Patricia
Malgieri is no friend of public education, says Rochester Teachers Association
President Adam Urbanski.
Malgieri has
been hired as chief of staff to Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas.
Urbanski
says his experiences with the former deputy mayor Malgieri have not always been
pleasant.
Malgieri has
been a strong proponent of charter schools, privatization, and crushing unions
rather than working with them, Urbanski says.
But Vargas
didn’t seek Urbanski’s advice prior to making the decision to pick Malgieri,
even though Urbanski has been one of the new superintendent’s strongest
supporters. Urbanski says he was surprised by the decision and that he told
Vargas so.
“If he had
sought my advice in advance, he would not have made the decision,” Urbanski
says.
Urbanski
says Vargas urged him to keep an open mind. And he describes Vargas as a risk taker
who wants to bring the community together to help the district.
“I know
Bolgen to be a well-intentioned and sincere man,” Urbanski says. “He wants to
work collaboratively with those who have not always supported public education
in Rochester.”
This article appears in Bye bye unions?.
