Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Governor Andrew Cuomo is not backing down on his promise to implement his own teacher evaluation system.
The governor was in Syracuse on Wednesday and says he’s sticking to his plan if the State Education Department and teachers’ unions can’t agree on evaluations by next Thursday.
Teacher-evaluation reform is one of two major reforms, along with pension reform, Cuomo wants completed as soon as possible. The process began before Cuomo arrived in office and, after two years, New York State still doesn’t have a teacher-evaluation system in place.
The state is facing a real threat of losing $700 million in Federal funding if it doesn’t act quickly. And the governor says it’s about more than just the money.
“How do you spend more than any state and you’re No. 38 in terms of graduation rates,” Cuomo said. “It’s unacceptable, it’s inexcusable. I want an evaluation system to find out what works and what doesn’t.”
The Syracuse Teachers Union and the school district have agreed on a teacher-evaluation system for the low performing schools in the district, which has been sent to the state for review. An overall plan, however, has not been completed.
Syracuse was already weeks late in its effort to protect millions in state funding before agreement on the plan. But, throughout New York State, districts and teachers unions have been unable to agree on a plan that would save Federal “Race to the Top” money. The latest delay is a lawsuit filed by the State Teachers Union to block regulations that would allow test scores to make up nearly half of the evaluation.
"When you think about it, there's no evaluation system in the education area anywhere in the state…probably the most important service we render and there's no evaluation system,” Cuomo said.
If education leaders can’t agree on a plan, Cuomo will do it another way by proposing his own in a budget amendment and get the okay from the legislature.
Cuomo says that, under his plan, once a system is put in place, districts will have until next January to adopt it or lose any increase in state aid.
