New York, NY – The math won’t change: The first week of school this fall will last just one day.
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Talks between the teachers union and the city Education Department to push the first day of school from Wednesday, Sept. 8, to Monday, Sept. 13 broke down over the weekend.
Some school staff are worried that many students won’t show up until Monday anyway, making the start of school more chaotic than usual.
The Education Department wanted to turn Sept. 8 into an additional day of professional development for teachers and make June 9, 2011 – on the calendar as a professional development day for teachers in Brooklyn and Queens – a day when all students would have to report to school.
A letter going out today to parents from Schools Chancellor Joel Klein expresses “regret that we were unable to make a change we saw as straightforward and fair to all” and blames the union for refusing to agree to the plan.
“The city has the authority to change the first day of school on its own,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. “They don’t need our approval.”
Teachers and administrators will return the Tuesday after Labor Day and students start on Wednesday. School’s closed Thursday and Friday for the Jewish holidays.
Now everyone sees the unions are anti religious
#1 :
What part of “The city has the authority to change the first day of school on its own,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. “They don’t need our approval.” did you not understand?
ha! i used to think that kids just don’t want to learn so parents fight for less school; but now it seems that less school is all about the teachers not wanting to work too hard.
The unions are right. This would violate a sacred contract. Most of these kids in public schools are not strictly shomer yom tov and while there are some frum teachers, they can work on Wednesday without be mechallel yom tov.
It happens to be a ‘pella’ that the school system still takes Rosh Ha shana into account like it does. Years ago when a large percentage of the teachers were frum (and many students) it was necessary to give off. But now its mamash a chesed that.they give off. I wouldn’t term it anti-semitism.
our school is pushing the starting date to aug. 31 🙁
Being a teacher is a great job. I cant think of any other service industry that places the convinience of the employees before the convinience of the customers.
The Yiddshe world does not understand – we aren’t in Kanasas anymore – there are less Jewish teachers in the NYC PUBLIC SCHOOOL SYSTEM and even less Religious Teachers. There is an undercurrent that is going through the system – Get rid of the old teachers, and most of all get rid or do away with the Frum teachers. Rumor has it that there are programs that have teachers come in on Saturday’s NO excuses – that is part of the hiring requirements for some new teachers.. The so called frum organizations like the Orthodox Teachers group are useless. Wake up and smell the Cholent – the Goyim do not like jews too much and more so Frum jews be it from BoroPark or Long Island.
be happy you’re not starting aug 25 like some ny yeshivos are.
shcool in aug is like having yom kippur on chanukah……
Who cares? Everyone knows the first day of school is just a day where people learn each other’s names and such. Let them open on Rosh HaShana, it’s not like they’re doing any real test the first day.