Assembly approves teacher evaluation delay
ALBANY – The state Assembly passed a bill Wednesday that would delay a set of deadlines for the state's new teacher-evaluation system.
The legislation would give the state Board of Regents until Nov. 17 to install new regulations for rating teachers and principals in New York, moving back a June 30 deadline some Regents have said is unrealistic.
School districts would then have until Nov. 15, 2016, to negotiate with their local teacher unions and implement the new system. The current deadline is a year earlier.
The Assembly passed the bill by a 135-1 vote. It now heads to the state Senate, where it does not currently have a sponsor.
"I think we're taking a step in the right direction today to address some of these concerns," said Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, D-Mt. Pleasant, Westchester County.
The bill's passage came just seven weeks after the Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo agreed to a $142 billion state budget that included a number of controversial education reforms, including a revamped teacher-evaluation system that prevents teachers from receiving a high rating if their students perform poorly on tests.
The Assembly legislation makes a number of changes to the newly enacted reforms, which have drawn criticism from the New York State United Teachers union and many school groups across the state.
In addition to moving the deadlines for having the evaluation system in place, it would also remove a measure that would prevent school districts from receiving an increase in state funding if they miss the deadline.
The bill would also provide $8.4 million for the state Education Department to create more forms for the state's standardized tests for grades 3-8 while also creating a committee to evaluate whether the exams are appropriate for their grade level.
NYSUT President Karen Magee, the former head of the Harrison teachers union, praised the Assembly for approving the bill.
"This bill, while not perfect, clearly begins meeting the concerns of students, parents and educators," she said in a statement.
Jenny Sedlis, executive director of StudentsFirstNY, said the state must move ahead with the evaluation system if it is "serious about improving education." Her group is in favor of the rating system as well as charter schools, which are often criticized by the teachers union.
"It's disheartening to learn that certain lawmakers who approved teacher assessment reforms during the budget process have flip-flopped after a special interest group complained about the agreement," Sedlis said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, R-Suffolk County, sponsors a similar bill in his chamber, though it isn't identical to the Assembly's version.
In a statement Sunday, Flanagan said the Senate intends to pass a bill that would make changes to the education reforms passed April 1. If identical legislation is passed by both the Senate and Assembly, it would still have to be approved by Cuomo, who championed many of the reforms included in the budget.
"We should act swiftly and smartly before we adjourn so parent-centric reforms can be in place before a new school year begins in September," Flanagan said in a statement.
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