ALBANY, N.Y. March 31, 2015 — New York State United Teachers today said changes to the teacher evaluation and tenure laws contained in the state budget are a disgrace.

“The teacher evaluation system imposed by Governor Cuomo is a sham, and he now owns it. From the beginning, the state of New York has witnessed a vengeful governor refusing to engage in honest dialogue about the quality of our public schools, or how to improve teaching and learning. Governor Cuomo is so enamored with hedge fund money that he has refused to consider the educational research; listen to educational professionals; or acknowledge the concerns of tens of thousands of parents who are so angry about his testing madness, they are protecting their children by opting them out of state exams.

“Let’s be absolutely clear: NYSUT rejects this evaluation system. It is an unworkable, convoluted plan that undermines local control, disrespects principals and school administrators, guts collective bargaining and further feeds the testing beast. It does nothing to help students and will do nothing to foster the professional dialogue and collaboration that is essential to helping New York’s already strong teaching force become stronger. Ironically, this will only make it harder for school districts in impoverished communities to attract and retain the excellent teachers that students need and deserve.”

New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.