Rhode Kill

Rhode Kill

Date: Sunday, February 28, 2010 1:28 AM


<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 2087 -- 2/27/2010 >>>>>

web version:
http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2010/02/26/rhode-kill/

Most of you probably remember the video from July 22, 1979 of a cigar chomping
Saddam Hussein, during a meeting of the Command Council in 1979.
As Saddam read names from an enemy list each one stood up and was
unceremoniously escorted out of the room for execution or mock trials.


http://www.shiatv.net/view_video.php?viewkey=ee9eca3ae4f5c1a28148
Saddam-s Terror - 16 July 1979


I couldn t help but think of that video as I watched this one: "Rhode Island
teachers fired". As reported earlier on VDARE.com, there has been a mass
teacher termination in Rhode Island.

http://www.necn.com/02/23/10/Rhode-Island-teachers-
fired/landing.html?blockID=185539&feedID=4215
Video: Rhode Island teachers fired

http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2010/02/18/rhode-island-school-fires-all-its-
teachers-but-it-might-do-better-to-fire-some-students/
Rhode Island School Fires All Its Teachers -- But It Might Do Better To Fire
Some Students


If you are like me you probably haven t heard of Central Falls, RI. The city
website has a message that signals that the city is in the middle of a siege,
and feels the need to appease:

http://www.centralfallsri.us/AboutCF.htm

While the past history focuses on the building of mills and the
growing population. The City s recent history focuses on the
immigration of many people of Latin American decent. Like the
people who arrived before them, these new immigrants have found
a home in Central Falls. Many are bringing new flavor and
culture to an eth[n]ically rich community.

Anderson Cooper on CNN ran a story about what is going on. The broadcast
version also had an interview with a George McLaughlin, a teacher who told the
opposing side of the story. It s very odd that CNN would edit out his
interview for the online clip -- maybe McLaughlin did too good of a job
explaining things from the teacher s perspective. There was a second video
report by Randi Kaye, and although there was a short statement by a teacher
the lion s share of the time was devoted to talking about the very high
salaries of the teachers and their unwillingness to do a little extra work.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/02/23/ac.fire.teacher.cnn
Anderson Cooper video

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/24/rhode.island.teachers/index.html?iref=allsearch
Randi Kaye video

Those Rhode Island teachers are being set up big time. It s a very sad
scenario, but as I will explain the teachers are their own worst enemies --
and there is nowhere they can turn for help.

The setup works like this:

* The teachers are characterized as a bunch of overpaid, unionized
Americans. Their $70K salaries are constantly mentioned during the CNN videos.
Even organizations like the Cato Institute are contributing to the setup. Most
newspapers are doing the same.

* The teachers are miscast as a bunch of lazy Americans that won t work a
couple of extra minutes every day in order to save their cushy jobs.

* Then the big haymaker punch comes -- the teachers have been deemed
incompetent by the mainstream media and the anti-labor crowd. America s
inferiority complex to foreigners was tweaked by the spin doctors who know how
easy it is to convince the public that people who lose their jobs are losers
that lack skills.

It all started when Superintendent Frances Gallo demanded that the teachers
raise the test scores of students at Central Falls High School. Somehow the
teachers managed to raise scores by as much as 7%, which is an admirable
accomplishment considering that 67% of the students are Hispanic and many of
them don t speak English. Of course the teachers were doomed to failure
because they were trying to educate students who are most likely illegal
aliens, gang members, and kids who come from Hispanic families that all too
often put no value on the merits of education.

http://www.cfschools.net/
Central Falls High School

Not surprisingly there was nothing the teachers could do that would be good
enough for Superintendent Gallo, who anxiously awaited the day she would have
an excuse to scapegoat the teachers for everything that is wrong with the
schools. It s quite amusing to listen to Gallo s claim that she had absolutely
no choice but to fire the teachers.

The firings take effect at the end of the academic year. No more
than half the staff can be rehired under such turnarounds,
according to US Department of Education guidelines for $3.5
billion in School Improvement funds distributed to the states.
"All teachers fired at R.I. school. Will that happen elsewhere?",
Christian Science Monitor , February 25, 2010:

The answer to the question in the title of the CSM article is quite easy to
figure out. What will happen elsewhere is what is now happening in Rhode
Island because that s what has already happened before in school districts
like Washington DC. It s a scorched earth policy to conquer and reform public
schools and to start more charter schools. The idea was initiated by President
Bush s "No Child Left Behind". Obama s program is similar to Bush s but is
called "Race to the Top".

So, is there any hope for these teachers? If the Washington DC massacre by
Michelle Rhee is any example, the outlook for the RI teachers is beyond bleak.
Sure, they will protest and squawk, but it will be to no avail. Soon their
their voices will be drowned out by new Spanish speaking teachers and jubilant
parents that no longer have to worry about their kids being required to learn
English.

Large groups of teachers managed to stage public protests (video at WCVB
Boston) but their activism is unlikely to save their jobs -- it didn t in
Washington DC. Too little, too late!

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22655573/detail.html
WCVB video

Ultimately Superintendent Frances Gallo will win, and that means that most of
the fired teachers will be replaced by younger and cheaper teachers that speak
Spanish. They will be from countries like Mexico or the Philippines.
Most of the Spanish speaking teachers will already live in the U.S. or will be
imported to Rhode Island through bodyshops that use H-1B and TN (Trade
NAFTA) visas.

The jobless teachers will find that there is nobody to turn to for help -- not
even themselves!

Clueless Rhode Island teachers are showing that they are incapable of
admitting what the problem is or being able to discuss how to deal with it.
The Central Falls teachers put up a website to improve their image. There is a
video that may succeed in winning some sympathy, but it doesn t take much time
at the web site to see that the teachers cannot deal with the core issues that
are wrecking their careers. Take this for example:

http://centralfallskidsdeservebetter.com/home

A great deal has been reported about the situation at Central Falls High
School.
The Superintendent of Schools has issued 88 termination letters at the high
school - firing the entire teacher faculty - a move that is unprecedented
in
the United States --..

What is happening in Rhode Island is certainly not "unprecedented"
because almost
the exact same thing happened in Washington DC! I have several blogs about
what
happened, start reading "Braveheart In High Heels?


http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2009/11/12/dc-school-teachers-chopped-by-braveheart-in-high-heels/
Braveheart In High Heels? More On DC s Rhee And Imported Teachers

Considering the obliviousness of the Central Falls teachers related to issues
in their own profession, they should probably just accept the fact their cause
is lost. Soon they will be joining the families of their students in the soup
kitchens and welfare waiting lists. Their $70K a year jobs are gone for good
POOF! but more than likely they will never figure out why.

Spokespeople for the teachers are equally oblivious. Even though CNN cut out
the George McLaughlin interview the Providence Journal provided almost the
same thing in text.

McLaughlin points out that Central Falls High School has the most
transient student population in the state, the highest percentage
of students who don t speak English and a high percentage of
special-needs students. More than 90 percent of students live in
poverty. Teachers have to adjust and readjust. And the high
turnover in administrators over the last five years has left them
wondering what each new day will bring.
"A Central Falls teacher speaks out for his side",
Providence Journal, 2/22/2010

Notice that McLaughlin is so fearful of saying that his students are illegal
aliens he refers to them as "transients". It has gotten to the point that
liberals are afraid to say "undocumented immigrants". Just saying the word
"immigrants" is prohibited.

The teachers can t count on the unions for help because they are even more
hung up on the immigration issue than the teachers. The unions bungled
Louisiana and Washington DC, and you can bet they will do the same in Rhode
Island. Go back to that Anderson Cooper interview to watch American Federation
of Teachers President Randi Weingarten make a lame attempt at defending the
teachers. She claims that 90% of the students are impoverished, which is
probably true but beside the point. Conspicuously she never mentions the core
issue in that area of Rhode Island -- ILLEGAL AND UNCONTROLLED IMMIGRATION!
The AFT acts like they are helping the terminated teachers but everything they
do is a charade to hide the fact that unions see nothing wrong with our
schools being flooded with illegals.
The AFT could care less if American teachers are axed as long as they can sign
up the new ones to their union.

http://www.vdare.com/sanchez/091027_louisiana_teachers.htm
Louisiana Hiring Filipino Teachers, Firing Americans -- Where Are The Teacher
Unions When We Need Them?

http://www.aft.org/about/leadership/
AFT President Randi Weingarten

The teachers better not look to the government for sympathy. Just recently
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan lauded the mass firings.

Meanwhile, state and local education officials received some
high-powered support of their own, when U.S. Education Secretary
Arne Duncan weighed in, saying he "applauded" them for "showing
courage and doing the right thing for kids."
"Every Central Falls teacher fired, labor outraged",
Providence Journal, February 24, 2010

In case you are curious who voted to terminate the teachers -- the dirty deed
was done by the Central Falls School District Board of Trustees. You can see
their pictures at the previous Journal link, but just to make it easy here
they are with their vote (5-2 in favor):

Ms. Anna Cano Morales - Chair Woman, YES
Ms. Sonia Rodrigues - Vice Chair Woman, YES
Ms. Mary Lou Perez, clerk, NO
Ms. Ana Cecilia Rosado, YES
Ms. Leslie Estrada, YES
Mr. Vladimir Ibarra, YES
Mr. BK Nordan, NO

Perhaps it s just coincidence, but the only "NO" votes were by the only white
guy on the board, and a light skinned Hispanic female. Could their voting
behavior have been determined by skin color?

As for the teachers: Most of the ones you see being interviewed are older
white people. That s probably another coincidence.

You can bet that most of the terminated teachers are uber-liberals that sowed
the seeds of their own destruction by voting for President Obama.
They are so blinded by liberal ideology they are totally incapable of
comprehending what the problem is, much less how to solve it. Obama of course
is the one who appointed Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who according to
USA Today praised the district for "doing the right thing for kids."

http://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/duncan.html
Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education -- Biography


http://patrickkennedy.house.gov/
Patrick Kennedy


How, you may ask, do I know that those teachers all voted for Obama? Well for
one thing pay close attention to the videos and articles linked from this
article that show all the people wearing red shirts. Call them progressives,
liberals, or commies, but they all voted for Obama. Even the AFT union
endorsed Obama.

If you still have any doubt that the left leaning teachers and their unions
are leftists, go to the Central Falls Website to get their address, and then
plug the zip code into house.gov to see who their Representative is:
Patrick Kennedy. Granted many of the teachers don t live in that district, but
you can bet they voted for another horse s ass that s just as bad!

http://www.house.gov/
House website

There is some poetic justice about this story: Rhode Island mass firings is a
case of uber-liberals throwing other uber-liberals under the bus, which
created a big stinking pile of Rhode Kill!

ARTICLES:


http://www.necn.com/02/23/10/Rhode-Island-teachers-fired/landing.html?blockID=185539&feedID=4215
(NECN: Josh Brogadir, Central Falls, RI) - The Central Falls school board has
voted in favor of firing the entire high school teaching staff.
However, the teachers are not going quietly.


http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/22/evening-buzz-fire-teachers-for-failing-school/
Evening Buzz: Fire Teachers for Failing School?


http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/24/rhode.island.teachers/index.html?iref=allsearch
All teachers fired at Rhode Island school


http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0225/All-teachers-fired-at-R.I.-school.-Will-that-happen-elsewhere
All teachers fired at R.I. school. Will that happen elsewhere?


http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22655573/detail.html
R.I. District To Fire All Teachers
Central Falls High School Identified As Underperforming


http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/education/1509
Obama Education Dept. Announces "Race to the Top"


http://www.projo.com/news/bobkerr/kerr_column_21_02-21-10_1IHGEOS_v14.32a7a3b.html
Bob Kerr: A Central Falls teacher speaks out for his side


http://www.projo.com/news/content/central_falls_trustees_vote_02-24-10_EOHI83C_v59.3c21342.html
Every Central Falls teacher fired, labor outraged


http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-24-all-educators-fired_N.htm
Mass firings at R.I. school may signal a trend


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.necn.com/02/23/10/Rhode-Island-teachers-fired/landing.html?blockID=185539&feedID=4215
(NECN: Josh Brogadir, Central Falls, RI) - The Central Falls school board has
voted in favor of firing the entire high school teaching staff.
However, the teachers are not going quietly.

This has been an angry battle - a teachers union vs. a superintendent of a
struggling school district where something had to change - in this case,
perhaps the most drastic decision in Rhode Island education history.


One by one their names were read, as if it were classroom roll call.

But these were teachers - all 88 at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island
will be fired, effective at the end of the school year.

"I'm after school every day, I'm always available. I'm heartbroken. I'd do
anything for this school system, I've done everything I can," said teacher
Frank Delbonis.

"It's not motivating me to come to school anymore," student Kelyn Salazar said
through tears. "It's not going to change any student's mind of learning."

Teachers cried alongside their students after hearing the results of the
state-appointed Board of Trustees vote.

They had hoped an afternoon rally attended by hundreds of Rhode Island union
members including teachers from other districts would help save their jobs.

"I've been in Central Falls for 28 years and I've done nothing to deserve to
be fired. Absolutely nothing. I give my heart and my soul to my job,"
athletic director and math teacher Kathy Luther said.

But how did it come to this unprecedented action in the state of Rhode Island
and perhaps the nation?

At one square mile, Central Falls is the state's smallest and one of its
poorest communities.

It has also ranked in the lowest 5 percent of districts in the state year
after year meaning the federal government gave Superintendent Frances Gallo
4 choices:
- Shut the school
- have it taken over as a charter school
- follow a transformation model,
including longer school days and teachers eating lunch with students
- or what's called a turn around plan, fire all the teachers at the end of the
year.

After the union didn't sign off on option three, she went with option four.

"I thought I moved substantially away from my initial design and request and
apparently it wasn't good enough," Superintendent Dr. Frances Gallo said.

"We don't take lightly that our scores are low. Everyone acknowledges that we
have work to do,"Central Falls Teachers' Union President Jane Sessums said.

But despite recent improvement, those numbers are alarming - only 7 percent of
high school kids are proficient in math standards and 52 percent drop out
before graduation.

"Yeah, we do have work to do. We do. But we have raised our reading scores
21 percent in two years," said French teacher Hope Evanoff.

In the end, that modest improvement was not good enough.

Rhode Island's Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist already signed off on
this earlier today.

Some of these teachers might get their jobs back.

Part of the stipulation is that not more than 50 percent can get rehired, but
all are able to apply.

The teachers who lose their jobs can also apply to other openings in the
district.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/22/evening-buzz-fire-teachers-for-failing-school/

February 22, 2010
Evening Buzz: Fire Teachers for Failing School?

Maureen Miller
AC3600 Writer

At Central Falls High School in Rhode Island less than half the students
gradate, only seven percent are proficient in math and almost all live in
poverty. Last week, the entire faculty of the high school received letters
recommending their termination. The letter to the 74 teachers, who each earn
at least $72,000, was sent by the school's superintendent, Frances Gallo. The
school district's Board of Trustees votes on Gallo's recommendation tomorrow.

The superintendent says the decision came after the teacher's union balked at
six options to transform the low-performing high school.

Those recommendations include:

- a longer school day of seven hours
- agree to be evaluated by a third party
- meet 90 minutes per week to discuss education matters
- have lunch with students every once in awhile
- two weeks of paid professional development during the summer

According to local media reports, the union officials wanted to be paid more.

Do you think the teachers should be fired or is the superintendent over-
reacting?

Tonight we'll debate the move with the head of the union and Steve Perry, our
Education Contributor.

We're also looking into Pres. Obama's health care bill. After months of debate
on Capitol Hill with different plans in the House and Senate, the White House
has unveiled its own plan.

The White House says its blueprint would extend coverage to 31 million
Americans and cost $950 billion over 10 years.

We'll show you what it does and doesn't have tonight on the program. We're
also looking at all the wheeling and dealing in Washington and how lawmakers
go after goodies to get what they want. It's part of our "Broken Government"
series we'll bring you all this week on 3600.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/24/rhode.island.teachers/index.html?iref=allsearch

All teachers fired at Rhode Island school From Randi Kaye, CNN's AC3600 STORY
HIGHLIGHTS

* Board votes to discharge all teachers, other educators at Central Falls
High School
* District, union fail to reach agreement for teachers to spend more time
with students
* Union president says teachers scapegoated, union will fight to reinstate
them
* Terminations will go into effect in the next school year

(CNN) -- A school board in Rhode Island has voted to fire all teachers at a
struggling high school, a dramatic move aimed at shoring up education in a
poverty-ridden school district.

In a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, the board approved the plan by Frances Gallo,
superintendent at Central Falls School District, to discharge the teachers,
administrators and other personnel at Central Falls High School.

The firings, which will be effective at the end of this school year, came
after the district said it failed to reach an agreement with the teachers'
union on a plan for the teachers to spend more time with students to improve
test scores.

A union spokesman called the firings drastic and cited a 21 percent rise in
reading scores and a 3 percent increase in math scores in the past two years.

The school district said 93 people -- including the principal, three assistant
principals and 77 teachers -- were fired. The teachers' union said the firings
affected 74 classroom teachers plus a number of other educators such as
guidance counselors and reading specialists.

Central Falls High is one of the lowest-performing schools in Rhode Island.
It is in a community where median income is $22,000, census figures show.

Of the 800 students, 65 percent are Hispanic and for most of them, English is
a second language. Half the students are failing every subject, with 55
percent skilled in reading and 7 percent proficient in math, officials said.

In a proposal based on federal guidelines, Gallo asked teachers to work a
longer school day of seven hours and tutor students weekly for one hour
outside school time. She proposed teachers have lunch with students often,
meet for 90 minutes every week to discuss education and set aside two weeks
during summer break for paid professional development.

A spokesman for the union said the teachers had accepted most of the changes,
but wanted to work out compensation for the extra hours of work.

The superintendent said the two sides could not agree on a pay rate.

Under new federal requirements for school reform, low-performing schools have
several options. One is called the transformation model, which includes a
series of changes that teachers agree to adopt.

When the negotiations on those changes failed at Central Falls High, the
superintendent switched to another option: the turnaround model, which means
firing every teacher at the troubled school.

Kathy May, a teacher at Central Falls High, said she's disheartened. "I feel
like, after 20 years, I can see some progress beginning to be made.
And I'm sad that we're not going to be around to follow that through, to push
that forward."

Gallo, who said Rhode Island law says notice must be given by March 1, said
the problem isn't solely the fault of teachers and it wasn't her preference to
make the move. She indicated that some of the teachers might be rehired.

"When we had to move from the transformation model, the next best move was the
turnaround model. And that requires us to remove the teachers and rehire, of
those who reapply, up to 50 percent," she said.

"This is a major move, for a very significant reason, and that being that we
couldn't hone in on the assurances we needed for the transformation model."

Asked what would happen if the teachers' union accepted the original terms,
Gallo said it would be very difficult to go back, but can't be discounted.

"And if ... as we move forward, if indeed something of that effect comes
around, then I still think we have a lot of doors that could be opened."

At a community rally before the school board meeting on Tuesday, supporters of
the teachers slammed the plan.

Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers Union, said teachers
have been unfairly targeted and scapegoated and the union will fight to have
them reinstated.

"We want genuine reforms, not quick fixes that do nothing but create a wedge
between teachers, our school and our community," said Sessums. She added that
"teachers have agreed to numerous solutions and reforms."

George McLaughlin, a guidance counselor who was fired along with his wife, a
chemistry teacher, said the school has been inaccurately cast as a place with
low graduation rates.

"We have the most transient population in this state. Nobody comes close to
us. So when they say that 50 percent of the people graduate, a very high
percentage of our students leave our school. They return. They leave again.
They go back to other countries," he said, noting that three times as many of
the school's students are accepted to colleges now than they were five years
ago.

He also knocked the superintendent, saying she "has been with us for a little
more than three years."

If Gallo were willing to negotiate and listen to former Sen. Lincoln Chafee,
who has offered to mediate, "maybe we could resolve this instead of causing
more trauma to us."

McLaughlin said the negotiations were about job security, not pay, and said
the teachers are ready to resume talks.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0225/All-teachers-fired-at-R.I.-school.-Will-that-happen-elsewhere

All teachers fired at R.I. school. Will that happen elsewhere?

All the teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island were fired by
the board of trustees this week. More such cases are likely to arise across
the US in the coming year because of pressure from the Obama administration
-- and the incentive of billions of federal dollars.
Temp Headline Image

By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo Staff writer
posted February 25, 2010 at 7:36 pm EST

A small, high-poverty school district in Rhode Island is now ground zero for
some of the most explosive debates over reforming America s worst-performing
schools.

To the dismay of many local and national union members, all the teachers, the
principal, and other staff of Central Falls High School were fired by the
board of trustees this week. The move is part of a dramatic turnaround plan
proposed by the superintendent and approved by the state education
commissioner.

Because of pressure from the Obama administration -- and the incentive of
billions of federal dollars -- more such cases are likely to arise across the
United States in the coming year.

Advocates of the "turnaround" approach say it s a way to remove bad teachers
or change a culture that makes it difficult for good teachers to work
effectively. But teachers feel scapegoated. And there s no clear-cut research
guaranteeing that student test scores will improve when schools are
reorganized with new staffs.
Will more superintendents clean house?

"This will be a canary in the coal mine," says Frederick Hess, director of
education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Such dramatic
moves are likely to multiply as "an increasing crop of no-excuses
superintendents and state commissioners" take the view that "it s essential to
clean house" to improve persistently failing schools, he says.

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan applauded the Rhode Island decision this
week. But Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers president, shot
back with a statement that "firing all of the teachers is a failed approach
and will not result in the kinds of changes necessary to improve instruction
and learning."

In 2009, 48 percent of Central Falls High School students graduated after four
years, compared with a state average of 75 percent, according to a state
education department spokesman. This past fall, 7 percent of 11th graders
tested at the proficient level in math, 55 percent in reading.

The firings take effect at the end of the academic year. No more than half the
staff can be rehired under such turnarounds, according to US Department of
Education guidelines for $3.5 billion in School Improvement funds distributed
to the states. Those funds -- for schools with a certain level of poverty
among the student body -- require states to improve the worst 5 percent of
such schools. Similar strings are attached to more than $4 billion in
competitive "Race to the Top" funds. (For more on "Race to the Top," click
here.) Options for low-performing schools

State and district officials have four options for such schools: The
turnaround model, which includes improving instruction as well as replacing
staff; reopening a school as a charter or under an approved management
organization; closing a school altogether; and transforming the school through
such measures as intense teacher development and extended learning time for
students. (Monitor report: Which states are innovative in education? A new
report card.)

The turnaround plan in Central Falls came after negotiations between the
district and the local union over other improvement approaches broke down.
The five other worst schools in Rhode Island are in Providence, which faces a
March 17 deadline to submit improvement proposals.

School superintendents in small rural or suburban districts don t always have
a pool of better teacher candidates to turn to, or better schools to send
students to if they close a low-performing school, says Dan Domenech,
executive director of the American Association of School Administrators.

The Obama administration is "pushing the envelope" more than would be
traditionally expected by a Democratic administration supported by unions, Mr.
Domenech says. But, he adds, there are also efforts under way for state
superintendents and union representatives to reach some compromises for
revising union contracts to support school improvement.

It s important to address the problem of persistently failing schools, but
after "the big dramatic gesture -- fire the teachers -- the next step is
equally or more important," says Jack Jennings, president of the Center on
Education Policy. "Are better teachers going to be hired?... Are kids going to
learn more?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22655573/detail.html

R.I. District To Fire All Teachers
Central Falls High School Identified As Underperforming

POSTED: 8:03 am EST February 24, 2010
UPDATED: 10:18 am EST February 24, 2010
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The U.S. Secretary of Education is applauding the vote to
fire all the teachers at the high school in Central Falls because it is one of
the worst performing schools in the state.

"This is hard work and these are tough decisions, but students only have one
chance for an education," Duncan said in Wednesday's edition of The Providence
Journal, "and when schools continue to struggle we have a collective
obligation to take action."

The Central Falls School Committee on Tuesday evening voted 5-2 to fire every
educator at the school, from teachers to guidance counselors to the principal.
The vote came the same day that State Education Commissioner Deborah Gist
approved the firing plan, which was recommended by Superintendent Frances
Gallo, and gave the district 120 days to come up with a detailed plan.

Central Falls Teachers Union President Jane Sessums said she is reviewing
several legal options.

Central Falls High School, the only school in this tiny and impoverished city
of one square mile just north of Providence, is persistently one of the worst-
performing schools in the state. Only about half its students graduate, and
only 7 percent of its 11th graders were proficient in math in 2009.

The plan was developed because of a federal effort to makeover failing
schools. Those schools can select one of four options to fix themselves, which
include requiring a longer school day, turning management over to a charter
school, firing the entire teaching staff and rehiring no more than half, or
closing the school.

In Rhode Island, Gist identified the state's six worst performing schools and
asked the superintendents to develop plans to fix them. The other five schools
are in Providence, and plans are not yet final.

Gallo and the teachers had been negotiating for a longer school day and other
provisions, but talks broke down over money. She said earlier this month that
she had no choice but to fire all the teachers, and rehire no more than half.

Hundreds of people attended a rally at a city park before the school committee
meeting, many of them union members.

"This is immoral, illegal, unjust, irresponsible, disgraceful and an hour
after the rally, the Central Falls school Board of Trustees, in a brief but
intense meeting, voted 5-2 to fire every teacher at the school.
In all, 93 names were read aloud in the high school auditorium -- 74 classroom
teachers, plus reading specialists, guidance counselors, physical education
teachers, the school psychologist, the principal and three assistant
principals.

Each educator stood as their name was called, many wearing red, one of the
school s colors. Some cried.

"Shame on you," a few of the teachers shouted at the trustees and Supt.
Frances Gallo.

Leslie Estrada Yes

The state s tiniest, poorest city has become the center of a national battle
over dramatic school reform. On the one side, federal and state education
officials say they must take painful and dramatic steps to transform the
nation s lowest-performing schools. On the other side, teachers unions say
such efforts undermine hard-won protections in their contracts.

Vladimir Ibarra Yes

"This is hard work and these are tough decisions, but students only have one
chance for an education," Education Secretary Duncan said, "and when schools
continue to struggle we have a collective obligation to take action."

Anna Cano Morales Yes

Duncan is requiring states, for the first time, to identify their lowest 5
percent of schools -- those that have chronically poor performance and low
graduation rates -- and fix them using one of four methods: school closure;
takeover by a charter or school-management organization; transformation which
requires a longer school day, among other changes; and "turnaround"
which requires the entire teaching staff be fired and no more than 50 percent
rehired in the fall.

B.K. Nordan No

State Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist moved swiftly on this new
requirement, identifying on Jan. 11 six of the "persistently lowest-
performing" schools: Central Falls High School, which has very low test scores
and a graduation rate of 48 percent, and five schools in Providence. Gist also
started the clock on the changes, telling the districts they had until March
17 to decide which of the models they wanted to use. Her actions make Rhode
Island one of the first states to publicly release a list of affected schools
and put into motion the new federal mandate.

Mary Lou Perez No

Gallo and the teachers initially agreed they wanted the transformation model,
which would protect the teachers jobs.

But talks broke down when the two sides could not agree on what transformation
entailed.

Gallo wanted teachers to agree to a set of six conditions she said were
crucial to improving the school. Teachers would have to spend more time with
students in and out of the classroom and commit to training sessions after
school with other teachers.

Sonia Rodrigues Yes

But Gallo said she could pay teachers for only some of the extra duties.
Union leaders said they wanted teachers to be paid for more of the additional
work and at a higher pay rate -- $90 per hour rather than the $30 per hour
offered by Gallo.

Ana Cecilia Rosado Yes

After negotiations broke down, Gallo said she no longer had confidence the
high school could be transformed and instead recommended the turnaround model.
Gist approved Gallo s proposal Tuesday morning and gave the district 120 days
to develop a detailed plan.

Supt. Frances Gallo sought to have teachers agree to six conditions she said
were crucial to improving the school.

Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers Union, said she is
reviewing several legal options but has not decided what course of action she
will take.

B.K. Nordan, one of two trustees who voted against firing all the teachers,
nevertheless delivered some of the harshest words of the evening to the high
school s teaching staff. Nordan, a graduate of Central Falls High School, now
works as a teacher in Providence.

Central Falls High School teachers, from left, Deloris Grant Edmanuel Gil and
Dale Dearnley are among those who were called to stand as it was announced
they were being fired Tueday night at the school Board of Trustees meeting.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

"I don t believe this is a worker s rights issue. I believe it s a children s
rights issue," Nordan said. "--By every statistical measure I ve seen, we are
not doing a good enough job for our students -- The rhetoric that these are
poor students, ESL students, you can imagine the home lives -- this is exactly
why we need you to step up, regardless of the pay, regardless of the time
involved. This city needs it more than anybody.
I demand of you that you demand more of yourself and those around you."
Extra

Your Turn: Which option would you choose to help Central Falls schools?
Video

Video: RI education commissioner updates Regents on Central Falls firings

Video: Board fires every Central Falls High School teacher

Video: Chafee: 'A third party would make a big difference' for Central Falls
High School

Video: Young Voices: 'An entire system... is not working for young people'

Video: Fired: Central Falls High School teachers protest

Video: Central Falls residents say trash talk about their city is undeserved
Related stories

2.26.10: Teachers to appeal mass firings

2.25.10: National union chief backs Central Falls teachers

2.25.10: Central Falls High School thrust into school reform forefront

2.24.10: Termination letters sent to Central Falls teaching staff

2.24.10: Every Central Falls teacher fired, labor outraged / Gallery:
'Shame on you': Teachers' rally

2.23.10: Chafee calls for mediator in Central Falls teacher dispute

2.21.10: Central Falls is full of heart

2.19.10: Disagreement surfaces over Central Falls school reform talks

2.18.10: Lines drawn over mass firing at Central Falls High

2.13.10: Central Falls to fire every high school teacher

2.12.10: Gist may support cutting teachers in Central Falls

2.11.10: Supt. sets Friday deadline for Central Falls teachers

2.11.10: Six conditions Central Falls High School teachers must accept

2.10.10: Central Falls superintendent acts to fire city s high school teachers

1.12.10: R.I. education chief targets 6 schools for overhaul Get the latest on
the developments in Central Falls

A national dilemma

Even in a school system known for its academic troubles, the numbers at
Philadelphia s Vaux High School are jaw-dropping: More than 90 percent of
11th-graders tested last year could not read or do math at grade level.

But next fall, at least half the teachers at Vaux and 13 more of
Philadelphia s worst schools could be gone. And the school day, school week
and school year could be longer.

While federal law has long allowed the overhaul of chronically failing
schools, such extreme makeovers are likely to become more common because of
more money from Washington, a growing consensus on education reform, and
newfound willingness on the part of teacher unions to collaborate, experts
say.

Minnesota expects to remake 34 schools by the time students return next fall.
Philadelphia plans on transforming dozens in the coming years, and New Haven,
Conn., has targeted some of its schools as well.

Associated Press


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-24-all-educators-fired_N.htm

Mass firings at R.I. school may signal a trend

By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
The mass firing of teachers at a Rhode Island high school this week is hardly
new: For nearly two decades, states and school districts have been
"reconstituting" staffs at struggling public schools.

But Tuesday's move by Central Falls, R.I., Superintendent Frances Gallo to
remove all 74 teachers, administrators and counselors at the district's only
high school may be the first tangible result of an aggressive push by the
Obama administration to get tough on school accountability -- and may signal a
more fraught relationship between teachers unions and Democratic leaders.

KANSAS CITY: May close half its schools

"This may be one school in one town, but it represents a much bigger
phenomenon," says Andy Smarick of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a
Washington, D.C., education think tank. "Thanks to years of work battling the
achievement gap and the elevation of reform-minded education leaders, we may
finally be getting serious about the nation's lowest-performing schools."

President Obama was elected in 2008 with the support of teachers groups
nationwide, but since then, he and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have taken
up the cause of fixing the USA's most struggling schools. Duncan will soon
release a list of 5,000 identified as most in need of reform.

On Tuesday, Duncan praised the district for "doing the right thing for kids."

Gallo had asked the local school board to approve the firings after State
Superintendent Deborah Gist issued a list of the state's worst-performing
schools, which included Central Falls. Compiling the list was a requirement
for states to qualify for a share of Duncan's $4.35 billion Race to the Top
grant, to be awarded in March.

Central Falls Teachers Union President Jane Sessums says teachers want
"genuine reforms, not quick fixes that do nothing but create a wedge between
teachers, our school and our community." And Randi Weingarten, president of
the American Federation of Teachers, expressed frustration about the firings
in a statement Wednesday, saying they were "a failed approach."

But Joe Williams of Democrats for Education Reform, a political action group,
says: "This is what real political cover can do for public education. You see
very clear signals coming from Washington that the Obama administration is
serious about turning around our worst schools."

Central Falls has long been one of the worst-performing in Rhode Island.
Just 7% of 11th-graders tested last fall were proficient in math and 55% were
proficient in reading. In 2008, 52% of students graduated within four years.

Smarick says the fact that a "Democratic administration and a quiet New
England town" have embraced such a bold strategy suggests that "serious
interventions may finally become the rule instead of the exception."


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