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A Discrimination Finding Against DOE
March 12th, 2010

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued a determination that the Department of Education discriminated against an employee who was playing a key role in the creation of school focusing on Arab culture and language by, for all intents and purposes, succumbing to a media frenzy against her.

The case involves Debbie Almontaser, long-time education department employee who has been active in promoting racial and religious harmony, particularly after 9/11. IN 2007, Almontaser was project director and interim principal during the planning of the Khalil Gibran Academy, a small public school, and seemed a likely candidate to be the school’s principal when it opened. (The copy of the determination came Almontaser’s lawyer; the commission said it is barred from commenting on discrimination complaints – or even confirming they exist.)

All that changed as a number of blogs and the New York Post stepped up attacks on the proposed school, calling it a madrassa and trying to portray Almontaser as a jihadist who would seek to spread radical Islam in city schools. The breaking point came after the New York Post interviewed Almontaser about the meaning of the word “intifada” and some t-shirts bearing the word.

The resulting story bore the headline “City Principal is Revolting.” Writing on behalf of the commission, district director Spencer Lewis Jr. concluded, “The most inflammatory parts of the article as published were neither quotations from Ms. Almontaser nor legitimate background information; they were characterizations and opinions either from the reporter or as attributions to unnamed others.”

Despite that, the Bloomberg administration urged Almontaser to step down from her post as interim principal and rejected her application to become permanent principal. Read the rest of this entry »

By Gail Robinson on March 12, 2010, 3:58 pm
In category: Civil Rights, Education, Gotham City, Law | 3 Comments »

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Espada Holding Town Hall Meeting, Out of Town
March 12th, 2010

Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada is hosting a town hall meeting that isn’t in his town. Espada will host virtual town hall meeting, “live from the floor of the Senate Chamber” on Sunday, March 21 from 7-8 p.m.

“This is an opportunity for residents of the Bronx, and across the city, to have a very real voice in what is expected to be a difficult and challenging budget process,” said Espada in a statement. ” I will discuss the concerns they express in their questions, as well as my role in protecting education, health care, transportation, public safety, jobs and affordable housing from budget cuts, Senator Espada said.

“Questions for Senator Espada can be submitted in advance, between now and 7 p.m. on March 21st, by going to EspadaTownHall@gmail.com or by calling toll-free 1-800-930-9964,” according to a press release from his office. You can watch the meeting a at this link on the 21st, 0r listen by calling 1-800-857-6563.

Espada has been accused of not actually living in the Bronx district he represents. The Gazette visited with Espada in his supposed Bronx residence last year.The controversial senator is also under investigation by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

By David King on March 12, 2010, 3:01 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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Padavan Against Gambling
March 12th, 2010

Sen. Frank Padavan has had his fill with the state’s love affair with gambling.

Gov. David Paterson’s proposed budget would remove restrictions on Quick Draw Lottery eliminating restrictions on operating hours, and requirements on the size of establishment allowed to operate the game. The budget also has a measure that would remove limits on the operating hours for video lottery terminals.

Padavan is concerned that the state will exacerbate gambling addiction which will in turn cost the state money.

Who bears a major responsibility for putting New York at the top of the list in terms of citizens with gambling problems- the state itself, Padavan said in statement. In short, we have turned from the Empire State to the Gambling State. New York must end its practice of state-sponsored and state supported gambling. Simply put, New York continues to make bad bets for our future with increase gambling option and opportunities.

Economists have argued that gambling at best is a zero-sum game – meaning that the impact on the state economy as a result of the social costs, increased crime, disruption of non-gambling business sector and overall job loss produces a net loss. As a matter of fact an economist from the University of Illinois concluded that for every $1 that gambling contributes it cost taxpayers at least $3, Padavan said.

But, despite all the warning signs and evidence to the contrary, what is the states latest response as outlined in the budget submitted by the Governor and other actions under consideration you guessed it- more of the same, more gambling. The elimination of all restrictions on Quick Draw (ie food sale, hours of operation, and size of facility) will lead to the gambling game at almost every place you can imagine. The removal of restrictions on operating of hours of VLTs will lead New York to become Vegas East with twenty-four hour a day slot machine venues.

Padavan has pushed legislation in the past to fight gambling. One piece of legislation would have increased the gambling age. ” I’ve been a dismal failure on that subject when it comes to convicining my colleagues it is the way to go,” said Padavan. “They say, ‘You’re right…but…’”

In a year when the state faces an fiscal crisis of unprecedented proportion it isn’t likely that Padavan will win the battle this time around either.

By David King on March 12, 2010, 2:31 pm
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Ending Wage Theft
March 12th, 2010

Sen. Diane Savino and Assemblyman Carl Heastie stood with advocates today to announce their support for legislation that would reform labor laws t0 punish businesses that illegally shirk overtime and minimum wage requirements.

A report by the National Employment Law Project found that $18.4 million in wages a week is stolen from workers in New York City alone. They estimate more than $1 billion is stolen from them in a year.

“This money that would otherwise be spent on food, rent and school supplies,” said Anna Maria Archila, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, “This bill will turn around the perverse economic incentives that currently encourage wage theft, undermine responsible businesses, and steal from our tax base.”

“The Wage Theft Prevention Act is a comprehensive bill to change the perverse incentive by increasing penalties, increasing protection for workers who speak up, and adding tools that the Department of Labor and Courts can use to investigate cases and actually collect the money that workers are owed,”said Heastie in a statement.

The bill,S.7050, has been refereed to the Senate Labor Committee.

By David King on March 12, 2010, 2:11 pm
In category: Albany, Economy, Eye on Albany, Work and Labor | No Comments »

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Peralta's Lead
March 12th, 2010

Hiram Monserrate’s efforts to cast himself as a defender of traditional values and a victim of vengeful state Senator, do not seemed to have gained much traction in the Senate district he used to represent — and wants to represent again. According to a Siena Poll conducted earlier this week, Assemblymember Jos Peralta leads Monserrate among likely voters in next week’s special election.

(For more on the issues and the candidates, see Gotham Gazette’s Monserrate Fights for His Old Job – and ‘Traditional Values.’)

Some 60 percent of those polled supported Peralta, the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate, with Monserrate, who is running as an independent for the specially created Yes We Can Party, bringing in 15 percent. Republican Robert Beltrani has 9 percent and 16 percent remain undecided. While 60 percent have a favorable view of Peralta, only 25 percent of those responding have a good view of Monserrate. Almost three quarters of the voter followed the issue around Monserrate’s assault trial and expulsion from the Senate closely or very closely.

The poll found voters in the district split evenly on same sex marriage, which has emerged as a big issue in the election, with Peralta in favor and Monserrate opposed. Monserrate voters are likely — by a two to one margin — to be against same sex marriage, but even many voters who agree with Monserrate’s stand on that issue said they would vote for his opponent on Tuesday.

In a statement accompanying the release of the numbers, Siena New York pollster Steven Greenberg cautioned that in special elections, which tend to have low turnouts, “anything can happen.” However, he added, “it seems unlikely that former Senator Monserrate will be losing the first word in that title come next Tuesday.”

By Gail Robinson on March 12, 2010, 11:33 am
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Cuomo Appoints Kaye to Head Paterson Investigation
March 11th, 2010

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo recused himself and appointed former Chief Judge Judith Kaye as “independent counsel” weeks after initializing an investigation into the Paterson administration.

Cuomo’s office is simultaneously conducting two investigations into Paterson. The first investigation, that stems from a report by the New York Times involving Gov. David Paterson and his use of State Troopers in a domestic violence incident, was called for by Paterson himself. The second case was referred by the Public Integrity Commission that has to do with tickets to the World Series that Paterson received.

Many critics cried foul that Cuomo, who was Paterson’s chief political opponent, would investigate the sitting governor. A recent Marist Poll found Cuomo’s popularity has slipped 13 points since he started his investigation. Cuomo said that the move to recuse himself was based on the law and had nothing to do with polling.

As for the two investigations into the Paterson administration, Cuomo said preliminary research has revealed that there are “credible issues to be resolved.” Cuomo has promised to finish the probe as quickly as possible. There was chatter there could be a result by the end of this week. That is now clearly not the reality.

“An immediate resolution of these matters does not appear to be at hand, Cuomo said. We are fully cognizant of the need to do the investigation quickly, as well as the need to do the investigation thoroughly.

Cuomo is expected to be the Democratic nominee for for Governor but he has consistently dodged questions about when he might actually formalize his campaign. Many expected Cuomo was waiting for Paterson to exit the race before he got in, but sources have said that Cuomo won’t announce until after several investigations his office is conducting conclude.

Liz Benjamin points out that Cuomo and his father Mario have had a long history with Kaye.

By David King on March 11, 2010, 5:38 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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With Cops Down, Kelly Promises to Keep Crime Low
March 11th, 2010

Come January 2011, the city’s police ranks will be as low as they were in the 1990s, said Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., the chair of the council’s public safety committee, this morning.

For Vallone, that is intolerable.

“1990 was before safe streets, safe city,” said Vallone. “It was a time when the City Council realized we cannot police this city with this many police officers.”

Including academy class sizes and attrition, the police department headcount is expected to be at 34,875 in July, lowering to 34,475 in January 2011, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly testified at a preliminary budget hearing today. No unit, he added, will be held harmless.

“Virtually every unit, every entity, is going to be affected,” Kelly said. “No unit is spared, certainly in a mega sense.”

At the beginning of the fiscal crisis, the police department was one of the City Council’s top priorities. Members fought tooth and nail to keep academy class after academy class.

This year, after several years of budget cuts, it may not be the same. With day care centers on the chopping block and fire companies set for slashing, police officers may not be the council’s number one priority in fiscal year 2011. Much of the noise coming from City Hall’s steps refers to social service cuts and the Fire Department, not necessarily New York’s finest.
Read the rest of this entry »

By Courtney Gross on March 11, 2010, 3:31 pm
In category: City Hall, Crime & Safety, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Public Finance, nextNY | 1 Comment »

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AEG Out of Racino Deal
March 11th, 2010

The state is no longer supporting Aqueduct Entertainment Group’s bid to run the racino at the Aqueduct Race Track.

Gov. David Paterson’s office released this statement earlier today:

“The Division of the Lottery has concluded that it cannot issue a gaming license to Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG). Therefore, the State has officially withdrawn its support for AEG to develop and operate a video lottery terminal (VLT) facility at Aqueduct Race Track. The Executive Branch advocates that the selection of the Aqueduct VLT franchisee be done pursuant to an expedited, transparent, apolitical and publicly accountable procurement process.”

AEG has been under great scrutiny over the last few months and investors including Rev. Floyd Flake and Jay-Z backed out of the group.

If a replacement isn’t found soon it could leave a $300 million hole in the state budget.

By David King on March 11, 2010, 1:36 pm
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Ravitch: "I Have Not Written The Bible"
March 10th, 2010

“I recognize I have not written the bible,” Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch said while unveiling his fiscal plan this afternoon. “Others might have ideas that are just as good.”

Ravitch will now spend the week discussing his plans with legislators. He is set to spend the day meeting with the Republican and Democratic legislative conferences. Here are the major points of Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch’s fiscal plan according to a release from his office:

  • Lock the State into paying down its existing structural budget gap within five years;
  • Require a quarterly assessment by an independent Financial Review Board of the State’s progress towards structural balance and the maintenance of annual balanced budgets;
  • Authorize the Governor, if the independent review board finds that the budget is not projected to be in balance at year’s end, and the Governor and the Legislature cannot agree on gap-closing actions within a limited time-frame, to implement across the board pro-rata reductions;
  • Allow the State to borrow within stringent limits to close existing budget gaps, but only if the independent review board finds that strict new financial controls have been met.

Ravitch spent much of the conference playing down the inclusion of the borrowing measure in his plan saying it was not what he wanted to focus on and hoped it would not be necessary.

Here is the full release:

Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch today unveiled a fiscal reform plan which calls for a five-year plan to eliminate the State’s structural imbalance and institutes a process by which annual budget balance is mandated, monitored and maintained.

With the creation of a Financial Review Board, comprised of representatives appointed by the Governor, the Legislature and the Comptroller, adherence to the five-year plan will be monitored and reviewed on a quarterly basis. And in order to maintain balance in a given fiscal year, the Legislature would be required to act within a limited timeframe when the budget is out of balance or the Governor would be authorized to initiate across the board pro rata spending reductions.

The proposal also recommends stronger reserve requirements, a transition to GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) budgeting standards, and changing the beginning of the State fiscal year from April 1 to July 1.

This plan is founded on two fundamental propositions: first, fiscal integrity, which means the acknowledgement that for too long we have found ways to cover up a structural imbalance between recurring revenues and recurring expenses. We should adopt new laws that assure we spend only those monies we are willing to raise, and never again pretend our budgets are in balance when they are not. Second, is the avoidance of the inevitable increase in taxes that will result unless our political system finds the will to make the spending reductions necessary to close our growing structural deficit,” said the Lieutenant Governor.

Major recommendations in the report include the following:

* Lock the State into paying down its existing structural budget gap within five years;
* Require a quarterly assessment by an independent Financial Review Board of the State’s progress towards structural balance and the maintenance of annual balanced budgets;
* Authorize the Governor, if the independent review board finds that the budget is not projected to be in balance at year’s end, and the Governor and the Legislature cannot agree on gap-closing actions within a limited time-frame, to implement across the board pro-rata reductions;
* Allow the State to borrow within stringent limits to close existing budget gaps, but only if the independent review board finds that strict new financial controls have been met.

When Governor Paterson appointed Richard Ravitch to serve as Lieutenant Governor he asked him to prepare a long term fiscal plan for the State of New York. Over the past several months, the Lieutenant Governor has met with State officials, stakeholders and fiscal experts to better understand the challenges facing New York and to provide his recommendations for fixing them.

“I want to thank the Governor for giving me the opportunity to work on this plan over the past several months,” added Ravitch. “I look forward to assisting the Governor in any possible way on the budget negotiations moving forward and I look forward to a robust discussion with the Governor, Legislative Leaders, budget officials and stakeholders about the ideas I have presented in my plan.”

By David King on March 10, 2010, 1:41 pm
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Ravitch: Extend This Fiscal Year
March 10th, 2010

Part of Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch’s long-term fiscal plan would be to extend the fiscal year to June 30. Currently the fiscal year ends on April 1. Ravitch said it is not his “intention to give people an excuse to postpone tough decisions,” but said he wouldn’t bet that under circumstances a budget deal will be reached by April this year.

By David King on March 10, 2010, 12:50 pm
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Ravitch Unveils His Plan
March 10th, 2010

Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch is currently briefing reporters on his 5-year fiscal plan. You can watch it here. The office of Gov. You can find a copy of Ravitch’s plan here.

By David King on March 10, 2010, 12:29 pm
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Graduation Rates
March 9th, 2010

No doubt many experts will slice and dice the data in days and weeks to come but the city this afternoon released figures showing high school graduation rates continue to climb and reached an all-time high of 63 percent last summer (this figure includes people who graduated in four years, receiving diplomas in June or in August). The city’s results show increases among all racial groups and among English language learners and special ed students, although even with the increase, less than 27 percent of special ed students graduate in four years.

While the four-year graduation rate generally is seen as the key indicator, the rates for graduation within six years climbed too, meaning that almost two thirds of students in New York City high school graduate before they “age out” of the system.

According to the department, an increasing number of students received a Regents or Advanced Regents diploma. Almost 45 person of the graduates received these more rigorous diplomas, meaning they passed a number of state Regents exams in specific subjects.

The city does not yet have all this on its web site (stay tuned for that) but the state has posted relevant information here.

By Gail Robinson on March 9, 2010, 4:31 pm
In category: Education | 2 Comments »

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Trooper Scandal Claims One More
March 9th, 2010

The scandal surrounding the State Troopers has claimed yet another. Acting State Police Superintendent Pedro Perez has announced that he is retiring. Perez’s retirement comes one week after his former boss Harry Corbitt retired. Corbitt’s boss, Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise O’Donnell, resigned over the scandal a week earlier.

“My decisions over time, combined with the indication that you are seeking a new superintendent and the labor unions perception of my ability to lead the agency, have led me to conclude that continuing in my position as Acting Superintendent may be an obstacle to progress of the New York State Police, an agency I love, Perez wrote to Paterson.

The New York State Troopers Benevolent Association and the New York State Police Investigators Association released a joint statement calling on Paterson, “to appoint a strong, progressive leader to restore confidence in the management of the New York State Police, and to do so in a swift manner.”

These past few weeks have been difficult for the morale of the men and women of the New York State Police who answer calls for assistance and investigate crime, said PBA President Thomas H. Mungeer. We look forward to beginning a new chapter, and we urge the Governor to make this appointment a priority.

It is time to move forward and return the focus of the New York State Police to our core mission of serving and protecting the public, said NYSPIA President Joseph Barrett.

By David King on March 9, 2010, 4:29 pm
In category: Albany, Crime & Safety, Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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Paterson in Brooklyn
March 8th, 2010

This morning’s town meeting on the budget may have been the most fun Gov. David Paterson has had in a while. Inside the ornate room at Brooklyn Borough hall, no one mentioned David Johnson or Yankees tickets. Instead the crowd applauded Paterson and those who alluded to his other problems did so only to express support for him.

Of course, the subject at hand was none too cheery — the state’s massive budget deficit.

“We are going to make cuts that if you had told me years ago I was going to become governor and make these kinds of cuts I probably wouldn’t have believed either,” Paterson said.

The meeting allowed him to show a command of the state’s finances and indicated he was able to think about cutting spending and raising taxes while controversy swirls around him. Warning that the state could run out money in May or June, Paterson told people he needed their ideas but cautioned that, if they told him not to cut something, they had to tell him whether else the money could come from.

Even the questioning on the budget, though, was fairly easy. No representative of health care workers, teachers or public school parents stood up to denounce sweeping cuts in their areas. Instead Queen Mother Blakely asked how she could market her coffee to that state. (”I haven’t the slightest idea,” Paterson said before asking a purchasing person to speak with her.)
Read the rest of this entry »

By Gail Robinson on March 8, 2010, 6:09 pm
In category: Gotham City | 2 Comments »

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Weekly Web Wrap
March 5th, 2010

Paterson and the Future of Black Politics
(Newsweek)
Photo Essay of the State’s Adult Homes
(Mother Jones)
Spitzer’s Mission Impossible
(Time)
The Signage in Penn Station is Terrible
(Slate)
But it has Free WiFi
(NYCwireless)
Accessibility Concerns in the Building Code
(Metropolis)
Land Use and the City Charter Revision Commission
(Pratt Center)
Is Cablevision Destroying Newsday?
(Long Island Press via NYConvergence)
A Social Scientist Discusses Avenue D
(Urban Omnibus)
CBS Agrees to Run Pro-Marijuana Ad in Times Square
(Change.org)
Councilmember on Outer Borough Parking Policy After Storms
(Councilmember Vincent Gentile’s blog)
An Analysis of the City’s Tech Ecosystem
(innonate)
MTA Service Cuts Mapped
(Regional Plan Association)
Saving Student MetroCards by Trimming School Bus Costs
(Streetsblog)
Cartoonist’s Take on Tumult in the Governor’s Seat
(Matt Davies)
Minimizing Harm from School Aid Cuts
(Citizens Budget Commission)

By Mike Muller on March 5, 2010, 8:11 pm
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Paterson Plans on Being Governor Come Monday
March 5th, 2010

Gov. David Paterson has official plans for Monday. He will be holding a town hall meeting on the budget in Brooklyn at 11 A.M. Does that mean we can call off the resignation watch over the weekend?

“It is important that as I work through the budget process, I hear directly from New York’s residents about their concerns and the challenges they face,” Paterson said in a statement. “I look forward to the meeting and working with New Yorkers to resolve the State’s budget deficit.”

The meeting will be held in Brooklyn Borough Hall’s Ceremonial Courtroom at 209 Joralemon Street. Members of the public wishing to attending can RSVP at (212) 681-7123. Seating is limited. Given the circus that surrounds Paterson these days it will likely be extremely limited.


By David King on March 5, 2010, 4:10 pm
In category: Albany, Eye on Albany | 2 Comments »

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Common Cause/NY Calls for Paterson's Resignation
March 5th, 2010

Good government group Common Cause/NY is calling on Gov. David Paterson to resign. “Given the fiscal and governmental crisis enveloping our state, we at Common Cause/New York have come to the reluctant conclusion that it would be in the best interest of the people of the State of New York for Governor Paterson to step aside as governor,” said Susan Lerner the organizations executive director. Common Cause/NY is the first major good government group to call for Paterson’s resignation.

“As events have unfolded over the last several weeks, the allegations of abuse of power and criminal conduct by the governor have become the sole focus in Albany, at a time when the undivided attention and full creativity of the state’s leaders must be devoted to addressing the state’s very grave fiscal crisis,” said Lerner.

Common Cause stood behind Paterson when he proposed tough ethics reforms. The group supported Paterson’s stance against the ethics package agreed to and passed by the legislature, saying the bill was watered down.

“A resignation at this time should not be seen as an admission of guilt or wrong-doing,” Lerner said. “It would be a pragmatic, self-sacrificing action that will allow us to move forward, much as Gov. Paterson’s appointment of Richard Ravitch did.”

By David King on March 5, 2010, 11:59 am
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Protesting Park Closings
March 4th, 2010

Gotham Gazette parks writer Anne Schwartz filed this post.

Gov. David Paterson’s plan to close state parks has generated an outpouring of voter outrage. The proposal would shutter as many as 91 of the state’s 178 state parks and 14 of its 35 historic sites, and reduce services at others, to save $20 million, a quarter of 1 percent of the states $8 billion-plus budget gap.

“In my 34 years with the legislature, I have never seen an issue that has resonated so much with the public, Republican Sen. Hugh Farley told the Albany Times-Union.

Several hundred people rallied in Albany yesterday outside the Capitol, while more than a dozen lawmakers from both parties spoke out against the closures, which could take effect as soon as April 1. Democratic Assemblyman Steve Englebright, chair of the tourism and parks committee, said he and other lawmakers are disturbed that the state parks agency has begun to cancel campsite reservations and issue refunds before the legislature has a chance to address the issue, the Times-Union reported.

Closing the parks would actually cause the state to lose revenue. A study by the nonprofit advocacy group Parks and Trails New York found that every dollar the state spends on parks and historic sites returns $5 to the state and local economies, amounting to $1.9 billion a year. Studies in other states, like one released a few days ago by state of Tennessee, have found similar benefits.

By Gail Robinson on March 4, 2010, 4:53 pm
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Liu and Simcha Visit the Council
March 4th, 2010

And they’re back.

Well, not for good.

Comptroller John Liu and Deputy Comptroller Simcha Felder visited City Hall this afternoon to deliver the comptroller’s take on the mayor’s preliminary budget.

According to his testimony, Liu said revenue forecasts for this fiscal year could be better than the mayor’s projections, but beyond that it could get a lot worse.

“I am much more pessimistic about risks to the budget next year and beyond,” Liu states in his prepared remarks. “Our economic projections show slower growth in the out years of the financial plan period, resulting in more sluggish overall revenue growth.”

According to his testimony, Liu expects tax revenues to be $127 million less than the mayor’s projections in fiscal year 2011, which starts in July, and possibly $576 million less in fiscal year 2013.

The comptroller also released a larger assessment of the mayor’s proposal available here.

By Courtney Gross on March 4, 2010, 4:30 pm
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At the Top? (Updated)
March 4th, 2010

To the surprise of many, New York State is one of 15 states (and the District of Columbia) that made the cut in the competition for federal Race to the Top education funds. New York now gets to compete for a share of $4 billion pie — and could get as much as $700 million by some estimates.

The state, though, shouldn’t start spending the money yet. Education secretary Arne Duncan still must select the winners.

Charter school proponents had despaired of their chances after the state legislature refused to raise the cap on the number of privately run, publicly financed charter schools in the state, given the Obama administration’s enthusiasm for charters. At the time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg likened the legislature’s action (or more properly, inaction) to “playing Russian roulette with our childrens futures. And Joe Williams of the pro-charter Democrats for Education Reform called it “the governing equivalent of puking up a bunch of Jagermeister on the sidewalks of Albany.”

UPDATE: The Bloomberg adminisirattion is using the Raise to the Top decision to again press its educaiton agenda on the leislature,. In a statement this afternoon, Schgools Chancellor called fot “lifting the cap on charter schools, evaluating teachers based on whether theyre helping their students to learn, making it easier to remove ineffective teachers andshould we be forced to lay off teachersensuring that those who remain in classrooms are the very best, not simply the longest-serving.”

And Bloomerg was even more blunt. “As you know, we have two big strikes against us so far,” he said according to the Daily Politics. “We have a cap on charters and a law that may or may not keep us from using data to evaluate teachers before we give them a problem of lifetime employment. And those things are not going to help going from finalist to winners.”

Just for the record, the Assembly had consented to lifting the cap to at least 400 schools from the current 200 but had set conditions on it that Bloomberg and Klein found unacceptable.

(For more on the issue, see Charter Schools Enter Uncharted Waters. )

By Gail Robinson on March 4, 2010, 2:43 pm
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