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Race To The Top Blame

“Losing the Race to the Top”
Editorial
New York Daily News
January 11, 2012

Federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan is on the verge of pulling back $700 million New York State won in the Race to the Top school reform competition two years ago.

For that, blame Michael Mulgrew of the United Federation of Teachers and other union leaders who are more interested in protecting jobs than in guaranteeing solid schooling for kids.

For that, blame Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who not only had his members vote into law a toothless teacher evaluation system instead of the rigorous one the state desperately needs, but gave the unions veto power over any attempt to objectively measure teacher performance.

Silver’s refusal to support Gov. Cuomo’s call for an education commission to jump-start real school reform in New York State comes from the same textbook: putting the unions first.

This lockstep resistance from entrenched interests is about to cost the state, big-time.

The $700 million was going to modernize the arcane way instructors are evaluated. The smarter system — including student test scores — would measure classroom performance so parents, principals and, yes, teachers would know which instructors are making the grade — and ensure that those who fail to measure up get the boot.

Without the cash, perpetually underperforming schools would be left alone to inflict educational damage on yet another generation of kids.

So far, talks between negotiators from districts all over the state and union representatives — including in the city, the largest and most important district in New York — have gone nowhere or ended in failure. Both sides must get back to work and craft the robust teacher evaluation system Mulgrew and state teachers union boss Richard Iannuzzi vowed to deliver when they signed the state’s second Race to the Top application.

You know, the one Albany had to file after shamefully losing the first round of the competition because of union intractability.

In scathing remarks Tuesday, Cuomo got it just right — saying the system, and the bogus state law that created it, must be changed. And he was dead-on in pointing the finger where it belongs.

“The Assembly-led legislation in 2010 protected the teachers union at the expense of the students and instituted a system that was destined to fail,” Cuomo said. “Despite the powerful interests working to protect the status quo at the expense of our students’ success, this state must become a national leader in student performance.”

“Powerful interests” means you, Mulgrew and Iannuzzi.

Time’s nearly up. Get with the program — or get out of the way.