Adams, Yang poor choices for public education
By Joe LoVerde
UFT President Mulgrew called on members not to rank Eric Adams or Andrew Yang for mayor on their ballots on June 22.
“They are both proven enemies of the union and public education,” he said. “They just want to get into City Hall so they can move their agenda, and their agenda is based on making money, not helping children.”
The two candidates are likely to reestablish disastrous Bloomberg-style education policies in New York City, he warned. Like former mayor Michael Bloomberg, both Adams and Yang can be expected to bolster charter schools at the expense of public schools, he said.
Mulgrew pointed out that Adams and Yang are taking large contributions from organizations and people who support school privatization. “Look at the relationships,” he said. “Who are their friends? Who’s donating the money?”
Adams, the Brooklyn borough president and a former police officer, has received more than $6 million in campaign contributions from the charter industry and its supporters. And Success Academy head Eva Moskowitz, who got rich running her charter empire, publicly thanked him on Twitter for his support.
Mulgrew noted that StudentsFirst, a political lobbying organization founded by Moskowitz, set up a fund on behalf of Adams. “I don’t think I have to spell out the problem here,” he said.
Adams has voiced support for a longer school day and year.
Yang, the former presidential candidate, is against teacher tenure, supports individual merit pay and is the founder of a charter school.
“The man who led the charge on the anti-public schools issues and closing schools and all that was Bradley Tusk, and he’s running Andrew Yang’s campaign,” Mulgrew said. “In fact, he recruited Andrew Yang to run for mayor.”