Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Cuomo Calls NYSUT's Bluff Over School Funding

NYSUT has been running ads calling for Governor Cuomo to put more state money toward education.

Well, he promised to do just that in his State of the State/budget address today - but only if his education reform agenda is passed.

He called NYSUT's bluff on the pushback over funding - and predictably, the union leadership doesn't have an effective response:

NYSUT insisted the governor is misrepresenting the “reality” of public education in New York, which, according to Magee, has “has one of the strongest public education systems in the nation and a professional, highly dedicated teaching force. Gov. Cuomo should be celebrating that excellence.”  
... 
Magee didn’t directly address Cuomo’s pledge to provide a significantly larger education funding increase – $1.1 billion, or 4.8 percent – instead of the planned $377 million if the Legislature agrees to enact his reform agenda, which includes a teacher evaluation plan based half on student test scores and half on classroom observations by a superior or an independent reviewer.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew signaled at the DA a while back that the unions didn't think they could fight Cuomo over evaluations, so they were going to take him on over money.

Well, Cuomo, predictably, tied the funding increase NYSUT has been calling for in its ad buy to passing his reform agenda - including the APPR re-do, the cap increase, the change to tenure, and the 3020a revision.

For weeks I have been begging the union leadership to broaden the fight to other issues instead of keeping it to funding.

For weeks, the union leaders have maintained that they only could beat Cuomo on the funding issue.

Well, he just beat the unions on the funding issue.

CUOMO: You want more money? You got it - but you gotta give me my reforms.

Those NYSUT ads that run tonight calling for more money are, as Nixon press secretary Ron Ziegler used to say, "No longer operative."

Gee, who couldn't see this coming?

Apparently, the union leadership.

9 comments:

  1. Even if the NYSUT/UFT caves on the "reforms" he will NOT do the funding he outlined.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would think there could be less money forthcoming, even with the reformers, yes.

      Delete
  2. Great piece. You put it very, very well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It didn't take a genius to see this is what would happen. I've been saying it, begging them to use the Sheri Lederman case as an ad. But they chose to fight over the $ and now they got it. Along with the end of tenure, a 3020a streamlining, 50% VAM and independent observers from who the hell knows where...

      Delete
  3. Since all kids will be bringing smart phones to school on March 2nd, does this mean they can use their phones during state exams? Ah haha haa!!!!! Can the dope DeBlasio at least push for phone reform? Let the dumb bastards use their smart phones during testing. It's like the sped kids using calculators during tests, same shit. Let em use the phones!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great piece as always. The UFT/NYSUT cave is in. 5 years for Tenure means just another reason that no one with half a brain is going into this profession ever again. The sad part is, once again the students and the teachers (the ones who really care) are the ones who will suffer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, making tests 50% will put a lot of pressure on teachers and thus on kids. Even if teachers try to be mindful of not putting too much pressure on the kids, the system will be doing it.

      Delete
  5. Tenure will be meaningless if the Gov gets changes to the evaluations and 3020a proceedings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They will be a rubberstamp. Tenure's done if he gets these reforms.

      Delete