Governor Pataki's recent proposal to allow the New York City Board of Education to borrow $204 million which the state will repay in order to make up money that the state owes the board of ed., may lead to a new contract for New York City's teachers. Education officials indicated yesterday that the money may be earmarked for providing raises for the 80,000 NYC teachers---represented by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT)---who are paid far less than their counterparts in nearby suburban areas and have been without a contract since November 2000. Although the deadlocked negotiations have not yet resumed, Mayor Mike Bloomberg met with ILR graduate and UFT President Randi Weingarten last week to informally discuss education issues.
See "Pataki Proposal Raises Hopes for a New Teachers' Contract", ABBY GOODNOUGH, The New York Times, January 23, 2002