Mayoral Candidates Chose Teacher Union Over Majority of New Yorkers
Mayoral candidates Anthony Weiner and Christine Quinn recently expressed support for charter schools and other options for students at a forum sponsored by Families for Excellent Schools. Mayoral candidates John Liu, Bill Thompson and Bill de Blasio are choosing not to support charter schools, despite overwhelming support from New Yorkers, in hopes of receiving an endorsement from the teachers union.
According to the New York Post:
There’s no question New Yorkers want charters. In a new Zogby poll commissioned by the Manhattan Institute, 86 percent of likely city voters said parents should have more options for their kids — of which charters are the most compelling example. At one charter school recently, 12,500 applicants applied for 1,400 slots.
But there’s also no question that the teachers union — which is set to announce its endorsement any day — finds charters anathema. So anyone hoping for that endorsement will be more than willing to give the 86 percent the shaft...
