The state's class size law is our collective opportunity to significantly enhance the quality of education for every child in our city. Yet this historic moment is at risk due to the reluctance of Mayor Eric Adams and the city Department of Education to implement the new law.

For too long, we have been at the whim of whatever agenda the current mayor decides to pursue. The school budget cuts we are now fighting is a perfect example. What our schools need is not always aligned with what the mayor wants. What is the purpose of having a citywide Panel for Educational Policy if a majority of the panelists are mayoral appointees who vote the way the mayor asks them to?

We are facing a crisis in our school system that we are handling largely on our own: Over the past 18 months, more than 20,000 children from asylum-seeking families have arrived in our schools. Yet no one in leadership seems to be talking about or figuring out how to provide the meaningful support these new students need. 


Contract enforcement all starts with understanding what the new agreement entails. Everyone should read the new contract — it’s the most important living document we as UFT members have. 

On May 24, thousands of UFT members showed up at our simultaneous contract rallies in all five boroughs to make their voices heard. We joined together in a sea of blue with handmade signs, rallying cries and a determination to fight for more respect, more autonomy, fair raises and better working conditions. But there was something else present in the crowd on that day: There was joy. Joy in the act of coming together and joy in hearing the sound of our voices reverberate when we speak up at the same time.