Notes from the May 16, 2013 UFT Mayoral Candidate Forum

At the UFT Democratic Mayoral Candidate forum, UFT representatives asked several questions of each candidate. They asked for the candidates’ opinions on school govenrance and mayoral control. They also asked about how they plan to dealwith disenfranchised parents and teachers. Contracts and raises were discusses as wellaswhy the UFT should support them. Here are my notes on the answers each candidate gave.

 

Bill DiBlasio-

 

Governance- We never got to see how mayoral control would have worked in a system that was inclusive. Checks and balances need to be in place. Central board should have real say. I am thinking of mayoral majority with set terms. PEP has to be able to have a real say. CEC should have community board like powers that are central roles for closures. Districts and superintendents need to matter again. Superintendents and districts have to be strengthened. No waivers, must be educators.

 

Disenfranchised parents and teachers- first mayor with kids in unlicensed schools in history of city if he is elected. Honoring the teacher profession again. Letting the city know that tone has to be changed. Work with uft. Stop the grading of schools and standardized testing focus to free up teachers energies again. Change discussion to teacher retention not teacher evaluation.

 

Contracts - we are going to walk into a difficult economic situation. More labor contracts open than ever before in history of the city. Tough decisions will be made in conjunction with uft. "You deserve justice.""We will do it together."

 

Bloomberg policies - Mayor went astray profoundly, and never recovered. At a certain point he was no longer serious and his bluster got the better of him. School system stalled. I propose a total restart. A tax on the wealthiest New Yorkers. A guaranteed after school seat for middle schoolers in budget.

 

How will you restore relations with teachers and city- familial feelings need to be explained to city. These are " your kids"  supporting, developing and training teachers who want to keep learning. Helping the many who are devoted to keep getting better.

 

What would you keep intact ?  Mayoral control with changes. Get rid of consultant expenditures. When SHE tells you how much she wants to stop assaults of teachers, you should ask her where were you the last 12 years as you helped him every step of the way.

 

ATRS- teachers left without placement due to budgeting. I want to see those teachers back in the classroom.

 

Why endorse? We have been together throughout. We share a fundamental understanding about education. You are the good housekeeping seal of approval. Who was with you? Who was consistent? Did they stand up for teachers? Did they challenge Michael Bloomberg? It's our time manhattan has been favored too long. Outer boroughs have 70 percent of democratic candidates. There will be a run off. In a run off I can build a strong coalition.

 

Christine Quinn

 

Governance-  mayoral control hasn't reached its full potential. I would like to see is us move to municipal control. City council should have ultimate power.  Leave structure as it with commitment to not remove people if they disagree. Will not rule out wavers.

CEC and co-location -  CEC are in essence are similar to community boards. Won't rule out co-locations.

 

Raises- come 12/31 no contract will be set. Private fair process for negotiations . Everything on tabe with recognition we will all work together. We need to recognize the hard work you have done.

 

Disenfranchised- stop the attack the teacher rhetoric. We can disagree agreeably. I have never been a teacher and I don't know what it's like. I need your help to direct me how to do that. We don't need more consultants. Study where we document your successes. 4 point plan on how to reform gifted and talented. Teachers should suggest who goes into gifted and talented. Sends a message saying respect the voices of teachers as the ones who know what needs to be done. Middle school quality initiative has worked, and we are expanding it.

 

Are you willing to make a commitment to stop closing schools? Won't rule it out. It shouldn't be a policy or goal. Take data and analyze on a regular basis and then using 20 million used to close schools but invest in schools years before that reality comes to pass. The focus needs to be on the potential and where we can go.intervene years in advance not 6 months before.

 

Critique policies. They are not inclusive. Community school model reinforces the second family feeling about schools. Parents and staff need real opportunity to have voices heard. Evaluations cannot be majority based on testing. Peer evaluation, observation and it should have a sunset. Focus of evaluation should be on how to help teachers be the best they can be. Mentor teachers - senior teachers to help first years

 

Phase 1 reform- recipe for disaster. Failure. Doing more with less ends up doing less with less. I'll admit I am not really familiar with this but I will see what council can do right now about this.

 

Endorsement- if I get this endorsement I want to do everything I can as mayor to make schools the best they can possibly be. We need to enter into a new partnership. I will go in together even if not endorsed.

 

Sal Albanese - retired 11 year teacher

 

Governance - I do see change. Fixed terms for panels and making sure there are teachers and parents of children from public schools. I want mayoral control so I can fix what he has broken. No waiver for chancellor. I spent 11 years in classroom. I don't need a political consultant to tell me what to say here. It's about the rapport you establish with students. It's not about widgets. Kids are complex and dynamics are complex. Chancelor needs to be educator to units and this.

I don't particularly like co-locations. Won't support without majority support from community.

 

What will be different and the same- I have tow daughters that are teachers. Why does mayor talk like that about us. I am going to respect teachers, not chastise them. Education is a priority. We will fund schools adequately. Education is the answer to a lot of our problems, jobs and crime. Resources need to be given to help teachers feel like professionals.

 

Contracts- all civil servants need to get retroactive pay. That's part of the respect. It's not only about what you say, it's about compensation. It's not 8 billion, its really 4 billion. Modify pension system.

 

Disenfranchised- I will start with PEP. Knowledgeable panel with fixed terms. Parents will know where to go. Set up local networks to find accountable contacts with local emphasis.

 

1 policy you disagree with the most- totally against the way PEP program is set up. Against the tone concerning teachers. I do agree with mayoral control.

 

Testing- against high stakes testing. Stresses out the teacher and principals. Teachers can be evaluated on others things and this has caused a demoralization process. We need music and art programs. Testing has to be part but not end all and be all.

 

Endorsement - education will be my priority. Only candidate actually in  this union. I also know how important the uft is, you are the most effective political action apparatus around. I a. Not accepting money form lobbyists. Once you get to city hall indebted to lobbyists, you can not accomplish much. I am an indecent on city council for 15 years. I will be an independent mayor.

 

John Liu –

 

Governance-  Staten Island may be the smallest borough but this is the biggest uft forum turn out. I put out my own study before uft put theirs out. Restructure PEP. Fixed terms. Mayoral control because it is currently in place. Most important responsibility. No waiver for chancellor. Not just as matter of state law, it is just common sense. I am looking to follow the rules and do what is best for children. Look for talent in NYC. I am looking for someone who is homegrown.

 

Co-locations- I have never been a fan of co-location. I was fooled for first years in council. I was excited by mayors opening schools. I didn't realize the schools didn't come with buildings.

 

Raises-Take care of fixed costs. Salaries come first. Mayor failed to take care of this fundamental fiscal responsibility. Absolute failure. On January 1 cut consultant fat from the doe. Lets use that to take care of the people who spend their lives taking care of our children. 8 billion dollars in retroactive pay increases to pay out. I will negotiate in good faith to figure out the best solution. I don't think we will get to the entire 8 billion but I am confidant it won't be zero either.

 

Low income area issues- if you look at the budget, review budget top to bottom to find new means. Many 3 year olds get preschool, but not low income families. Start at 3 all the way to high school. Not victim of digital divide. Alternatives for college for those who can't. Expectations should be in place for colleges ambitions for everyone. We have to take kids all the way though to college. Cradle to care approach. And I have the provisions in peoplesbudgetnyc.com.

 

ATR crisis- majority of people in ATR wants their due process and wants to ENT back to teaching. We need to bolster due process and help things go more quickly. Excesses teachers victims of way school budget works. I believe in rewarding and valuing experience. Current strategy is to get cheapest teachers, I will develop a new model.

 

School closing- I think the policy is ridiculous. There is going to be ups and downs. The schools needed more help, but they continued to marginalize those schools.

 

Evaluations system- I spent most of my career was in private sector, not politics. Each system has always been about identified strengths in the private sector. Not a system to get rid of teachers quickly. That's not an evaluation system that's a punitive system and has no place in our schools. Mayor cost us 250 million just to make a pont. It was wrong.  The system should not be overweighted by test scores.

 

Disenfranchised- we are public school parents. They do nationwide search for most expensive consultant possible charged to our taxpayers. I am looking to restore the learning environment. That starts with trusting teachers to teach. I am an immigrant. I was born in Taiwan. In Asian countries, teachers day are national holidays! They are valued above all else. We have to have a change in attitude. You have to let teachers teach. Go ask teachers first before changes.

 

Endorsement- how will I win with investigation on  campiagn . Four years of investigating, listening in on my phones for 18 months when mob bosses get tapped for 2-3 months. I am proud of my campaign. Tabloids will come after me, but reality is I am ready for it. I am the uft candidate in every election. You made a huge difference in my career as comptroller. I am looking to create positive change. I will be pushing them very hard. I am going to stick to my guns and fight for the changes I believe are necessary.

 

Bill Thompson-

 

Governance- former comptroller and former president of BOE. Current composition doesn't work. Give me six fixed term members. My members will not be commissioners. Mayoral appointed parent members as well. No waivers for chancellor. No chancellor is is an educator since Rudy crew. Changes are accomplished because what you did, not chancellors. Currently no larger educational vision. There is no education leader in this system now. Chancellor puts forth an educational vision, and then we can work toward it. The public wants to help. We won't get there without them.

 

CEC- co-location: they should have been involved in closings and co ocations. School closings are not a policy, they are an admission of failure. It is a dereliction of duty. Superintendants need to be in power again. The only thing that ties schools together re networks. I have yet to understand how that works. We need a place for parents to go gt information. A master principal for the principals. Staten Island should have 2 school districts. Can't let 1400 schools float on their own, answering only to networks.

 

Raises- it is clear you have gone 4 years w/o contracts. He is leaving us behind the proverbial 8 ball. He didn't cave into the special interests no he didn't do his job. Do you deserve raises. To do this we need to sit down with the leaders, open the books, go through the books together. What type of fiscal situation are we really in?  We need to bring contracts back in house, no more outsourcing. Go through the budget line by line. Bring what doesn't work dollars in house. It is not going to be business as usual. There needs to be trust own both sides. We need a period of collaboration again like we did in the 70's.

 

Disenfranchised-  we haven't had a mayor who has worked with al l city workers in 20 years. Mayor needs to be accessible and seen. We should get out of tweed. Doesn't hold ay good memories in our educational system memory. I am not going to be a mayor who sits back. I will be in schools, visiting schools seeing what is working. My mom was a NYC public school teachers for 30 years. Change the tone.demonization and finger pointing of teachers needs to stop. What does letting teachers teach again really mean? You became teachers to change lives and change the direction of the city. We need a mayor and chancellor who understand that there probably isn't any harder work than teaching. My mother gave everything tht she had to her students. Involving and reaching out to parents and teachers is how to change the tone.

 

ATR- 1500 teachers floating around. A lot of them are experienced. They are cut because they cost twice as much as a new teacher. The shift needs to be that experience does matter. I wan texperienced teachers dealing with our  children. One proposal I put forward is to put experienced teachers in tougher schools, give incentives. This is NOT merit pay. merit pay hasn't worked anywhere in this nation.

 

Endorsement- I know what education can be in NYC. This system that has gone through 4 reorgs in 8 years. We need to change direction. I want to reempower superintendents. I want to create parent univeristies. Smaller class size in earlier grades 3-5. We know this works! Bloomberg wated to be the educational mayor. Well that ship sailed a long time ago. Education needs to be collaborative. I want NYC to be the education city. Not the education mayor. Once people looked at us for the education lead. We exported ideas. It was different. It was about education and teacher. I want  to bring value back to our public schools. We need to work collaboratively. I realize the most important thing is who will stand in front of our children every day. I will win with your help and your support. With our support there is no doubt. My campaign is surging and catching fire. With your help we will stay above 40 percent and stay out of a runoff. We will be the education city again.