The teachers union is going soft on Mayor de Blasio in its campaign to reduce class sizes.
During Michael Bloomberg’s tenure at City Hall, the United Federation of Teachers blasted out press releases and held press conferences every September decrying the number of overcrowded classrooms.
But with progressive pal de Blasio at the helm, the union is quiet.
Despite class sizes being at a 15-year high, the UFT did not alert the public, as it did with press statements from 2009 through 2013.
Advocates fighting to reduce class sizes took note.
“I have no evidence that the issue of class size is a priority for UFT leadership,” Leonie Haimson of the group Class Size Matters said Thursday.
The omission was first reported by chalkbeat.org.
The UFT did bring up the issue in the most recent edition of the union paper delivered to members. The headline: “More than 3,500 classes over size limits.”
But the paper isn’t circulated to the general public.
The UFT filed grievances last month claiming that 3,569 classes were crammed with more students than permitted under the union contract.
Under the contract, the Department of Education had until Sept. 17 — 10 days from the first day of school — to reduce classes that are too large.
In high schools, that would be classes with 34 or more students.
UFT boss Michael Mulgrew said he was optimistic the de Blasio administration would be more responsive in addressing overcrowding than Bloomberg.
De Blasio and city Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña insisted they’re on the case.
“Reducing overcrowding and class sizes is critical to ensure our students can thrive in the classroom, which is why we have proposed $4.4 billion to open nearly 40,000 new seats, many in historically overcrowded districts,” said DOE spokesman Harry Hartfield.