ALBANY, N.Y.Jan. 17, 2012 - "SED's press release today undermines everything the governor was hoping to achieve. It flushes out that SED is about themselves and their bureaucracy, and care little about the governor, the students or their teachers.
"NYSUT worked with the Legislature to create the law that brought New York $700 million in Race to the Top funding. We agree with the governor that we must work to keep that money by implementing the current law that he characterized today as 'real teacher evaluation.'
"The record is clear: The Legislature unanimously passed the Teacher/Principal Evaluation Law; the courts have upheld it; and now the only litigation that remains is SED's attempt to undermine the law, the Legislature, the courts and the governor.
"NYSUT remains prepared to work with the governor and the Legislature. It is time for the bureaucrats at SED to wake up and start thinking about the students instead of themselves."
NYSUT, the state's largest union, represents more than 600,000 teachers, school-related professionals, academic and professional faculty in higher education, professionals in education and health care and retirees. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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