Education Leaders Endorse Foster

Democratic mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster has picked up the endorsement of the executive board of the Bridgeport Education Association, one of the largest municipal unions in the state. www.beaunion.org

The announcement was made at Lucce, a downtown restaurant. The union represents about 1600 educators in the city school system with roughly 250 affiliated members city residents. The state takeover of city schools supported by Mayor Bill Finch has become a key campaign issue. Foster disagrees with blowtorching the Board of Education for an appointed reconstituted body. From Foster:

Democratic candidate for mayor of Bridgeport Mary-Jane Foster received the endorsement of the Bridgeport Education Association tonight. The teacher’s union represents approximately 1,600 members, making it the largest NEA local in Connecticut. The BEA executive board voted unanimously to endorse Ms. Foster’s candidacy on September 6, 2011. The recommendation was based on the BEA’s political action committee.

“We are happy to announce our endorsement of Mary-Jane Foster for mayor of Bridgeport,” stated Gary Peluchette, president, BEA. “Mary-Jane supports the collective bargaining process and feels that reform in education needs to start with teachers. Teachers have all the responsibility and none of the authority and we need to be empowered to make changes to help our students achieve their full potential. Because Ms. Foster supports change coming from the ground up, we are happy to support her.

The BEA will be reaching out to its members who live and teach in Bridgeport as well as to our members who live in Bridgeport but work in other districts to share with them who our candidate of choice is. We feel Ms. Foster is the candidate who will support teachers and education reform and we hope our members will support her candidacy,” Peluchette explained.

“I am thrilled to accept this endorsement from the BEA,” said Foster. “Teachers are an integral part of our children’s lives and their learning. Being on the front lines, teachers have unique perspective and greater efforts need to be made so their voices and opinions are represented at the table.

“Mayor Finch has done nothing to support education despite promising schools that improve every year. He has flat-funded education since becoming mayor and has offered no new ideas. At last night’s debate, the mayor refused to take a position on a blended board of education after he personally orchestrated a behind-the-scenes takeover of the elected Board of Education. He claims he’s been busy building new schools, when it was Mayor Fabrizi who secured the funding and broke ground on those schools–all this mayor did was show up for the photo op. Mayor Finch has failed our kids and failed our schools. I hope the voters of Bridgeport will see that and support my candidacy for mayor on September 27th,” concluded Foster.

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13 comments

  1. I believe effective and successful schools are the backbone of a viable city. Bridgeport has failed in this area. If we are to attract and keep businesses which bring families, this is the area in which we must succeed!!! We at least need to give someone a chance to see if it can be done. It’s sure with Finch it won’t.

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  2. I’m delighted to hear the union representing my children’s second parents–teachers–are on the same page as I am. My three year old just started Pre-K–bless those teachers–and as parents, we are committed to working side by side with our daughter’s teachers. I’m sure the state BOE has their agenda already set and it doesn’t include the teachers or the parents. I’m looking forward to campaigning for “Foster” with teachers by my side. We need to teach Finch a lesson.

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  3. Teachers need to school their students’ parents. An amazing amount of people do NOT know who Ms. Foster is or the primary is now on the 27th, or her rights were almost swindled off the ballot.

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  4. As a practical matter who would BEA endorse?
    A. The incumbent Mayor who claimed education as one of two top priorities but did not fund at any added levels and was not able to encourage a 5 year education audit to become complete, but rather spent time in Hartford undermining the existence of the current Board structure without all Board members informed?
    B. A Democratic challenger who has objected to the Board’s demise, has participated on youth-oriented activities of importance through the years and respectfully identified classroom teachers as a linchpin for turning the academic situation around.
    C. The Republican candidate.

    It’s logical. Time will tell …

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  5. I was at the Black Rock debate last night. Jim Fox and Jill Hughes were great! They both had new and fresh ideas for the 130th. Sue Brannelly and Martin McCarthy said “if you want your street paved you have to call them before September 27 or forget it!”
    That was so unfair, I’m a taxpayer too, who needs a new street.

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    1. Honest of you, Jim. But I did hear Sue Brannelly say on the City Council the person who purchased–with her assistance–a city-owned lot on Fairfield Avenue was a person she personally knew for like nine years. Since you are such an honest guy, Jim, can you tell us if this is a conflict of interest?

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      1. Crony capitalism is a term describing a capitalist economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks and so forth.

        Crony capitalism is believed to arise when political cronyism spills over into the business world; self-serving friendships and family ties between businessmen and the government influence the economy and society to the extent that it corrupts public-serving economic and political ideals.

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