Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) told reporters this afternoon that Cuomo’s plan to expedite a new statewide teacher evaluation process does “absolutely nothing” to repeal the LIFO law governing teacher layoffs -- and that the Senate is prepared to include language repealing the law in its upcoming budget resolution.
“The next step is the budget process and we intend to put LIFO provisions within our Senate budget resolution and we would hope that eventually the Assembly agrees and the governor agrees,” Skelos said.
Mayor Bloomberg has been pleading with Cuomo to include such a provision in his 30-day budget amendments – which are due tomorrow – but the governor has so far expressed no interest in doing so. (UPDATE: The administration voices its displeasure in the memo at the end of this item... Read on!)
Skelos says Cuomo’s bill – announced Tuesday night - simply speeds up and expand a process that is already underway by the state Education Department to create an evaluation process for teachers. It does nothing, Skelos stressed, to help Bloomberg deal with the looming layoff of more than 4,600 teachers.
“It does nothing to repeal LIFO and does not deal with the layoff, the unique problem that Mayor Bloomberg has in New York City,” Skelos said.
Skelos also said it was “interesting” that Cuomo announced his plans just moments after the Senate passed the Bloomberg-backed bill that would have overturned the LIFO law for the city. That bill was sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman John Flanagan (R-Nassau County).
“He has to the right to put out a press release any time he wants to,” Skelos said. “But we passed a real bill to help the kids in New York City, to help the mayor work through the difficult choices that the city has to make in laying off teachers -- and if it happens we want to make sure those that have been committing crimes, that committed [felonies], that don’t show up for work, that have not been in the classroom for perhaps years, we want to make sure that they’re the ones that go first.”
Yesterday Flanagan said he was "open" to Cuomo's proposal.
Today Skelos says "No way - Repeal LIFO or Bust."
Interesting how quickly the Repubs dangle on Bloomberg's chain, isn't it?
In any case, since any LIFO repeal would have to make it through the Assembly, where Speaker Silver has already declared it dead on arrival, or get signed off on by Cuomo in the budget. Neither of those, at this time, seem likely, so it's hard to see the LIFO repeal happening now.
Maybe Bloomberg just has his shills ramping the rhetoric back up so when the repeal doesn't happen, he can blame Cuomo, Silver and the union when he goes ahead with the layoffs?
Or maybe this is a preliminary gambit to some additional surprise compromise?
With Moneybags and all his money, I am never surprised to see abrupt reversals and last second surprises.
Any thoughts?
Sounds like he is trying to scare everyone so he can his way right now, but his adversaries are not budging. Lets hope they do not budge on this one, at least for now. I hope that we can get Bloomberg to say that he is bluffing again, just like when he really did not mean it about the 20,000 layoffs.
ReplyDeleteLets hope, like as stated, there is no more compromises. This new evaluation system will weaken tenure and seniority enough.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what people in Albany think. When one person holds the pen and evaluation is always subjective. We all know administrators will "find" any thing even when it is not there.
I have seen great teachers let go, while terrible ones who have political clout or "friends" with administration do as they please.
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Dean Skelos is in my district and he has always been undefeated for years. Darn, and he just got re-elected again. Next election, I better start campaigning for the other candidate.
ReplyDeleteWhat an injustice Bloomberg does to senior teachers who have dedicated their lives, often under very adverse conditions, to try to work with and educate the children of this city. To merely assume "young teacher good, old teacher bad" is an insult to the intellect of any thinking and aware person. What's more, how is that Bloomberg keeps getting away with the line that he doesn't want to undo all the "progress" that has been made over the last ten years? What progress? The last I heard, test scores remained flat or dropped, that for all the supposed "innovation" that took place, nothing much really happened. The only thing that's new, is that every day you walk in through the front door at your school, it's like getting a punch in the stomach. And it's not only the teachers that feel that way. It's the secretaries, the aides, the paras, AND THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE DOE'S OWN OFFICES. I know many people who work for the DOE who've confessed to me that they don't know what the hell is going on. The legacy of the Bloomberg administration will be the complete demoralization of most of the city workforce, as well as the alienation of its school's parents and children.
ReplyDeleteStay strong Bermuda Bloomie has his panties in abunch because his money cant buy him two working class heros Cuomo and Silver!!!!
ReplyDeleteTeachers always give: they got double zeros during Giuliani's fiscal crisis and carried on...now bloombucks cries poverty and cant afford to pay-WHO NEGOTIATED AND APPROVED THE LAST TWO TEACER CONTRACTS??? BOSTON BLOOMY!!! So is he a genius or a dunce? cant have it both ways.. BUT HE IS A LYING HEAL AND THIRD TERM TRASH...