In an editorial in today's Daily News, Eva Moskowitz weighs in on the controversial decision by the Department of Education to clamp down on parent associations paying for non-union teaching aides in their children's classrooms. Her take? Schools benefit from parent fund-raising that helps lower class size, especially in middle class schools which get less funding than those with a high percentage of low income students. She posits, "The UFT doesn't like it because these aspiring teachers aren't union members."
Commenters on Insideschools have been debating the merits of the practice, which according to the New York Times, only affects about 18 highly desirable city schools. Some argue that this is "another example of Bloomberg steamrolling important parent input," that will "drive more middle class [families] out of the city. " Others argue that, "It’s a public system and there should be a level playing field." A few commenters suggest ways in which schools across the city can "pool fundraising." Others note the role of the powerful teachers union, which filed a grievance last fall about the hiring practice.
Moskowitz, a former chair of the New York City Council Education Committee, now runs a network of high-performing charter schools, Harlem Success Academy Charter Schools. Interestingly, a New York Times article earlier this week reports the efforts of teachers at some charter schools to unionize, noting that charter school teachers frequently work much longer hours than their counterparts at public schools. Wonder whether there is any union movement on the part of Harlem Success teachers?
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