United Federation of Teachers

Some Public School Students Will Sit Out State Tests This Week in Protest

"These tests are harmful. They do nothing but stress us out and take away precious learning time. They don't make learning fun, they are all-consuming. ... We do not learn from these tests. Do we not go to school to learn?" Owen Hotaling, a freckled fifth grader in a sweatshirt and a bright red kn ... More >>

Gov. Cuomo To NYC: If No Teacher Evaluations Deal Is Made, The State Will Intervene

After letting $300 million in state funds slip out of our children's hands, coercion might be the only way to get Mayor Bloomberg's D.O.E. and the United Federation of Teachers to come to an agreement. Yesterday, Governor Cuomo told reporters that Albany has no problem imposing its own teacher eval ... More >>

Invasion Of The Charter Schools

Former City Councilmember Eva Moskowitz, with Bloomberg's union-busting blessing, is pushing her Success Academy edu-franchise into Brooklyn. The natives aren't buying.

Mr. Cuomo, You've Sure Got a Funny Way of Increasing Education Spending

Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended the state's impressive run of evading the fact that it owes New York City billions of dollars in educations funds. As we reported last week, the state has demonstrated an uncanny ability to pretend like the N.Y. State Court of Appeals didn't mandate that it pay the city ... More >>

Another Brooklyn Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With Student

For the latest installment of what has become an alarming trend at New York City schools, another teacher is accused of having sex with a student. The Latest: 33-year-old Urszula Jankowska. Her alleged victim: a 13-year-old girl.According to authorities, Jankowska abused the girl on multiple oc ... More >>

At Con-Ed Lockout Protest, Unions Embrace Class War

The Con Edison lockout of 8,500 workers is now well into its third week, and there doesn't appear to be any end is in sight. Negotiations between the utility giant and members of the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 resume today, but sources inside the negotiations say so recent talks ha ... More >>

Bloomberg's Union Fight Over Teacher Evaluations

The Hozziner is gettin' a little feisty.Last Saturday, The Voice reported on the teacher evaluation argument that was brewing in Albany between the unions and Bloomberg over whether or not to release the information to parents or the public. The extremes were set in stone: the unions favored pa ... More >>

Brooklyn Principal Accused Of Asking 15-Year-Old Student For A Blowjob

Today is Thursday, a day that ends in the word "day" -- which apparently means one thing for the New York City Department of Education: a school employee is accused of inappropriatepriate sexual behavior with a student.The latest school employee to face accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior w ... More >>

Harlem Teacher Forced 8-Year-Old Student To Write Him Love Letters -- Which Is The Least Disgusting Part Of The Story

We got the details about the Harlem elementary school teacher accused of sexually assaulting one of his 8-year-old students. Hold on to your lunch -- this one's especially revolting (when compared to the other 10 New York City teachers charged with sexual misconduct with students this year, that is) ... More >>

Another Day, Another NYC Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing A Student

In what now has become a trend, another New York City teacher is accused of sexually abusing a student.The latest alleged pervert is 29-year-old Rafael Sosa, who currently is accused of sexually abusing an 8-year-old student at a Harlem elementary school.According to authorities, Sosa sexually abuse ... More >>

Mayor Releases New Budget With Childcare Cuts, Gets Very Annoyed at Reporters

Mayor Mike Bloomberg released his $68.7 billion executive budget proposal today and patted himself on the back for leading the city in a speedy recovery that's better than the rest of the country. The new budget for 2013 has no tax increases and relies on $6.2 billion in savings generated through de ... More >>

Mike Bloomberg, Albany Dispute Release of Teacher Ranking Data

Will teacher rankings be made public? This is a complicated question, and will likely be decided soon by New York pols. But first, a bit of background. Remember that various media outlets published in February 18,000 New York City teacher ratings, after the United Federation of Teachers lost a len ... More >>

Cuomo, Bloomberg Take Pissing Match With Teachers Unions Public. Union's Response: "Oh, For Pete's Sake"

​Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg just issued a joint publicity stunt press release announcing that they will be donating $72,000 to a Hispanic advocacy group to replace the donation two teacher's unions yanked from the organization in protest of Cuomo's pension refo ... More >>

New Yorkers: Gov. Andrew Cuomo More Trustworthy Than United Federation of Teachers

New Yorkers trust their gov more than the public school teachers union to protect kids' interests, according to a Quinnipiac University poll that came out this morning. The study has been released shortly after another survey in which voters said they trust the union more than Mayor Mike Bloomberg - ... More >>

Bloomberg Cheers Cuomo's Teacher Evals Despite Increasing Flak from Educators

Great timing, Mike. On the same day that the United Federation of Teachers is unveiling a week's worth of primetime attack ads on Bloomberg, the mayor told Albany that he supports Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget plan -- including the metrics-minded school proposals that really piss off educators. In ... More >>

UAW Endorses Occupy Wall Street; Massive March Planned Today

This morning the UAW -- the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America -- issued an official endorsement of Occupy Wall Street, which they deem "a movement for economic and political justice." They've said they'll commit resources to the movement ... More >>

Transport Workers Union Denied Injunction Against City's Use of Bus Drivers to Transport Arrested Protesters; Suit Not Dismissed

Today the Transport Workers Union, which last week voted unanimously in support of Occupy Wall Street, went to court to fight against the city's use of city bus drivers to transport arrested protesters. Following the Brooklyn Bridge arrests on Saturday, the Union said the NYPD had commandeered numer ... More >>

12 More Schools Closed; Crowd Blasts Cathie Black; Mayor Bloomberg Blasts Crowd

In front of a raucous crowd of 2,000 in Brooklyn (see video above), a New York City panel voted early this morning to close 12 more public schools, bringing the week's total carnage to 22. Jeered by the crowd, Mayor Bloomberg's schools chancellor, Cathie Black, held her tongue. On Tuesday, Black h ... More >>

Cathie Black's Appointment Generating More Pushback

​Over the weekend, Mayor Bloomberg experienced more pushback against Cathie Black, his choice for Chancellor of Schools. The only real variable in whether or not Bloomberg will get his choice is if State Education Commissioner David Steiner will grant Black a waiver or not, as she lacks the ne ... More >>

Breaking: NYC Dept. of Education Chancellor Joel Klein Steps Down, Replaced by Cathie Black, Former Magazine Exec.

​At a press conference today, Joel Klein -- the chancellor of New York City's Department of Education announced that he is stepping down from his position, to be replaced by now-former Hearst chairperson Cathie Black. She is the second chancellor of New York City's Department of Education sinc ... More >>

Three Reasons Why You Should Be Upset About Cathie Black, New NYC Schools Chancellor

​Cathie Black, the former chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, was just appointed to one of the most powerful positions in New York City by Mayor Bloomberg. To massively understate the case, this is a big deal. Here's why you should be concerned about it:

Nat Hentoff Defends WBAI's Right to Air 'Racist Poetry'

​Clip Job: an excerpt every day from the Voice archives. February 6, 1969, Vol. XIV, No. 17 The siege at WBAI by Nat Hentoff "There is no doubt, certainly, that life in the United States remains freer than in the Soviet Union," Edgar Friedenberg writes in the February Atlantic Monthly. "What ... More >>

RICH SCHOOL, POOR SCHOOL

AS BUDGETS SHRINK, CITY SCHOOLS TURN TO PARENTS TO PICK UP THE SLACK

19 NYC High Schools Were Illegally Closed, Judge Rules; Mike Bloomberg, Joel Klein Get Smacked Down

A judge ruled today that New York City's Department of Education illegally closed 19 high schools earlier this year. Several news outlets are reporting the breaking decision (Post, WABC). The move to close the schools earlier this year was contentious and included a protest in front of Mayor Bloomb ... More >>

U. Tube: Student Teachers Learn From Video Training

A Bloomberg Score Card: The Mayor's Hits and Misses

Unions to Bloomy: Un-Happy Term Limits Birthday

The one-year anniversary of Mike Bloomberg's term-limits flip-flop is being celebrated today by a pair of unions who chose the date to announce their endorsement of Bill Thompson for mayor -- while throwing in some tough language about the incumbent. Electricians Local Union No. 3, one of the city' ... More >>

Barrett: Recalling When Mr. Tough-Guy Bloomberg Wasn't Too Tough to Purchase DC 37's Endorsement

Kissing union butt in 2005Mike Bloomberg is now boldly declaring that he "will not make irresponsible promises to win an endorsement," the tough-guy-standing-up-for-taxpayers stance he's using to explain why the largest municipal union, 125,000-member District Council 37, endorsed his opponent, Dem ... More >>

Clip Job: Integration in the LES

Clip Job: an excerpt every day from the Voice archivesOctober 17, 1963, Vol. VIII, No. 52Whites, Negroes Balk [at] School-Shifting PlanBy Dan BalabanSome 700 people jammed into the 500-seat auditorium of P.S. 140 at Rivington and Ridge Streets last week to discuss integrated education based on a "Pr ... More >>

Bloomberg Writes His Own Report Card

Thankfully, there's no term limit on the Constitution and its protection of students

Letters 8.27.08

Letters 8.6.08

Lobbying Albany: A Recession-Proof Industry

Your Own Personal Blackboard Jungle

Fresh from the frontlines, New York Teaching Fellows tell all

Schoolyard Bullies

A policy of cops searching students is in need of a mental detector

Letters

Grand Theft Jobs

Millions are missing at a powerful union-backed worker-training group

Mike's Labor Love Fest

Bill Thompson Wins!!

The Best of Bloomberg's School Reform

How the Mayor Is Resuscitating Our Sick System

Testing to Create Dropouts?

Playing the Numbers Game for Kids' Futures

Labor's 'No' to War

A New Generation of Leaders Makes a Different Choice

Ashcroft's Shadowy Disciple

Someone to Watch Over Us

Which Third Way?

Greens and the Working Families Party Try to Make Progressive Votes Count

The High-Stakes Testing Trap

Rising Standards, Rising Dropouts

Bloomberg's Fragile Budget

Re-Election Year Politics Dictate Choices

The Mystery Candidate

Hevesi Separates Himself From Rudy, Attaches Himself to UFT

Race and Class

A Brooklyn Teacher Is disciplined for Telling Her Students to Refer to Themselves as Africans—Not Americans

Voucher Politics

Giuliani Flunks Libs To Chase State and National Conservative Backing

Patronage Outrage

'Wired' Official Neglected Sidewalk Safety Outside School Where Child Died