Archive Page 105

The Social Justice Caucus? Action vs Words

MORE Coalition- The Social Justice Caucus?

The MORE group has highlighted their commitment to fight for social justice in recent election material. They call themselves the social justice caucus.

On the other hand it is noteworthy that New Action/UFT has been in the forefront of the struggle for a non-racist, just society. While focusing on all the issues affecting educators in the schools, from the attack on veteran teachers, the attack on probationary teachers, the insanity of SESIS, abusive administrators, the fixation on standardized tests, and blaming educators for all the problems of the education system–New Action has taken action on ALL of the following–

The first to call for disaster relief for Haiti
The first to call for justice for Trayvon Martin
The first to call for an end to Stop and Frisk
The first to call for the defeat of Mike Bloomberg and support for Bill Thompson
The first to call for the defense of the fired leadership of the Puerto Rican teachers
The only caucus to repeatedly call for action on the disappearing Black and Latino educators
The only caucus to petition to end mayoral control
The first caucus to pass a resolution against gun violence
And New Action spoke up for organizing home care providers

MORE would like to have a record to match New Action but it’s not there yet. When the MORE coalition matches its actions with its rhetoric–maybe then it can wear the mantle of the social justice caucus!

NEW ACTION SLATE 2013

OFFICERS
President Michael Mulgrew, Wm. Grady HS
Secretary Carol Widom, PS 219K
Assistant Secretary Cheryl F. Hawkins, PS/IS 150K, Retired
Treasurer Ronald Leung, Fort Hamilton HS
Assistant Treasurer Bruce Rajswasser, Curtis HS
VP, at Large Gregory DiStefano, Tottenville HS, Retired, UFT Organizing Committee
VP, Special Education Tom McDonough NYC Museum School
VP, Elementary Ama Willock, PS 245K
VP, IS/JHS/MS Nelson Santiago, IS 63R
VP, Academic HS John McCabe III Tottenville HS

EXECUTIVE BOARD ELEMENTARY
Rachael Bulla
Alyssa Colarossi
Sharon Coughlin
Lauren Donner
Lynn Halligan
Phylicita Nelson-Walker
Tracey Pearson
Marva St Clair
Michael Streiker
Earl Terrill
Almarie Walker

EXECUTIVE BOARD IS/JHS/MS
Ginger Brown
Diana Buono
Jessica Carter Mendiata
Yrvin Espinal
Bea Robertson

EXECUTIVE BOARD HIGH SCHOOL
Alan Ettman, DeWitt Clinton HS
Keith Fessel, Ft Hamilton HS
William Goldman, Tottenville HS
Jonathan Halabi HS of American Studies
Anthony Klug, Wadleigh HS
Greg Lundahl, Washington Irving HS
James Vasquez, Newcomers HS

EXECUTIVE BOARD FUNCTIONAL
Irina Benediktova, School Psychologist
Noelle Delli Paoli, Guidance Counselor
Bernadette D’Onofrio, Social Worker
Jacques Dorcely, School Psychologist
Richard Dunlop, Social Worker
Barbara Falik, School Psychologist
Linda Langen, Paraprofessional
Dalia Maxwell, School Psychologist
Osama Mostafa, Guidance Counselor
Eve Rittle, School Secretary
Katherine Sisco, Paraprofessional

EXECUTIVE BOARD AT-LARGE
Jonas Abry
Kuljit Ahluwalia
Chris Ballerini
Charles Bayor
Joel Berger
Kim Brown
Lisa Buono
Dawn L. Campbell
John G Carlson
Linda Costello
Maurice Crooks
Angelo D’Angelo
Diane De Bernardo
Robert Dehler
Francis D’Souza
Nelson Espinal
Paul Feingold
Michael Freydin
Joel Garcia
Regina Gori
Robert Greenberg
Douglas Haynes
Arjun Janah
Mark Karwowski
Martin Kellerman
Jonathan Leventon
Fern Lowenfels
Carl Makower
Kate Martin-Bridge
Ruth McKenzie
Paul Millstein
John D Pallone
Francisco A Peña
Laurence Pittis
Gregorio Quinn
Dacio Quintana
Maria Ramos
Paul Regenbogen
Jon Dennis Regier
Paula Rogovin
Judy Rosenstein
Linda Scheer
Michael Sherwood
Michael Shulman
Justo Soriano
Barbara Stensholt
Diane Vines
David Widom

Why New Action opposes the recommendations to modify mayoral control

At Monday’s Executive Board the Committee on School Governance presented a set of School Governance Recommendations.

The committee worked hard on its recommendations. The individual proposals are positive.  But they are framed as modifications, as checks and balances on Mayoral Control.

One of the positive proposals deserves special mention. The UFT now stands for no waiver for the Chancellor. New Action’s David Kaufman made just such a proposal, well-reasoned, last time we had a governance report. And it was roundly, and wrongly, rejected. We wish that Dave were here today to see the union belatedly adopting his proposal.

New Action has opposed Mayoral Control. It has been a disaster for our schools, our students, our members. Last year we circulated petitions calling for an end of Mayoral Control. And we remain opposed to Mayoral Control. This year we declined to serve on the Governance Committee – the correct conclusion – ending Mayoral Control – was obvious.

Thus, at Monday’s Exec Board, we felt compelled to vote against otherwise positive recommendations, for not being part of an overall stance of ending Mayoral Control.

Our union, the UFT, should take the committee’s recommendations, and embed them in a proposal to end Mayoral Control. Then  New Action/UFT would proudly endorse them.

 


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