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A Victory for Students: Agreement Preserves Teaching Assistants for 2010-11 School Year

May 10, 2010


Over the past several weeks, dozens of concerned parents have contacted me to let me know of their support for maintaining parent association-funded teaching assistants in our public schools during the upcoming 2010-11 school year.

I know the important role teaching assistants play in the lives of students and agree that our public schools cannot afford to lose the benefits of the vital services they provide. The hiring of teaching assistants is popular in New York City for good reason—it allows for more individual attention to students struggling to learn in overcrowded classrooms. Maintaining these positions ensures that students continue to receive the education they deserve.

I am happy to report that today an agreement was reached between the United Federation of Teachers and the New York City Department of Education which will maintain our PA-funded teaching assistants for the 2010-11 school year. The program will be a continuation of the temporary agreement from last summer for the current school year.

While today’s news is a victory for our schools, we must not lose sight of the main goal—a permanent, long-term agreement to maintain our invaluable teaching assistants. Since the temporary solution was reached last year, I have worked very hard to bring the UFT and DOE back to the negotiating table in order to develop a comprehensive plan for the future. I will continue to work with the DOE, UFT, our parent leaders, and school administrators to ensure that a long-term solution is reached as soon as possible.

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Written by Micah · Filed Under Blogroll, Community, Roosevelt Island, Upper East Side 

Comments

One Response to “A Victory for Students: Agreement Preserves Teaching Assistants for 2010-11 School Year”

  1. William Sinclair on May 22nd, 2010 1:25 pm

    Thanks for all the good you do. Thanks especially for helping to save teaching assistant positions. I’m a teacher and I see every day how necessary they are for
    our students.

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