Teachers unions want public schools to be the centers of communities, and they are ready to work with charter schools to achieve that goal, according to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

“This should not be a competitive environment,” Weingarten said Monday at The Atlantic Education Summit. “We should figure out how to work together and how to do things together. And frankly, that’s what the charter school that [the AFT] started in New York City, in South Bronx, does. But there’s too much competition and not enough collaboration.” Weingarten had just been asked whether charter schools can be unions’ friend in trying to make schools into community centers.