I am glad to see that Jimmy Gittings is not letting this go. The media has ignored much of the caos that is happening in the school system. Most schools received less money this year. There are schools which do not have principals because their current principal was removed. There is a rumor that there are 400 surplus teachers with groups coming from the Phillipines. There are no longer area offices to support schools. I believe this will probably be an extremely caotic year with students suffering. I hope Mayor Dixon does regain control of the schools because we desperately need oversight of the board and CEO.

What a clown, Alonso is trying to turn a meaningless day into something that will tangibly benefit people and Gittings is trying to twist it into some authoritarian figure silencing his voice.

PT there's always going to be chaos in a school system like Baltimore's. The difference is this year the chaos is a result of pointed progress rather then general incompetence and miscommunication. Furthermore the funding problem is not Alonso's fault, take up that beef with the state who still haven't fully funded Thornton (but can find 100s of millions of dollars for a new arena), and the past mismanagement which led to the budget shortfall.

(1) Corey, good point about the chaos.

(2) Another good point about the money. Schools are getting less money; but it depends on how you want to view it. I think the $200 million state budget shortfall this year and the planned $1.5 billion state budget shortfall next year have something to do with that. Good thing we're not in Howard County - there school officials cancelled teachers' scheduled pay raises. Heaven knows had that happened here, the same coalition would be blaming Dr. Alonso for stealing teachers' money as well. Don’t get me wrong, though, I respect individuals’ desire and purpose in saying it. Unfortunately, the facts are the facts, regardless of how people want to view them. Tough economic times mean that public officials face tough choices. The question then becomes, “Who should make decisions about where the reduced budget funds should go?” Should it be faceless administrators in North Ave? Or should it be principals, school communities, teachers, and others that are closest to the students? I don’t propose to know the answer, but I think it’s an important consideration when accusing the schools of getting less money.

(3) 400 surplus teachers? I think (and I don't know for sure) that the number is probably more around 40, all of whom are supposed to be assigned before the start of school. Further, I remember very well the veteran teachers that waited for reassignment by the central office until days before school began. They were very kind people, but their students' academic successes were not a priority. This statement includes way too small a sample to make a generalization, and I only say it for anecdotal purposes. One last thing, I can't help but notice an underlying level of nativism in the comment by PT that there are teachers from the Philippines coming to teach in Baltimore City. I cannot imagine a more beneficial immigration policy than one that encouraged educated, middle class immigrants to come to America and teach in our schools of most need. There are hundreds of BCTR and Teach for America teachers coming in this year as well - why no mention of them? Just food for thought.

(4) No longer area offices. Good. They were useless. Area offices existed as the organizational structure that watched the City Schools fall into troubled times in the first place. Thank goodness we're moving to a different operational model. Moreover, the entire role of the central office is shifting to better provide support and organizational support to schools . That was the whole purpose behind Fair Student Funding in the first place. PT, you’re right to be prepared to criticize whether or not that’s happening, but I don’t think it’s fair to say that just because an old structure is replaced, the system isn’t supporting schools.

(5) RE: No principals because they were removed. I don't really know what to say to this. They were removed, true, but hopefully for good cause. If so, not having a principal in place right now may be more beneficial - maybe it's opening the leadership pipeline to a person who will be more motivated to and capable of maximizing student achievement.

(6) Sara, I'm begging you here - can you please, please request information from the BTU regarding how much was spent by the organization for the yearly convention in Atlantic City. I grew up in a union family. My mother worked for 29 years in the executive department of the international HQ of the Amalgamated Transit Union (union that collectively bargains for City bus, rail, and other mass transit workers in most U.S./Canada/Mexico’s major cities, including Baltimore City). I think unions are invaluable when they operate effectively and efficiently. However, having a yearly convention is completely bogus and deeply troubles me. The ATU had conventions once every 3 years to elect international leadership and board members. This was an organization that represented hundreds of thousands of workers. They managed to operate effective on a three-year cycle. What could the BTU possibly need to convene for on a yearly basis?!? What can they not do in an afternoon at the convention center in Baltimore City? How much of teachers' hard-earned money is going towards this trip? Again, Sara, I'm begging you, can you please investigate (a) how much was spent this year on this Atlantic City extravaganza, (b) how much has been spent over the past 8 years for this trip, (c) what portion of yearly dues goes towards the convention's costs, (d) what expenditure gets reported to the IRS, and (e) where are the meeting minutes and/or what are the tangible outcomes from the convention? I know your staff (very unfortunately) has been reduced significantly, but I think this is VERY important information for teachers in the City to know.

Cory: Thanks for beating me to the "clown" comment. I was at last years leadership meeting and was shocked by two things:

1) What a gigantic waste of time it was considering how much needs to be done to get schools up and running. Alonso did have the insight to have some students speak (for the first time I believe) and that at least gave some sense of purpose to the "event", but not much

2) What a fool Gittings was/is. His "no socks" talk was an insult to thinking people all over this land. With so many real issues to deal with, having anyone stand on stage and spend precious minutes with nothingness seems especially insulting.

The only comments, save those of the students who spoke, that were worth showing up for were Brian Morris' and his whole hearted endorsement of Alonso. It sent a clear message that those who are waiting around for Alonso to be a passing fad should move out of the way. A year later and some real changes later I couldn't be more happy.

And PT, where are you getting your information from about schools, principals and the rest. I believe that you are totally wrong (and maybe Sara can chime in here) about "Most school" getting less money than last year. I also believe you are totally wrong about there being "400 teachers" out of jobs while we import more from other countries since I just received a staffing update from HR that had very few teachers still looking for jobs at this point. The one thing I do agree with you on is this idea of rumors. You have heard and apparently believe a lot of them - I say check the facts before putting any faith in them.

And on a final note about Gittings and the rest of his ilk, this reminds me of the fight over the 45 minute once a week planning time issue that Alonso wanted to push. Those who have, for so long, profited from the mismanagement and low expectations of BCPSS always want to push fluff over substance. Once again, AAA wants to have some meaningful professional time and Gittings and I am sure others want to use the time instead for meaningless soapboxing. Even if I didn't agree with what Alonso wanted I would applaud this move towards more professionalism.

Mr. Gittings, your 15 minutes is almost up and the students and citizens of Baltimore couldn't be happier.

One last thing. We're talking about a union here with PSASA. The letter states:

"Jimmy's voice will not be silenced."

Unions, at least the effective ones I used to work for over the summers when I was growing up, referred to fellow members in mass communications as "Brothers and Sisters of (fill in the name) Union." The very heart of a union is the spirit of collective bargaining for workers' rights. What part of "Jimmy's voice" is collective? Shouldn't it be "Your voices" or "administrators' voices"? I think the statement written in PSASA's letter is a microcosm of the structural problems plaguing these organizations. The quality administrators and members of PSASA deserve leadership that will represent them effectively. Mr. Gittings, if this comes to your attention, please take this concern under consideration. Your passion may be worthwhile, but if not focused on the issues that truly matter, you're doing a serious disservice to those who entrust their futures in you.

As I age, I am apparently becoming more agreeable because I once again find myself on the same side of the aisle - ABSOLUTELY on the same side of the issue as Bill. I am beyond disgusted at how childish the Union "leaders" are acting and how selfish they are. Looking back on my two years in the system, I view the upwards of $1200 that was FORCIBLY removed from my paycheck as an utter waste of my money. I could have taken MY OWN nice vacation to Atlantic City...or places even nicer, with the money I paid to the Union to take their vacation to Atlantic City.

And that being said, I wanted to join Bill in asking in no uncertain terms that numbers be released on this Atlantic City hoopla and other extravagances. I want to know why the business of Baltimore teachers couldn't be handled efficiently and fiscally responsibly by having meetings within one of the school buildings for free.

I am not a very litigious person, but I guarantee you, 184%, that if I was still a teacher in BCPSS and had to pay another penny to the Union, I would be pushed beyond the limit at this point. I would sue for all my money back and to change the contract such that I no longer had to pay to the waste of space that is BTU. I, like Bill, am pro-Union; but the BTU is not a Union of brothers and sisters fighting for the common good of the educators in BCPSS. The BTU leadership has demonstrated themselves to be selfish, self-serving, arrogant and useless folks who do not represent the majority of educators.

That's right, I said it - and I defy Union leadership to finally STEP UP and do for the teachers and children of Baltimore they have been doing for themselves the past many years - serve them!

I'm totally in agreement with Bill and Artie about the Union. It's time that they open up the books to their membership. They are not transparent, and I view this trip (presumably paid for by the membership-- sounds like a vacation) as unreasonable. After all, the same people recently ALSO went to Chicago for the AFT convention. Another expense.

I think people would be surprised to look at the Maryland Campaign Finance website and realize that hundreds of thousands of dollars are being given to Democratic candidates and political action committees, a point that is being challenged in other states as illegal / imbalanced.

A third point. What is the financial relationship between BTU and the various "special deal" mailings that members get-- "EXCLUSIVE offer for Union Members..." Clearly the BTU does not have a privacy policy on file, or a way for members to opt out of mass mailings and having their addresses (presumably) sold to mortgage lenders, insurance companies, etc. AFT is doing the same.

I don't see any benefit to BTU's representation. I gotta say, I'm pissed off about this.

On the radio broadcast this evening, Marietta English just referred to the union convention as a "retreat." A retreat to the East Coast's largest gambling headquarters? Sara, I would be eternally grateful if you could find out the real information about this allocation of teachers' dollars.

Sara: please find out!

I can't imagine anything worse than hiring immigrant teachers who speak English poorly to children who need a lot intense instruction and structure. I can't imagine of anything worse than hiring immigrant teachers who lack the skills to provide the structure and environment needed for our children to be successful. The benefit is to the immigrant that makes money to send back home. You can call it nativism, Bill or you can call it care for the best education for our students.

Emjay - your mischaracterization is unfair, incorrect, and bigoted. Please show me ONE data set that shows that teachers from the Philippines are less successful than other teachers. Sara did an expose on teachers from the Philippines a year or two back. Her conclusions seemed to differ from yours rather significantly. Further, it's not as though people are being picked off the street in the Philippines and thrown into a classroom. These teachers are some of the best in their country. While some have trouble at first adjusting to the culture shift, all do not. Additionally, (and this is, again, too small a sample for me to make a wider generalization) the Philippine teachers at my school were some of the most respected and admired in the building. It was a blessing to have them as our colleagues. Please be careful with what you say, particularly when it's unsupported by facts and genuinely hurtful.

On the issue of the BTU-I had long ago voiced my distaste in them when they did nothing for those who though not teachers or paras were left on their own when the recent changes came down, when BTU was called to ask what they would do for us , the answer was "well there is nothing that we can do" Then the question becomes where is my money that has been taken out of my check each pay period. Some have even received letters stating that they did not have record of us being in the union yet they are taking money. Total incompetence. But yet again Marietta is elected president.If you want things on North Avenue to change then we also need to have change in the BTU. They all need to go. They are there for them not for anyone else.
Onto the phillipino teachers, unfortunately they will have a lot of problems, alot of it will be due to the fact that they will not be given the much needed help/assistance that they should get from the teachers who will blame them for their friends not having a job. The principals who will not make sure that these new teachers are assisted correctly and with respect. Last but not least, the parents and the students who will need to learn tolerance when speaking with these new teachers who are nervous, scared, unsure and not trained in the correct way as to how to deal with the issues that will be coming thir way. As a parent, I will do my best as always to be helpful to the new teachers in helping them help my child. I just hope the community, children, parents and school staff will do the same.