Updated 01/30/2011 06:08 PM
Mayor Wants Schools To Retain New Teachers With Merit
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg says unless teacher seniority rules are changed, the city may have to layoff nearly every teacher hired in the last five years.
Speaking at the Christian Cultural Center in Canarsie, Brooklyn on Sunday, the mayor warned that the state budget will probably contain deep cuts, especially to schools.
Under state law, the most recently hired teachers must be laid off first, but Bloomberg wants merit taken into account.
"Layoffs would send exactly the wrong message to our kids," said the mayor. "We tell them to work hard, play by the rules, you can rise as far as your talents will take you, and yet Albany rules say that when it comes to teaching, talent doesn't matter, results don't matter. The only thing that matters is how long you've been in the system. And I say enough with Albany rules, you just cannot do this."
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said the mayor should be working with the union to prevent layoffs.
Schools Chancellor Cathie Black attended the event with the mayor, but did not speak.