Make New York Post a Preferred Source United Teachers Federation president Mike Mulgrew speaks outside of the Mickey Mantle School PS 811 on the Upper West Side in New York, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. Stephen Yang Wow: United Federation of Teachers chief Mike Mulgrew says the feds should have nothing to do with local schools — the same position as the most hidebound conservatives.
At least, that’s what he says: “Giving up local control of public education to the federal government through the Trump administration’s private school-voucher scheme is a failure of leadership,” Mulgrew huffed after Gov. Kathy Hochul officially allowed New York families to benefit from federal Education Freedom scholarships.
In fact, it’s the “education freedom” part that Mike really hates, but telling the truth rarely serves his interests.
The scholarships are not a “private school” scheme; they can support a public education, too — if the family that receives one so chooses.
But any parent power is a problem for the UFT, since the union depends on kids having no choice but to attend the schools that employ its members, no matter how rotten.
So Mulgrew pretends the program gives control to the feds (perhaps President Donald Trump himself!), not the parents.
And calls it a “failure of leadership” for Hochul to side with the parents — when in fact she’s showing some (rare) spine by standing up to him and other teacher unions.
Reality check: The unions generally love Washington having power over the schools — they bribed Jimmy Carter to create the federal Education Department in the first place and hate Trump’s drive to close it — because it usually gives them more power.
Never forget how Randi Weingarten, the national teacher-union boss, used her power to keep schools closed during COVID.
The teacher-union crew cares nothing for any principle, period.
