AQE: UFT Astroturf or Independent? Plus UFT Ignores March for Pub Ed Saturday

Executive Board February 27th--We Won't March Because We Don't Want to Offend Cuomo...Arthur Goldstein Ex Bd report

Jonathan Halabi—New Action—After Women’s Marches there was a sense of energy. Delegate asked when we could get back on bus. At this point there are specific actions. Where do we stand. People’s Climate March April 29th? That is particularly important place to demonstrate our concern. Week before, there are science marches. This contradicts some of the admin stances.
This coming Saturday there is a march in NYC for Educational Justice. Are we going to get involved with AQE?
Schoor—Send us info. AQE is group we donate to, but

How many strawberries does Cuomo weigh?

don’t march lockstep with them. They are planning TV ads against governor. This is budget season. We are focused on millionaire’s tax. 3 billion to state budget. We need to weigh that.

Now there's the militancy we are looking for from our union leaders: SEND US INFO.

This was funnier than anything Jimmy Kimmel said the other night.

I've been ambivalent about going to the AQE march this Saturday but after reading Jose Vilson:  Why I Will March (Stand For Something) and James Eterno (AQE AD SAYS CUOMO=TRUMP ON EDUCATION) yesterday I decided to sign on and join the MORE contingent for the march and a beer (or 2). Saturday is part of my weekend 72 birthday (Friday March 3) celebration which begins this Thursday. So why not include a march?

For years I've been skeptical of the positions of Alliance for Quality Education due to its relationship with the UFT leadership. Some people in MORE have been closely involved with AQE and have told me that there has been a greater degree of independence, though never expect outright criticism.

AQE has been supportive of opt out while UFT has opposed and AQE has taken on Cuomo while the UFT/NYSUT plays footsie with him. James reports on this great ad comparing Trump and Cuomo on education.

..... at the State level, The Alliance for Quality Education, often accused of being a front group for the teachers unions, has a magnificent ad that goes way farther than our unions would dare to go as it compares the education policies of President Donald Trump and Governor Andrew Cuomo and finds them almost identical. Great stuff AQE. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqjd8zVLuUg



Jose Vilson makes a good case by contrasting to the Eva marches.

I would love for you all to join the coalition in resisting the ways that education have cemented inequity in this country. To my knowledge, these education protests, like so many I’ve attended before, don’t have the largesse of other so-called grassroots undertakings. We can’t turn off our lights for day or two and rally in front of Albany on a weekday. We can’t bully parents into marching and threaten them with expulsion for not attending. We can’t tug at Cuomo’s pocket to attend the rallies and endorse our vision in commercials across the state. We won’t have Trump affiliates tour our halls without a reminder of how Trump sees public schooling as a monopoly worth breaking up.

That's right -- no hedge fund paying us off to march. Talk about paid protesters. Eva is the queen.