Voice of Revolution

Growing Resistance to Testing and Receivership

Hundreds Say Indict Cuomo for
Crimes Against Students and Public Schools

A meeting of hundreds gathered at Kleinhans March 24 to hear charges against Governor Cuomo and then vote on whether to indict him for what many consider crimes against Buffalo students and the public schools. These included imposing the Common Core standardized testing, refusing to provide the funding needed and required by law and plans for state takeover. Through out the meeting the anger with Cuomo was evident, as people repeatedly applauded the stands taken against Cuomo’s unjust attacks. The broad opposition to Common Core testing from all present was made clear when one of the teachers who spoke announced that, as a parent, she was having her children refuse the tests. This brought the loudest applause of the night, with many standing in support.

Several people gave facts and examples of why the Common Core standardized testing regime imposed on 3-8 graders is a crime against students. The tests are not valid educationally or for assessing students, which various studies have shown. Specific tests results (such as which questions were answered correctly and which not) are not even returned to teachers, students and parents. Instead, only general categories used to unfairly brand children as a number (1, 2, 3 or 4) are provided the following school year! The tests are not designed by educators, are developmentally inappropriate and especially brutal and damaging to the most vulnerable students — those with special needs and English Language Learners (ELL). The tests are also unfairly scored, with the “fail” score arbitrarily set after the tests are taken and with the aim of having the majority fail. In short, as testimony brought out, the Common Core testing is child abuse, a crime, and Cuomo should be indicted and punished for imposing such tests on students statewide.

Another charge involved Cuomo’s plans to eliminate the elected school board in Buffalo and replace it with a Cuomo appointed receiver. It was brought out that there is no basis for the state takeover and that the state does not have the right to eliminate people who have been elected by the people. That is up to the people in Buffalo to decide, not state officials.

A state receiver would have complete control, of budget, curricula, discipline, length of school day and year etc. He would be dealing with each school as an individual school, and acting to wreck the district. This also means district-wide collective action, by teachers, parents and students would be undermined, as each school competes for funds.

Another crime is Cuomo’s refusal to fully fund the public schools and holding schools and students hostage until he gets the legislation he wants. For K-12 schools, Cuomo, by law, based on a 2007 court decision, currently owes $5.9 billion, which he refuses to pay. Further, the public schools are not compliant with New York State law concerning physical education. Cuomo is directly breaking the law when it comes to education, but far from taking responsibility, he blames teachers and students for government failures.

Various speakers provided information and examples from their own experience of the devastating impact lack of funding has, especially for school districts like Buffalo, where teachers, aides, counselors and librarians have been cut. Class sizes for kindergartners are at 30, far too many. Speakers also emphasized that poverty, unemployment, segregated housing, racism, inequality, are all problems confronting the students and schools of Buffalo, problems the state needs to address as part of raising the quality of the schools. The issue is not, as Cuomo claims, one of “throwing” money at the schools. Rather, it is government refusal to fully fund the schools and provide for the rights of the people, such as the rights to jobs, housing, and the equal right to education for all.

Organized by the Buffalo Teachers Federation, the meeting brought together a solid and professional group of speakers with facts, information and direct experience in the public schools, including teachers, aides, including for ELL students, school psychologist, principal and more. Some of the participants had decades of experience. They brought to the fore that raising the quality of education and meeting the needs of students requires more teachers, aides and counselors, smaller classes, more art, music, and physical education. In short full funding now.

The meeting concluded with the charges against Cuomo being read and the audience asked whether to indict. On each one, there was a resounding INDICT! heard, along with signs raised high to emphasize people’s determination to stop Cuomo’s attacks. Participants left the meeting enthused with the firm resistance, with many planning to participate in the on-going organizing. This includes a demonstration at Bennett High School March 26, 4:30pm bringing together teachers, parents and students, from Buffalo and the suburbs — all standing as one to say Our Schools, We Decide!

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Ken-Ton Votes to Boycott
Common Core State Tests

With the strong approval of a crowd of more than 300 parents, students and teachers, the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda (Ken-Ton) School Board voted unanimously March 24 to “strongly consider boycotting” New York State standardized tests. The public in Ken-Ton, which has repeatedly come out by the hundreds to oppose the Common Core testing regime and its harmful impact on children and education expressed its united stand in a variety a ways.

A straw vote taken at the meeting resulted in 90 percent voting in favor of the resolution to boycott. Speaker after speaker at the meeting also elaborated on why the call to boycott is significant and necessary. The audience applauded the stands taken. They supported the content of the resolution against use of testing for evaluating teachers, considering it harmful to students and teachers alike. As the resolution states, “Unless our Governor and State legislators begin to move towards suspending the current teacher and administrator evaluation regulations using student testing data for 20% of the total score. and...

“Abandon the Governor’s proposal to expand the use of student testing data to 50% for teacher & administrative evaluations,” Ken-Ton will consider refusing to administer the tests,” (see full resolution below).

People also joined in demanding full funding for the schools and an end to Cuomo’s blackmail of holding public dollars from the public until he gets his legislation passed. The legislation brutally attacks public education and proposes eliminating elected school boards and having state takeover of school districts by a single receiver with complete control.

The firm stand by the public, reflected in the board vote, also rejected the numerous threats by the state in regards to testing and funding. When Ken-Ton first proposed and tabled their resolution March 10, the state threatened to make millions more in cuts to funding — which belongs to Ken-Ton by right. The state also claims teachers will lose their licenses if they refuse to administer the tests. Ken-Ton, its teachers, parents, students and now school board responded by saying NO! to Cuomo and his blackmail and NO! to Common Core testing.

Many here and statewide are saluting Ken-Ton’s stand to refuse to administer the tests and it is serving as an example to other districts that also object to Cuomo’s blackmail and attacks. As one of the participants put it, if all the districts band together and refuse the tests, a loud roar for the public’s demand to end the Common Core testing and teacher evaluation regime and fully fund the schools will be heard. Already, the Ken-Ton roar is echoing statewide.

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Ken-Ton Resolution Demands Full Funding and Considers Refusing to Give State Tests

We reprint below the resolution passed unanimously by the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda (Ken-Ton) School Board March 24, demanding that Governor Cuomo stop using student test scores to evaluate students, teachers and administrators. The resolution, like others statewide, also demands that Governor Cuomo end his undemocratic action to “hold students hostage” by refusing to provide state funding until his legislative demands are met. Hundreds of people packed the board meeting March 24 and in a straw vote overwhelmingly voted in support of the resolution. This follows a meeting of hundreds March 10 where a similar stand was taken.

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Ken-Ton Proposal
B. Dana, President, Ken-Ton School Board

FIRST:

Unless our Governor and State legislators begin to move towards suspending the current teacher and administrator evaluation regulations using student testing data for 20% of the total score. and...

Abandon the Governor’s proposal to expand the use of student testing data to 50% for teacher & administrative evaluations. and...

Make significant progress towards establishing a commission comprised equally of representatives from the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA), New York State Assembly’s Education Committee, New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS), New York State Education Department (NYSED), New York State Federation of School Administrators (NYSFSA), New York State PTA (NYS PTA), New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA), New York State Senate’s Education Committee, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), and School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS). Their purpose will be to develop ONE fair, equitable, and efficient teacher and administrator evaluation system that will be used throughout New York State; thereby, replacing over 600 evaluation instruments currently in use.

The Board of Education of the Kenmore - Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District (UFSD) will, upon the approval and acceptance of the Kenmore Teachers Association (KTA) and Kenmore Administrators Association (KAA), seriously consider eliminating using student test data as part of our teachers and administrators evaluations.

Furthermore, it would be expected that the KTA and KAA would be receptive to recalculating the remaining portion of their evaluations to a total 100 percent.

SECONDLY:

Unless the Governor releases the state aid information he is “holding hostage” in an effort to pressure the legislature to pass his aggressive public school agenda which school districts also require to make calculations towards developing a budget that is required by law. and...

The Governor and legislature establish a fair and equitable state aid funding formula that adequately provides funding for ALL school districts throughout the state so they can provide for the educational needs for every New York State child. and...

Complies with the court ordered removal of the Gap Elimination Adjustment thereby providing school districts with the necessary funding already owed to them and realizes that had he not taken our money, school districts may have been afforded an opportunity to balance their own budgets without a tax increase.

The Board of Education of the Kenmore - Town of Tonawanda UFSD will seriously consider not administering standardized testing in grades 3 – 8.

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