In a preliminary injunction made public yesterday, a court ordered that the State cannot withhold $260 million in aid from NYC schools in response to the City and teachers' union failing to reach an agreement on a new teacher evaluation system.
The New York Times reported on the decision, saying:
"Justice Mendez, in a four-page decision made public on Thursday, ruled that “innocent children,” particularly the neediest among them, could be hurt by financial cuts, as the plaintiffs had argued. He also agreed with the plaintiffs’ central argument that the matter revolves around a child’s constitutional right to a sound basic education."
The article also quoted StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Micah Lasher, who highlighted Justice Mendez's comments that there were other avenues for ensuring teacher evaluation plans were implemented in districts across the state, and noted:
“The ruling is a huge deal, potentially jeopardizing a key part of the evaluation law affecting not just the city, but the whole state,” Mr. Lasher said. “But the governor could use the opportunity to figure out how to make teacher evaluations permanent without putting funds at risk.”
