Education Officials, Teachers Agree on Plan to Compete for Federal Funds

By Karen DeWitt

Albany, New York – The State Education Commissioner has teamed up with the teachers unions to come up with a teacher evaluation system that Commissioner David Steiner says could improve New York's chances of winning federal Race to the Top money.

New York State lost out in the first round of competition for the federal funds known as Race to the Top, placing number 15 in a list of 16 states that were finalists. The application process was marred by a bruising battle in the legislature over the expansion of charter schools. In the end, the state's charter school cap of 200 schools was not lifted, and the state did not receive any of the up to $700 million dollars available in funding.

State Education officials hope for better luck in round two. While much of the focus was on charter schools, New York faced another obstacle in the competition. President Obama and his Education Commissioner, Arne Duncan, prefer that states use student test scores as criteria for granting teacher tenure. New York has a law that prevents the test scores to be used. The bill sunsets in June. Now, State Education Commissioner David Steiner and New York's teachers unions have agreed on a new plan to evaluate teachers. It would take student test scores into account, as well as other factors determined by local school districts, such as classroom observations by trained evaluators.

Those rated developing or ineffective would first receive help to improve, but Steiner says it would also be easier to remove incompetent teachers more quickly.

"The hearing would have to be completed within 60 days, compared to the state average of 274 days for such hearings," Steiner said.

New York State United Teachers President Richard Ianuzzi and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew say the new system would be fairer, and get rid of "gotcha" policies while also protecting teachers wrongly accused of incompetence. They say it could improve the state's chances for getting a share of the federal funds in the second round of applications.

The proposal received a positive response from the legislature. Senate Leader John Sampson called the proposal a "sensible agreement", and says it brings the state "one step closer" to winning the federal funds.

Assembly Speaker Silver says he hasn't seen the plan yet, but is encouraged that the Education Department and the teachers unions are in agreement. He says it's like management and labor coming together, and says the legislature would not want to stand in the way of that.

Governor David Paterson is also supportive, and says the plan "combined with an elevation of the cap on charter schools" would put New York "right at the top of the list".

However, achieving the expansion of charter schools may be more problematic. The State Senate recently passed a bill to expand the state's charter school cap, but Democrats in charge of the Assembly reacted coolly.

Commissioner Steiner was careful not to alienate any of the factions, saying only that he's in favor of expanding the cap in a way that the entire legislature can support. The Education Commissioner points out that he thinks improving the state's teacher evaluation system is more important, and is worth more points, when federal officials score New York's application.

The plan also addresses a criticism from federal reviewers of the first round of applications, that New York's initial plan did not have the full support of teacher unions. The next Race to the Top deadline is June 1st, Steiner says he hopes lawmakers will act before then.