UFT EXECUTIVE BOARD RESOLUTION TO PUSH INADEQUATE TEACHER EVALUATION BILL TO BE CONSIDERED MONDAY

This resolution was passed by the UFT officers and it will be on the agenda for Monday's Executive Board meeting.

The bill the UFT is pushing will substitute one test for another to rate us and it keeps the multiple useless Danielson observations. It will still be as flawed a system as ever if it passes. Our high school people either need to vote no and tell the leadership why or amend it to repeal the entire evaluation system.

Another question that has to be asked is what will the UFT and NYSUT trade up in Albany in what is called the "Big Ugly" to get this tweak of the evaluation system passed? The "big ugly is when loads of horse trading goes on up in Albany to pass various pieces of legislation at the end of the legislative session in June. Senator Flanagan and the Republicans will probably want some piece of pro charter school legislation1 passed in return for us getting this bill that does not do much at all to improve the evaluation system.

The only answer is to climb on board with us and get the entire evaluation system repealed and start over again. Please continue to spread our petition to repeal the entire mess.

Resolution in support of state Senate bill S.8301 to fix the state's broken teacher evaluation system

WHEREAS, in 2002, President George W. Bush signed the "no Child Left Behind Act" that expanded the federal role in public education by putting more emphasis on annual testing and teacher qualifications; and

WHEREAS, state tests played an increased role in our schools and ultimately New York State mandated that state standardized test scores e part of teacher evaluation; and

WHEREAS, parents bitterly complained about a school curriculum that taught to the test and teachers lamented the lockstep and exam-oriented classroom lessons; and

WHEREAS, d teacher's goals have always been to provide a sound education that is differentiated to accommodate all students; and

WHEREAS, the misuse of standardized tests and the state's over-reliance on testing continue to plague the learning climate in our classrooms; and

WHEREAS, the state Assembly passed A. 10475 on May 2, which would allow local school districts to establish their own teacher evaluation rules and would eliminate the mandated use of state exams on teacher evaluations; and

WHEREAS, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan has refused to bring S. 8301, a similar bill, to the floor for  vote, and Flanagan is supported in his refusal by eight other Republican senators, including Sen. Marty Golden of Brooklyn; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the UFT work with NYSUT on multiple actions in support of Senate Bill s.8301, including pickets at the offices of those state senators who are not supporting it, to persuade them and Sen. Flanagan to allow the full Senate to vote on the bill and allow the democratic process to proceed.