Laura Lavine stands out among the Syracuse mayoral candidates because she believes education is critical in rebuilding the city. So, it’s ironic the Syracuse Teachers Association won’t even consider endorsing her.

In late September, the association announced its refusal to interview Lavine for its union endorsement, citing her proposals for charter school expansion and mayoral control. If anything, the decision shows the association will not listen to ideas that do not fit into its narrow view of what the Syracuse City School District should look like.

Lavine’s plan to expand school choice and take control of the district is clearly in the best interests of children. But charter schools get a cut of taxpayer dollars, which threatens the money needed to fund the public schools and keep the Syracuse Teachers Association operating.

Megan Root, the association’s president, said charter schools are one of the group’s largest obstacles.

“When the students from the city go to charter schools, all of their money goes with them,” Root said. “So we’re losing millions from the Syracuse City School District this year to charter schools in the city.”

It seems school choice is a viable idea only if it benefits the association and its members.

Beyond protecting the money that goes to public education, Root said the association ensures its members’ collective bargaining rights are upheld and they’re working under a contract. As part of that collective bargaining, the association fights for public schools to remain central in the education system to protect the interests of its members.

The association also focuses on activism and social justice efforts. It supports investigation efforts in the disproportionate suspension rates of black students and works with the Black Lives Matter movement to participate in protests, which perpetuates the myth that institutional racism is a cause of student failure.

For teachers who need an outlet to pursue their own social justice agendas, the Syracuse Teachers Association is perfect. But when graduation rates are still stuck at 61 percent and the city itself is in a state of decline, the association should broaden its agenda past social justice to actual service.

Root said the teachers’ union supports school choice. But considering the common failure of public schools in Syracuse, there is no choice at all. Limiting children to failing public schools is a disservice to the entire Syracuse community.

Syracuse city schools fail to help students achieve upward mobility, hence the high concentration of poverty in the city. Although charter schools will not guarantee success, they have proven to be an option worth expanding. If schools had to compete for students the same way businesses compete for customers, schools would need to strive toward increasing test scores and better preparing students for the workforce.

Unfortunately, the Syracuse Teachers Association will only be an obstacle to the benefits charter schools could bring to Syracuse.

Each mayoral candidate the association will interview for a union endorsement pledged to support opposition to charter schools, Likewise, Mayor Stephanie Miner has opposed reduced limits on charter schools and earned the association’s approval.

It’s clear the association will continue to support candidates who implement the same unproductive policies that maintain the schools in low-quality conditions. It seems the association would rather silence opposition than listen to new ideas, demonstrating that it’s not charter schools blocking public school growth, but the Syracuse Teachers Association itself.

Joshua Nelson is a senior political science major. He can be reached at jqnelson@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @joshqnelson.

Published on October 2, 2017 at 10:45 pm