NYC Teacher Evaluation Talks Fail, Schools May Lose $450m

Mayor Bloomberg and NYC teacher’s union are pointing blame at each other.

Up to $450 million in state and federal money could be lost after the Bloomberg administration and New York City’s teachers’ union failed to reach a deal on public school evaluations. On Thursday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and president of the United Federation of Teachers, Michael Mulgrew, held separate news conferences, each blaming the other for the halt in negotiations. “The saddest part is that our students will pay the cost,” Bloomberg said.

A battle over a new system for evaluating 75,000 public school teachers began when former New York Governor David A. Paterson persuaded the Obama administration to award the state a nearly $700 million Race to the Top grant, requiring school districts to replace old evaluation systems. The financial loss could mean larger class sizes, fewer teacher hires and cuts in support staff and after-school programs. This comes on the second day of the yellow-bus strike, forcing more than 100,00 New York City children to find new ways to get to school. (NY TImes)

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