As city public school teachers continue to work under the old contract, which has been expired for more than a year, the question is when teachers will have a new contract.
Teachers work under difficult conditions: a lack of supplies, overcrowded classrooms, unruly students and a lack of support from administrators and some parents, who are difficult to deal with. Added to that, we have a new city schools chancellor who does not have educational credentials and a mayor who is hard-nosed. The result is that nothing has really been accomplished thus far.
Our United Federation of Teachers president, Michael Mulgrew, has his work cut out for him and he will rise to the task of fighting for a fair, decent and acceptable contract. Mulgrew, having been a teacher and also involved in the UFT, has the capability to fight for the hardworking teachers of this city.
Teachers need to be treated with the utmost respect as other professionals are treated. We deserve that much. We are teaching students to be responsible so that when they are adults, they will be able to go into any profession with a solid backbone of an education received from us.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
