Statement by Executive Director Jenny Sedlis in reaction to the New York State Joint Budget Hearing on Elementary and Secondary Education
StudentsFirstNY // January 28, 2014"Governor Cuomo has committed more funding to education than ever before in New York's history. New York spends more money on education than any other state, yet places 37th in graduation rates. We need to find ways to improve student performance that don't just involve higher spending. Governor Cuomo has done just that by prioritizing measuring, developing and rewarding excellent teaching. Governor Cuomo's efforts to implement the Common Core standards and teacher evaluations are high impact ways to improve the quality of instruction in our classrooms that also bring in much-needed federal funding.
The unions cannot be asking for more money while simultaneously asking for less accountability. NY unions agreed to teacher evaluations and the Common Core standards and are now backing away from those agreements. Governor Cuomo is making tremendous investments in education while NYSUT is seeking to dismantle the progress that's been made."
