Post by AFT New Jersey.
Share
-
Video: Rally for Independent Judiciary
)
The first #Bridgegate case involving Bridget Kelly and Bill Stepien went to court this morning. We called on Governor Christie to keep the courts in New Jersey independent and nonpartisan by renominating NJ Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner.
Newark Teachers Endorse Ras Baraka for Mayor
-
By Marc Bussanich
Newark, NJ—Ras Baraka won the endorsement of the Newark Teachers Union on Monday, March 10 to become Newark’s next mayor. Just as Bill de Blasio faces the challenge of charter school expansion in New York, so does Mr. Baraka as the school district’s superintendent, Cami Anderson, seeks to close public schools in favor of expanding charter schools. Video
Ras Baraka picks up Newark Teachers Union endorsement.
Asked about his reaction to de Blasio catching heat because he didn’t give everything the charter school movement wanted—approving 36 co-locations out of the 45 co-locations former Michael Bloomberg wanted—Baraka said it’s unfortunate that New York’s new mayor is being attacked.
“Allowing one school to have greater resources at the expense of another school is something that he should not support. It has to be about equity across the board,” said Baraka.
Mr. Baraka is not entirely opposed to charter schools. LaborPress asked how could charter and public schools co-exist in Newark.
“Charter schools can be good in terms of innovation and best practices and we can share best practices across the city….but we have to move the city forward collectively, not separately,” Baraka said.
Joseph Del Grosso, NTU’s president, said the union also isn’t opposed to charter schools but wants a cap on the number of charter schools that can operate within a school district.
“Newark’s 2015 school budget will spend more money on charter schools than on its public schools. That is a problem. A cap on the number of charter schools is the intelligent thing to do. We could [then] co-exist, and there could be viable competition between public and charter schools,” said Del Grosso.
More>>
Ras Baraka Picks Up Newark Teachers Union Endorsement
By Alexandra Hill, WBGO News
South Ward Councilman and mayoral candidate Ras Baraka picked up yet another major labor union endorsement today (Monday) this time from the Newark Teachers Union.
Councilman Ras Baraka Picks Up Newark Teachers Union Endorsement
As the former principal of Central High School Baraka gained the support of the union he was once a member of. Union president Joseph Del Grosso says he has a long history working with Baraka and adds the union supports his plan to move the city’s public schools forward.
“I interacted with him as a vice principal, I interacted with him as a principal I saw a dedication in him but yet I saw a principal that was willing to listen to his teachers and make them a part of the educational process and the decision making process.”
More>>
Newark mayor’s race: Baraka gains endorsement from city teacher’s union
By James Queally/The Star-Ledger
NEWARK — South Ward Councilman Ras Baraka picked up the latest in a series of endorsements from labor unions today, gaining the support of the Newark Teacher’s Union in his bid for mayor.
The endorsement came as no surprise, as Baraka was previously a member of the union and a principal at Central High School, but the announcement was met with raucous applause from dozens of supporters at the union’s Broad Street headquarters. Chants of “Believe in Newark,” Baraka’s campaign slogan, could be heard on the sidewalk outside.
“Baraka has been a visionary leader and we support his plan to move Newark Public Schools and the city forward in a thoughtful and coordinated manner,” said union president Joseph Del Grosso.
More>>
Photos: Newark Teachers Endorse Baraka for Mayor
NTU President Joe Del Grosso delivers local endorsement of Ras Baraka for Mayor
Baraka started as a Newark teacher at 21
Press and community members attending to support the Baraka campaign
Walter V. Genuario delivered the endorsement for the Essex-West Hudson Central Labor Council
Baraka with slate members and elected officials
Newark Teachers Endorse Baraka for Newark Mayor and ‘Blueprint to Achieve Excellence’
Call former teacher ‘Education Mayor’ with innovative ideas to help residents
NEWARK, New Jersey – “Ras Baraka is an accomplished educator with a strong sense of community who will make a great mayor for Newark,” said Newark Teachers Union (NTU) President Joseph Del Grosso announcing the local’s endorsement of the former teacher and his education plan. “Baraka has been a visionary leader and we support his plan to move Newark Public Schools and the city forward in a thoughtful and coordinated manner.”
Del Grosso pointed to Baraka’s innovative record of championing vital services such as extended day childcare and dentistry as Principal of Central High School to address critical student needs in addition to improving academics. “Baraka’s collaboration with community to support education is what we need and his plan is based on years of experience working with students and families.”
Baraka has been a central figure in organizing community support for the public school system, calling for a return to local control of the state-run district and opposing a plan to close schools. “I will fully represent the interests of Newark’s children, families and educators and advocate for community input into decisions that impact our schools and neighborhoods,” said Baraka. “To enable all of our children to succeed, my plan calls for organizing our city’s institutions, resources, policies, and leaders to develop all of our neighborhoods, support our families, nurture the development of our children and create a climate outside of our schools that helps to transform learning within them,” he said.
With NTU’s endorsement, the union’s Broad Street offices will serve as AFL-CIO headquarters for the campaign, according to Essex-West Hudson Center Labor Council President Thomas P. Giblin. Many unions are supporting the candidate and current Councilman because they recognize that Baraka has a comprehensive bottom-up strategy towards economic growth and focus on creating living wage jobs. “Baraka strongly supported Newark’s new earned sick day ordinance, voting to approve one of the best bills in the nation and a model that we are working to replicate statewide,” said Giblin. The AFL-CIO operation means union workers on the ground to support Baraka’s bid and community outreach through NJ Workers Voices.
[END]
The Newark Teachers Union is an American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO local of more than 4,500 teachers, aides and clerks.
How Did College Education Become So Ridiculously Expensive?
America wasn’t always riddled with student loan debt. Here’s the twisted truth behind what caused the cost of higher education to skyrocket.
By Bill Zimmerman
The following is an exerpt from The Student Loan Swindle: Why It Happened – Who’s To Blame – How The Vistims Can Be Saved. Written by Bill ZImmerman, the book explores the origins and depth of our now $1 trillion national student debt bubble, and calls for a national campaign of civil disobedience as the only means to a fair resolution of the crisis at hand. Chapter 3 of the book, “How Did College Tuition Become So Expensive,” is reprinted here in its entirety, by permission of the author.
The student loan crisis is a new phenomenon. Despite its huge impact, as recently as the late 1980s there was no student loan crisis. Then, middle and working class students suffered from cutbacks and had difficulty financing their educations, but overall, while the system of paying for college was beginning to break down, it had not yet become the disaster it is today. The crisis came because in later years the cost of getting a higher education rose many times faster than the overall cost of living. To make matters worse, wages were stagnant and the real purchasing power of working Americans was in decline.
More>>
State’s ‘One Newark’ Plan May be Facing Tough Audience in Trenton
By John Mooney
Some legislators have already made displeasure known — critics, union members, community organizers to be on hand
The controversial One Newark plan for reorganizing New Jersey’s largest school district has not been short of public forums, with local meetings around the city sparking acrimonious debate for months.
Now the plan that calls for the closing and consolidation of a half-dozen schools and the potential layoff of hundreds of teachers will get its formal hearing in Trenton — and maybe before no more sympathetic an audience.
The legislature’s Joint Committee on the Public Schools will host a hearing on Tuesday morning to hear testimony on the One Newark plan.
It will be the committee’s first meeting of the new session, with the chief order of business to name officers and various subcommittees.
More>>
