Regarding “A look back and a farewell” [July 5]: The Speech Improvement Chapter was well-established before 1991.

The gross underrepresentation of the black and Hispanic students in the elite high schools is the direct result of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s utter failure to provide equal opportunity for success for all students, regardless of race or culture, from the time they enter school in pre-K to the time they leave school after the 8th grade. 

I was a chapter leader for 24 years in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and the UFT was the mainstay of our survival.

Regarding the July 5 Research Shows column “Students gain from having same teacher twice,” I have done it twice — one time for three years (an awesome experience) and the last time for two years. It is easier for all involved — students, parents, paras and teachers.

With the Supreme Court ready to hear the anti-union Janus v. AFSCME case: We can all complain about something, very true.

Private school voucher programs do take money away from public schools.