Union boss Randi Weingarten forces Education czar Arne Duncan to add third stop on visit to NYC
Tuesday, May 18th 2010, 4:00 AM
Gabel for News
Kings Collegiate fifth-graders (from l.) Jessica Richards, 13, Anntrice Webster, 12 and Crystal Moore, 12, jump for joy in anticipation of Education Secretary Arne Duncan's visit to their school.
Smith for News
National teachers union boss Randi WeingartenNational teachers union boss Randi Weingarten was so peeved about U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's itinerary in New York Tuesday that she got it changed.
His original schedule included only Public School 65 and Kings Collegiate Charter School in Brooklyn, where he's slated to promote $700 million in federal "Race to the Top" funds.
Because of prior battles with PS 65's principal, sources said, Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, demanded the feds also add a Weingarten-approved public school to Duncan's list.
Reps for Obama's education czar were in frantic negotiations with union officials all day yesterday.
They briefly considered scrapping the pop-in at PS 65 to satisfy Weingarten, former head of the United Federation of Teachers.
The education secretary eventually caved in added a visit to PS 214 in East New York, Brooklyn, sources said.
His choreographed visit comes as the battle over charter schools heats up ahead of the June 1 deadline for New York to apply for "Race for the Top" money.
Assemblyman Karim Camara (D-Brooklyn), the lead sponsor of the bill to raise the charter cap to 460 statewide from 200, said the Rev. Al Sharpton is throwing his weight behind the effort.
"He said it's the civil rights issue of the day - the state of education," Camara told the Daily News.
Duncan wants New York lawmakers to add more charter schools - sweetening the state's application to win competitive "Race to the Top" cash.
The infusion of federal funds could stop the city from following through on its plans to lay off 6,400 teachers.
"We need to keep teachers teaching and keep children learning and keep America working," Duncan said.
Duncan chose PS 65 because several of its young teachers may be among the first to go if budget woes force the city into layoffs.
Parents were ecstatic the nation's top educator is coming to their classrooms.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/05/18/2010-05-18_randi_schools_arne_union_boss_forces_ed_czar_to_add_third_stop_to_todays_visit_t.html#ixzz0oHhwJ9sy