From the classroom to City Hall: Meet Rita Joseph, Brooklyn’s new ed committee chair
As a teacher for 23 years, Rita Joseph has tried to make a difference for her students at P.S. 6 in Brooklyn. Now she hopes to affect the lives of many more students, as a newly elected member of the City Council and head of its education committee.
Joseph, who emigrated from Haiti as a child, taught students who are learning English as a new language. She stayed in the classroom throughout her campaign. Her last day was Dec. 23, giving her a front-row seat to the challenges of the pandemic, including teaching through the initial shut down, and now, the omicron wave. She has also experienced it as a parent worried about the ways COVID has interrupted her own son’s middle school education.
Joseph was elected to represent Brooklyn’s 40th District, which spans Flatbush, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Ditmas Park, and the southern edge of Crown Heights. She spent her first days in office calling every school in the district, and has already met with Chancellor David Banks and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.