Last month, after leaders from the teachers' union and City failed to reach an agreement on a new teacher evaluation system, Governor Cuomo proposed a new plan to break the standstill. If the two sides cannot come to an agreement soon, Governor Cuomo said the state will step in and implement a plan for NYC.
An op-ed in today's New York Daily News by The New Teacher Project's Tim Daly lays out the specific steps the Governor must take to salvage the plan for meaningful teacher evaluations throughout the State:
First, Cuomo must submit a budget amendment by Feb. 22 that empowers the state to impose its own evaluation system on any districts that are not complying with the evaluation law. This would ensure that the stalemate ends with the final budget passage by April 1.
Second, Cuomo must commit to moving forward with the state’s system in New York City as soon as the budget goes into effect on April 1. There are signs that UFT President Michael Mulgrew wants to delay action until later this spring, after he has secured his own reelection.
Finally, Cuomo should instruct the state Education Department to create the state-designed evaluation system right away. This system should be flexible enough that it could apply to any district, but it should include three important elements.
