Mayor Bloomberg was brimming with common sense yesterday when he talked about the folly of trying to let only parents see teacher ratings — while keeping them secret from everyone else.
As futile as that idea is, Gov. Cuomo and lawmakers are in the process of trying to make it work. Good luck.
“You know that if you give [a teacher’s rating] to the parents, it’s going to be out,” Bloomberg said.
Everyone else will see it in no time — count on it.
“On Day One, there will be a Web site” where folks who have access to teacher ratings will be able to post them. But because the site won’t be controlled by school officials, the information it presents would be unreliable — and possibly misleading.
“[Of] the grades that get posted, who knows . . . who makes them up?” he asked. Individuals “trying to hurt somebody” might even “deliberately” include erroneous info, suggested Bloomberg. “It would lead to just chaos — and it would be very bad for our teachers.”
How could anyone disagree with that?
Now, the teachers unions have been pushing hard to keep the ratings secret.
The idea is to protect teachers with poor ratings from scrutiny — and consequences.
Which, of course, would benefit ineffective teachers. But it would be lousy for parents, schools and kids.
Cuomo & Co. are looking to toss the union a bone — without infuriating parents, who naturally demand to see how their kids’ teachers are rated.
So they’re searching for a deal.
“I think you have to strike an intelligent balance between the teacher’s right to privacy and the parent’s right to know and the public’s right to know,” Cuomo said.
Yes, parents do have a right to know how well their kids’ teachers are performing, the governor concedes. But, he adds, “I also believe in a teacher’s right to privacy.”
Sorry, Gov, but there’s just no practical way to split the baby. Besides, the public — even those with no kids in school — does have a right to see where the best, and worst, teachers are teaching.
It’s the public, after all, that pays the bills.
At the very least, property owners and prospective investors want to know — and deserve to know — about the quality of schools in their area.
The Post waged a tough legal battle against the union to publish teacher evaluations that were done by the city. After it won that fight and published them, parents were grateful.
The state is now devising a new process for grading teachers.
When it does, everyone — parents and the rest of the public alike — should be able to see the grades. All of them.
Cuomo & Co. might not agree.
But they may soon realize, nonetheless, that there’s just no other workable choice.