Monday, January 12, 2015

Goodbye And Good Riddance To The Children First Networks.


























It now seems clear that the useless and money sucking Children First Networks (CFN) will be just a bad memory come the end of the school year as Chancellor Carmen Farina gives the Superintendents their authority back where it belonged.  These CFNs were the Frankenstein creation of ex-Deputy Chancellor Eric Nadelstern who also was responsible for the hiring of the "Leadership Academy Principals", the explosion of small schools, and who told parents at a meeting that up to two thirds of New York City teachers were not good enough to teach their children.  Thankfully, Eric Nadelstern resigned in 2012 when Mayor Bloomberg passed him over and selected the equally unqualified  Cathie Black as Chancellor.  However, the damage he did is still affecting the New York City Public Schools.

The CFNs were created to take away authority from the Superintendents and to give Principals power over their hiring and school policy.  To. make sure the CFN did not create a geographic power base, all CFNs must include schools outside their borough.   This meant that some schools in Staten Island had to travel to Eastern Queens and Brooklyn schools trek to the Bronx to talk to their CFN.   Worse, few teachers or parents even knew what CFN controlled their school's policies and parents felt abandoned as their school based complaints fell on deaf ears outside their community and borough.

The CFNs had a virtual veto power over many of the Principal hires and they were the driving force to hire the cheapest teachers for the schools that contracted with them..Moreover, schools were forced to select and pay for the selected CFN with many small schools paying $50,000 for basic services and more if they dare ask for additional support.  Finally, the CFNs were a "dumping ground" for failed principals and other unwanted administrators.  It was common knowledge that the CFNs were thin on talent and in many cases plain useless.

The creation of the CFNs were part of ex-Chancellor Joel Klein's master plan to fund his and all the Bloomberg infinitives at the expense of the schools.  his Deputy Chancellor bragged that Tweed was able to reduce School Support funding by 32% since 2006  while the schools themselves suffered from an average 14% cut in their own budget.  Privatization and Charter Schools were the hallmark of the Bloomberg/Klein years.  However, it was the constant reorganizations  and the lack of accountability at Tweed that marked those years The useless and money sucking CFNs were the final product of these unnecessary and harmful reorganizations.

Hopefully, the Superintendents will provide real support and encourage the schools in their community to hire the best teachers for the students in their District while keeping the door open for parent involvement.  That might be wishful thinking on my part but at least Eric Nadelstern's monstrous  creation, the CFNs, just like Frankenstein is destined to die. It's good goobye and good riddance to the CFNs.

As a side note:  How many teachers who work at the CFNs will be out of a position come July?  If they expect to be placed in schools, guess again.  Nobody is going to pick them up because of their salary.   To those CFN teachers, you reap what you sow.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Please tell me that the putrid New Visions network is in this catagory. They always seem to still be a major player but I hope they are destroyed as well. I'm not sure if they are labeled a CFN or a private network or whatever but they should be dumped too. They suck! They screwed plenty of good people and have actually accomplished nothing in regards to teacher training and instruction. Please tell me New Visions in history too.

Anonymous said...

I hope all of these useless trolls will have to return to the classroom and actually teach real live students instead of force feeding the DOE dribble and slop to exhausted teachers at the end of a long day. I hope they all have to go back to teaching ad getting observed by the next breed of drive by administrators.
BY the way, I hope teachers stop selecting the snap shot observation protocol. Make your supervisor do the full observation; the snap shot is a cheap shot that sets teachers up to fail - probably the brain child of the useless uft - another way Mulgrew helps admins agrees to snapshots and takes away artifacts evaluation to make admins' job easier.

U. N. Owen said...

While it sounds like good news at face value, I suspect it will run more along the lines of "Meet your new boss, the same as your old bosses."

The well has been poisoned, those in power are still adding more poison and enough people have drunk the poisoned water. It's going to take a long time to detoxify the well and the drinkers who have not yet keeled over. Doesn't help that the general public are inadvertently adding to the problem by remaining apathetic or even supporting the government figures (elected or unelected) who are actively undermining them!

I don't trust the current superintendents (I don't think many of them have been around in a position of leadership before the wholesale decline). Future superintendent candidates and the people who populate their offices are likely going to come from the same pool of people who populated CFN offices OR those who have started working after the decline. (They don't have a good role model to look up to and try to do better).

Perhaps somebody can surprise me, but I won't be holding my breath

Anonymous said...

Chaz does this possibly mean that we may go back and get rid of fair student funding????

Anonymous said...

Wait to these teachers who jumped to the CFNs try to get a position in the schools. With theirsalary, they will be joining the ATR pool next year.

Anonymous said...

The network leaders have known about this since last spring. Those who could get out already have-- mostly as principals. Those who remain are looking.

Anonymous said...

Will this effect the fair student funding issue?? Is staffing now done through the superintendants and central?? Many questions as usual no answers

Anonymous said...

Anonymous ATR asks:

What will this mean for the ATR's?

Anonymous said...

Everything Chaz posted about is coming to fruition. Think about it from inexperienced principals, to useless networks to funding and many more, Chaz is hitting the nail on the head and we can only wish that his other posts come back into our livelihoods. Its sickening that stupid trolls from 18 trillion in debt to cuomo bait and switch that our careers and lives are put hanging on a stick by these losers but with the help of God we will prevail

ed notes online said...

Don't get hopes up. Farina appointed some real losers as Superintendents -- and let's not forget that the system under these types pre-Bloomberg was not so great either. All these people are going to get jobs in Supt offices - new boss same as old boss. With a weak UFT no system will work.

Anonymous said...

With the end of the CFN networks -Children's First Networks-does that mean children won't come first any more come July 1?
Anyone who worked on these CFN networks-administrators, veteran teacher assigned and operational people-all have to reapply for positions- which must be accepted by the district/geographical superintendents-- so there will probably be an increase in the ATR roster for Sept. 2015.

Anonymous said...

As I noted in www.mcsminmywords.wordpress.com
now that the networks are history all 3020a cases and U ratings should be looked at again

ReadyToRetireNow said...

Ageed. These folks will be reappointed in some capacity. Connections got them their AP and Principal jobs originally...connections will get them some other type of position in this system. You can bet they won't be teaching, though.

Anonymous said...

Chaz many of these network folks are retired principals and administrators. Many will now appear via the CSA sponsored Executive Leadership Institute. They will be mentoring new principals and schools that are floundering statistically. Beware as a new old breed of hatchet administrator will be assisting under the auspices of the Labor Support Unit located at 51 Chambers Street. Enough Said!!!!

Anonymous said...

Chaz,
Please, pretty please!!!!!!
You have to do a story on the "campus high schools". I work at the Roosevelt Campus in Bronx. We have 6 schools which obviously means:
6 Principal salaries
6 Graduations at Fordham U
6 Proms
6 Yearbooks
6 Aspira National Honor Socities
6 Chess clubs
6 Choirs
6 Sweatshirts with logos
6 Deans offices
Etc Etc Etc
So funny, I called Fordham U for our graduation this June. The woman who helps me each year was basically laughing on the phone telling me they're making money hand over fist. Used to be 1 graduation, now 6 at no discount. Instead of $4,000.00, they are making $24,000.00. Chaz, do the math!!!! That's just graduations! Add on 6 stupid clubs in the same freakin bldg!!!! We used to have 1 chess club coordinator. Now there's 6!!!! So funny. You add up all this money and it's easily billions. Hilarious!

Anonymous said...

Yes the Roosevelt campus on fordham road across from fordham university...if you are an educator at that school you cannot drive your car there because there is absolutely NO PARKING ANYWHERE. Remember when Bloomberg took away our parking passes. Each teacher use to have a parking pass and each school use to have a school cafeteria for teachers however bloomberg took those away as well. This creepy bastard needs to fall and trip over the curb hit his head and turn into a veggy. So, to recap, bloomberg turned all big schools into tiny shit holes, took away just about every teacher right with parking, eating, even working (creation of atr pool)...it is truly amazing how much damage one man can actually do and take this lizard looking midget who is so miserable and gender confused as well. My only dream, wish, hope is that we can truly erase any remnants of bloomberg the devil here on earth in disguise.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone realize that our super woman hero campbell brown earned a GED diploma and NEVER graduated from high school in the south where she grew up. This hillbilly wants to set education law yet she earned a GED diploma. WOW. She probably has rotten teeth given she is from the south. Check out the veneers her famous Iraq husband bought her..they will look good in the court room

ReadyToRetireNow said...

It must be easy for Brown to be a tool for others who have nefarious reasons to have tenure eliminated. With a comfortable life and never having to struggle for a living, how does she sleep at night knowing that she is actively participating in destroying people's lives?

Anonymous said...

To anonymous at 5:32 - I wonder if it is possible to look at 3020a again. I was brought up on charges - the u rater was fired, the principal was fired, the superintendent was fired. And now the networks who were in collusion. It seems that my settlement - taken under duress- should be null and void. Anybody have any thoughts on this. I was was deemed incompetent by four layers of people who themselves were deemed incompetent. Thank you

Anonymous said...

Comments like this are not acceptable and do nothing to help the cause.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 1:30
The Bloomberg tirade had me laughing my ass off. Well said!

Anonymous said...

TENURE CASE FILED IN STATEN ISLAND - A NICE CONVENIENT WAY TO STAY AWAY FROM THE REST OF THE NYC BOROUGHS AND KEEP THIS SICK AGENDA A SECRET
People we are dealing with some slick low life people who are dangerous and deserve nothing but shit slung into their face. Notice they filed the tenure law suit in Staten Island of all places and use this campbell brown character as a spokeswoman - this is a group of sick demented individuals trying to ruin the livelihoods of hard working teachers. Go UFT law, you guys need to knock these slime balls out of the park

Anonymous said...

Question what powers does the Children first network have? Can a network leader discharge for any reason or is still under the DOE chancellor regulations . Will the Fordham University CFN be dis banded in the fall of 201