Governor Andrew Cuomo took a page out of the education reformer playbook and presented his education agenda and there is little doubt that his main purpose is to terminate teachers using "junk Science", and highly questionable evaluations. In his education agenda, the Governor wants to make the State's high stakes Common Core tests 50% of the teacher's evaluation and if the "junk Science", in the form of the Value Added Method (VAM), shows the teacher to be "ineffective" than the teacher is "ineffective", no matter how well the teacher did on the observation part. Moreover, two consecutive "ineffectives" will result in automatic termination.
In addition, the Governor wants an independent evaluator and not principals to do the teacher classroom observations since he claims that the principals gave out too many "highly effectives" to their teachers. Furthermore, to get an "effective" rating, teachers must be rated "effective" for both the testing and observation parts. Who pays for these independent evaluators? The school districts, of course!
Tenure would only be earned after five consecutive years of "effective" or higher ratings. A developing rating will not count toward tenure and could derail tenure. Further, any teacher accused of corporal or sexual abuse of a student will be subject to an expedited 3020-a hearing, similar to what New York City uses for teachers subject to felony and major sexual misconduct charges. That means being taken off payroll after a "probable cause" hearing and terminated by the Arbitrator in the subsequent 3020-a hearing.
Increase the charter school cap by 100 to 560 and eliminate the geographical limits that would allow for many more charter schools in New York City. Furthermore, he proposes that the charters receive a $750 per pupil increase in funding. Ne also wants a 75% tax credit to donate scholarships to public, private, and parochial schools. Of course the private and parochiual schools will benefit the most and take away students and funding for the public schools. For struggling schools, the Governor wants to have non-profit "turnaround specialists" to run them and override the union contract to terminate teachers.
Finally, if Andrew Cuomo gets his way, he will give the schools an extra $1.1 billion more, or half of what education expects expect to adequately fund the schools. The anti-teacher Daily News editorial Board applauded his speech and that tells you everything you need to know.
13 comments:
The FBI needs to investigate Cuomo. Whatever the amount given to Silver, multiply it by 10 for Cuomo. This guy's a Democrats?!
Chaz, what are your thoughts on the following: 1) Do you really think there will be "outsiders" doing observations for teachers? 2) Will the CSA (principals union) make a stink out of all of this? I can see some principals beimg26 happy to have less work on their hands but others who will be pissed that they will only have a 15% input on the evaluations of the teachers they supervise.
The investigation into Cuomo is ongoing. He will not survive
It's all coming together now with Cuomo's agenda of terminating teachers and Farina giving power back to superintendents. Superintendents have not developed relationships with teachers, so they will have no qualm about terminating a teacher for an ineffective rating!
7:22
Yes you're correct. Superintendents, especially the ones in NYC, will have no problem terminating teachers.
This has really gotten sick.
If all of these changes are happening with the budget do we know a predictable timeframe of when we know the end results of all this? (April perhaps?)
Imagine how tough an "independent" evaluator would be on us lowly teachers? I'm sure they would be totally fair and not be pushed or paid to rate teachers as being terrible. The stress levels of teachers these days is through the roof. It's not bad enough we have to deal with 30 children all day(some who are impossibly difficult), but now we have to deal with these drive by observations looming over our heads all day everyday. Let's make that worse, by having outsiders do it. Hey, that random guy in the suit walking into my room won't be intimidating. It sure won't make the kids act odd.
The UFT and NYSUT have to actually act, if there is a smidgen of credibility left about them (doubtful). Cuomo has "called teachers out", and, by inaction, the unions have silently consented- in OUR name! Time to throw the bums out...whats the use of paying dues if it results in no representation, esp at the height of a frontal assault???
Another crucial item to be looked at is HOW are these observations going to be implemented. Are they going to be unnanounced? Will we have the chance for pre and post obs if they are not? Will it be one formal and one informal? Who will do the formal and who will do the informal?
None of this is a done deal. Everyone is overreacting to a governor that has delusions of grandeur. He wants to be president. He has to get the rest of the country to notice him. I don't see the state assembly, with or with out Silver, throwing a large group of their constituents under the bus for Cuomo. They hate him almost as much as we do. Don't forget the other unions ethier, (we haven't been to nice to one in particular), but it's in their best interest to get behind us.
Cuomo is a vile thug. He's got the nerve to say that teachers shouldn't go into this as a "profession"? Teachers shouldn't think about benefits, pension plans, unions, etc when making the decision to become a teacher. Is he serious?
It should only be about educating students, that's it. This guy is some joke! Does he state that firefighters shouldn't become firefighters for the pension plan, benefits, etc, like it should be that they WANTVTO run into a burning bldg. the cops WANT TO have a shoot out in the South Bronx at 2am. Sanitation should WANT TO pick up garbage, and look forward to it. It's not the benefits, pension plan , union in Sanitation, people actually WANTTO pick up garbage. That's their first thought. Hey, I think I want to pick up garbage my entire life (has nothing to do with the 6 figure salary with full benefits and pension, etc), I really went into this for the garbage picking OR to run into burning buildings (I'd like to possibly die) IR to be called a pig cop each day and spit at. No, has nothing to do with benefits.
This guy is out if his mind! The association between "wanting to teach" and "not being considered a long term profession" is ludacris. He's so ridiculous. Cannot believe he wasn't called out on those statements. Simple to make a our own video. Teachers really need to plan a day with a real meeting point with real signs and real media. We know what to say. Set it up!!!!!!!
Quit crying you little botches!!!!! Fire all the dam public school teachers. Sick of the whining. Kids can't read. Kids can't do much. Paying teachers 6 figures. What? Get the hell outta here!
The job of teachers is to educate students. In order to do the job well, teachers need to work in a environment where they are treated with the respect they deserve. Check out other countries where education is valued, and you will see that teachers are respected in those countries.
Empower teachers and you will empower students. The students are watching the adults; Governor Cuomo, so called Reformers, Bad administrators disrespect teachers, and yes they(students) are learning to disrespect teachers and the teaching profession as well.
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