Williams deny teacher transfer

In an e-mail to division heads controversial Superintendent James A. Williams decided to deny the teacher's request for involuntary transfers in the Buffalo Schools as per the collective bargaining agreement. Now 587 teachers are stuck in schools they want to transfer for various reasons while Superintendent Williams and wants to provide "stability" to the system. The BTF President Phil Rumore plans to file a grievance and get a court injunction yet in June Rumore endorsed extending Williams' contract until 2014.
Williams decision to deny the teachers transfers calls into question whether the ratings he got from the School Board are credible such as "his highest average score, 4.2, was in the category of instructional leadership. His lowest average score, 3.8, was for his relationship with staff," from a 1 to 5 point system.
If Williams does not reconsider his decision about the transfers, he will be forced to honor them later because the union will prevail in the grievance it has submitted the school district becoming more "unstable" as a result in mid-year what he is trying to avoid.

Buffalo Schools still laying off teachers though getting an infusion of federal dollars

The Buffalo News reported that "While the bill aims to prevent teacher layoffs, its impact on Buffalo schools remains unclear. The district eliminated 145 jobs this year -- including 96 by layoff, said Barbara J. Smith, the chief financial officer.

Civil Rights Groups Slam Obama's Education Reforms - COLORLINES

Civil Rights Groups Slam Obama's Education Reforms - COLORLINES

Meeting on English Language Learners

Multilingual Education meeting to be held next Tuesday, July 27th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at International School #45, 141 Hoyt Street.

For information call Dr. Tamara Alsace, Director of Multilingual Education
Phone: (716) 816-4441
Cell: (716) 316-9536
toalsace@buffaloschools.org

Buffalo Schools teacher retirement exodus

Close to 400 retiring from the Buffalo Public Schools

Lafayette High School closing

Lafayette High School closing. No more freshman to be admitted in September.

Lafayett High School Student killer indicted

Twenty-year-old, Norman Koonce indicted Wednesday for the senseless and tragic shooting of Jawaan Daniels, the Lafayette High School student shot to death in front of a bus stop after suspended from school. The Buffalo Schools has changed its suspension policies after his death.

New suspension policies in the buffalo public schools

Buffalo Public Schools to end out of school suspensions in the aftermath of the death of a high school student gunned down at a bus stop after his suspension from Lafayette High School last month.

While Rochester Public Schools with less students than Buffalo created an out-of-school suspension program with full-time instruction, costing nearly $5 million over two years ago under its new superintendent, the Buffalo Public schools version is $2 to 3 million only offering one hour to elementary and two hours to high school students because of budgetary reasons according to Will Keresztes a school official in the Buffalo News.

Photo:Jean-Claude Brizard Superintendent of Schools Rochester City School District since 2008. Contract of Jean-Claude Brizard.

Buffalo schools got the most stimulus money, 145 teachers jobs cut the coming school year

According to a Buffalo News report the "Buffalo city schools got more stimulus money than any other local entity — $51.7 million — and it prevented hundreds of layoffs, said Barbara Smith, the district’s chief financial officer. But that federal cash — offered to patch the huge holes the recession blew in state education budgets — is gone now. And the School Board last week agreed to a budget for the coming school year that cuts 355 jobs, including 145 teachers — although 41 of those teachers should see their jobs saved through grant funding."

Retaliation the motive for shooting of suspended lafayette high schoolstudent

Buffalo Police investigators expect to make an arrest soon into the cold-blooded murder of the Lafayette High School student suspended last Friday, June 11, 2010 from school. Jawaan Daniels was caught in a hallway sweep wandering in the hallways along with other students. Police disclosed that "a long-standing quarrel between Jawaan and another young man led to the shooting... retaliation, something that had occurred last year,” the police said Wednesday.

Jawaan daniels funeral services

DANIELS - Jawaan A. Suddenly, June 11, 2010. The family will receive friends Friday, 12 noon at Good Shepherd Temple, 425 Goodyear Avenue, where Funeral Services will follow at 1 PM. Interment, St. Matthew's Cemetery. Arrangements by THOMAS T. EDWARDS FUNERAL HOME, INC.

Published in Buffalo News June 16, 2010.

Charters and "billionaires boys club"

More information on Charters and billionaires boys club.

Superintendent James Williams' contract extended until 2014

After five tumultuous, years leading the Buffalo City School District, the Buffalo Board of Education voted 7-2, to extend the contract of the embattled superintendent James A. Williams until 2014.

School Board President, Ralph Hernandez, West District praised and lauded his leadership as "there has been serious progress" while, School Board members at large, John Licata and North District, Catherine Nugent-Panepinto didn't vote on the extension."

Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) President Phil Rumore acquiesced to support the extension his old rival at-large School Board member Christopher Jacobs thanked the union head for his endorsement calling it, "a new day."

Yet, Buffalo teachers still don't have a contract. The old contract expired on July 2004. Nevertheless, there is on-going litigation on issues involving Buffalo teachers steps, the district moved them up one step instead of their contractual four after the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority (BFSA) lifted the wage freeze in July 2007.

The BFSA imposed the wage freeze on City employees on April 2004. Still there are unresolved legal issues with the single health carrier reported in the Provocator the BTF publication.

Another concern are the laid off Attendance teachers and others on July 2005 viewed as a vindictive move on the part of the School Board and the Superintendent when they imposed the single health carrier during contract negotiations.

Many of the Attendance teachers had contract status ( tenure--a permanent appointment) with the district before they were laid-off. Thus, the district usurped their salaries and position without just cause. And the ruling of the arbitrator failed to mention they had contract status.

Thus, the Appellate Court ruled back in October 2008 the teachers were not "contractually entitled to job security" when indeed they had it through their tenure--permanent appointment as contract teachers in the district, a point neither the Buffalo School Board, the superintendent or the BTF have addressed. Yet, the teachers have brought it up at Board meetings and to the BTF in letters and meeting.

And still questions linger about the handling of the alleged child molestation incident in November 2007, involving an autistic child and a teacher's aide at one Buffalo school that spur a training program on reporting child abuse on March 2010, as well as, the fiasco at McKinley High School, a suspended student and a basketball coach in 2007 that made daily headline news.

ResulTech came under State Education Department scrutiny shy two weeks prior approval on July 8, 2008 of the BFSA contract extension. ResulTech operated school opened in September 2006 by 2008 SED issued a report of failure, blaming it on the Maryland firm before it closed down $7.1 million had been used to fund it. Questions still unanswered here as well about the district role in the financing of a no-bid contract for consulting services by ResulTech.

While high school graduation rates have gone up at 55% in the district among limited English-speaking students its 21%. And, the drop-out and attendance rates still a major concern ever since the district laid-off the Attendance teachers the rates have dropped steadily from 2005-2006 school year to the present.

Although the district and the city introduced more school resources officers still truancy is the work of Attendance officers not the Buffalo police while the district employs only three Attendance teachers to monitor the attendance of 35,000 students.

And, hispanic leaders twice voiced their concerns at two School Board meetings about the recent 158 pages report "Raising the Achievement of English Language Learners in the Buffalo Public Schools, Winter 2009-2010, the Great City Schools Council completed citing the neglect of the vast majority of English Language Learners in the district the highest number Spanish-speaking invisible and forgotten benefiting less from educational opportunities offered other students their services inequitable.

While a download of data "done for the Council team indicated nearly 100 English language learners in the district had not received bilingual or ESL services during most of 2008-09 school year."

Mayor bloomberg and mayoral control of schools

Bloomberg and mayoral contral of schools in NYC in the Villiage Voice.

Black parents and teachers' union

The Village Voice article on black parents and teachers' union in NYC.