Challengers Sweep Teacher Union Election

A 31-member slate of challengers promising a new day for educators toppled the teachers union’s 15-year incumbent president along with the rest of his team.

That was the result Tuesday after mailed-in ballots were counted at the Chapel Street headquarters of the New Haven Federation of Teachers.

The final tally showed Metropolitan Business Academy teacher Leslie Blatteau defeating incumbent President David Cicarella by 452 to 350 votes.

Blatteau’s ​“Fighting for Our Future” slate of challengers won all 31 executive board seats they sought in the election. Click here for the full results.

In the campaign, the challengers argued that the union needs to change course, both with fresh faces and new ideas, including how to go about organizing at the grassroots. They promised increased two-way communications with teachers at all levels and partnerships with other unions. The agreed on five ​“core commitments” that included negotiating a stronger contract, improving the working conditions in schools, honoring and strengthening union bylaws, engaging and supporting union members, and building coalitions in the community. (Click here to read a story about that.)

“When we organize, we win!” declared Engineering & Science University Magnet School (ESUMS) history teacher Kirsten Hopes-McFadden, who won the race for executive board vice-president for middle schools. She and others said they were proud of the ​“clean” and ​“positive” campaign they ran.

Cicarella had sought reelection to a sixth term in office with a slate of 24 school staffers, two-thirds of whom ran for reelection with a promise to continue bringing decades of experience to union decision-making during uncertain times. (Click here to read a story about that.)

The morning after, Cicarella praised the opposing slate for its hard work and intelligence. He called the result ​“disappointing but not completely unexpected.”

“It is 15 years later. I like to think I’ve done good work,” Cicarella said. ​“This is a new crowd. They think very differently, and I don’t think differently ​‘bad.’ They’re very smart and energetic.

“It probably was time for change, when I try to be reflective. If they need me for anything, I’ll be there to help.”

The result even comes as partially ​“a bit of relief,” Cicarella said.

“The work’s been getting harder, in particular because of Covid. Now we have all these threats with violence and guns and social media\. People are nervous. No one’s happy. They want something done. And there’s just not a fix to some of this stuff. People come to you for solutions. Usually we’re able to provide it. But some of this stuff. The pandemic is out of our control.”

During his tenure, Cicarella made national news by working with the then — Superintendent Reggie Mayo, Mayor John DeStefano, and national teachers union President Randi Weingarten on a teacher evaluation plan that made it more possible for failing teachers to be fired but focused more on supporting teachers first to succeed in the classroom.

The current union vice-president, Pat DeLucia, who ran unopposed on Cicarella’s slate, was reelected Tuesday.

Blatteau said she is looking forward to working with all union members, including those who ran on Cicarella’s slate. ​“We have things to learn. And we have ideas,” she said.

The slate’s campaign manager, Nataliya Braginsky, said the slate intends to reach out to people in particular to participate in union subcommittees that the union intends to reactivate.

The newly elected slate takes office on Jan. 1.