Sale Away with WIVB

The January 30, 2016 Buffalo News reports in the Local Section that WIVB is up for sale again. It was purchased last year and now, the organization that purchased it is facing the possibility of being bought.

So here we have media consolidation, as it is called in Communications classes. It is also a form of monopoly control. Fewer people owning more of a commodity. In this case, the news. More dangerously, it is called information. The information that we as a society need to govern ourselves and be informed about what is actually going on.

WKBW is owned by Scripps. It broadcasts ABC News, which is owned by Disney.

WIVB is potentially going to be owned by Nexstar. It broadcasts CBS, which is owned by Viacom.

WGRZ is owned by Gannett (pronounced “money”). It broadcasts NBC, which is owned by General Electric last I knew.

Fox is owned by Rupert Murdoch and we all know his conservative tendencies.

CNN is owned by Ted Turner and, contrary to popular misconception, he is hardly a liberal.

PBS is owned by the US government. As Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting points out in at least two studies and in numerous articles, it has a bias towards conservatives and their viewpoint over centrists and liberals. It ignores progressives pretty much and totally boycotts socialists. Our local station and its sub-channel stay fairly mainstream in what they broadcast and report.

There are two independent TV stations, WBBZ and WBXZ. Nice nostalgia programming. No news that I am aware of or political talk shows. There used to be a political discussion show on WBBZ but it was basically capitalist and I can only listen to so much Carl PalidiNO before I wish I never had the surgery that saved my hearing.

The Buffalo News is owned by Warren Buffett. While he is fairly charitable with his money, we must remember that he makes his money off of Wall Street. At heart he is a capitalist and t shows in what is reported in the News.

We don't really have another major newspaper in this region. There are smaller, local papers, but show me something socialist or labor oriented in their reporting.

I won't go into the radio market because the situation is so similar, but a few own most of the stations and what is independent doesn't go far from the mainstream. There is a low power FM station in Jamestown, but I can only listen to it on the Internet. Not much help in my car.

Even Sirius XM (which I subscribe to in order to get something other than the play list music that I hear on WNY radio) doesn't go far. It's left wing station is, at best, progressive and, aside from Black Agenda Report, what I've heard has a reformist tendency. They want to reform capitalism, not overthrow it,

WNY needs a socialist media, I subscribe to the Socialist Action Newspaper, but that doesn't cover local news. We need to have socialists of all stripes band together and make a newspaper that espouses socialism as a solution to the repeated crises that capitalism heaps upon us. (BTW – Get ready for the next stock market crash and economic crisis.)

We need a local socialist newspaper that gives a socialist and labor viewpoint on what's going on in our region.

We need a socialist radio station (or at a minimum, radio program(s)) that allows us to get our message out.

We need time on local TV stations to present our point of view and perspectives.

In my browsing on the web of independent media sites and of various other news resources I am not really surprised at the candidacy of VT Senator Bernie Sanders. He is speaking what the people on the street say, as opposed to former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who espouses Wall Street.

People are open to the ideas of socialism. I think more to the left of what Bernie talks about with his vision of social democracy. Even further to the left of Dr Jill Stein of the Green Party with what seems to me to be environmentally friendly capitalism with social democratic tendancies.

How are they going to get this information and find out about America's rich socialist history?

The media is the best way to reach a wide variety of people.

It's time we started pushing in on the glass doors that keep us out.

BTF Rejects Kriner's Cash

The Buffalo News has reported that the Buffalo Teacher's Federation has unanimously rejected the Buffalo School District's proposed pay increase of 10%. This amounts to less than 1% per year. We need to remember that they have been working without a contract for almost 11 years now.

This translates into a loss of $600,000 lifetime earnings and over $10,000 in retirement benefits. The district also demanded an increase in the amount of money that teachers would pay for their health insurance benefits, which would be reduced. They also want a longer school day and school year.

Buffalo is losing out on the fight for good new teachers. As experienced teachers retire or leave for districts where the pay and benefits packages are better, the lack of a good contract that respects teacher for who they are and what they do is crippling the district and harming the students.

Lumped on top of these problems is the fact that Superintendent Cash has received from Commissioner Elia receivership power of 20 more schools potentially (for a total of 25 schools) and there is a very hostile environment in the district that will and is scaring away good new teachers. Rather than being a first choice for aspiring teachers, it is becoming the district of last resort according to student teachers that I have spoken with over the last few years.

The News article also reported on other aspects of the pay scale and benefits which might be able to be ratified if the district resolves the back pay issue. That is the 800 pound elephant, gorilla (choose your large animal) in the room that needs to be addressed.

All teachers want is to be respected and the Buffalo School Board has been nothing short of unfair to the teachers for over a decade. With the newer members being anti-union, anti-teacher, and pro-privatization, I don't see how Buffalo can even think about planning an educational renaissance.

I have read several stories about teacher turnover in private, charter schools. Teachers are overworked, underpaid and threatened with firing if they even talk of unionization. This creates an unstable atmosphere that contributes to the stress of teaching.

Buffalo's students and families deserve better than this.

Teachers need:

1. Fair compensation from 2004 to present. They have worked hard without a contract. Give them what they deserve.

2. Fair benefits: Appropriate health insurance and retirement. If the state can kick all this money out for charter schools (which cost more than public schools), they can help with these issues.

3. Respect from the School Board. Face it – No teachers, no education, and no schools. Teachers are the ones on the front lines of education. The School Board is like the generals who make all the plans and sit back and await the glory. I do need to double check to see if any board members are retired teachers. (And pardon my use of a military analogy there. It fit.)

4. Respect from the media. Throughout this whole situation in Buffalo the media has done nothing but slam the Buffalo teachers as the problem. Aside form teaching college courses, does anyone in the media have any educational expertise? They should read Tony Danza's book and offer a front page formal apology for their baseless attacks on the teachers.

It's Key to Stop the First Niagara Merger

The proposed merger of Key Bank and First Niagara has been all over the news and I never thought to say anything against it because there was actually a decent amount of negative news coverage across the board against it.

On WIVB (Channel 4) I saw an economist stating that this merger/buy out was the only way for Key Bank to show a profit and keep it's stock prices up. Nice for someone to tell the truth.

This merger has nothing to do with improving bank services. As all the protesters have stated, this will result in the closing of bank branches and inconveniencing the minority communities that First Niagara services.

The same broadcast segment focused on loans made by Key Bank (I believe). To the minority communities that First Niagara serves that is less important than the fact that they have a local bank that they can deposit money into and have checking accounts with.

PUSH of Buffalo was out in protest against the merger. Socialists need to join them in their protests against the merger and stand up for smaller banks that are responsive and responsible to their communities and depositors.

If the merger goes through, PUSH of Buffalo and socialist need to join the campaign for Postal banking services. Many years ago the Postal Service used to offer banking services. The banks forced the government out of this area. We need either a return to postal banking or all First Niagara depositors to remove their money and work to build local credit unions that will serve the needs of the community.

We have until midnight Sunday I believe to post comments against the proposed merger. It may be extended. We need to fight against the merger and have the banks made responsible to local depositors over Wall Street.

Charter School Claims Funding Unfair

In today's Buffalo News James Niemeier writes in “State's funding formula is unfair to charter schools” that the state needs to increase funding to charter schools because they do not receive enough money.  Charter schools receive $0.60 per student for every dollar of tax payer money that a public school student receives.

Let's examine this.

First: We need to remember that charter schools are not public schools. They are private schools. Under no circumstances at all is the state obligated to fund a private school. State taxes do not fund Imaculatta Academy. Nor do they fund St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute. Or the Nardin Academy. They are all private. So are charter schools.

That, right here, ends the argument. Technically it does. However, I shall press on.

Second: Charter schools were promoted by private interest groups that want to make a profit off of education. They came into vogue with President (sic &sick) George W Bush's signature law (actually one of several, but I digress.) No Child Left Behind. (Actually untested. All this useless mandated testing comes from that law which research has shown to be based on flawed practices.) If a school did not perform well on flawed tests, the school could be taken over by a private interest and they maintain control over the school as long as they show “adequate yearly progress” on flawed tests.

Third: Charter schools, like private schools, can pick and choose (they call it a “lottery”) who they want. Students can be accepted into the school via a “lottery” but if they have discipline problems or other issues they can be expelled and put back into the public school system.

Now, I work in a public school. If we have a “problem child” we are responsible to find a way to help them succeed/pass/whatever you want to call it. Charter schools get to dump off such children into the public school system WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE. Read that last sentence again. Slowly and carefully. And they can replace the student with a better performing applicant.

In reality, every student that is expelled from a charter school should be counted against it as a failure. Every student that drops out of public school counts against it as a failure. Let's make the rules even for all. One rule – equally applied – to all parties. Fair and square. Given the monied interests behind the charter school movement, this is not going to happen.

Charter schools are notorious for skimming the best and the brightest out of the public school system and leaving the lower performing students behind. This drops the public schools test scores down and leads to further privatization. It's a self-feeding downward spiral.

Now, if charter schools are so great, which I have every reason to doubt that they are, they should be mandated to take the “bottom feeders” out of the public schools. The students at greatest risk of failure, dropping out, etc. The students that need 1 to 1 aides in order to function. They read at a 4^th grade level in 11^th grade. (No lie – I had that happen. The student figured out how to beat the system and made a mistake that a reading specialist caught. They did not like having their schedule changed so that they could receive remedial services.) The students that need AIS (Academic Intervention Services) to pass core classes.  That have to take Regents exams 2 and 3 times to pass.  The very students that they don't want. But then again, those are the very students that they need to prove their point – that they are a viable educational option and perform better than public schools.

Fourth: He complains that charter schools receive no money for facilities. He needs to go to Rochester and look at some of those public schools. Or New York City. The stories of moldy buildings, mildew, ceiling tiles that have caved in from leaky roofs, lavatories that don't work,  water fountains that aren't, heating that might work in wintertime, and no AC in summer. Then there are the rats, mice, and cockroaches (and other insects) that crawl around the school in daytime. He needs to get out of his bubble and look at the reality of public schooling and see what inner city schools have to deal with and then cut his complaining about the publicly built school that the organization that he is representing bought for a song. Those of us that are familiar with the South Buffalo Charter School remember it a s Public School #29. Yes. It was a public school that was closed back in 1977, turned into a police station, before being totally closed and sold to the SBCS for less than what it was worth.

Now, next Tuesday is Charter School Action Day in Albany. Mr Niemeier is taking a group of students to Albany to lobby for better funding. Imagine that. A private school lobbying the government for more money. That's just rich.

My question is – who's paying for this trip? Is this coming out of school funds (which would be better spent on the students in classrooms, on textbooks, teachers, library materials, computers and other technology) or is this being paid for by a private donor?

If he's complaining about a lack of funds, is this the best way to spend what limited money the school has?

Furthermore, I have to deal with a publicly elected school board. What public representation and control do parents have over the South Buffalo Charter School? None? Then it is a private school and should be receiving no public money. Either the entire board is elected by the parents that send their children to the school (and he gets the joy of dealing with parents) or it is a private school with no accountability to the public?  Beyond some toke government oversight.  And I do mean token.

There are a host of problems with charter schools. Read the writings of Diane Ravitch for starters. She was one of the authors of that incredibly fallacious report under President (sick) Reagan, A Nation at Risk. The only risk we were under was violation of the constitution, which he did quite well, and fiscal irresponsibility. (What else would you call someone that tripled the federal deficit in 8 years?) That's the start of the Reagan problems. I digress though.

Furthermore, go to Public School Shakedown, hosted by The Progressive magazine. It digs deeper into the charter school scam and how the public school system is under attack from corporate interests that are intent on making money off of schools and students.

Rather than wasting his time on this article and taking students away from precious educational time (standardized tests start in 2 months and we all know what that means- stress and anxiety!) he should be spending his time going to private donors that support charter schools – like Carl PaladiNO and his cronies. Bill and Melinda Gates have plenty of money that they are giving away. He has a better chance of getting money from them, Warren Buffett, George Soros, and other capitalists than getting blood from that stone that is Albany.

So, pack your bags for Washington, Wall Street, and wherever you can find charter school supporters. Leave our taxes out of your private school.

The state of the State, or lack thereof

Governor Cuomo gave his State of the State address well over a week ago and I am just finally getting around to reading and analyzing it.  Late,  I  know, but we will be living under this vision for the next year and I want to respond to his claims.  Aside from the glowing and flowery language that Governor Cuomo uses to try and describe the "great" condition that he wants to believe that NY is either in or headed towards ... I'm not buying his speech.

Aside from his various greetings,  he claims that NY has political differences, not political divisions.  We are divided.  Upstate is played off against downstate/NYC.  Urban is played off against suburban and against rural.  Even then,  in the cities there are the rich and poor sections.  And everyone argues what is best for the diminishing middle class.  We are divided.  

Economically.  

There are racial divisions.  African American vs whites.  Immigrants vs natives.  

The claim that the Republicans and Democrats are united and can get things done - they are two sides of the same coin.   And progress for whom?  Wall Street and the 1% or the rest of us?  

The 2% Tax Cap - Cuomo limited tax increases to 2% a year,  which he claims will help the over taxed NY residents.  We are over taxed because the Governor's office keeps handing out tax breaks to the 1%, Wall Street,  and corporations.  Money is still needed to fix roads, bridges, run government, etc.  Since he's not taking it from the rich,  it comes from everyone else.  I would be paying less in taxes if the 1% paid their fair share.  Everyone else would be too.

Unemployment Numbers: 4.8% is the claim.  Does that count the underemployed?  The people working beneath their degrees?  Those that are working 2 jobs (or more) to make ends meet?  Those that have given up looking for work and are doing whatever to get by?  With all that taken into account the actual unemployment numbers are more likely 12-15%.

 

Then we need to look at how the different races and sexes are treated.  Unemployment is much higher for African Americans and Latinos than whites.  And I'm sure the same goes for women and  LGBTQ  versus males.

The Budget:  Governor Cuomo is proposing a $145 billion budget. Who will that help? Us or the 1%? I think we the people will see superficial gains while the 1% will have a field day.

Economic Growth:  His proposal for growth is the old cut taxes and the people who receive the money will spend it and build up the economy.  President Reagan called that "Trickle down economics."  Dr. Paul Craig Roberts,  the "Father of Reaganomics," said that this was a scam.  It was designed to cut taxes for the rich and pass the cost burdens onto the poor and middle class.  Governor Cuomo is putting that into place in NY.

Tax Cuts: NY is open for business?  Depends upon your business.  Cuomo wants to cut taxes for specific businesses down to 4% and a 15% income exemption for partnerships and S-Corporations .  Read the link and I can see major corporations manipulating that very easily.  

Mandates:  Cuomo claims that these will be reduced.  I, as with all people in NY,  will believe it when I see it.  And what of the mandate that the middle class and the poor pay for the 1%’s tax cuts?  Will that end?

And Medicaid helps the poor and actually lowers our costs because preventative medicine is more affordable than emergency room care.  So the poor are going to see their services cut?  Or is the state going to pick up more?  Or what?

Costs of Local Government:  This has been called the greatest waste that we face - All the duplication of services, etc.  So Governor Cuomo is going to ask (force?) us to consolidate?  Does he really mean “Do more with less?”  Are there some services that just can’t be combined and shared.  Especially in a snowstorm.  

“Build to Lead” - This is a fancy way of saying “maintenance.” Airports, bridges, and other transportation hubs are going to have to be built and maintained.  This is common sense and saves us money rather than costing us more.  To me,  this is just a fancy name to cover up the fact that Governor Cuomo (and,  to be fair,  previous governors) have been ignoring critical infrastructure.  By giving it a fancy name he is hoping to cover this up.

Upstate & the Thruway:  The Thruway is what makes this state “run.”  The I-90 is one of the,  if not the best, designed highway system in the US.  It takes money to keep it usable.  So I don’t see how he is going to freeze tolls and maintain it.  I sincerely doubt that this can be done.  

Eliminating Tolls for the Agricultural Sector:  Nice idea.  How is this going to be paid for?

Upstate Road and Bridges:  Why were they allowed to get into such bad condition in the first place?  I always hear about the Upstate-Downstate divide.  The roads and bridges show it.  Two years away from the next election,  Cuomo decides to do something about it.  

Water & Sewer:  Did Detroit have something to do with this?  There was talk before the big story broke nationally.  I think this is a CYA ploy. (Cover your a$$.)

Regional Economic Development Councils:  I am presuming that is what the next section of his speech is about.  The “I love NY” campaign is splashed all over my TV.  I’m already here.  Why is this being advertised to me?  And if we are generating $100 billion from this campaign,  where is the money going to?  More appropriately, to who?

Greek Yogurt Production - Does he mean the plant in Batavia that closed down and the owners walked away with $3 million?  And don’t have to pay it back.  What about the 170 workers that lost their jobs?  It might be coming back if the Missouri based co-op completes the purchase.  Why not start a dairy co-op that would handle that here?  Owned and controlled by NY dairy farmers?  

Climate Change:  Yes we need to do something about this.  We need everyone to do something about this.  We need more solar, wind, and water generation.  There is work also being done on geothermal.  This also needs to maintain the ban on fracking and closing the nuclear plants that we have in this state.  Indian Point and others must be closed down - look at Fukushima for a reason why.  A meltdown of any plant can be dangerous.

Coal Based Power Plants:  These need to be converted to solar, wind, tidal, etc.  We have no need to burn coal or gas anymore.

Education- SUNY & CUNY:  Invest more and turn the adjuncts into full time teachers.  NYSUT has a campaign going on about this.  We need to support our adjuncts.  We also need to stop wasting tax dollars on college sports.  When coaches are being paid more than professors there is a problem.  The professional teams need to support the lower levels.  

Education K-12:  This is underfunded to say the least.  And the $25 billion is a nice start to getting us back to pre-recession/depression spending levels.  It needs to be higher.  Stop wasting tax dollars on college coaches and sporting programs and use that money to support K-12 education instead.  How many good,  new and innovative teachers have we lost to cuts?  Many of them aren’t coming back.

Testing Opt Out:  This was largely an upper-class white suburban phenomenon.  That is the only reason it is being paid attention to.  Make it a lower class and minority issue and Cuomo & co would have ignored it and punished the schools.  Race and wealth matters.

$200 tax credit for teachers:  I wish I spent that little on my students.  That doesn’t even cover what some teachers spend.  Teachers need a 100% reimbursement on classroom expenditures.

Universal Pre-K for All:  Finally.  About time.  Especially in impoverished areas.  And the state is going to foot the cost,  Good.  Now do it.

Community Schools:  This sounds like a good idea.  IF it means that the public still controls the school.  Everything that I have read on this points to privatization of the school.  More services for the poor is good - mental health,  social services, counseling, etc, located in one central place.  We need to keep our schools public though.

Public Safety & Prisons:  Better intelligence sharing would be good,  Wouldn’t it be better to treat some crimes as social issues rather than punishment?  Drugs, prostitution, etc.  The so called “victimless” crimes.   And for those that do “need” to go to prison because they are a public safety threat,  rather than punishment,  let’s change to rehabilitation.  

Police Review:  Ok.  I’ll believe this one when Eric Garner gets justice and the police stop harassing witnesses.  We need independent prosecutors and investigators.  NQA on this.  

$15 Now:  I think the only reason he is doing this is to try to cut the movement off at the pass.  The Democrats are afraid of any leftward movement of society.  This is a tactical move on his part.  I do like how he talks about McDonald’s, etc, receiving corporate welfare for their minimum wage jobs,  After all,  look at the compensation packages at the corporate level and the profits from stocks and you know they can pay more.

The Homeless:  Nice talking points.  We need action points.  Why are people homeless?  Lack of jobs, mental health issues, other problems.  There is no need for homelessness.  And the supervision of the shelters is a good idea to make sure that the homeless are being taken care of and receiving good care.  (See City Mission & St Luke’s Mission of Mercy for 2 groups that work to do their best in a bad situation.)  More money to help the shelters is a good idea and give the overwhelmed shelters time to improve.  They have suffered from years of being crushed by circumstances that they are not equipped to handle properly - mental health issues, drug and alcohol problems,  whole families, etc.

Closing the LLC Loophole:  I’ll believe it when I see it.  This provides for too many donations to politicians and I see them fighting this every step of the way.  And if it looks like a lobbyist,  smells like a lobbyist,  and acts like a lobbyist,  it’s a …..  Lobbying needs to be limited to citizens only.  Formal lobbying organizations need to be disbanded.  

Public Campaign Financing:  Will this be open to third parties?  And can we get rid of all this gerrymandering and go to proportional representation?  PS - I want more debates at the governor’s level.  One is an insult,  At least four (NYC, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo,  possibly Potsdam?)

Freedom of Information Act - It’s federal law,  Enforce it?  No exclusions for any person or organization.  We need to know who our elected officials meet with and for what purpose.  In state or out of state.

Ethics:  If a government official is convicted of a crime of office,  they should lose their pension.  

Constitutional Convention: NYSUT just released something on this.  I need to know more.  We do need to fix our government though,  And it needs to be done by the citizens and for the citizens.

Automatic Voter Registration:  Registration when a person gets a licence is a good first step.  What about people that don’t get licences?  Make it automatic at 18 and a state issued photo id (non-drivers licence) for those that do not drive.  

Paid Family Leave:  Yes we need this for family illness.  In any industry.  It is a crying shame the way workers are treated versus the 1%.

Cancer Screening:  This is personal to me and many people that I know.  Screening is the 2nd best defence.  The best defence is prevention.  We need to get the toxic chemicals out of our food supply and out of our every day items.  Industry knows what is dangerous.  Cancer is the price we pay for their cheating on the research.  If it is dangerous,  it needs to be phased out immediately.  And any industry that uses or produces cancer causing chemicals must set up a cancer treatment fund to cover the treatment of the condition that their use of the chemicals caused.

Cuomo has set an ambitious agenda,  How much of it he will achieve?  I doubt much of it.  I’ll see and hear the propaganda on the TV and radio. Some things have been - LGBTQ rights - others are a work in progress.

I know this is a little disjointed. However it is a response to the capitalist leadership that resides in Albany.  

If we want any of this or anything more - we need to be as loud as $15Now and #BlackLivesMatter.  If not louder.

Let’s learn from what works.   

Update: January 28, 2016

 During his State of the State address Cuomo also made his obligatory push for charter schools and the privatization of the education system.

A more structured statement about the State of the State address will be forthcoming.

And,as usual, the capitalist press cheered him on. They know whom they can count on to keep them in power.  

Kriner's Vision Test

In the Buffalo News on Tuesday (January 25, 2016) Superintendent Kriner Cash's vision for the Buffalo City School District was laid out. It was presented as a simple six point plan. He calls it his “New Educational Bargain.”

Simply put – at stake is the future of Buffalo's children and their opportunity to succeed in this world. Either that or get so sick of what's going on that they give up on life and settle for “riding the curve.”

His plan, with my critique, is as follows:

Point #1: Rigorous early elementary education with a focus on math and reading. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard this from a school official. I'd be a part of the 1%. This will mean hiring more teachers, more reading specialists, expanding pre kindergarten services to all children.

And he plans to lower class sizes to 18 students. More teachers and teacher's aides will be needed for that. I have yet to see an elementary school that can survive without the use of aides in the classroom or extensive use of parental volunteers. This is an admirable goal. If he can achieve it.

Question: Will each elementary school have a fully staffed library? (Librarian and aide.) And will it have up to date print material as well as access to the Internet (for something other than games and cheesy YouTube videos.)

It also means making sure that students go to the same elementary school continuously. In my teacher prep days I visited an elementary school in Buffalo where students shuffled in and out almost every week. Without a stable place to live – a home – what good will this idea do? It sounds lofty and ignores the reality of the housing situation that many of the city's poor people face.

Also – what of the ELL population? English Language Learners. Immigrants that don't speak English very well, if at all. Is he planning on hiring more LOTE (Language Other Than English) teachers? And look at the languages in Buffalo. Sure we have Spanish, Chinese, Burmese, Arabic, and many others. I think it is Lafayette HS that had 40 different languages being spoke in it. What's the plan to handle that?

Point #2: Strong Community Schools. This supposedly means schools that serve as education centers, social service centers, and community centers. How many classrooms are going to be sacrificed for all these different venues?

It is great that he wants to make the school the center of the community. But all these services are going to need space. So, either space is being added on or there will be smaller schools.

Point #3: New Innovative High Schools. By this is meant tying the high school to the Medical Corridor, Solar City, or other capitalist venture. It is like the current vocational education programs, but tied to one specific industry and that industry basically controls the school. This sounds like aback door privatization to me. (Both #2 & #3 have been used to privatize schools to my understanding.)

Point #4: Extended Learning Experience for All. This is NewSpeak for a longer school day. Not that any research supports this. Not for students or teachers. Students burn out rather easily, I work with teens and I see it every day. Especially when administering state mandated exams. How does he plan to accomplish this without draining students out completely? And accommodate after school activities like clubs and sports? (Can't cut the sports no matter how expensive they are.)

Point #5: Services to the Neediest of students. Mental health and counseling is what this sounds like. Why he didn't make this a part of Point #2 is beyond me. It is where it fits.

Point #6: New Relationship with Teachers. This means several things.

First: Settle the contract. It has been over ten (that's 10) years since the last contract was in effect. This has been uttered by every superintendent. With a school board that has the possibility of having a hostile (to teachers) majority led by Carl PaladiNO, this is pie in the sky. The Board needs to bargain in good faith. And that means that they need to stop attacking and slamming the teachers.

Second: Get the teachers input into what is and is not working in the schools. They know the schools at the ground level, what's working and what's not. Make sure that they have an important voice at the table.

Third: Most importantly – Take receivership off the table. Currently 25 schools are either set for or are being threatened by receivership. What this means is that they have two years to completely turn around or they will be turned over to an outside organization. That is NewSpeak for “privatized.”

Superintendent Cash came into the Buffalo CSD and, on short notice, began making changes with minimal information. We do not know how he arrived at the conclusions that he has. We have no insight into the methods or methodology that he used to come up with his plan.

In my opinion, he went into an antiques shop with a sledge hammer and started swinging. (I'm speaking metaphorically here.  I can very well see the opponents of public education misusing my intention.) 

And what gets broken can't be fixed.

And all this is going to cost money. From what I have read the teachers alone are going to cost over $40 million. And then there are all the program costs, etc. This is one expensive plan.

And Governor “Status” Cuomo isn't going to pony up all that money without strings attached.

Making me wonder, whose puppet is Cash really?

“Crazy Carl's” or Cuomo's?

Or maybe they are two sides of the same coin.

Update January 29, 2016 Kriner's Cash Flow

Superintendent Kriner Cash made his first lobbying effort in Albany for money for the Buffalo CSD, He is campaigning for $40 million to begin the process of privatizing Buffalo's schools, also known as the New Educational Bargain.” It's a bargain alright – for charter schools.

He plans to use this money to reduce K-3 class sizes, change the math and language arts curriculum, and extend the school day and year.

Gov, “Status” Cuomo is planning to send to Buffalo an aid increase of $18.9 million to help with operations budget and push for more “Community Schools.” Everything I've read on those points to charter school, so don't be surprised if that is what happens there.

The area's representatives were reported to be impressed with his plans. No doubt because they receive PAC money from charter school and other privatization advocates.

He also advocated for the state to pick up the costs of the Pre-K program (which it should), more money from the state to help fund health care services for private charter schools (no – private schools should not be receiving taxpayer dollars), and funding for the receivership schools. These are schools that have two years to make drastic changes or they will be handed over to “outside management.” That is a fancy/code way of saying “privatized.” The state should be providing no money at all for charter schools that are not accountable or responsible to the publicly elected school board.

 

Testing for what purpose?

So today is the half way point in the school year.  NYS is giving students a chance to retake Regents Exams that they scored poorly on in June or over the summer.  Maybe they'll get a better score.  Maybe not.

I can't do any of the work that I need to do because the library that I work is has been commandeered so that the exams can be given.  The main area,  the small instruction room,  the adjoining conference room,  any available space has been grabbed for students that need to take whatever test they need to retake so that they can "pass" - whatever that means in this Common Core driven education world.

And last year students found out that right over the border in Pennsylvania there is no Regents exam,  or anything that resembles it.  A former science teacher that grew up in PA and has family down there (still - in spite of the fracking) told them that.  Boy did they get livid.

And then there are the disqualified questions.  The ones that don't make any sense at all.  Like the pineapple vs the rabbit.  That question made no sense at all.  (Kind of like William Faulkner's writings.  I still don't understand him.  The sound and the fury is ... ? What a student does after taking an exam?)  Thankfully it was thrown out.  There are other crappy questions as well.

And then there is the way the tests are graded.  Not by professional educators,  but by whoever is hired and completes the training.  And the tests are graded on a curve.  That means that someone is going to be forced to score below "passing."  Statistically this must happen in educator land somewhere,  so the Board of Regents and the testing corporations set it up this way.  I wonder what they would do if on one test everyone scored a 90% or better?  Would they still require students to fail?

And now Commissioner Elia is looking at rewriting the standards because they were poorly written.  Look at the credentials of the people that wrote them and ask WTF?  How did we get this?

The real failures are the Board of Regents and the testing corporations.

Have they proven that what they are trying to sell us works?  That it actually drives up achievement?

Have thy proven to us that the exams are properly written and actually are the best way to assess what students know?  The complete picture of what a student knows?

Have they found a way to inspire students to want to learn more?

Or have they achieved the exact opposite?

Was everything written poorly and rushed out to meet the demands of No Child Left Behind,  the corporate education takeover plan?

Are students wanting to learn more or are they asking "do we have to know this for the test?"

Do students love school or do they dread going?

As education goes,  so does our nation.

We need to change things and fast or we will lose more than our future.

As socialists we demand:
1. An end to all standardized testing - No more Common Core, PARCC, or Regents exams.  They do not test a student's full knowledge.

2. An end to the vilification of teachers.  We did not create this system.  We only work in it.  Vilify the politicians and other servants of the capitalist class that want to privatize education for profit.

3. A transition to portfolio assessments.  These show a student's abilities in a wide spectrum of activities - from homework,  to classwork,  to individual and group projects, to quizzes and tests.  We need an assessment method that assesses the whole student and challenges them to reflect on their work and improve.

Opinion on opioids

WIVB grabbed my attention yesterday with a story on opioid deaths.  Yes, they are on the rise due to over prescription,  their highly addictive nature,  doctors don't know (because they haven't been taught) how to wean people off of them when they are properly prescribed ...  a whole host of reasons are to blame for this crisis.

There was the arrest, trial, conviction of "Dr Feelgood" in Niagara Falls for his deliberately over prescribing these deadly drugs to people that didn't need them.

The Buffalo News jumped in with a story on drug deaths that complimented WIVB-TV.  What really grabbed my attention was the statement that opioid related deaths are rising in the suburbs.  Inner city - poor, African American, Hispanic, migrants, immigrants,  so what?  Suburbs - rich, upper class (or upper middle class), and predominantly white. According to the Buffalo News article 174 of the 201 deaths were white.  The remainder were split between African Americans (14) and Hispanics (10).  Ninety (90) of the deaths were in Buffalo.  17 lived in rural communities.   That leaves 80 in the suburbs.  This really is a disturbing trend to the power elite.

Rural areas periodically get in on the drug problem.  I read about meth labs being busted,  people being nailed with marijuana, some heroin, etc.

It's the rise in deaths from opioids in the affluent white suburbs that is creating the concern.  Everyone else is evidently disposable?  Not newsworthy? Just another statistic?

According to the News article,  people get hooked on the painkillers,  can't get any more refills on the prescriptions,  and then go to the cheap heroin that is more readily available on the street,  in spite of the ongoing "war on drugs."  (How you declare a war on an object is beyond me.)

Street bound heroin is being laced with Fentanyl,  a high strength pain killer used in cancer treatment, for an even stronger high.  Add to that the Mexican cartels,  which in spite of the war on drugs and the arrests of the narco chiefs,  are still going strong.  Even after the US & Mexico arrested "El Chapo," three times now, the Sinaloa Cartel sprouted new leaders to take his place.  Like the many headed hydra of Greek mythology - strike one head and another rises in its place.  CounterSpin  had a good interview on that very issue.

Narcan is available to stop deaths from overdoses,  but that's still just a stopgap measure.

Gloucester (spelled Gloster), MA has an innovative program that saves the taxpayers money and addresses the addiction problem sounds promising.  Any addict that wwalks into a police station and surrenders their drugs is, via an "Angel Program," sent to a rehab program that gets them off the drugs.  The "Angel Program" is funded by volunteers and donations.  It takes $220 to arrest someone and only $55 to get them into rehab.   Instead of treating the addict like a criminal,  it treats them the addiction like a social problem,  which is what it really is.  In some cases,  the addict leads the police to the dealers,  which deals with that aspect of the problem for a short period of time.  New dealers always spring up. (I was not able to find a link to this story.  I will link to it when I am able to.)

So,  how do we deal with this problem?

First:  Let's teach doctors how to prescribe these deadly and dangerous drugs properly - how to use them to reduce pain and how to wean people off of them so that they don't get addicted.

Second:  Let's get doctors trained so that they know how to treat pain without pills.  I suffer from severe migraines - three different types.  I have a prescription for a bottle of "black box" pain killers that I don't want to fill.  A friend of mine was teaching me some yoga and,  for some reason that neither of us understand, downward facing dog eliminated the headache that I had that usually is a precursor to a migraine.  I've discovered that some of my migraines are related to sinus pressure and I have a deviated septum.  Simple surgery will fix that.  That or a non-addictive decongestant.  What other non-drug pain relieving methods are there?  Can we take them seriously?

Third:  We need to stop criminalizing the addict.  Addiction is a social problem.  America has made it a criminal issue.  Prisons are not trained to handle drug addiction and keeping a person in society close to what matters to them can improve recovery rates.

Fourth:  In cases where a drug addiction has led to a crime,  is imprisonment always the best option?  Is restitution an option?  Will that teach a person more than locking them up in a cell?  Judges need more discretion than the minimum sentencing laws allow.

We need to change the way we deal with drugs and addiction.
What we are doing isn't working.
That is,  if the goal is to put an end to drug abuse.

Sexism in Sports. Seriously.

OK.  Call me whatever you want,  but I have no intentions of watching or rooting for the Buffalo women's professional hockey team.

I'm all for evening out the whole women's profession sports arena.  I see professional men's football,  baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer,  you name it.  Lacrosse.  (OK.  That takes real talent.  I have no idea how the First Nations people play it so well.  Beyond all the practice.  But I digress.)

Right now there are four teams in the league and, by the looks of the schedule,  they spar with women's college teams as well.  There is a women's league in Canada that the National Women's Hockey League might merge with.  So there are plenty of games to watch.

I just can't support them.

There are the NY Riveters.  Their symbol?  Rosie the Riveter.  I can buy into that.  There's a good role model in Rosie.   I'm also a bit of a history fan and my father served in the US Army Air Corps in WWII.  I'm familiar with Rosie and her whole attitude.  Whoever picked this deserves plenty of praise because it shows a "can do" attitude in a positive way and it has a strong positive history.  World War II and with all the help women gave in manufacturing, business, flying, etc.  the Allied powers were able to beat the fascists.  Good choice here.

There is the Boston Pride.  Obviously feline.  A bit of sexism there.  And in their symbol they have the word "Pride" with the "i" as a series of claw marks.  Reminds me too much of a cat fight,  which is what males of our species always seem to call it when women fight.  Not liking this one too much.

Then we have the Hartford Whale.  Get that cutesy smile off the face of that mascot.  Is this hockey or a happy fest?  Look at the Hartford Whalers logo.  Would a man's team have something cutesy like that?  That and "whale" is what males call a female that struggles with weight issues.  Really not happy with this one.

And then there is the Buffalo team.  The Beauts.  Is this hockey or a modeling contest?  Please.  Seriously.  How [insert your choice of expletive here] sexist.

Buffalo's men's team is called the Sabres,  which refers to a type of sword.  It was suggested to me that Buffalo could go with an alliteration - the Sabres and Stilettos.  A stiletto being a type of knife.  Not one that I would want jammed into me.  It is also a type of shoe - a high heeled shoe - that is typically associated with strippers, sex workers,  femme fatales, etc.  They are referred to as "F-me pumps."  Still rather sexist.

I don't know.  The Buffalo Blades?  That sounds violent and do we really need more violence?

I am at a loss here for solutions to this naming dilemma.  Suggestions?

I'm all for women's professional sports and want their talents and abilities recognized.
And I want them to receive the same compensation as their male counterparts.

I'm just sick of all the sexism.

0.12% of not enough is ...?

NYS is out to screw students over.  Right when Governor "Status" Cuomo announces all this money (our taxes actually) going to subsidize private corporations for ten (that's 10) years,  the students - the hopeful and future workers in these corporations - are getting screwed over by Cuomo's school tax cap.

The law limits school taxes to 2% or the rate of inflation - whichever is lower.  It can be over ridden if a super majority of taxpayers (that 60% or more) vote to approve the budget.

This year's tax rate is ... 0.12%.  In many districts that's not even enough to maintain the status quo.  In Cheektowaga this limits the budget increase to just $27,000.  This isn't enough for a new teacher,  pay raises, or increases in other costs.  This means only one thing - more cuts to teaching and support staff.  The very people that make education possible.

Frontier CSD has eliminated 71 positions,  has class sizes in the realm of 30 students,  and can only increase the budget by $44,000.  This is a joke and an insult.  To parents.  To students.  To teachers, paraprofessionals, administrative staff, and to the communities they live in.

The school district I Work in wants to add another math teacher - one that focuses on teaching computer programming.  Our current budget shortfall is between $700,000 and $1.2 million.   I don't think we're getting that teacher this year,  even though students are excited about the opportunity to learn computer programming.  All the free resources online are great.  There's just something about having someone there to help you when you are struggling.

And "Status" Cuomo is doing nothing to increase state aid or address the Gap Elimination Adjustment,  which would help districts with funding and preserve programs that students need in order to be able to advance their abilities.

Willaimsville - a more wealthy district - will be able to raise their budget by $139,000.  Still not enough to maintain the programs that they have built over the years.

It will be even harder on districts with high poverty levels.  And rural communities as well.

Some groups want to have the tax cap set at a firm 2% rather than bouncing along randomly from year to year.

And then there are those that complain that NYS taxes are too high.

But let's look at all the tax give aways that "Status" Cuomo just gave to businesses that relocate to NYS.  NYS taxpayers are going to cover ten (that's 10) years of taxes from these corporations.

I was at a teachers conference over the summer and one teacher was griping that a manufacturer in her district moved from its historic location to one of "Status" Cuomo's "tax free zones."  New jobs really created? Zero.  Taxes lost? Millions.  Will we hear about this from Cuomo or the news in a negative way?  No.

We must take a step back and ask why this tax cap was done though.

One simple answer - To show that public schools are not working and to force the districts to turn control of their schools to private, profit based charter schools.  These have not been shown to work at all.  They are selective in their admissions policies and can drive out low performing students without consequence.

If charter schools were so great at improving achievement,  then we should not be giving them our best and our brightest - we should be giving them our lowest achieving students.  The ones that need the most help.  The ones that fall between the cracks.

But that is not what charter schools are about.   They are about making money.

And improving education isn't what Cuomo is about.  He's all about the 1% and making sure that they are taken care of and protected from the poverty that they create.

We the people demand more.
We demand:
1. Fair funding for all schools
2. Corporations and Wall Street pay their fair share of taxes

Dunkirk Decisions

Governor “Status”Cuomo has announced $200 million of our tax dollars to build a plant for drug manufacturing in Dunkirk. Nice thought.

How many people that are going to be unemployed form the closing of the power plant and ConAgra are going to be employed in the plant? Not many as drug manufacturing is not like running a power plant or agriculture. Possible those that worked as janitors or in maintenance might have a chance. However, most of the promised high paying jobs will go to outsiders.

This leaves Dunkirk no better off than before.

What should Cuomo have done?

First: The NRG power plants in both Dunkirk and Fredonia need to be converted to alternative energy. Solar, wind, and water based. Both are near small rivers or Lake Erie and could have turbines placed in the currents that would generate electricity year round. (As long as there is water.) Scandinavian countries are doing this already and they are almost completely fossil fuel free. By expanding the possibility of solar panels on roof tops, wind mills, and water turbines, these two plants could stay operational and save jobs.

The installation of the solar panels will create jobs as a matter of fact. Many roofs will need to be upgraded- reinforced and new shingles or metal roofing. .There is all the electrical work as well.

Then there is the ConAgra plant that is closing down. Cuomo needs to use the state power of eminent domain to seize the plant and turn it over to the farmers and local universities. Many farmers that I hear talking go off on how useless the genetically modified plants are – they cost more, use expensive chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and produce less. So why waste our time and money producing them? Let's have the farmers work with agriculture and biology majors form local universities to produce the seeds that will actually grow in this region. Since they won't have to account a profit to wall street, the costs will be more affordable. If it were run as a cooperative, it would be a huge boon to the local farmers and colleges.

While cancer is a scary condition – I lost both parents to differing forms of it – none of the research that I have seen addresses causes. I know of too many farmers and their families that suffer from cancers that can be related to the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Then there are the cigarettes that I see to many people smoking. Add to that a diet loaded with chemical additives and preservatives and a sedentary lifestyle, and bingo! Cancer.

The plant that is going to be built will be owned by the state and “leased” to the company. They are closing down other plants across the US and bringing their production here. This is a classic case of warfare against the workers and their communities. Capitalist Cuomo offered them the biggest bribe and best deal, so they are dragging everything that they own up here. While the jobs are needed, they are leaving out those that live here. Many people that are unemployed are not trained to work in the medical fields, so they are being left out and left behind.

It is time that Capitalist “Status” Cuomo stop leaving our unemployed workers behind. We need job training programs for the new economy. I hear nothing of this. We also need to adapt the inefficient fossil fuel plants to renewable energy. This is more easily done.

Sometimes I wonder if Cuomo is the governor of New York State or Corporate America.

Economic boom or gloom?

The Buffalo News reports today (January 22, 2016) that the local job numbers are the best that they have been since 1999. The building and construction industry have been in high swing and the liberalization of brewery laws has done something for local micro breweries and other agents of fermentation. (From what I hear, there is a local vodka made with organic potatoes that the makers can't keep on the shelf.)

There are a few questions we need to ask.

Who is benefiting from this boom? According to BUILD of Buffalo, not the African-American or Hispanic communities. Even women owned businesses are not raking in the dough that seems to be spreading all over the place. Riverbend claims that 37% of the workforce is made up of minorities – which is higher than the 30% that the state requires. This is a slap in the face and quite ignorant if you ask me. What percentage of the citizens of Buffalo are minority? Why not that percentage? And women owned businesses are still getting cut short. Barely exceeding the required minimum is not the way to claim anything.

How long?

Yes – how long will this boom last?

After all the construction is done – what then for the construction workers? They won't be working in the medical buildings doing the research. That will go to others, mostly from out of state or the area if past trends hold up.

That leads to the next problem of employment. Even though the medical campus will have an affiliation with SUNY Buffalo, and possibly Buffalo State and other local colleges, does that guarantee those graduates a job in the local industry? Or will they be packing up looking for jobs elsewhere? OR working beneath the level of their degree? (It's sad to be at a restaurant where the waitress has the same degree that I do in education and can't find a job locally. If she wanted to leave the state she could. But then there's no guarantee that her partner would find the same position in the new community.)

And the article states another disturbing factoid: Growth in Buffalo has been below the state average. Our high of 1.6% is below the low end of 1.7% for other parts of the state. And the pay is lower as well.

So, as much as Mayor Byron Brown, the legislators, and Governor “Status” Cuomo want to brag, things are not as rosy as they seem. 2016 maybe the height of the current boom.

We all know what follows that, according to economist and those of us that read Marx.

And we all know who is going to be hurt the worst.