Taking on the state’s traditionally powerful teachers’ unions, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened to impose tougher job evaluations Feb. 16 if the unions continue to, as he put it, block progress.
The evaluations taking into account student performance were required by law two years ago. Lack of labor agreements now threatens more than $1 billion in federal school funding.
Gov. Cuomo said he would use his power to insert his evaluation system for teachers in budget bills. Unlike in most states, that leaves New York’s legislature with the option of approving the whole budget bill or rejecting it.
The New York State United Teachers union and state education department have said negotiations are progressing and some districts are settling the issue. NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi said last week that progress had been delayed by the state’s appeal of a judge’s ruling that the state Board of Regents crafted flawed regulations that double the importance of standardized tests.
