Cuomo's teacher evaluation plan will not make Bloomberg or the 'Post' happy
Briefing: Cuomo. Lauren Murphy via flickr
9:15 am Jun. 15, 2012
Governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly going to veto any legislation that allows teacher evaluations to be distributed widely to the public and media, according to a report by the Post's Erik Kriss.The governor's argument is that parents have the right to the information, but that it's unfair to treat teachers so differently than other public workers like firemen and police officers, who do not have their evaluations similarly released.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, locked in a fight with teachers unions over tenure and charter schools, among other things, has pushed to allow the evaluations to be widely disseminated, arguing that to try to control their release would lead to "chaos".
The Post editorial board isn't with Cuomo on this one, saying that the governor is catering to the unions and going back on a promise to be "the students' lobbyist."
Which means Cuomo is now getting grief from both sides: A week ago, the Times editorial board criticized him for having what appears to be a "slush fund" in the form of the Committee to Save New York, which functions as a pro-Cuomo lobby and was created in large part to counter union influence.
Events
Andrew Cuomo is in New York City and has no public schedule.
9:30 a.m. Michael Bloomberg participates in the Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament, at 870 Shore Road in the Bronx.
2012
Barack Obama called the reflecting pools at Ground Zero "powerful," during a visit there with the first lady, the governor and the mayor. [Julie Shapiro]
Obama said Republicans' message, blaming the poor economy on the person in the White House, is "an elegant message — it happens to be wrong. But it’s crisp. You can fit it on a bumper sticker." [John Lauinger]
2013
"Supporters of the market expansion have been generous to Ms. Quinn: her campaign has received more than $370,000 in donations from at least 120 people who are board members, or in the immediate family of board members, of the Real Estate Board of New York and Friends of the High Line, according to an analysis by The New York Times." [David Chen]
Retiring congressman Gary Ackerman listed his 30 years of public service as, literally, a "priceless" gift on his financial disclosure form. [Wall Street Journal]
Ackerman's disclosure. [Wall Street Journal]
NY-15
Rep. Eliot Engel got a six-figure home loan from one of his biggest campaign contributors. [Alison Gendar and Ben Lesser]
NY-13
Adriano Espaillat: "He [Rangel] was in fact the poster child for dysfunction in Washington" and "the only one that's been investigated in this table has been you and it led to Democrats losing the majority in congress." [Josh Robin]
The full debate. [Inside City Hall]
NY-11
Rep. Michael Grimm raised $143,000 between April and June and spent $321,209 on legal fees ruing that time. [Alison Gendar]
Albany
Cuomo will reportedly veto any legislation that allows widespread distribution of teacher evaluations. [Erik Kriss]
One editorial board angrily writes, "Trouble is, students don’t write checks and don’t vote — so they and their parents are getting sold out. There’s nothing to cheer in the pending plan." [New York Post]
Flashback: Bloomberg warned limiting the release of that data would lead to "chaos." [David Seifman]
City Hall
Dennis Walcott: "In our public schools, we are often unable to properly punish sexual misconduct even after it has been established by investigators. As a result, the teacher in question often remains in the classroom." [New York Times]
"A dozen scantily clad women rallied outside City Hall yesterday, decrying a bill they say prevents beauties wearing skimpy clothes from getting a fair shot at hailing a yellow cab." [Sally Goldenberg]
City Council
Christine Quinn promised but has not followed through on a vote on a resolution to urge state lawmakers to allow schools to rent space to religious organizations. [Daily News]
Prosecutors cannot refer to the woman Councilman Larry Seabrook had an affair with as his "mistress." [Robert Gearty]
Policing the Police
Assemblyman Nick Perry and Councilman Jumaane Williams want an investigation into the fatal shooting by police officers of an unarmed 23-year-old woman who was driving erratically in Brooklyn. It's unknown whether the shot fired by the police officer was intentional. The unidentified woman is the fifth person shot and killed by the NYPD this year. [Alison Fox and Sean Gardiner]
Front Pages
