Teachers union leader: Reclaim promise of public education
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| American Federation of Teachers national President Randi Weingarten addresses Gary teachers Thursday at the annual 2013 QuEST/TEACH Conference. Seated nearby is Gary Teachers Union President Joe Zimmerman. |
GARY | Randi Weingarten, president of the National American Federation of Teachers, encouraged Gary teachers Thursday to fight for the heart and soul of public education.
The union leader was the keynote speaker at the 2013 QuEST Teachers Conference at West Side Leadership Academy, an event sponsored by Gary Teachers Union Local No. 4. The two-day annual event includes workshops, guest speakers and entertainment.
Weingarten said she sympathized with Gary teachers and other educators across the state who have worked in public education under former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, former Gov. Mitch Daniels and new Gov. Mike Pence. Weingarten touched on the controversial A-F grade system championed by Bennett and the revelation Bennett changed grades to benefit the charter school of a prominent Indianapolis donor.
"Follow the money," Weingarten said as she moved about the stage at West Side. "Instead of being honest about what happened, he (Tony Bennett) tried to fix it."
Weingarten said the Gary Community School Corp., like others across the country, lost students to charter and private schools. She said public schools are the center of the community, and she