Buffalo board member Vivian Evans still on board

Buffalo News reported Vivian O. Evans has steadfastly maintained that she intends to keep her house in Buffalo and commute in for board meetings every two weeks to continue serving on the board.“I’m going to continue to serve my constituents and the children of Buffalo,” Evans said. “I am accessible for my constituents. That hasn’t changed.” Earlier Buffalo New articles on this topic. Photo Credit: Buffalo News

Report finds a culture of absenteeism among administrators, teachers and aides in the buffalo schools

"This is a piece of data that for the first time answers the burning question: Do teacher and administrator absences affect student performance? The answer is yes. And so now it's up to us to do something about it," said Mark W. Frazier, a high-ranking administrator in the district and one of the study's authors. And the more their teacher is absent, the more days students are absent, the study found.

The report , Buffalo Public Schools District Attendance Report 2009-2010, a 23 page study relates teacher and administrator absences to student achievement and student attendance.

Yet, student attendance decreased steadily from 2005 to 2010 during the period the district laid-off its entire attendance faculty in 2005. It would be beneficial to study student attendance and to come up with viable solutions. Many of the absences in the study included teachers and administrators taking legitimate contractual time off the report associating it with a "culture of absenteeism regardless of how the absence occurred.

There are only two attendance teachers serving 34,000 students in the Buffalo Public Schools. One teacher retired in May 2010 and he was not replaced and his duties focused on the special education students composing about 10,000 in the BPS. And negotiations on re-hiring the laid-off attendance teachers appears stalled.

The Buffalo Teachers Federation two years ago requested the laid-off attendance teachers fill out a survey documenting where they have worked since being laid-off because the district negotiating officials asked for the information. After filling out the form neither the district or the BTF have been in contact with the teachers.

There have been several unsuccessful attempts to get Mr. Philip Rumore to meet with the attendance teachers to explain what is happening during the negotiations with the district.

If a high school had an 86% attendance five years ago and it declines to 73%, the exact time period the attendance teacher laid-off in the district, then, why it has taken it so long for district officials and the union to rehire the laid-off attendance teacher?

So instead of looking for the causes of student academic failure---student absenteeism---the district blames administrators, teachers and teachers aides while attendance teacher still laid-off, and high school attendance rates continue to plummet.

Education Commissioner declined to meet with district parent group

Education Commissioner to visit Buffalo on Monday, September 19, 2010. School Board President Ralph Hernandez and School Board possibly to meet with commissioner privately at the dismay of Superintendent James Williams opposed to the idea.

Mean while the District Parent Coordinating Committee wanted to meet with the commissioner he rejected.

State education commissioner visits Buffalo

A visit to Buffalo today by the state education commissioner led Superintendent James A. Williams to clearly acknowledge for the first time that he must -- and will -- remove the principals in three of the city's lowest-performing schools.

Ramon Jimenez, Attorney General Candidate, New York State

New attendance initiatives in NYC

Mayor Bloomberg has embarked on an ambition plan to improve school attendance and combat truancy in the NYC public schools, using a plan incorporating "volunteer mentors" to track the absent students.

Where are the truancy officers or the attendance teachers in the NYC schools in this plan? In the press release on the website of the NYC department of education, attendance teachers are not cited. Why not? Attendance teachers have special powers given to them by NYS Education law to not only compel the parents to send the students to school, but to arrest truant students. And a plan that does not incorporate this essential personnel with the years of experience they have behind them in a school attendance and truancy project is questionable and troubling.

Nearly ten years ago in 2002, the State Education Department (Section 104.1 of Commissioner's Regulations) required school districts to develop a Comprehensive Attendance Policy and requires the Boards of education or designee to review the yearly attendance data and if it drops to initiate a plan of improvement. The community should hold school districts and boards of education accountable for revamping attendance policy causing high truancy rates in a school district.

Thus, laws and regulations should be enforced and the personnel hired to get the job done such as a cadre of professional attendance teachers. The problem with the NYC plan is that it's window dressing the problem rather than seriously allowing those professionals in the field to improve on what methods have worked in the past.

But this requires Bloomberg and his lawyer Commissioner of Education to dedicate a source of permanent funding since there has been too many cuts in the budget of those in charge with attendance in the school district.

In the City of Buffalo, attendance has gone down since the district laid-off all of its attendance faculty in 2005 over a labor dispute with the Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF).

So 15 attendance teacher laid-off and it has had a devastating impact on the school attendance of Junior high school and high school students with some high schools averaging as low as 74% attendance where before the attendance teachers laid off it had been 86%.

Still the data in hand, the Buffalo City School District officials continue to argue the merits of bringing back the laid off attendance teachers because they hesitate to pay them back their lost salaries which are a pittance of the school budget at over $800 million dollars.

There are only three attendance teachers in the Buffalo Schools for over 34,000 stuents, one retired last May and the District has not yet hired anyone to replace the teacher, leaving only two. And the teacher who retired had responsbility for the Special Education population numbering over 10,000 students.

Pedro Noguera: Politics of education: Schools vs slogans

On August 24 Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the ten winners of the latest Race to the Top competition. "These states show what is possible when adults come together to do the right thing for children," said Duncan. The winners—the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island—were understandably thrilled. Each will receive tens of millions of dollars (large states, even more) to implement reforms that the administration believes will spur innovation and promote academic excellence.

Assembly Member Sam Hoyt called education deformer

Buffalo Assemblyman Sam Hoyt name appeared on a "hot list" the Democrats for Education Reform (remember when they inundated Buffalo during the School Board District election in May), trying to influence the out-come of the school races successful in returning all of the incumbents and one new member?

Well, Democrats for Education Reform sent out a communication asking supporters to write checks out to the politicians on the "hot list" because they support charter schools. And Fred Klonsky's blog predicted "there is a good chance they will go down" in the September primaries.

Except don't hold your breath in Buffalo. Sam Hoyt isn't going anywhere at least not yet, though, his fellow competitor Joseph Golombek has tried one time before came close but failed. And with all of the $$$ Hoyt has it looks as though he'll get back in again.

Buffalo Massacre: Victims Speak Up

Over 1000 African Americans and the families of the victims murdered in cold blood 4 dead, 4 wounded in one of the worst massacres in the history of Buffalo at a downtown restaurant, City Grill on August 14, 2010. The Buffalonews paper criticized for publishing the criminal records of the victims in what the African-American community viewed as racist and insensitive. Margaret Sullivan, Editor and Vice-President of the News appeared at this forum with members of her staff in a historic forum at True Bethel Baptist Church, Ferry St., Buffalo. Pastor Darius Pridgen, candidate for the Ellicott District, presided over the event. read more at: the BuffaloEmpire Star

State education commissioner to visit buffalo

State Education Commissioner David M. Steiner visiting Buffalo soon in a rare visit with the Buffalo Board of Education. The visit prompted by Superintendent's James A. Williams attempt to conceal a letter from the Board outlining information about the persistently failing schools and his failure to remove principals from failing schools mandated by federal law, resulting in the possible loss of millions of dollars to the district.

State appointed team cited Attendance a problem in Buffalo high schools

A state appointed Joint Intervention Team issued a report calling for sweeping changes in seven Buffalo Public schools designated as persistently lowest-achieving.

The high schools cited as "persistently lowest-achieving" in the Buffalo News paper on Tuesday, August 16, are Lafayette, Riverside, Burgard Vocational High School, Bennett High School, South Park High School, and two elementary schools International School #45 and Martin Luther King Jr. Multicultural Institute.

Attendance in these high schools today range from a low 74% at Riverside to 81% at Bennett High School, according to the statistics in the report.

And attendance in all these high schools was higher before the District laid off the Attendance teachers in 2005, only Grover Cleveland had the lowest. After Attendance teachers laid-off, the Attendance rates in all these schools declined gradually year after year as in the case of Riverside High School from 86% to 74%.

What is shameful is district officials continue to argue the merits of whether the Attendance teachers should be recalled and rehired. It has been on the negotiating table since the appellate court ruling in 2008 while the attendance rates plummeted yearly, causing the low graduation and drop-out rates in these high schools.

Yet, missing from the report is the Buffalo Public School System at one time had a stellar Attendance Department that district officials gradually whittled down and chipped away at it until abolishing it around 2002, replacing a director with a supervisor while removing the Attendance teachers from the schools, railroading and warehousing them in an empty building formerly the old Kensington High School after it closed. In retrospect, the decision to down-size an essential department in a large school district as Buffalo behooves revisiting. Why?

And in July 27, 2005, in a dispute between the district and the Buffalo Teachers Federation over the single health care carrier issue, the district laid-off fiftheen Attendance teachers essentially it wiped out an entire faculty except for three of the most senior ones to oversee a district of 40,000 students. Why?

That's why attendance rates started to drop yearly, the Joint Intervention Team report, calling for an Attendance Policy again. How is it that a large school district as Buffalo doesn't have an Attendance policy mandated by the Commissioner's Regulations dating back to the year 2000?

Although the lay-off letter the district sent to the Attendance teachers on July 27, 2005 assured them they were "working around the clock" and would consider them for other positions should any become available, except for one African-American Attendance teacher rehired in another tenure area as a guidance counselor at School #89 in September 2009, none of the other teachers were offered a similar opportunity, continuing laid-off six years later while their status supposedly is on the table during current contract negotiations. Why?

The BTF sent a letter to the attendance teachers back in 2008, a form letter asking questions regarding their employment status allegedly the district at a meeting with union officials requested the information. School officials wanted to know what they had to pay back when they recall and rehire them. But there has been no other contact with the BTF or the district and teachers feel things are in limbo. Mean while attendance rates continue to decline. The Joint Intervention Team cited attendance as a problem in the report.

And in 2008, the Appellate court issued a ruling on the single health carrier insurance case, vacating the part calling for rehiring of the Attendance teachers wrongfully writing in its decision that the teachers were "not contractually entitled to job security."Yet the majority of the Attendance teachers laid-off had tenure and had "contract" status with the district.

While the Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) prevailed in the dispute with the district over the single health issue, the district did not have to rehire the attendance teachers though the court should have made them rehire the tenured ones with contract status. Why the district allowed to abolish the jobs of tenure teachers without cause? Likewise, why did the BTF allow it to happen? What implications does it have for tenure teachers in the Buffalo Public Schools in a similar situation in the future? And why is it taking so long to settle this matter? It certainly is having a devastating impact on the education of the students in the Buffalo schools reflected in the report the Joint School Intervention team cited.

A teacher who has tenure a permanent appointment after successfully completing a three-year probationary period can not be removed without cause and afforded a hearing. When a teacher has tenure they have property rights in their jobs protected under the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

In the case of the Attendance teachers their positions were abolished without cause or a bonafide reason--though the district reasoned the lay-off were done to prevent mid-year cuts in the schools back in 2005--in violation of their property rights. The mid-year cuts never happened ever since the district collected over a million monthly in the savings it realized through the single health carrier insurance it had imposed on the teachers without negotiation it.

And, the Appellate Court wrongfully decided to vacate the part of re-hiring the Attendance teachers though most of them had tenure a permanent appointment therefore "contractually entitled to job security," something they ruled these teachers didn't have, why?

The Buffalo teachers have been without a contract since July 2004, six years during the five-year tenure of Superintendent Williams while the Buffalo Board of Education extending his contract in June until 2014. The issue of re-hiring the laid-off Attendance teachers supposedly is on the table during the current contract negotiations. It's a pity the status of these teachers continues in limbo because rehiring them would jump start the horrific declining attendance rates in the high schools as well as help to decrease drop-out rates and increase graduation rates since all of the high schools cited in the report had from 44% to 48% graduation rates.

What is it going to take to compel the district to rehire the Attendance teachers? It's time the community demand the Board of Education rehire the Attendance teachers immediately.

Districts waiting on Federal dollars infusion

Buffalo News reported schools waiting on more federal dollars infusion soon this summer or in the fall.

East District School Board Member Vivian Evans takes job in Maryland, Dr. Harris-Tigg alarmed residents left without representation

The Buffalo News reported on August 10, that East District School Board Member, Vivian O. Evans has accepted a job in Maryland administering unemployment benefits to residents.

Evans issued a statement she plans to commute to Buffalo weekly and bi-weekly to attend board meetings in another Buffalo News article on August 12th. Evans called her new job a temporary one and she plans to continue searching for a job in Buffalo.

The residents in her district are troubled by the report of Evans departure from the City of Buffalo like former School Board candidate and East District resident Dr. Theresa Harris-Tigg who ran for the East District seat in May, and lost to Evans by a few votes.

Dr. Harris-Tigg is concerned about Evans..." working in another state and maintaining a school board seat in Buffalo. She wrote, "we have huge challenges in Buffalo's schools! We need representation that is accessible, available and accountable. As you recall I ran for the East District Seat and lost by a small margin. I still desire to serve my community... raise your voices and join me to let the Board know..."

School Board President, Ralph Hernandez called a meeting Wednesday to discuss the matter but only two other Board members showed up, at-large Member John Licata and Park District, Lou Petrucci both excused because a lack of quorum.

Licata suggested the Board should start collecting resumes in case Evans resigns and called it untenable for her to want to continue as a Board member while residing in Maryland on a long-term basis.

Residents in the East District asked to attend the Wednesday, August 25th, School Board meeting at 5 PM, in Rm 801, City Hall to voice their concerns to gather neighbors and family to attend because our children and families deserve better! Call the Board at 816-3570 and voice your concern!

If you plan to speak at the Board meeting residents must call 816-3570 the day before on Tuesday, August 24 before 11 AM to sign up as a Speaker.

Preciosa -video por el Asambleista Jose Rivera,Bronx,N.Y.

According to the report "Raising the Achievement of English Language Learners in the Buffalo Public Schools most of the students in this video would not graduate from school in Buffalo: 21 percent versus 55 percent state wide (Winter 2009-2010) Council of the Great City Report)

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.