Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Delivers Remarks at the 2016 UFT Spring Education Conference

May 7, 2016

President Michael Mulgrew, United Federation of Teachers: First, I want to wish you a – for all those, Happy Mother’s Day.

[Applause]

Come on, let’s come on.

[Applause]

My mother’s very happy this year since I’ve cut down on some of my four-letter words, and she said I’ve done better. So tomorrow I am making my mother dinner.

[Applause]

I don’t know if she’s going to curse at me during the dinner, but we’ll leave that aside.

[Laughter]

As I bring up our next speaker – we all know how politics is so important to what we are doing. We all know that our battle, especially over the last decade, has really been in the political arena. And we know, going forward – which I’ll talk about in a little bit – that this year is really important to us because we know that the Friedrichs case is over. But we have to make sure that son of Friedrichs, bride of Friedrichs, and Frankenstein Friedrichs that are in the pipeline never, never get to the point where they can hurt the workers of the United States because we will make sure that our candidate wins the White House. Yes?

[Applause]

But in the political arena – and we work very hard to change the conversation in our city – this man has fulfilled the promises that he made to us. When he said he was going to do all-day pre-K – you’ve heard me speak about it, we thought yeah, yeah – he actually did it. And we can’t thank him enough for that.

[Applause]

When all of the media outlets said there is no way he could settle the contracts of the unions of New York City because what the previous administration did, he went out, figured it out, worked with us, and got it done.

[Applause]

He said we’re going to lead the Fight for $15 by leading the Fight for $15 and making sure it starts in New York City first.

[Applause]

And this year his other signature issue which we knew was so important because if we work in this city, we want to be able to live in this city – his great affordable housing plan has now come to fruition.

[Applause]

But I want to speak frankly at this moment because I know there’s press in the room. It is not new to us that when people work with this union, the United Federation of Teachers, all of a sudden they come under attack. We know what these things are really about. Do we not?

[Yes]

And we know that when our friends come under attack, we are always there standing by their side making sure that the United Federation of Teachers takes care of those who are working with us on behalf of the children of our city.

[Applause]

So I now bring to you – and he probably didn’t want me to say that, but too bad I’m saying it – I now bring to you the Mayor who has kept his word. The first Mayor in over two decades who has kept his word to the teachers, parents, and students of New York City – our Mayor Bill de Blasio.

[Applause]

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

[Applause]

Thank you everyone. Thank you so much.

My friends, I want to thank you. I want to thank you in so many ways. And I’m going to tell you in a moment about all the things that you have to be proud of, that you have achieved for the children and the parents of this city, and all the things that everyday New Yorkers should say thank you to you for because of the way you’re making life in this city better, literally for every single one of us – 8.5 million people. I want to thank you.

But first, I want to take a moment to thank some of the special people up here today. Now, if you’re going to make change in the world, if you’re going to stand up for working people, stand up for children, stand up for people who don’t have all the political power they should have – yes, you will generate opposition. And this union knows for decades and decades that powerful forces will come at you when you make change. And they come at you because you’re very good at making change. The UFT has a long history of making this city better, and therefore, you draw a special attention and a special opposition. To prevail in those circumstances, you need a leader who is unafraid and who understands the work, who understands the needs of our children and families, who understands that the only way you move forward in life is through a fight. I can safely say – I’ve known Michael Mulgrew a long time – this man does not back down from a fight.

[Applause]

In fact, when he sees a righteous cause, he goes out of his way to stand by it. And that is a leadership that is helping to make this city and, in fact, this whole state a better place. Because too long, we experienced the idea that our children came last. Too long the idea that somehow teachers were the problem – do you remember those days?

[Yes]

Remember those days when the people who did the work were somehow causing the problem? Not poverty, not other social ills, but somehow the people who actually went to the frontline to help got accused of the most grievous sins. Well, we together are changing that reality fundamentally, and one of the reasons we’re doing it is because of Michael Mulgrew. Let’s thank him.

[Applause]

And I want to thank – it’s really an extraordinary group – I want to thank all the leadership of the UFT up here. I want to thank Karen Magee from NYSUT. And of course, Randi Weingarten – welcome home.

[Applause]

And Randi, your life is busy. There are many good fights to fight all over this country. And God bless you for fighting them as well and as strongly as you do.

And I want you to know that there are two partners here on this stage and that is a very wonderful thing for the children of New York State. I want to congratulate warmly and with joy the Bronx’s own Betty Rosa, our new Chancellor.

[Applause]

Children of New York City won that election Chancellor, and we thank you and we welcome you. And our New York State Education Commissioner who has worked with us so closely, so closely to make the changes we need in this city – I want to really thank MaryEllen Elia for her great leadership. Thank you.

[Applause]

And finally, our Chancellor. So you know, I think sometimes you have to embarrass someone for a good cause. We’ve all had that experience right? So Carmen doesn’t want me to say this is her 50th year in education.

[Applause]

So I keep saying it because 50 years serving the children of this city – that’s something to applaud for.

[Applause]

So when she’s upset with me, she scrunches up her face in a certain way. And then I have the perfect response, which is the day we announced her as the new Chancellor – the first educator in a generation to be Chancellor.

[Applause]

We were at MS 51 in Brooklyn – where my children Chiara and Dante went to school and were educated wonderfully – and we introduced Carmen. And you know Carmen can be a little spontaneous. So at one point, a journalist asked if her age should be a consideration in any way, shape, or form. And she said very joyfully – she said you know 70 is the new 40.

[Applause]

So I would like anyone who wants to volunteer in this room, if you’re a 20-something, a 30-something, a 40-something, you want to volunteer to try and keep Carmen Fariña’s schedule for a week and actually make it to the end of the week – you would be a brave soul because she has got all the energy on Earth, and she is doing amazing things for our children. Let’s thank her.

[Applause]

And I want to thank all the elected officials. We have a lot of friends, and allies, and people who believe in our schools, and our teachers, and our children. Let’s thank all the elected officials who are here today.

[Applause]

All right – I’m going to be quick. But I have to – I have to take a moment to tell you what you’ve done because you know you went through so many years of having your achievements ignored, your professionalism ignored and denigrated, your passion and love for your work and for the children belittled – it’s time we turn the tables and speak the truth.

So how did we get to full-day pre-K for every child in New York City? Well it took a lot of work from a lot people, but guess who actually had to make it happen? You. You did, and you did it.

[Applause]

And if you have the joy I have of talking to the parents who would not have had high-quality, full-day pre-K, and what they say about the incredible it’s having on their children – you did that. Why are we going to be the largest school system in the country to have computer science education totally a part of everything we do? We’re going to lead the country because you believe in it, and you’re already volunteering to become that new generation of teachers who will lead the way. You’re doing that.

Why do we have for the first time in New York City history a graduation rate over 70 percent? Because of everything you did.

[Applause]

Why do we have an idea that the UFT was talking about for years and years, but could not get the attention of those in power? You kept talking about community schools. Hell, you took me all the way to Cincinnati to see a community school. And that’s a high level of commitment. [Laughter] So we talked about it, we believed in it together, and because of you, there are now 130 community schools in New York City.

[Applause]

And we’re only just getting started. We are only beginning together what we can do. Because we are going to do some things that no one’s ever seen before. We’re not going to have Advanced Placement courses only for the elite schools in the privileged neighborhoods. We’re going to have Advanced Placement courses in every high school in New York City, for every kind of child.

[Applause]

And we’re going to do something that will once and for all prove the power of public education. We are going at one of the core challenges that was not addressed and not even acknowledged for decades. When I took office, about 30 percent of our third graders were reading at grade-level. And you all have worked so hard, and there’s been so many other factors, and so many other challenges – our kids didn’t have full-day pre-K until now, the support wasn’t there, all the other challenges in our society, all the inequalities weren’t being addressed. But we said, you know what – it’s time to set an audacious goal and then provide the actual support to our teachers to reach that goal. We need to provide you with the tools, and the support, and the resources so that in the next ten years, we will reach every one of our third graders. Our goal – every child reading on grade level by third grade. Every child.

[Applause]

And it will not be easy. It will not be easy. We know the challenges, but we will support you every step of the way because you are at the front line. You are the soldiers in the battle to change this city and this country. You are at the front where it matters most. Education – education determines economic destiny. Today, more than at any time in human history, you are the ultimate agents of change because no one else can do what you do. We value every kind of public servant. We value all the people that make up this extraordinary city. But only teachers can take us forward in this way. Only teachers can actually create a city where every child is ready for the future. And every child actually can reach the opportunity they deserve. Only you – you are the heroes. And we’re going to treat you like the heroes you are.

[Applause]

Now I’ll conclude with this point. Again, you are not strangers to opposition are you?

[No]

And sometimes that opposition came from City Hall. People who were supposed to be your employers, and boosters, and supporters putting you down on a regular basis. Sometimes that opposition came from the Tweed building – where you should have been able to look for inspiration, you only got the stiff arm. Sometimes that opposition came from very powerful and wealthy interests. Some of those in the hedge fund industry put a lot of money into attacking teachers, into attacking unions, attacking public education itself. My friends, the year 2016 – there’s been a blunter conversation in the United States of America about power and wealth. And now we’re seeing that the very people who went after the teachers were the most powerful and wealthy among us. But you know what, you did not flinch. You didn’t give in. You didn’t say we’re going to step back from what we believe or what we have to do for children. We’re not going to abandon working people just because the powerful are coming at us. This union proved the fight’s worth fighting. This union proved that change does come. And together we can create a very different kind of city.

And I’ll tell you, we all know what a tough battle looks like. Every time you go into a classroom, you know there’s some kids it’s going to take a lot of work to reach. You know it, but you still show up, you go to the front, you take on that challenge, and you do not accept defeat. There are so many people I have met in my life who said it was one teacher – one teacher who turned their life around. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this story – every time a little different, but the same core theme. The person who says I would be nothing except for my second grade teacher, or my fifth grade teacher, or a high school teacher who believed in me. I’ve talked about my own wife, Chirlane, who happened to be the only black student in an all-white school, and a lot of the people in that school and in that community let her know how much she was not welcome. But you know who kept her going? The teachers who stood up for her, the teachers who welcomed her, the teachers who said I see a spark in you, I see hope in you.

[Applause]

So that’s how sacred your work is. And I will be honored to support you every step of the way as you uplift this city. Thank you. God bless you all.

[Applause]