Governor Cuomo’s proposal to make public teacher evaluations will become law, now that the Senate has agreed to take up the measure on the final day of the legislative session.
Senate Republicans, after a closed door meeting, agreed to take up Governor Cuomo’s bill to make public all teacher evaluations, without names attached. Parents would then be able to obtain the specific evaluations of their child’s teacher. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos says it’s a reasonable compromise between teachers’ privacy and parent’s right to know.
“It’s a good balance and we’re going to support it, ”said Skelos.
Some GOP Senators were concerned that the bill would inadvertently disclose identities of teachers in small rural schools, Senator Skelos says those concerns were addressed, but the bill might have to be amended later.
New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, an ally of the Senate GOP, opposed the measure. Skelos admits that the mayor is “disappointed”, but predicted that the two will collaborate on other issues in the future.
