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American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on her time in the unions in New York City and whether school officials should be armed or ...
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We joined -- by a special guest American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten.
I've got a lot to talk about ms.
Weingarten and we welcome you to the program I think this is your second appearance on -- -- company welcome back -- -- -- -- I think so I think the last time I was with you actually in New York now I'm in frigid Washington DC is more is frigid dust than up -- how I think.
I may be that there's that issue ms.
Weingarten -- I have to put on the table and get rid of it -- -- -- I like doing a -- just comment Randy -- I'm an englishman I cannot be informal -- second only to get -- Alright Randy and can -- now look you've.
A few years ago.
You left your job is -- with a New York teachers union and you walked away with a check for a 194000.
Dollars -- unused vacation and sick pay.
This was at a time when some teachers were being left laid off.
Because of budgetary restraints.
Do you want to revisit that payment and tell us will you at all embarrassed by the size of that penthouse.
Let you know I.
I -- what I did at that point was.
Do what.
Essentially everyone else who has deferred compensation did.
And that's because I pretty much never took a sick day for the 25 years that I was at the teachers union.
But at the end of the day with this is about is making sure what I've tried to do my entire life.
Is make sure that there's transparency as you saw.
But also make sure that people get.
The conditions and the terms -- He won't let let you know what we know I don't got to do it one last one on the on the same -- undervalued while it SA evolved but they are gonna say what we did in New York.
While I was president of that -- union.
Is that we did a lot to increase the scores of -- we did a lot to.
Make sure that teachers got paid more that got about 40% more that -- so we get a lot of.
People just react to a 194000.
Dollars -- -- by the way that that brought you a total compensation back yet to 600000.
Dollars.
Now I am told one more on the subject well I am told that you moved out of New York City.
At the moment when that money was paid and therefore avoided the high tax rate in New York City that at that time you were in fact they tax refugee.
-- correct.
Actually actually that's not correct.
What -- What I did frankly.
Is that I moved to the place that I've lived for a long time I moved out of New York City when I became the president of the teacher's union.
In in the national president because I spent a lot of time in Washington DC and I spent a lot of time in.
In the place that I live in Long Island.
And pay and gladly pay every single bit of my taxes and also when I was the president of both.
I actually had my salary cut in half to make sure that.
I did not double dip but we -- at the end of the day at the end of the day.
I you know it is up to the members and I think what happens is that we work really really hard to make sure that there's a voice that teachers.
This couple more issues -- get to them this is probably wanna talk about now sound that's -- short -- with the argument over guns at the moment and schools safe to.
It seems like there's there's a couple of choices that we could put guns in the hands of teaches.
All we could put guns in the hands of professional security offices -- schools.
Do you -- about either of those.
But I don't think that teachers.
Nor do most Americans and most -- most teachers.
We do not believe that teachers should be armed.
We think it is the most but frankly I think it is the most dangerous and irresponsible proposal I've heard from the NRA.
At the issue about having State's schools.
Everybody believes that school should be second anybody who has been up in -- understands the tragedy.
That has just taken place to those twenty kids and six teachers all of whom attempted -- protect children.
-- -- on the security -- armed security guards -- schools you in favor of that week.
Actually we agree with the president that that should be a community decision that you know when you have.
Places like in New York City.
Where armed security guards actually could be more problematic then could be.
Potentially good.
The community should make that decision at the same time in a place like new town where you where the public really wants to have that police presence we should have that.
Yeah everybody -- sat.
I like there's -- I think the fact a lot of what you're saying I mean you go to schools and abroad there's metal detectors security guards there's an amazing force stared that deters anyone coming in with the weapons I'm not sure why.
Armed guards in New York City will be problematic or anywhere in this country in how ironic of course that's -- -- brought to problem probably.
Safer than schools in suburbia in suburbia America.
Well let me put it this way.
Those metal detectors in the Bronx schools would not have stopped a guy like -- -- What this man did was he took guns illegally from his mother.
He had a large magazine that could shoot ten bullets a second.
And he.
And he shot himself in to that school.
There we had a situation -- on where you hat and armed guard.
And it didn't stop the tragedy there.
So the bottom line is that communities should make that decision about whether to have that police deterrence.
But they could also make a decision as the president said about having more guidance counselors or mental health workers.
But why not also do the things we need to do about gun violence so.
Get rid tried to ban some of these -- a large scale munitions try to do that background checks that.
We need to do have got a dollar -- because I didn't do as well.
I've got to move on because as a -- -- limited time.
The LA teaches union agrees to new teacher -- valuations using student test scores graduation attendance rates course completion.
So they have agreed.
To teach it valuation which in the past.
Your union I believe has been quite vigorously opposed to -- to LA teachers have agreed to this.
Right once -- the national.
Well once again Stuart just like some of the other.
So called -- you had at the beginning.
Limit where I can -- outcome acquire fat -- that well the second -- know what west at the beginning of this interview when my facts wrong tell me where I went wrong Tellme.
About about my moving out of New York City and moved out of New York's I've paid every single bit of those taxes as a pop idol should be paying that what actually is triple.
Actually it was wrong and -- -- publication was -- has puzzled about 194000.
Dollar check that you got lump sum.
-- on used sick pay and vacation -- was are wrong yes you're wrong about that it was not it was over the course of several years that I receive that it wasn't alone so check.
-- was not -- its total that you received.
-- exempts once again I was quoting a published report okay I understand a real family is to teach -- evaluation ago.
The teachers a valuation all throughout the country.
Teachers have been saying let's have different a valuation processes.
In LA we've said that in Florida we've done that.
In Baltimore we've done that all throughout New York State 95%.
Of the districts in New York State have just agreed to different valuation processes.
What we're saying is we want a valuation processes that are about.
Improving.
Student performance and improving our -- back and so we're trying different things the one in LA is a really good model.
Because it has a lot of different kind of factors to -- it.
I'm sorry we're out of time I appreciate you being with -- I do hope you'll come back together again -- -- are all right thanks so much and it --
