Featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence & candidate for WTU General Vice PresidentUpdate: The Washington Teacher led the story on DCPS layoffs which were later confirmed by Bill Turque and Fox 5 News. According to inside sources, the total number of layoffs were not reported accurately by the DCPS spokesperson and numbers could be as high as 127 employees.
Sources have told The Washington Teacher that Deputy Chancellor, Kaya Henderson instituted yet another round of layoffs of DC Public Schools employees on Friday, October 22. These layoffs are one year after the October 2, 2009 anniversary date of layoffs of 266 teachers and approximately 100 other school staff. Inside sources report that this latest reduction in force allegedly includes special education specialists, placement specialists, central office staff and school based social workers and school psychologists some of whom may be members of the Washington Teachers Union. Stay tuned for further details on the 2010 round of school layoffs.
Haven't voted in the WTU elections yet? Get your ballot ready and vote Saunders slate! Mail your ballot today. www.votesaunders2010.com
31 comments:
So, instead of ending their use of outside consultants for therapy - speech, OT - DCPS will fire in-house therapists and such in order to save money. Logical, right?
Rhee may be on her way out, but her reign of terror continues. Paying contractors to do the job of DCPS employees may not serve them well. Rhee has hired many contractors to assist with special education will poor results.
Also, it looks like the WAPO has not learned its lesson. Here they go again, now we have the great and grand Kaya Henderson. Let us not live through another Rhee. Gray please find someone else and SOON!
When is this foolishness going to end. Supposedly Rhee and company where going to correct the problems, but it looks as if they cannot count. Morale,,,,,,what morale?
It seems to me that The Washington Teacher Broke this story not Bill Turque at the Washington Post. Therefore the Washington Post must give the proper attribution to the Washington Teacher. What is fair for the Goose is fair for the Gander.
TEACHERS ARE NEXT. Parker and Henderson's secret deals just like Parker and Rhee's. I am sure it will probably happen after this election.
This just makes no sense. When are teachers going to come together and storm the offies of the WIlson Building, and Central Office ? We have to stop allowing ourselves to be attacked this way. I truly hope that everyone has mailed their ballots back in for Saunders/Peterson slate. We need strong leadership in these important times. It is clear that the current administration is not afraid of George.
Hi Candi, I haven't heard anything but George Parker surely isn't going to want to broadcast this fact a week before the elections. He's robocalling for dental benefits and robocalling every few days to say raises will be in the October pay check to get his name out there. I have heard Ms Henderson is in the shadows of her predecessor and different in name only.
Here We Go Again! I know this is under Henderson's reign, but I can't help but think that Michelle Rhee is snickering all the way to Jersey! This is way too much.
I would think that Vincent Gray has been informed and concurs with all such actions being taken at this time.
The union can complain all it wants, but our putative new mayor will continue many of the actions undertaken by Chancellor Michelle Rhee--because he agrees with them.
Another round of RIFs? You can't afford to keep your ballots in your hands..... Mail those Ballots!
I can't say I'm surprised by this. Many of us forcast as much when the contract was being considered. They (Rhee, Henderson, & company) are a sneaky lot, significantly underreporting the numbers of employees fired. All a PR ploy. Expect more, as Fenty ordered $6.5 mil in cuts and this purportedly only equalled $1.2.
Another question is, if they're letting go of SPED personnel, what are the schools going to do when these seriously disordered children are brought back into the schools? Who are the ones with expertise to deal with them?
Too bad Rhee's severance package wasn't reduced because of her dereliction of fiduciary duty by seriously overspending the system's budget by tens of millions of dollars several years straight. She doesn't deserve a golden parachute, THAT'S FOR SURE! Other school systems who are foolishly considering her for a post, take note!
And DCPS is encouraging Special education parents to return their children to DCPS. To programs which are not prepared to assist these children to be successful. Additionally, the word is that DCPS is offering parents up to $15,000 to return their children to DCPS from private placement. So much for an educationally appropriate program.
I am in special education. It is only a matter of time before this happen at the teacher level. I am voting for the Saunders Slate today. A Blind man can now see.
Save money, fire Karmas, so-called master educators, and the totally unnecessary and do nothing instructional supervisors.
This will same a bundle.
VOTE SAUNDERS AND PETERSON.
Fenty, Rhee, Parker and Henderson are partners in DCPS Terminations. They are the "True Rheeformers" behind the Reduction in Forces in 2009 and 2010.
Calling All Terminated DCPS Employees 2010: Now is the time for each one of you to unite together and make a statement at the DCPS Central Office.
Make a "Demand" the last ones hired need to be the first ones fired to balance the DCPS budget.
Remember: If it is meant to be, it is up to "ME" to fight for our rights!!
Enough is Enough!!
Vote for the Saunders Slate 2010! Mail your WTU Ballot today!!!
Anon at 11:03 writes:
"I am in special education. It is only a matter of time before this happen at the teacher level."
Candi, I know that your official position is that grammar doesn't matter. However, I disagree. As a teacher, I find it embarrassing when my fellow teachers do not know basic subject-verb agreement. It makes us all look bad. More to the point, if this "teacher" does not know subject-verb agreement, how can we expect his/her students to learn it?
Because one person makes an error in subject verb agreement online does not mean she/he doesn't know it, don't be ridiculous they're not taking an exam this is the Internet for xxxing sake. Have you never made a typo or misspoke then corrected yourself, we have serious issues to contend with here.
In a layoff/firing situation, is "last in, first out" really the way to build a great team?
Moderated Reply to 10/23/10 anonymous (listed below), et al.
I don't have an official position on this blog about grammar. My goal here is to facilitate conversation about important issues in public education. I want to bring commenters back to the issue at hand about the DCPS reduction in force. Some people here have another agenda . Let me put a period at the end of this discussion on grammar and I want to focus your attention to the 175 million dollar budget deficit that will require DCPS to make even further cuts of 6.5 million total at the local school level in the upcoming weeks and months. What are you hearing about cuts and/or layoffs ?
The Washington Teacher
_______________________________________________
reply from anonymous commenter
anon at 334pm: I agree, but not posting comments with such defects will eliminate at least half. It would be interesting to know how such issues, written or verbal, are reflected in IMPACT ratings of effectiveness. Anyone know?
When I saw the error, I assumed that the person inadvertently dropped the "s" which then was not found in a spell check because "happen" is a word.
If I heard teachers speaking that way, I'd correct it on the spot. I'd be embarrassed for them and want them to fix it before they spoke again - especially in front of children.
Informal writing is different.
I am concerned about how these cuts will hurt our schools. Given that there will be another 5.3 million dollar cuts, it stands to reason that teachers will be laid off next. There is so much instability in DCPS right now. The bottom line is that these cuts will mainly hurt students.
I blame Rhee's willy-nilly spending and the lack of oversight. When will there be an audit? Gray will have his hands full cleaning up Rhee's/ Fenty's mess.
Your readers deserve to know that this is NOT a RIF. Not one classroom position has been cut. The Washington Post and other media outlets are reporting that some positions dealing with private school placements have been cut.
Actually Anonymous at 140 You are wrong. DCPS staff were laid off Bill Turque who reported this after The Washington Teacher at 5:30 on his blog. Here is the link
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcschools/
I believe Candi because her sources are 99.9999 % right.
Where is this at now? Have letters gone out?
This is the internet and not an English lesson.
The important matter is that money needs to be cut. It places even more stress on every teacher knowing that they could lose their job through no fault of their own.
How about selling or leasing some of the many vacant schools?
Keep up the good work Candi.
Best info: not a RIF.
Sign a petition against Value Added at Economic Policy Institute. We invite you to add your name to the below statement, initiated by ten prominent education scholars, that urges policymakers to not pursue heavy reliance on test scores for evaluating, rewarding and removing teachers. Links to relevant research on this issue are listed below.
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Reflective Educator:
It is my understanding that staff were notified Friday. I don't know all the details but I did get to talk to a person who was let go and identified themselves as a placement specialist. Hopefully more information will be forthcoming. Staff seem afraid to talk. I guess they are still in shock.
Candi, any word on George's attempt to stop the voting process? Do you know anything about that?
Candi,
What explains the low turnout?
Who don't DC teachers give a _ _ _ _?
I thought what would be "hot off the press" is that Saunders won, but not with a majority and that Randi Weingarten said that she would help George Parker in his reelection.
Or, that Vince Gray steadfastly supports charter schools.
I guess this won't get approved. Thank you big brother.
IT SEEMS THAT ALL THE POLITICAL PEOPLE ARE TURNCOATS TO THE BLACK CHILDREN AND PARENTS IN THI CITY. I WILL NOT VOTE FOR GRAY AND I DON'T CARE IF FENTY WINS A WRITE-IN ELECTION BECUASE IT SEEMS THAT GRAY IS PROMISING THE SAME. HOW LITLE HE IS TO HAVE PEOPLE WHO DID NOT VOTE FOR HIM TO INSIST THAT HE CONTINUE RHEE'S REFORMS. HE MUST REALLY BE AS STUPID AS THEY SAY HE IS OR HE WOULD TELL THEM TAKE YOUR MONEY AND RUN BECUASE IT COMES WITH NO GOOD WILL. HE TOOK OUR VOTES FOR GRANTED.
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