Cuomo Not Caving On Teacher Evaluations

Again, I keep hearing how Governor Cuomo's pushing for a commission to handle teacher evaluation reform is a "cave" from him.

It is not a "cave" at all:

A deal on education and ethics reforms remain the key dividing lines between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature before the fiscal year starts a week from today.

Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, Monroe County, said the sides are trying to ensure that schools at least know a range of potential aid if a deal on new teacher evaluations lingers into June. Cuomo has linked school aid to tougher evaluations, as well as a longer tenure period of teachers: from three to five years. It appears the sides are moving toward a four-year period before a teacher could get tenure.

...

Schools want school-aid estimates as soon as possible as they prepare their budgets for a public vote May 19.

“We want to give as much clarity and predictability to school districts as we can to allow them to plan budgets,” Morelle said. “By the same token, the governor has been very clear that he wants, as part of the budget, a teacher-evaluation system different from the one we currently have.”

Tying school aid to the commission outcome is NOT a cave.

It's a way to force an outcome he wants a few months down the line.

Oh, and in case you didn't notice, Cuomo's going to get at least half of what he wants on tenure reform.

Don't think he won't get the same on evaluations - and maybe more - before it's all said and done.

Hope I'm wrong but the trajectory I see in these negotiations is compromise from the legislature and the teachers unions where no compromise need be made.

Cuomo is an unpopular governor with an unpopular agenda.

He can be told to go scratch with his agenda - and if he doesn't like it, he can purposely delay the budget himself.

Cuomo knows what the poll numbers are on that.

NYSUT ought to mount an ad campaign blaming him for purposely delaying a budget because he wants to increase the weight and emphasis of Common Core testing in schools.

See if Cuomo would like to have to counter that.

It's a shame the legislature and the teachers unions leadership doesn't seem to get this.

But doesn't seem they do.

Cuomo Pushing For A Commission To Handle Teacher Evaluation Reforms

Because it's never too late for another jive commission empaneled to give cover to politicians who already know what they want to push through but don't want to take a political hit for doing it:

Majority Leader Dean Skelos on Tuesday said his conference is “just about there with him” on education issues following a lengthy closed-door conference on the issue.

At this point, state lawmakers and Cuomo are considering the creation of a commission that would develop teacher evaluation criteria.

It’s unclear what the final composition of the panel would be and what their purview would be.
“Now it’s really about the commission, the composition of the commission and really want their charge would be in terms of finalizing education reform,” Skelos said.

It also remains undetermined if the panel’s recommendations would be immediately acted up on or have to be approved by the Legislature, he said.

“They would come up with recommendations to the Legislature and the question is whether we would vote for it or whether they would implement what they recommend,” Skelos said.

Remember that idea yesterday that Cuomo was dropping most of ed reform agenda in return for the ethics agreement he got from the Assembly Dems?

Turns out it's not to be so:

Cuomo is continuing to press on with most of his initial education reform agenda, though a lifting of the statewide cap on charter schools is being left for later in the legislative session.

Assembly Democrats remain at odds with Cuomo on a variety of education issues, including a school receivership proposal as well as an effort to reform teacher tenure and the evaluation procedures for teachers.

It looks like receivership, tenure changes and evaluation reform all still alive in the budget talks, but the charter cap is out.

So much for Assembly Dems getting anything out of Cuomo for caving on ethics reform.

Cuomo Says Sheldon Silver And Teachers Union Are Running The Assembly

Coming just a couple of days after newly-minted Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie gave Governor Cuomo everything he wanted on ethics reform (i.e., reform for legislature, not for executive or girlfriend of said executive) comes this report from Ken Lovett at the Daily News:

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo is telling his political backers he believes that indicted ex-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is still calling the shots in the chamber, the Daily News has learned.

Cuomo made the comments at a closed-door breakfast with members of his campaign finance committee, according to a source with direct knowledge of the statements.

Cuomo was bemoaning the fact that nothing has changed since Silver was forced to resign his leadership post in early February after being hit with federal corruption charges, the source said.

Cuomo, the source said, described new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie as Silver's "instrumentality" in keeping power.

The governor claimed that Silver, who remains in the Assembly, is still ruling through his team that Heastie has left in place, notably counsel James Yates and Program and Policy Secretary Lou Ann Ciccone.

The source said that Cuomo added that Silver also has his imprint at City Hall through de Blasio's budget director Dean Fuleihan, a former longtime Silver aide.

"Shelly and the teachers union run everything through Fuleihan, Yates and Lou Ann," the source quoted Cuomo as saying.

And just in case you think the anonymous report might be b.s., here was Cuomo's reaction to the report:

A Cuomo spokeswoman didn't confirm or deny that the governor made the comments. Instead, she declined comment.

The Assembly looks like they won't give Cuomo everything he wants on education reform - it appears the power he wants to take over "failing" schools and districts won't be part of the budget, though changes to the evaluation system, a lift to the charter cap, more money for charters and tenure changes do seem like they are on tap.

This despite the fact that the public backs teachers over Cuomo 55%-28% and Cuomo has a 63% disapproval rating for his handling of education.

So dunno why Cuomo is grousing - given how low he's fallen in polls (below water in the Siena poll, at the waterline in the Quinnipiac poll) and given how much protest his ed agenda has engendered around the state, that he's going to get as much of his agenda as he is is a major freaking victory.

As always, hope to be wrong believing that the Assembly, backed by the unions, will cave to him on evals, tenure, and charters.

But all indication is, that's what's coming.

Assembly Dems Cave To Cuomo

And so the sell-out from Assembly Dems has begun:

A two-way ethics deal was struck on Tuesday between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Democrats in the Assembly, an apparent tactic to pressure Senate Republicans to agree to broader reforms.

Details on the agreement are hazy, but Cuomo and state lawmakers said it was within the broad parameters of what the governor had sought on private client disclosure for those who have business before the state, per diem reform and requiring public officials convicted of corruption to surrender their pensions.

More details are expected on Wednesday, but the ethics legislation agreed to was done with the understanding it would be included in the final budget agreement.

The deal, announced in an impromptu press conference outside the Assembly chamber, was struck at the exclusion of majority Republicans in the state Senate and comes as GOP lawmakers have insisted they wanted an on-time budget that was not hampered by debates over non-fiscal policy concerns.

“We have an agreement on the areas that the governor laid out earlier,” Heastie said while standing next to Cuomo this evening at the Capitol. “We’ll have the details tomorrow. We’re happy in this place.”

Added Cuomo: “I’m more than happy with this package.”

...

Cuomo was pointed in his praise for the Assembly reaching an agreement, with about three weeks to go before the state budget is due.

“I want to applaud the speaker and the Assembly for stepping up and establishing a standard that has never been established before,” Cuomo said. “There is going to be more disclosure, more transparency than has ever existed in this government.”

Not much in the way of details, but from the body language and words, it seems Cuomo got what he wanted and gave little in return.

Doesn't look like Cuomo will be subject to any of this "reform" in the agreement - just the legislature.

Gee, what a fantastic "win".

Better hope this isn't a blueprint for the rest of budget negotiations, but I suspect it is.

Dems caving to Cuomo.

Same old same old.

Charter Schools Get Government-Funded Rent, Co-Location Rights, Extra Per Pupil Cash In Budget Deal

Cuomo got everything Eva and Company wanted:

State leaders reached a tentative deal on a charter school reform package that will increase per pupil spending and provide government-funded rent for the schools for the first time. Also under the deal, if a new charter approved by the city includes a request for space inside existing city buildings, the city would have five-months to make a “reasonable” co-location offer or pay for private space, the sources said.

If the state government is going to provide rent or force co-location plus add extra cash to per pupil spending, are charter schools still "not public schools"?

Because Eva Moskowitz told the state comptroller to go  #$%^ himself when he wanted to audit Success Academies and a judge agreed that charter schools are not public schools so the state comptroller had no jurisdiction over Eva's (or any charter's) finances.

Given all the goodies Eva and the charter operators get now, they certainly should be subject to state audit.

But remember, accountability is only for public schools.

No word on whether SUNY can force charter co-locations in this deal.

Right now, it's reported that it's only if the city approves a new charter that wants to be co-located in a public school building that the city has to come up with a "reasonable" co-location offer or pay the rent of that charter.

We'll have to see the details in full.

But it looks like Eva and the charter entrepreneurs got everything they wanted.