Cuomo Threatens To Impose State Teacher Evaluation System On NYC

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that if New York City and the teachers union can’t reach a deal on teacher evaluations, the state will impose one.

The city stands to lose hundreds of millions in grants if it doesn’t reach a deal on evaluations. It has already lost $250 million by missing the first deadline.

Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers, is pleased with Cuomo stepping into fray.

“We’ve become very very frustrated with trying to get this agreement done with the city of New York. What the governor’s saying at this point ‘We’ll give you time to continue to negotiate and we’ll wait to see what the legislation says.’ But if not he will direct SED into some sort of binding arbitration process which is something we had called for already last year,” he told WCBS 880 reporter Rich Lamb.

“[The city doesn’t] understand the issues, the educational issues, that we’re discussing. So, for the governor to say ‘We’ll use the state Education Department as binding arbitrating vehicle, to me that’s good news because at least then we will be dealing with people across the table who actually understand education,” Mulgrew said.

Mulgrew said that what it does mean is that New York City will not lose further state aid.

“We are not going to sign an evaluation deal that is a fraud and a hoax on the public. The public has a right to expect us to put the best teachers, the teachers that can do the job, in front of their kids,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week.

Source: WCBS 880 AM

{Matzav.com Newscenter}