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Blake, English Contend For Teachers Union Pres.

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― A question of leadership resonates throughout Baltimore City as teachers elect a union president this week.

Pat Warren reports the top contenders are familiar challengers.

As Baltimore City teachers prepare for the election of union officers, a cell phone video of a Baltimore teacher assaulted by a student is making teacher safety the number one priority.

"It's the forefront of my platform that we have a safe environment for our teachers," said Marietta English.

"Absolutely school safety. If we look at effective schools' research, one of the principles there in fact is a safe and orderly environment," said Sharon Blake.

But while they agree on safe and orderly, incumbent English and challenger Blake say they have important differences.

"Philosophically I'm for teachers, and she is more of a management person. She has more management ideas," said English.

"When I served the last time as president of the Baltimore Teachers' Union from 2000 to 2002, I worked in a collaborative fashion," said Blake.

Blake and English have been down this road before, challenging each other in two previous elections. Blake won, then English. This time, Blake is asking that the electronic voting system have a back-up paper trail.

"I don't understand what all that was about," said English.

That particular dispute has since been resolved.

Both have a vision for representing the city's 6,000 teachers.

Two other teachers are running for union president--Joseph Gwin at Northwestern High and William Krenbrink who teaches at Collington Square.

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