On March 2, 2022, Schools Chancellor David Banks shared his vision for the Department of Education in a policy address, including an emphasis on scaling back the bureaucracy of the DOE.

In response, UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued the following statement: 

As teachers we like what we’ve heard so far from Chancellor Banks. We are particularly happy to hear his emphasis on making the bureaucracy work for the schools, rather than the schools working for the bureaucracy.

Deeper involvement of parents, and better preparing students for further education and the workforce, are long-term goals of the UFT. But as we have often found, change comes slowly to the city’s Department of Education. It's going to take a concerted effort to meet these ambitious goals, but we look forward to being part of the team to make this happen.