Check out this great “Room for Debate” from the New York Times on the growing tension nationwide between teachers and officials over issues like charter school expansion, evaluations, class size, discipline and pay.

This is an especially interesting conversation in light of the growing call for mandate relief to help balance the impact of the tax levy cap. We’ve talked before about the myriad reasons it can be difficult for educators to present a united front on mandate relief. One mandate supported by a diverse group of educators, local governments and business organizatons alike is the triborough amendment — which directly pits teachers and school leaders against one another.

What do you think? As the article puts it, do you think “relations between teachers and officials need to cool off and become more cooperative, or can needed change come only through confrontation?”