torate in June. I think that
you have to make sure that
you speak to their issues.
What are going to do about education?
What are you going
to do about safety and what is
your vision for the future?. So
they’re not necessarily different
than other voters. I wish
I could just say ‘women vote
for women but that’s not the
case.
PoliticsNY: What message
would you give to a
woman to vote for you?
KG: It’s the same message
I would give to a man. I’m the
most qualifi ed person in this
race and I can deliver for you.
PoliticsNY: One of your
opponents, Andrew Yang,
was recently critical of the
UFT United Federation of
Teacher as being partly
culpable for schools not reopening
and the disorganization
surrounding the reopening.
Do you agree with
that assessment?
KG: This is where the current
administration does a
press release before they have
a plan. Rather than having
a conversation with both the
UFT and the parents or an announcement
when is it happening?
How is it happening?
But kids have to be back in
school. They need to be back
with their teachers. I have a
fi ve-year-old and a 10-year-old
niece and Zoom is not working
for them.
I believe you can work with
unions and labor but at the end
of the day it’s your decision
how you move forward, but I
know with sanitation workers,
they had to be working all
through the pandemic. We sat
down with labor and worked
out what that was going to look
like. The same thing can be
done with teachers.
KG: I think we’re going to
have to be prepared not only
now, but going into next year.
We need to talk about rapid acceleration
for the lost learning,
really doing almost individual
identifi cation. Where are the
weaknesses for each kid and
having a plan for really intensive
tutoring going forward,
but also for their social and
emotional issues. There is a lot
of trauma out there. One in a
thousand kids lost a parent or
guardian And you don’t know
how that’s going to play out
and having a plan for really intense
tutoring going forward
but also to prepare for their social
and emotional issues.
PoliticsNY: What’s your
feeling towards charter
schools?”
KG: I’m a proponent for
public schools, but charter
schools are educating over
100,000 kids in the city of New
York right now so I would
keep them as part of the ecosystem.
I don’t like co-locations
of schools, but if you’re a
poor parent and want to have
a choice and can’t afford Catholic
school, yeshivas or independent
schools, this gives
you a choice.
Editor’s Note: This interview
was edited for length and
clarity.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, M BTR ARCH 26-APR. 1, 2021 19
Kathyrn Garcia
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