President, American
Federation of Teachers
Safe, welcoming, collaborative neighborhood public schools that have multiple pathways for student engagement—from pre-K to career and technical education. Affordable and accessible college and health care. Work that is respected and valued. Workers who are paid a living wage that gives them a path to the middle class and who, after a lifetime of work, can retire with dignity. Communities protected in times of crisis.
This is our vision for America.
In just a few days, vital local and national races will be listed on ballots across New York. This vision is what’s at stake. So as you’re deciding which candidates to pull the lever for Tuesday, ask yourself this: Which side are they on? Will they invest in great neighborhood public schools? Or will they walk away from our kids?
Right now, in school districts across the state, those who need more are getting less. Seven years after a decision in the pivotal Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, underfunding is leaving a generation of students in New York’s high-need schools without access to the sound, basic education that is their constitutional right.
In fact, the state owes our children $5.9 billion. In New York City, that boils down to $2,400 per student. Combine that with the property tax cap that has disproportionately affected poorer districts, and we are left with classrooms that are more overcrowded than ever and schools that are being forced to make cuts to things like art, music, sports, tutoring and summer school.
We need leaders who will ensure our schools are fully, and fairly, funded. Are they on the side that will chip away at the systemic inequities that perpetuate racism and economic inequality?
Upstate, our schools are the most segregated in the nation. That’s right, segregation is not just a problem for the South. Schools with the highest number of African-American and Latino students and fewer than 10 percent white students are right here in upstate New York.
And our children are suffering. Young Black men who should be in the classroom are in the courtroom. Young Black women who should be breaking glass ceilings are being rendered invisible. Children who are learning English as their second language are struggling to get by. We need leaders who will put into place policies that will create ladders of opportunity for all children to climb.
Are the candidates you decide to vote for on the side of women who are being denied equal access to health care? Are they on the side of college students and graduates burdened by massive student debt? Are they on the side of seniors struggling to get by on meager pensions and minimal savings? Are they on the side of workers who can’t provide for themselves, much less their whole family, with a minimum wage job?
Are they on your side?
So many candidates in New York are people like state Sen. Marc Panepinto in Buffalo, who has dedicated his life to fighting for low-wage workers, or first-time candidate Kimberly Jean-Pierre, who is hoping to represent Suffolk County in the Assembly and is committed to ensuring a high-quality education for every child. Then there’s U.S. Rep. Timothy Bishop, who has been a staunch advocate for college affordability and took a courageous stand for raising the minimum wage by helping force a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.
We have an opportunity to ensure New York’s state Senate is on our side. We have an opportunity to ensure there are leaders in Albany and Washington, D.C., who will fight for all of us, not just the wealthy few.
The first step in fighting for our vision is voting. And this year, in so many states, people who want the status quo have worked hard to make it difficult for people to vote, which has disproportionately affected potential African-American and Latino voters.
And that’s another reason to vote—to ensure that our democracy honors all voices. There are real choices in New York and real stakes, and there are people on the ballot who share our vision for America, who believe in the promise of our nation to enable everyone to climb the ladder of opportunity to the American dream.
Regardless of who you vote for, your vote is vital. One question: Will you make your voice heard on Nov. 4?
I hope so. Get out there and vote.