The sad part about the school bus strike is some of the bus drivers we spoke with today don't even want to be on the picket line. The union is forcing them to lose days of pay to stand with a sign near idle buses when all they want is get back to work and bring home a paycheck. So, at the end of the day, the students are suffering, the parents are struggling, and the union workers are worried about getting food on the table for their families.

The sad part about the failure to reach a deal on a teacher evaluation plan is there is so much greed and obstinance involved, the City is going to lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in state aid. Aside from that, the teachers don't get a fair evaluation system, and the students continue to get tested and tested like lab specimens.

The bottom line is...the same people always wind up getting the shoddy end of the deal, and the students always wind up suffering the consequences.

Mayor Bloomberg is fighting two unions that provide critical services to New York City schools kids. Today, negotiations broke down between City Hall and the United Federation of Teachers over a way to evaluate teachers. If today's deadline isn't met, New York City stands to lose $450 million in State aid and grants. Both sides accuse the other of failing our school children by not negotiating in a reasonable way.

Meantime, the first school bus strike in 34 years entered its second day today with thousands of parents scrambling to get their kids to school. The City wants to seek competitive bids to save money, but the bus drivers union wants the contracts to include job protections for current drivers. What do you say?

How is the bus strike affecting you? Why do you think the deal over teacher evaluations broke down? What's your reaction to the City losing hundreds of millions of dollars because of its failure to reach an agreement with the UFT? Which side of these political battles are you on?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

What has happened is that this mayor has his hands on everything and
anything and in my opinion he doesn’t even come under the category of
[JACK OF ALL TRADES MASTER OF NONE]
Bloomberg is a total disaster and it is going to take years to straiten
out this city. But when I say city I [only] refer to the outer boroughs
because all he thinks of is Manhattan.

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING AND THAT IS SOONER OR LATER ALL OF
THE CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST.

WE ARE IN BAD SHAPE !!!!

maxxiee
mp

It seems mayor Bloomberg and his administration has serious problems with these two unions, now either the mayor does not care about kids and their education, or he is dead set on destroying these vital unions, either way it's very sad to witness.

Felix Bay Ridge

I think it is horrible on the part of the UFT to be willing to lose that much money. Schools never have enough and to throw away money is disgusting. Teacher evaluations will only get rid of bad teachers. Everyone should want that.

The school bus strike, I actually feel sorry for the drivers in the sense that job protection for current drivers doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Carol Windsor Terrace

OMG.....
How dare he!!
He has failed all children in NYC.
He feels as if all of the redundant paperwork that teachers do is what is important. How does that help kids? How can teachers do an effective job?
I am very proud to be a member of the UFT!!!!!

ree1064

Now, now, NY1, let's not get hysterical. The actual money at stake was $250 million that was EXTRA aid from the state. For comparison purposes this amounts to approximately 1% of the NYC DOE budget. Anyway, these funds were never destined for the classroom. They would have had to be used to assist in creating additional assessments (tests) for students in subjects other than Math and English, for grades 3-8. Also, possibly for hiring additional administrators to handle the ridiculous workload that would have been imposed upon them.

As it stands, Bloomberg did not want a clause that required principals to meet with teachers after an observation to discuss the results. Also, despite the fact that 90% of the systems in place in New York State were for 1 year, and the UFT agreed to two years, Bloomberg rejected that idea, also. He wanted to remove any possibility that his successor might change the process. He clearly stated that two years was not enough time to fire people. I think that summarizes his attitude up pretty well. Not to worry though, the dedicated professionals who teach New York City children will continue to do their jobs as they have always done, no matter the political storms. It's time Bloomberg took his rattle and diapers and moved on though, as he seems to have lost all touch with reality.

Disgusted in Queens

The mayor is insane he is a tyrant and needs to resign ASAP !!!

Jessica. Arden heights

It's very disappointing that the Mayor and UFT could NOT agree on terms that was acceptable to both groups. Teachers deserve a fair evaluation. I do not agree that these evaluations should be based on test scores. How would you evaluate K-2 (non testing) teachers 3-8(testing) and teachers who teach Students With Disabilities fairly?

Especially when there is little to no parental involvement.

Donna

The evaluation dispute is clearly an issue of the Union seeking loose testing and the government seeking tighter testing. Here's how to resolve the dispute: get government out of schooling and get unions out of government.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

Bloomberg is so hell-bent on capping an imagined legacy as a mayor who cared about educating children. He is just screwing everything up...again. MAKE A DEAL!

Anni
Manhattan

Both the Mayor and the Teachers Union should be ashamed of themselves.

Millions of dollars have been lost because two groups could not put there issues aside and put the children of NYC first.

Makes me glad 1) that I am not a teacher and 2) that I did not vote for Mayor Bloomberg.

Mark - Astoria Queens

The Mayor has stated that by taking this stand with the school bus drivers the city will save money that can be fed back into the school system, however it is disgraceful how he is willing to simply loose $250-450 million dollars that could have been obtained in school aid if a teacher evaluation plan could have been negotiated with the UFT, and although he and Mr. Walcott stated they were very close in the negotiations, his administration was unable to reach an agreement because according to him he does not want the plan to sunset/expire in 2 years even though the plan could have then been re-negotiated by the standing mayor. This doesn't sound to me like he is very concerned with the best interest of the children! Can he honestly believe that having some type of teacher evaluation plan is better than none? Just another example of his unreasonable and inflexible way of being.

Sam
Queens

Mr. Bloomberg seems to think that he does not have to negotiate or compromise with others while in his position as a public servant. Even President Obama had to compromise during the fiscal cliff negotiations, yet Mr. Bloomberg seems to think he has no need to compromise and/or even negotiate, as he himself has stated regarding the school bus driver situation. Mr. Bloomberg needs to be reminded by taxpayers that although as a billionaire he may be used to always getting his way in his personal life, as a public servant it is not only necessary, but imperative for him to be willing to negotiate and even to compromise in order to resolve matters that are affecting tax payers. We all need to raise our voices to let him know that having the best interest of the public does not entail for him to always get "his" way.

Zabrina from Brooklyn

The mayor and the school chancellor is a joke both a not serious about our children education. They are all about business and money. I'm from Bay Ridge brooklyn. My son is in junior h.s. john jay pershing. His principal and teachers n everyone there work so hard with the kids and they deserves the millions of money for the schools for the kids n put the work back the way it were get both the chancellor n the mayor out of office. Get experience people to run and build back up our kids education. We need people that care for our kids FUTURE!!!

Mel
Bay Ridge

Mr. Bloomberg failed the school children by not negotiating, He doesn't care because he can't run for office anymore. Why he didn't do this four years ago, when he was up for election?

Wilmar

You're telling me that these two sides couldn't get it together enough to come to an agreement??? You know who suffers as a result? The students! My children! $250 million goes an awful long way to buy supplies and necessary technology and improvements for schools. Shame on the unions this week for forgetting who it is they work for, who writes their checks, and why they work--the city is their employer, writes their checks, and the children is who they supposedly work for! Yet, they lost $250 million over teacher evaluations! Shame on the unions! You have no concern for our children whatsoever and this week just proves it!

Ann
Mom to 2 NYC public school children in Brooklyn

The metro card that the school gave me as car fare reimbursement doesn't work. Also, I can't get reimbursed for cab rides to school with my child because only yellow cabs give receipts for service. There are no yellow cabs in Brooklyn!

Tyree from Brooklyn

this thing about the school bus strike
they have a radio and tv commercial that says they are the most experienced people to do the job for special needs kids.
i feel
1- is this the same people that was found drunk while driving our kids to school
2- is this the same experienced people that leave your kids on school buses
3- some time ago other news station followed some school buses around to find they run red lights and disobey traffic laws, school bus driver are the worst drivers next to nyc taxis drivers.
if you think i'm not right check out the accident that have happened in the city the pass 2 years involving
school buses.

Raymond from Jamaica, queens

He cannot reach an agreement with the UFT. He cannot reach an agreement with the CSA (Principal's union). School bus drivers are on strike. Is there any doubt what Mayor Bloomberg's education legacy will be? For students, parents, and educators, next December cannot get here quick enough!

Geof
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

Bus drivers usually drive the buses on the road with children fighting each other or engaging in dangerous horseplay. There needs to be more staff on the yellow buses to increase safety. That is a good reason to strike.

David from Brooklyn

Educators 4 Excellence is a hand maiden of the Mayor and City Hall and doesn't represent the majority of teachers. Bloomberg has had more than ten years to effectuate genuine changes but his genuine lack of understanding that education is not the same as a business and is doomed to fail when it's run that way has stood in the way of meaningful change. Children passing through the public schools fare no better now than they did before Bloomberg became the mayor. Both sides are blameworthy but the mayor deserves the lion's share

Kenn from Bayside

Just listen to Mayor Bloomberg's comments on the bus strike, and you will see that it was the DOE not telling the whole truth about the negotiations.

Bloomberg certainly will be remembered as the Mayor who destroyed education and failed every single student during his reign of terror on educators. His failure to negotiate FOR OUR STUDENTS, but rather FOR THE MONEY lost NYC schools millions of needed dollars.

Sharon

As a chapter chair from my school, I attended tonight's Delegate Assembly. I was appalled by Mike Mulgrew's "performance"- aides would come out periodically with secret notes that supposedly said the mayor was after all ready to negotiate. It was designed to paint the mayor as the bad guy, and to paint Mike as "hanging tough"; to many in attendance, it struck us as "make believe" histrionics, and earned Mulgrew a rousing round of applause.. When my colleague brought forth a resolution to "hold a mass rally" supporting our brothers and sisters on the bus strike line, Mulgrew refused to entertain that notion. He is a hypocrite who wants to make it look like he's holding out, but what union that has pride as a union shrinks at the mere mention of a "rally"?

Martin in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

Mayor Bloomberg is once again battling the UFT and the deal is dead. I really wanted to believe that this time with the money involved for the city schools that Mayor Bloomberg would be less narcissistic -- what a joke! It's deplorable that a Mayor of a city that is looked on as the financial capital of the world would let over 250 million dollars in funds for its schools go down the drain just to kick around a union. Can someone say Governor Walker. Once again it is the UFT that are the ones that stick up for bad teachers and hurt our children. He takes absolutely no responsibility. He is the Mayor of NYC and should be held to a higher standard. He plays down and dirty and that is why people fear him not necessarily respect him. This is his true legacy -- a union bully to the end -- not an education mayor.

Well of course, we could all wait for Christine Quinn to run in and save the day. Let's wait and see.

Lisa
Upper east side

UFT is not to blame for Teacher evaluations, Mayor Bloomberg is, he is controlling the Department of Education the way he wants to and over crowding the class rooms because one school gets closed after another and the teachers can't perform they way they are supposed to.

Marc

An agreement had been reached and the mayor made sure it didn't happen. Even in your news clip, all he is still talking about in getting rid of teachers and not working with them to better their practices. Shame on him.

Myrna Bronx NY

Bloomberg like i said on my tweet' he will do what ever he wants because its his last term' he should of learned from his very poor judgment during the 2011 snow storm! ITS ASHAME!

Lee from the bronx!

I'm not sure who is at fault in the two and a half year long failed teacher evaluation negotiations, but I do know who loses: our school kids.

My sympathy goes to the mayor only because of the union's million dollar TV commercial campaign to demonize him. Those who demonize others have lost my trust.

Bobby
East Village

Bloomberg's goal is to sweep out bus drivers with livable wages and replace them with low wage drivers. This is the very model that is decimating the middle class in this country. Bloomberg is a proponent of this failed philosophy that funnels the kings ransom to the very few- the extractors, and plunges the vast majority of this nation into poverty. We all need livable wages not only to live decently, but for a healthy economy.

Fiore

The Mayor is the worst mayor ever hiding beside puppets.Lets not have his politically connected friend take over city school busing contacts Good workers should be paid a fair wage. Lets not have minimum wage workers driving out children.

Scott

I'm not saying the teacher's union always does the right thing, but in this case I'm glad that they stood up for what is essentially the best interests of kids in NYC. Every single person who makes educational decisions in this country, and in this city, hasn't been in a classroom at all, or have very little classroom experience, yet claim to know better. Bloomberg is no different. What is different about Bloomberg is that its been clear throughout his second and third terms in particular, that he wants to do what he wants to do, and no one else matters. When he can't get what he wants, he puts New Yorkers in the line of fire, whether its the outer boroughs during a blizzard, or our children (because you know his kids didn't go to public school) now. Teachers and administrators in the DOE who work with kids day in and day out, would ALL agree about this.

Robert
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

This is sad how much do these poor drivers and matrons make after taxes? What _no one should eat or keep a roof over their head. I am sure they struggle in NY on their salary! Come on - how about being a human! The breakdown with the UFT is another example of a major control issue. Compromise is not a language this administration speaks. This is just too much sad.

Carolyn

It is hysterical that the UFT dose not believe that there performance should based on the students tests score when in fact my child's performance/advancement is based on his test score(s). Would they prefer that we simply ask the students at the end of each year how there teacher did and did they like them?

ej

The teacher evaluations are very important. Fair evaluations will help to improve education for all students by supporting teachers and helping us o improve the quality of education children get. Unfortunately, does not actually care about helping to improve but instead is simply looking to bust the union. If the Mayor was really interested in improving the quality of education he would be inviting educators to the table and taking suggestions. Instead, He says sue me, take it to arbitration.

One major example of the Mayor's failed policy is the fact that we have to take class sizes to arbitration. If you know that a class is over size limits why do we need to for out the money for a highly paid arbitrator to make a judgement. Are the DOE administrators to incompetent to do simple number comparisons that third graders do?

William

I was a high school teacher for 5 years before going to Columbia to get an MPhil ion Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics. I have not been in the system for some 30 years, but I feel strongly about the misuse of standardized tests that started with the G. W. Bush administration.

Standardized testing was developed to compare individuals to each other on a variety of constructs such as intelligence, aptitude, and achievement. In order to do so it is assumed that these constructs are distributed in a “normal” distribution where about two thirds of people are within one standard deviation of the average or mean in what is called the bell curve. The test scores should be distributed with 50% of scores above the mean. The scores are artificially converted into scores people can understand. The mean for intelligence is 100, so if your score is 110 you are above, and if it is 90 you are below, but both are within that 1 standard deviation and are considered average or “normal”.

Achievement test are scores by grade level so if a fifth grader scores 4.8 or 5.2, this is within the normal range. If a whole class scores above 5.2, this would not be considered a normal class, but rather a gifted class. If in a large school system more than 50% of the fifth grade children score above 5.0, the school system is above normal. Yet headlines constantly say things like “ONLY 62 percent of the children are at or above grade level” as though there was something wrong with this exceptionally talented system.

Private schools are generally high achieving because they select students so that their population is not normally distributed. Similarly, low-income children tend be distributed in schools that are not normally distributed. To close these schools and punish the students, parents and teachers for not having 62% or even 50% of their students scoring above grade level is a misuse of standardized tests. There are ways of evaluating teachers and schools, but unless the system were able to randomly distribute students and teachers as they do in medical testing, you cannot use standardized test scores to determine which teacher is an effective educator and which one is just a placebo. The tests are meant to show educators the strengths and weaknesses of the students to assist them in planning use of resources and adjusting the curriculum, not to cut resources or to fire teachers.

Jose

MAYOR BLOOMBERG HAS NO CONSIDERATION FOR ANYONE. HE COULD CARE LESS ABOUT OUR TEACHERS AND BUS DRIVERS. LIKE HRA WORKERS THAT HAS BEEN WORKING WITHOUT A CONTRACT NOR A PAY RAISE FOR SIX YEARS. HE CARES FOR NO ONE. WHAT HE REALLY WANTS IS TO DISSIPATE UNIONS.

MARITZA
RIDGEWOOD QUEENS

Teachers put a lot of work into their craft. Does Mayor Bloomberg know that?

Jordan

...my question to you and your viewers is how can anybody trust a person who made running for a 3rd term as mayor of NY possible and then not, after buying his way in AGAIN, just because HE felt there was no one else better qualified!!! John if that's not the hight of arrogance "seems to be his so called Honors favorite line" I don't know what is, his style of "do as I say not what I do, or I know best just because" is reprehensible "another one if his favorite words" while I have tremendous respect for his accomplishments as a person, Bloomberg as a mayor is completely out of touch with the everyday hard working regular born and bred New Yorker, he might as well be from another planet, P.S. I kills me every time he speaks Spanish at a conference

jimmy from Elmhurst queens

The mayor wants teacher evaluation system to be based on test scores. This is unfair on many levels. How are non-testing grades teachers and non testing subject teachers evaluated?. For example an Art teacher, a Gym teacher, a Spanish teacher, a Dance teacher; how are these teachers evaluated. There are so many things about want the mayor wants that are unfair to not just teachers. I still don't have relevant textbooks. Many of my students come to school without any school supplies. I have "part-time" students. They come to school just enough so that their parents public assistance check isn't cut of. C'mon the only ones who really know the truth of what's going on in classrooms are TEACHERS.

Asiya

Parenting is the issue. Yes there are bad teachers. And i , as a parent went to the school and explained my case to administrators. But, at the most part, teachers are all qualified. But learning does not stop in school. When the child gets home it's up to the parents to continue by taking interest in the child's studies. When a parent doesn't do this it reflects in the teachers evaluation. And if this isn't considered, then the evaluation system is not fair

Raymond

Michael Bloomberg's contempt for teachers as shown by his obsession with "getting rid" of teachers. He never speaks of an evaluation system that helps teachers become great teachers. His idea of an evaluation system seems is meant to penalize and punish. His constant need to micro-manage and get in the "last word" is how this $250 million was squandered.

Mr. M
Special Education Teacher - NYC

WAKE UP THE MAYOR. BE CAREFUL AS HE MAY SUFFER ANOTHER SENIOR MOMENT AND BE TOTALLY INEPT IN GETTING HIS JOB DONE. THIS WOULD MEAN THAT THERE SHOULD BE A MEDICAL ALERT FOR THE MAYOR, AS HE HAS TOTALLY GONE OFF HIS POSITION. IF THERE IS A GERIATRIC PHYSICIAN, PLEASE ALERT THE TEAM THAT DEALS WITH INTERVENTION. THE MAYOR IS CALLING OUT LOUD AND CLEAR AND HIS POSITION IS NOT IN GOOD ORDER. HE IS A DOLLAR A YEAR MAYOR, THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT. HOWEVER, I MUST DEMAND TO BE GIVEN 50 CENTS BACK FOR LACK OF SERVICES AND THE MAYOR NEEDS TO HAVE A CHECK-UP FROM THE NECK UP!
LET'S PAY ATTENTION TO THE STUDENTS FOR A CHANGE. THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS IS WILLING, ABLE AND READY TO DEAL WITH PROVIDING OUR STUDENTS WITH TRANSPORTATION TO THEIR SCHOOLS.

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THE MAYOR, CHANCELLOR AND NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL. THE COST OF THIS ISSUE WILL BE NOTHING. THE CORPS IS BEING PAID BY THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT. THE CORPS ALSO HAS MEDICS ASSIGNED AND THIS WOULD MAKE TRANSPORTING THOSE IN-NEED STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS WITH A MOMENT OF EASE TO KNOW THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE IN GOOD HANDS.

ARE WE STILL IN A CRISIS STATUS? SO THAT MEANS THE UNIONS, et al, ARE RUNNING THE SYSTEM AS USUAL. THIS HAS NO PLACE IN GETTING OUR STUDENTS EDUCATED AS THEY DESERVE.

CARMELITA.................................................HARLEM

I am behind their strike 100%. And ask ANY person that had a job for years and then shown the door to not sympathize with their stance. Instead of the city looking to save money by signing lower bidders, look into their route layouts. Then send a child from brooklyn to westchester because the child needs a certain behavior disability. But yet, now that the child cannot get there he is just fine to attend his local school. They crisscross children all over the city wasting money but nothing is said. A middle class seasoned worker has to lose their job to cut costs. this mayor should be embarrassed

Raymond