Statement by Glen Weiner, Acting Executive Director of StudentsFirstNY
Today’s news of the teachers’ union attempts to subvert meaningful teacher evaluations in school districts across the state, including Buffalo, through secret side deals that would strip these systems of any accountability is deeply troubling.
When Governor Cuomo and the legislature passed meaningful teacher evaluation reforms last year, and then followed up with specific mandates and guidelines this year, they did so because they wanted to ensure that every classroom has the best possible teacher. That’s what students need to have the best chance of learning and succeeding. These secret side deals and the unions’ fraudulent representations are not just an insult to their hard work; they will hurt our kids. It’s shameful and embarrassing. We hope that Commissioner King and the State Department of Education step in immediately, invalidate the bogus agreements and stop these miscarriages of justice from happening. Our students deserve nothing less.
