On May 6, 2020, Gov. Cuomo called on the Gates Foundation to bring together "experts" and provide "expert" advice as needed as New York State works out how to re-open school buildings and "re-imagine" education.

In response, UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued the following statement:

Anyone who wants to "re-imagine" schools should go first to the people who have made the education of children their calling and their profession. Our teachers are the real experts, and they have lots of ideas about how schools could be improved.