7/30/2019 The Movement of Rank and File Educators urges you to vote NO on the proposed teacher evaluation plan

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The$Movement$of$Rank$and$File$Educators$urges$you$to$vote$NO$on$the$proposed$teacher$evaluation$plan.$This%process%is%undemocratic.%%Rank%and%file%teachers%should%approve%a%decision%this%important.%%

We%already%know%much%of%what%will%be%in%the%deal%based%on%New%York%State%Law,%and%we%know%

that%it%will%not%be%good%for%teachers%or%our%students.%%Vote%NO.%%

The$plan$does$away$with$tenure$protections$as$we$know$them.%A%teacher%arbitrarily%

accused%of%not%performing%their%job%or%not%meeting%student%test%goals%can%be%forced%after%

two%ineffective%ratings%to%undergo%a%hearing%in%which%the%teacher%must% prove&that&they&are&

competent&teachers&or&they&are&immediately&fired.&&The%appeals%process%will%cover%only$13%

of%those%rated%ineffective.%%Currently%the%DOE%must%prove%teacher%incompetence%and%

arbitrators%have%a%wide%variety%of%ways%of%dealing%with%the%teacher,%short%of%termination,%

which%allow%teachers%to%be%reinstated%to%teacher%positions.%

If$we$agree$to$this$we$legitimize$the$junk$science$the$education$reformers$are$using$to$

destroy$teacher$unions.%The%UFT%leadership%has%repeatedly%conceded%that%there%are%no%tests%

out%there%that%legitimately%measure%a%teachers%impact%on%student%performance.%The%

reformers%are%pushing%testMbased%evaluation%systems%as%part%of%their%claim%that%if%schools%

are%struggling%it%is%because%of%bad%teachers.%Not%underfunding%or%lack%of%services%to%students%

MM%it%is%all%our%fault.%If%we%accept%this%deal%we%legitimize%that%argument%and%allow%our%careers%

to%be%determined%by%unpredictable%student%test%scores.%%Our%schools%will%become%testMtaking%

mills%where%teachers%are%forced%to%teach%to%the%test.%

This$is$the$biggest$change$in$our$working$conditions$in$decades .%Our$members$should$have

the$final$say!$At%the%December%DA%ORE%proposed%that%any%deal%on%an%evaluation%plan%be%

sent%to%the%membership%for%ratification.%It%is%not%too%late%to%make%that%happen.%If%we%force%this%new%plan%on%

our%members%they%will%blame%the%UFT,%not%the%DoE.%embers%will%be%further%alienated%from%our%union%and%

we%will%be%weaker%heading%into%the%next%battle.%%%%%%%%%% $

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Under%this%framework%a%teacher%can%be%rated%ineffective% solely%on%the%basis%of%student%achievement%measures%

or$on%the%basis%of%an%arbitrary%principal's%evaluation.%We%need%to%organize%to%change%the%law%instead%of%caving%

to%its%constraints.%%The%ovement%of%Rank%and%Filed%Educators%(ORE)%believes%we%need%a%new%direction%for%

the%UFT.%We%are%running%in%the%2013%UFT%elections%to%transform%the%UFT%into%an%activist,%democratic%union%that%

ties%our%members%struggles%to%the%broader%campaign%for%social%justice.%%OREs%presidential%candidate,%Julie%

Cavanagh%(Chapter%Leader,%PS%15K)%has%been%a%leader%in%several%of%these%fights.%Please%read%our%election%

statement%on%the%reverse%side.%If%you%find%our%ideas%interesting%please%contact%us.%You%can%fill%out%the%coupon%

and%give%it%to%one%of%our%members%today.%Or%you%can%visit%our%website%at% morecaucusnyc.org%

Inspired%to%Join%ORE%now?%%Fill%out%the%form%below%and%give%it%to%any%ORE%member.%

We ask a $10 donation to join (you can give more if you would like)

Name: ________________________________

School: _______________________________

Email: _______________________________

Phone: ______________%

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7/30/2019 The Movement of Rank and File Educators urges you to vote NO on the proposed teacher evaluation plan

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M.O.R.E. believes that we can transform the UFT into a force that can win us a goodcontract, build an activist alliance with parent and community groups to stop the politicalassaults against our schools and our union, and stop the testing craze which threatensstudents learning conditions and teachers job protections.Remember the contract?

Michael Mulgrew and the ruling Unity Caucus have failed to move the union forward.October 2012 marked the third anniversary of the expiration of our contract. This will be thelongest time we have been without a contract in fifty years! The only strategy theMulgrew/Unity team has is to hope that the next mayor, who will take office in 2014, will bemore willing to negotiate. M.O.R.E. believes that the UFT needs to mobilize our members toforce the city to negotiate in good faith. A UFT that educates its members through forums anddiscussions, that activates its members through pickets, rallies, job actions, community

alliances and mobilizations, can rebuild members confidence in each other, in their union,and in their community and compel the mayor back to the bargaining table. Mulgrew andUnity will do none of that. They hope weve all forgotten that we ever had contracts and thatwell follow them on their bridge to nowhere.Build grassroots alliances with our natural allies

M.O.R.E. believes that the UFT can play a crucial role in rebuilding the socialmovements necessary to halt the onslaught of school closings, budget cuts, and test-drivencurricula and teacher evaluations. These attacks are destroying our working conditions andour students learning conditions. Students in lower income schools and in communities of

color have been hit hardest of all. A M.O.R.E. leadership will train union members asorganizers all over the city. We will work with parent and student activists to build a city-widemovement for a vision of school reform based on well-funded schools, equal access for all,and democratic governance of our schools. Finally we will mobilize a movement to reversethe transformation of our schools into test prep factories. The Mulgrew/Unity leaders oftenspeak the right words and have their pictures taken with parent and civil rights leaders. Butthey have made no effort to build the kind of bottom-up mobilization needed to turn the tide inour favor.Join us!

M.O.R.E. was formed in 2012 by a diverse group of UFT members with long histories ofactivism. We are present and former chapter leaders, delegates, as well as rank and filemembers who have just gotten involved in our union, and community activists who supportthe struggle of teachers for a strong, democratic union, and schools that truly meet theirstudents' needs. If you agree with our ideas please get involved! Join M.O.R.E. and help usrebuild the union we all want and need.

morecaucusnyc.org,%more@morecaucus.org,%%

The%Social%Justice%Caucus%of%the%UFT%

https://www.facebook.com/MOREcaucusNYC$$ http://twitter.com/morecaucusnyc$

Why we are running in the UFT elections%