State Senate To Vote On Revised "Last In, First Out" Bill
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A compromise was reached by state senators Monday over a controversial citywide education policy.
Senate Republicans are expected to vote on a revised bill Tuesday ending the law known as "Last In, First Out" which requires the newest teachers to be the first ones let go during layoffs.
The new bill would accelerate an evaluation system for educators which Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to start this fall.
With Mayor Michael Bloomberg saying more than 4,600 teachers need to go because of budget cuts, the bill also provides an interim protocol.
It says the city and the teachers union will negotiate layoffs in a way that allows seniority to be just one factor among others.
"I think the mayor likes it, it's better than nothing and it does force a compromise that the governor talked about," said Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.
For its part, the teachers union says the new proposal does not make up for the inequalities in the treatment of public school teachers.
If the union and the city can't reach a deal three months before the start of the next school year, the bill establishes several categories of teachers that would be laid off first.
It starts with those who have two unsatisfactory ratings in five years, or one in the last two.