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	<title>The Wonkster &#187; Education</title>
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	<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster</link>
	<description>Gotham Gazette&#039;s blog about New York policy and politics</description>
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		<title>City Gives Columbia $15M for Applied Science Institute</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/07/30/city-gives-columbia-15m-for-applied-science-institute/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/07/30/city-gives-columbia-15m-for-applied-science-institute/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:21:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nina Goldman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Applied Sciences NYC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Columbia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Columbia University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mayor Bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nyedc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[president bollinger]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=11072</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The city will support Columbia University&#8217;s new Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering with up to $15 million in financial aid, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation projects that the new institute will generate $3.9 billion of nominal economic growth over the next three decades, with more than 4,000 permanent [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The city will support Columbia University&#8217;s new Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering with up to $15 million in financial aid, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today.</p>
<p>The New York City Economic Development Corporation projects that the new institute will generate $3.9 billion of nominal economic growth over the next three decades, with more than 4,000 permanent jobs created.</p>
<p>Columbia will spend more than $80 million of its own money on the project, and part of the city&#8217;s contribution comes from debt forgiveness, discounted energy transmission costs and lease flexibility.</p>
<p>“It will create tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity, and it will  encourage the growth of the tech sector in New York City and solidify  our leadership in the innovation economy for decades to come,” Mayor Bloomberg said in a press release.</p>
<p>This comes as part of the larger Applied Sciences NYC initiative, which aims to increase performance of fields like data science in the city, as well as bolster the city&#8217;s economy. Other efforts include the city&#8217;s collaboration with Cornell University to create a tech campus on Roosevelt Island.</p>
<p>&#8220;The  discoveries produced by the Data Sciences Institute will establish a foundation for  significant contributions to society and to the marketplace,” Professor Kathy McKeown, director of the Institute for Data Sciences and  Engineering, said in the release.</p>
<p>By 2016, the Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering is expected to add 44,000 square feet to Columbia&#8217;s Morningside Heights campus, with construction starting almost immediately. The university also plans to add approximately 75 faculty jobs in the next 15 years.</p>
<p>However, advocacy groups do not have full confidence in this initiative&#8217;s economic promises, seeking full transparency throughout the project.</p>
<p>&#8220;More and more, these large universities are running like large corporations,&#8221; said Bettina Damiani, project director at Good Jobs NY. &#8220;They should be under the same due diligence and expectation to create good jobs.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>High school entrepreneur wannabes sought for city tech program</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/07/11/high-school-entreprenuer-wannabes-sought-for-city-tech-program/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/07/11/high-school-entreprenuer-wannabes-sought-for-city-tech-program/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:18:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nina Goldman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EDC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entrepreneur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nfte]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nycedc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nyedc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[students]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10966</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A new program aims to expose high school students to the city&#8217;s growing Internet technology sector by teaming them up with industry experts to create Android phone apps and business plans.
The New York Economic Development Corp. and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship are sponsoring the bootcamp for teenagers, which starts in August. Thirty high school [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A new program aims to expose high school students to the city&#8217;s growing Internet technology sector by teaming them up with industry experts to create Android phone apps and business plans.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.nycedc.com/">New York Economic Development Corp.</a> and the <a href="http://www.nfte.com/">Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship </a>are sponsoring the bootcamp for teenagers, which starts in August. Thirty high school students will be picked to participate in the program, called NYC Generation Tech. <a href="http://nycgenerationtech.com/">Applications are being accepted until July 20. </a></p>
<p>&#8220;This is another initiative to foster talent in [the technology]  sector,  which is going to be critical to our economy going forward,&#8221; said Patrick Muncie, a spokesman for the EDC.</p>
<p>To be eligible for NYC Generation Tech, students should be rising 10th or 11th graders who are either from a school where 50 percent or more of students qualify for free or reduced price school lunches or who qualify for the food assistance programs themselves.</p>
<p>The primary $100,000 of funding for NYC Generation Tech came from the city.</p>
<p>Terry Bowman, executive director for NFTE New York Metro Area, said the organization is looking to raise more money to provide scholarships and ongoing support for students after they complete the program.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Cuomo&#039;s ed reform commission meets for first time</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/27/cuomos-ed-reform-commission-meets-for-first-time/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/27/cuomos-ed-reform-commission-meets-for-first-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:53:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Cristian Salazar</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10884</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Governor Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s newly created New York Education Reform Commission met for the first time in Manhattan yesterday to discuss its agenda, though little of substance emerged from the meeting.
Commission Chairman Richard Parsons and 21 of its 25 members attended. The formerly 20-member group was expanded earlier this month to include a parent advocate, a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas;">
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">Governor Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s newly created New York Education Reform Commission met for the first time in Manhattan yesterday to discuss its agenda, though little of substance emerged from the meeting.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">Commission Chairman Richard Parsons and 21 of its 25 members attended. The formerly 20-member group was expanded earlier this month to include a parent advocate, a school board member and a superintendent after criticism of its makeup. Parsons was quick to stress the importance of the commission in shaping education policy in New York State.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;We don&#8217;t get this right, everything else is going wrong,&#8221; he said.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">The commission is focusing on seven priority areas, all of which have been fulfilled successfully in many cases in New York, but not always.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;We&#8217;re doing a lot right in New York… but it&#8217;s not system wide,&#8221; Parsons said. &#8220;How do you replicate excellence across the system? That&#8217;s really the challenge that we have.&#8221;</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">The seven priority areas were split up among working groups: New York&#8217;s public education system; teacher and principal quality and school district leadership; and student achievement and family engagement. The groups will report their findings to the chair and commission.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">There was some confusion over the overlap among working groups. Commission members questioned where topics like special education and pre-K programs fall.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">But Parsons said it would be too &#8220;challenging&#8221; not to break up all the work.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;A smaller group can really spend their time and then report back to the large group,&#8221; he explained.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">Commission members also expressed confusion over the 10-stop &#8220;listening tour&#8221; they will undertake across the state starting in two weeks and running until October, with the New York City stop on July 26. They have yet to decide on a length and format for the public meetings, although the Governor&#8217;s staff said it was their responsibility to choose it.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;Two weeks from now we&#8217;re going to have to be ready to go,&#8221; said Elizabeth Dickey, president of the Bank Street College of Education and chair of one of the commission&#8217;s working groups. &#8220;I&#8217;m feeling uneasy that we don&#8217;t know how we&#8217;re going to structure them.&#8221;</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">A three-hour timeframe was suggested, with Senator John Flanagan proposing testimony be submitted ahead of time and not read aloud to streamline the process. However, some members dissented.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;People are yearning to have their voices heard,&#8221; AFT president Randi Weingarten said. &#8220;I just think there should be a way of hearing them.&#8221;</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">Michael Rebell, executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity, suggested extending the length of the public meetings.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;I suspect in New York City, for instance, you&#8217;re not going to be able to accomadate the number of people who will want to speak in three hours, so I think we&#8217;ve got to be flexible,&#8221; Rebell said. &#8220;I hate to have this advertised, have people come out, and feel that they&#8217;re being shut out.&#8221;</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;I want to make these hearings as understandable as possible for the public and for us,&#8221; he added.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">Rebell&#8217;s inclusion on the commission, as a well-known critic of Cuomo&#8217;s policies, was applauded by advocacy groups.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;We need more of those really staunch supporters and advocates on the commission,&#8221; said Alliance for Quality Education organizer Zakiyah Ansari.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">Besides Rebell, the recent addition of school board member Patricia Gallagher, superintendent Jessica Cohen and Parent Power Project Executive Director Carrie Remis to the commission was well-received.</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8220;There&#8217;s more balance now than there was in the past, and we&#8217;re thankful for that,&#8221; said Statewide School Finance Consortium Executive Director Rick Timbs. &#8220;We hope this, unlike previous… commissions, will come up with something actually viable.&#8221;</div>
<div id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">&#8211;Reported by Nina Goldman</div>
<p>Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s newly created New York Education Reform Commission met for the first time in Manhattan yesterday to discuss its agenda, though little of substance emerged from the meeting.</p>
<p>Commission Chairman Richard Parsons and 21 of its 25 members attended. The formerly 20-member group was expanded earlier this month to include a parent advocate, a school board member and a superintendent after criticism of its makeup.</p>
<p>Parsons was quick to stress the importance of the commission in shaping education policy in New York State.</p>
<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t get this right, everything else is going wrong,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>The commission is focusing on seven priority areas, all of which have been fulfilled successfully in many cases in New York, but not always.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re doing a lot right in New York… but it&#8217;s not system wide,&#8221; Parsons said. &#8220;How do you replicate excellence across the system? That&#8217;s really the challenge that we have.&#8221;</p>
<p>The seven priority areas were split up among working groups: New York&#8217;s public education system; teacher and principal quality and school district leadership; and student achievement and family engagement. The groups will report their findings to the chair and commission.</p>
<p>There was some confusion over the overlap among working groups. Commission members questioned where topics like special education and pre-K programs fall.</p>
<p>But Parsons said it would be too &#8220;challenging&#8221; not to break up all the work.</p>
<p>&#8220;A smaller group can really spend their time and then report back to the large group,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>Commission members also expressed confusion over the 10-stop &#8220;listening tour&#8221; they will undertake across the state starting in two weeks and running until October, with the New York City stop on July 26. They have yet to decide on a length and format for the public meetings, although the Governor&#8217;s staff said it was their responsibility to choose it.</p>
<p>&#8220;Two weeks from now we&#8217;re going to have to be ready to go,&#8221; said Elizabeth Dickey, president of the Bank Street College of Education and chair of one of the commission&#8217;s working groups. &#8220;I&#8217;m feeling uneasy that we don&#8217;t know how we&#8217;re going to structure them.&#8221;</p>
<p>A three-hour timeframe was suggested, with Senator John Flanagan proposing testimony be submitted ahead of time and not read aloud to streamline the process. However, some members dissented.</p>
<p>&#8220;People are yearning to have their voices heard,&#8221; AFT president Randi Weingarten said. &#8220;I just think there should be a way of hearing them.&#8221;</p>
<p>Michael Rebell, executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity, suggested extending the length of the public meetings.</p>
<p>&#8220;I suspect in New York City, for instance, you&#8217;re not going to be able to accomadate the number of people who will want to speak in three hours, so I think we&#8217;ve got to be flexible,&#8221; Rebell said. &#8220;I hate to have this advertised, have people come out, and feel that they&#8217;re being shut out.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I want to make these hearings as understandable as possible for the public and for us,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>Rebell&#8217;s inclusion on the commission, as a well-known critic of Cuomo&#8217;s policies, was applauded by advocacy groups.</p>
<p>&#8220;We need more of those really staunch supporters and advocates on the commission,&#8221; said Alliance for Quality Education organizer Zakiyah Ansari.</p>
<p>Besides Rebell, the recent addition of school board member Patricia Gallagher, superintendent Jessica Cohen and Parent Power Project Executive Director Carrie Remis to the commission was well-received.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s more balance now than there was in the past, and we&#8217;re thankful for that,&#8221; said Statewide School Finance Consortium Executive Director Rick Timbs. &#8220;We hope this, unlike previous… commissions, will come up with something actually viable.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>&#8211;Reported by Nina Goldman</em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Mulgrew praises teacher evaluation bill</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/21/mulgrew-praises-teacher-evaluation-bill/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/21/mulgrew-praises-teacher-evaluation-bill/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:37:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[andrew cuomo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dean Skelos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael mulgrew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sheldon Silver]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10867</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[United Federation of Teachers head Michael Mulgrew is praising the legislature for putting limits on the release of teacher evaluations.  &#8220;I want to thank Governor Cuomo, Speaker Silver and Majority Leader  Skelos for their leadership in working to strike an appropriate balance  &#8212; ensuring that parents can have information about their children’s  [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>United Federation of Teachers head Michael Mulgrew is praising the legislature for putting limits on the release of teacher evaluations.  &#8220;I want to thank Governor Cuomo, Speaker Silver and Majority Leader  Skelos for their leadership in working to strike an appropriate balance  &#8212; ensuring that parents can have information about their children’s  teachers, while helping to prevent the kind of vilification of teachers  that resulted from Mayor Bloomberg’s insistence on releasing the  misleading and inaccurate Teacher Data Reports last year.&#8221;</p>
<p>Needless to say, Mulgrew and Mayor Michael Bloomberg aren&#8217;t on the greatest of terms and the Legislature certainly handed Bloomberg a defeat today.</p>
<p>Here is Mulgrew&#8217;s full statement: <span id="more-10867"></span></p>
<p>Today the New York State Legislature took some major steps on behalf of our schools and our children.  I want to thank Governor Cuomo, Speaker Silver and Majority Leader Skelos for their leadership in working to strike an appropriate balance &#8211;  ensuring that parents can have information about their children’s teachers, while helping to prevent the kind of vilification of teachers that resulted from Mayor Bloomberg’s insistence on releasing the misleading and inaccurate Teacher Data Reports last year.</p>
<p>I also want to thank the members of the Assembly for their efforts to stop the wholesale closing of schools in New York City and to give communities a bigger role in deciding where and how schools should be co-located in their districts.  We need a comprehensive strategy to fix rather than abandon struggling schools, and we need to give parents – who have for years been ignored by the city’s Department of Education – a real role in important decisions about their local schools.</p>
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		<title>Cuomo&#039;s gamble on teacher evaluations pays off</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/21/cuomos-gamble-on-teacher-evaluations-pays-off/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/21/cuomos-gamble-on-teacher-evaluations-pays-off/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:03:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10862</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s teacher evaluation bill has passed the state Senate. Last Friday, with talks seemingly stalled on a bill limiting access to the state&#8217;s teacher evaluations, Cuomo rolled the dice. His administration issued a bill late at night that didn&#8217;t seem to go far enough for some legislators.
But late last night, Senate Majority Leader [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s teacher evaluation bill has passed the state Senate. Last Friday, with talks seemingly stalled on a bill limiting access to the state&#8217;s teacher evaluations, Cuomo rolled the dice. His administration issued a bill late at night that didn&#8217;t seem to go far enough for some legislators.</p>
<p>But late last night, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos said his conference would discuss the bill this morning. Low and behold, the bill came to a vote and passed with little debate and only one dissenting vote from Republican Sen. Andrew Lanza, of Staten Island.</p>
<p>Senate Republicans faced quite a bit of pressure from their financial benefactor Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303836404577477123833444092.html">wanted Cuomo&#8217;s bill to fail</a> so that all teacher evaluations would be public. Teachers&#8217; unions supported Cuomo&#8217;s bill, but would have liked more limits on the disclosure.</p>
<p>Cuomo issued this statement of congratulations:</p>
<p>&#8220;I applaud the Senate and Assembly for taking up the teacher evaluation disclosure bill. I believe it strikes the right balance between protecting teacher privacy and a parent’s right to know. I also appreciate all those who participated in this important dialogue over the past few months. The teachers’ unions made important points and the bill respects their members’ legitimate right to privacy. I also appreciate the opinion of Mayor Bloomberg and I believe the final bill reflects much of his perspective. I know this was a difficult issue for the Legislature and I applaud their courage and leadership. This bill is the metaphorical cherry on the cake to the end of what I believe is one of the most successful and broad ranging legislative sessions in modern political history. From transformative economic reforms to historic social progress, this session was a magnificent accomplishment for the people of New York State.”</p>
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		<title>Cuomo&#039;s final offer on teacher evaluations</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/19/cuomos-final-offer-on-teacher-evaluations/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/19/cuomos-final-offer-on-teacher-evaluations/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jun 2012 19:06:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[andrew cuomo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dean Skelos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sheldon Silver]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teacher evaluations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10834</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gov. Andrew Cuomo made it clear at a 1 p.m. press conference today that he is done negotiating on teacher evaluations. The Cuomo administration introduced a bill late last night that would allow teacher evaluations to be made public but without  the teacher&#8217;s names.
“That’s the bill, the bill is not going to change. There’s not [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Gov. Andrew Cuomo made it clear at a 1 p.m. press conference today that he is done negotiating on teacher evaluations. The Cuomo administration introduced a bill late last night that would allow teacher evaluations to be made public but without  the teacher&#8217;s names.</p>
<p>“That’s the bill, the bill is not going to change. There’s not going to be a substitute bill. They act on it or they don’t. But there’s not going to be changes or discussions at this time,&#8221; Cuomo told reporters.</p>
<p>Cuomo issued this statement when his bill was introduced late last night, after negotiations broke down: “I am introducing my bill, the Teacher and Principal Evaluation Disclosure Act, for consideration by the Senate and the Assembly. I believe the bill strikes the right balance between a teacher’s right to privacy and the parents’ and public’s right to know. If the Senate or the Assembly do not agree with this position, we can continue discussions and negotiations, and consider legislation in a future session, as the teacher evaluation system does not become operational until next year. I am sending the bill because I wanted my thoughts and position to be clear and specific in order to further the ongoing public dialogue on this important issue.”</p>
<p>The Assembly Majority indicated earlier in the day that they intend to vote on Cuomo&#8217;s bill before Thursday. Senate Republicans have indicated they have concerns and are not likely to vote on the bill as it stands.</p>
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		<title>NYC Schools Propose Changes to Discipline Code</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/05/nyc-schools-proposes-reduced-suspension-and-progressive-discipline/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/06/05/nyc-schools-proposes-reduced-suspension-and-progressive-discipline/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jun 2012 21:15:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kamelia Kilawan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[doe]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10788</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The New York City Department of Education is proposing to eliminate suspensions for students who get caught breaking minor rules, such as cutting classes and cussing.
Suspensions for Level 1 and Level 2 infractions would be eliminated under the proposed changes to the schools&#8217; discipline code. The DOE has scheduled a public hearing to discuss the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The New York City Department of Education is proposing to eliminate suspensions for students who get caught breaking minor rules, such as cutting classes and cussing.</p>
<p>Suspensions for Level 1 and Level 2 infractions would be eliminated <a href="http://bit.ly/KaHqAJ">under the proposed changes to the schools&#8217; discipline code</a>. The DOE has scheduled a public hearing to discuss the proposed revisions of the code for 6 p.m. tonight at Stuyvesant High School.</p>
<p>&#8220;We believe a more progressive discipline is warranted with strong counseling and youth development support,&#8221; said Marge Feinberg, spokeswoman for the DOE. &#8220;We want to be able to address improper behavior before it reaches a higher level, and to do that we are focused on providing strong student support services coupled with parent involvement.&#8221;</p>
<p>While advocates for students say they applaud some of the changes, they say more needs to be done.</p>
<p>&#8220;Changes made are minor and won&#8217;t provide systemic change,&#8221; said Sarah Landes, a member of the Dignity in Schools Campaign, a collection of teachers, students and youth organizations working to reduce suspension and mandate alternative discipline methods.</p>
<p>Shoshi Chowdhury, coordinator for the Dignity in Schools Campaign, said the punishment of suspension should end for the first three levels of school misconduct, including insubordination, pushing and shoving. Suspension should be a last resort as it allows many students to fall behind in schools, she said. In cases of level 4 and 5 fighting in schools, positive alternatives should be offered.</p>
<p>Chowdhury cited one example, Lehman High School in the Bronx, which had faced a high suspension rate. She said increased funding for positive alternatives for the 2010-2011 school year has already led to a decrease in the rate of suspension.</p>
<p>Feinberg said &#8220;more serious infractions warrant suspensions as an option.&#8221;</p>
<p>Advocates have long argued that the discipline code disproportionally affects students of color and those who speak English as a Second Language.</p>
<p>The DOE is required under state law to review and revise the discipline code each year and make changes, if necessary. The proposed modifications are then presented to the public.</p>
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		<title>Cuomo Creates Education Reform Commission</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/04/30/cuomo-creates-education-reform-commission/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/04/30/cuomo-creates-education-reform-commission/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:58:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10597</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo is touting some unflattering figures about New York&#8217;s educational system today&#8211;&#8221;73 percent of New York’s students graduate from high school and 37 percent are college ready.&#8221; The stat is contained in the official press release announcing the creation of the New York Education Reform Commission, a group that will [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo is touting some unflattering figures about New York&#8217;s educational system today&#8211;&#8221;73 percent of New York’s students graduate from high school and 37 percent are college ready.&#8221; The stat is contained in the official press release announcing the creation of the New York Education Reform Commission, a group that will meet across the state to gather input on education and then make recommendations to the governor by Dec. 1 2012, or, &#8220;such other date as the Governor shall advise the Commission.&#8221; So you know expect recommendations on their time. Here is the full release from Cuomo&#8217;s office:</p>
<p><span id="more-10597"></span>GOVERNOR CUOMO ESTABLISHES NEW NY EDUCATION REFORM COMMISSION</p>
<p>Commission Brings Together Education, Community, and Business Leaders to Recommend Reforms in Student Achievement and Management Efficiency</p>
<p>Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today established the New NY Education Reform Commission, bringing together nationally-recognized education, community, and business leaders to recommend reforms to the state&#8217;s education system in order to improve performance in the classroom so that all of New York’s students are fully prepared for their futures.</p>
<p>The Commission will examine the current structure of the state’s education system including teacher recruitment and performance, student achievement, education funding and costs, parent and family engagement, problems facing high-need districts, and the best use of technology in the classroom. The Commission will also analyze the organization of school districts to ensure they are structured to meet the needs of New York’s students while also respecting the taxpayer.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is essential that we give New York students the knowledge and the tools to compete and to thrive in this highly competitive global economy,&#8221; Governor Cuomo said. &#8220;The New NY Education Reform Commission brings together educators, business, labor, non-profit leaders, and proven innovators to take a close look at our state&#8217;s schools and come up with a blueprint for their future success. An effective education system leads to strong communities and a healthy economy, as well as ensuring that our students are properly educated and trained to enter the workforce. The future of our state depends directly on how well we teach our kids today and I look forward to working together with the Commission to make our public schools the best in the nation.&#8221;</p>
<p>Richard (Dick) Parsons, Retired Chairman, Citigroup, and Chair of the New NY Education Reform Commission, said, &#8220;The next generation of New York’s students will not be able to compete in the global economy unless we dramatically reform our schools. To take on this task, Governor Cuomo has brought together top education and business leaders from across the country to help build an effective education system that puts students first and holds schools accountable for the results they achieve and the dollars they spend. I thank the Governor for his leadership and for convening this commission.&#8221;</p>
<p>New York State spends more money per student than any other state in the nation, but ranks 38th in high school graduation rates. 73 percent of New York’s students graduate from high school and 37 percent are college ready. To address these major shortcomings in the state’s education system, Governor Cuomo called for the creation of the New NY Education Reform Commission in his 2012 State of the State address.</p>
<p>The Governor today signed an Executive Order creating the Commission, and tasked the members with the following objectives:</p>
<p>Find ways to improve teacher recruitment and performance, including the teacher evaluation system:</p>
<p>The quality of a student’s teacher is one of the most important factors in his or her success. Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo and the Legislature put in place a strong teacher evaluation system to improve teaching and learning by holding teachers accountable for student achievement. The Commission will examine factors contributing to teacher recruitment and performance including: incentives to hire and retain high-quality teachers; improvements in the teacher evaluation system to ensure New York is implementing one of the strongest evaluation systems in the country; the use of teacher evaluations for decisions regarding promotion, hiring and termination as required in the teacher evaluation law; and teacher preparation, certification and education programs to ensure that teachers are properly trained to best educate our students.<br />
Improve student achievement:</p>
<p>New York ranks 38th in high school graduation rates and many students who graduate are not college- or career- ready, with many requiring remediation. The Commission will examine factors in raising student achievement from prekindergarten through high school including: state accountability and curriculum requirements; model programs to improve student achievement beginning in early learning programs and continuing throughout high school; strategies for every student to achieve at grade level such as intervention and support systems; and policies to improve student attendance and retention.</p>
<p>Examine education funding, distribution and costs:</p>
<p>New York spends more per pupil on its education system than any other state. Although funding is dictated by diverse local needs, education spending is too often focused on administrative overhead and benefits rather than the classroom. The Commission will examine factors that impact spending in education, including: school funding and distribution of State Aid; efficiency and utilization of education spending at the district level; the percentage of per-pupil funding that goes to the classroom as compared to administrative overhead and benefits; approaches to improving special education programs and outcomes while also reducing costs; identifying ways to reduce transportation costs; identifying strategies to create significant savings and long-term efficiencies; and analysis of district-by-district returns on educational investment and educational productivity to identify districts that have higher student outcomes per dollar spent, and those that do not.</p>
<p>Increase parent and family engagement in education:</p>
<p>Parents and families need to be fully engaged in preparing our children for success in school and thereafter. The Commission will examine state and local policies to increase parent and family engagement, including: how the school calendar meets the needs of students and families to optimize engagement such as parent-teacher conferences and half-days; district and school-level policies to address student attendance issues; access to information regarding teacher effectiveness; and parental involvement in school policies such as placement of students in low-performing schools and in the classrooms of ineffective teachers.</p>
<p>Examine the problem of high-need and low-wealth school communities:</p>
<p>The students in New York&#8217;s high-need and low-wealth school districts — both urban and rural — have specific needs that must be fully addressed. The Commission will examine the ways to better serve students in high-need urban and rural communities, including: identifying how the unique challenges facing students in each high-need district create obstacles to academic success; comparing best practices and services that will meet the needs of our high-risk students; and prioritizing spending in high-need school districts in order to address problems that may require additional or different services and adequately prepare high-risk students in urban and rural schools.<br />
Find the best use of technology in the classroom:</p>
<p>The use of technology in the classroom is critical for the educational and future success of our students. The Commission will identify the strategies for making the best use of technology in the classroom, including: improving access to high quality educational programs through technology in geographically diverse districts with small populations; addressing cost barriers to providing high quality educational programs that can be delivered through the use of technology in the classroom; and understanding what areas in the science, technology, engineering and math fields students should know to be prepared for the job market in an increasingly global economy.</p>
<p>Examine New York’s education system to ensure it meets the needs of students while respecting the taxpayer:</p>
<p>New York’s education system is organized into 700 school districts, more than half of which educate fewer than 2,000 students. Each of the 700 school districts has its own administration and back office functions, creating duplication, waste, and inefficiencies in the way school districts deliver education. The Commission will examine potential strategies to reorganize the state&#8217;s education system including district consolidation and/or shared services; comparing models from other states to achieve efficiencies and improved education outcomes; identifying reforms and savings in special education; maximizing informed participation in local elections; and facilitating shared services, consolidation and regional governance.</p>
<p>Membership of the Commission includes:</p>
<p>Richard (Dick) Parsons, Retired Chairman, Citigroup, Chair of the New NY Education Reform Commission<br />
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO<br />
Geoffrey Canada, Founder &amp; CEO, Harlem Children’s Zone<br />
Irma Zardoya, President &amp; CEO, NYC Leadership Academy<br />
Elizabeth Dickey, President, Bank Street College of Education<br />
Mary Anne Schmitt-Carey, President, Say Yes to Education<br />
Lisa Belzberg, Founder &amp; Chair Emeritus, PENCIL<br />
Michael Rebell, Co-Founder &amp; Executive Director, Campaign for Educational Equity<br />
Karen Hawley Miles, President &amp; Executive Director, Education Resource Strategies<br />
José Luis Rodríguez, Founder &amp; CEO, Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, Inc.<br />
Sara Mead, Associate Partner, Bellwether Education Partners<br />
Eduardo Martí, Vice Chancellor of Community Colleges, CUNY<br />
Thomas Kane, Professor of Education &amp; Economics, Harvard Graduate School of Education<br />
Jean Desravines, CEO, New Leaders for New Schools<br />
Michael Horn, Executive Director &amp; Co-Founder, InnoSight Institute<br />
Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor, SUNY<br />
Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor, CUNY<br />
John B. King, Jr., Commissioner, New York State Education Department<br />
Senator John Flanagan, Chair, Senate Education Committee<br />
Assembly Member Cathy Nolan, Chair, Assembly Education Committee</p>
<p>Biographies of the Commission members are attached.</p>
<p>The Commission will meet multiple times and will gather input and information from across the state. The Commission will submit preliminary recommendations to the Governor by December 1, 2012, or such other date as the Governor shall advise the Commission.</p>
<p>Staff to the Commission will be the Deputy Secretary for Education, the Assistant Deputy Secretary for Education, and the Assistant Deputy Secretary for Higher Education to the Governor.</p>
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		<title>Bronx &quot;Close to Home&quot; Forum Scheduled</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/29/bronx-close-to-home-forum-scheduled/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/29/bronx-close-to-home-forum-scheduled/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:06:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime & Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10534</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The fifth public hearing on Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s &#8220;Close to Home Program&#8221; has been scheduled for April 2 from 6-8 p.m. in the Bronx at the Bronx Museum 1040 Grand Concourse. The Administration for Children&#8217;s Services is holding the series of five forums to get public input on taking New York City&#8217;s juvenile delinquents out [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The fifth <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/27/acs-schedules-forums-on-close-to-home/">public hearing</a> on Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/Crime%20and%20Safety/20120225/4/3685">&#8220;Close to Home Program&#8221; </a>has been scheduled for April 2 from 6-8 p.m. in the Bronx at the Bronx Museum 1040 Grand Concourse. The Administration for Children&#8217;s Services is holding the series of <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/27/acs-schedules-forums-on-close-to-home/">five forums</a> to get public input on taking New York City&#8217;s juvenile delinquents out of the state system and providing services to them near their homes in the city. You can read more about the initiative that is part of Cuomo&#8217;s proposed budget <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/Crime%20and%20Safety/20120225/4/3685">here</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>ACS Schedules Forums on &quot;Close to Home&quot;</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/27/acs-schedules-forums-on-close-to-home/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/02/27/acs-schedules-forums-on-close-to-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:57:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime & Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[andrew cuomo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ronald Richter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10527</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Administration for Children&#8217;s Services has scheduled four of five community hearings on Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s &#8220;Close to Home Initiative&#8221; that would take New York City&#8217;s juvenile delinquents out of the state detention system and allow the city to provide them with the placements they think are best for them and near their homes. As [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/acs/html/home/home.shtml">Administration for Children&#8217;s Services</a> has scheduled four of five community hearings on Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s &#8220;Close to Home Initiative&#8221; that would take New York City&#8217;s juvenile delinquents out of the state detention system and allow the city to provide them with the placements they think are best for them and near their homes. As I <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/Crime%20and%20Safety/20120225/4/3685">wrote today</a>, the initiative is part of Cuomo&#8217;s budget and has been something Mayor Michael Bloomberg has <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/albany/20110516/204/3528">been pressing</a> for for years&#8211;as the state system is costly and known for <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/albany/20100111/204/3145">violence and mismanagement</a>.</p>
<p>ACS Commissioner Ronald Richter says that his agency and the State <a href="http://ocfs.ny.gov/main/">Office of Children and Family Services</a> have been meeting almost weekly to set up the system that will see the state hand over control of the city&#8217;s juvenile delinquents. Under Cuomo&#8217;s initiative non-secure offenders will be transferred to the city in September and limited secure offenders would be transferred in April 2013.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have a number of reasons to be very encouraged by it,&#8221; Richter said of the &#8220;Close to Home Initiative,&#8221;  &#8220;families haven&#8217;t had a chance to be involved in rehabilitation and it has long been a missing piece of the juvenile justice system. They don&#8217;t have a don’t have parent their to help them figure out why they made these bad choices. It has been a real deficit in  the juvenile  justice system and they also haven&#8217;t had the opportunity for an accredited education. We are going to give them one and  that’s a big deal for us.&#8221;</p>
<p>Richter says he is excited to start the hearings so that he can hear from city residents about how to move forward.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m hoping we will be attentive to appropriate cautionary notes. We will listen to the kids, parents and legislators to make sure we are reflective of their concerns. We cant just make a new juvenile justice system in September. Its wrong to suggest everything will be ideal on that day. We are always trying to improve.&#8221;</p>
<p>Here are the dates of the four scheduled hearings. Another hearing in the Bronx is expected to be set by the end of the week: <span id="more-10527"></span></p>
<p>Brooklyn&#8211;East  New York/Brownsville</p>
<p>Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 6:00pm-8:00pm</p>
<p>Van Dyke Community Center NYCHA</p>
<p>392 Blake Avenue, Brooklyn, NY  11212</p>
<p>Queens&#8211;Jamaica</p>
<p>Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 6:00pm-8:00pm</p>
<p>Queens Educational Opportunity  Center</p>
<p>158-29  Archer Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11433</p>
<p>Manhattan&#8211;East  Harlem</p>
<p>Friday, March 16, 2012, 6:00pm-8:00pm</p>
<p>Silberman School of Social Work at  Hunter College</p>
<p>2180 Third Avenue  (corner of 119<sup>th</sup> Street), New York,  NY 10035</p>
<p>Staten Island&#8211;Stapleton</p>
<p>Monday, March 26, 2012, 6:00pm-8:00pm</p>
<p>Gerard Carter Community Center</p>
<p>230 Broad Street, Staten Island, NY 10304</p>
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		<title>Cuomo: Carrots and Sticks for Schools</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/cuomo-carrots-and-sticks-for-schools/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/cuomo-carrots-and-sticks-for-schools/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:23:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work and Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[andrew cuomo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[board of regents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gov. cuomo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[john king]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mayor Bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael bloomerg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael mulgrew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ne york state department of education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york state budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york state united teachers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[state of the city]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teacher evaluatin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[united federation of teachers. race to the top]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10468</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Two weeks after he signaled his intention to focus on education, Gov. Andrew Cuomo today filled in some of the details and inserted himself squarely in the dispute over teacher evaluation.
In his budget address Cuomo confirmed that, as announced previously, the state would up its aid to districts by 4.1 percent or $805 million next [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Two weeks after he <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/Education/20120117/6/3668">signaled his intention</a> to focus on education, Gov. Andrew Cuomo today filled in some of the details and inserted himself squarely in the dispute over teacher evaluation.</p>
<p>In his <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/budget-highlights-from-cuomos-office/">budget address</a> Cuomo confirmed that, as announced previously, the state would up its aid to districts by 4.1 percent or $805 million next year for a total of about $20 billion.</p>
<p>Unlike last budget year &#8212; when the governor cut spending across the board regardless of a district&#8217;s needs &#8212; the increase would be weighted toward higher needs areas. These parts of the state will receive 76 percent of the hike and 69 percent of all school aid, according to Cuomo&#8217;s  <a href="http://www.budget.state.ny.us/pubs/executive/eBudget1112/fy1112littlebook/BriefingBook.pdf">Budget Briefing Book</a>.This means New York City stands to gets almost $6.4 billion next year, an increase of 2.6 percent over the approximately $6.2 billion it is getting this year.</p>
<p>Districts also would be able to compete for some $200 million in special state grants, under a New York version of the federal <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html">Race to the Top</a> program.</p>
<p><strong>The Road to the Money</strong></p>
<p>But Cuomo put a big condition on all the additional money. To get it, districts will have to come up with a new evaluation system for teachers.</p>
<p>Details after the jump.<br />
<span id="more-10468"></span></p>
<p>Not a single district has yet implemented a new evaluation system as required under the state&#8217;s Race to the Top grant from the federal government, Cuomo said. The dispute has <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/york-state-faces-losing-1-billion-federal-education-funds-teacher-evaluation-issue-article-1.1006256?localLinksEnabled=false"> jeopardized</a> up to $1 billion in federal funding for New York schools.</p>
<p>Cuomo said the reason to change the way the state grades its teachers goes beyond financial considerations. &#8220;If we&#8217;re serious about education, we have no choice. This is the way to improve education,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Cuomo outlined a three-step plan to make a new evaluation system a reality.  First, he said, <a href="http://nyust.org">New York State United Teachers</a> and the state <a href="http://www.nysed.gov">Education Department</a> must end the legal wrangling over evaluations and agree to a new system incorporating observations, students achievement (test scores) and more. (The union successfully sued the state to halt such a plan last summer.)</p>
<p>If they can&#8217;t do it, Cuomo will propose a system.</p>
<p>The districts then will have until September to implement the state&#8217;s evaluation plan. Any that fail to do that will not qualify for the state&#8217;s competitive grants.</p>
<p>And finally &#8212; and this is huge &#8212; any districts that one year from today have not implemented a system will lose their chunk of the 4 percent increase in state education aid. This puts teacher evaluations smack in the middle of the state&#8217;s budget process.</p>
<p><strong>Bloomberg&#8217;s Bluster</strong></p>
<p>In pushing for his change, Cuomo picked up the mantle of the so-called reform movement that, he said, has shifted the country to a greater focus on students and their achievement (and, critics say, to an excessive reliance on test scores). He invoked both President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush.  And he styled himself as a champion of kids. &#8220;This was not supposed to be about the adults. It was supposed to be about the children,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>For all that, though, he did not single out teachers for criticism. In fact, he said, they &#8220;deserve the best evaluation system and help when they need it&#8221; as well as rewards and bonuses.</p>
<p>While that puts him at odds with the teachers union, it represents a very different tone from that used by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his <a href="http://http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20120113/203/3667">State of the City speech</a> last week. Bloomberg then blamed teachers for the impasse over evaluations. In his comments on Cuomo&#8217;s speech today, he kept up that refrain.</p>
<p>&#8220;The governor has made it clear that he is determined to be a champion for our students – and that he will not allow the teachers union to drag its feet any longer on implementing new teacher evaluation systems across the state. I hope the [United Federation of Teachers] will not recklessly jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools by insisting on endless obstacles to removing ineffective teachers from our classrooms,&#8221; Bloomberg said in a <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&amp;catID=1194&amp;doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2012a%2Fpr023-12.html&amp;cc=unused1978&amp;rc=1194&amp;ndi=1">statement</a>. He seemed not to notice that Cuomo had said he would not allow &#8220;adults&#8221; and the &#8220;bureaucracy&#8221; &#8212; not just the union &#8212; to drag their feet.</p>
<p>Michael Mulgrew, the president of the city&#8217;s teachers union, though clearly thinks he has spotted a bit of sunlight between Bloomberg and Cuomo. Earlier this week, Mulgrew <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/nyregion/cuomo-and-bloomberg-on-attack-on-teacher-evaluations.html">told the Times</a> that he has &#8220;“no disagreement with the governor over the evaluations,” and welcomes his involvement. As for Bloomberg, though, Mulgrew accused him of &#8220;political grandstanding.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mulgrew even has tried to enlist Cuomo as a kind of ally, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2012/01/ny-statewide-teacher-evaluations-on-the-skids">saying</a>, according to the Daily News, that the governor&#8217;s proposal provides &#8220;all the more reason why Mayor Bloomberg and the Department of Education should come back to the negotiations they walked out on and work to resolve the remaining issues.”</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, in his speech Cuomo did address Bloomberg&#8217;s plan for the city to remove up to half the teachers from struggling schools &#8212; whether the union likes it or not and even if it costs the city millions of dollars. The state education department, which is independent of the governor , gets to rule on that, not Cuomo.</p>
<p>For his part the state education commissioner, John King, struck a conciliatory note with the union today saying in his <a href="http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com/2012/01/17/education-commissioner-welcomes-cuomos-proposals-hopes-they-will-spur-negotiations/?utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_source=twitterfeed">statement</a> that  the department and the union should use the next &#8220;30 days to have a healthy public debate on evaluations.&#8221; The department, he said, is ready to sit down and start talking.&#8221;</p>
<p>The city &#8212; justifiably or not &#8212; broke off its negotiations with the city teachers union on Dec. 30. At least officially, those discussion have not resumed.</p>
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		<title>Bloomberg and Quinn on Cuomo&#039;s Budget</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/bloomberg-and-quinn-on-cuomos-budget/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/bloomberg-and-quinn-on-cuomos-budget/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:40:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Work and Labor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[andrew cuomo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christine Quinn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NYS Budget]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10461</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn have major praise for Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s 2012-2013 fiscal year budget. “This is the strongest state budget that New York City has seen in a long time. With this new budget, Governor Cuomo is establishing a stronger financial basis for a more vibrant and healthy New York,&#8221; [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn have major praise for Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/budget-highlights-from-cuomos-office/">2012-2013 fiscal year budget</a>. “This is the strongest state budget that New York City has seen in a long time. With this new budget, Governor Cuomo is establishing a stronger financial basis for a more vibrant and healthy New York,&#8221; Quinn said in a statement.</p>
<p>“Governor Cuomo put forward a budget that demonstrates a bold commitment  to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our great state. He  has my strong support,&#8221; said Bloomberg in a statement.</p>
<p>Bloomberg hasn&#8217;t had the smoothest relationship with Cuomo so far but the Mayor is especially pleased with Cuomo&#8217;s plans for mandate relief and pension reform.</p>
<p>“The Governor’s push for mandate relief and pension reform could save  the City billions in the long term,&#8221; Bloomberg&#8217;s statement continues. &#8220;New York City spends more than $8  billion annually – more than 12 percent of our budget – on pension  costs, more than we spend on the operating budgets for the Police, Fire  and Sanitation Departments combined. Without a new pension tier, which  will not diminish the retirement benefits of a single current employee,  taxpayers will continue to spend more and more on pension costs, leaving  less and less for public education, public safety, job creation,  affordable housing and other critical services.</p>
<p>Here are Quinn&#8217;s and Bloomberg&#8217;s full statements: <span id="more-10461"></span></p>
<p>Statement by Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn</p>
<p>“This is the strongest state budget that New York City has seen in a long time. With this new budget, Governor Cuomo is establishing a stronger financial basis for a more vibrant and healthy New York. By appropriately reducing spending, the Governor is reforming the way state government allocates taxpayer dollars. I strongly commend Governor Cuomo for this budget. I am confident that working with the Governor and the State Legislature, we can ensure New York&#8217;s prosperous future.”</p>
<p>STATEMENT OF MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ON GOVERNOR CUOMO’S BUDGET ADDRESS</p>
<p>“Governor Cuomo put forward a budget that demonstrates a bold commitment to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our great state. He has my strong support.</p>
<p>“The Governor’s push for mandate relief and pension reform could save the City billions in the long term. New York City spends more than $8 billion annually – more than 12 percent of our budget – on pension costs, more than we spend on the operating budgets for the Police, Fire and Sanitation Departments combined. Without a new pension tier, which will not diminish the retirement benefits of a single current employee, taxpayers will continue to spend more and more on pension costs, leaving less and less for public education, public safety, job creation, affordable housing and other critical services. Further, the Governor’s budget will reduce onerous local Medicaid costs by limiting – and then eliminating – the rate of growth in the City’s Medicaid bills in the years to come.</p>
<p>“Governor Cuomo also has proposed two important justice system reforms we have been seeking: a sweeping, progressive reform of our juvenile justice system and the expansion of DNA collection. Our administrations have worked closely together to forge an agreement that will transfer responsibility for all but the most seriously delinquent youth from State to City care, enabling more young people to stay closer to their families and transition into productive lives in their communities. And expanded DNA use can help solve more crimes and prevent wrongful convictions.</p>
<p>“Most urgently, the Governor has made it clear that he is determined to be a champion for our students – and that he will not allow the teachers’ union to drag its feet any longer on implementing new teacher evaluation systems across the state. I hope the UFT will not recklessly jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools by insisting on endless obstacles to removing ineffective teachers from our classrooms. The Governor has rightly said he will not tolerate this and will help deliver rigorous teacher evaluations for our State and City.</p>
<p>“The Governor’s priorities are the right priorities for the State and I will be working with him to move his agenda forward. We will be reviewing the details of the budget over the coming days and I look forward to testifying before the Legislature next week.”</p>
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		<title>Alliance For Quality Education Commends Cuomo</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/alliance-for-quality-education-commends-cuomo/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/17/alliance-for-quality-education-commends-cuomo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:19:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alliance for Quality Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[andrew cuomo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10456</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Alliance for Quality Education issued this statement on Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s proposed budget:
School Aid and Competitive Grants
&#8220;We commend Governor Cuomo for restoring $805 million in school aid; these funds will help students throughout the state.  The exact distribution of these funds and how much is prioritized to high need and average need school districts [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Alliance for Quality Education issued this statement on Gov. Andrew Cuomo&#8217;s proposed budget:</p>
<p>School Aid and Competitive Grants<br />
&#8220;We commend Governor Cuomo for restoring $805 million in school aid; these funds will help students throughout the state.  The exact distribution of these funds and how much is prioritized to high need and average need school districts will take a few days to evaluate. We are greatly concerned that almost one-third of these funds could be distributed based on competition between school districts which has the potential to create a system of educational winners and losers among our students.  It is important to note that last year the state moved backwards on its commitment to quality education by enacting huge classroom cuts that resulted in larger class sizes and narrowing of the curriculum.  Students need the budget to focus on restoring these classroom cuts for all, not only for those whose schools win at a competition.”</p>
<p>Cost Savings through Centralizing School Bus Purchasing<br />
“Governor Cuomo has proposed a new cost savings initiative that would centralize the purchasing of school buses through a single statewide contract. This is the type of cost saving initiative from the state we need to see more of and we commend Governor Cuomo for providing the leadership to advance this type of common sense cost savings solution.”</p>
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		<title>UFT Wants Mediation With City</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/13/uft-wants-mediation-with-city/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/13/uft-wants-mediation-with-city/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:51:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mayor Michael Bloomberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael mulgrew]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10452</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The United Federation of Teachers is holding a press conference at 3:15 p.m today to announce that it asking the state labor board to mediate talks with the city because of the breakdown over teacher evaluation talks and the Mayor&#8217;s insistence in his State of the State speech that he will unilaterally move forward with [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The United Federation of Teachers is holding a press conference at 3:15 p.m today to announce that it asking the state labor board to mediate talks with the city because of the breakdown over teacher evaluation talks and the Mayor&#8217;s insistence in his State of the State speech that he will unilaterally move forward with a teacher evaluation system in low performing schools. Here is the full press release:</p>
<p>Teachers Union Asks State to</p>
<p>Order Mediation in Evaluation Talks</p>
<p>UFT seeks order from state labor board that would</p>
<p>force city to take part in mandatory mediation</p>
<p>on new teacher evaluation system</p>
<p>UFT President Michael Mulgrew holds news conference to announce that in the wake of the city’s walking out of negotiations on a new teacher evaluation system, the union has filed an impasse petition with the state’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB).  If PERB finds that an impasse exists, it will appoint a mediator and force the city to participate in attempts to resolve the issue.</p>
<p>WHEN:           Friday, January 13, 2012      3:  15 p.m.</p>
<p>WHERE:         52 Broadway, 2nd floor</p>
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		<title>Cuomo Weighs in on Race to the Top</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/10/cuomo-weighs-in-on-race-to-the-top/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2012/01/10/cuomo-weighs-in-on-race-to-the-top/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:49:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[andrew cuomo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10441</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#8220;Secretary Duncan’s report saying New York is on the watch-list for  failure is yet another warning that the inability of school districts  across the state and their unions to come together has jeopardized the  quality of our kids&#8217; education. New York State’s students are now in  danger of losing hundreds of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Secretary Duncan’s report saying New York is on the watch-list for  failure is yet another warning that the inability of school districts  across the state and their unions to come together has jeopardized the  quality of our kids&#8217; education. New York State’s students are now in  danger of losing hundreds of millions of dollars because of the failure  to devise a teacher evaluation system that works,&#8221; Gov. Andrew Cuomo just said in a statement released in response to a warning from the federal Education Department that the state has failed to meet certain obligations in the Race to the Top program that doles out millions of dollars in federal grants. Here is the full statement from his office: <span id="more-10441"></span></p>
<p>&#8220;As I said in my State of the State Address, this state is facing a crisis in our education system and how we hold our schools accountable for their performance in educating our children. We cannot allow a system to continue where we spend the most of any state on education, but rank only 38th in results. It does a disservice to both the student and the taxpayer.</p>
<p>We have a system that protects the massive education bureaucracy rather than focusing on investing in our classrooms. The forces that protect this bureaucracy have stymied reform at every turn, and as a result, hundreds of millions of dollars in education funding are now at risk.</p>
<p>One of the tasks set forth by the original Race to the Top competition was simple – design a teacher evaluation system that holds teachers accountable for their performance. Without a doubt, the system the state designed to accomplish this goal has been a failure.</p>
<p>Secretary Duncan’s report saying New York is on the watch-list for failure is yet another warning that the inability of school districts across the state and their unions to come together has jeopardized the quality of our kids&#8217; education. New York State’s students are now in danger of losing hundreds of millions of dollars because of the failure to devise a teacher evaluation system that works.</p>
<p>We need to achieve both short term and long term reform of this failed system. I will pursue such reform aggressively.</p>
<p>In the short term, I call on the State Department of Education, local school districts and the union leadership to expedite their negotiations on a teacher evaluation system to prevent the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.</p>
<p>Over the long term, we need to overhaul the system and change the law on the books. The Assembly-led legislation in 2010 protected the teachers union at the expense of the students and instituted a system that was destined to fail.</p>
<p>Despite the powerful interests working to protect the status quo at the expense of our students&#8217; success, this state must become a national leader in student performance.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Alliance for Quality Education Reacts</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/12/06/alliance-for-quality-education-reacts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/12/06/alliance-for-quality-education-reacts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:59:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eye on Albany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alliance for Quality Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Billy Easton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gov. andrew cuomo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10378</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Billy Easton of the Alliance for Quality Education said that the deal reached by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders today is a step in the right direction. He does not blast the deal but seems to reserve judgement.
“ AQE applauds the Assembly Majority and Senate Minority for consistently advocating tax fairness and adequate revenues. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Billy Easton of the Alliance for Quality Education said that the deal reached by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders today is a step in the right direction. He does not blast the deal but seems to reserve judgement.</p>
<p>“ AQE applauds the Assembly Majority and Senate Minority for consistently advocating tax fairness and adequate revenues. We appreciate the fact that the Governor and the Senate Majority are responding to the demands of the 99% of New Yorkers for tax fairness. However, we are concerned that $2 billion in revenues does not fully address the $5 billion hole created by the elimination of the existing millionaire’s tax,&#8221; said Easton in a statement.</p>
<p>Easton goes on to say that the plan will be judged on whether it allows the state to restore cuts made to schools.</p>
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		<title>The Union on School Cuts</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/11/01/the-union-on-school-cuts/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/11/01/the-union-on-school-cuts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:09:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Public Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[charter schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[class size]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dennis Walcott]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[michael mulgrew]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york city schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Federation of Teachers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10277</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With the city facing a multibillion dollar shortfall – and the Bloomberg administration demanding further cuts, the United Federation of Teachers went on the offense today, with a study it says shows that fiscal constraints already have taken a toll on the city&#8217;s more than 1.1 million students. 
A survey of union chapter leaders (perhaps [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With the city facing a multibillion dollar shortfall – and the Bloomberg administration <a href=" http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/bloomberg-letter-budget-cuts-layoffs-20111005">demanding further cuts</a>, the <a href=" http://www.uft.org">United Federation of Teachers</a> went on the offense today, with a <a href=" http://www.uft.org/press-releases/one-million-city-students-schools-hit-budget-cuts">study</a> it says shows that fiscal constraints already have taken a toll on the city&#8217;s more than 1.1 million students. </p>
<p>A survey of union chapter leaders (perhaps not the most objective of sources) found, the UFT reports, that 74 percent of elementary schools have seen class size increase this year. The number of students in a class rose at 61 percent of the middle schools reporting and 59 percent of the high schools.</p>
<p>More than half of elementary schools responding have scaled back services to help academically struggling students, and almost two thirds cited reductions in supplies. In general, the chapter leaders at high schools cited fewer effects from cuts than those in elementary schools. And despite Chancellor Dennis Walcott&#8217;s pledge to focus on improving middle schools, 63 percent saw their afterschool programs curtailed and 59 percent lost extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>While the administration enthusiastically supports charters schools, which often offer after school and or weekend programs, it has ramped back efforts to expand instructional time for students in its conventional public schools, according to the report. About 60 percent of schools at all levels reported cuts in afterschool programs, and about 40 said weekend programs had been reduced.</p>
<p>In a statement on his union&#8217;s report UFT president Michael Mulgrew said, &#8220;Based on our survey, an estimated 91 percent of our school population &#8212; nearly 1 million children &#8212; are in schools where budget cuts are having a direct and immediate effect on their education.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Sleep Over on Wall Street</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/10/20/sleep-over-on-wall-street/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/10/20/sleep-over-on-wall-street/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:13:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>David King</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fox News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MTV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NYPD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Occupy Wall Street]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Real World]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10204</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thought Occupy Wall Street had jumped the shark when MTV started trying to cast protesters for the Real World? Well think again, because OWS just got even more main stream in a way that will almost certainly send Fox News anchors into stuttering tirades.
Break out your sleeping bags kids! Parents for Occupy Wall Street is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thought Occupy Wall Street had jumped the shark when <a href="http://www.ivillage.com/real-world-hopes-cast-ows-protesters/1-a-394734">MTV started trying to cast protesters</a> for the Real World? Well think again, because OWS just got even more main stream in a way that will almost certainly send Fox News anchors into stuttering tirades.</p>
<p>Break out your sleeping bags kids! <a href="http://www.parentsforoccupywallst.com/ ">Parents for Occupy Wall Street</a> is holding a &#8220;Family Sleep Over&#8221; on Friday at 4 p.m. until 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. A similar event was planned last week but canceled do to the <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/economy/20111017/21/3621">(cancelled) eviction and clean up</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Occupy Wall Street is a place for everyone, including families. At the Family Sleepover, families and children will find arts and crafts, a children’s music sing along, a pizza party, and a bed time story,&#8221; reads a statement released by organizers.</p>
<p>The group has already made the New York Police Department aware of the event and parents will wear shirts to identify themselves as being affiliated with the sleep over.</p>
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		<title>Education Councils: Weak by Design</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/10/03/education-councils-weak-by-design/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/10/03/education-councils-weak-by-design/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:20:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Electoral Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community education council]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york city department of education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york city schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[panel for educational policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[patrick sullivan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scott stringer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10184</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Whatever else it has and has not done, the system of mayoral control of schools as practiced in New York City must have set some kind of record for the creation of toothless bodies.
The chief one of course is the Panel for Educational Policy, which as Patrick Sullivan, a member, wrote on New York Public [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Whatever else it has and has not done, the system of mayoral control of schools as practiced in New York City must have set some kind of record for the creation of toothless bodies.</p>
<p>The chief one of course is the <a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/leadership/PEP/default.htm">Panel for Educational Policy</a>, which as Patrick Sullivan, a member, <a href=" http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2011/09/bloomberg-education-record-stained-by.html">wrote</a> on New York Public School Parents, routinely rubber stamps Department of Education contracts – even ones dripping with corruption such as the <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/09/29/bloombergs-technology-pit/">agreement</a> with <a href="http://www.fta-llc.com/main/Index.aspx">Future Technology Associates</a>.  </p>
<p>The impotence of the PEP is hardly surprising – Bloomberg always vowed the body would not do anything.  But committed parents across the five borough hoped the <a href=" http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/CEC/GPInformation/CommunityEducationCouncils/one.htm">Community Education Councils</a>, heirs to the former Community School Board – might function a bit better. They were, alas, wrong.</p>
<p>A report released by four of the five borough presidents  (all but Staten Island James Molinaro), Pubic Advocate Bill de Blasio and parent leaders, tells some of the sad history of the councils under this administration, focusing to a large extent on the <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/05/10/elections-and-education/">repeatedly botched election</a> for members in 2011.</p>
<p>To remedy this and other ills, the report calls for major changes in the current two-tier voting system, where parents first cast an advisory vote and then leaders of parent organizations in the respective area make the final choice. The borough presidents et al would replace that with an actual election among parents. They would also improve training for council members, call for the councils to do more outreach and revise the council&#8217;s responsibilities. (Now the most meaningful thing they do is approve school zones within the district, influencing which neighborhood sends its children to what school.)</p>
<p>Perhaps most notably, the report&#8217;s writers would take the responsibility for the councils away from the Department of Education and give it to an independent nonprofit or government body.<br />
<span id="more-10184"></span></p>
<p>&#8220;It’s time for us to give [the councils] a role in our city&#8217;s public schools &#8212; and to unleash the full, untapped potential of our CECs,&#8221; Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said in a statement accompanying the report.</p>
<p>That is precisely what the administration does not want. As far as the administration is concern things are pretty, pretty good just the way they are.</p>
<p>Just look back to the fight over <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/measuringup/20090427/209/2897">renewing mayoral control</a> of schools in 2009, the administration staunchly resisted governance changes. It used its substantial muscle and money no doubt to block a modest proposal to have the PEP members serve fixed terms. The mayor would still have controlled an overwhelming majority – he just couldn&#8217;t fire them on a whim. (Something, of course, that he has done.)</p>
<p>There is no reason to think the mayor is not happy with the Community Education Council as they now stand – except of course that the effort to keep them weak sometimes kicks up some negative publicity – as happened with the elections last year. When it comes to the panel and the councils, the administration has gotten what it wanted. </p>
<p>&#8220;Parents feel that their voices have been diminished, not strengthened, by the current system,&#8221; Stringer said in his statement. </p>
<p>Well, yes, that was the idea, wasn&#8217;t it?</p>
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		<title>Bloomberg&#039;s Technology Pit</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/09/29/bloombergs-technology-pit/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2011/09/29/bloombergs-technology-pit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:24:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[City Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime & Safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=10177</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Another day, another disturbing revelation about the city&#8217;s handling of its technology contracts.
This time it&#8217;s the latest chapter in the scandal involving computers at the Department of Education. The company the department paid $75 million to do technical work on its purchasing, payroll and finance systems – Future Technology Associates &#8212;  bilked the city [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Another day, another disturbing revelation about the city&#8217;s handling of its technology contracts.</p>
<p>This time it&#8217;s the latest chapter in the scandal involving computers at the Department of Education. The company the department paid $75 million to do technical work on its purchasing, payroll and finance systems – <a href="http://www.fta-llc.com/main/Index.aspx">Future Technology Associates</a> &#8212;  <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204138204576599404035575830.html">bilked the city</a> out of at least $6.5 million, according to a <a href="http://www.nycsci.org/reports/09-11%20FTA%20Report%20letter.pdf">report</a> by Richard Condon, the city&#8217;s special commissioner of investigation.</p>
<p>Among other things, Future Tech set up shell companies and then vastly inflated its claims of how much those companies charged. So the Department of Education was being charged between $55 and $110 an hour for work that actually cost Future Tec $10 to $14 an hour.</p>
<p>Concerns about Future Technology have been circulating for some time.</p>
<p>According to a letter-report from the city comptroller&#8217;s Bureau of Audit, given to Gotham Gazette today (posted <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/pdf/futuretechassociates.pdf">here</a>), in 2005 the department submitted a request that Future Tech get a no-bid contract. (No-bid contracts at the Department of Education have <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2009/05/19/a-lesson-in-school-contracts/">raised concerns</a> in the past.) &#8220;This request appears to have contained inaccurate and misleading statements from FTA, which, if DOE had known, should have precluded FTA from being awarded this contract,&#8221; says the report from the comptroller&#8217;s office, which went to  Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Condon&#8217;s office.<br />
<span id="more-10177"></span></p>
<p>The executive director of the department&#8217;s Division of Finance &#8220;provided an unsupportable vote of confidence for FTA, indicating that it had the ability and integrity to provide the specific services,&#8217; the letter report by Deputy Comptroller Tina Kim says. But, it continues, the department did not do proper research, which would have shown FTA was a new company with &#8220;no prior business record by which it could be judged.&#8221;</p>
<p>In addition, the reports says, the city did not follow standard business practice in letting Future Tech use Tier Technology employees who were then working as consultants at the Department of Education. And it found Future Tech did not submit time sheets as required by the agreement between the company and the city. Because of this, Kim writes, &#8220;we could not verify that time records were accurate and concluded that time records totaling $1.7 million (pertaining only to billing invoices provided) were paid in contravention of the board&#8217;s stated policy.&#8221;</p>
<p>All of this becomes less surprising than it might otherwise be when one learns, as Juan Gonzalez of the Daily News <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2011/09/29/2011-09-29_alleged_massive_fraud_by_future_technology_associates_was_like_taking_millions_f.html">reminded</a> readers today, that the chief of financial operations during this time was one Judith Hederman, who, investigators say, was romantically involved with Jonathan Krohe, one of the two owners of Future Tech. Investigators in Condon&#8217;s office believe that Hederman tipped off Krohe whenever the department seemed to be having doubts about the cost of the project. </p>
<p>Hederman <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2011/05/13/2011-05-13_education_dept_official_who_oversaw_43m_contract_resigns_amid_corruption_investi.html">resigned</a> in May.</p>
<p>But Hederman, Gonzalez notes, was not the only department of education official involved with Future Tech. Vincent Giordano, now retired, reportedly engineered the no-bid contract. And when Gonzalez first questioned what Future Tech was up to – noting the company had not track record or even, apparently, an office, Photeine Anagnostopoulos, who was the Department of Education&#8217;s chief of operations, defended the company&#8217;s arrangement with the city. &#8220;Their rates are better than competitive,&#8221; she told the reporter. &#8220;You don&#8217;t have to bid every plumbing job in your house because you know what [the] rates are.</p>
<p>Anagnostopoulos <a href=" http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/01/22/2011-01-22_2nd_school_deputy_chancellor_resigns_since_black_hire.html">resigned</a> last year, the day after Cathie Black was appointed chancellor. </p>
<p>Condon has referred his findings to prosecutors. </p>
<p>Prosecutors have already turned their attention to another city technology project, the CityTime computerized timekeeping system for city employees. Last December, federal prosecutor <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/computing/it/nyc-bigtime-citytime-fraud-charges-ripples-on">charged</a> four consultants to the city with operating a fraudulent scheme that ended up bilking the city of $80 million as CityTime&#8217;s cost soared by more than tenfold. </p>
<p>And this summer, they added to the list, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/nyregion/criticism-for-citytime-project-grows-as-a-manager-is-arrested.html?_r=1">charging</a> an executive with <a href=" http://www.saic.com/">Science Applications International Corp.</a>, which oversaw CityTime, with taking more than $5 million in kickbacks. </p>
<p>Only a few days before, discussing CityTime on his radio show, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, &#8220;We actually did a pretty good job here, in retrospect.”</p>
<p>And there may be further problems on the horizon. Last week, the Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/nyregion/bloombergs-computer-project-for-personnel-data-leads-to-waste.html?scp=2&#038;sq=techology%20city%20bloomberg%20adninistration&#038;st=cse">reported</a> that a $66 million project to computerize city personnel information had already mushroomed to cost $363 million and, according to the Times, &#8220;the work is far from done.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It was a runaway project,&#8221; Raj Agarwal, the city official who once tried to mange it, told the paper. </p>
<p>And in this case, too, there were warning signs about the New York City Automated Personnel System or Nycaps. In March 2003, the administration&#8217;s own contract monitors warned, &#8220;No sense of economy, efficiency or value is evident in any area of the project,”</p>
<p>On Monday, the City Council <a href=" http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/nyregion/city-council-to-investigate-bloombergs-personnel-project.html?scp=1&#038;sq=technology%20city%20council&#038;st=cse">announced</a> it would investigate cost overruns on the project, and a number of officials expressed dismay that a major technology project had once again been over budget and underperforming. In additional to probing Nycaps, the council will reportedly consider a bill that would require the administration to tell City Council when a project is over budget – and explain why.</p>
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