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Running for: City Council, District 35, Brooklyn

Political Party: Working Families

Current job: City Council member for District 35, Brooklyn

Web site: LetitiaJames.info

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1. Have you been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers? Yes

2. Have you received campaign contributions from the following education-related political action committees?

Democrats for Education Reform No
United Federation of Teachers Yes
Council of School Supervisors and Administrators Yes
New York Education Voters No
Educational Justice PAC Yes

3. Do you have children in the public school system? No

4. Do you support programs like Teaching Fellows and Teach for America?  Yes, with reservations. The majority of teaching positions should go to career teachers.

5. Do you support efforts to stop the growth of charter schools? No

6. Would you preserve school report cards as they are now? Yes. However, I do not believe grades can fully denote student progress.

7. Do you believe test scores should be a factor in determining whether teachers receive tenure? No

8. Do you support the 2009 law giving the mayor control of the public schools? No, it gives the mayor too much power

9. What letter grade would you give the public schools in your district right now? ——

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10. In the last eight years, have the schools in your district improved, stayed the same, or worsened? I would say schools have improved slightly. Funding and resources and effective leadership are needed to make school best possible.

11. Do you support Joel Klein remaining chancellor of the city’s schools? If not, who would you suggest replace him? —–

12. What’s an appropriate cap for charter schools, or should they exist at all (the current cap is 200 statewide)? The current cap is acceptable. The focus should be public institutions.

13. What’s the best way to improve a struggling public school? Partner strong leadership with an active parental involvement and political support.

14. What’s the single greatest problem facing the schools in your district and what specific policy would you propose to combat it? Access to quality resources. Private public partnerships need to be established to supplement administrative support—specific to needs of individual schools