On June 31st I stepped down as President of United Teachers Los Angeles, the second largest teacher’s union in the country, representing 45,000 teachers and health and human services professionals. The six years I served were long, hard and grueling, particularly the final two and a half years because of the economic meltdown. I am proud of the time I spent as president. During my tenure I led the movement to bring local control to schools; i.e., I helped bring pilot schools to Los Angeles and negotiated all three contracts, helped invent ESBMM (Expanded School Based Management Model) and helped fashion LAUSD’s Innovation Division which brought in partnership schools. Anyone interested in those models can go to UTLA.net for ESBMM, pilot schools and Woodland Hills Academy.
Being termed out was both a letdown, because I loved my job, and a chance for a new beginning. I will be executive director of a teacher-led unionized charter school, Apple Academy. Anyone interested in getting information about Apple Academy can go to:
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www.appleacademy.wordpress.com
I am also exited because while we are putting Apple Academy together, I have taken the opportunity to get back to my roots, teaching. I have taken a job with LAUSD teaching at Phoenix Continuation High School. It is a great school with a fabulous staff and good students. I am happy.
At this time because Apple Academy's charter has not been approved yet and because we wanted the students in the community to have a quality education the teachers who are working with us have taken a position with IQ Academy (a distance-learning K-12 school) while we put our school together. This distance-learning academy provides every student with a laptop computer and a fully credentialed teacher in the classroom, which will have no more than 25 students.
A CLARIFICATION OF THE INACCURATE ARTICLE WRITTEN BY HOWARD BLUME CONCERNING MY MOVE TO APPLE ACADEMY
What you are about to read is my account to clarify the facts surrounding my move to become Executive Director of Apple Academy Charter Public Schools (Apple Academy teachers will be union members).
I have no problem with people criticizing me. I have a thick skin. My problem lies with the misperception people have formed based upon misinformation and innuendo. If after you read this piece, you still disagree with me, that’s all right. We can agree to disagree, but at least you will have heard the real story and facts surrounding my move to run a unionized charter school. Also on this website, we will clarify the issues by presenting to you two radio interviews and one TC interview.
I wish people would check the facts before they misinform others. I want Apple Academy Charter Public School teachers to have something, most if any charter school teachers don't have--tenure. Yes, teachers will have to recertify every few years, but each time they recertify they get more tenure added on in years. That together with quality professional development will give Apple Academy Charter Public School teachers the environment to be involved in a process of constant improvement and honing of their skills. I want Apple Academy Charter Public School teachers to have something charter schoolteachers don't have--binding arbitration as a final step in a grievance process. And yes, the arbitration process should be expedited. From start to finish it should be fair but quick. No more than 20 days not 10 as reported. My mother once told me to believe half of what you hear and a quarter of what you read. A concept we should all live by; especially those that report the news. I want Apple Academy Charter Public School teachers to have a central role in their school--to create their evaluation system (not based upon standardized test scores), PAR programs, teacher driven lessons and curriculum, and the ability to have a central role in other areas of school decision making. In short, I want to re-professionalize the teaching profession by building a model at Apple Academy Charter Public Schools that will represent all the aspirations of the creator of the concept of charter schools, Albert Shanker, who envisioned for education student centered teacher driven schools. I want to bring to your attention that the teachers were union members at the disbanded Crescendo Charters. The schools were closed because the teachers refused to cheat on state standardized tests as directed by their Executive Director and 4 of the 6 principals. They will continue to be union teachers supported by their local union and paying dues.
I believe unionizing charter school teachers is the wave of the future. Charter school teachers deserve representation, and like the rest of us, they crave a central role in school decision making. Being involved at Apple Academy Charter Public Schools will be my attempt along with my board of directors and the dedicated teachers who are working side-by-side with us, to create a model to show the world that charter organizations and their teachers can work with progressive management to create world class education for students.
Is there something wrong with that?