Public schools: who’s in charge?

In his budget address, Governor Andrew Cuomo highlighted his two key initiatives for New York State — reducing public-sector pension costs, and implementing an evaluation system for schoolteachers. Gov. Cuomo is the state’s top executive, elected by the people, so who’s supporting his plans? It’s the state’s public workers unions and the teachers’ union — they are suing the governor in court. Did anyone elect the unions to be in charge of the state’s pension and school systems?

We must have a new teacher evaluation system, the governor said, or Washington will not give us the $700 million they promised. On top of that, school districts that don’t come up with an evaluation plan will lose their share of the $805 million bundle that the state plans to distribute this year. If these funds are lost and school taxes escalate, will the teachers’ union allow salaries to be cut? Let’s not kid ourselves.

Teacher and public-sector pension costs are soaring and are an open-ended financial burden on taxpayers. When the stock market was soaring, benefits were made generous. Then the stock market tanked and the pension funds are asking for billions of dollars from taxpayers to make up for the investment losses.
With regard to teacher evaluations, will the teachers’ union ever allow implementation of a significant teachers’ evaluation system in public schools?

Not likely. Unions base their job-retention rules on seniority, not performance. The least capable teacher and the most proficient one receive the same pay if they are on the same step of the salary schedule. No private firm could exist and be profitable if forced to follow such a rule.

In any evaluation system, why not include a rating of teachers by parents and senior students? The unscientific survey I conducted showed that parents and students do indeed know who the best and worst teachers are — and it’s not difficult to identify incompetent teachers.