Other Newspaper Columns

These are columns and opinion pieces by the UFT president.

Stop the state-senate circus: New York Post, June 29, 2009

The New York state Senate's failure to act on the issue of school governance in New York City is cause for great concern for parents, students and those of us at the UFT.

Stop scapegoating unions: Daily News, March 28, 2009

Amid the current economic uncertainty, myths are circulating about the pension programs and health insurance for municipal workers. These myths not only misrepresent the problems, they stand in the way of finding realistic solutions.

The case for national standards: Washington Post, Feb. 16, 2009

Rebuilding our economy for the long haul — not just to meet today's needs — requires investing in education. President Obama rightly has called for immediate investments to build the classrooms, laboratories and libraries our children require to meet 21st-century challenges and to increase funding for crucial educational programs. But to address the challenges and seize the opportunities of this new century, we must do even more.

McCain, stop putting teachers in corner: Daily News, Aug. 15, 2008

Randi Weingarten writes that Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, in his Aug. 1 speech blasting teachers, teacher unions and public education, ignores how voters repeatedly and wisely defeated voucher initiatives. He also ignores, she says, the many instances in which unions, teachers and elected officials have, in fact, worked together successfully.