PrintWe have received many responses from AFT members. Click on a particular question to hear a sample of what YOU are saying.
General
AFT Teachers
- Should districts offer more career and technical education programs? Why or why not?
- Many districts are going "green." What should be done at your school to make it more enviornmentally friendly?
- How can educators, unions and the community work together to ensure that all children receive a quality education.
- Only one of every four public school teachers is male. What unique contributions do men make at school and in the classroom?
- How is the current economic climate affecting you personally as well as the quality of education in your school and district?
- If you had $50,000 to improve your school's reading program, how would you spend it?
- What specific recommendations would you make to improve student achievement in urban schools?
- What is the single biggest change schools can make so that testing works better in your classroom?
- What are your concerns about the lack of affordable, high-quality early childhood education for all children?
AFT PSRP
- How can we help students cope with stress from the recession?
- How are healthcare costs affecting you and your family?
- What is the key to maintaining good student discipline?
- A school's grounds provide not only its "curb appeal" but also safety and a sense of order. Do your groundskeepers have the tools and resources they need to do their jobs?
- Many buildings are going "green." What new products or practices would make your school more environmentally friendly.
- Lots of things hook kids on reading: contests, book clubs, time for free reading-even loaner books from their favorite school staff. Share your ideas about how to encourage reading.
- School secretaries "do" for the entire school community. They are the glue that holds everything together. How can our union make sure that schools properly appreciate what secretaries do and recognize their contributions?
AFT Higher Education
- Do you think faculty and staff should be more involved in accreditation at your institution?
- What is the impact of having fewer tenured and tenure-track faculty on your campus?
- What is your institution doing to prevent or prepare for security threats? Is it enough?
- What is the most urgent student access issue facing your institution?
- Why is affirmative action important for higher education?
- What are your concerns about academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas on your campus? How do you think your union could get involved?
AFT Healthcare
- Should flu vaccines be mandatory for healthcare workers?
- The AFT believes that every child needs a school nurse. Why is it important for schools to have a school nurse.
- Soon Medicare will stop paying hospitals for the cost of avoidable conditions such as bedsores and patient falls, which will increase scrutiny of nursing. Do you see this as an opportunity or a threat?
- Have the privacy protections of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gone too far?
- Is hiring workers from other countries a good short-term solution to America's healthcare worker shortage?
- What are your major concerns surrounding the costs of and access to quality healthcare coverage in this country?
AFT Public Employees
- How has the economic crisis affected the services you provide and your workload?
- How are healthcare costs affecting you and your family?
- What sources of income will you rely on in retirement, and do you expect them to be sufficient?
- How has the budget crisis affected the delivery of public services where you work?
- How do you feel the compensation for your job compares with similar jobs in the private sector and in other states? Is there a disparity? Why or why not?
- How do your union and its members contribute to the betterment of the community?
- What is the biggest threat to your retirement security?
- Is your office building making you sick? Are you worried for your personal safety because of the line of work you are in? What are your concerns? What solutions are needed?
Campaign '08
- If you could invite the presidential candidates to spend a day with you at your workplace, what is the most important challenge you face every day that you would want them to see first hand?
- What are the three most important issues to you in this upcoming presidential election?
- What one question would you want to ask the candidates to answer?
