaway (516) 799-8021. Leave a message and he or a staff member will contact you.
Forms and other information about your benefits are available online at www.csawf.org.
Judge Rules in Favor of Quarter of a Billion for NYC’s Children
State Supreme Court Justice Manuel J. Mendez this week issued a preliminary injunction barring NYS from taking back $250 million in education funding owed to NYC. The millions in state aid was contingent upon new teacher and principal evaluation systems. CSA is not happy that it had to come to this, but pleased that the NYC children are no longer in jeopardy of losing additional funding. We hope Mayor Bloomberg will use this as an opportunity to return to the table and not as an excuse to continue sabotaging teacher and principal evaluation negotiations.
Click HERE to read more about this from the NY Times.
DOE Imposes Capricious Rotation Plan for Excessed APs
The DOE has just announced that they will begin rotating excessed APs on a weekly basis to schools within their seniority district or superintendency. CSA President Ernest Logan put out the following statement in response to this impetuous decision.
“On the eve of standardized testing, the DOE’s capricious new rotation plan for excessed APs is inefficient and disruptive to children. Announced today, with testing beginning in April, the plan makes zero sense. Pulling APs out of one school and rotating them to another on a weekly basis in mid-year is a half-baked idea with no relationship to good instruction. This DOE plan focuses on gratuitously moving excessed APs who have been assigned to schools since the beginning of the academic year and assigned to specific duties such as supervising certain grades, administering tests or conducting teacher observations and...
CSA Requests Fact-Finding Panel to Further Contract Negotiations
CSA has asked the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to appoint a fact-finding panel to hold hearings to resolve the longstanding impasse in our contract negotiations with DOE.
CSA is now in its third year without a new contract for its DOE members. In October 2011, CSA declared impasse and asked for mediation. But that mediation has been unproductive, and the union has gone to the next step asking for a fact-finding panel to listen to both sides and make a non-binding recommendation.
The UFT began the fact-finding process last June when its Executive Board voted to take that action. Last October, PERB appointed a three-man panel to hear both sides in that dispute.
The CSA contract expired March 5, 2010. During the last round of bargaining, the city agreed to give every municipal union, except for the UFT and CSA, a four-percent raise each year over two years. CSA is...
Bus Drivers Announce Strike for Weds
The following is a letter from Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott about the school bus strike. We know that the strike will present you with serious challenges and hope that you'll let us know if we can be of help.
Dear Principals,
I regret to inform you that the bus drivers' union has announced a strike effective Wednesday, January 16. There will be extensive disruptions to yellow bus service as of this date. While we have been preparing for this possibility and are working hard to minimize the impact on schools and families, this will be tremendously challenging for our school communities. Please read the following new information carefully.
- MetroCards for Students: You are now authorized to open the packages of MetroCards that have been delivered to your school. These packages include a roster of eligible students (and parents, if applicable) to whom the...
CSA Party Draws Hundreds
Hundreds of President’s Club members attended CSA’s annual President's Club Party on Mar. 5 at the Acela Club in Citi Field, located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens.
They enjoyed a tour of Citi Field, a state-of-the art ballpark (home to the New York Mets) as well as dinner and cocktails. Council members Danny Dromm, Leroy G. Comrie, Jr., Karen Koslowitz, Mark Weprin, and Jimmy Van Bramer joined in the festivities and greeted members. To access photos of the event visit visit http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEeXrRp.
The CSA President’s Club was created to recognize those CSA members who have a strong commitment to the union and its political activities. For more information on how to get involved visit...
Apply Today for the Jobs and Freedom Scholarship
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, the AFL-CIO and Union Plus are offering scholarships to help graduating high school seniors achieve their dreams of a college education.
The one-time $5,000 scholarship is for the academic year beginning in the fall 2013 through summer 2014. Fifty scholarships will be awarded.
For more information, click HERE.
Update on School Openings and Hurricane Sandy
Schools will remain closed to students on Nov. 2, and will reopen on Nov. 5. School-based and central office staff are to report to work on Nov. 2, (if you can get in safely.) Due to power outages and other damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, some schools will remain closed on Friday. The DOE has made accommodations for staff based at school buildings that are inoperable. Click HERE for the list.
Staff working in central and field offices that were located in zone A may be sent to alternate work sites. In addition, Tweed Hall and 49-51 Chambers Street offices are closed due to power outages or damage. Click HERE for a list of administrative offices where displaced staff can report...
Mayor's Last Minute Move Undermines Principal Evaluation Agreement
CSA President Ernest Logan sent the following email message to members this afternoon.
Dear Colleagues,
After six weeks of negotiations...
Schools Selected for Engineering Pilot
Today, Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Walcott announced that 20 schools have been selected for a new Software Engineering Pilot program to help students prepare for college and careers in the tech sector. Mayor Bloomberg first introduced the program in his State of the City address earlier this month and expects 1,000 students to participate this fall. CSA congratulates the school leaders, staff and students at each of these schools. What a great opportunity this promises to be.
Click HERE for more information and the full list of participating schools.
A Celebration of Bilingualism: Principals' Event
More than fifty Principals were celebrated at a gathering at DOE headquarters, Tweed Courthouse, for opening bilingual programs over the past two years. Chancellor Walcott, Chief Academic Officer Polakow-Suransky, former Director of NYSED Office of Bilingual Education Carmen Perez-Hogan, and actor Tony Plana were on hand to toast the Principals. CSA commends these dedicated school leaders on their continued commitment to language education. You can click HERE for pictures from the event.
The Principals are:
BRONX
Dominic Cipollone, IS 219
Serapha Cruz, The Bronx School of Young Leaders
Pamela Edwards, Creston Academy
Beverly Ellis, PS 236
Manuel Estrella, PS 92
William Frackelton, Soundview Academy for Culture...
Chancellor Frank Macchiarola Dies
The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators mourns, with a heavy heart, the passing of our beloved friend and member Dr. Frank J. Macchiarola, the former chancellor of New York City Public Schools and among the most inspiring educators of his time.
From 1978 to 1983, Dr. Macchiarola served as chancellor with such uncommon distinction that many New York City luminaries, from Mayor Ed Koch to Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Murray Kempton, proclaimed him to be the finest school chancellor in the history of the city. He revitalized direct services to students, opened schools to the community after hours, developed a curriculum and instruction program that served as a national model, relentlessly strived to strengthen special education, and placed a huge emphasis on offering educational support to financially disadvantaged children. He also averted a teachers' strike, took on the bus industry...
A Message from the CSA President on the Reopening of Schools After Hurricane Sandy
Dear Colleagues,
We face an extraordinary challenge in the weeks to come. Simply put, Hurricane Sandy has changed our lives. Above all else, I hope you and your loved ones made it through the storm safely. My prayers continue to be with you as we rebuild our communities together.
...
Discounted NY Islander Tickets Available to CSA Members
New York Islander tickets are now available to CSA members for select games at a significant savings. Join your colleagues, family and friends for an exciting opportunity to watch the NY Islanders play in the landmark Barclays Center. For every ticket sold, $1 will be donated to the CSA Scholarship Fund. Tickets will go fast so be sure purchase yours today.
Click Here to Download Printable PDF >
Are You Eligible for Hurricane Relief Funds?
Union Plus is offering Disaster Relief Grants to help union members struggling as a result of Hurricane Sandy. To qualify for a Union Plus Disaster Relief Grant, the member must meet all of the following criteria:
- Is a victim of the severe weather in counties designated by FEMA as qualifying for individual assistance.
- Has experienced a significant loss of income or property within the last six months due to the disaster.
- Has had a Union Plus Credit Card, Union Plus Insurance policy or Union Plus Mortgage for at least 12 months with the account or policy in good standing.
- Describe his or her circumstances and document the income or property loss.
Some 30 counties around New York City (including lower Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island), the Jersey shore (from Cape May to Asbury Park) and Connecticut (including Fairfield and New Haven) qualify for...
Mayoral Hopefuls Share Education Visions
Five major candidates for mayor discussed the state of the NYC education system under the management of Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday at a CSA forum moderated by Liz Willen, executive director the Hechinger Institute and Pedro Noguera, NYU professor of education. They went on to offer their own education visions in detail.
The event, held at Baruch College’s Mason Hall, drew more than 600 hundred educators, students, elected officials, and community members from around the boroughs. Hot-button issues such as the teacher evaluation system, co-locations of schools, and charter schools were debated.
“Yes, I think we made progress under Mayor Bloomberg,” said Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker about Bloomberg’s control of schools. Her remark brought hisses from the crowd.
...
Disaster Relief Resources
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