Randi Weingarten, the president of the New York City teachers' union, announced yesterday the start of an expansive campaign to build public support for smaller class sizes that will include advertising on television and the Internet, picketing outside schools and the celebrity endorsement of Frank McCourt, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former teacher.

Testimony of Randi Weingarten before City Council Education Committee on The Failure to Comply with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity Lawsuit

Testimony of Randi Weingarten before Joint Hearing of the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committee on Governor's school aid budget 2006-07

Minutes after telling teachers he's on their side, the state's top Republican lawmaker bashed the judge who ordered the state to send more money to New York City classrooms. Senate GOP leader Joe Bruno (R-Rensselaer) told a United Federation of Teachers conference he would fight for more money for urban schools. "We're going to make sure high needs districts get funded as they should," said Bruno, drawing praise from union President Randi Weingarten. Weingarten wants the Legislature to comply with the order of state Supreme Court Justice Leland DeGrasse to open up the classroom funding spigot.

So why was Randi Weingarten, the teachers' union president and a frequent detractor of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's education policies -- not to mention a die-hard Mets fan -- sitting in the mayor's box at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night? ''She's also fun to be with!'' Mr. Bloomberg declared yesterday.

Testimony of Randi Weingarten before NYC Council Commission on CFE (Sep 29, 2004), regarding UFT's recommendations for spending the CFE settlement money to four critical priorities: improved teacher quality, smaller class sizes, school safety, and pre-K education.

The teachers union head got detention. Randi Weingarten was handcuffed, put in the police van and photographed yesterday after cops helped her to her feet and gently separated her from a human chain of civil disobedients blocking the revolving doors of the state Capitol.

Big pay hikes for teachers and school aides are the best way to spend the money Albany owes New York City under a landmark school-funding decision, teachers union boss Randi Weingarten said yesterday.