Schools Outside Districts: UFT, CSA Clash On 'Empowerment'

Schools Outside Districts

UFT, CSA Clash On 'Empowerment'

By HOWARD MEGDAL

The union representing school Principals and other administrators questioned the legality of the Department of Education's plan to add 150 schools to the 48 currently in "autonomy zones" for the 2006-07 school year.

RANDI WEINGARTEN: Favors expansion. A source at the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators said that by taking nearly 200 schools out of the city's school districts, DOE is effectively eliminating districts.

Could Violate Deal

The union asserted that such a move could be in violation of the city's 2003 settlement of a lawsuit over reorganization of the schools, which included the CSA.

The CSA plans to await further details of the plan before deciding whether to take legal action. The United Federation of Teachers, on the other hand, praised the move.

"Our experience has been that Teachers are treated better in the autonomy zones - which will known be known as Empowerment Schools - and, interestingly, when Principals have discretion on some spending in those zones they choose to lower class size," UFT President Randi Weingarten said in a May 3 statement. "The reasons are obvious - retaining qualified teachers and lowering class size are the two main ingredients in effective school reform."

UFT Wants Staff OK

The UFT contends, however, that becoming an Empowerment School should require staff approval, which it currently does not.

Empowerment Schools will be selected by a committee within Chancellor Joel I. Klein's office after the deadline for applying passes May 17. Selected schools will get an average of $250,000 in additional funding, $150,000 of which can be spent at the Principal's discretion.

"Schools will only succeed at the highest levels if school leaders are given greater authority to design their own paths to success," Chancellor Klein said at a meeting with Principals April 29. "Successful organizations take accountability seriously."

Selected schools will also have the right to choose professional development programs, buy services from external vendors or the DOE, propose an alternative curriculum, choose which schools to affiliate with in a network, hire dedicated support teams and enjoy reduced reporting and paperwork requirements.

In exchange for these privileges, Empowerment Schools will agree to four years of monthly performance measures. These schools will also be the first to implement the expanded report card introduced last month by Chancellor Klein as an increased accountability measure.

DOE will also have 10 dedicated support teams in place to help the 198 schools by September.