Intervention By Cuomo Key In Teacher Evaluations Agreement
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A resolution on teacher evaluations was passed Thursday just hours before a deadline that was set by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who played a key role in getting union leaders and officials to reach the agreement. NY1’s Zack Fink filed the following report.Starting Wednesday morning, the state’s two biggest teacher union leaders, NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi and UFT President Michael Mulgrew, were in the Capitol negotiating with officials from the state Education Department and Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Those talks went through the night. The governor left and then came back early Thursday morning. That's when a deal was formally reached.
"The governor will put language into his budget amendments that we agreed on earlier today. As a matter of fact, very early in the day. 5:30 in the morning, I'm told, while I was sleeping," said Bloomberg.
Insiders say working out an agreement between NYSUT and the state was easier than resolving the New York City portion of the agreement. The sticking point was creating an appeals process for teachers who get bad evaluations. The city and the UFT asked Cuomo to intervene.
"It's a shame we had to go to the governor. I thank him for doing that, but the idea that we had to go to the governor to show what reasonable was—and I do believe the city became more reasonable because the governor was involved," said Mulgrew.
Knowing that federal Race to the Top dollars were at stake, it was Cuomo who used the power of his executive budget to get both sides back to the negotiating table.
Issuing an ultimatum, the governor threatened to hold back a four percent increase in state education aid from local districts that failed to adopt a new evaluation system.
Cuomo had also said that if an agreement could not be reached on evaluations, he'd impose his own system.
"I think sometimes the governor has a role to play from a leadership position just in terms of making sure things get done—setting a deadline and providing a little encouragement. I think it’s fair to say I provided a little encouragement, don't you think? Encouragement. That's a good word," said Cuomo.
Noticeably absent from Thursday's announcement were Bloomberg and legislative leaders. Observers say it's a win for Cuomo, who appears to once again get the credit for ending dysfunction in state government.