You are reading

Teachers Union Endorses Julia Forman in Crowded D-26 Council Race

Council District 26 candidate Julia Forman (Julia Forman for Queens)

May 25, 2021 By Allie Griffin

The influential teachers union endorsed candidate Julia Forman last week in the crowded District 26 Council race.

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) announced a slew of endorsements last Wednesday — including Forman for the seat representing Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Dutch Kills and parts of Astoria.

“Julia Forman is a committed public servant having served as Assistant District Attorney in the Office of the Bronx District Attorney,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said in a statement. “As the daughter of two public school educators, she will fight to make sure students and teachers are set up for success both in the classroom and in remote learning.”

Forman said she was honored to have the union’s support.

“To be recognized by labor — by UFT, by CSA [Council of School Supervisors and Administrators] —  means a lot,” Forman told the Queens Post, noting that her campaign has put a strong emphasis on public education. “It’s also very meaningful on a personal level.”

The endorsement was especially significant for the former attorney, whose parents both worked in the city’s public school system. Forman’s father retired as an assistant principal and her mother retired as a District 75 teacher. The pair met while working in a school.

Forman credits the UFT for teaching her the importance of unions at a young age.

“This is the union that helped me get health insurance and taught me from a young age about how important unions are for workers,” she said.

If elected, Forman wants to lower class sizes in public schools, invest in after school and extracurricular programs and ensure each school has support staff like social workers, librarians and nurses to assist students.

“I want to make sure that all of our students — no matter what school they go to, no matter which ZIP code they’re in — that they are being provided a holistic education,” Forman said.

Expanding subjects like arts, music and sports programming will support students with social emotional learning and help boost their college applications, she said.

“All of these opportunities are really a great way to make sure that kids are invested in their education and that we’re giving them as much of a leg up as we can when it comes to the college admissions process if that’s what is right for them,” she said.

Forman also wants to boost vocational training in public schools to give students an alternative career path to one that strictly requires college.

“I am also in favor of bringing back the technical training that our schools lost during the Bloomberg administration. I think that that was really a disservice to students who could benefit from it,” she said. “And it’s a way for us to work hand-in-hand with unions to create a pathway into the apprenticeship and eventually union careers.”

Forman is one of 15 Democratic candidates vying for the Council seat currently held by term-limited Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Rosedale man sentenced to life for brutal murder and dismemberment plot inspired by crime TV shows: Feds

A Rosedale man was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday to life in prison for murdering and dismembering a woman to collect $200,000 in life insurance proceeds after watching episodes of “Dexter” and “The First 48” for tips on disposing of the victim’s body and covering up a violent crime.

Cory Martin, 37, was convicted by a federal jury in March following a two-week trial on all counts, including murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, and other related crimes.

Middle Village Roller Hockey Championship shapes up for thrilling finale

Nov. 7, 2024 By Colum Motherway

The Middle Village Roller Hockey League is nearing the end of an exciting season, with a championship series that promises an intense showdown between the top two teams, the Tigers and the Hitmen. In Game One of their best-of-three championship series on Sunday, Nov. 3, the Tigers clinched a narrow 6-5 victory, setting the stage for a dramatic season finale.

Brooklyn man killed on Belt Parkway in Howard Beach after crash sends SUV into tree: NYPD

A Brooklyn man was killed in a high-speed chain-reaction crash near Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach on Tuesday night.

Police from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park responded to a 911 call of a vehicle collision on the Belt Parkway and 79th Street at around 11:12 p.m. and found a 25-year-old man unconscious and unresponsive with trauma to the body. EMS responded to the scene and rushed him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said Wednesday. He was later identified as Nicolas Blagovisny of Stuart Street in Sheepshead Bay.