Editorials
The importance of COPE
Oct 15, 2009 4:45 PM
Political victories and losses are sometimes decided by razor-thin margins in an election. Gains or losses can be determined by a small turnout at the polls, and that risk can be aggravated by apathy and ignorance even when the stakes are high.
That is why educators must be especially vigilant in the political arena.
These days many so-called education reforms that would only hurt our schools are continually having to be fought in the political arena. That makes the political action funded by educators’ voluntary COPE (Committee on Public Education) payroll deduction so crucial.
The recent New York City primaries and runoff elections prove the value of our informational campaigns. We got the word out that John Liu and Bill de Blasio were the best candidates for city comptroller and public advocate, respectively. To the delight of some and the dismay of others — but with the acknowledgment of all — the UFT’s efforts in support of these candidates helped determine the electoral outcome.
This clout can help us in the fight to defend public education. We fully expect that de Blasio will focus an unjaundiced eye on City Hall and Tweed, and that Liu will audit the Department of Education scrupulously.
Their independent oversight will serve the common good of educators as well as the communities we serve.
While our decisive activism in the New York City primaries bodes well, new and recurring storm clouds have gathered in Albany and New York City. Billions of dollars in education funding are slated to be slashed, some of it midyear. Your union is on a mission to fight these cuts, and that mission must be accomplished through political action.
That’s why we strongly urge every member to volunteer for a payroll deduction to COPE. Your COPE commitment helps us promote an agenda of quality education and social justice, and our lobbying is as transparent as it is effective.
Please see your chapter leader to sign up or to increase the dollar amount of your contribution. It’s one of the best investments you can make for your future as well as that of New York City’s 1.1 million public school students.
