AFT’s Weingarten on Appointment of Alberto Carvalho as New York City Schools Chancellor

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement on the appointment tonight of Alberto Carvalho as New York City Schools Chancellor:

“An education pipeline has been forged between Miami and New York City over many decades. Joe Fernandez went from Dade to New York. Rudy Crew went from New York to Miami. And now there’s Alberto Carvalho moving from Miami to New York. We’ve worked closely with all of them.

“The difference now is how hostile Tallahassee has become to educators and public education. State lawmakers and Republican governors have layered obstacle upon obstacle in front of public schools and taken punitive measures against educators and kids. H.B. 7069—last year’s bill to allow charters to take money from public schools regardless of school board decision-making—and this year’s bills to arm teachers with weapons, while stripping them of their unions, are but two examples. Again and again, lawmakers have put their thumb on the scale to privatize and defund public schools while disrespecting educators and overtesting students.

“Superintendent Carvalho has fought this assault on public education as a lead litigant against the charter theft bill. Even under this top-down, test-fixated system, he has kept an open door with educators. While we’ve agreed and disagreed on issues, at his core, Carvalho is a passionate educator who understands the importance of teaching and learning—and of educators—and knows how public education is foundational to democracy and opportunity.”