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UFT members were calling fellow union members in the suburbs and upstate at union phone banks and a day of door-knocking in the Hudson Valley was planned for Nov. 1 as the fight to decide which party controls the state Senate came down to a handful of competitive races, all outside New York City.

“With so much at stake for public education, it’s essential that we elect state lawmakers who support public school students and educators,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “The corporate education reformers are pouring money into the coffers of the Republican candidates, so you know who they believe will advance their pro-charter, anti-union agenda.”

Candidates endorsed by the UFT and NYSUT, its state affiliate, swept the state Senate primaries on Sept. 9, putting strong contenders in place for Nov. 4. But with more money flowing into the campaigns of the Senate Republican candidates, the key races were tight in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

Mulgrew said the need for the union to have allies in Albany was especially great given the hostile climate for public education elsewhere in the country.

“From New Jersey to California, public school teachers and their rights have been under attack by the forces of privatization,” said Mulgrew. “That’s why it’s imperative that our members go to the polls to elect candidates that share our values.”

UFT phone banks were running in high gear in every borough from mid-October to Nov. 3. And the union planned to ferry buses of members to Croton-on-Hudson for a day of canvassing in support of Justin Wagner, the Democratic candidate for the open Senate seat in District 40, which includes parts of Westchester, Dutchess and Putnam counties.

Wagner is a corporate litigation lawyer who has also worked pro bono for families facing foreclosure. A public school graduate whose mother was a special education teacher, Wagner vowed to “work with, not against, teachers in improving, reforming and re-investing in New York’s schools.”

In the other nearby race, Adrienne Esposito is running for the open seat to represent District 3 in Suffolk County on Long Island in the state Senate. She is a longtime environmental activist who helped fight for laws banning the use of toxic pesticides in school playgrounds and other park areas. Esposito supports fully funding public schools, giving parents a greater voice in the schools and ending the excessive use of standardized testing.

UFT members have also been phone banking on behalf of the following three Democratic candidates for state Senate, all incumbents seeking re-election who are in tight races to keep their seats:

• Terry W. Gipson in District 41, which includes parts of Dutchess and Putnam counties. Gipson was so outraged by the corporate involvement in excessive testing in schools that he introduced legislation that would end the use of Pearson exams, including for teacher certification, and would ban the company from future education contracts in the state.

• Cecilia Tkaczyk in District 46, which includes parts of Ulster, Green and Albany counties. She has been a leader in the fight against excessive Common Core testing, especially for students with special needs. She sponsored legislation calling on the State Education Department to study the impact of the Common Core Learning Standards. She has also fought for more funding for upstate schools.

• Ted O’Brien in District 55, encompassing parts of Monroe and Ontario counties, including Rochester. He fought successfully for more than $77 million in additional funding for public schools in his district and was a leader in the fight to get relief from the impact of Common Core tests, first for students and then for educators.

The other competitive state Senate race is in District 60, which covers part of Buffalo and its suburbs. The Republican who holds the seat lost his primary but is still in the race, running on the Independence Party line. Marc Panepinto, the Democratic candidate, has spoken out forcefully against corporate education reformers seeking to expand charter schools and privatize public education. Panepinto comes out of the labor movement and is expected to be a strong voice for working men and women. Mulgrew hosted a UFT breakfast fundraiser for the candidate.

The UFT is also urging members to vote yes on Proposal 3 concerning the New York Bonds for School Technology Act, which would enable the state to sell up to $2 billion in bonds.

Revenue would go toward purchasing educational technology, including desktop and laptop computers, tablets and high-speed broadband or wireless Internet; building and updating facilities for prekindergarten programs; replacing classroom trailers with permanent space; and installing high-tech security in schools.

Political endorsements

The UFT’s state affiliate NYSUT is backing the following candidates in the Nov. 4 election. See a fuller list of NYSUT-endorsed candidates, including for Long Island and Westchester County.

Statewide offices

Comptroller

• Thomas DiNapoli

Attorney General

• Eric Schneiderman

U.S. House of Representatives

New York State Senate

New York State Assembly