On Sunday night, the United Federation of Teachers released an email to members touting its accomplishments in the budget framework, based on what its leadership was told by state officials.
But over the course of the day on Monday, it became clear not everyone was on the same page with those changes.
Indeed, the statewide umbrella union, the New York State United Teachers, circulated a memorandum of opposition to the education reform proposals in the budget framework.
The measures include new teacher evaluation criteria that includes a state test and observation in the classroom. It does have a local option — yet another state test, but that has to be requested by the local union.
The state Department of Education sets the percentage criteria.
The budget would make it easier for teachers who perform poorly on the evaluations over two or three years to be fired, even those with tenure.
Achieving tenure itself is tied to receiving three out of four years worth of “effective” ratings.
And contrary to what the United Federation of Teachers believed on Sunday night, merit pay is being included in the budget, according to a Cuomo official.
Enacting the evaluation criteria will be tied to a boost in state aid, about 6 percent, come November. In other words, linkage to reform is back in after all.
In short, the governor got everything he wanted in the budget and the few things he didn't get - like an increase in the charter cap - were deliberately left out for later in the legislative session.
Still, the UFT declares the budget deal a "victory," one that scrapes the skies it's so good compared to what Cuomo really wanted in the budget.
Except that, he got what he really wanted in the budget.
Oh well, what's a serious screwjob between friends.
Where can I send a letter to request a full refund of my NYSUT dues? Where can I sign a form to decertify the union and support forming a new union that actually has the ability to protect the interests of those of paying the salaries of these worthless "leaders?"
ReplyDeleteIf you can be terminated after whatever amount of low ratings, WHY WOULD ANYONE CARE ABOUT TENURE? Tenure actually doesn't really mean anything, correct RBE? Why doesn't the Union just trade tenure for big $$$ contracts nextvtime around? Screw it, it has no weight anymore.
ReplyDeleteTenure only means you would have two years before bring terminated rather than immediate termination .
DeleteOut union "leaders" have been tasked with the destruction of the union itself and the teaching profession in exchange for double pensions and God knows what else.
It's just this simple.
Tenure only means you would have two years before being terminated rather than immediate termination .
DeleteOur union "leaders" have been tasked with the destruction of the union itself and the teaching profession in exchange for double pensions and God knows what else.
It's just this simple.
Tenure is mostly meaningless now but it is going to be way more "objective" than "subjective". Under the old system a principal would "U" rate you with subjective data but it could be appealed and fought out in a 3020A hearing. (dismissal proceeding). Now, a teacher will have to have a poor VAM rating and or poor observational ratings from the outside observer and/or the principal. What is most ironic is that the principal in theory will have the least amount of input into teacher ratings now that Cuomo does not trust principals to give enough innefective ratings. Thus, termination possibilites are mostly due to VAM and ratings on observations from outside evaluators. In other words, most teachers are going to be scewed by forces that they have absolutely no control over. What is so fascinating about all of this is that it is the comlpete opposite of what the tyrant Boomberg wanted. He wanted principals to do all of the axing but now it seems principals will have the least say in how terminations will go down.
ReplyDelete” If you were fortunate enough right now to be standing over George Orwell’s grave in the sweet garden of the churchyard at Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, you would hear, piercing the roar of his revolving corpse, a plaintive, despairing voice crying out: “Bury me deeper. Now. Please.”
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ReplyDelete