Dear Michael Mulgrew...

Dear Colleagues,

With the conversation about the future of public education reaching a fever pitch this week, the mayor and chancellor have used this opportunity to go on the attack, disparaging teachers at every turn. Must you be so confrontational and divisive? No wonder the mayor and chancellor don't want to work with you... The pundits and critics have rarely paused during their breathless coverage to acknowledge the amazing work that goes on in our schools, Why can't we be honest and acknowledge the failures as well as the successes, rather than turning a blind eye? to dig deeper into the issues and move past simplistic “solutions” or to hold the administration accountable for its shortcomings.

While visiting schools this week, I have seen and heard firsthand how discouraging and damaging the mayor’s and the chancellor’s comments have been to our classrooms. They and the “blame the teacher” pundits are tripping over each other to be dismissive and divisive. It’s disrespectful, it’s disingenuous and it’s wrong.

The chancellor and the Department of Education have been in control of the school system for eight years, and they still remain tone-deaf to the needs of children, dismissing the wisdom of parents and great teachers on almost every issue. What is your evidence for such a wide-reaching claim? They’ve frittered away billions of dollars on consultants and privatization schemes and the collection of “data” that they manipulate and use selectively to further their agenda while gutting school budgets and watching class sizes rise. Again, what evidence do you have of this? How are they forging data? What is their "agenda"? Accountability, anyone?

For years, UFT members and leaders have worked hard to move public education forward in a meaningful way. In my experience, the UFT supports the status quo, even when it's clear that the current system isn't working well enough. And we will continue to fight hard, because the future of our students is at stake.

Our efforts as education advocates necessitate working with elected officials at every level of government and those officials have a huge impact on what good — or harm — comes to our students and schools. That is why electing representatives who are truly committed to education and who respect our profession matters so much. I urge all of you to take advantage of the ballot box and support candidates for Congress, State Senate and State Assembly who understand what you do for kids every day.

New York City educators are overcoming enormous challenges and making a real difference in children’s lives every day. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. We need to hold our heads up high and fight back against the attacks on our profession and our students. But let's not delude ourselves. Some teachers are good and some are very, very bad. Far too many children are having no difference made in their lives. That is unacceptable. Together, I know we can prevail. Why is this a fight? Who are we fighting against? You are a grown man, Michael Mulgrew, just like the teachers you represent. Why are our children's futures in the hands of adults who squabble and point fingers more than my second graders did? Maybe you should have been sitting in on a lesson I taught during the first week of school--a lesson on cooperation.

Sincerely,

Michael Mulgrew
UFT President