POTSDAM, N.Y. Oct. 27, 2017 — Educators, business, human services and community leaders will meet next week for the first annual “People’s Summit,” a groundbreaking, union-led effort to develop a shared vision for St. Lawrence County’s future.
The two-day summit is an outgrowth of The People Project, started by Massena Federation of Teachers President Erin Covell following the successful 2015 effort to retain jobs at the local Alcoa plant.
The People Project, funded by a grant from New York State United Teachers and the national American Federation of Teachers, seeks to build on what that successful coalition started, while focusing on improving public education through community schools; fighting drug addiction; and expanding tourism and the local economy.
The summit will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in the Knowles Multipurpose Room at SUNY Potsdam. The media is invited to the 9 a.m. opening session and addresses by Massena Mayor Timmy J. Currier; AFT President Randi Weingarten and NYSUT President Andy Pallotta. Participants will then break into working groups for discussion.
“This is an exciting time,” Covell said. “All the major stakeholders in our community are coming together to develop a shared vision of how we can best guarantee a better future for our children, our businesses and all of St. Lawrence County.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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