ALBANY — Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos renewed his call yesterday to put an end to “last in, first out” job protections for teachers, as Mayor Bloomberg warned the new state budget threatened thousands of young educators.
The state’s top Republican said lifting costly mandates on local governments, including the seniority-only layoff law “LIFO,” would top the Senate’s agenda after securing for Gov. Cuomo yesterday the first on-time state budget in five years.
“What we’re going to, from a legislative point of view, is to look at pension reform, mandate relief [and] costs that are driving expenses up for local governments in the state,” Skelos (R-Nassau) told reporters.
Skelos, Bloomberg’s strongest ally in Albany, made his remarks even as the mayor warned that the final $132.5 billion budget passed early yesterday morning by state lawmakers would spur massive teacher layoffs.
“The need for LIFO reform is even more urgent now,” Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorgna said. “It remains at the top of our Albany agenda, because if we are forced to lay off teachers, we have to be able to keep all of the best teachers in the classroom.”
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), who opposes any LIFO repeal, dismissed Bloomberg’s threat and called on the mayor to tap $2 billion in “rainy-day” reserves that the city was saving to close next year’s deficit.
“It’s raining,” Silver said. “It’s been raining now for two years, and whatever you have put aside, now is the time to use it. “