tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post3001324991390703859..comments2023-08-24T05:24:51.011-04:00Comments on PURE Reform: Video of brawlQuestionerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-58781475906284654202015-01-02T19:09:44.752-05:002015-01-02T19:09:44.752-05:0012:39
Yes you are right, they have made things ver...12:39<br />Yes you are right, they have made things very difficult. You can only stop the deductions when the current contract expires, which I will do. I did read that you can sue them to have it stopped in the middle of a contract.<br /><br />I don't even care if it only saves me a little money. A little money adds up each month when I have 19 more years to go and the only thing my extra money and membership seems to buy are the "Nina's Notes" emails! Lol : )Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-7747104491882864522015-01-02T18:54:32.217-05:002015-01-02T18:54:32.217-05:0012:39,
Good luck in "firing" the PFT. Th...12:39,<br />Good luck in "firing" the PFT. The contract used to have a clause in the Memorandum of Understanding section. There is a specific time when a member can drop out. Once you do drop out, you will have at least 90% of full dues deducted as fair share" dues. Fair share dues, I believe, are not tax deductible.<br />I hope you at least applied for your $10.00 refund from the political action fundAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-79821019077871899832015-01-02T12:39:49.104-05:002015-01-02T12:39:49.104-05:0011:46
That is funny you should say that. I distinc...11:46<br />That is funny you should say that. I distinctly remember Nina coming to talk to us, I was at King ALA at the time, and she kept saying "isn't this great?" and "don't you just love RISE?" and we were like, "no?"<br /><br />I was pretty new to the district them, about 3 years in, and it was my first contract vote. I also remember everyone voting no, which seemed to really vex Tarka, so he called for a re-vote which inexplicably resulted in an overwhelming approval of new contract,<br /><br />Now in my 11th year with PPS and PFT, I have decided that anyone else I was paying for a service, whose performance was as poor as the PFT, would be off my payroll. That led me to the decision to "fire" the PFT. They are accountable to no one but us and we keep paying them to work to our detriment. Not me. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-15612212517211775672015-01-02T11:46:48.699-05:002015-01-02T11:46:48.699-05:00I will never forget the day the Nina gushed "...I will never forget the day the Nina gushed "Isn't rise just wonderful!!!"<br />Tarka/Nina went along with all this insanity and now they can't admit it was the wrong path to take. I don't excuse them at all. All you have to do is look a little further down the road instead of jumping on the next great idea (according to Broad/Gates).A little deeper thought instead of photo ops would have help this district.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-43245215382631686862014-12-31T23:18:46.052-05:002014-12-31T23:18:46.052-05:00I can't imagine why Board members Holley, Wils...I can't imagine why Board members Holley, Wilson and Klug have yet to make an unannounced visit to U-Prep or any other PPS that teachers and parents have deemed OUT OF CONTROL. As prior PPS employees and PFT Members aren't they even curious about what they will find during a visit? RISE has placed all of the accountability on the shoulders of the teachers. What ever happened to the thought, "SO GOES THE PRINCIPAL, SO GOES THE SCHOOL and SO GOES THE PRINCIPALS, SO GOES THE DISTRICT LEADERSHIP?" As we would say during a Learning Walk, just a wondering.........Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-90540863136722311862014-12-31T13:47:24.645-05:002014-12-31T13:47:24.645-05:00Parents of U Prep students are afraid to speak out...Parents of U Prep students are afraid to speak out because they fear being blackballed??!! Guess what? You've already been blackballed by PPS central. They stuck your children in a crappy, dangerous school, hid them away at the old Milliones site, and refuse to address any concerns or allow parents move children to a different school. And they know they can keep you out out of sight, out of mind because they have you too afraid to speak up. They have pretty much blackballed the whole Hill community, it is time to fight back. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-60124195035675860092014-12-31T10:02:27.995-05:002014-12-31T10:02:27.995-05:00
The irony here is not lost.
If those in positions...<br />The irony here is not lost.<br />If those in positions of power in PPS were White, only then would the voices of the Black community feel FREE to rise up and shout to the rafters about the injustices happening to this community of children. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-76728538773595847092014-12-31T08:59:33.811-05:002014-12-31T08:59:33.811-05:006:49
But speaking out in a public, united way is ...6:49<br /><br />But speaking out in a public, united way is the only way to unseat those who are in positions of power. Those who are in positions of power can rule without accountability because anyone who questions them will be blackballed? That is an abuse of power and we need new leadership. If that us why the Black community won't speak up and the main children being harmed are black children, then it sounds like a hopeless situation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-15110345252151593632014-12-31T07:05:00.686-05:002014-12-31T07:05:00.686-05:00Mark Brentley has managed to speak publicly. But h...Mark Brentley has managed to speak publicly. But he is a very selfless person.Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-40314216825898595332014-12-31T06:49:29.508-05:002014-12-31T06:49:29.508-05:0010:27
Many Black leaders of the Hill have friends ...<br />10:27<br />Many Black leaders of the Hill have friends or family members in PPS. Speaking out publicly against those in position of power who are Black will not happen. This is the 'unwritten playbook' and to do otherwise risks being blackballed in this small African American town.<br />Their voices will not rise up in unison to serve the under-served even when the under-served are their own.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-34688212057086355632014-12-30T23:44:21.943-05:002014-12-30T23:44:21.943-05:00The council person is Teresa Kail Smith. It inclu...The council person is Teresa Kail Smith. It includes the superintendent, PFT pres, board members, etc. but it is not one of those fake Broad/Gates parent/ community groups. The mayor is smart enough not to take on responsibility for the school district. Local media is not interested in exposing what is going on.<br /><br />Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-78250661822055945192014-12-30T23:26:46.443-05:002014-12-30T23:26:46.443-05:00Who is the council person who started the task for...Who is the council person who started the task force? Do you think they are unbiased or in cahoots with PPS? <br />I feel very strongly that getting this information to the public ASAP is the best way to ensure the safety of the teachers and parents involved. If this is all true and verifiable, the community will be outraged and will likely stand by the teachers and parents to hold the district accountable. <br />This scrutiny and public support would make it a lot harder for them to start singling out and targeting those who spoke out. If teachers involved starting getting fired or put on plans it would look really fishy and invoke even more public outrage and scrutiny. <br /><br />I wonder if that task force isn't some fake Broad/ Roosevelt ploy to gain mayoral control of the district. If it is, then the mayor has a stake in keeping the schools "underperforming" to justify his involvement.<br /><br />I still believe public exposure thought local & national media is the best first strike. With the public watching (and angry), it will be much more difficult to continue their shady practices.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-80553451090053015832014-12-30T23:13:44.975-05:002014-12-30T23:13:44.975-05:00You might try contacting the city council person w...You might try contacting the city council person who started the task force on education and ask if she might meet with concerned teachers, parents and community members on a confidential basis. Or contact the Pennsylvania State Secretary of Education and again request confidentiality and an investigation- in contrast to the previous Secretary he seems likely to act independently of administration. Maybe a number of people can pledge to contact these individuals on a particular date (to be determined when a number of pledges have been made).Questionerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04349071186140766778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-83534593726470052112014-12-30T23:01:53.851-05:002014-12-30T23:01:53.851-05:009:23
I agree, lay it all out there for Ms. Nuttal...9:23<br /><br />I agree, lay it all out there for Ms. Nuttall, give her all of the info you can, answer all of her questions. Parents let her talk to your children. Maybe the students have recorded incidents like the one posted about the brawl in the other post. She will be able to put the story together and/or tell you what type of evidence you can provide. Please somebody from U prep just contact her! Let's get this thing started! <br /><br />I am a teacher and since these posts about U Prep started, I have contacted the PFT, Ms. Nuttall, the NAACP, the HDEC, the Hill District Consensus Group, and the Urban Leauge and I have lived to tell about it. I will tell you that the Hill District Consenus Group and Ms. Nuttall were the only two who responded to my pleas for help and I sent the U Prep thread to everyone I reached out to for help. <br /><br />Ms. Nuttall is our best hope, seriously every group out there who you think will help, is tied to PPS in some way. They are like the Mafia, they have everyone in this city being paid, receiving favors, or afraid of them. <br /><br />I do not teach at U Prep, but I do teach in the Hill and I reached out to Ms. Nuttall for help because I heard my colleagues and children in the community crying out for help. I was thrilled when Ms. Nuttall stepped up and said she would help, and have been saddened to hear the terrible things that are still being posted here but still NO ONE will talk to her. There is no one out there who is going to change PPS, we have to do it. I have been trying to get help for my fellow teachers and students and reaching out for help and I KNOW we have to stand together and stop being afraid! <br /><br />Teachers, parents, students, we know what is best for our schools and it is not happening at U Prep ( and many other schools) Now it is time to stand together and expose what they are doing. PPS central thinks they can segregate the children of the Hill, rob them of their chance to receive a world class education, put them in harm's way, and violate their right to receive a quality education in a safe nurturing environment. <br /><br />PPS central does not think the children of the Hill deserve the same treatment as other students in this district. They think they can isolate and hide them away and the city will forget about them or not find out about the inequity and injustice of their situation. <br /><br />Those children have no one to count on but us. There is no one else and we have the power to make something happen and the only thing stopping us is the fear of talking to a reporter?! <br /><br />I do not teach at U Prep, only in the Hill, but I know what I'm reading here is true. I can't help Ms. Nuttall anymore than I have. I will support and stand by anyone who wants to talk her and stand up to these PPS central bullies. <br />They can't silence us and I refuse to send the elementary students I teach to that sorry excuse for a school without a fight.<br /> I am not afraid of anything but sending my elementary students to U Prep when they finish 5th grade to have their right to an education violated, their spirits crushed, and possibly their lives cut tragically short. <br /><br />Now how can we support each other? Who will talk to Ms. Nuttall? Questioner, how can we organize a group who is willing to meet with Ms. Nuttall and organize in some way? As a teacher in a neighboring school, I am willing and able to do whatever it takes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-9544338849268274552014-12-30T22:27:52.942-05:002014-12-30T22:27:52.942-05:0012:55
Blackballed within PPS is not defined by rac...12:55<br />Blackballed within PPS is not defined by race IMO it occurs with anyone who isn't afraid to work FOR and WITH kids and not continue to keep playing by a book written by people who have never taught. Yep its mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09700429461479210028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-78806702572472100062014-12-30T21:23:35.847-05:002014-12-30T21:23:35.847-05:00
6:56 __ Talk with Rabecca Nutall and have this co...<br />6:56 __ Talk with Rabecca Nutall and have this conversation with her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-69367506226110726432014-12-30T21:00:09.079-05:002014-12-30T21:00:09.079-05:0012:00 Here
I certainly do not suggest that teache...12:00 Here<br /><br />I certainly do not suggest that teachers / board minions recklessly speak out, as you will be taken to task for your insubordination, if not outright terminated. Confronted with the opportunity to speak truth or blow smoke to Dr Lane and seal what would have been a monster promotion, I went big with truth.<br /><br />Derp. Promotion denied. Within 1 year I was made to transfer to a lower paying / out of the way position. Then after 9 months, demoted again. Then made to retire.<br /><br />My point is not to suggest that one makes a martyr of him/herself, but rather to produce some evidence of misdeeds at UPREP, or wherever in PPS. <br /><br />Far be it from me to suggest how one gathers / presents evidence, as I lacked subtlety then and am just a spectator presently. I made note in my previous post of the "How We Got Here" series. That was an effective effort to crystalize what can be very mundane board minutes into a story about mismanagement of funds and cozy relationships with outside groups / firms. That was evidence to report on. <br /><br />It is evidence that the city taxpayer needs to rally around. "I heard" and "I saw" and "my kid said", while not trivial, will not rally the city of pittsburgh to your cause. Gatherings, Articles, Airtime, among other instances of record, just may.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-59060486259755302642014-12-30T20:54:36.967-05:002014-12-30T20:54:36.967-05:00
6:56
To begin with keeping a detailed Journal of ...<br />6:56<br />To begin with keeping a detailed Journal of your day can be powerful and persuasive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-71703634984379816082014-12-30T18:56:58.637-05:002014-12-30T18:56:58.637-05:00Posters at 12:00, 12:26, !2:55,
You call for some...Posters at 12:00, 12:26, !2:55,<br /><br />You call for someone to speak out. That's a good thing, and I am with you.<br /><br />But consider this. A person who speaks out must have evidence. It is one thing for a brave PPS employee to go to a reporter and say, "The halls of my school are out of control. They are very dangerous places."<br /><br />A good reporter must have evidence before he/she can print an article. A story, or a series of stories, is not evidence.<br /><br />How can a PPS employee get the evidence to back up claims of mismanagement? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we should stay silent. PPS employees and parents must speak up!<br /><br />But I am throwing something out for discussion, and for thought. To make our case, we should have some proof of what we say. How do we do that?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-883760060662132562014-12-30T12:55:58.890-05:002014-12-30T12:55:58.890-05:00So do we have this right.
Within PPS there is a cu...So do we have this right.<br />Within PPS there is a culture of fear and firings. Within the Black community there is a culture of the unwritten playbook and the fear of being blackballed.<br />Both foster a culture of silence. The only remedy to silence is to speak out and do it fearlessly.<br />It is High Noon!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-73924159567064454182014-12-30T12:26:17.140-05:002014-12-30T12:26:17.140-05:00
12:00
High Noon .Time to do SOMETHING.<br />12:00<br /><br />High Noon .Time to do SOMETHING.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-80223483332447769082014-12-30T12:00:18.433-05:002014-12-30T12:00:18.433-05:00Long time lurker on this blog and former PPS emplo...Long time lurker on this blog and former PPS employee here. My previous employment with PPS had me visiting most schools at least monthly. Had I made favor I would still have a job...it was the access I had to schools and their data that made me uncomfortable with the "ship's course". I made waves and was shown the plank.<br /><br />"Oh, the things I have seen and heard!" Yes, a common refrain on this blog of late. I remember when the "How We Got Here Series" was published here. Facts, laid out for all to see and evaluate. Damning facts for PPS. Now that was thoughtful reading / posting.<br /><br />What is a city resident and taxpayer to do after visiting this blog of late? The words must read like hyperbole. How can it be that one reads outrageous post after post with absolutely no cooberating EVIDENCE. I have seen nothing in our local newspapers or on our tv news channels. I have not seen a demonstration in support of UPREP or against PPS Central. I have not seen changes in board minutes that would indicate chaos en mass. Heck, a reporter even solicited posters on this very blog for info to report. Nothing. Why should I not conclude that things are not fine and dandy in PPS? Because the same one or two anonymous blog posters report chaos?<br /><br />So what is it folks? Make with the evidence (talk to reporter to get facts on the record, organize a protest, get on the radio, do SOMETHING of note), lest your blog posts be read as nothing more than hyperbole written by someone with a vandetta.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-4055361684309682302014-12-30T09:51:35.766-05:002014-12-30T09:51:35.766-05:00Annon 12:01
"The union may as well work for P...Annon 12:01<br />"The union may as well work for PPS central office at this point" What do you meat? The union officers DO work for central office. Every year, the officers are placed on special assignment with Human Resources. While they are sitting in their South Side offices, it is clear who they work for. <br />What would happen if they caused too much a fuss? Would the board continue to release them? The Memorandum of understanding can always be changed. <br />Point is, the union will continue to do nothing to help you. Teachers and parents must work together and help themselves. Good luck to all. God bless you all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-34467386541298254452014-12-30T08:45:32.118-05:002014-12-30T08:45:32.118-05:00Speaking of action:
Throwing out the 'unwritt...<br /><br />Speaking of action:<br /><br />Throwing out the 'unwritten playbook' would be a good place to start.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49258804305307213.post-87180477113160544702014-12-30T08:39:24.070-05:002014-12-30T08:39:24.070-05:00
6:59
So whether you are PPS or everyone of the f...<br />6:59<br /><br />So whether you are PPS or everyone of the fully committed individuals____ we are still left with FAILING schools. It can be said that something is missing in the ACTION.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com