UNITY'S BIZARRE DA LEAFLET

In the year when Donald Trump is rewriting election rules, the Unity Caucus, fresh from their disappointing election results where non Unity endorsed candidates won a majority in the high schools (one of four divisions) for the first time since 2004, is changing post election protocols. The rules of politics say that candidates can attack the opponent during a campaign but that after it is over it is the responsibility of the winner to try to unite the people. In a true moment that Trump would be proud of, Unity came to the post UFT election Delegate Assembly with a strange leaflet attacking MORE/New Action.

Talk about sore winners.

This blog said right after the vote count that elections are about expectations and Unity expected to sweep all four divisions (elementary, middle school, high school, non teaching [functional]). I guess they are in panic mode now that the opposition for the first time since 2001 got well over 10,000 votes while winning one of the four divisions outright. The Unity reaction, which should have been to congratulate us at the DA for running a solid campaign and winning the high schools, is to attack MORE.

What is even more outlandish is the issue Unity is choosing to attack the opposition on is the opt out from testing movement that MORE and New Action endorse. Unity in their leaflet makes the case that by encouraging students to opt out of state exams, we are costing certain schools grant money. In response all I can say is the main reason we have any leverage at all with the state is because of the 225,000 who opted out of taking the state exams last year. That scared the daylights out of the politicians much more than Michael Mulgrew going up to Albany to lobby.

Unity in their leaflet shows yet again where they stand and that is right with the people who want to have test and punish education. The high school teachers have awakened and voted for the opposition. We know what's going on. Now we are working so that everyone else will follow.