Cala spouts the usual socialist indignation over other people being successful. Of course he doesn't mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars he made as a school bureaucrat, including his time double dipping the system. He seems to forget that the money earned by the Bill Gates' and Waltons of the world (a) came from people who were happy to buy their products because they were innovative and game changing, and (b) is being put into investments which create jobs.

Cala has never, to my knowledge, created a single job. He has been a net consumer of tax dollars, not a contributor to the economy. The first time I hear him create a job for someone else, I'll start paying more attention to his rants.

Let me see if I have this straight:

When the rich decide they don't want their kids to go to school with the poors, they should abandon the City and move to places like, oh, I dunno, let's say "Fairport."

But, if the rich decide they don't want their kids to go to school with the poors, but they want to stay in whatever city neighborhood they currently enjoy and so they advocate for charter schools, that is a fundamental evil in society?

You've got to be kidding me not to realize the hypocrisy here. Mr. Cala is advocating against charter schools BECAUSE rich people support them. (Bloomberg is RICH, after all!) This is the same person who was the superintendant of the Fairport School District saying that everyone should send their kids to traditional public schools. He seems to be ignoring the fact the fact that "we" created school districts where only rich, white people can live so that the rich could send their kids to "good schools." That - THAT - is the fundamental inequity in society. I mean, I can tell that Mr. Cala's heart is in the right place, but he is not quite grasping the big picture. He's saying all the right words, but not coming to a rational conclusion. Instead, his conclusions are just based in pro-suburb, anti-city Baby Boomer rhetoric. Perhaps he thinks he can truly save all these brown kids by opposing charter schools (which, by the way, educate some of these poverty-stricken kids who are lucky enough to be born to families that value education despite their poverty). Or, perhaps he is afraid that charter schools would encourage more wealthy families to live within city limits, which would ultimately detract from the tax base of a place like, oh, I don't know...let's say "Fairport."

After reading this speech several times over, vomiting in my mouth a bit, washing that out, I am still thoroughly confused by Cala's inconsistent, and at times conlficting message. So in a nutshell, Cala believes big business (aka Satan) is the root cause of the litany of social ills across America. The chasm of unequal incomes is 100% to blame, driven by the "greed" of US corporations, who have sold-out, shame on them! According to Cala, big business is THE de-facto enemy, the root cause of all of our social ills, both nationally and right here in Rochester. Then Cala decides to look the other way: "We have some of the greatest pockets of wealth and the poorest of the poor. While currently not at their "A" games, the likes of Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch and Lomb have long histories of producing incredible local wealth. And lest we not forget billionaire Tom Golisano." I'm sorry, but he's biting the hand that feeds him apparently. Cala want to have his cake and eat it too, and that's not how things work in the real world. So if we didn't have this "power base" of local wealth and income, then who would be buying these multi-million dollar homes, who would be even further subsidizing the tax bases of suburbia and their school districts? These leaders don't live in the city proper, they do live in areas like Fairport! Without these big businesses, according to Cala, we'd be better off as a society, I just don't get his argument. It's just so full of holes and weak, I don't even know where to begin. I'll end my rant with an appropriate Ben Franklin maxim: "He that lives upon hope will die fasting".

Well said! That is the 100 ton Gorilla in the room! Your an important voice in this debate, one of the few saying the truth and the root to the matter, Thank You! Duffy a good politician takes a step back an listens to the educated and those who have walked this land mind. You should work with Cala and make his vision ours!!!!

So what's his point? No wonder schools are failing with bumbling idiots like this in charge. How about the fact that NYS spends more per student than any other state, yet it doesn't seem to matter how much money is thrown at the problem. His solution? Throw more money at the problem. Redistribute the wealth even more. Take more of it from people who actually PAY taxes and send it to school administrators and educrats so they can add more social programs "for the children". Guess what Bill- there's no more money for more social programs... we're all broke! The welfare experiment has failed. How about putting some responsibility on the parents' shoulders instead of on other people who have their own kids to worry about? People don't have any incentive (or desire) to better themselves through education when they can count on a check from the government every month. It's not wealthy peoples' fault that inner-city schools are failing. It's the fault of anyone who thinks that handouts are the solution and that if we just give more money to low-income folks and fund more social programs, the problem will go away. It will not.

I will be voting "NO" to my (suburban) school budget today. Why do these people think that there is an endless supply of taxpayer dollars to fund these ever-increasing budgets?

J: their problem is your problem because if you don't take our residents mental health seriously or their welfare and care about people their problems will become your problem. Would you rather feel robbed through your paycheck or robbed at gun point in your home or better yet have another Columbine or Virgina Tech on your hands. The symptoms of the city are from neglect on all levels. What we need are educated people helping on all levels in the city. People make good money working in the city but take it back home to the suburbs. Seriously, you have to pay people to be willing to come in and help these children and family members volunteers are hard to find. How many stay at home Moms do you think live in the city. The 80's are done and so is the "me society", I don't want a world full of people only caring about themselves because it might be you who needs the aid one day and you'll wish it be there. I know 5 unemployed people on my street right now who are glad the government is their with unemployment checks.
The fact is the RCSD has a very, very high number of children with disabilities and the no child left behind laws factors them in on graduation rates and test scores and in funding. Disabled students are expensive to school. They need speech and occupational therapist, special buses, and adaptive tools. The district isn't providing all that is needed for this population, not to the level suburban schools do. Some districts work with Boces I and II and some are able to support in house. The taxes homeowners pay in the city is very low compared to the suburbs and because of DSS housing and Non for Profits like Museums who have most of the property aren't taxable.
The poverty levels in the city are crazy high because of the lack of jobs and the racism in hiring minorities. We wouldn't need laws or churches if people cared for one another. Survival of the fittest is what Hitler wanted and it is evil and unkind. Remember we are only 40 years from Martin Luther King and people are still stuck in cycles of poor literacy and are being treated like 2nd class citizens. J, how many black friends do you have?
You don't hear it on the news but Medina is 100% funded by state and federal government and has 90% kids on free lunch. Because when Fisher Price left all the jobs left too. And guess what they have a 50% drop out rate too. Test scores and rates of graduation tell us little. Some people don't test well and some are too disabled to test and but by law they can attend school till 21. Laws do need to be amended, like let's get rid of the drop out law all together, no one works on farms anymore and we should only give care to the disabled till 19 in a free system (think of the savings). It is also hard to diagnose a child and their needs. It can take from year one to year 12 to find diagnosis (dr's councilors etc..)and it is important to be a parent who is an advocate for your child's needs. The city lacks parents who advocate because they never learned how themselves.
It is important to pay attention and vote for people who want to change the laws you want changed. If you want to make the system work better and to get rid of the people who are politicians for the wrong reasons you have to pay attention. Just saying all government is bad is asking for anarchy and that wont happen in our great democracy. I don't think that Politicians and corporations should be the soul guardians of our schools because they have proven to not have our interest first. The schools belong to the families attending them or have attended them. The Mayoral control should be a vote by the people and the board should remain a position voted in by the people, the mayor should not be the soul person accountable for hire and fire of the board. The top leadership wont change the problems in the city till the problems get addressed. You can change all the suits but it takes more then that to change cycles.

Rehab: "People make good money working in the city but take it back home to the suburbs." You're referring to Bill Cala, correct? Sure does sound a lot like Bill. Maybe he should put his money (house) where his mouth is (Fairport).

If you want real reform and save tax payers a ton of money Lets go to a county wide school system and remove all of the Superintendents and the few paid boards. We would save some bank. Lets make Monroe County schools all equal. Equal programs, same curriculum and equal access to services for everyone. Lets take what is working the best and apply it to all. Everyone would win in this model. They have county wide systems in Nevada, South Carolina, California It is a consolidation that is needed. Education should be the great equalizer and Monroe county has savage inequalities and serious racism to deal with.
To the guy on Duffy's page who said teach them in the summer so you don't have to spend money on the heat in the winter, well you would have to air condition and that costs more. Most schools don't have a/c and that would cost more. The tea baggers are clueless the schools run very efficient on little. They have been doing it for decades. No one enters teaching as a career for the pay trust me. The pay is horrible for the equivalent of a Masters degree. People want the best people and pay peanuts. People need a serious reality check, go spend a day in a city school and then go spend a day in a suburban school and take notes. Right from how you enter the building.

rehab,

I understand that the RCSD has bigger issues w/ regard to the health and well-being of the children it educates than do the suburbs. As a society, OF COURSE we need to provide help to those who need it- ESPECIALLY children. However (and this probably goes more for parents than for children), we should also be advocating for them to help themselves. I'm by no means against a temporary safety net for people who are out of work- I am however against it when it becomes an lifestyle. And what does it matter how many black friends I have? Skin color doesn't matter to me. Crying racism in the hiring (or not hiring) of minorities does not help your cause. Nobody owes anybody anything because of the hue of their skin- that is a terrible attitude to have. What about affirmative action? Putting skin color over qualifications? Is that not a racist policy at it's core?

Laws or no laws it is human nature to stay with what is comfortable and familiar. All cultures tend to flock together. We naturally segregate ourselves, Look at the African Americans, Greeks, and Jews in Rochester and the Polish in Buffalo and then "Little Italy and china town in NYC city. People have grown up with stereotypes in all areas rich vs. poor and educated and not educated. I remember my parents talking harshly and had preconceived lack of trust and prejudices for a person before ever meeting a person different from them. The attitudes pass down even into our hiring practices. I was a minority attending mostly white suburban Nazareth College and the stupid things white people would say. I saw the same thing then teaching in the city coming from Black parents. Birds of a feather flock together. Teachable moments present themselves everywhere. The problem is the money power and influence lives in the wealthy Suburban towns. We wouldn't need affirmative action if people didn't selectively segregate themselves. We need to get out of our comfortable surroundings and realized we have a community that has been neglected, rejected and who could use some friends and volunteers to guild them (not take over) to get out of the patterns and ruts. But who and with what money will do it. Who is responsible. We all have created this.

It is hard for people to take ones self out of your comfort box and create a multi-cultural circle of friends, and work environment, and neighborhoods and schools. People who chose to go out of their comfort and work in the city in a positive way like Duffy and Cala are doing more then the average joe Rochestarian or the Xerox, Kodak, B&L, and Paychexs execs are. I admire people who are trying. We need smart people in politics and to chose lower paying civic jobs over the high paying jobs,and big mansion living. How much is truly enough, and can you live with yourself way when so many go with out. (I see the unfairness. It is no different then the unfairness from the big banks and CEO's Robbing the middle class.
You know maybe our county executive could start a program where you can get your property taxes reduced from doing a certain number of hours volunteering in the city. If more people volunteer then less money have to come out of everyones pockets.

I agree with you there, and even w/ Mr. Cala to some extent. I'm not trying to defend multi-millionaires and CEOs. The middle class is shrinking yet taxes keep going up- hence my frustration. I don't like Cala's plea for more social programs and wealth redistribution on the surface (b/c it's often redistributed right out of middle class pockets), but I do understand that people need help.

I'm also interested in balanced budgets. NYS provides much more in the way of education and health services than any other state and our taxes can attest to it. These are both no doubt EXTREMELY important services, but being the two largest expenditures in the budget, I have to believe that there is some fat that can be trimmed (apparently Mr. Cala and Sheldon Silver disagree). If this were to happen, and state taxes were lower, it would be easier to retain and attract the businesses that provide jobs to qualified NYS residents- minority or not.

The answer to your concern is single payer NY. Put all the money in the same pool so we can negotiate lower drug and treatment prices. We have to reform the way our Doctors charge for medical attention and go after those who charge outrageous amounts.I think some medical institutions pray on the vulnerable elderly. The majority of our money goes to health care. I think social programs work and the city children need them, I know because I taught in the city for 5 years they are still getting less then what is offered in the suburbs and the need is greater. I have witnessed programs proven to work then they get cut, shame that happens from budgets. I think schools should be properly funded, it is an investment in our future and our competition in the world at stake. Unless you like the idea of moving to India for a job??? Better yet we all better learn Chinese because we are so in debt to them because of these wars, the housing crisis has caused the Chinese to buy up property and they could be the new majority if we stay on the track we are on.

Cala for Mayor!

Cala's argument isn't THAT nuanced. It's pretty basic. Yet that simple level of conceptual abstraction still confounds the ideologically rigid internets posters (above). I'm always fascinated by how logical discourse gets totally swamped by emotion and ideology. I've seen liberals do this quite a bit but conservatives seem to be especially incapable of engaging the logic of an argument. Processing information with your gut is fine, but one should also be flexible enough to think with one's head as well.

So, to recap, inequality, in and of itself (apart from poverty), undermines the health of individuals and the health of communities they live in. Poor educational performance is one, not insubstantial, negative outcome of inequality. We live in an extreme case of inequality, ergo we suffer the consequences in a bad way. Therefore the solution should address the root cause. Mayoral control does not. Moreover, the public policy steps that could be taken have not been taken by Mayor Duffy.

Now, that's not that complicated, is it?

Although to be fair to the mayor, income transfers, and public programs addressing social dysfunction are typically the domain of state and federal policy. But Cala is absolutely correct that Duffy doesn't take leadership on these issues - even in any kind of symbolic fashion the way Johnson did. At best mayoral control is a distraction. The worst case scenario is that it is a Wall Street plot to take over public education.

Jon, you are so correct, as usual. This was the point I was trying to make on the Bob Smith 1370 Connection Show with Malik Evans last week. Why are the Building Trades union so eager to support Mayor Control? I never heard of any BT scholarships. Why? It is all about privatization and takeover so the Building Trades can build schools from the $1.2 Facilities Maintenance Plan and then hedge funds in NYC will come in to buy up the schools Duffy has privatized, made into charter schools.

As Dr. Cala told me recently, "Follow the money."

"Wealthy investors and major banks have been making windfall profits by using a little-known federal tax break to finance new charter-school construction," Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez write in the New York Daily News. "The program, the New Markets Tax Credit, is so lucrative that a lender who uses it can almost double his money in seven years."

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/7/juan_gonzalez_big_banks_making_a

http://www.harrydavis2010.com/node/23

Alright, so I was a little harsh in my earlier responses. My apologies to Mr. Cala - I'm sure his intentions are good. The class warfare stuff is pretty agonizing to read, but given that he was speaking to an anti poverty group, I'll give him a pass. Do you know anyone who is not "anti poverty" by the way???

Mr. Greenbaum, surely I'm not one of those "ideologically rigid internet posters" you refer to? ; ) To be perfectly logical and removed from emotion (see if you're capable of following)... this utopia of equality and fairness that, believe it or not, we all wish were a reality, can and will never happen. It's simply a difference of opinion, rather than any "ideological rigidness", about what the root cause of the problem is and how to address it. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is poor educational performance the outcome of inequality, or is inequality the outcome of poor educational performance? It's about as abstract and as unattainable as the "War on Terror" or the "War on Drugs" only it's... the "War on Inequality"!

Anyone who has read this article obviously has an interest in a successful Rochester and RCSD. Perhaps a little less rigidness and emotion is in order on all sides.

J,
I'm glad to read that you've moderated your position a little bit from your first post. Let me make this argument and see if I can get you to moderate it even further.

You ask "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is poor educational performance the oucome of inequality, or is inequality the outcome of poor educational performance?" Answer: both. The cycle of poverty starts somewhere. At one end of the spectrum is the product of mental illness / impairment, drug addiction or similar circumstance. At the other end of the spectrum is lack of opportunity (the jobs moved to the suburbs) coupled with lack of resources (no car to get to a job in the suburbs, and effectively no public transportation).

But what happens then is that society punishes the children of the poor with a philosophy that helping the children of the poor is somehow enabling their parents in poor decision making or worse, the notion that the parents are heartless exploiters of social safety nets, only using their children to get their next fix or buy flat screen TVs.

If we aren't willing to spend money on urban education - and on social safety net programs where children are involved - we are saying we are OK with denying an entire class of children with the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. I'm not delighted when folks leave the city, citing the schools as the reason. But I feel especially aggrieved when they then turn around and say "teach those poor b*$%^s or else, and I don't want to pay more in taxes to enable you to do it."

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste". I believe that down to the soles of my feet. We DO need extraordinary measures to break through extraordinary circumstances and reach the most disadvantaged of our children. Embracing a mayor who says "I'll fix everything" and thereby assuage each and every guilty conscience is not an extraordinary measure. The collective effort of every member of this community - rich and poor alike - rolling up their sleeves and mentoring a child - truly leaving no child behind... now that would be an extraordinary measure!

Willa, I admire your passion on this subject. I realize that the majority of parents we are talking about here are good people trying to get by like anyone else. It's not that we shouldn't spend money on urban education and social programs, but rather "how much" should we spend? How much is enough to provide sufficient opportunity, and when will we know when we've done so?