[NY Prison Act] Please consider: Signing Letter to Channel 13 NYC!

Fri Jul 8 13:49:09 EDT 2005

Everyone please take a second to read this and follow up with Leonie
directly. Please also support by FFWDing to ppl who can support. Thank you
in advance! -prince

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pRinCe Serna   |   Prison Moratorium Project

   _____  

From: Leonie Haimson [mailto:leonie at worldnet.att.net] 
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 11:30 AM
To: prince at nomoreprisons.org
Subject: please consider signing letter to channel 13!

Please consider signing letter below to

 Channel 13 

about their series about the Bloomberg/Klein education reforms, 

scheduled to be broadcast right before the Mayoral election.

The letter is pretty self-explanatory, except for the fact that Channel 13
and PBS have been criticized in the past for conflicts of interest by
producing several other shows about the NYC schools, paid for by foundations
that are also helping to fund the Bloomberg education initiatives. 

The Mayor has already spent $15 million on his campaign and is likely to
spend more than $100 million in all; he doesn’t need the free campaign
advertising that this series threatens to be, as it is designed only to
examine the Mayor’s priorities for our schools and not what has been left
out – including providing smaller classes for our kids.

The letter to Channel 13 follows.  If you would like to sign it, please send
it back to me at HYPERLINK "mailto:leonie at att.net"leonie at att.net with your
name, whether you’re a parent or teacher, your school and borough, and any
other affiliation you’d like to mention, including whether you’re a member
of Channel 13.

And please forward this message to others,

Leonie Haimson

Class Size Matters

124 Waverly Pl.

New York, NY 10011

212-674-7320

HYPERLINK "mailto:leonie at att.net"leonie at att.net

HYPERLINK "http://www.classsizematters.org"www.classsizematters.org

-----Original Message-----

Dr. William F. Baker, President and CEO

Thirteen/WNET
450 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001
212-560-1313
Fax: 212-560-1314

Cc: John DeNatale, executive producer

Jim Epstein, producer

Dear Dr. Baker:

It has come to our attention that in September and October, Channel 13 plans
to air three shows on the Children’s First reforms.  We have been informed
that the first will be an overview of the changes that have occurred since
Mayoral control began, the second will be on curriculum and testing, and the
third will focus on issues of leadership and the small schools initiative.
We were told by Jim Epstein, the producer in charge, that class size would
not be a topic of any of these shows since it was not part of the
Bloomberg/Klein agenda.

This raises some serious questions.  First of all, these shows will be aired
right before the election, on the politically sensitive topic of the Mayor’s
education record, on which Bloomberg has argued voters should base their
decisions.  

Second, the need to address our overly large class sizes will not be
addressed, solely because it has not been a priority of the Mayor’s, despite
the fact that reducing class size has for years been one of the top concerns
of New York City parents, teachers and education advocates, and studies show
that class size reduction is the single most effective way of improving
student academic performance. Moreover, in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity
case, the Court of Appeals specifically cited the excessive class sizes in
our schools as evidence that our children were being denied their
constitutional rights to an adequate education.  

Third, we are also aware that Channel 13 has contracts with the Department
of Education, which suggests at least the appearance of a conflict of
interest that may prevent the station from dealing in a balanced fashion
with these very issues.  

We propose that you delay the airing of the series until after election,
provide discussants on both sides of the issues, and include class size as a
topic of one of the segments. Otherwise, it will appear that you are not
being even-handed in your examination of the educational needs of our
children. 

Yours,

Dr. William F. Baker, President and CEO

Thirteen/WNET
450 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001
212-560-1313
Fax: 212-560-1314

Cc: John DeNatale, executive producer

Jim Epstein, producer

Dear Dr. Baker:

It has come to our attention that in September and October, Channel 13 plans
to air three shows on the Children’s First reforms.  We have been informed
that the first will be an overview of the changes that have occurred since
Mayoral control began, the second will be on curriculum and testing, and the
third will focus on issues of leadership and the small schools initiative.
We were told by Jim Epstein, the producer in charge, that class size would
not be a topic of any of these shows since it was not part of the
Bloomberg/Klein agenda.

This raises some serious questions.  First of all, these shows will be aired
right before the election, on the politically sensitive topic of the Mayor’s
education record, on which Bloomberg has argued voters should base their
decisions.  

Second, the need to address our overly large class sizes will not be
addressed, solely because it has not been a priority of the Mayor’s, despite
the fact that reducing class size has for years been one of the top concerns
of New York City parents, teachers and education advocates, and studies show
that class size reduction is the single most effective way of improving
student academic performance. Moreover, in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity
case, the Court of Appeals specifically cited the excessive class sizes in
our schools as evidence that our children were being denied their
constitutional rights to an adequate education.  

Third, we are also aware that Channel 13 has contracts with the Department
of Education, which suggests at least the appearance of a conflict of
interest that may prevent the station from dealing in a balanced fashion
with these very issues.  

We propose that you delay the airing of the series until after election,
provide discussants on both sides of the issues, and include class size as a
topic of one of the segments. Otherwise, it will appear that you are not
being even-handed in your examination of the educational needs of our
children. 

Yours,

Leonie Haimson, public school parent and Executive Director, Class Size
Matters

Maria Ouranitsas, parent at PS and IS 89, District 2

Lee Levin, parent, Beacon HS

Anthony Scarnati, parent, Region 3, member, Citywide Council on High Schools

Cecilia Blewer, parent, Bronx Science HS

Michael Oppenheimer, member, Channel 13

Manuel Wally, parent, PS 212, Midtown West 

Jayne Vitale

Janet Kregler

Tricia Puleo, PTA Treasurer of PS 58, District 24 Region 4 

Judi Ventress, mother and Substitute Teacher in District 2

 Kim D'Angelo, public school parent and PTA president, P.S. 41 Q, District
26

Melanie Nelson, parent, PTA Co-President PS 11, Woodside, Queens

Bonnie & Michel Maitenaz

Mary Munkwitz, NYC Public School Teacher

Sanja Zgonjanin, PS 75 parent

Karen E. Friedland, parent, MS 51 Brooklyn, and public school
Artist-in-Residence 

Hollis Kegg, parent, PS 9, District 3

Catherine Skopic, teacher of 35 years, parent, IS 89, District 2

            Wayne D. Price, Doctor of Psychology, school psychologist

Josh Karan, 30 year Channel 13 member/subscriber, District 6 parent 

Jodi F. Krieger, Esq, parent, PS 290, District 2

Debbie Fine, Teacher, PS 79 Q Region 3 District 25

Maretta Callahan, public school parent, PS 333 and educator

Shellie Sclan, PS 75/MS 54 parent

Marshall Berman, parent and CUNY Distinguished Professor

Gina Salerno, 6th grade teacher, PS 20, Manhattan, District 1, Region 9

Linda Dalton, PTA Treasurer/School Leadership Team, P.S. 95, Brooklyn

Jena Napoli, teacher, D 30, Queens

Judy Bresnahan, parent, PS 41, Greenwich Village Elementary School

             Lisa North, Teacher, PS 3, Brooklyn, District 13

J. Lauren Marino, NYC School Parent

Margaret Benczak Porter, PTA VP, MS 158, Queens and Channel 13 member

Teresa Solomita, parent

Ellen Bilofsky, parent, Stuyvesant High School

Marian Trupiano, Parent and School Leadership team member, IS 228, Brooklyn

Abbe Futterman, teacher, the Earth School, District 1, Region 9 

Laura Shapiro, Ph.D, Washington Heights, NYC

Maria Loizi, PTA co-Vice President, PS 84 Queens

Roseanne O'Neill, MS 74 Treasurer, former PTA president, Queens and Ch. 13
member

Karen Eubanks

Emily Haines, teacher, The Facing History School, Region 9

Robin Bady, Storyteller, Teaching Artist

Teresa Ann Willis, MSW, former social work intern at A. Philip Randolph HS

Carol Marsh, Parent and concerned citizen

Eileen Gatti, Parent, District 15, Brooklyn

            Shirley D. Burnett

Teresa Jakuboski   mother, PS 87, district 24, Queens

Ginene Hoffman, public school parent

Kanchan Paser, Parent, Institute for Collaborative Education

Harvey Lichtman, teacher, Louis D. Brandeis High School

James Hemmerly, Brooklyn parent and member of Channel 13

            David Bloom, parent, MS 54 and PS 166, Manhattan

Bryna Levin

Karen Koenig and Ralph Fuentes, Parents, John Bowne HS, Queens

Aurelia Roman-Marcovicci, parent, PS 158

Bonnie Gitlin, parent in District 3.

Robert Schwartz, Parent, PS 75, Manhattan

Karen Aroety, parent of two, PS 158, district 2

Helen Eckard, parent, The High School of American Studies @ Lehman College

Dolores Schaefer, member, channel 13

Jeanne Heifetz, Brooklyn, parent of public high-school graduate

Robert Schoenbohm, member, Channel 13

Daisy Yue, Parent, District 25, Queens

Jeanne Johnson, Parent and PTA President

Belkis Morales-Bermeo, NYC parent of four, former PTA president, Queens

Bryna Levin, Parent of a NYC 2nd grader and PTA officer

Marilyn Bennett Wegh, PA Vice-President, PS 165, District 3

Litonia Harrell

Maggie Fishman, parent, SLT chair, the Earth School 

Roberto Martinez, Department of Teaching & Learning, New York University

Laura Tietjen, public school parent, PS 163 District 3, Manhattan

Lori Goldberg, public school parent, Region 3, Dist 25 , Queens

Judy Shepherd-King, Teacher, NYC Board of Education

Renee Hernandez, parent, Institute for Collaborative Education

Diana St. John, PS 3 parent, Manhattan

Karen Van Outryve, public school parent, IS 89

Anthony C. Romeo, public school parent, IS 89

Maria Lazarini, teacher, District 15, Region 8

Nadine F. Myers, parent, P.S 152 & IS 240, Brooklyn

Carol Ann Smith, Special Education Teacher P.S. 229

Miriam Erlich, teacher (ret.)

Joan O'Mahoney, teacher, PA officer and SLT member, P.S.194, Brooklyn  

Simone Weissman and Peter Levitt, parents, PS 41, D2

Daniel Millstone, Parent, Wagner Middle School

Chris Veros, NYC Resident

Joe Lanzetta, concerned citizen

Liz and Dee Papadopoulos, public school parents, Nest+m

Janice Fulgieri, PTA President, MS 74, Queens

Carmen N. Vargas, C.E.S. 73, Lead Teacher, Community Collaborative to
Improve Bronx Schools

Autumn Lucas, Parent, BASE High school, Brooklyn

Barbara Scott, former PTA co-president, PS290, Manhattan

Deborah Saat, D2 parent and teacher, Chelsea High School, Manhattan

Nicole Nadeau, teacher and MetLife Fellow, Teacher Network Leadership
Institute

Ronnie Malandrakis, parent, Stuyvesant High School

Mary van Valkenburg, parent, PTA VP, Bard HS Early College

            J. Prince Serna, parent, IS 227 and PS78, Queens

   _____  

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