The New York State United Teachers decided not to endorse Andrew Cuomo for re-election, nor anyone else.
NYSUT has 600,000 members and a strong get-out-the-vote operation. It did endorse the Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
“Those who earn endorsements are friends of public education and labor,” NYSUT president Karen Magee said in a statement. “Over the last two years, they earned our support by advocating effectively for our public schools, colleges and health care institutions; listening intently to the concerns and aspirations of our members, and voting consistently the right way.”
Cuomo is a staunch advocate of privately-managed charter schools and has received large campaign contributions from the hedge fund industry, which supports charter schools. 3% of the state’s children are enrolled in charter schools. Cuomo is also a firm advocate for evaluating teachers by the test scores of their students, although he gives no sign of knowing that it has been tried and failed in many other places.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Great decision. I will not for him. I really regret to vote for him last time. – A NYC teacher
Good to see…but wish they would endorse an opponent.
AGREE! Teachout would be far superior than any other option…
The Green Party was counting on their vote. They have to become the Anti Common Core Party. Republicans are running a separate party ballot entitled the anti common common core, though they support privatization.
The Greens need to stand up as the anti common core party and not focus on the wonkish budget.
As a 28 year member of NYSUT I’m thrilled we didn’t endorse Governor “I want to be President” Cuomo. On the other hand I’m disgusted our union didn’t have the balls to endorse Astorino, Teachout, or even Howie Hawkins. Cuomo’s doing everything in his power to destroy public education, the least NYSUT could do would be to reciprocate on his campaign and future political aspirations.
Astorino is all for high stakes testing and charters, he only opposes Common Core.
Well, where’s Pat Paulsen when you need him?
When was the last time they didn’t endorse a Democratic candidate for governor?
After Randi refused to endorse one for NYC Mayor, stroking her chum Bloomberg.
NYSUT misses an opportunity to be vocal against Cuomo by not endorsing the Green Party. NYSUT shows compliance in their silence just like with common core. NYSUT took the easy way out as usual.
Spot on Keith.
Karen Magee and Revive NYSUT ran on a platform of opposing Common Core and Cuomo. They specifically said both in their campaign lit. In fact, they compared Cuomo to Scott Walker. By supporting Common Core at AFT Convention and failing to endorse Teachout or Hawkins, they’ve now failed to keep both promises.
Hardly cause for celebration on either count.
I totally agree. NYSUT needs to get out of bed with Cuomo and his ilk. Moving iout of Albany would be a good start.
Absolutely spot on Arthur!
The “no endorsement” is a coward’s way out in my opinion, especially given the choices that voters have in this election.
For what it’s worth, NYSUT didn’t endorse in the last go-round for Governor……..an endorsement of ANYONE other than Cuomo would have been a stronger stance, and in keeping with what the “REVIVAL” promised members.
If 3% of the students in New York State are educated in charter schools, I would really like to see a comparison of the effectiveness of charter vs, public in their respective track records in qualifying students for regular courses in college of free lunch qualifying students.
Test scores are meaningless in my opinion, except for the SAT II and those tests given by colleges to see whether admitted students are shunted to development courses or to actual college courses.
The affluent families are going to make sure that their kids do okay. It is the free lunch qualifying population that are the canaries in the coal mine.
This comparison would only be valid if it is conducted by a completely independent organization using the strictest of scientific standards.
I agree this is a great move. A next smart move would be to organize for something positive not just opposing Cuomo. Why not organize around Teachout and Wu. Get the posters out to us, get ads out to educate the public as to what we are for and why. I am a retired teacher and really feel we have to move beyond worry and complaining and get active for change before we lose our public schools and what little local control we still have in communities.
Judy Malys
Essentially an endorsement for Teschout …
That is great. One of the other two candidates would be better for Education.
Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch and State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. today released the results of the spring 2014 Grades 3-8 Math and English Language Arts (ELA) assessments. Students statewide made significant progress in math, including students in every need/resource group (urban, suburban, and rural). Statewide, the percentage of students scoring at the proficient level and above in math rose from 31.2 to 35.8 across all grades combined. The percentage of students scoring at the partial proficiency level and above also rose in math, from 66.9 to 69.6 percent. Students made slight progress in ELA, (the percentage of students scoring at the proficient level and above rose 31.3 to 31.4 percent across all grades combined), though progress varied across the need/resource categories. The percentage of students scoring at the partial proficiency level and above in ELA also rose slightly, from 69 to 70 percent. Encouraging gains were made by Black and Latino students, particularly in New York City.
This year, for the first time, assessment results are presented based on the performance of all students who took an exam last year (2013) compared with those same students in the following year (2014) at the next grade level. This “matched students” approach focuses on growth in student learning and provides more useful data than an approach that compares the performance of one year’s students at a particular grade level against the next year’s cohort of students at that same grade level. This matched approach is consistent with New York’s USED waiver from No Child Left Behind and New York’s teacher/principal evaluation system. For Grades 3-8 ELA and math, students at Levels 2 and above are on track for current graduation requirements. Students at Levels 3 and above are on track to graduate at the aspirational college- and career-ready level (indicating readiness to succeed in credit-bearing first year college courses).
“The test scores show that students from all economic, race, ethnicity and geographic backgrounds can and are making progress,” Tisch said. “This is still a transition period. It will take time before the changes taking place in our classrooms are fully reflected in the test scores. But the growth we see is directly attributable to the dedication and determination of so many classroom teachers and school leaders across the state. When school districts focus on providing the resources and professional development teachers need, their students do better. Parents want the best education possible for their children, and the tests are one of multiple measures we need to make sure we’re moving in that direction.”
“New York has completed the fourth year of a 12-year Common Core phase-in,” King said. “Like more than 40 other states, we’re in a period of transition; for us, that transition began with the adoption of higher standards in 2010. We’ve invested millions of dollars in training to support educators to better prepare students for college and career success, and we will invest millions more in the years ahead. These assessment results, along with our college- and career-ready high school graduation rate and NAEP scores, show we have a lot of important work ahead of us to ensure the success of all our students. But with proper support and resources and an intense focus on continuous improvement of instruction, New York’s educators and parents will help our students develop the skills they need for success in the 21st century.”
Although there is some correlation between 2014 math and ELA performance and poverty, there are many examples of schools outperforming demographically similar peer schools. See http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/pressRelease/20140814/home.html for a list of higher achieving schools and higher growth schools at both higher and lower levels of wealth.
Hundreds of New York educators helped to develop New York’s Common Core assessments. Every question that appears on a state exam is reviewed by New York educators. The assessment results announced today follow related data releases earlier this summer. In July, the Department authorized Regional Information Centers (RICs) to release secure instructional reports to districts and schools (for samples of reports, see http://www.boces.org/Portals/0/Web%20Docs/RIC%20Reports/NYSRICsCognos.pdf(link is external) ).
These reports can be used to analyze student performance at the student, class, school, district, and regional levels. Earlier this month, the Department also released 50 percent of the 2014 Grades 3-8 ELA and math test questions (an increase from 25 percent for the 2013 tests), with detailed explanations for correct and incorrect responses (2014 annotated items can be found at https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-common-core-sample-questions ). Released test questions help teachers and families better understand how the standards were measured and the reasons why students may have responded incorrectly.
Summary of 3-8 Exam Results:
Mathematics
•Students statewide are doing better in math. The percentage of students who met or exceeded the proficiency standard (by scoring at a Level 3 or 4) increased from 31.2 to 35.8 across all grades combined. The percentage of students scoring at the partial proficiency level and above also rose, from 66.9 percent to 69.6 percent.
•A smaller percentage of students met or exceeded the proficiency standard (by scoring at a Level 3 or 4) in the Big 4 city school districts than statewide. However, year-to-year performance increased in each Big 5 city school district, and New York City performance approached statewide levels.
◦Buffalo: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 11.4 in 2013 to 13.1 in 2014.
◦New York City: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 30.1 in 2013 to 34.5 in 2014.
◦Syracuse: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 7.2 in 2013 to 7.6 in 2014.
◦Rochester: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 4.8 in 2013 to 6.8 in 2014.
◦Yonkers: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 16.1 in 2013 to 21.1 in 2014.
•Although the achievement gap remains statewide, an increased percentage of students across all race/ethnicity groups met or exceeded the proficiency standard (by scoring at a Level 3 or 4).
◦Black students: the statewide percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above across all grades combined improved from 16.1 in 2013 to 19.3 in 2014.
◦Hispanic students: the statewide percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above across all grades combined improved from 18.9 in 2013 to 23.1 in 2014.
ELA
•Students statewide are doing slightly better in ELA. The percentage of students who met or exceeded the proficiency standard (by scoring at a Level 3 or 4) increased from 31.3 to 31.4 across grades combined. The percentage of students scoring at the partial proficiency level and above also rose, from 69.0 percent to 70.0 percent.
•A smaller percentage of students met or exceeded the proficiency standard (by scoring at a Level 3 or 4) in the Big 4 city school districts than statewide. Year-to-year performance increases were largest in New York City and Yonkers, and New York City’s performance approached statewide levels.
◦Buffalo: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 12.1 in 2013 to 12.2 in 2014.
◦New York City: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 27.4 in 2013 to 29.4 in 2014.
◦Syracuse: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above stayed the same, at 8.5, from 2013 to 2014.
◦Rochester: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 5.6 in 2013 to 5.7 in 2014.
◦Yonkers: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above improved from 16.9 in 2013 to 18.7 in 2014.
•In New York City, an increased percentage of students in all race/ethnicity groups met or exceeded the proficiency standard (by scoring at a Level 3 or 4). For example:
◦Black students: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above across all grades combined improved from 17.2 in 2013 to 18.6 in 2014.
◦Hispanic students: the percentage of students scoring at Level 3 and above across all grades combined improved from 17.2 in 2013 to 18.7 in 2014.
The Department continues to provide professional development support and resources for educators seeking to improve their understanding and implementation of the Common Core. For example:
•Earlier this week, the Department awarded Teaching is the Core grants to districts to support teams of administrators and teachers in reviewing all local assessments given in the district, eliminating non-essential assessments, and improving districts practices around the use of assessment to inform high-quality instruction.
•The Department is providing $500 million of Race to the Top funding to school districts to support their work to raise standards for teaching and learning:
◦Approximately $350 million was provided through Race to the Top formula grants available to all districts, along with approximately $150 million in competitive grants to districts and higher education partners, including several focused on career ladder models in which highly effective teachers and principals coach their colleagues and strengthen district professional development support for schools.
•The Department supported almost 12,000 principal and teacher leaders and regional professional development coordinators on ways to successfully implement the Common Core, through 23 multi-day Network Team Institutes in Albany.
•The Department provided teachers with tools and resources to successfully implement the Common Core, including exemplar curricular materials and videos of excellent instruction, through its EngageNY.org website. Recognized nationally as an excellent source of high quality teaching materials, EngageNY.org has had over 73 million page views and the optional curriculum materials have been downloaded over 8 million times.
A summary of the test results, as well as individual school and district results, are available at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/pressRelease/20140814/home.html
Educators from across the State offer perspectives on the value of the data and how they’ll use it to inform instructional decisions: https://www.engageny.org/resource/educator-perspectives-3-8-grade-assessment-score-release
NOTE: Following are statements from educators and business leaders in reaction to today’s release.
Statements on the 2013-2014 Grade 3-8 Score Release
i.”I am encouraged to see New York State students trending in a positive direction as we continue to implement the higher Common Core standards. Parents, teachers, school leaders, and community partners should be proud of the progress we are making, but our collective efforts must continue in order to deliver the best possible results for our children. As we move forward with the Common Core and work together to address current achievement gaps, these positive student outcomes will only improve.” – Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor, The State University of New York
ii.“We are pleased and encouraged by the test results released today. In a knowledge-based global economy, a highly educated workforce is a critical competitive advantage to a region and country. High standards are essential and the results achieved thus far, as measured by the indicators reported today, represent important progress that should serve as further incentive for educators, parents, students, and policymakers. At the end of the day, students will be in much better position to take full advantage of the educational opportunities at universities such as CUNY if the achievement levels in the early grades through high school substantially improve. For our part, we are committed to continuing to partner with schools to provide effective teacher and staff preparation and to conduct significant research. We join with our colleagues in thanking all those who contributed to the successes thus far, while recognizing the importance of making additional gains in the future.” – James B. Milliken, Chancellor, The City University of New York
iii.“The new, more rigorous standards will help ensure that students are appropriately prepared to meet the demands of the 21st century economy. The skills gap must be addressed on the state and national level if we want to remain competitive in the global arena.” – Heather C. Briccetti, Esq., President and CEO, The Business Council of New York State
iv.”The state of New York has been a leader in raising standards. We’ve worked with NYSED since 2009 to support the state in making necessary shifts, for example using text evidence in reading and prioritizing arithmetic within elementary grades math. We know that not enough students in this country are on track for success in college and careers—assessments show us what’s working and what isn’t. New York is helping educators understand the work that lies ahead to help ensure that New York students are college- and career-ready.” – Susan Pimentel and Jason Zimba, Founding Partners of Student Achievement Partners, Contributing Authors of the Common Core
v.“The teachers of mathematics, their students and parents are very fortunate. Based on a review of the New York State 2014 released mathematics assessment items for grades 3 to 8 in, one finds many elements that everyone should expect and welcome in a high-quality assessment of mathematical skills, concepts and applications.” – Steven Leinwand, American Institutes for Research (Washington, DC), Principal Research Analyst
vi.”Our teachers really worked incredibly hard. They took time as grade teams to unpack the modules. They decided collaboratively what they needed to cut as well as augment in order to adapt the modules to fit the needs of our students. We partnered with another district in this work and teachers saw great value in the opportunity to work together, share ideas and strategies, and problem-solve around challenges with pacing. They saw the work as valuable and through collaboration they accomplished a seemingly overwhelming task. We believe in professional learning communities, collaborative teams, embedded professional development led by teacher leaders. We have partnered with a neighboring district and with our BOCES in an effort to ensure the success of every student. This year we’ll be even more informed about the decisions we need to make with regard to curriculum and instruction. Our teachers are able to tell the teachers who will serve their students next – what these kids know and where they continue to struggle. Our 4th grade teachers are now able to say to our 5th grade teachers, ‘Here is what is surprising me about what these kids can now do! I’ve never known entering 5th graders who could do this before’. Probably most importantly, this work took place while still providing a positive learning environment and incredible opportunities for our students both in and outside of the classroom.” – Jason A. Andrews, Superintendent, Windsor Central School District
vii.“We were hoping for better results to reinforce all of the hard work our teachers have done around Common Core implementation. Our teachers are getting better at ensuring our students do the tough work in our classrooms each day. This means supporting our teachers who are getting better at letting kids do the analysis when they are reading. I think implementing the modules in and of itself is not enough. We have to really change how we do our work and that is going to happen by ensuring our leaders and teachers continue to work collaboratively, learn from the test results and reach our goals for this coming school year.” – Paul Casciano, Ed.D, Superintendent, William Floyd School District
viii.“Our gains in student achievement speak to the hard work of our Milton Terrace North teachers who have worked tirelessly in our classrooms every day to help our students achieve higher standards. Our entire school community has worked extremely hard to provide our students with an exceptional instructional program, social emotional supports, and strong home-school connections. We are excited to see the continued academic growth of our students and we remain committed to our focus on the progress of every child.” – Kathleen Chaucer, Principal, Milton Terrace North Elementary School, Ballston Spa School District
ix.“In the past year, where we’ve been using the modules and where we’ve been aligning our practice, we are seeing things work for our students. We’re not even close to where we need or want to be, but we believe in our hearts and souls we are headed in the right direction. As hard as we’re working at it, parents, teachers, students, and administrators will still be concerned about the time that genuine growth requires. We’re moving forward with the idea that our students can and will achieve and our job is to be keep spirits high and provide teachers, parents, and students with both the tools and confidence to achieve.” – David Bennardo, Superintendent, South Huntington School District
x.”We are a learning community and so we will dig into the data to see what we can learn from it. It will take time. I am disappointed in the overall ELA results and wonder what the impact the opt-out has on the results; however we will not make excuses. We have seen growth in our instructional spaces as a result of our focus on Common Core. There is still work to be done. This is serious work. I have to ask myself, ‘Do I want to make the future different or not?’ This may be difficult, but we must – for our students- press on.” – Lorna Lewis, Superintendent, Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District
xi. “We are intentional about meeting as a leadership team. We are getting synchronized as a district. We are in this boat as a team. We know we need to learn together and work towards solving our most complex challenges. Right now, literacy across the curriculum is our greatest challenge and we are using learning walks, professional development and constant conversation to get us where we need to be. We know our students can reach the higher standards that the Common Core demands. We are just now beginning to see the changes in academics.” – Nicole Williams, Superintendent, Poughkeepsie City School District
xii.“I am extremely proud of our teachers, administrators, and parents for their work in implementing the new Common Core State Standards for our students. While change is never easy, and while we did have our share of resistance from some, we are pleased that our resolve to remain steadfast in our commitment to quality instruction has been borne out in the New York State Education Department’s recently released student growth data for our district.” – Louis De Angelo, Superintendent, East Meadow Union Free School District
xiii.”We’ve really, really focused on supporting our teachers with professional development opportunities that are consistent throughout the district. One thing that stuck w/ me from the feedback of our Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness review for our district’s Focus status was that we didn’t yet have enough consistency in our district wide systems. We needed to focus on our systems. One mechanism for doing this was to create opportunities for teacher collaboration through monthly grade level meetings in our elementary schools. In our secondary schools, we have implemented professional learning communities. These meetings include teachers and administrators from across the district getting together to plan, collaborate, and produce items that they can use in the classroom. We have also created enhanced opportunities for administrators to collaborate through monthly meetings and professional development. Internal district mobility is less of an issue for us now because of the consistency of program and instruction we are able to provide our students and families. We know that our kids need to hit the ground running no matter what school they are in. Our teachers are a very collaborative group and have done an excellent job of supporting one another through the leadership of their Administrative teams. As a district, we have both adopted and adapted the use of the modules. Our work will continue next year as we dig deeper into our data and broaden our opportunities to support teachers and administrators.” – Hilary Austin, Superintendent, Elmira City Schools
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NY Teacher, thanks for the official press release.
Thanks. This is tragic. What a complete waste of time, energy, money, and ajida. The silver lining will be the parent reaction.
Sixty thousand opt-outs in 2014 will grow exponentially in 2015. And the walls will come tumbling down. I hope the rest of the country is paying attention to our mess.
Wow, a 3 point improvement, Common Core must be working.
This propaganda from NYSED was brought to you by you, the taxpayer, to convince parents to be quiet and accept Common Core and VAM and RTTT. But even in its one-sided, tone deaf presentation, they admit that millions of tax dollars will continue down this toilet, and that the achievement gap persists.
They also haven’t responded to the criticism that NY’s arbitrarily set cut scores prevent us from comparing states, one of the other main reasons given for Common Core in the first place, or that testing is preventing up to 30 days of learning in inner city schools, along with massive increases in student anxiety and massive decreases in classroom autonomy to meet actual need.
This teacher reads this blog daily but never responds until today…I thank you all who write in defense of my profession as a teacher. Reading this today felt like a real first move teachers took. My hope is that it moves state to state.
I am a special education teacher, no assistant at a K-8th grade school in Portland. Multi schools last year, huge caseload.
Every year my caseload grows and kids continue to lack the support they need. In saying that…yes it is hard, eating lunch on the run between my two schools, leaving good kids in crisis breaks my heart. Many students are casualties of poverty! I care very deeply for everyone if them.
I have seen teachers take on so many roles, I’m inspired with all my colleagues! NO BAD teachers …please make it STOP! Some days I tuck a kid in to sleep in the nurses office because their home life is in shambles. Its important to understand that public schools provide so much more than education.
Please continue to help teachers.
pdxlori: thank you for all you do. And for walking the talk—
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” [Mother Teresa]
Keep on keepin’ on.
😎
Randi refused to endorse a candidate against her sweet heart, Bloomberg, Bill Thompson, who was later trounced by Bill DeBlasio in the next election. Thompson was then endorsed by Randi and Meryll Tisch, who was his advisor. When will Diane get wise to this Union?
Not endorsing anyone is the same as endorsing the status quo / status Cuomo. We /UFT did the same with Bloomberg on his third election. We are saying we will be equally happy with any result of the Governor’s race. Does anyone believe this is true?
This just gives political cover to the people who attempt to speak for teachers.
How much COPE money was given to Cuomo? and will continue to be given to Cuomo?
Great news you are reporting Diane, but also lousy news.
NYSUT should take a stance and go with Teachout.
What you do not do or say is just as powerful as what your actions and words are.
Yes Robert, yes.
NYSUT leadership becomes irrelevant on September 9th. Every registered democrat out of the 600,000 members, can take their stand by voting for Zephyr Teachout.
Sorry folks, but this is nothing but a cynical head fake by Weingrew and Unity Caucus: they get press coverage about not endorsing our reptilian governor, in order to misdirect and mollify an increasingly dissatisfied rank and file, but will then silently allow the state AFL-CIO to do so, giving Cuomo the labor support he needs.
That bit of political sleight of hand will not get the same coverage.
Teachout first, then Hawkins… A Good strategy is to push hard for Teachout from now until the Sept. 9 Dem Party Gov Primary to siphon as many votes from Cuomo and for Teachout as possible. Will give Cuomo a much-earned black eye. Teachout can’t win but her candidacy offers liberal Dems an option to vote for publicly. Once Teachout loses, go all out for Howie Hawkins of Green Party for Gov. Very impt to consolidate dissent and dissatisfaction into a visible political outcome. Only chance of stopping the massacre of public schools and the public sector is abandoning Dems in NY and in the nation, for an alternative political party, look at how much impact the right-wing Tea Party has had. The UFT/AFT will stick with Dems no matter what, even when they seem to sit out an endorsement of Cuomo–this union leadership is at the same table, eating from the same plates as Gov.
Cuomo is a menace to public education, and so I’m somewhat satisfied that NYSUT decided to withhold an endorsement of the incumbent governor. Given his record and blatant disdain for teachers, I don’t see how NY’s leading teacher’s union could have possibly thrown support his way. Some time ago, I sent a message to NYSUT expressing my discontent with the governor. I expressed that if our union were to endorse Cuomo, then I would request that my union dues appropriated for campaign contributions be withheld from that particular fund. Admittedly, it’s a negligible sum per contributor, but it’s all about the principle. I would like to think other professionals in our field sent similar (or more pointed) messages.
I also think NYSUT could have been more aggressive in sending a shot across Cuomo’s bow. While casting endorsement to Teachout or a Green party candidate (or, hell, even Astorino at this point) might be considered a ‘throw-away’ vote, it’s invaluable as a message. While the Working Families party may have sold out to Cuomo (after they could have made it an interesting race by actually advancing their values), organizations like NYSUT could have stood on principle. It’s a shame they / we didn’t seize the chance.
Sit on the sidelines and start off 2015 making nice, or endorse one of three wildly unelectable candidates and spend the next four years getting roasted by Angry Cuomo?
Click to access SNY0814_Crosstabs.pdf
This is probably a wise political decision by NYSUT.
Like that’s not going to happen even if he did get the endorsement!
Under some circumstances, that might be the right course, but what to do when the Governor is committed to aiding your enemies, no matter what you do?
At least a non-endorsement (which this really isn’t, since Weingrew will lobby for the state AFL-CIO to endorse our Reptilian Governor, and funnel campaign funds via that channel) allows you to maintain your self-respect.
The braver move would have been to endorse Teachout. But I am not the AFT locals endorsing pro-public school candidates like Nan Rich in Florida. But they did endorse Ct’s Malloy, a Reformer, when they could have held back any endorsement.
It will be interesting to see if the UFT follows suit given that they played a part in Cuomo’s getting the WFP endorsement.
One shouldn’t confuse “friends of public education and labor” with supporters of today’s unionized “teachers”. They’re two different things entirely. In fact, given the thrust of “labor” “teachers” today, one often can’t help but think that perhaps they’re the prime enemies of public education, often seeming to put their own selfish interests above those of their students and the education system itself.
Ken, Ken, Ken…….. seriously? You seem bitter. Same old blame the teachers argument I hear daily, and it’s fairly disingenuous. Please spend a few days in a public school and educate yourself.
No one seems to realize that voters are no longer influenced by unions and their endorsements. This information is not in their infotainment.
Joseph, I think the objective of endorsements is to influence the candidates. Did you notice that Cuomo has already changed his platform to secure the labor friendly WFP ballot line? (Right before betraying them like a snake by calling for a competing third party ballot line).
Is it true Karen Magee and NYSUT have already walked back promises to oppose Common Core? If so, this is yet another sign that they are hedging bets and expecting a negotiating relationship with the Cuomo administration.
I’d love to think this non-endorsement was because the couldn’t decide between Zephyr Teachout and Howie Hawkins. And I’d hate to think NYSUT didn’t go for the brass ring (in the bull’s nose) because Cuomo sees this as a loyalty test.
But this is exactly what’s wrong with NY state politics, exactly ZT’s message.
I will say NYSUT missed a chance to engage the membership on this decision. How radical is it to imagine a process in which members decide democratically whether to or who to endorse instead of an RNC/DNC nominating convention?
Here’s an interesting story everybody seems to have missed, at least until Norm Scott posted this yesterday.
http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2014/08/sellout-fever-newly-elected-revile-er.html