Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Mayoral Control and the UFT

Over at NYC Educator, Schoolgal asks:
Will you be attending any of the UFT's meetings on the subject of mayoral control?
I want to go, but after the last 2 contracts I always feel decisions are already made ahead of time and Randi will either support it or some version that still gives the mayor some power.


I think you may be right though there is some value in your going and reporting back to the gang here on what happened.

UFT events like this are basically venting mechanisms.

I missed the one at MLK HS in Manhattan last week which I wanted to attend. They are basically dog and pony shows like the high stakes testing committee was and that the UFT has a commitment to a system based on some form of mayoral control which they will not be moved off no matter what people say. Expect some tweaking of mayoral control. Remember, the UFT will support Bill Thompson for mayor and sell it as a way to have mayoral control with your own mayor.

When you say to Randi you are opposed to mayoral control she often will come back with : We don't want to go back to what we had.

I'm not so sure anymore.

The trick to is to come up with an alternative which we are beginning to struggle with in ICE. ICOPE is doing a bunch of stuff too. And we are going to do forums on this issue with Teachers Unite probably in the fall and we hope to attract teachers and parents. But I'm concerned that might be to late.

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