ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 17, 2013 - New York State United Teachers today said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg "failed to act in the best interest of the city's children" by killing an agreement with the United Federation of Teachers on a new teacher-principal evaluation system.
NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi noted the 2010 and 2012 laws require local unions and school districts to negotiate the details of comprehensive, rigorous and fair evaluation systems that aim to improve teacher effectiveness in order to enhance student learning. He added that, as tonight's midnight deadline approaches, more than 99 percent of the state's school districts had indeed reached agreements.
"In New York City, the United Federation of Teachers has worked diligently for more than a year to develop an evaluation system that is based on sound education research and best practice, and will help all teachers continue to improve and grow as professionals. I commend UFT President Michael Mulgrew and the rest of the UFT leadership team for fighting to develop a strong – but fair – evaluation system and ensure that $250 million in badly needed state funding is funneled to New York City's schoolchildren," Iannuzzi added. "Unfortunately, the mayor has tried to undermine those efforts every step of the way, just as he has failed to act in the best interests of the city's children in just about every other educational policy matter."
As of 4 p.m., New York City, Hamburg, Pine Plains and Fallsburg are the only remaining school districts without agreements approaching a midnight deadline, set by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to receive a state aid increase.
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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