Not My Fault, Man

That's what the city now says about the inaccuracies in the value-added data it wants to release. Of course, the city agreed not to release the data in the first place and is now doing precisely the opposite. That's not their fault either. Newspapers are filing FOILs for the data so they can't help going back on their word.

It's largely the UFT's fault for trusting them. You can't make a deal with a snake and not expect to be bitten.


And now they're closing dozens of schools they deem failing. That's not their fault either. If the kids don't get the scores, the schools need to be closed. It's entirely the teachers' fault. By shuffling kids all over the city every time things look bad, they look good. If the new school doesn't work out, they close that too. Close Andrew Jackson. Call it Campus Magnet. When those schools are the same, close them again and name them something else. We're taking action! We don't just sit around. And when we load schools with better kids, we get better schools. Look! One of the five schools we created to replace a large comprehensive high school is working! This proves we were right all along.

Who cares if the other four have the same stats as the big school they replaced. The important thing is we are holding teachers accountable by making them substitute teachers in perpetuity. This proves that we care and they don't.

Passing the buck is a good option when you've got every newspaper editorial board in your vest pocket. It's worked like a charm for the richest man in New York City, Michael Bloomberg, for eight endless years.