It is now going to be one full year since the contract for city public school teachers has expired, and there still has not been a resolution of this critical matter. The teachers who work in our public schools are hard-working, dedicated professionals who are working hard to educate thousands of our children from pre-K through 12th-grade.
They work under a huge variety of conditions that are not always the best. Lack of classroom materials, rowdy and disruptive students and lack of support from administrators add to stressful working conditions for all teachers. It is time for the city schools chancellor and the mayor to stop wasting time and come to the bargaining table to negotiate in a professional manner with the United Federation of Teachers and its president, Michael Mulgrew.
Teachers deserve a livable salary that will help them pay their bills just like everyone else. We deserve a fair and just contract with a decent, acceptable wage increase with absolutely no givebacks asked.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
