Read This
“9 Billionaires Are About to Remake New York’s Public Schools—Here’s Their Story,” The Nation , George Joseph, March 19, 2015. A Nation investigation reveals how a group of hedge funders are about to get exactly what they paid for.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget for 2015-2016 lays out a punishing education agenda that endangers CUNY, attacks teachers and hurts students.
The governor is pushing an austerity agenda that would decimate the state’s public schools and colleges. His budget would:
- woefully underfund the state’s K-12 and higher education systems;
- eliminate funding for teacher training and destroy many teacher preparation programs;
- underfund public higher education by tying funding to campus “performance” rather than enrollment;
- smooth the way for the privatization of SUNY’s five hospitals;
- fail to fully address the student debt crisis;
- launch a back-door voucher plan that would siphon funding away from schools most in need;
- undermine tenure for K-12 teachers;
- more than double the weight of standardized tests; and
- make permanent an undemocratic tax cap that has wreaked financial havoc on school communities.
Simply put, Gov. Cuomo’s proposed budget – which serves the interests of his billionaire backers – is an attack on public education.
Join the Fight! Every PSC member is needed to defend public education and the teaching profession from Gov. Cuomo’s assault.
Tell the governor to stop scapegoating… stop teacher bashing and focus on what #AllKidsNeed.
Click here to take immediate action!
Op-Eds on Cuomo’s Attack on Public Education
- Diane Ravitch, “Andrew Cuomo’s attack on public schools”,Daily News, 1/28/15.
- John Mannion, Gov. Cuomo’s education agenda: A teacher separates fact from fiction (Commentary), syracuse.com, 1/29/15.
- Scott Brinton, Excuse me, Mr. Cuomo, but teachers are the good guys, liherald.com, 1/29/15.
- “Send Cuomo to the principal’s office,” Democrat and Chronicle, 1/28/15.
High Stakes Testing
Click here to read about the American Statistical Association’s statement criticizing the use of high-stakes tests and so-called value-added measures (VAM) as a measure of teacher effectiveness.
