DID IT! — This New
York Times photo shows Robert Jackson hugging attorney
Richard Beattie in celebration.
— Photos by Ken Dischel
Jackson
wins landmark court case; sets sights on NYC Council seat
By M.K. FOTTRELL
The news that Robert Jackson, PEF’s director of
field services downstate, is a candidate for a New York
City Council seat representing upper Manhattan’s 7th
Council District has been slightly overshadowed.
In fact, New York City Public Advocate Mark Green calls
Jackson “the Rosa Parks of Education.”
Jackson just won an eight-year landmark lawsuit
protesting the unequal educational opportunities afforded
to children living in urban and rural areas in New York
State.
On January 10, the state Supreme Court declared that the
state’s financing system for public education
violates the New York State Constitution by not providing
New York City school children with a sound, basic
education.
The court gave the state Legislature until September 15
to come up with a fair system for dividing the money
allocated to public schools.
He’s
a hero
“Robert Jackson is a hero,” says PEF Region 10
Coordinator Jennifer Faucher. “He is our hero.”
And he may well be a hero to anyone with children
attending New York City public schools.
“The most significant thing about Robert Jackson’s
candidacy is that he’s not talking about what he’s
going to do,” Faucher says. “He has shown what
he can do. That’s why our Region 10 PAC voted
unanimously to endorse him.”
Education is an important issue for Jackson, who is a
parent and a former school-board president in Manhattan.
But he is far from a single-issue candidate.
Strong on Labor
“I’m also a strong labor person,” he says,
“not only as a union staff member, but as a former
PEF member.”
Jackson worked as an investigator for the state Labor
Department from 1975 to 1980 and was part of the group of
state employees that helped organize PEF.
Jackson was also a shop steward and part of the NY State
Labor Enforcement Association, which, he recalls, “had
150 members and a lot of union spirit.”
“We had our own newsletter, a baseball team and a
basketball team,” Jackson says. “So, I plan on
being very active with the City Council Labor Committee.
“The insights I’ve gained from being involved
with PEF for the past 20 years are numerous. It has
taught me how to be a leader. I’ve learned how to
separate different roles and responsibilities, and how to
sift through a lot of information to be detail-oriented
in my pursuits,” Jackson says.
The competition to represent the Manhattan 7th District
is fierce. Already nine other candidates have lined up
against Jackson for the November election.
But no one seems worried at PEF. As Faucher puts it,
“I see him as the key candidate in the race.”