Gov. Cuomo is agreeing with us yet again about statewide teacher-rating systems: They serve no point if they expire before they can be used to fire bad teachers.
For that reason, he’s proposed legislation, as part of a budget deal, to leave any rating system in place until districts and teachers unions agree on a new plan. Good for him.
Schools, especially in the city, have long desperately needed a way to oust ineffective teachers. But the unions have resisted.
Last year, Cuomo claimed he’d finally broken the logjam. A law he pushed through forced districts and unions to agree on rating systems by January or forfeit state aid. We predicted failure, particularly in the city. Unions, we noted, aren’t in the business of finding ways for their members to be fired and weren’t likely to sign on to any meaningful plan, aid or not.
Sure enough, the United Federation of Teachers continued to balk, and by January, no deal. The excuse? That the mayor had rejected a two-year expiration date. Of course, as we said then, such a date would have rendered the deal a sham — since, by law, no teacher could be fired in that time.
Cuomo was furious. Essentially admitting we were right, he vowed to bypass the union and let the state impose its own plan. Call it Lesson No. 1.
But that still left the question of expiration dates. Now he’s acknowledging our point there, too. Call it Lesson No. 2.
So why would he propose a solution that would give the union a chance to renegotiate the deal down the line? That could affect other issues, like contract talks. If he’s serious about ousting bad teachers, he shouldn’t let rating systems ever expire.
What’s more, Cuomo reportedly wants to have his rule on the expiration dates made part of the state’s Triborough Amendment, a law that preserves a union’s contract with its district until a new one is agreed on.
That, too, is misdirected: Triborough should be ditched altogether, as it only removes incentives for unions to strike deals.
Still, we’re optimistic: The governor learned our first two lessons the hard way — but he learned them. In time, maybe he’ll see our other points, too.