Metro

Two-thirds vote from teachers required in new contract

The new city teachers contract isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, say education reformers who’ve read the fine print.

Mayor de Blasio touted a new program that would exempt 200 regular schools from union and city rules — potentially unleashing the type of innovations that have benefited charter school schools.

But that’s easier said than done, under the contract.

A minority of teachers at each school has veto power over reforms that could include changing the school day or year.

That’s because establishing an “Opportunity” school requires approval from two-thirds of schoolteachers and staff.

“That’s tough to do,” said Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Ernie Logan.

“It’s very difficult to reach,” he said. “It requires a lot of voters from the school community. If I’m running for political office, if I got 65 percent of the vote, people would anoint me king.”

Teachers-union President Michael Mulgrew defended the plan, which he said is “not for everybody.”

“If you don’t have a cooperative environment where people respect each other, you’re not going to get to 65 percent,” he said.

One education advocate said it would difficult for the city to open 200 truly innovative schools in five years under these constraints.

“While Mayor de Blasio hailed these schools as a groundbreaking opportunity to innovate, this policy is neither groundbreaking, nor will it allow for the freedom to innovate that has made charter schools so successful,” said Jenny Sedlis of StudentsFirstNY.

She questioned whether the schools can make changes to compensation, class size, tenure-seniority rights, accountability and due process for teachers.

Meanwhile at a meeting Wednesday at Manhattan’s Hilton hotel, United Federation of Teachers delegates overwhelmingly approved the proposed nine-year contract.