Senate education chair John Flanagan said lawmakers should consider limiting school districts’ control over their evaluation plans. “Maybe we should be having a discussion about a statewide protocol,” he said on "The Capitol Pressroom," a public radio program. “Instead of having 700 disparate agreements, let’s have a menu where you have 10 or 12 options for school districts to get involved in, because all of these things have to be negotiated, and one of the things that the unions jealously guard, which I understand and respect, is the concept of local control. They want to be able to negotiate everything. And yet, I don’t really see anyone out there who is ... jumping up and down and saying everything is working really well.” Capital’s Jessica Bakeman: http://bit.ly/13u8zss; listen to the full interview, with host Susan Arbetter: http://bit.ly/1e0QTZP
No one should be surprised that Cuomo and his GOP and IDC allies in the State Senate will go at "local control" of the APPR system.
Their complaint is that not enough teachers were declared "ineffective" by the APPR evaluation system.
One way to rectify that is to minimize the differences between districts and standardize the whole thing (which really means rig it to increase the "ineffective" ratings.)
Yeah, they'll say there's a "menu of options" for districts to choose from, 10 to 12 options, but they'll all be rigged by the state to accomplish their main goal - increasing the number of "ineffective" ratings across the state and shedding the payroll of teachers.
Flanagan's on the take from StudentsFirst and other ed deform groups, just the way Cuomo is.
You can see that he's planning on doing the bidding of his owners in the coming legislative session.
Yes, one menu is spot on. Should we standardize the menu for all public employees while we are at it?
ReplyDeleteOne ring to rule us all.
DeleteAll part of the plan.... http://clemsy.blogspot.com/2014/12/andrew-cuomos-fracking-squirrel-or-not.html
ReplyDeleteI retweeted your piece. You are spot on!
DeleteOn this one I'm willing to see what they come up with. It really makes no sense to have dozens if not hundreds of different APPR systems in the state and I won't assume that that if there were a dozen that school districts could chose from with some real local options available, they might not really be fixed from the beginning to drive the ineffective/developing ratings sky high, though they surely would increase. I may be wrong but I'm willing to see what they put on the table with this one. Cynicism is well warranted but not always the right response without any facts on the table.
ReplyDeleteIf you couple the statements made by Cuomo and Tisch about how the evaluation system needs to be "strengthened" along with their sadness that too few teachers came up "ineffective" in the current system and now Flanagan's threat to standardize the system across the state, I think cynicism is well-warranted.
DeleteThe only thing they're looking to "fix" here is the number of "ineffective" ratings - they want more of them.
I would also add, one of the selling points to the union leadership back when the system was being imposed was the 20% based on local negotiation.
Remember, they tried to sell us on "Many states have 40% based on state test scores, but we only have 20% based on state tests and the other 20% locally negotiated."
I always thought they would come back and revisit the 20% locally negotiated component once they got the whole system through and enshrined into law.
Lo and behold, that's what they're doing.
Flanagan is NO friend of public school education. His "on again, off again" support of public school education (teachers) is getting a wee bit tiring. We know that he is on "the take" from StudentsFirst and yet, he is quickly becoming part of the "old repub guard" in Albany. It is astounding to me that he seeks to tear apart the very system that he used to praise as senate education chairperson. He is nothing but another political wheeler-dealer. Now that everyone (including Flanagan) has been re-elected" it will be a another few years of "tough talk." Once again, it is well past time that public school educators in NYS rise up to challenge Cuomo, Tisch, Flanagan and the republican senate members (Dean Skelos) wishing to push their agenda of charter schools and what will eventually become, a huge purge of talented teachers. Legislators SHOULD NOT be in the education business EXCEPT when it comes to fighting for more state aid from a manipulative governor. John Flanagan "used to be" a good guy. He has however become in recent years just another example of a politician whose self-serving interests trump what is best for NYS.
ReplyDeleteIn the end WE ALL SHARE IN THE BLAME - we re-elected these jerks. They do not represent our interests or those of the children in NYS attending public schoosl. I am one of Flanagan's neighbors and I know that his children got a pretty amazing public school education - how quickly and conveniently he has forgotten. The manner in which he has "turned" against public schools and teachers shows that he just another casualty of a corrupt political system.
Shame on John Flanagan!
It should be noted that NYSUT donated $7,750 to Flanagan this year. Your VOTE COPE money at work!
ReplyDeletei just wanna thank you for sharing your information and your site or blog this is simple but nice article I've ever seen i like it i learn something today.
ReplyDeleteNegotiation & Leadership Games
Every teacher in NY should be marching on Albany.
ReplyDelete